Holidays Are Upon Us

So much has happened since my New York Marathon just a couple of weeks ago!  The good news is that the pain in my archilles tendon has disappeared.  I was able to take a couple of days off from running right after the marathon.  I came back and two days later I flew to Santa Fe, NM. for a Dual Language Conference for my work.  I had never been there before and thought it would be good to go for a run in the mountains.  I always try and take my running shoes and workout clothes wherever I go.  Yes, even on vacation :)!!  What can I say, it's a lifestyle not just a sport I enjoy.

I ran into this artwork while running in Santa Fe.

I was able to run only two days because the high altitude really kicked my booty!  I couldn't go more than 4 miles...really slow.  Oh well, something is better than nothing at 7,000 feet up!  I really loved the fall cooler weather and seeing all the fall colored leaves falling as I ran.  It was like meditation to me.  Santa Fe is a cute town full of art and culture everywhere!  I feel in love with the nice adobe homes and beautiful jewelry.  And yes, I ended up buying some jewelry before heading home.  It was a great conference and love working with such a diverse group of co-workers from all over the world.    We all have the same passion about teaching our students in our dual-language program.

Once we got back, it was back to work for a week before taking off for Thanksgiving Break.  This is the time of year where we all gain weight.  This year, we decided as a family to run our own Turkey Trot 5K Thanksgiving morning.  I wanted to save money for Black Friday deals instead.  We also ran with my pup Dash.  She is still too young to run long distance and this was the first time to run 3 miles.  Well, it was more of a pull me/ run/ walk.  Still trying to train her to run with me.  I will not run her more than 3 miles until after she is 18-24 months is when I can run more miles with her.  The good thing for me is that I started my Fort Worth Cowtown Ultra Marathon training.  That will keep me in check and hopefully help me not gain a lot of weight.  I ran 13 miles yesterday and my legs felt super heavy.  It must of been all that stuffing and pumpkin pie I ate!  Oh well, I only eat like that once once a year and have no regrets.  Just don't do it everyday right?!  I'm sure I'll indulge again on Christmas Eve, but plan on getting back on track after that.  Eddie is hunting for deer meat for my mom to make tamales out of deer and pork meat.  They are delicious and won't hold back on those :)!!  I will continue to have a cheat day once a week and go back to eating Paleo.

Calahan Family Turkey Trot 5K

I have never ran an ultra marathon before and it is 31 (50K) miles total.  That's 5 more miles than a full marathon.  I figured this is one I will NOT train for speed or pace, but to just finish!  I'm not going to lie, it's going to be hard to make myself go slow.  I currently run a 8:00 minute mile for a full marathon, but not going to kill myself and try and do that for the ultra.  I realize that after mile 20 it's a mental game to finish and don't want to be dumb and injure myself.  My strategy is to run a 8:30 minute mile for the ultra, but we'll see.