It's the end of the week...

...we made it.

Whew.

A random brain dump to freshen me up for the weekend...

• So I raced last Sunday and I'm still sore. What up? I keep telling myself that it's because my brain forced my body to go way beyond its current fitness capabilities. I've been rolling and stretching, and I even did a little recovery run...of sorts. But I am just aching. My hip isn't too angry, which is good, but it also isn't happy. I need for it to be happy.

And sorry but no race pictures. Thankfully :) There were no photographers on the section of the course where I ran. I find that kind of weird. But whatcha gonna do?

• Yesterday was a climbing day. I've been going to the gym every other day or so to play on the elliptical and the treadmill and to work on the hangboard and pull-ups (I've decided I want to give myself a pull-up for my birthday in 6 weeks). The great news is that my hangboard/pull-up work is helping my hand and arm stamina. At the end of my session I was, for the first time, able to untie my own ropes.

Overhangs are no longer my nemesis...

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...see how the rock juts out and over...overhang.

Now it's smooth handholds called slopers (click that to see different hand techniques).

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No, they are not purple boobs.

I f*cking hate them. I actually cursed them under my breath yesterday when faced with them. I just don't know what to do with them...I slide right off. That means I am going to work them all the time until they no longer elicit profanity. 

• Bay to Breakers is approaching. I have 7 weeks to get ready. And 7 weeks to decide what "ready" means. I had set a lofty goal last fall of wanting to finish in an hour. That would be holding an 8-minute average pace for the entire 12K. Barring serious use of amphetamines or cocaine, that isn't going to happen. So...it isn't going to happen. Given that I essentially ran my race on Sunday at the same average pace (though it was a longer, more challenging course) as in 2011, I am going to set my sights for B2B on completion. And if completion seems to be well in hand, then I'll shoot for a little faster than last year. I need to be realistic in view of my lack of training. 

• I'm still trying to decide how to handle Hood to Coast Relay options. While I'd love to run with Team Nuun again, it's not a sure thing. And I will need to come up with a killer application idea. How can I ever top the nun running at noon for Nuun? 

Who wants to run Hood to Coast? Are you applying to run with Nuun? Have you ever run a long relay like it before? Did you have any super annoying people in your van? I was so lucky last year! I would go nuts if I had to deal with whiners or otherwise annoying teammates. But then again, I have a lot of practice with that particular facet of the experience...driving a minivan full of whining, screaming, complaining, fighting children every single day.

• I'm still wading through comments, thoughts, and emails in the wake of yesterday's post. Some people are really attached to their chocolate milk! I know I have a tendency to get on a soapbox and be a little pushy, so I'm not going to press this issue any further. If you feel solid in whatever nutritional decisions you are making, don't let someone else's say-so mess with you. If, however, the say-so makes you question your current mindset, by all means get busy researching! No one wants to feel like he or she is making poor choices...but sometimes poor choices are made. I'm not casting any stones because I know I make foolish decisions all the time :)

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And, hey! Lookie here...five different bullets! I could have called this "Five for Friday"...or something like that.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend :)

I'll close with some alliteration  ;-)