Thursday, August 6, 2020

Gimme A (coffee) Break


If there ever was a coffee date I've been needing, it would be this one.

Actually, I'd be savoring a chai latte. As much as I love the aroma of coffee, I've never acquired a taste for the stuff. I do adore the quaint atmosphere of a coffee shop, though. And if there are a few friends, gathered around an intimate table...well, all the better.

I'm not a stress-filled, anxiety-consumed person...usually. Things have been a little out-of-the-ordinary in recent weeks, though, and I'm eagerly waiting for a break in the action, so to speak. There's a lot to be said for things returning back to their original positions.
So, shall we gather over coffee, or your beverage of choice, and chat for a bit? 

Here's what I'd share...

First of all, I'd tell you how my July played out, at least in terms of fitness and what not. With the Air Force Marathon's cancellation (I deferred my registration to 2021), my weekend long runs hit an unanticipated plateau. Not a big deal, but my running miles would have easily passed the century mark had my 26.2 training continued. The walking remained consistent, and I even passed the 100-day milestone on my outdoor walking streak (on July 24th). I brought back the weekly stair workouts, and Gustavas (my mountain bike) came out of hibernation. All good things.

I would also share my frustration with the continued "virtualization" of (virtually) all things racing. It seems like each week, there has been another live race assume virtual status (if not outright cancelled). It is what it is, right? Even the IMT Des Moines Marathon succumbed to the COVID craziness this week. The irony is that I'm contemplating deferring that as well (I was registered for the 13.1), but I know that race course well from having run it so many times that I could easily run the course on my own and call it good. Ugh...too many decisions...

Another race, the Drake Road Races Half Marathon, also decided to go virtual. I actually ran the 13.1 miles (virtually) back in April, on the race's original date. At the time, the race officials didn't yet have a postponed date on the calendar. That race course, though, has changed a few times over the years, and it's in an unfamiliar part of the city...so to run that course, on my own, would be challenging. I've not yet decided if I will attempt to run that race course, or just be happy with those 13.1 miles from April.

This medal will be arriving soon...should I run those 13.1 miles one more time?

Over coffee, I'd tell you about my favorite race DAM to DSM 20K (formerly Dam to Dam). Like Drake, it was postponed (from May 30 to September 5), but is also (now) going virtual. The postponed date would have featured an altered course, deviating from the traditional point-to-point route to a looped 10K route (in town). A group of runners are gathering, on September 5th, and running this "altered" route on their own so I'm planning on joining them. That's one race that simply cannot be "virtualized" on the streets of my town, even if it has to assume an altered route.

While we're talking all things virtual, I'd remind you of the Great Run Across Iowa. I've been "running" across my home state since June 2nd. My 70-day deadline ends on August 10th, but I have long since passed the virtual finish line (I'm just logging bonus miles for the time-being). I needed 249 total miles (walking and running), and I'm currently (as of August 6th) at 359.9. I'd hoped to get all 249 miles just in running miles alone, but I'm going to be a little short. Oh well, with all the walking miles added in, I'm not disappointed in my effort.
done!

Out of the blue, I recently received a package with the shirt, bib, and medal from the Driscoll's Strawberry Classic 10K. This was a race I'd planned on doing over Spring Break. Well, we all know what happened in March, so our trip to Tampa Bay didn't happen. I'd gotten word that the race had to cancel, so I assumed my race swag was forfeited. Having the shirt and medal in my possession, though, prompted me to run the 10K (virtually, of course) nearly five months late. Are you ready for this? I did it with Milly (yes, my treadmill), with a start time of 4:47a.m., and lived to tell about it! In doing so, we set a new "distance PR" of 6.2 miles...and rest assured, that PR is gonna hold for a very, very long time now. 



Lastly, over coffee, I'd give a brief update on our little guy, Max. Most know he'd undergone surgery for an ACL tear (as well as a dislocated knee). We went back for his one week post-op check, and all looks well. They removed the numerous layers of bandaging (which resembled a cast), and left the suture site uncovered. We return next week for the suture removal, and will really be keeping his activity on the down-low in the mean time. He's an active dog, so this has been an especially challenging time for all of us. He needs constant supervision, which has put a slight strain on my early-morning walks and runs (the hubby has been out of town, so I've been the chief doggy nurse). Thankfully, my sister (who works from home) has been able to watch him during the day, so I've been able to go to the office.
wearing the cone of shame...

So, yeah. As you can see, I really needed this coffee break, and I had a lot to say.

What would you share, if we were having coffee? Was July kind to you? Any more virtual racing? If you received a race packet, several months after the fact...would you still run the race (albeit virtually)? Ever done an impromptu virtual race, in the wee hours of morning? 

Since it's the first weekend of the month, I'm linking this with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date.
The Ultimate Coffee Date

I'm also linking this with Meranda and Lacey for the Friday with Fairytales and Fitness link-up. 

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33 comments:

  1. I'm just like you, I enjoy the smell of coffee but don't like the taste. I'm having a chai latte right now!
    Well done for doing that Driscoll's Strawberry Classic 10K on the treadmill. And before 5am! I think that's a PR that is well deserved. Great job, Kim!
    Wishing Max a speedy recovery!

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    1. Thanks, Catrina! That 10K will hold for awhile LOL I have no interest in running any farther with Milly...and I'm sure she feels the same way!

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  2. Glad that Max is doing better! Hopefully he will be back to himself soon. I keep getting E-mails about virtual races this fall. It seems like they are all charging the full race price even though they are virtual. I just can't justify paying that much to run on my own!

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    1. I know that feeling! And the races are promoting their events like it's just as good as running the live race. Granted, it's the best they can do with these circumstances, but still. I feel bad for all the money being lost on these races.

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  3. Glad to hear Max got a good report! Cocoa is still struggling with her leg injury and trying to keep her activity low isn't working out so well. She's limping less so I'm holding off on taking her back to the vet, so to avoid the million dollar workup that will most likely tell me it's a sprain...

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    1. Max keeps jumping onto the couches...but does hesitate to jump down (sometimes). It's SO tough to keep them immobile. Yes, this surgery cost me several pairs of running shoes LOL

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  4. Glad Max is on the mend! I have a friend who hired my kids to dog sit when their dog was recovering from surgery and they wanted to go out. ;-). I’d be more upset at races taking place than canceling/going virtual, but I know it’s a drag.

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    1. I've said it several times recently, but it's like caring for a newborn (but without the luxury of putting them in a crib or a car seat).

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  5. Oh your poor sweetie is so cute in his cone! Glad to hear his recovery is on track. Yes, I think the racing world is totally on hold right now for the foreseeable future. Sigh.

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    1. The current racing world is like nothing any of us could have imagined...

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  6. I am kind of over virtual racing for now as well. It was fun at first but I have lost interest. I did not realize you had biked so much this month! It's my favorite summer activity for sure. Glad to hear that max is doing better. Poor little guy! Hope he is back to running around soon. Have a great weekend

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    1. I was able to go biking after work today as well! It felt like an escape...but once the hubby got home (he'd been gone since Monday morning), I was outta there LOL

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  7. that pic of you, Max is just precious. I'm glad he's on the mend and you have some help in caring for him. Is your husband's travel less than normal, or his industry/region hasn't been impacted?
    I love that driscoll shirt. It's funny to wonder about swag. I gave up on my cherry blossom stuff since it wasn't worth postage, but surprises are fun.
    *Hugs*

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    1. The hubby is usually gone a couple nights each week, but that all came to a halt when COVID hit. These past two weeks, though, he's been able to start scheduling in some meetings, all remotely, so he was gone for most of the week. He had all of these scheduled before we knew Max would be having the surgery...so the timing was less than ideal.

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    2. Ooph. How unsettling. Glad you've been able to (mostly) navigate it. xx

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  8. I don't drink hot coffee but I love the smell of it!
    You have inspired me to set some new goals for not only running but walking too!
    Best wishes to Max as he recovers!

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    1. Woot! Good luck with the walking goals...I'm curious to hear what you have planned!

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  9. I just have to shout you out for being able to run 6.2 at a moment's notice on the tready. I run on the treadmill almost exclusively in winter, but I have to "train" for it when I transition in the fall. Right now I only run outside so it would be difficult for me to go further than 3 miles on the mill. Yes as runners we are contractually obliged to run the race even if we didn't ask to get the swag;-)

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    1. Oh gosh...this 'mill run was tough! Barb and I usually run our #5at5's in 45-47 minutes, which is around a 9:30 pace. It feels easy for us, and we're able to talk non-stop the entire way. I ran this 10K barely under an average 10-minute pace, and there's no way I could have had a conversation with anyone because it felt so hard. And, I didn't even raise the incline...the treadmill always feels SO MUCH tougher than the road to me.

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  10. That picture of Max with the cone around his head made me sad :( but I'm glad that his recovery is going well.

    I love the swag package you received from the Driscoll's Strawberry Classic 10K - that shirt is too cute!

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    1. Isn't the shirt fun? I usually keep all my bibs, but it feels really odd to keep that one, since I never actually pinned it on, nor did I actually do the real race.

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  11. Heck, it seems to take me months to get my virtual swag from races I've actually run (virtually).

    I suppose it was a good thing I only had one major race on my calendar.

    Sounds like Max is healing up nicely. Glad that you have support so you can still get to work!

    Solid month for you, Kim.

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    1. I was so surprised when this race pack arrived! They announced cancelling almost immediately after COVID hit (early March), and encouraged participants to pick up their packets at the sponsoring running store. They never mentioned mailing out the packets to the non-local peeps, and being in Iowa, I assumed I was out of luck. Anyways, happy ending to that! I have been so lucky to have my sister's help watching Max....he's not a crate dog, and this would have been a terrible time to try to train him with all the trauma he's been through from the surgery.

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  12. Sweet Max. I hope he can get back to normal activity soon.

    I had been holding on to my Starlight 5K packet for months. I missed out on the actual race because of my leg, but they sent me my swag, so I did the 5K on my own a little while back. Now I feel like I earned it :)

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    1. I know...receiving the swag puts one onto a weird kind of guilt trip LOL I would have rather "earned" this swag from an outdoor run, but that wasn't possible this week with Max. Doing it on the treadmill, though, brought a new level of difficulty to it!

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  13. Oh that cone of shame picture! Poor Max...I'm glad to hear he's mending well.

    Huge props to you for running that 10K on Milly at that hour of the a.m.! That race shirt is a cute one!

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    1. I wanted to start early so I could be done before 6:00. AS luck would have it, I woke up before 4:00 on my own...so it wasn't that much earlier than what I usually do.

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  14. Awww, poor little guy. It is so hard trying to keep active dogs calm when recovering from surgery. Hope he recovers soon.

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    1. You said it with perfection! With the thick bandaging gone, he's now trying to jump up on the furniture like nothing's changed, and scaling the stairway #downboy #baddog LOL

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  15. I'm glad to hear that Max is feeling better!

    Great job with all things virtual. I don't think I could do it, especially those longer distances! But then again my running mojo is at an all-time low right now. I can't wait for the fall to cool things down!

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  16. Stressful with your poor dog - glad your sister can help out and hope he continues to heal well.

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  17. I love chai lattes! :]

    That's cool that they still sent you the race swag! A start time of 4:47am is brutal though (I am definitely not a morning person).

    Poor Max! I'm glad he's feeling better though and I hope he makes a full recovery soon!

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  18. I’m glad Max is on the mend. It’s so hard when are fur babies are not well and they don’t understand what’s going on. He’s so cute too!

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