Pre-Race Inspection: Buffalo TSA

Iris presides over the Delano Park packing pile, we're back to that old routine again.

Monday was brutally cold and windy with horizontal snow, and I wimped out of my run. I know that's really pathetic but I just didn't feel like dealing with it.

Instead I spent the day indoors, doing most of my packing for the trip. I wish I could bypass the security lines at the airport, I've already been pre-inspected by the bomb and drug sniffing dogs.


Today I needed to take care of business and get a workout in. I needed to go to the track to shake out my legs and move them fast again. I also had an appointment to get my teeth cleaned, and I needed to have my labs drawn. I've been hanging onto these lab orders since mid-January.

The thing that's kept me from doing it is the need to fast for the lipid panel for at least 12 hours prior to the draw. I have a really hard time doing that, it seems like I either have to go to work, or I have a workout planned, and fasting doesn't work with either of those scenarios. Plus I often forget about it. I don't have to fast for any of the other labs. Really, the only thing that will be affected by not fasting is triglycerides.

Plus I know it's silly but I hate having blood taken out of me. It's only 3 tubes, or about 12 ml, but I need every red blood cell going into a race. How stingy of me.

This morning it was COLD! Fourteen degrees when I arrived at the track to do my workout. That's not ideal for doing fast repeats, but I can't wait for it to warm up, or I'll be waiting until June!

I got a good warmup in and did some 200 meter repeats in 44 seconds each, consistently, with 200 meter jog recovery between each. I didn't want to make myself tired, I wanted my legs to feel refreshed. With the extreme cold, I also didn't want to strain anything with a race coming up. I decided I would do between 8 and 12 and settled on 10 repeats.

When I finished my workout, it was 24 degrees. Nice view of Long's Peak behind the track.



After the dentist, I took Iris and Isabelle out running and finished up with almost 14 miles for the day. Tomorrow I'll do 10 or 11 and then I'll be traveling on Thursday and Friday, so probably won't do much running. Race day is Saturday, my last race as a 48 year-old. I'm the old lady of my age group.

There is something different about the light, the sun is higher in the sky, when it shines, even when it's cold outside, I can smell spring. The dirt warms up and you can smell it, and the birds are singing in the mornings. We change the clocks on Sunday!

The weather looks okay for the race, it's been cool and rainy there, but we might have a break. There are about 70 runners in the 12 hour event and 24 women. Should be a competitive race, I love that. I can't wait.

I love 12 hours, 50 miles, 100 Km. Those are my favorite short ultra distances. Run all day, sleep in a bed at night. Perfect!

Trained, tapered, packed. Ready.

Only more one thing to do, and this is the toughest of all: pass the Buffalo TSA inspection before I can go out my front door.