Being the problem solver that I am, I decide to shift my focus on things I can do.

Cycling does not come naturally to me like running kinda sorta does.  Not saying running is easy by any means, I just find it more enjoyable and that makes it a bit easier for me. 

Hills are so hard.  Actually cycling hills is 10 times harder than running a half marathon.  No joke.  After my long ride Tuesday, walking was a complete struggle.

It’s funny because I used to think cycling is a lot easier than running.  I was wrong.  So wrong.

You may laugh at me now.

After riding 26 hilly miles Tuesday, let’s just say walking up 2 flights of stairs took a lot longer than normal.  And all I wanted was lunch A.S.A.P and a hot bubble bath.  Oh and my bed.

Then I realized the dogs needed to be walked.  Crap.

After my long ride last week, all I could do was lay out by the pool the rest of the afternoon.  I was shredded.

The aftermath.

Time 2:17

AMPH 11.2

That night I was telling Mike how sore I was, while simultaneously planning my next ride.  Thursday. 

I love pain & suffering way too much.

Sometimes I wonder about myself.

But I get my cardio workout in and it allows me to spend several hours outside.  It’s a good fit for me right now.

I finally made an appointment with my podiatrist for next Friday.  Let’s see if there’s anything else we can try or I may be ending my running career.  <-Typing that killed me.

Anyway I’m looking for rides to sign up for and the Cinderella ride next month sounds like fun.  And of course the CA Classic is on my wish list too.

In the meantime, I’m ready for more pain & suffering tomorrow.

The thing that really sucks about this type of injury at least for me, is it doesn’t hurt when I exercise.  In fact it takes hours for pain & tightness to kick in.  Usually at night and early first thing in the morning before I get out of bed.

I jumped on the treadmill this morning for the first time since Friday and immediately was in mild pain.  I thought it might work itself out and kept going.  A run just wasn’t in the cards today.

.50 mile 4:31minutes

Feeling frustrated and defeated, I came home and took the dogs for a long walk at the park.  I ran into my cycling buddy and he talked me into a long (for me right now) ride tomorrow with his riding group.

Oh well I kept myself busy shopping for Mike the rest of the day.

And went to the doc for a TB test. 

They made me wait for 20 minutes and I was board so took pictures.  Then played Sudoku on my phone.

It wasn’t bad at all.  But then again needles don’t bother me.  Just yackers.  But that’s another story.

I have all of my cycling gear out, Gatorade ready and Garmin charging. 

They were a perfect fit.  I loved them so much I bought a second pair.

Then Mizuno redesigned them.  Enter the crappy 14’s.  Womp, womp wa…

Hawt shoes, but the ankle came up way too high, rubbing against my ankle, causing blisters and irritation. 

I returned them & bought the Brooks Ghost 4.  (Just realized I never did a review for those?)  They were too wide but the ankle was perfectly low so I rolled with them.

Over the summer rumors started to swirl around about Mizuno redesigning my favorite shoe to be more like my beloved 13’s for their new 15 model.

As soon as they came out I ran to my local running store to try them on. 

The verdict:  they fit like the 13’s with the lower ankle!!  I want to live in them.  If they were cupcakes, I’d eat them.

Sometimes I worry about myself.

My feet are on the narrow side and my custom inserts make them just a little tight but very stable, unlike my feet moving around in the Brooks.

Let’s compare the 13 vs 14:

I wore my custom inserts in both shoes to give you most accurate view.

I ordered them from runningwarehouse.com.  If you go through skinnyrunner.com you’ll receive an additional 10% off.

I LOVE them and if I were independently wealthy I’d stock pile these babies. 

The bright yellow is loud & obnoxious, kinda like me.  They also have a blue color that reminds me of toothpaste and ruby red.

My other running shoe reviews:

• Nike Free Run’s
• Mizuno Wave Rider 14
• Nike Lunarglide + 3 

I was supposed to ride with my new buddy Ken, but the threat of rain canceled it.  This afternoon the sun came out and I decided to just go by myself.

I had fresh legs begging to pound some pavement, the weather was really nice, with the exception of wind.  It was perfect. 

Once I got into my groove I started to think about stuff & the miles just flew by.  Even though I was peddling against a wicked headwind, I kept thinking how I could ride forever today.

I cruised on the Bay Trail to Coyote Point listening to Lady Antebellum & Adele. 

While climbing a hill at Coyote Point, Adele “Hometown Glory” came on.  I felt like I was in a movie.  I was in a semi-wooded area all by myself, alone with my thoughts.  It was amazingly peaceful and quiet.  I didn’t have a worry or care in the world.  I was outside, in such a beautiful place in perfect weather.  Planes were flying over my head preparing to land at SFO, the bay was to my right and I was doing what I like at my pace.

The headwinds were in my favor on the way back as I cruised along still listening to Adele.  I started thinking about our future, races I’d like to sign up for, my blog, Pook & Bam with big a cheesy smile on my face.  Then I licked my lips and could taste the salt coming off the water. The smell of the ocean, the cool weather, the bright sun, think of the greatest ride in heaven, that was my ride!

25 miles later I made it home just in time for Mike to come home from work.

Now I’m chilling out on my couch with my feet kicked up.  I have a dog on each side of me & Mike watching The Big Bang  Theory.  Great ending to a unexpected perfect day.

I had a turkey, bacon & avocado on sourdough.

I can totally see why he love’s it.  It was delicious.  The only thing I’d change next time is the bread.  It was tough, but that didn’t stop me.

Also love the Boar’s Head.  So worth the extra couple bucks.

After lunch we drove around Pacifica and then to Half Moon Bay.  We were looking for Mavericks beach, where the worlds best waves to surf are, but had no luck finding it.  Next time for sure.

We found a trail along wild flowers and the ocean to hike on.  Exactly our speed.

I love open space.  It reminds me of home.

We hiked for about 2 to 3 miles total. It was quiet & beautiful.  We heard critters in the bushes.  Even saw a field rat, lizard & a crane.   But no snakes, thank goodness.

I’ve heard Pacifica & HMB are generally foggy cities, but every time I’ve been there, it’s sunny & warm.  Maybe I just catch the right days?  Either way I love it there.

We drove through Woodside, which was a pretty twisty road with a few hairpins, but beautiful to get home.

Then stopped at a bakery for coffee & a treat then headed home.  There wasn’t an open table so we just opened the back of our SUV & had our own little tailgate.  It was actually really nice to sit & chill out.

I was so excited Mike made dinner.  This boy can cook!

Look at what he put in front of me!

Afreakingmazing!!  He said something about Cajun seasoning, fire roasted tomatoes, EVOO and a bunch of other stuff.

Even Bam wanted some.  Look at that little nose!

He got mad and made his reindeer guy do yoga in protest. 

I’m not even kidding, he really did this. 

I’ve got a lot to catch up on and hopefully a ride this afternoon.

Have a nice one!

It was held at Coyote Point park.  The course was out & back.  Mostly flat with a couple hills at the beginning/end.  It was an absolutely beautiful course.  Through a woodsy area and then along the Bay Trail.

I already knew what to expect on the trail since it was the same one Ken & I biked on Wednesday.  So I started out conservative. 

I was in the front of the pack, which I hardly ever do. My legs were so cold that after climbing the last hill I couldn’t feel them. The decline made it so worth it.  It was hard to breathe, but I’m confident once I build my cardio fitness & endurance back up I’ll be just fine.  My legs were well rested and ready to go, but lungs couldn’t keep up. I remember this issue when I first started running.

Close to the turn around point I was lapped by 1 guy and had another guy & girl ahead of me. I was a little shocked when I realized I was still in the front of the pack.

I’m fairly conservative with my energy in the first half.  I like to finish strong.  I passed the guy & girl, climbed the hills and crossed the finish line.

I came in 1st place overall for women.  Only 1 guy beat me. 

Don’t get all crazy thinking I’m lightning fast or anything.  It was a very small race, about 75-100 runners so I’m not that cool.  I just put my heart & soul into it.  I’m very happy how today’s race turned out.

It sure felt great wrapping up my first full week of training.   About 50 miles total.  Rock it, rock it!

I can’t tell you how excited I am about training again.  This is what I love to do!

I met the couple I passed after the race.  They were really cool.  It was nice to talk about running, racing & GPS watches.  <- Nerd alert

Overall the race was very simple and small.  Every person I met was very friendly and thankful for everyone who came out.

They had bottled water at the start & mid race along with bagels and fresh fruit.

Plus a t-shirt & a medal.  Y’all know how much I love race bling!

The only thing I’d work on is marking the course a little more clearly.  I got lost at the end, but still found my way to the finish line.

Hi Jody!  Hope to see you at another race soon.

What’s next?  I have no idea, but I’m thrilled to be out there again!!

Wednesday I went on a 22 mile ride with my new riding buddy, Ken.  I had a great time chatting about life & races the ride just flew by.  I was kinda sad it was over.  But there’s talk about making it a weekly event. 

Oh my gosh can I just say the weather blows me away up here!  I was sweating so much.

We rode along the Bay Trail to Coyote Point.

We continued along the path to the trees off in the distance. Ken told me there was a little climbing but a rewarding view. So up we went.

The first wasn’t bad at all but the 2nd incline was a bit more steep and longer. I was about half way up. He said drop it down a gear…. so I did…but then he said, oh wait the other way. I’m thinking this is really tough (because I was in the wrong gear)…and I’m clipped in…with Ken behind me. This is not going to end well. LOL!

I was finally in the right gear and was able to unclip to catch my breath. I was ‘thisclose’ to the top.

Before I left I put a pot roast in the crock pot.  It turned out well.  Then Mike roped me into watching the movie Taken.  99% of the time I don’t like watching movies.  I just don’t have the attention span for them, but this one got me hooked.  And now I want to work for the CIA.  Wonder if they’ll take little ole me?

My other favorite movies are High Crimes, Home Alone 1 &2, A Christmas Story, Silence Of The Lambs, Double Jeopardy, Christmas With The Kranks, Step Brothers and others I can’t think of right now.

Do you enjoy watching movies?

What are your favorites?  

A few days ago I popped into a locally owned running store, A Runners Mind and spoke with Monte about joining their running group.  He gave me some helpful info & his card with their blog address to check out.

I stumbled on this post and it finally clicked.  I knew exactly what was off: 

#8 Stop Giving Up

Whoa…

Really? 

Me? 

Nahhh, me give up?  I’ve never given up on running before…….Have I?

…….crickets……

Holy smokes, Batman………that’s exactly it……..I gave up hope I’d ever fully recover from this injury punk.

You see after that 5 mile run I did on the 11th, my arch has ached off & on since.

Dang you all or nothing mentality.

Likely came back too fast, but the thought of starting over again freaking kills me. 

But I want to run on my terms.  If I want to run for 5 days in a row, I wanna do it.  Respecting the injury is the hardest part.

I started over at least 4 times since August.  I get better & start gaining momentum, but then life happens.  Between Thanksgiving, Mike so nicely giving me his germs, Christmas, entertaining Lu I lost my motivation to run.

I’m better than that.  I absolutely love running with all of my heart & soul.  <—Wow, that’s really profound for me.

I think my biggest roadblocks are motivation and momentum.

So starting today, I’m going to semi-start over for the last time and keep going.  When life happens & I have to take several days off in a row, I’m going to suck  it up, and cut my mileage back for the first few runs & keep building from there.

Insert 5k

I can’t wait to pour my heart & soul into my favorite sport again.  And catch that runners high, feel my hips & muscles ache so bad I can’t walk for 2 days, not be able to use my hands for at least a half hour after a run, cross the finish line and can’t talk because hyperventilating because I’m so overcome with emotion and disbelief that my body just ran 13.1 freaking miles.  Mike kinda likes the last one a little too much.

Injuries suck, I don’t have to.

*****Note from Mike: I just proofread this for my wonderful wife, and I know that she loves to run. I believe that she will do it again. I love Jacqueline, but she is not an emotional person at all! I mean she doesn’t ever cry, and when she does, it just makes her mad, then the tears turn to anger, and believe me. You don’t want to be around for that!

With all that said, I witnessed my beautiful wife finish a 1/2 marathon last year and completely break down crying from sheer joy. She had completely done something that she, me, her family, didn’t think she could accomplish. That is a memory as a proud husband of an incredible woman that I will remember forever. I love you J!

But I’ve never regretted a workout.

I met with Team Velo in Woodside for a 15 mile ride.  It’s “Cycle Sunday” which means the ranger closes down a portion of a road for cyclist’s.  Pretty neat, huh.

AMPH: 10.3

Okay this was quite possibly the hardest rides I’ve ever done.  What I’m sure to locals there were only small inclines but hills for me.  That’s also coming from a chick who’s only trained on uber flat country roads. 

I’m slow but could have handled more miles but it was cold & pouring rain at times.  I kept looking down at my red fingers to make sure they didn’t fall off due to frost bite.

The scenery made up for it though.

I was the very last one almost the entire ride.  But I’m so happy I got out there.  I need to get out of my comfort zone and maybe make a few friends.

Jan was so nice to hang out with me.  She even helped me figure out how to use my gears without throwing the chain.  I don’t know why it’s so hard.

Thanks Jan!

She also taught me to keep my heels down, which totally makes it easier to pedal.  It’s a conscience effort for me, but really works.

Wow I have a lot of work to do, but I’m ready for the challenge.

I’m looking forward to doing more rides with Velo and improving as a rider & runner. 

I can only get better from here.

Mike & I took a drive up to check out the Jelly Belly factory and took a tour of the facility. 

Welcome to sugar & artificial heaven…

We took the free factory tour, complete with samples.

Mike: “I’m not wearing the stupid hat…I’m not…I’m serious, I’m not going to wear it”

Famous last words when they offered him a hair net instead.  Bahahaha!!

I’m diggin’ his new shirt…

They told us a million times “to refrain the urge to take pictures of the factory” blah, blah, blah so I will not confirm nor deny I took these…

The tour was a bit long & drawn out but still a fun experience.  If your planning to go, I’d go during the week while production is in full swing.  I would have liked to see that.

Mike especially loved the history behind it.

I enjoyed the art.

Who on earth needs 15.27 pounds of Jelly Bellys?

You laugh, but I’m not joking.

I’m up for this challenge though.

And a sugar detox.