March Runs

The 1st of March, and so it's my first run in falling snow this winter. :rolleyes: Could be worse, it was a year ago today that tornados were dancing their way across the state. I'll take the snow! Just over 6 miles, in 42:30. Felt really good to be outside.

Around here, it's March when the racing season gets going. This weekend is a mud run, which you'd have to be crazy to do as it'll be in the upper 20s at start time. Next week is a 10 miler, which I'm not doing either as I'm not really fit for that distance. The following 2 weeks I am racing, a 3k and a 5k. Looking forward to it all!

Saturday morning sunrise run.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BEXAvsdCAAACGjq.jpg

It was nice, 50 degrees, not too windy, and with my favorite running partner.

Veronica

Gorgeous! While I was stuck on the treadmill yet again (sidewalks slippery with snow, today). BTW, Friday's run was in 52:30, not 42:30. If only I could go that fast!

Saturday the hubs and I did an 8 mile trail run at a park where we normally mt bike. I NEVER in a million years thought I would be able to run there. Yet run I did. I did not need to stop and walk any of the hills. I am pretty pumped. We have been working hard to get ready for The North Face Endurance Challenge at Bear Mountain in May. Living near the coast makes training for races like that tough. So the run on Sat was a confirmation of the work done so far.

Good Stuff.

A crazy cold Monday morning (16F!) made for an unusually busy gym. Actually did some weights while waiting for a treadmill to open up! After about 30 minutes the place was starting to clear out, so I was able to get a decent length run, 5 miles. And I found I can still do a pull-up, even if it was just one.

Something weird, though-- I find that I prefer instrumental music these days while I'm running. Renaissance dance music is great, and the Beethoven string quartet I had on this morning went well with a relaxed easy run. Strange...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by skhill

A crazy cold Monday morning (16F!) made for an unusually busy gym. Actually did some weights while waiting for a treadmill to open up! After about 30 minutes the place was starting to clear out, so I was able to get a decent length run, 5 miles. And I found I can still do a pull-up, even if it was just one.

Something weird, though-- I find that I prefer instrumental music these days while I'm running. Renaissance dance music is great, and the Beethoven string quartet I had on this morning went well with a relaxed easy run. Strange...

---

I'm not sure I've heard "Renaissance dance music!" I'm forever searching for new music to listen to while running; I find that it puts a little extra spring in my step.

As for me, I've put running on my back burner yet again. I started taking a new "total fit" class at the gym after talking to one of the instructors in the locker room. The class meets 4 weeknights each week and Saturday mornings. It's a class that aims to offer some cardio, resistance and core work each class. Anyway, a like variety, so I decided to try it in lieu of running. I wish I could do both and there have been a few classes where I've been able to fit in a one-mile run either before or after, but that's about it. I feel sort of guilty about it, but I was getting to the point I seem to get to every spring where I'm just ready to move on for a bit, notwithstanding my desire to keep up with the running.

This is the exact kind of class I take, Indy, and as with you, I couldn't do that and run. I tried last spring, but as I got near the end of the couch to 5K program, it was just too much on my feet, and I felt like I was on the edge of aggravating the stress fracture that had just healed. And, the resistance stuff is more beneficial to me at this point, when I can get cardio from riding.
The good thing is, I got it all out of my system and now I feel really ready to ride this season, and I can do that and my classes.
Hey, I had 2 CDs of Renaissance dance music when I used to do a Renaissance Festival with my 5th graders. Some of the girls even put together a dance I taught them and performed to the music.

My favorite renaissance music to run to is ripped from an old cd of Michael Praetorious's Terpsichore Dances. Lots of fun! Most of it is up-tempo, with an occasional slow song. (I played in a early music group in college, viola da gamba and recorders and crummhorns, so it's a genre of music I know a bit.) From my asking around, gospel and 80s pop are the most popular among my fellow 6am gym-goers.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Crankin

This is the exact kind of class I take, Indy, and as with you, I couldn't do that and run. I tried last spring, but as I got near the end of the couch to 5K program, it was just too much on my feet, and I felt like I was on the edge of aggravating the stress fracture that had just healed. And, the resistance stuff is more beneficial to me at this point, when I can get cardio from riding.
The good thing is, I got it all out of my system and now I feel really ready to ride this season, and I can do that and my classes.
Hey, I had 2 CDs of Renaissance dance music when I used to do a Renaissance Festival with my 5th graders. Some of the girls even put together a dance I taught them and performed to the music.

---

Yeah; I figure my legs can take both riding and the class, but not running and the class. The issue will be more about time. During the week, I'd just as soon go to the class, even when the weather improves. In years' past, my plans to ride with DH after work are often thwarted. He'll get home too late or he'll be too exhausted (he is on his feet nearly all day versus my desk job). Or we'll talk ourselves out of riding because of the weather. I'm far less likely to skip the class, so long as I get home in time.

So, that leaves the weekends, and I've already told DH that I want us to try harder to ride first thing in the morning if we're doing a road ride. DH is a putzer, and it's hard to get him motivated in the morning. It drives me nuts; I feel like we end up wasting half of the day. If he doesn't get a bit more disciplined, I'm just going to start riding without him.

I love Renaissance music - sang a lot of madrigals in high school and college, and one of my HS classmates still plays viola da gamba professionally. It never occurred to me to put it in my iPod for water running! Most of what I have in the 90-105 bpm range is either hip-hop or bluegrass, which makes for a very wacky playlist. Some Pretorius would be just the thing to make it totally insane. :cool:

Indy, that sounds like a fun class. I hear you on two-a-days - even when time isn't an issue, motivation can be. Heck, even a lot of the pros take an annual break from running. That's kind of where I am with cycling right now - I'm just crossing my fingers that when I'm back in hill country my back will be healed up enough to ride the hills.

I did 20 today for the first time this cycle, and it almost feels better than the first time I ever ran 20. I'm too gun-shy to count on anything at all right now, but every step forward is a step forward. I saw a bald eagle and a swallow-tailed kite riding the wind - it was a beautiful day for running, sunny, dry, not too windy, and temperature in the high 50s - and I did the last couple of miles with a huge grin on my face. Yay.

Sounds like a fantastic run, Oak. I like the image of you running down the road with a smile!!!

Breakthrough! On the treadmill this morning, I did 5 miles in 39:56! It started out as a tempo run, at an 8:10 pace (which is crazy fast anyways), then I started picking up the pace for the last 1.5 miles, and even did a good long chunk at a 6:55 pace. Was listening to Beethoven's 5th symphony, btw. Good distraction; I was visualizing the sheet music and playing along mentally.

If the weather clears, I might finally go to the club run at my very local brewery tonight. Free tuesday evenings are rare for me, but an easy 3 miles to round out the day sounds like it might be fun. If it's not snowing, that is.

Whoa! Very nice skhill! You earned that beer, extra run or not!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OakLeaf

Whoa! Very nice skhill! You earned that beer, extra run or not!

---

+1. That's awesome, skhill!

Skipped the brewery run on Tuesday-- it was raining hard at the time it started, and a near white-out by the time I would have been heading home. So I just enjoyed a can of their beer at home with dinner! No run on Wednesday, as the town was snow-covered, and it was back to the treadmill this morning due to slushy sidewalks. 5 miles again, but in a much more responsible/reasonable 41:47. Everything's melting today, so hopefully I'll be back outside on Friday. Running and biking has made me a weather channel addict!

I wasn't planning on racing this weekend, but it looks like Saturday morning will be beautiful, and there are 2 5ks in town, so maybe... But I really ought to do a long run. And I'm racing 3 out of the following 4 weeks already.