Today was definitely an “on” day for riding. 

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.

After the race yesterday Mike & I went to Pacifica to have lunch at a deli he’s been raving about for a few weeks now.

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!

I was debating on running this 5k for the last month.  After I woke up, had my breakfast & coffee, I was ready!  I knew I’d feel great and running it would help ignite my training.

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!!

I’m trying to build my endurance back up and work on cross training.  That’s the fun part.  Bring on the the hurt. 

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?  

Lately I’ve been feeling like I’m going through the motions with running.  I’ve been trying to figure out where the heck my running mojo went.  Tendonitis in my mid to upper right arch has really got me down.

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!

Oh boy, this was my first ride in a very long time.  Since October 26 to be exact.  And totally felt like it.

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.

Yesterday I crossed another item off the ole bucket list.

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.

Yup.  It’s also my new post injury distance PR. 

Splits:

1 8:47

2 8:51

3 9:07

4 9:08

5 9:02

APPM: 9:00

Time: 44:57

Well hydrated with both water & Gatorade, washed down an antacid & properly fueled, I didn’t feel sick like Monday’s run.  #winning

I’m way slower than I used to be, and have positive splits, but I figure if I can get miles in, speed will come with it.  Eventually.

Best part: ZERO PAIN!!!!!!!

I noticed the gate to get inside my complex was closing and decided to play chicken.  I made it.  Barley. 

Hey, after I run 5 miles, I’m totally invincible. 

Can you believe I actually iced my foot when right when I got home?  I don’t even know who I am anymore.

I was actually waiting for the oven to pre heat so I could bake this pizza. 

Dairy kills my stomach & I was so excited when Mike showed a dairy free pizza at Trader Joes.  I really like it a lot.  I almost don’t miss the cheese.  Almost.

I added turkey pepperoni to it.

Shower->Starbucks->Ulta->Target->Staples->car wash->home->walk the dogs->blog

Whew.  And before all that, I managed to wash the sheets & start the dishwasher.

Deal of the day:

$3.00 @ Target

Just made this Taco Soup for dinner.  I suck at cooking, but for some reason I do a pretty decent job at making soup.

I 86ed the beans, added a can of chicken broth & pasta, sub ground turkey.  Can you tell I was a server years ago?  Hated the job, loved the scrilla. 

It actually turned out really good. 

My training “plan” is almost complete.  I’ll post it in the next few days.

Go for a run & eat cupcakes for me!!

P.S I’m diggin’ dailymile.  If you are too, friend me.

I’m stoked to be running again & arrived to the point where I’m building my fitness & endurance back up.  I’ve been making some changes & thought I’d blog about them. 

• Run as consistently as I can.  I shoot for every other day or so.  The only exception is when Mike’s home.  He works so much, so missing a training run is so worth missing.

Today ~

I started out feeling great & ready to run.  I wanted to do 30 minutes or 3.50 miles until the last half mile or so I felt sick.  I guess I need to work on the hydration thing a bit more.

• Clean eating~ Lot’s of fresh produce and protein. I cut out all dairy ever since I figured out it was the reason my stomach was upset almost every day.  I totally feel like a new person now! So I’m working on taking my calcium/D chews.

On a side note, I’m so happy I stopped by the farmers market Saturday. I’m feeling inspired. 

• Hydration~  Water & Gatorade.  I swear by the powdered lemon-lime. I drank 2 glasses when I got home from my run this morning and felt so much better.

• Juicing~ (Not the Barry Bonds kind) To help increase my produce intake I’m juicing about 3 times a week. There’s a lot of parts to clean and it definitely takes extra time to clean up, but so worth it.

My current favorite is 3 small apples, 3 stalks of celery & 1 small lemon.

Things I still need to work on:

• Icing.  When it’s in the 40’s outside, the last thing I want to do is put ice on my feet.  Ughh
• Come up with a training plan.  We all know I’ll never follow it, but I use it as a guideline.  Working on it this week & I’ll be sure to post it when it’s ready.
• My upcoming race page.  I’m still new to this area & it’s a little tough for me to find local races, but I did find a few good ones.
• Mizuno Wave Rider 15 review.  Just got these babies for Christmas and LOVE them so much I feel like I’m cheating on Mike.  If you liked the 13’s, don’t wait for my review, just get ‘em. You won’t be disappointed!

If you thought I was gonna cut out cupcakes, well then your freakin high!!

I mean, who does that?  It’s too sad for me to even think about. You might as well just end it all right now, there is no reason to live.

Live, Run, Laugh……….eat cupcakes!

With a helmet.

I was going to tell you about my day and include some beautiful pictures I took.  And laughed.so.hard. 

I took the dogs to the dog park by the bay and then a nice walk along a lake. 

I’d like to know who gave me the “special” dogs?

Gruummmpppyy

I don’t know why I even tried.

Oh well at least we had fun. 

Even the picture of my afternoon juice looked like there was a floater in it.

FYI it’s a piece of apple skin.

Dinner was freaking awesomesauce though.

I didn’t snap a picture of it, but this girl did. 

Lucky you.  

Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I really need to read  this post on how to take decent pictures.