Hey Everyone! Today I am going to be linking up with Running with Spoons for Thinking Out Loud! I am going to be talking about some random stuff both running and travel related.
1. I did my track workout yesterday and it felt great. I had no weird pains in my legs at all and just generally had a solid workout. I kept a little closer to my paces, but was still sneaking a tad under. The workout called for 5 x 1km, a pretty brutal distance. Each repeat was at about 4:27-4:35 (yeah, I know, a little quick). However, later in the evening, I went for a short walk with a friend and wouldn’t you know it… the pain was there. It doesn’t seem to bother me when I am running fast, but I need to take things easy often. I wasn’t even running… so I have no idea why it was bothering me. I’m heading back to the Chiro today, so hopefully I’ll return with some answers.
2. Frank and I love to travel together and we’ve been talking about doing a big trip for a while. He had a few places that he wanted to go, but felt that I should get to choose this time. So, he asked “if you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go”? This was an easy answer. I’ve always dreamed of going to Patagonia, a mountainous region in South America that lies on the border of Chile and Argentina. Well… we bought the tickets last night. In January, I will be trekking through Patagonia for three weeks. I can’t express to you how excited I am, so instead, I am going to post a few photos of what Patagonia is like.
3. I am three weeks out from the Rocky Mountain Half Marathon. It is really a checkpoint to make sure my goals for Chicago are realistic. I ran this race last year for a 5 minute PR, despite the 1000 feet of elevation and starting altitude of 7000 feet. My PR in the half is currently 1:51:03, but to run a 3:45 at Chicago, I should be somewhere around 1:47. I feel like I am in better shape than I was last year, where I ran a 1:51:44, but shaving close to 5 minutes off of last year’s time sounds like a lot. I am not sure if I should consider reassessing my goals, if this race doesn’t go as it should. I am sure that I’ll be posting a lot more about this race over these next few weeks, but I do feel like there is a lot of pressure and I am not sure if I can run 8:10 pace for 13.1 miles. I guess we’ll see…
4. I ordered “Running your First Ultra” by Krissy Moehl, which features plans for 50k’s all the way to 100 milers. It should be arriving on Friday. Despite the back issue, I am still serious about doing this (also the Chiro said that this shouldn’t be a problem). I have a few races picked out as potentials in December. I’m hoping to run the race before heading on our epic adventure through Patagonia.
Hope you are having a great week! Thanks again to Amanda at Running with Spoons for hosting the linkup!
What has been on your mind lately? If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
She Runs the Wasatch 
Wow so much excitement going on!!!! 3 Weeks!!!!???? That’s epic! Those pictures are beautiful and you will have a great time. Come run an Ultra near PA so I can crew for you!!!! 🙂
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I am so excited for Patagonia. I never thought I’d have the opportunity to do this.
Also… that’s a really good idea. I think Frank would be a terrible crew!! I’ve also never been to PA. It’s one of my few states left!
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WOWOWWOW Three weeks in Patagonia!!! You are going to create some amazing memories.
Seeing glaciers and penguins is going to be pretty epic!
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I’m wildly excited about the penguins. I’m not sure, but I might pass out from cuteness overload.
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I have been doing a lot of research lately re: big adventures, including several trekking options. Patagonia is on the short list! Can’t wait to hear about it. Are you using a guide company, or going alone?
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Patagonia looks so beautiful. I’ve been to the Andes, but never that far south. We’ll be going alone, which is always the preferred way for me. We’ve been to South America before and you get to experience a lot more if you are not constrained by a guide service. Certainly let me know if you have any questions. Traveling is so fun and we’ve done a lot of trekking.
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Thanks, Kerry. I am basically looking for a big adventure in the next year or so before taking the plunge into potential motherhood. I’m leaning toward a mountain climb (e.g., intro alpining course with a beginner-friendly mountain summit) or a backpacking/hiking/trekking trip. If you have any suggestions for amazing trips that would be really tough to do once having a young family, I’d love to hear them! I’ve done a ton of hiking (and obviously running) but am just now getting more into backpacking and climbing.
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Wow! That sounds like an amazing trip!
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Sometimes I find that walking puts more stress on my joints than running because my gait is very different when I walk. After a day of walking around at school, my legs are sometimes MUCH more sore than during or after a hard-effort run. It reminds me of something I read regarding pace – a 12 minute mile puts way more pressure/stress on joints than an 8 minute mile.
Patagonia is on my bucket list, too!!! Well, specifically I want to go to Chile. I’d actually love to go to Antarctica but that’s unlikely to ever happen! How cool that you’ll get to go to Patagonia!! OMG I can’t wait to live vicariously through your pics!
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Patagonia is so cool.
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I’ve always wanted to go to Patagonia!! Now you’re just making me wanna go even more! I’ve currently got trips planned to Budapest and Reykyavik- both running holidays but hopefully I’ll get to see the cities a bit as well 😀
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