Denouement

6.13k @ 4:54 pace 

9.08k in 45 min, 4:58/k pace

Ran down to a park then around the park several times, inside of right ankle tender in second half of run and in the day afterward. Elliptical later: 45 minutes, one hour of ice skating with the kids and a large bruise on my right knee to prove it.  I fell because in Hong Kong they are so "careful" that this small, temporary rink (about 1/5 the size of a normal rink) had about 5 workers on it at any given time, and if someone falls, they rush to them to help them up and ask if they were ok.  So my son JJ fell, and I was going to him to help him, but once again they rush to him, and one cuts me off and I fall, then they swarm me, ask if I am ok, I tell the chick it's her fault I fell, she apologizes.  (I was on my hands and knees from the fall, thinking, this hurts more in the thirties than a decade ago, what'll my forties feel like).  Another worker comes and asks me if I am ok and I tell her I'm hurting but will be ok. Then she asks if I need a rest and I tell her I can't rest where I am, then she says I could skate around the rink and exit at the exit, and I say, "Oh really?" I didn't know I could skate around the rink and exit at the exit sign!  I am so glad that they employ an army to give out this sage advice! There is a lot of stating the obvious and giving unhelpful advice here in Hong Kong, usually I am patient with it, but I guess if you mess with my body I get more grouchy.  Any way, I did survive and had a good time with the kids.

Monday skipped run.  Instead did a long hike with friends Angela and Denise.  They are hiking in segments the 100k MacLose trail that connects many of the natural green spaces of Hong Kong.  This was my first time joining them.  We did stages 6, 7 and 8, about 23k.  My watch gave up the ghost at 21.75 k.  I met them at Monkey mountain.  I was the first one there, and was on the phone with Denise when I got to the busstop.  So I get off the bus (still on the phone) and notice there are monkeys everywhere and a couple coming straight for me.  Then more start coming for me.  I am screaming and trying to swat them but the monkeys are undeterred. There were three ladies close by who were sidewalk/bathroom cleaners (these workers are all over hong kong) and they used their brooms to swat away the monkeys and were yelling to me in Cantonese.  Meanwhile I am screaming into my phone to Denise, and jump into the street (right in front of the bus, which thankfully had not started to roll along) as more monkeys converge.  Denise asks if I have something in my hand—I do, a pb&j sandwich. She says I need to either put it in my backpack or give it to them.  I realize the Cantonese ladies are telling me the same thing.  I get back on the sidewalk, and try to figure out what to do.  My camelback is full (it was projected to rain and I wasn’t sure what I’d need for such a long hike, ending up bringing an outfit and a half in my bag).  I ask if I give the monkeys my sandwich, won’t they follow me and harass me for more?   Denise concedes they might.  Meanwhile I see more monkeys coming down the mountain at me, and think, this is like some really bad horror film.  So I smash the sandwich into the pack and make a dash for the bathroom.  Five minutes later, my shakes have subsided, and I realize we weren’t supposed to meet at this bathroom, but at a street up the road, but I am not ready to leave the bathroom and face the monkey masses again.  A Cantonese lady worker comes in the bathroom and starts cleaning.  I indicate I AM NOT GOING BACK OUT THERE, but she points to a stick in the bushes, so I venture out with said weapon in my hand.  About 10 minutes later the ladies show up, and we start our hike.  There were monkeys around on the hike for the first 1.5 hours, but we all had sticks and they left us alone.  The experience was truly frightening.  About 6-6.5 hours for the hike.  My legs held up well, though my least favorite was going down stairs.  

13.13k at 4:43 ave pace.  Not too tired from yesterday’s hike.

Wed: 5.91k at 5:09 ave pace.  Running around Shek Kip Mei, bad idea.  Had to dodge elderly walkers, school children, buses, etc.  60 min elliptical.  Did 4 of the 10 core exercises in my regimine.

First workout since the marathon.  If you count a stride workout as a workout.  Felt good though.  Good to go fast, good to feel comfortable running fast, despite the bit of weight I have gained.  This is the holiday season of abandon, gluttony, sloth and indolence (perhaps not that far, but if I want to, I will).  I feel like I need to do this to get the last four years of food psychosis out of my system.  So many treats, so little time :D  Ok, back to the workout. 65 minutes total.  Warmed up 35 minutes (4:53 ave pace/k) then did 30 sec on/ 60 sec off x 10.  Averaged 3:29.5/k pace.  Will be easing back into training.  Have  a half Jan 2 and in February, a 25k in April, will look for a marathon in late May/June.

Core workout in PM 

Ran 40 min, 8.3k, ave 4:50 pace.  Cool and a bit windy, then 30 min elliptical

Met Michael, a new guy to Italia Running Club.  We did 13.79 miles, he showed me a bit of new running ground.  Nice to chat and go an easy pace.  Averaged 7:45 pace.  Nice and cool but a bit windy. 

11.94k @ 4:49/k pace

16.23k @ 4:34/k pace

12.01k @ 4:53/k pace

15.56k @ 4:44/k, then 15 x 30 sec on/ 60 sec off. fast bits were 3:23 pace

12.69k in 4:40 ave pace

21.56k in 4:38 ave pace, first 5k in 5:00 pace and dropped from there

Ok, so my watch doesn't show what I did this day, can't remember why I ran watchless.

Ran 50 minutes, then 10 x 110m, with jog recovery between

Ran 15.27k at 4:36 ave pace 

Did my workout in the evening at the Aberdeen track to get help.  This is my first speedwork other than strides after my marathon, and it is a doozy: 5 x 2000m at 10k pace with 1 min rest between.  This has me quaking, so I enlisted the help of some very kind Italia RC men, and gave myself an extra minute, so 2 min between (Merry Christmas to me). Had no real idea if 6:00 pace would be too hard given all the crap I have been eating over the last month and the lack of training, but thought I would start at 90-91 quarters and see how that felt. Turned out quite well.  Did 4k warm up, then 7:25, 7:25, 7:24, 7:17 and 7:06.  Peter and Colin were very helpful in keeping me calm and in control.  6:00 felt almost conversational :D  Fudge must be magic fuel!

Ran 9.45k in 5:38 pace.  Obviously felt rickety.  Friday December 23rd is pizza day so picked up pizzas from pizza hut after taking the kids to the Ladie's Market so they could by presents.

I have been doing core 2 x per week and croas training 3x week but don't remember details (30-60 on the elliptical). 

23.06k in 4:41 pace.  Met Curtis, Christian and Colin at Sunny Bay, close to Disneyland, and we ran out to Disneyland as part of a long run.  I was really homesick the night of the 23rd, thinking of how I would likely be calling Mck and running with her on xmas eve if I was back in Utah.  These guy runnera are great and I am grateful to them for meeting with me, but girlfriends are always better, and I was homesick bigtime on Dec 23 - 24th.

On the upside, had good conversations with the guys and brought the guys my peanut butter cup fudge which Christian mostly ate as a midrun fuel.  Good stuff. 

I know I have some major catching up to do, but posting todays run is a step in the right direction, eh?

Met Roberto for the first time in a couple of months and did a run. About 12k plus about 8 100m strides.  He is a certified amateur coach (his own words), so he harassed me about my form pretty good -- said I shuffled while doing a 17 second 100m--must have been a quick shuffle.  Anyway according to him got it down to 15 seconds by the end. Had me extending the knee and using my arms (envisioned punching him for calling me a shuffler--aaahhh, felt good).

5.71k warm up, then 4x 1600 repeats with 3 min rest between (jogging a lap). Fast parts at 10k pace. Results were 5:50 (3:01), 5:49 (3:01), 5:48 (3:30, false start), then 5:45. Did not feel so great. Started the warm up at 9:30am so was hot (19F) by the end of the workout. My cool down was way slow, felt dehydrated, tired and had a side stitch for a good third of the cool down: 5.36k @ 5:38 ave pace. Doesn't seem like a hard workout but was hard mentally to do it alone, so proud of how I stuck with it.

20 min elliptical, leg lifts, core workout in the pm

Haven't posted all of the past two weeks I owe to the blog but will post last Thursday's track workout, my first speed workout after the marathon right now.

50 min easy.  Felt creeky.  Have felt more sore in SI joints, back, neck, right ankle left knee over the last couple of weeks.  Not sure if it is getting off indocid, going to three weeks between Humira shots (was biweekly).  Feel like an old lady but don't want any more chemicals flowing through my body than is necessary.  

8.22k in 40 min.  Feeling tight first half. Doing a half marathon on Monday.  It is a big one, a couple of competitive ladies racing will make it a true race.

Ran 10k, including 4 strides.  Went to the track close to my house so uphill then downhill then uphill to get there, and the reverse back.  Did 5k on the track, which was way boring and don't plan on doing much more casual jogging around the track.  This year at church I am teaching the 9 year olds, and we are studying the Book of Mormon in class, so I bought each kid a Book of Mormon on the way home from the distribution center, just under a k from my house.  Then had to run up a steep hill and back down it to get home.  Carrying five BofM, what a dork, eh?

We have a fun day planned--after cleaning the house.  Will meet a running buddy Curtis and his kids at the food court of the mall by our home (called Festival Walk, literally two minutes away, the food court is 4 minutes away, actually a bit too convenient), then go ice skating with them, then come home and dip pretzels in white chocolate.  Then set up the xbox and wii in the family room for a fun family night.  Rock Band, Kinnect, Mario Kart, Settlers of Catan, making a chocolate "gingerbread house". We will break it at midnight, an alternative to banging pots outside in the freezing cold, an old tradition which must go since we now live in an apartment complex where there is not a consensus on when the new year actually occurs :D  We bought the kids Fanta, Martinelli's Hong Kong brand, laffy taffy.  I will be making a stew tonight with my first cooking wine I bought from the online store and it looks like it may or may not be a red wine so we'll see how that goes :/

Race on Monday!!! (HM)