Author Archives: Cait

About Cait

Freelance writer, artist, & graphic designer. Founder of Ezzere Running Shirts http://ezzere.com/ #runner #writer #blogger #artist #designer Run. Laugh. Be.

The Wildest Most Exciting Weekend in the World and Then the Truth

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Hey there! Okay, so sorry for being a bit lame as of late. Totally was MIA here on the blog yesterday (well, I guess technically my Friday late night post ended in the wee hours of Saturday morning) and then things were kind of touch and go towards the end of last week.

I was just feeling pretty tired and run down and things came to a nice crashing halt yesterday. So what has my exciting, living it up twenty-something lifestyle kept be busy doing the past two days? A whole lotta nothing exciting…namely sleeping. I can usually get a good sense of how I’m doing/feeling by my workouts and on Saturday I had wanted to do a harder workout and get in more miles than ended up happening.

But it was one of those times when the first five minutes feel like a sucker punch to the face, the first mile passes and you just tell yourself you’ll get into the ‘groove’ and feel better as you keep going. That does happen a lot, I mean I do always tell people the hardest part of working out is usually getting going and the first few steps. That five minute benchmark is a funny one, before that you can feel like death but then 5:01 ticks by and you say, ‘Hey this isn’t so bad.’

But after three miles rolled by and that would usually be the end of my warm-up I knew there wasn’t going to be a tempo effort in me for the day. I finished somewhere over 8 miles, did some arm weights, lunges, and called it a day. I just felt zapped and tired and hoped that a little extra rest day would leave me feeling fresher by the morning. I slothed around and made good friends with my pillow. If competitive sleeping were a real sport, then sign me up! So basically foodage and nappage. I know how to do my Saturdays up in full party fashion, right? Sad when I’m about as wild as the geriatric ward.

Well, today I’m still feeling in my little tired funk…but not as bad. It doesn’t really make total make sense, I was hoping I’d feel better and maybe that tempo would happen. I’m not gonna lie, I still feel guilty ‘skipping’ a hard workout even though I’m not actually training for a race. It’s still hard for me to cut myself a break and not feel like I’m just a complaining slacker. But being that those ‘easy’ 8 miles felt way harder than they should have I tried to tell myself that my legs felt like lead bricks and forcing a workout wasn’t smart, being that I knew it would have ended pretty ugly.

So I’m hoping that the old bod just needed some extra R and R and should be back to full strength soon. I don’t know if I’m a little sick or something. I put in my 8 miles and change, then some core and abs. And just laying low for the rest of the night.

Funny as it sounds, as long as I’m able to still get my run in I feel partially okay with just being a slug for the rest of the day. I figure I earned my right to be lazy. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather be out and doing something fun with my friends or family but this weekend was going to be low-key whether I liked it or not. That’s okay, there were plenty of other blogs I could read where people were doing much more thrilling endeavors so I can vicariously live through them. There was also plenty of action to read about happening on the track at USA Nat’s. And if I watched a bunch of awesome athletes busting their @$$es, that’s gotta count for some kind of extra workout. I sweat just as much as I raised fork to lips as they did on the bell lap, right? Sure, Cait, whatever your irrational mind wants to fool you into thinking.



Well, all this tying is just a bit too much exertion for me, so I’ll be off. Sorry this is both a boring post and somewhat one with me just complaining. Something I really don’t like to do all that much of. I know there are days or stretches that we feel run down, and a few days ago the topic of denying that you’re sick was raised at Shut Up and Run. I think lots of us do that, or we don’t like to admit we’re tired; sometimes I think we do it to fool no one other than ourselves. I don’t think I’m alone in feeling that niggling ‘guilt’ if we don’t do a workout the way we had planned it to be and opt for an easy run instead. Or even take a rest day completely. In our sport we are constantly navigating the fine line between doing enough but not too much. Recognizing ‘normal’ pain of exertion versus the different pain of a potential injury. Being smart enough to back off when you should but being gritty enough to not back off and push to the finish if you’re just feeling the muscle burn of a hard race or workout.



So admitting to ourselves that we are sick or overly tired makes us feel lazy or like a complainer. But really it shouldn’t, I think that’s why having a coach or an outside person can help. They can be the one who ‘gives you permission’ to cut yourself some slack if it’s obvious you need it. It doesn’t make you a weak person and in the long run it’s for the better. So I’m hoping my few low-key days will leave me feeling a little fresher in the upcoming week and I’ll be able to get that dang tempo done so I won’t have it weighing on my conscious. And I mean I did still put in some miles. 🙂

1) What did you do this weekend? I’m sure even those at the Sun River Retirement Community must have outdone me this time. 🙂

2) Do you know the ‘guilt’ I’m talking about?

3) Did you have a race this weekend? Time to bust out the bragging…let’s hear it and don’t be shy!

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Races, "Really?" Moments, Da Biebs and Capris

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Just a short one tonight, and before it’s officially over, Happy Friday. 🙂 Running for me was just an easy run, worked out to be a little over 8.5 miles, followed by core and abs.

Update for anyone interested in more from the USA National Champs, (and who isn’t right?) today was Day 2 and I’d be lying if I didn’t just come out and say that it’s the distance events that interest me the most. So that was the 5k men’s and women’s finals that were the highlights. On the women’s side Molly Huddle took it in 15:10.01, Amy Hastings placed second in 15:14.31, and recent college grad Angela Bizzarri took third in 15:16.04. Watching the race on TV was nice as they had Vin Lananna announcing, he’s the coach at U of O now and has made quite a name for himself as one of the most renown coaches around. Before U of O he was there for Standford’s real juggernaut days. Anyways, it’s nice to see and hear an announcer who actually knows a lot about distance races, which isn’t always the case. No offense, because I know that they are GREAT athletes at their respective events, but hearing pole vaulters and 100 meter greats talking about 5k and 10k tactics doesn’t always ring so true. There’s been some flubs or things said that just make a distance chick laugh.

Back on topic, Huddle looked really strong and she should represent us well at World’s, last year she broke Shalane Falangan’s American Record in the 5k and that was a pretty big break-through for her and got her the recognition she deserved. On the men’s side the race was a tactical one, went out slow and came down to a kick. Bernard Lagat took the cake in 13:23.06, followed by Chris Solinsky in 13:23.65, and Galen Rupp taking third in 13:25.52. You know Lagat is getting down to business when you can see all the whites in his eyes. 😉

Like I said the 12.5 lappers were the biggest draw for me in Day 2 but I will say that I was more than a little happy to see Allyson Felix win her heat of the 400 meter semi-finals; she went to high school in California and I believe was a senior when I was a frosh. I was always in awe of not only her insane fastness (yes, that’s a word!) but poise and humble demeanor. So I’ve always loved seeing her kick some major booty. 🙂

You can find all the results here as well as more as they come in the following days. Thank you USATF. Also, Paul Merca has an awesome blog and does a WAY better job than I could ever try to (or many others for that matter…hehe) on full recaps and results, as well as some more inside scoop. He’s actually down in Eugene and trackside, so do check out his blog! 🙂



Totally veering onto another tangent, I think I’ve already professed by morbid fascination with celeb rag mags but every now and again even I have my limit and have to just say, “Really? Really?” This happened today in the check-out line at Winco when I saw the headline announcing that Selena Gomez is now pregnant with a Bieber love child. “Really?” Okay, hate me if you must but I adore that little Selena girl, how cute is she? And while I’m not about to pass out due to hypoxia screaming and yelling to J Biebs how much I love him like a tweenie, I’m pro-Bieber all the way. Plus, what, aren’t they like just now legal? I mean it’s not like she’s Jamie Lynn Spears. So leave this adorable little couple alone rag mags, there’s plenty other shenanigans to cover. In fact, lest you missed it, I made a fool of myself doing a poor rendition of one in particular. Please, if you must throw a tomato try and aim for my butt.

So that’s it for me tonight, I now see my ramblings have bled over into Saturday so I find it fitting that I opened the post with a Happy Friday and now I get to sign off with a Happy Saturday!

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I also wanna send a shout out to one particularly peckish runner, The Hungry Runner Girl is giving away some pretty sweet looking running capri tights from a company named Anonya. I hadn’t heard of them before but they are San Fran based and gotta support my CA roots. So if you’d like to score some free tights, and who doesn’t like some SWAG, head on over and check her blog out. 🙂

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1) Have you ever raced a 5k? Track or roads? Do you have one coming up and have a goal that you’d like to share? Also feel free to brag on yourself about your awesome 5k showings! 🙂

2) Do you have a “Really?” moment you’d like to share? Something that you saw or happened to you that was just too good not to mention?

3) Do you prefer running in full running tights or capris?

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Doubts Are Undoings and the Margin of the Unknown

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Well are we ready for a running fueled posted? I’ll start out with the big guns. For anyone who doesn’t know, this weekend are the USA National Champs going on at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The town has fittingly been named Track Town USA and does everything it can to live up to the name. Not gonna lie it does well, the facilities are insanely awesome and the warm-up track alone is cool in and of itself.

I’m lame and haven’t made it there myself much but have fun the times that I do. There is also Track Town Pizza that’s been there for decades and because it’s just off the campus it has naturally been supplying coeds their late night munches fix for just as long. It boasts that it also serves up plenty of the track greats before and after some pretty fantastic showings (maybe even during…jk on that one) and has pictures of all of the U of O heavy hitters. It’s definitely worth a visit if you’re around and their pizza isn’t too shabby either from what I recall.

Back on track, tonight kicked off the first day of events and was mostly prelims. There were some finals for field events but I’m not gonna lie I’m more of a track geek so the BIG draw for me were the 10k finals. Women’s first and there were plenty of big names on the starting line. All three of the fine ladies who represented the USA in the last Olympics, and the ones who went 1-2-3 in the Trials last time were there, along with plenty of other previous Team USA members and Olympic participants.

Though everyone comes to the tarting line as ‘equals’ in the sense that on any given day you never know what the body is going to give. I think anyone who’s raced or run long enough knows that there is always that little question mark going in, will it be one of ‘those’ days. The ones where it seems everything goes right, all is clicking, the stars align, and you feel ‘on.’ Or one where you have an off night and it seems like you’re lugging bricks from the gun. Then there’s everything in between those two extremes. The truth is that you put in all the work, do the whole tapper thing, training guide, race plan, rest, refuel, hydrate, etc before and prepare in the best way that you can. You do that because that swings the odds in your favor, it sets you up for the best possible outcome and hopefully success, but in our sport there is always the little margin of the unknown.

It’s the unexpected injuries. It’s the workouts that seem to feel much harder than they should. BUT it’s also the workouts where you blow it out of the park, the ones where you reach another level. The races where you run out of your mind and the whole way you keep thinking, ‘This can’t be ME running out here, MY body hitting those splits!’ The unknown is sweet, it’s cruel, and it’s everything in between. I think that’s one of the things that makes our sport the best. Ya, I’m partial I admit that. 🙂

The unknown is also scary, it can mess with our minds. It can implant those doubts, ‘Am I ready for this? Do I belong here? I didn’t do my warm-up right, will that mess me up? My prerace pizza had too much cheese on it. Should I have run one last hard workout? One last long run? Did I do enough?’ All of that. But we all think that to some degree. And not only during races, it’s in everything. In training, in just regular fitness working out. In life. Doubts are everywhere.



It’s also the times when you don’t really feel like going out and putting in those runs. Skipping a workout because you feel tired, stressed, or just plain would rather do something else. You wonder why in the world you keep doing this whole song and dance anyways. But we all have those times. Sometimes we don’t like to admit it because it makes us fear that we’re weak, wussies, complainers, excuse-makers, and at least for me I’m afraid it means that the day will come when I do just cave, throw in the towel, toss up my arms and delve into the world of slothdom.

But the reality is I won’t. I love this thing too much. Ya, maybe a day or two goes by and I don’t bust my sweat (and I mean these are FAR and few between…lol), but I get back into it. So eff that doubt because I know myself and I know this is what makes me happy. Running in circles is fun to me. Ya, I’m not fast or racing, but I like it too much to let it pass me up completely.

Wow, sorry for my long@$$ ramble there, where did that come from?!?! So the results are in, are you ready for the envelope to be read? Hehe. Shalane Flanagan won the 10k in 30:59.97. Kara Goucher took second in 31:16.65 and Jen Rhines placed third in 31:30.37. On the guys’ side Galen Rupp won in 28:38.17, Matt Tegenkamp got second in 28:39.97, and Scott Bauhs rounded out third in 28:40.51.



I think my point was that I keep reading about people who are nervous about their first race, or the longest race they’ve yet to do. They worry that they’re not doing things ‘right’ and have all these doubts. I think they are afraid they’re the only ones who have all these worries, like it means they aren’t ready for the challenge. But EVERYONE has doubts, so my best advice is to put in the work, do all the planning you can, and recognized that yes, there is always the little margin of the unknown. It CAN be scary, but it’s a good kind of scary. It doesn’t only mean you might have a bad race because it also means you could have an awesome race, the one of your life. It can also be a mediocre race, a funny race, a race with memories. Everyone races for different reasons but don’t psyche yourself out from starting and giving it your all because of the unknown.



Wrapping up my epicness, I think I’m trying to talk myself up too. Not just in running but in life too. I’ve got some stuff I’ve got to figure out there and have plenty of doubts. With the running though, I’m trying to do some more harder workouts and I do still get stuck in the comparing old times and how I felt then to today’s efforts. But that’s not doing me any favors, it only robs me of enjoying the present. So I did have fun out there today in my workout; I ran outside again and managed to stay vertical the whole way…haha! 3 miles warm-up to the track, 6 mile uptempo, 2.5 mile cool-down. That cool-down was butt slow, but I was pleased I averaged 5 secs/mile faster this week than last week on the tempo part. I even had some company out there, these blasted squirrels kept scurrying around on the track!

Alright, enough from me, hope all’s well for you guys! 🙂

1) Favorite pizza topping?

Cheese and lots of veggies.

2) Last challenge you did that scared you?

Lame as it sounds, today running outside because I thought for certain I’d fall bad again. haha.

3) What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

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Abs in Full Sluggy Glory

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So I’ve become a slug. Not because I’m lazy (but, not gonna lie I’m guilty of not going to get my mail sometimes because I’m too lazy to walk down the two flights of stairs and down the hallway to get it) but because I’m leaving a nasty sweat trail behind me. Sorry, yes I’m gross too.

Finished my easy run of a bit over 8.5 miles and there was no drippier slug to be found. As I was doing my Pedestal core routine I was dripping my trail of sweat until it became a nice little slippery pool. I was even having trouble getting enough traction between my forearm and the ground to stay steady…I was a mess. Thankfully no one else was around to witness me in fully sluggy glory and I swear I mopped up after myself.

Standing in front of the fan for a few minutes did a nice job of airing me out before I moved to the bench to do my ab routine. I used to be really anal about doing abs every single day, mostly out of habit and my stomach area is my ‘thing.’ That thing you always compare to other peoples’. Anyways, I did them every day even though I KNEW you shouldn’t train the same muscle group day in and day out. They never get a chance to fully recover and then never build up as strong as they can be. In fact I knew I’d get better results AND they’d look better if I did them every other day, but still I did them my way. Well, I always know my way is the best way after all. 😉

Finally I got to the point in recognizing I’m a dork and so I do them every other day. I mean you don’t go to the weight room and train the same muscle groups (ie: shoulders, quads, etc) every day so why is it that abs are the exception to the rule? I know I’m not the only one guilty of this one, lots of people overdo the ab thing and I think that’s for the very same reason I did/do it, (I admit that on the days that I don’t do my full ab routine I still do a quick round of crunches on the stability ball…I’m only human after all) everyone wants a kick@$$ stomach.

The other big mistake people do with abs is that they assume working on ab specific exercises WILL get them the six pack. Well the bummer is that the ab muscles won’t even be seen if there is a that nice layer of adipose tissue covering them. Read: fat layer. So if you’ve got poundage to drop hit up the cardio baby and then worry about all them crunches. hehe.

Off of my tangent there and sorry if you don’t want a rambling on all things abs. But, so after blowing myself to a quasi-slug stain state I did my ab routine:

* 15 Butt Bridges: Lie on back, place feet about a foot and a half in front of your bum with your knees bent. Raise your bum up until your quads and torso are in a line and then lower back down. Repeat.

* 20 Leg Lifts: Lie on back, legs straight in front of you. Keeping your legs straight, raise them up into the air until they are perpendicular to the floor and then lower back down. Repeat. (this works on the lower abs; I’ve got some variations on this one I’ll share later)

* 30 Crunches

* 15 Butt Bridges

* 20 Leg Lifts

 * 40 Bicycle Crunches: Alternate bringing your left elbow to your right knee and then your right elbow to your left knee as you crunch.

* 15 Butt Bridges

* 20 Leg Lifts

* 30 Crunches



* 30 Crunches on stability ball (I move my slug train to the stability ball for these, you can get a little more out of your crunches on the ball but if you don’t have one ’tis okay)

* 30 Side Crunches on stability ball: Just crunch but alternate going to the left and right side as you go up.

* 30 Crunches on stability ball

* 15 Hamstring Ball Rolls: Lie with your back flat on the ground and place your feet/ankles on top of the ball. Raise up like you were doing a butt bridge so that your legs are straight, your lower back is off the ground and balance on your shoulder blades. With your ankles resting on the ball, roll the ball in by pulling your feet towards you until the ball is by your bum and then roll it back out.

*10 Ball Bridges: Just like the butt bridge but this time your feet are on the ball, lift up until your legs are in alignment with your torso, you will go until your lower back is off the ground and only your shoulder blades are still flat on the floor. Lower back down and repeat. (you can modify this one to be a little easier by resting your knees on the ball and raising up)

* 15 Hamstring Ball Rolls

* 10 Ball Bridges

* 15 Hamstring Ball Rolls

Then the slug train wiped off the rest of the equipment. The last bit I do because of my darn adductor and so the hamstring rolls are supposed to help me with that problem. It’s not necessarily ab work but I do it because I’m there and the ball is ready, willing, and able.

That said, nothing much else to share for today. I hope you’re all doing just dandy on yet another hump day!

1) Have to pick: would you rather be a slug or a snail?

Snail. They have those cool houses. I guess slugs are really just hobo snails.

2) Favorite ab exercises?

I also really like pilates.

3) What do you do that you know is ‘wrong’ but you do it anyways? Or I guess you know that doing it a different way would get you better results but you do it your way just because?

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Littlest Bro Not So Little and Garmin Fever

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Today’s going to be a wild mix-up match-up of things so here we go. First off gotta give a HUGE shout-out to my littlest bro as it’s his birthday. Isn’t he so freaking cute? 🙂



WARNING: This little bit may be a bit TMI so feel free to just skip down to the next paragraph if you’re squeamish. I was 11 when this little dude was born and I actually got to see him being born. Crazy, huh, and you may think it’s gross. But my family is really open about all this stuff and probably gross is a term that could be applied often. (cut to scene around dinner table when we have a fart-off) I learned about the birds and the bees, all that jazz, really young and my parents were really open and frank about things. So when my youngest sibling was about to pop, I was a freak and actually wanted to be there in the delivery room. Don’t worry the TMI won’t be so far as me giving a play-by-play, but I will say it was pretty surreal to see this little guy being born. That said, even though he’s one cute mo-fo now, babies right off the bat are usually pretty gross, slimy, and awkward looking. I adore Tina Fey and I think her whole little alien campaign is right on the dot, if you’re hot I think you grow into that.

So little Wes is the baby of the family and true to form he gets that special treatment from the folks. That kid could probably get away with murder but I’m guilty of letting him slide on things myself so those who live in glass houses shouldn’t be chucking boulders. Anyways, I also made him a little piece of art and I’ll share. If you like football feel free to print it out and hang it on your fridge. Jk. HAPPY BIRTHDAY WESLEY!!!



Next topic. Running today, I don’t want to use this space to overly vent and be a downer so I’m just going to be quick and short. Workout was not fun, not good, slower than I wanted and my legs feel like lead. The heat also left me feeling sort of sick, it’s just stuffy in that gym and I know I shouldn’t complain because I know for a FACT there are people busting their butts in way hotter and humid conditions, so if I have an issue I just need to grab a tissue. Anyways, total for the day came in a little over 11 miles, upper body weights and done. Let’s end it on a positive, Cait: there are people right now bumming with an injury and maybe can’t be running right now. Even a bad, junky, crummy-pants run is better than none at all in my book so I’m thankful I was able to put in the miles. 🙂 Ya, that sounds corny but it’s true, so I need to stuff my sorries in a sack.

Also running related I’ve got some big news! I won my very first blog contest…woot woot!! I keep seeing people scoring some awesome swag and I’ve always been notoriously unlucky with winning anything so I was really surprised when I got to Emma’s awesome blog and found out that little ol’ me had won a contest! Okay, it’s a randomly selected thing, but I still like to think I’m special…lol. So what did I win? Well, I won a year’s supply of running shoes and Pop-Tarts! Jk, but no, but I DID get a Bondi Band which is a cool sweat band to tame my crazy@$$ hair. Which, if you recall I was complaining about not too long ago, so I thought the timing was a funny coincidence!

Next thing is a question for you guys. I’m anal about things, surprise huh, but I mean in terms wanting to know exactly how long my runs are. I’m just overly curious I guess. 😛 So, since I want to do more running outside and bust off the treadmill (which I like because I know exactly the miles/pace) I was thinking I’d hop on the Garmin train. I’m poor, I’m stingy with money, so for me even THINKING about buying something over $20 is a a big deal. But I don’t splurge on many things and darn it, I want one. So, suggestions, feedback, or anyone who has found a good price I’d love to hear from you! A quick Google has led me to Amazon where I found the Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS Receiver and Sports Watch for $117.13. What say you? Oh, and I don’t really care about all the fancy ‘extra’s,’ so long as I know the total miles of my run and the pace would be cool too.

1) Best birthday gift you ever got?

Hmmm, one that really sticks out in my mind was when I was 8 and I got an aquarium that was The Little Mermaid themed and had little Ariel and Sebastian in there and eight fish. My parents had yet to get me any kind of pet so fish were a big deal…lol.

2) Best prize you’ve ever won?

3) Any Garmin input would be awesome! Do you have one, do you like yours, now you can’t run with out it? hehe.

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Runner Friend Meet ‘n Greet and Fun Facts

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Welcome to a Monday afternoon folks! How are you all doing? Well, I guess ‘all’ could be a relative term, it could be all one of you or maybe even all ten. That said, we’ll jump to the running stuff right off the bat. Today was an easy 8 miles and change, core work then abs. AND I’m happy to report that I ended with a little stretching…hurrah for me. Ya, I’m still no bonafide yogi or all the bendy but I at least did my muscles good.

Yesterday I forgot to write, got all wrapped up in showering the dad with praise, but I did my usual harder 5 miler workout. With a warm-up and cool-down it came out to being a bit over 11 miles total for the day. Chased by upper body weights.

BUT, what’s more exciting about yesterday (well, again it still comes in second to my dad but since he’s down in CA and I’m up in OR I wasn’t able to get down there to spend the day with the fam, so other plans were in order) was that I got to hang out with one cool chick-a-dee. Yes I did just use that term.

Actually, kinda random, I happened to literally run into Allie (well, not actually hit her but run by her in the opposite direction) and her friend at the track a few days ago. Back to the day of the bloody handed Cait’s a dork workout, and since she’s in town for a few more days we were able to meet up. (Allie’s far right and sporting some nice hardware)

She’s currently rocking the fast runnerchick status, and you should read all about her on her own blog. Do it, if for no other reason than because I said so. Jk. But since of course Beaverton, OR is the hip and happenin metropolis that it is, we really tore this city up. Please note the sarcasm there. But no, we had fun and I did learn a few things that I’d like to share:

* Best Buy greeters can’t hold a candle next to the greeters at Wal-Mart. That sorry (albeit hot) looking 20 something does not have the zeal or enthusiasm of a geriatric in a Rascal Scooter. Sorry. Also, Best Buy dude didn’t offer me a smiley face sticker, double deduction.

* My annoyance for Drew Barrymore is still burning strong. I don’t know why it is, but I think the side mouth talking thing has something to do with it.

* Normal people drink coffee and so naturally a Starbucks run was in order. Allie had coffee but I don’t drink coffee, I know I’m not normal, but me on caffeine is like a normal person taking crack. I’m way too high energy to begin with. I did once take a caffeine pill before a race just to see if the extra kick would do me good, I thought my heart was going to come careening out of my chest. I was eating some pre-race pancakes and literally couldn’t hold the fork steady. Whacko-cracko. (Above, Allie and Me. I’m the creepo on the left obviously mid-blink, she’s the purdy girl on the right. Now you know why you don’t see more pix of me.)



* Starbucks is catering to the diet conscious folks with their mini-bite cupcakes or whatever. This was the first time I’d seen then in person and I kid you not those things are about a bite and a half. Now I know my mouth is abnormally large, literally and figuratively, but in my humble opinion, while they look pretty, they aren’t even worth the two chews. I know some people who are able to satisfy a craving with a small smidge of the treat, but personally if I want a cupcake I’m gonna eat a freaking cupcake and more likely in multiples. Just saying. I wish I could be one of those people that can take a spoon to a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and later be left with contents still in the pint, but I’m not. Those sane minded folks mystify me and I want to study them like Jane Goodall and her chimps.

* I’m not the only runner who hates taking a break from running. Allie’s just starting her break after her track season, and she’s doing so in similar Cait begrudging fashion. (Read sneaking runs when she shouldn’t. Sorry if I call you out on this one Allie, but I’m going out on a limb and assuming it’s safe to say that your coach isn’t reading this…hehe) I know some runners who LOVE their breaks, but I’m not one of them. I know that it’s a mental thing and that physically the body needs a break every now and again, especially if you’re training hard, but knowing and doing are tricky. I have some funny ‘oops I’m caught doing what I shouldn’t be’ stories and they’re really only funny in their ridiculousness. Me being ridiculous that is. Older and wiser I’d like to think I’ve gotten a wee bit better at listening to sanity. Good news is, Allie at least is and as of yesterday abstaining from sneaky stealth runs. 🙂

Aight folks, I’m off for now! I hope the start of your weeks are going great!!

1) Coffee drinker? Coffee addict? Where do you fall?

2) Are you a two-bites and I’m satisfied kinda person who I’ll have to get tips from or are you like me and want to take your mondo bites and lots of them?

3) Do you look forward to or hate any kind of running/workout breaks? I know lots of people are going on vacation and some of them don’t exercise during those times, but I still keep my date with Mr. Sweat, do you?

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Happy Father’s Day to my Main Man! :)

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I love me my Dad!!! 🙂

Father’s Day is special to me because my dad is seriously the boomdiggidy! He came into my life when I was about 5 and stuck around through some pretty crazy shiznit. I joke that had he knew what was in store for him, the smart thing would have been to go running for the hills! 🙂

DNA does not a father make. It is a guy who is man enough to be there, sacrificing his wants or needs for the betterment of his kids and family.

He is the one who taught me how to ride a two wheeler.

He is the one who then picked me up off the ground when I rode my two wheeler into a tetherball pole. Seriously, those things are skinny, how did I manage to hit one dead on?!?!

He is the one who got into a near throw-down with a lady when she grabbed me by the arm and yanked me towards her and started yelling in my face. Daddy will have none of that! 😉 (PS-that one was actually a pretty funny story.)



He is the one who drove 9 hours up to P-Town to take care of me when I was in full gimp status after my car accident and I could do literally nothing by myself. Sometimes a dad’s job isn’t a fun one. I also appreciated that he spent any free time on that trip deep cleaning every nook in my apartment!

So, my dad is the best! I love him to the moon and back! I hope you all have a father figure just as rocking in your lives. Dads come in many ways, shapes, and forms. Heck, my cousin’s ‘dad’ isn’t technically a male…but it doesn’t matter. A daddy sticks through thick and thin, is there for the laughs and to also scoop up the piles of poop that are sure to amass along the way!

Happy Father’s Day!

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Check Out My Trash Bag and Altitude Running

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So it turns out a nice little form of cross-training is to fall on the pavement like a dork…who knew?! Just kidding, it’s just that my stupid arms are sore and it feels like I was hefting around some dumbbells. Funny how a millisecond of impact can put a weight workout to shame.

Speaking of, today I did my usual recovery/easy run of 8 miles and change followed by my core and abs routine. I on was on the treadmill today, okay Oregon is worst than a menopausal woman when it comes to it’s weather. Yesterday was beautiful out there, dare I even say warm, and today it’s rainy and gross.

Never fear, the gym in my apartment complex, with it’s fabulous single fan for the whole place was nice and humid. I think I sweat out half my bodyweight. I don’t understand how people can stand working out in full on sweats or those trash-bag sauna suits, I’d probably just melt into a puddle of goo like the wicked witch of the west.

Well, people usually use those things for one of two reasons: 1) they think that if they workout in them they’ll lose weight faster. (these people really make me laugh) or 2) they are actually training for an event that is going to be done under extremely hot conditions and are acclimating themselves to these conditions.

The second group of people are SMART and are sweating like mad for a good reason. I know lots of athletes prepping for those Beijing Oly’s were donning some mad sauna suits. If you’re going to be racing in conditions that you aren’t living in, it’s smart to take other measure to mimic race day. Otherwise the shock of the conditions can lead to some pretty ugly results. Another example? Altitude.

When I was first starting out as a runner, I remember I had a race up in Reno, CA. I’d never run at any kind of altitude and Reno was definitely higher than sweaty old Sacto. I remember my mom and dad saying how it will probably feel harder than running at home, but being young I gave them the ‘ya, ya, ya’ thing and sort of brushed it off. Flash-forward a few miles and I was sucking major wind. The thing with altitude is that the longer your race/run the more it effects you. Actually sprinters love the whole race high thing because in the sprints the higher up you go the less wind resistance you have to work against. So they get faster times. Not so with anything more than a couple laps.

So if you’re going to be doing a race in a place much different from where you train it’s probably smart to do the best you can to simulate race day. For the heat thing those trash-baggy suits might come in handy. For altitude it’s a little trickier but here’s some tips:

* At least try to take a visit to a place at altitude before the big day so you can see how it affects you.

* Get there either weeks before or the day before. Anytime in the middle is the ‘you’ll feel extra crappy’ phase. The body has time to sort of acclimate if you get there a few weeks in advance, on the flip side your body hasn’t had time to fully absorb the shock of the less air if you get there the day of your race or the day before. Anytime in between and your body is in the adjustment phase and it’s not going to feel so hot.

* Be conservative. Going out too fast in a race is never the best way to go about it but at altitude the effects are infinitely worse…trust me on this one.

* Adjust your target time. The same perceived effort run at sea level will show up as a slower clock time at altitude. Plain and simple, they have conversion charts proving it. The longer the race, the slower the clock time will ‘feel.’ So don’t try to beat your sea level PR if your race is at altitude. Even if the clock time is slower and you know you’re in awesome shape, take a gander at some of those charts and it will make you feel better.

There are also folks that do the altitude training camps, but that’s not all too realistic for us regular folks. Of course to those peeps already living at altitude, they get the benefit of sucking down less wind on a regular basis and are used to it. The nice perk for them is when they go down and race at sea level they usually are pleasantly surprised that their same perceived effort shows up as, ta-da, faster ‘clock times’ and they can unexpectedly get a new PR. 🙂



That all said, backing up a bit in my post and addressing the first group of people running in those trash-bag suits (I know Kendra Wilkinson was one) you’re wasting your time. You’re only ‘losing’ water weight and as soon as you start drinking again you’ll magically ‘gain’ it back. Work on busting your butt in the gym sans suit and you’ll get there, I promise.

Saturday at the races, anyone who did one let’s hear it and brag on yourself!! Ummm, and anyone who is a track nerd like me will know that next week USA champs are upon us…some smoking track races to be sure..exiting stuff, peeps. 🙂

1) If you were so cool as to rock out a sauna suit, what color would you choose?

Lime green.g

2) Ever had the joy of running at altitude?

Such a pleasure…lol. Side note, altitude also makes some people has even worse stomach issues, of course I’m one of those people…fun stuff! 🙂

3) Workout today? Race today?

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Please, A Standing Round of Applause for Klutz of the Year

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Sorry for being so late to the post today! I always do my best to be a positive person but today really was a bit stinky. Started off pretty good, I’ve got another blog I’m really loving, Shut Up and Run, as if the name alone wasn’t good enough reason to pull me in right?!?!

But this morning was a really great post about doing something that scares you. As I read it, I knew there was something that I’ve been putting off, saying I’ll do it tomorrow. But tomorrow really never came. It’s getting off the d*** treadmill and running outside again. Ever since my car accident I’ve never really gotten back to the ‘old me’ in that sense.

The old me would run in gale gust winds, torrential downpours, heat, semi-trucks blazing by. I once did a track workout while they were in the middle of redoing the track. Lane one was still yet to be totally torn up so I just worked around the bulldozers. I used to think treadmills were for weenies.

Flash-forward and ALL I do are treadmill runs. Now, I no longer think running on a treadmill makes you weak or anything like that. I think treadmills certainly have their place, can be great training tools and sometimes it’s actually SMARTER to run inside than out. But not for the reason I’m running in the treadmill. Yes, a part of it is because I’m neurotic and like to know exactly how many miles I’m doing and exactly what pace. But I’m also avoiding something. I’m avoiding actually running outside. It scares me. Plain and simple.

I know that it’s in my head. I KNOW that, but still that ‘tomorrow’ where I’ll start training and running outside had yet to come. I had run like that for darn near a decade and never got hit. It was just one really bad day that changed that.

So I finally bucked up and decided to strap on my watch and head outside, I was going to do something that scared me, step outside the comfort of my cozy little treadmill bubble and TV.

Five minutes in and being the klutz that I am I trip on the side of a curb, the pavement was uneven, BAM I’m pavement roadkill again. This time though it was totally at my own hand…err, foot. Luckily I avoided a full faceplant but I did tear off a fed layers of skin from both palms and got some roadrash on my stomach and shoulder.

Well, today’s menu featured a tempo run, so I picked myself up and got on with our regularly scheduled programing. Warm-up clocked in with 3 miles to a nearby track, did my 6 mile harder effort, then wrapped with a bit over 2 miles for a cool-down. By the end I’m not going to lie I was a bloody mess. A more sane person probably would have called it a day after the skid, but sorry, five minutes does not a run make regardless!!! haha.

I had done what scared me. Ya, it ended up sort of sucking, and during my tempo blood was covering my hands and of course there happened to be some kind of kiddie camp that ventured over to the track. They all waved at me, but I was hesitant to actually wave back lest I really scare those poor 4 and 5 year olds! So a smile would have to do.

Luckily the track I was at happened to be where I used to work and I knew the people. They have a really great first aide center (in case other people get hurt, sadly my own story was one of clumsiness and not really exciting) and I had a fun 90 minute chat with Olivia as she picked gravel out of me.

Then getting home was a bit of a fiasco, I had run to the track so didn’t really have an easy way to get home. I took to walking. By this point I was wiped and things were hurting. I made it over halfway, but passing a little church I was wearing thin and a thought came to me. Maybe, just maybe someone there would take pity on an idiot runner who is a klutz. There was only one lady working and she wasn’t able to leave. Totally understandable, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bummed.

Walking away from the church there was an old man watering his lawn. He saw me and asked me what was up. Do I tell this old man that I’d just about kiss his feet for a ride a mile up the road? I caved. This was sort of hard (or embarrassing I guess) for me because I don’t like being a weenie and asking for help, I mean I can run 11 plus miles but another mile walk puts me over the edge? Man up, Cait!

But in recent years I’ve gotten better at knowing when to ask for a hand. I told this nice old man (at this point I ventured he was safe and not a Chester the Molester type..but again, in all honesty I was sort of past the whole caring thing!) and had a really nice time getting to ‘know’ Gene for that mile drive. BTW, Gene’s been awarded the #1 Grandpa plaque from his grandkids. I’m of course going to have to be partial to my own grandparents, but in my book Gene is CERTAINLY looking promising for the bronze this year. 😉

So here I am, just walked in the door. I’m tired as heck and just look oh so pretty. I took a picture but really it is just too atrocious to even post. Even I have some standards. I did however get Olivia to snap my hands on her phone and she said she’d try to send those to me. I’m a sucker for all those nice, bloody shots. If I get them I’ll post those.

Not looking forward to the sting of a shower, but ’tis okay. I still did something that scared me. I’m actually proud of that. I’m happy I did it. I don’t know if I’ll run outside or on the tread tomorrow, but as one famous therapist said, “Baby steps, baby steps.” 😉 So thank you Beth for a particularly great blog post that gave me the kick in the butt to get outside for the first time in WAY too long.

1) What’s something that you CAN do that scares you?

2) Are you willing to put it in writing that you WILL do it and tell us how it goes?

3) Did you workout today, if so, let’s hear it folks! 🙂

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Stretch or Become a Tight@$$ Like Me

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Okay I’m going to have to try and keep this one short today. Why? Procrastination. Yup, I’m the queen of it, but I will say I NEVER miss a deadline and in fact with work type things I tend to be early. I also say I work the best under pressure, I guess forced productivity and all. But this time I’ve procrastinated in getting the whole Father’s Day things in order and two days after that is my bro’s birthday so I’ve got to get cracking on things.

Let’s see, so for today I did an easy run after yesterday’s harder workout. Came out to be a little over 8 miles, and again I’d like to note how that whole easy day term gets thrown around way too loosely. Trust me that first mile was a symphony of cracks and pops, and it felt like it. Then, not gonna lie, I was counting down the minutes of those last three miles! But get er done. Finished with core/abs and stick a fork in me.



I am also notoriously tight. Not a tight@$$ I’d like to note, although my adductor has been a beast lately and it’s really tight way up north so maybe I am. At any rate I’m HORRIBLE at keeping up with the whole stretching. I know I’m paying for it, I feel it, and running in fact makes you tighter. So I need to start getting better and forcing myself to do it.

It seems everyone has their own personal views on stretching: when to do it, how to do it, what kind to do it. I will say this:

DON’T stretch cold muscles. You’ll tear something, you always see people doing their little quad stretch before going out for a run, that’s actually not a good idea. Stretch after your run/workout or at least once you’ve warmed up and already been moving.

DO hold static stretches long enough. Fun fact of the day: for a static stretch (one that you just hold a pose) to be effective at all it has to be held at least 20 seconds. So just reaching down to your toes for 15 seconds isn’t gonna give you anything, sadly there’s no ‘A’ for effort there. Guilty for that one. 🙁

DON’T be a weenie like me and avoid doing it because you’re already inflexible, you don’t like stretching to begin with, it’s uncomfortable and you suck at it.

DO dynamic stretching. Actually I like this kind a little more because you’re ‘doing’ something with the stretching. These are the kinds of stretches that work on range of motion/flexibility through the stretch; think leg swings, torso twists, donkey kicks, the like. These are the ones that you look like a dork doing but are really good for you. Oh the price we pay in the name of health and fitness.



So let’s have a little stretching line-up that might possibly help motivate me to get my tight butt a little less tight:

* Forward leg swings: Stand to the side and hold onto a wall or post for balance. Now swing your left leg in front of you and then back behind you in a swinging motion. Aim to reach your leg higher in front of you and further behind you the more swings you do. Work into getting more of a stretch. Do a set of 10-15 and don’t forget the other leg. (Check yo I did this one today.)

* Lateral leg swings: Again steady yourself with your hands on a wall or post but this time you’ll face the wall. Swing your left leg across your body this time, first across your body and to the right,then back to the left side in a big sweeping motion. You want to feel the stretch in your legs but also in your glutes and work on opening up your hips. Again work on getting your leg higher with each swing. Do a set of 10-15 on both legs.

* Torso circles AKA ‘the creeper’: Put your hands on your hips and do a full circle with your hips. Make that circle wide peeps, look like a total creeper, but you want to really work on that range of motion. Do 10 hip circles clockwise then 10 counter-clockwise.

* Donkey kicks: Get on your hands and knees (Charlie Sheen really enjoys this one), take your left leg and tuck it in close to your tummy then keep it bent at the knee and lift it back and up towards the ceiling. Repeat 10-15 times then do the same with the other leg. A nice little bonus is it works your glutes a little bit too.



* Butterfly (static stretch): I think we all did this in gym, sit on that butt of steel you have, place the soles of your feet together and try to get those quads as close to the floor as possible. If you saw me there would be about three feet between the floor and my knees, sad picture.

* Straddle reach (static stretch): Pull the mind outta the gutter here. Sitting down you’re just going to spread your legs and reach towards your left foot, hold, then reach to the right foot and hold.

* Quad flamingos (static stretch): Stand up and grab your left foot with your right hand. Lots of people do this one but hold their left foot with their left hand, but you can get a little bit better stretch if you do it with your right hand and with your leg across your bum. So try it that way if you please. 🙂 And don’t forget your other leg.

* Calf on a wall (static stretch): Stand again facing the wall, place your hands there for support and then with your legs a few feet away from the wall. Keep your left leg straight and the heel of your foot planted flat on the floor and hold. Now bend at the knee with your heel still flat on the floor. You’ll feel this in a slightly lower spot, your calf is made up of two muscles: the gastrocnemius and the soleus. The straight leg stretches the gastrocnemius the bent knee the soleus. Don’t forget your other leg. (Couldn’t resist putting this picture up, could this chick be in a dorkier ensemble? Makes me look fashion forward.)

Wow, okay so much for a shorter post, sorry. Got carried away. That said, also remember that for all those static stretches you’ve got to put in your due time, longer than 20 seconds. 😉 I know, I’m a lazy bum when it comes to stretching and will skimp out if I get a chance. I wish I were like the people who really dig on all this and are complete yogi masters but alas, I’m just a runnerchick with a tight @$$.

On to trying to figure out these gifts and cards that are in order…wish me luck! What are you all getting your pops and grandpops for Father’s Day? I’ll share what I come up with even though you really may not care all that much! Mwahahaha!!!

1) Do you live close to your dad/grandfather and plan on visiting come Sunday?

No, but I wish. 🙁

2) Do you find stretching one of the banes of your existence like me? Do you also kick yourself in the butt every time you get a soreness or niggling injury BECAUSE you skimp on stretching like me?

3) What shoes are you currently rocking in?

Nike Structure Triax baby! Have been a fan forever, BUT not gonna lie they did a major overhaul on them a few years ago and they’ve never been the same. I say that in a negative light. PS- I happened to run into one of the guys behind the overhaul and he gave me the reasoning behind it all, maybe I’ll say more about that in a later post. BUT, I made sure to tell him that I, for one, was not a fan and that I wasn’t the only one who thought so. I’m pretty sure I intimidated the heck out of him. 😉

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