Running week of 4/27

[jesvetmed]

Ok... I put my weekend long run off until Tuesday. That's really putting stuff off! I am the master procrastinator. Got in 70 minutes of running, stopping after 35 minutes to drop the dog off at the house and start a new loop. I felt great until about 55 to 60 minutes, and the last ones were quite hard. I did hill climbs on the bike last night, so the legs are quite tender now. But I did it! Great weather for running here right now.

[Susan Otcenas]

4.4 miles in 45 minutes this morning.

Felt oodles better than Monday's tough run. Yay!

[Urlea]

7mi @ 8:50 pace this morning. Ended up starting out sort of chatting with a woman who ran Boston & just kept going. It was difficult to talk at that pace for me, but I knew a PR was waiting for me when I finished & I was right. :D

A Mizuno rep was in town demoing shoes, so I was actually able to run in a pair of brand new shoes for 7miles to see how I liked them. I tried the Inspires, they worked well, but I've got high arches & heel strike so I need a little more cushion & form to the footbed. I'll be sticking with their wave nirvanas which have served me well since I started running.

I noticed out of all the runners there I was the only woman to try a new shoe. Most of the men were demoing, but no women! Why is that?

Anywho, off to another busy work day for me. Lots to get done.

T-minus 9 days til the marathon!

[Deborajen]

I got a 3-miler in yesterday after work. It was about 70 degrees outside and mostly overcast except for a few peaks of sun and a little breeze so it seemed nice. The last 1/2 mile was AWFUL - my energy was completely gone, like someone had just flipped a switch and stopped it. After I got home, I checked the weather and the humidity was 73% so 100 degree dew point. My hat's off to all of you who live near the coast - how do you DO it? Wow! Looking forward to a bike commute to work tomorrow - if the weather cooperates.

[SJCzar]

Yesterday was the 10 mile speed day. I don't think that 10 miles and speed belong in the same sentence but I keep making myself follow the schedule.

Used a new route that followed the bike trail and parkway. Nice change from some of my regular routes.

I finally picked up a Garmin last week and it sures makes it easier to keep my pace steady and get in the mileage that I need for the day.

My daughter (the fish in the family) got me out swimming again. We went once this week and we're going again Friday morning. I vowed not to wait until 2 weeks before my tri to get myself in the pool.

I have my first duathlon of the season on Sunday. It's a nice season-starter since it's only a 2 mile run, 19 mile bike, and another 2 mile run. I'm hoping that all the extra running I've been doing will make up for the bricks that I haven't been able to fit into my schedule.

[Veronica]

I ran to the gym yesterday - 3.5 miles, the first 2.5 into a nice strong head wind. Then worked out with my trainer for an hour. Wed. is upper body, so it's a good day to run to the gym. Thom picked me up. Once summer vacation comes I plan on running over and walking home. Running if I have the energy, but I tend to give it all in my training sessions.

Veronica

[Urlea]

Today wasn't supposed to be a running day, but it turned into one.

My swim/bike training at the gym was tapered which meant I could leave the car w/ DH at his office & run the mile home so I did. :D Between the beautiful weather today (it was forecasted rain) and seeing a ton of runners out I was compelled. Felt good.

Oh! I decided to make myself more visible on the road & at races, figured some orange hair would do it. Matches my bike too, so it's a win-win! :D

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn187/RLphotoND/Ideas/IMG_9785.jpg

DivingBiker I meant to congratulate you on your 1/2 marathon! Sounds like some portions were a test of courage, but you made it!!! Awesome job. Thanks for sharing the pictures with us too. Happy recovery. :)

[indigoiis]

I like your hair!

I've been running all week to prepare for a 5K on Sunday. Well, today I ran the route. Maybe it was the looking at the map, stopping, hesitating, backtracking, stoplights, street crossings, and the rain, but I did it in 40 minutes. I am disappointed! I hope I do better on Sunday!!!

[OakLeaf]

Urlea, love your hair! :)

Well, my slacking-off week is over, and combobulated or not I've got to get back at it.

I'm still planning to take several runs pretty easy to get used to the hills again.

Today before I went out, DH showed me the weather radar. A little squall had bloomed up out of nowhere and was headed our way. I needed the run, so I went out anyhow.

Generally it was a pretty nice run. I love the colors and smells of springtime. Except for the farmer moving manure with his truck leaking. :p Luckily he was leaving a pretty well defined stripe that was easy enough for me to avoid.

Then a little bit after my turnaround, a Rottweiler pup, maybe 5 or 6 months old, wanted to play. She literally tried to climb right up the backs of my legs! It broke my heart to speak harshly to such a happy pup, but I didn't want her to chase me too far and get lost or get in trouble with a car. She didn't seem too intimidated by my yelling at her anyhow, maybe she just got bored chasing me.

The rain hit maybe a mile and a half from home, and boy did it hit. Wind and rain coming down in sheets. My phone starts ringing with my "friend" ring. I know it's DH checking on me, and I don't want to worry him, but there's just no answering the phone in that rain! A little bit later here he comes up the road in the car. He's sweet. (Good thing he guessed right which direction I'd gone.) By then the rain had let up a bit anyhow. I turned down the ride - didn't really want one anyhow, but even if I had, he hadn't thought to bring a towel, and I was SOAKING wet. I'm just glad that it didn't start raining until after I was past the cow manure trail.

6.2 miles at about an 11 minute pace, not too terribly bad considering the hills and the weather. I don't know how much of it is psychological, but it's funny how I'm plenty strong on the hills on the bike, but not on foot.

[Crankin]

I *finally* ran after 10 days (well, one run/walk). Went out after doing some work and it starting raining before I essentially got down my driveway. It was 65 or so and windy. I am too wimpy to run in the rain, unless it's really warm, so I headed inside, got in the car and went to the gym. I had to go there anyway, because I am considering not rejoining and going somewhere else, and I needed to talk to the membership person.
I had a good 3.1 mile run, mostly at a 10 min. mile pace. It was definitely the longest I have run at that pace. Nothing hurt, either.
This afternoon I went and got a bottle belt, because it is now hot enough for me to need water when I run. I got a 2 bottle one, since I doubt I will ever be running more than 5-6 miles. The guy at the running store started talking to me about tri's since I said I was mostly a cyclist, so I was like whoa, no way, I would drown on the swim. Then he laughed and said he would, too.

[limewave]

Urlea--love the hair! So much fun.

I did two runs this week.
A 4-miler that took an hour and a 3-miler that took almost took an hour.

It felt so good to be "running" but was really sore afterwards. Probably time to just walk.

I brought DD with me, it was her first official run. I'm thinking about starting a mileage log so that she can have a "life-time mileage" record. JK. But it would be cool to have that. She ran an entire mile in two half-mile segments.

[Urlea]

Wow you ladies have been doing great with your running this week! :D That's encouraging.

Lime What a cutie!! And to run a whole mile with such a tiny stride, that's amazing.

Crankin It's smart to carry water with you even on the runs under an hr. in that kind of heat. Can always pour it over your head if you don't feel like drinking it. :) That always makes me feel faster.

Indi Good luck tomorrow! I'm sure you'll do great with the encouragement of the spectators & not having to mentally keep track of a route.

Oak I'm with you on the smells of spring & manure. Last fall I did a 7miler out on the country where I grew up and a lot of my route had the barn musk. At least the smell of the fields & wild flowers between farms made up for it!

This morning was the last long run before the marathon. 10miles. We ran a good portion of the route we will be covering during the race. Some of it goes through the historic downtown which I love & 8th St. which has huge oaks lining the road in almost an archway.

Overall the run was really comfortable @ a 10:35 pace. Unless something goes wrong I'm pretty confident I will be able to hold that for 26.2 if not faster. My legs were feeling fatigued because of PRing my 7miler on Thursday & cycling 70mi. this week. Will definitely need to make myself taper hard next wk. to make sure my legs are fresh come race-day.

Since Maggy (my running buddy) was sick & decided to go with the later morning group I found myself paired with two other women.Thankfully. I hadn't printed off directions & they were definitely needed, so having them as navigators was a huge blessing.

Anyway, I realized towards the end of the run that out of all the ladies I have run with Maggy is the best for me. The pace, the encouragement & the conversation is wonderful. We plan to run together for as much of the marathon & as we can, given that our paces are in tune with one another during the race. I'm looking forward to it!!

Wishing you pleasant runs this weekend & perhaps even a running buddy. :)

[indigoiis]

I'm inspired and look forward to your marathon report!

[Crankin]

Good luck, Indi. I am planning on doing a run for the local hospital's cancer center in June. It's a 5K, so no real training involved, other than what I am already doing. My riding friend does fundraising for the hospital, so I promised her.
I ran again today. Usually, I would not run 2 days in a row, but for some reason, I did not feel like getting on my bike. I don't feel that great, allergies, etc and my reasoning was if I am running and feel bad, at least I can walk home..
My stupid Garmin didn't pick up the satellites until I had gone about 1.25 miles. So, I don't have any real stats, except that based on my last run on this route, I went further, so I think I ran 3.75-4 miles, at around a 10:30-11:00 pace. Then I got a good half a mile cool down, up the hill. I drank the water from both of my 10 Oz. bottles. I really didn't think I needed a 4 bottle belt! It's only 79 out, but I just sweat like crazy. I started thinking I must look like a real geek: big, clunky Garmin 105 on one wrist, Road ID on the other, water bottle belt with I Pod attached :eek:.

[OakLeaf]

I usually set my Garmin down with a clear view of the sky while I'm warming up. It will take forever to find the satellites if I'm moving, even a little.

My 705 corrupted the track for my ride this morning. :mad::mad::mad: which I really wanted in my training log since it was my first real hill ride this year. Don't know why it did that, but I did a hard reset and hopefully it was just a glitch.

Good luck Indigo! Stop lights take LOTS out of your average pace. Plus you'll just run faster in the atmosphere of a race. Have fun!

[Crankin]

Yes, I always put my Garmin outside on the roof of my DH's SUV to get going, so it is ready when I go out. It just wouldn't do it. It asked all of those questions like, "Have you moved hundreds of miles away?" So finally, I just went, with it on, because I was afraid my husband might ask me to help him plant the 71 day lilies and hostas he was planting!

[OakLeaf]

You know the funny thing, when I DO turn it on, on the opposite coast or another continent from the last time, it never asks me whether I've moved hundreds of miles! :rolleyes::p

[indigoiis]

I am hooked.
I ran 29:33 and felt like I could have done much faster - I was running conservatively because I am not 100% in touch with my running body yet. It's actually more like a reunion - I ran track and cc as a teen and young adult and then spent 20 years partying until I got into cycling a few years ago. Cycling has taught me a lot... it helped with the race today.

I think, because I cycle, it helped with:
-finding space - I had no problem "taking" my place in the crowd.
-rhythm
-understanding the need to "spin"
-drafting. I drafted several times.
-breathing

With running though, you are making contact with that pavement instead of your tires. That impact comes right up through to your brain.

Anyhow, I was fresh at the end and felt really good and so now I am hooked. I am doing an 8K next Saturday (like you Crankin, I promised a friend) in Westport MA. And then (gulp) I signed up for the Amica half marathon on October 18th. That gives me plenty of time to train and also to do all the biking I need to do this summer (two centuries to train for.) But I really like using my body this way... I feel really fit this year and it's helping me to eat right and take care of myself. Yay!

Anyhow I plan on being on the running thread more as I have no one to run with around here (out in the boonies) and so will look forward to your inspirational stories!

[OakLeaf]

Way to go Indigo! :D

My legs are wrecked from yesterday's ride but I needed a little bit of a run.

Since my old shoes are still a little damp from Friday's drenching, it was time to break out the new pair - same shoe, but a half size bigger. :rolleyes: I can literally watch my toes gradually unfurling after years of being skrunched up. (Actually, they've discontinued this shoe in Wide :mad: so I have yet another new pair that I picked up at the LRS last week, just to postpone the day I'll have to find another shoe.) The bigger size is definitely better in certain places where my feet are very wide, and they don't slop around too much.

Just a little one today, I headed south out of the lane which is considerably flatter, for just about 3.5. I did push the pace a little bit on the out lap, did that @ 9:22, which even though it was a net descent, wasn't too bad considering the state of my legs, the initial half mile on large gravel, and the fact that there are still a couple of climbs.

This time a full-grown Great Dane tried to climb up the backs of my legs. What is it with these dogs? Do I have bacon attached to my calves or something?

[Crankin]

That is great, Indi! I only hope for a time of 29:33. My goal is only to finish and not have to walk for than a few seconds! The strategy will be to start slow and get in the rhythm. Never thought about drafting in running. My friend who works at the hospital is sending me the route this week, so I will start running the route as soon as I get it, since it's in my town. If I don't absolutely blow it, then I will set my sights on a 10K. I don't think a half is in my future, but I do want to do a century later in the summer or fall.

[OakLeaf]

I don't think a half is in my future....

Ha, you may remember me saying that last year. :p You're hooked, admit it. :D

[kacie tri-ing]

Great job in the race!

I am four weeks from the last HIM and six weeks until the next one, and still not running:mad: Trying really hard to stay positive, because I am doing plenty of biking and swimming, but I am starting to get scared. I have certainly learned not to push a running injury though :rolleyes: Think good and healing thoughts! I signed up for a sprint tri this weekend, and now I am not so sure...the swim and bike will be a breeze, but I'm not sure if I can make myself walk, even if it hurts.....

[Crankin]

Oak, what will stop me from ever doing any longer distance running is the fact that my body will revolt and then I will be injured and not be able to do anything! Right now I feel very lucky that I have no shin splints, knee issues, etc. But, my lower back is aching and I have been having neck and head issues, despite the tremendous amount of stretching and yoga I've been doing. I have just been too lazy to go to the doc and get a scrip for PT. When classes are over next week, that's on my list. I also found out there's a massage therapy school, about 4 miles from my house and they have student clinics where massages are 25.00... so I will be paying them a visit, too.
MY DH is not too happy with me complaining about all of my various injuries, saying that I never rest. I do rest, but my body is just different than his. He rarely gets the kind of issues I get; once in awhile he complains he's "sore" from a hard climbing ride, but that's it. If he even knew about the amount of PT, chiropractic, etc that some of the people on this list get, he would faint.
So, my goal of a 10K is realistic for me. If I can do that, with no bad injuries, I might reconsider, but I think anything over that might be pushing it for me.

[Jolt]

I finally went for a real run after who-knows-how-many days of being a total bum as far as running goes. 30 minutes of doing laps around the neighborhood park, with halfway-decent form during most of it (still a work in progress, but getting better, and able to feel and correct it more when it starts to get sloppy). I am officially out of shape right now though when it comes to running--I wore my heart rate monitor during the run and was in the 190s during a large part of it (and broke 200 a couple of times)!

[OakLeaf]

Ladder intervals at the paved trail today. DH drove in and did errands while I ran. I hadn't been at the track since mid-November, but within a quarter mile of starting my warm-up I was bored. :p Luckily I had a hard workout programmed in and boredom was quickly forgotten! Two deer looked on. They are so inured to humans there. I also caught up with some people I know from the gym, just as I was ending an interval, so I chatted with them on their brisk walk for part of that recovery segment. Perfect timing. :) 6.24 miles.



ETA: While I was waiting for DH to pick me up after my run, I took the opportunity to lie on one of the picnic tables by the track and stretch my hip flexors. I surely got some very strange looks! :D But at least one of them was from a guy running pretty hard, whose face seemed to convey, "Man, that looks like it feels really good, and I'm going to try it after my run too!" :p