About the Airfield Estates Vineyard 5k

 As you can see from this years event poster with Katie front and center, we did this race last year and had so much fun we had to do it again!  This year the wine-makers dinner was before the race which we should have known was going to be trouble, but our schedules didn't make it so that we could stay another night and have a nice wine-filled dinner somewhere else...hopefully next year!

 So after a night of wine and all the foods I should not be eating (bread pudding being the worst offender) we  got ourselves to the vineyard and were grateful for the nice weather as it had rained really, really hard the night before.

They kicked off the event with a fly over by a few local planes accompanied by 'Highway to the Danger Zone' from Top Gun blasting through the sound system.  I was so overcome by the cheesiness of it I think I was laughing hysterically when I took this photo. Sooo cheese-tastic.

The race was pretty much how we remembered it, which was good because it is probably the second hardest course I've run to date (the Cinco de Mayo race at Volunteer Park in Seattle being the hardest).  As predicted, Katie got a sizable lead on Betsy and I as she has been running trails like it's no one's business.  Look at her go in my super-sweet sunnies - I think they made her even faster...

Betsy and I stuck together once I caught up with her.  We flew (as is fitting for an airplane themed event) the  last mile and a half as the hills were all behind us.  We finished in 31 minutes and change - not too bad for being far from the shape I was in before my last spat of tummy yuckiness that kept me away.

We departed the race soon after, vowing to do more races.  Next up: Turkey Trot November! Can't wait!

About Race Anxiety...

"'Chase dreams signal ideas of helplessness,' he says. 'Do something to regain a sense of control over your life."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-52177/Five-common-nightmares--mean.html#ixzz28dJzi5pX

I had a dream last night that I was running. Not a race or with anyone, just me. Alone. Like usual.  And at the beginning I was pleased and calm, passing the casual walkers as usual.  Then something happened.  A walker passed me.  I was still running, yet so slowly that I was barely moving.  My legs felt like lead despite willing them to move more quickly with all my might.  Alas, I could not pass that damn walker.

I woke up to my alarm screeching away, thankful that my cheap-o clock does not have the mind power to separate weekdays from weekends.  I wanted to get up and run, to prove to myself that my legs still worked, and all my months of training had not been wasted because of my recent time off from pounding the pavement.  Unfortunately it was 5:30 am, still dark, and I have yet to purchase a headlamp for this season.  So I went back to bed looking forward to the daylight.

The dream was back. I was in the middle of an ultra race this time with a pair of bicycling friends and I was keeping up! I was going fast! My legs were working! 'This. Is. Awesome.' I thought.  Then something happened: I got lost. My time was ruined because I hadn't read the guide signs. Again, my dream turned into nightmare. And again I awoke to my alarm - this time my phone reminding me to take my vitamins. What is the deal?!

Sounds like I may have some race anxiety, wouldn't you say? My first race since the Firecracker 5000 on the fourth of July  is coming up next weekend and I am mighty nervous indeed.  I've recently taken a significant amount of time off and have only logged 3.5 miles in the last month.  I feel weak and lethargic. Unmotivated and un-enthused.

"Get up. Get off your a$$ and get out there. Lace your shoes, tighten your water bottle down and get moving for crying out loud. Do it. Now." my subconscious self is telling me. I think I should listen.

A Shoe Review: Merrell Pace Glove

I purchased the Merrell Pace Glove after I ran my second pair of Vibram Five Fingers into the ground and got sick and tired of the hot spots that never seemed to stop forming under my big toes.  These were appealing because they still have the Vibram out sole making them very thin and light-weight, and the 'glove' in the name is spot on; they feel like a glove or sock. I LOVED them and could not wait to hit the pavement without getting those awkward glances from people 'admiring' my monkey shoes.

I continued to, and still do, wear my Injinji socks in them because (1) they are expensive as all hell and can't justify not wearing them and (2) I like the feel and movement of the lightweight version; they seem to allow my toes to move more freely than a regular sock would.

The reason I don't wear these any more, apart from wearing them out, was that after about 5 miles the thin-ness of the shoe really started to get to me.  I would develop a tenderness under my forefoot that was unbearably annoying and would leave me tender for days. Now understand, I've been running in minimalist shoes for quite a while now (barefoot, two pairs of VFF's, Saucony Hattori's, Invisible Shoes) so it's not really a matter of my feet getting used to running 'bare', which is why I decided to hunt for something with a little more meat in the end.

All in all, I put a total of 105 miles on these puppies and they did wear significantly.  But they were on the inexpensive side, so I'm satisfied by the performance.