Running into November 11/1-11/7 t

[sfa]

Are you doing the Celtic Solstice 5 miler? I got talked into doing it by 7Rider and another friend.


I haven't been posting on the running threads because I haven't felt like a runner since I got Achilles tendonitis last July (2009). It's been a long road back and I'm feeling great with my running, but still always worried about doing too much too soon. So, I'm registered for this 5 miler on December 18 and am working on getting my mileage up in a sane and careful way.

Yes, that's the one! It looks like a fun event.

I spoke too soon on the five miles being pretty easy--yesterday I went roller skating (dumb, yes, I haven't skated in years), fell dramatically (and comically) and bruised my coccyx. I always manage to injure myself doing the stupidest things, so now I'm sitting here on ice packs and hoping I heal really quickly. I tried running today but the jarring hurt too much. I have an overnight ride planned for this weekend (I hesitate to call it a tour--it's just 40 miles out one day and back the next) that I don't want to cancel, and I really don't want to lose the progress I've made with running.

Sarah

[limewave]

I have a lot of reading to do to catch up on everyone's running progress! I'll save that for tonight with some hot tea

Three easy miles for me last night. Yesterday marked the beginning of my training program for Chicago 2011 Marathon. I'm mostly going to be building base for the next few months, it doesn't look like there's really any speedwork until February.

[skhill]

Just 3 easy miles for me this morning, all in the VFFs. I'm enjoying this current phase of random (if daily) running, while I'm not training for anything in particular!

It may be the VFF's, it may be from spending hours raking leaves instead of riding my bike, but the past few days the ankle that *always* is stiff first thing in the morning, hasn't been.

I've been trying to decide which marathon to do next spring, Louisville or Cincinnati. They're both the same weekend this time. I'm leaning towards Louisville-- it's a few bucks cheaper, and there's friends in the area I could stay with. But the course includes crossing the Ohio River and going into Indiana, and I have this little bit of a bridge phobia....

[OakLeaf]

Lime, how exciting! You will rock that course!

skhill, I've never done either, but everyone I know who's done the Flying Pig says it's super fun.

[Jolt]

I finally managed to get a run in after too many days of not running! Just a half hour trail run, but it was a good one--ran the whole thing with no walking breaks and wasn't even breathing hard, despite the fact that I'm fighting a cold. Maybe what helped was that I wasn't trying to go fast at all. I felt like I could have gone quite a bit longer but figured I shouldn't push it. It sure was better than Sunday's attempted morning run which consisted of about five minutes of running, stopping for a few seconds and feeling like I might hurl and/or pass out (don't know what happened there but it was not pleasant--felt like the time in nursing school where I almost passed out watching a procedure), followed by 25 minutes of walking since it obviously wasn't a running day but I needed the fresh air.

[Jolt]

So this isn't a running post...it's a post about what I decided to do today instead of running. I went to the local ice skating rink during public skating time as I wanted to do something different. Unfortunately it didn't go as well as I had hoped...partly because I haven't skated in a while, partly because my skates needed to be sharpened, and partly because, I've decided, figure skates are just dangerous if you're trying to get a workout. Not only was I most ungraceful (must have looked like a penguin or something at the beginning), I tripped over my toe picks three times, getting sent flying...the first time happened right where there was a puddle from the zamboni so I got wet to boot. Actually, I tripped a couple other times but was able to avoid falling. I think this just may be the year I switch to hockey skates...next time I go I will rent a pair to see how I do. Between the elevated heel (which completely throws off your center of gravity) and the toe picks, I just don't seem to do well on figure skates! It might be easier to relax and enjoy skating around the rink if I weren't scared to death of catching a toe pick and taking a header.

[skhill]

Jolt, hockey skates are a great idea. I haven't skated since college, and I wasn't much good then, but I definitely fell less and felt more stable in hockey skates. Good luck!

My dog's not convinced yet about this time-change thing, so he woke me up about an hour before I was planning on getting up. Put the extra time to good use, and went for my first long run since my half-- 9 miles, and I feel great.

[jessmarimba]

I ran a whole 17 minutes without stopping today It felt GREAT!! Besides the fact that the wind chill was probably about 25. Which was why I couldn't take the walk breaks I've been scheduling in so far. Woohoo!!

[Susan Otcenas]

My friend Jill & I did the Inaugural Silver Falls Trail Half Marathon on Saturday. I've never run that far on trail before! We ran it just for fun (not for time) and I brought along my camera to make sure we stopped and took pictures (thus forcing ourselves to remember the "just for fun" part. )

Elevation gain and loss was significant. I'm guessing about 1500 feet based on the profile. We ran BEHIND 3 ginormous waterfalls along the way.

My favorite of these 3 photos is the one on the far right, shot from behind the falls, with the earth overhanging above. You really had to be there to appreciate the enormity of it!

[OakLeaf]

Wow, that looks so beautiful!

[Jolt]

My friend Jill & I did the Inaugural Silver Falls Trail Half Marathon on Saturday. I've never run that far on trail before! We ran it just for fun (not for time) and I brought along my camera to make sure we stopped and took pictures (thus forcing ourselves to remember the "just for fun" part. )

Elevation gain and loss was significant. I'm guessing about 1500 feet based on the profile. We ran BEHIND 3 ginormous waterfalls along the way.

My favorite of these 3 photos is the one on the far right, shot from behind the falls, with the earth overhanging above. You really had to be there to appreciate the enormity of it!

Wow, that sounds like a great race! That's the kind of half marathon I would be interested in doing--forget road races. I did an hour-long trail run today; was wicked slow but felt good. I really need to work on stretching out my hip flexors--they're tight right now and I know that's part of what's slowing me down. Too much sitting on the derriere lately...

[limewave]

Susan--sounds like a very scenic race.

An easy 4.5 mile trail run for me yesterday. We've been having gorgeous weather.

[colby]

Ran some intervals today. I was in Seattle Wednesday afternoon to Tuesday morning (got to make a Theo stop, mmm, chocolate) and didn't get a chance to run, so I'm playing a bit of catch-up. It felt pretty good.

[bikerHen]

And now for the weenie report!

After a careful month of treadmill use, I'm up to almost two miles in 30 minutes of walk/run intervals. My shin splints are starting to get over their shock of running again. Whoo Hoo! I'll become a runner yet. I'm doing a 5k run next weekend. I'll mostly be walking to keep the above mentioned shin splints in their happy place while treading on hard asphalt. Baby steps are better than no steps at all!

[7rider]

Another distance record for me: 5 miles as I also continue my training for that Celtic Solstice race with MDHillSlug.

I rode my bike to my friend's house (5.5 miles). From there, the 2 of us ran down into Rock Creek Park, and did a flat road run - 2.6 miles out, 2.4 miles back, and we walked the last 0.2 miles up the hill to her house. Except for a stop to stretch and gab at the turn-around point, we both ran the whole thing. Pretty stoked. Hip flexors really aren't digging these longer (i.e., >5k) runs, but otherwise, I'm surviving. I picked up some compression sleeves for my shins. I think they're too big for me and doubt they are doing me much good other than making me think that maybe they're doing some good.

Bike ride home from my friend's was pretty slow.

Still....my pace, at 11:32/mi, was about what my training program is calling for race day. So...I'm hoping - barring anything horrible happening - I can do the race - which will be much hillier than what I just ran - a bit faster.