Buddy's Mama, the Runner

Easy Run

2007-08-01T15:05:00.000-05:00

My legs were more tired than I cared to admit this morning and I lugged myself out there for another run when I probably should have listened to the hubby and stayed home and lifted weights instead. Then I came up with the brilliant idea of running just 2 miles, then coming back for a quick weight workout...I should have known better. Two miles inevitably turns into three, because it takes about that long for me to start enjoying a run.

I didn't experiment with routes today...I didn't feel adventurous (or awake) enough....especially after almost getting lost yesterday! I did go home and do two sets of chest, back & abs...not bad.

Total miles today: 3

sdg

I got lost!

2007-07-31T15:08:00.000-05:00

I got lost today! Me! With a GPS watch and a map for a brain like my dad -- how could I get lost????

I went down my (now) usual route, but I was feeling adventurous. Where does that street go? Okay, I cheated and looked it up on Google last night. In fact, I was sure I had it down -- I knew where I was going...and yet I still ended up completely dazed and confused with only the slightest sense that I should go towards the orange sky because the sun comes up over the lake.

Part of this has to do with the fact that I don't wear my contacts when I run and I can barely see five feet in front of me. I ran up to several street signs like an idiot and found that I was coming to the same street repeatedly, but it looked totally different! These aren't the same houses that were here a minute ago!

I did finally manage to turn around and try to double back on my route and I found my way...I think I was too stubborn and proud to resort to the GPS...not to mention the fact that I don't really know how to use it find my way back home. Note to self: get user's manual out of garage.

sdg

Am I cursing myself by doing this again?!

2007-07-24T14:24:00.000-05:00

It's been a loooong time since I last blogged!!!!!!!!!!! December 1! The weird thing is that I started running regularly again just after I stopped blogging. I went back to just bare-bones numbers -- split times and nothing else. More recently, we moved to our very first house and all of a sudden there are so many things that I want to remember about each run. Nothing important to anyone other myself and maybe Andy...usually he's asleep when I get back from my runs and I'm asleep when he gets back from work. I inevitably forget what I experienced and can't share it with him...so here I am...

Hopefully I won't get so caught up in trying to keep my blog up to date that I get sick of running altogether again (although, there were many other factors at play during my last hiatus).

I've been having problems with side stitches lately, which has never been a problem for me. I think it's from too much fluid; I can actually feel my belly being bloated to the point of being painful. Ouch. And now that we live in the hills, all that sloshing around isn't so fun when you're running downhill! Yesterday was bad and I had to actually stop and walk. Today I started off down the hill again and the stitch started...I stopped and turned around. It wasn't so bad running uphill and eventually the pain subsided, but didn't go away completely. Very annoying.

I did just three miles today. The worst part about the move has been the extended drive to work, which means getting up earlier and leaving earlier. Which means less time for running. Unless I get up at 5:30, but I haven't resorted to that quite yet.

I've been getting up at 6:05 (not quite as painful as 6am) and out the door by 6:30. I figure if I try to do at least 3-4 miles most days, it'll be ok for now. At least until I figure how to get to bed earlier so I can get up earlier!!!!

Anyway, I found a pretty decent 3-mile route and actually figured out a way to only have to run uphill once!! The hills are brutal. Absolutely brutal. I must look like an idiot running (and I use that term loosely) up the street. The whole community isn't that large, so there isn't a very long loop for me to run; at least not one that doesn't involve six hills.

Enough whining about the hills. Today I noticed that monster house on the next street was boarded up before Andy & I could sneak a peak. Hopefully on the weekend we'll be able to get inside. I also noticed where they're going to be putting in a community pathway--very exciting! I hope it's ashphalt and not concrete. Note to self: get map to find out if that pathway is going to be cutting through our house!!

Other than the side stitch thing, today's run was pretty good. I actually had some time to go another mile, but I held back. I wanted to be able to leave early to get some work done, and I wanted to spend time with little Buddy, something I've been missing like crazy lately.

sdg

I forgot what it's like!

2006-11-30T18:59:00.000-05:00

I forgot what it's like to be a runner. I haven't been one for months, after all. I forgot what it's like to be tight all the time, to feel like my toenails could fall off at any time, to have to keep flip flops in my car at all times so I can switch into them at the end of the day when my toes want freedom. And the best of all: the rice krispies knees are back. I also hadn't eaten cereal in a long time, and now I'm back to my usual runner's breakfast. It's all worth it, though. I feel like I'm getting my body back and I feel wonderful.

---------------
Run time:

Distance:

It feels good to run again

2006-11-28T18:59:00.000-05:00

I guess I really did forget how much I just love running. Andy: You're not going to use your Garmin anymore??? This after I suggested maybe I should get a plain old watch that just tells the time. I forgot how much fun it is to just run and not worry about where I'm going or how far I've gone. Time restraints still exists, especially during the week, so I do have to check the time. But I don't really miss the mile beeps on my Garmin, and it's actually more fun to log onto www.usatf.org to map out my run. Did I actually go as far as I wanted?

Today's run was great. I had 40 minutes, but squeezed out 45. I was hoping to run at least 4 miles, and I actually did 4.20. Not bad! With only two runs under my belt, I already feel better.

----------------------
Run time: 00:47:00

Distance: 4.20 miles

Starting over

2006-11-27T20:57:00.000-05:00

I don't think I've ever gone this long without running...and it shows. I gotta say, I love Phil Kaplan, but I NEED cardio! Yikes. I went from feeling great to not being able to fit into nearly any of my pants. VERY scary. To make matters worse, the temps dropped. More than I expected. Then a breakthrough: B&G let us keep their treadmill at our place. Woohoo! I ran yesterday for the first time in a very long time and it was great! Four miles. Until I get back into it for real, I'm leaving the Garmin behind. I might not even run outside. I don't care how fast I'm going, as long as I run at least 4 miles. I can't wait to get back on the machine again tomorrow.

-------------------------
Run time: 00:45:00

Distance: 4.25 miles

Buddy's Mama, the Walker

2006-10-31T16:34:00.000-05:00

I'm into week 4 of my 8-week lifting cycle. Now that daylight savings is over (hooray!) and there is a decent amount of light out at 6:30 am, and the temps have cooled (crisp and refreshing!), I've rediscovered my first love: walking. When I run in our community, all I can think about it is "Wow, this is so pretty...how much farther?" All those damn hills! It doesn't exactly make for fun running, for me at least. But walking? That's another story. It's awesome. Work has been taking up a lot of my time, so I've been lifting at night and on the weekends. But for the last few days I've gone out for some fresh air in the morning and it's been wonderful. Yes, I have to bundle up considerably (I broke out the mittens today!), but it's much easier to walk in 3 layers than it is to run. I did 3 miles today. Not bad! :)

A new 8-week cycle begins

2006-10-09T14:47:00.000-05:00

This week marks the end of the last eight weeks, in which I tried to run at least 2-3 days per week. As I got busier, it got harder. As the days grew shorter, it got harder. So much so that during my eighth week, I didn't run at all! I realized that my activity level was down (less sleep => more sleeping in => less running, less yoga, no lifting) and my carb consumtion had probably doubled (thanks to daily oatmeal and sandwiches), and my pants didn't look or feel as great. The solution? Back to lifting weights. The tried and true solution for me has always been lifting weights, and more recently, reducing (not elminating) my carbs. Over the summer, I was doing yoga for over an hour every day and having protein shakes for breakfast. I felt great! In just five days (last week) of leg lifts, crunches, more yoga, and no oatmeal, I'm back into my "skinny" pants! Let this be a lesson to me: don't stop lifiting weights and don't overdo the carbs!

Starting this week, I'm back on an eight-week cycle of lifting (plus yoga). I'll probably come across a race that I'll want to do, so I'll have to work around it. Right now, I just don't have the time or energy in the morning to lace up. I hope daylight savings helps.

Week 7: Day 1: Time-crunch run

2006-09-25T19:34:00.000-05:00

As usual, I couldn't get up when my alarm went off...hmm, maybe I'll just get up and do yoga. Okay, if I have time to do 15 minutes of yoga, I have time for a short run. The only thing holding me back is the prospect of having to change my clothes and lace up. Sooo...I decided the only way to make it easier would be to quickly jump into my Sketchers (no laces!)...yes, I risked blisters, but so be it. I managed to get out there for a two-miler. As I ran, I realized that I HAVE to start budgeting my time better in the morning. The dishes don't have to be washed if Andy's home and says not to worry about them. I have to start putting out my running gear the night before, unlacing my shoes and everything. I even realized that I could get my breakfast and Buddy's lucnh ready the night before. I managed to save about 5 minutes this morning, which is the difference between getting to work at 9:15 and being the first one there. Hopefully, tomorrow I can buy myself another 5 by a little creative advanced planning. All this to squeeze in a run!

-----------------------
Run time: 00:20:02

Distance: 2.12 miles

Avg. Pace: 9:28/mi
-----------------------
Mile #1: 09:31
Mile #2: 09:24
----------------------

Week 6: Day 3: Easy run

2006-09-23T14:46:00.000-05:00

I did another easy run this morning. I figure if breaking up my runs into several shorter ones is the only way to get them in, so be it. I have so much to do in the morning, and getting up earlier isn't an option (until I start going to bed at 9pm...and if I do that, I'll never see Andy!), so it's hard to run during the week. It felt good to run this morning...the weather is cooling down and pretty soon I won't be able to wear my shorts. I hope I can get up early enough for my long run tomorrow.

--------------------
Run time: 00:30:01

Distance: 3.12 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:37/mi
--------------------
Mile #1: 09:58
Mile #2: 09:32
Mile #3: 09:18
--------------------
Fair, 68 degrees F
Dewpoint:
Humidity:
Pressure: 30.08 in.
Visibility: 5.0 miles
Winds: Calm

Week 6: Day 2: Hill repeats

2006-09-22T14:31:00.000-05:00

Today was the first time I tried to run before work (yes, I'm finally working full-time again! It's a wonderful thing!). But now that I have to be out the door by 9, and it's still dark until well after 7am, it's sooooooo hard! I managed to get up at 6:35 (oh, and going to bed at 11 because Andy doesn't get home until either 9pm or 10pm certainly doesn't help!), but wasn't out the door until 7. Whew. Talk about cutting it close. I did an easy mile until I got to the golf cart tunnel and did my 10 hill repeats. Or, I thought I did. When I checked the Garmin, it looks like I only did nine, which I can't figure out. Anyway...I tried to run a little faster on the uphills. By the time I got home I had gone almost 2.5 miles, but didn't have much time left. I think I'll stick with getting my runs in on Sat/Sun, but if I can do just one during the week, I'll be golden. ;)

-----------------------
Run time: 00:25:01

Distance: 2.43 miles

Avg. Pace: 10:18/mi
-----------------------
Mile #1: 09:37
**10 hill repeats**
---------
Hill #1
Length: 81.52 m.
Speed: 31 sec.
Pace: 10:24/mi
---------
Hill #2
Length: 83.84 m.
Speed: 33 sec.
Pace: 10:57/mi
--------
Hill #3
Length: 84.03 m.
Speed: 31 sec.
Pace: 10:08/mi
--------
Hill #4
Length: 73.46 m.
Speed: 32 sec.
Pace: 11:59/mi
--------
Hill #5
Length: 81.73 m.
Speed: 32 sec.
Pace: 10:32/mi
--------
Hill #6
Length: 83.96 m.
Speed: 30 sec.
Pace: 09:47/mi
---------
Hill #7
Length: 84.14 m.
Speed: 31 sec.
Pace: 10:02/mi
---------
Hill #8
Length: 79.09 m.
Speed: 32 sec.
Pace: 11:09/mi
--------
Hill #9
Length: 76.59 m.
Speed: 28 sec.
Pace: 10:02/mi
--------
Mile #2:
---------------------
Fair, 70 degrees F
Dewpoint: 70 degrees F
Humidity: ?
Pressure: 30.04 in., rising
Visibility: 10.0 miles
Winds: calm

Week 6: Day 1: Easy run

2006-09-19T13:49:00.000-05:00

I'm still recovering from Saturday's race, which clearly means I'm rustier than I thought I was. Blah. We went to the gym yesterday and I did only upper body work because my legs were so tired. It's been over a month since I've lifted, so I could barely move my arms and shoulders this morning! I think I finally shook off the soreness in my quads, though. I was bad this morning and hitched a ride to Starbucks with the mother- and brother-in-law (all for Andy, I swear!) instead of stretching. I'll pay for that tomorrow! Good thing tomorrow starts my new weekly yoga class. I'm terrified and excited all at the same time. Hopefully, it'll help me with my daily practice.

I started off pretty slow today...half trying to shake the cobwebs off and half starting at the awesome sky. The sunrise looked like an ocean with huge mountains rising in the distance. I LOVE running in the morning!

---------------------
Run time: 00:30:01

Distance: 3.06 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:49/mi
---------------------
Mile #1: 10:13
Mile #2: 09:37
Mile #3: 09:35
---------------------
Fair, 73 degrees F
Dewpoint: 73 degrees
Humidity: ?
Pressure: 29.95 in., rising
Visibility: 10.0 miles
Winds: From SW, 5 mph

Week 5: Day 2: 5k race

2006-09-16T13:20:00.000-05:00

Today I ran the Silver Springs 5k Run for Autumn in Ocala. The whole gang came with me, even Andy! His first race! It was a blast, but I was sooooo out of practice. I was sure I was going to bonk! Luckily, it didn't happen, and I finished in a decent 26:30. But I know I could have done better. I came in 4th in my age group.

I realized today just how country this place is...about 5 mins before the start of the race, I realized I hadn't collected my Chip, so I ran to the registration tables to find out. "What's a Chip?" What's a Chip?????? So funny. I asked the nice lady how we would be timed. She said someone would tear the bottom of our bib number off as we crossed the finish line. You gotta be kidding me. Talk about low-tech! And sure enough, as I crossed the finish line, I heard, "Please wait your turn in line as we collect your number." Stand in line the second I crossed the finish line?? I wanted water! I wanted to keep moving. I hope they upgrade soon!

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Run time: 00:26:30

Distance: 3.1 miles (5k)

Avg. Pace: 08:27/mi (unofficial)
------------------
Mile #1: 08:08
Mile #2: 08:37
Mile #3: 08:20

Week 5: Day 1: Hill repeats

2006-09-12T09:25:00.000-05:00

Today I tackled the hills again. And once again, I was only able to do one set of 10 reps. But I did try to hussle and run them a little faster! I was so winded and lightheaded afterwards...I have to remember to bring my water bottle next time.

Yesterday Bennie & I went swimming for an hour. It felt great, and, surprisingly, it erased all the muscle soreness lingering after Sunday's long run. Amazing! Of course, I do have sore back muscles today. Oh well. I hope I can continue to work on my technique, because as of right now, I still pretty much suck. I can swim under the water, but can't come up for air! And I'm convinced that I am that rare 1 in 100,000th person who just does NOT float! Practice, practice. My mother-in-law is going to put me in water wings...I'm sure that will help my self-esteem. Hey, whatever takes to learn, because I'm starting to love being in the water.

--------------------
Run time: 00:30:58

Distance: 3.01 miles

Avg. Pace: 10:18/mi
--------------------
Mile #1: 10:06
**10 hill repeats**
---------
Hill #1
Length: 127 m.
Speed: 52 sec.
Pace: 11:01/mi
---------
Hill #2
Length: 92 m.
Speed: 37 sec.
Pace: 10:54/mi
--------
Hill #3
Length: 82 m.
Speed: 35 sec.
Pace: 11:36/mi
--------
Hill #4
Length: 92 m.
Speed: 33 sec.
Pace: 09:52/mi
--------
Hill #5
Length: 86 m.
Speed: 36 sec.
Pace: 11:14/mi
--------
Hill #6
Length: 79 m.
Speed: 32 sec.
Pace: 11:01/mi
---------
Hill #7
Length: 79 m.
Speed: 34 sec.
Pace: 11:39/mi
---------
Hill #8
Length: 87 m.
Speed: 32 sec.
Pace: 09:56/mi
--------
Hill #9
Length: 100 m.
Speed: 35 sec.
Pace: 09:28/mi
--------
Hill #10 (Whew!)
Length: 86 m.
Speed: 30 sec.
Pace: 09:31/mi
---------
Mile #2: 10:54
Mile #3: 10:32/10:01

Week 4: Day 2: Long run

2006-09-10T18:52:00.000-05:00

Yes, I skipped my 2nd run and went straight to my 3rd, my Sunday long run. I don't know what happened Friday morning. I just couldn't get out of bed. Then Friday night we celebrated Andy getting his license, which, of course, involved alcohol. That led to me not being able to get up Saturday morning. I almost didn't make it this morning either! I told myself we could go to the gym, where I could run my 7 miles on a cushy treadmill instead of pounding pavement. I turned off my alarm and lay down again. As usual, feelings of guilt kept me from falling asleep again, so I dragged myself up. My reward these days for a run is a bowl of hot and yummy oatmeal with peanut butter! If I don't run, no oaties, as Buddy calls them. I guess I really wanted my oaties!

I hit the trail today, and discovered something incredible. If I go the opposite way, it's all downhill!! Woo-hoo! It was awesome. I still took 1-minute walk breaks every mile and had a small 8oz bottle of H20 with me. All in all, a great run.

Instead of laying around all day waiting for my legs to stop feeling like jello (like I usually do), we decided to go to Silver Springs to scope out the site of my upcoming 5K. We ended up walking the 2.4 mile "River Trail" (I saw a box turtle! So cute!). I am POOPED.

---------------------
Run time: 01:12:01

Distance: 7.0 miles

Avg. Pace: 10:17 / mi
---------------------
Mile #1: 10:01
Mile #2: 09:59
Mile #3: 09:50
Mile #4: 10:12
Mile #5: 10:23
Mile #6: 10:32
Mile #7: 10:48

Week 4: Day 1: Hill repeats

2006-09-06T18:46:00.000-05:00

I took advantage of living in a golfing community today to do my hill repeats. The golf cart tunnels (allowing golfers to cross the road without being killed) are awesome, easily-accessible hills. I ran to the tunnel and did 10 reps...1 downhill and 1 uphill, and repeat. My goal was 1-2 sets, but it just didn't happen. My quads were hating me and I chickened out. But I will definitely make this a part of my routine. It was a great workout. The hill was probably 100-200m, which isn't too bad.

--------------------
Run time: 00:30:17

Distance: 3.05 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:55/mi
--------------------
Mile #1: 09:46
Mile #2: 10:12
Mile #3: 09:45
--------------------

Week 3: Day 3: A Long(er) Run

2006-09-03T18:22:00.000-05:00

I haven't run long in a long time. Today I felt like hitting the trail again, to see if it would be a longer route if I came back a different way. It was. Last time the loop was less than 4.5 miles; this time, it was exactly 5 miles. Not bad. The only bad thing about it was the HILLS. Yikes. In between the two gates of our community is one killer, obnoxious hill. Which is why I usually plan my runs from the top of the hill to the bottom. But not today. My only reward (which I had to keep reminding myself of) was that once I got to the top of the hill, it would be smooth, flat sailing. My quads didn't quite believe me, but I finally got through it. I did six miles total. I can't believe six miles miles used to be my "easy" run! Oh well. I know I'll get back there. The good news is that I managed to run the last 3 miles of my run quicker than the first three.

--------------------
Run time: 01:00:15

Distance: 6.0 miles

Avg. Pace: 10:02/mi
--------------------
Mile #1: 10:33
Mile #2: 10:06
Mile #3: 10:09
Mile #4: 09:48
Mile #5: 09:52
Mile #6: 09:41
--------------------
Fair, 72 degrees F
Felt like: 72 degrees F
Dewpoint: ?
Humidity: ?
Pressure: 29.97 in., steady
Visibility: 7.0 miles
Winds: calm
--------------------
TOTAL MILES THIS WEEK: 12

Week 3: Day 2

2006-09-02T10:03:00.000-05:00

Luckily, I had no cramps today and felt good enough to get out for an easy 2-miler. I entertained the thought of going further, for about 30 seconds. Then I flashbacked to the time I went for my long run on the first day of my period and had to cut it short because of severe cramping. Two miles was just enough to make me feel better, catch a beautiful sunrise, and make it home before Andy left for work.

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Run time: 00:20:01

Distance: 2.07 miles

Avg. Pace: 9:39/mi

------------------
Mile #1: 09:46
Mile #2: 09:26
------------------
Haze, 73 degrees F
Felt like 73 degrees F
Dewpoint:
Humidity:
Pressure: 29.92 in.
Visibility: 4.0 miles
Winds: South, 4.6 mph

Week 3: Day 1: Waiting for Ernesto

2006-08-30T10:49:00.000-05:00

I've had the pleasure of running before many impending tropical storms and hurricanes. Ernesto was definitely a huge disappointment. No breeze, no racing rain bands, nothing. Oh well. Only a true Floridian would complain, I guess! We didn't get much of anything, and I was able to get in a 4-miler. Hopefully, tomorrow will be clear as well.

-------------------
Run time: 00:40:01

Distance: 4.09 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:46/mi

Best Pace: 07:48/mi
-------------------
Mile #1: 09:52
Mile #2: 09:44
Mile #3: 09:49
Mile #4: 09:43
-------------------
Cloudy, 74 degrees F
Felt like: 74 degrees F
Dewpoint: 74 degrees F
Humidity: 100%
Pressure: 29.85 in.
Visibility: 10.0 miles
Winds: From ENE, 4.6 mph

Week 2: Day 3

2006-08-27T19:42:00.000-05:00

Not surprisingly, I was very sore after yesterday's run. Even less surprising is the fact that yoga made me feel better. This morning, instead of just my regular post-run cool down stretch, I decided to do some Sun Salutations. The first couple were rough, and I could barely touch my toes, but by number 10, I was feeling much more limber. Note to self: yoga works just as good, if not better, than icy hot for sore calves!

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Run time: 00:30:01

Distance: 3.13 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:36 / mi
-------------------
Mile #1: 09:58
Mile #2: 09:42
Mile #3: 09:30
-------------------
Fog, 73 degrees F
Felt like: 73 degrees F
Humidity: ?
Dewpoint: ?
Pressure: 29.98 in., rising
Visibility: 0.2 miles
Winds: calm

Week 2: Day 2

2006-08-26T12:57:00.000-05:00

I was prepared for the lovely humidity this morning...I strapped on my fuel belt with just one bottle. Unfortunately, however, I forgot how miserable it is to run with the damn thing. But by mile #2 and a steep hill looming in front of me, I downed the bottle and the belt was a lot less cumbersome. I dreamed about today's route last night...and I thought it would be great, but...not so much. I ended up having to run uphill almost all of the way. The only good part was that I didn't have to run uphill on the last leg. I still managed on ok 4-miler.

------------------
Run time: 00:38:23

Distance: 4.01 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:35 / mi

Best pace: 07:00 / mi
------------------
Mile #1: 09:30
Mile #2: 09:20
Mile #3: 09:52 (1 min. walk)
Mile #4: 10:18 (0.45 mi), 09:05 (0.56 mi)
------------------
Haze, 73 degrees F
Felt like: 73 degrees F
Humidity: ?
Dewpoint: 73 degrees F
Pressure: 29.96 in., dropping
Visibility: 5.0 miles
Winds: From WSW, 5 mph

A new week: Day 1

2006-08-22T13:00:00.000-05:00

Did another 3-miler today. Run #1 of 3, hopefully. We also went swimming today, for about an hour. I am doing a LOT better, but I still need to work on that whole coming up for air thing! ;) I can hold my breath and swim from the middle of the pool to the edge...well, I'm moving myself through the water, and technically, that is swimming. ;) Anyhow, I love it, and I want to get better.

-------------------
Run time: 00:30:16

Distance: 3.20 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:28/mi

Best Pace: 07:27/mi
-------------------
Mile #1: 09:27
Mile #2: 09:47
Mile #3: 09:13
-------------------
Sunny, 71.6 degrees F
Felt like: 72 degrees F
Humidity: 68%
Dewpoint: ?
Pressure: 30.11 in., rising
Visibility: 10.0 miles
Winds: Calm

A leave of absence

2006-08-20T12:49:00.000-05:00

I took a couple of weeks off from running...I don't know if it was deliberate, or borne out of laziness, but there it is. I felt great until Day 14, when I realized that after Day 15, my work clothes would no longer fit. Guess that's my limit without running. I watched what I ate (except for my chocolate addiction, which was worsening), and did yoga every day, usually twice a day, for at least an hour to an hour and a half. But too much chocolate and not enough running definitely shows up where I least like it to (read: the belly). So I laced up today and felt great. Nothing crazy. Only 3 miles. I think 3 runs a week will serve me well (which is what I used to do, way back before I became Buddy's Mama, the Psycho Runner). I still enjoy yoga so much more and don't want to reverse all my hard work. One short run and I can no longer touch my toes!

-------------------
Run time: 00:31:05

Distance: 3.02 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:31 / mi
-------------------
Mile #1: 09:39
Mile #2: 09:29
Mile #3: 09:25
----------------
Fair, 69.8 degrees F
Felt like: 70 degrees F
Humidity: 68%
Dewpoint: ?
Pressure: 29.97 in., rising
Visibility: 10.0 miles
Winds: From SSE 3.5 mph

Don't leave, Papa!!

2006-08-07T14:41:00.000-05:00

Here's Buddy, performing his daily ritual of hanging on to any article of Andy's clothing he can get his claws on, inevitably making Andy late for work. Zippers and belts are favorites.

Day 7

2006-08-06T14:28:00.000-05:00

I met my goal of running 14 miles this week. I still feel as though I'm so far away from where I was before the move. I miss my long runs, and yet I can't get myself up out of bed early enough, even when I do get to bed by 10. Maybe my body is trying to tell me something. Like Get some rest! When I'm up, I'd much rather go outside with Buddy and do my hour of yoga. Nothing wakes me up better than Sun Salutations, not even running.

We went to the gym today and I did my 4-miler, nice and easy. I really didn't feel like pushing myself, and the weights were looking more tempting than the treadmill. But I did it.

------------------------
Run time: 00:43:36

Distance: 4.15 miles

Avg. Pace: 10:30 / mi

MHR: 153 bpm
------------------------
Mile #1: 10:24
Mile #2: 10:00
Mile #3: 10:00
Mile #4: 10:22 (1 min. walk)
-----------------------
TOTAL MILES THIS WEEK: 14

Blood pressure: 112/68
RHR: 78 (yikes; no running!)

Day 5: MY 100TH POST!!!!

2006-08-04T12:47:00.000-05:00

Whoo-hoo! ONE HUNDRED POSTS! Yikes! That's 100 runs! :)

So, what happened to Day 4? I didn't feel like running...Andy didn't sleep all night and I woke up early to make him breakfast in lieu of lacing up. I did another mile today, so I'll tack on another mile to Sunday's run to make up the difference.

-------------------------
Run time: 00:28:20

Distance: 3.00 miles

Avg. pace: 09:26 / mi

Best pace: 06:59 / mi
-------------------------
Mile #1: 09:18
Mile #2: 09:20
Mile #3: 09:39
-------------------------
Fair, 73.4 degrees F
Felt like:
Dewpoint: 73.4 degrees F
Humidity: 100%
Pressure: 30.05 in.
Visibility: 10.0 miles
Winds: Calm

Day 3

2006-08-02T12:41:00.000-05:00

Gym with Andy today...it's that time of the month, so I know I won't be running Sat morning...I decided to split up Saturday's run and add the miles to today and Sunday.

------------------------
Run time: 00:31:30

Distance: 3.10 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:49 / mi

MHR: 171 bpm
-----------------------
Mile #1: 09:57
Mile #2: 09:34
Mile #3: 09:58 (1 min. walk)

Day 2

2006-08-01T09:41:00.000-05:00

Run time: 00:20:01

Distance: 2.09 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:34 / mi

Best Pace: 06:43
------------------------
Mile #1: 09:42
Mile #2: 09:24
------------------------
Fair, 71.6 degrees F
Felt like:
Dewpoint: 71.6 degrees F
Humidity: 100%
Visibility: 7.0 miles
Pressure: 30.09 in
Winds: Calm

Starting over: Day 1

2006-07-31T09:41:00.000-05:00

-------------------------
Run time: 00:20:00

Distance: 2.14 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:20 / mi
------------------------
Mile #1: 09:28
Mile #2: 09:13
------------------------
Fair, 75 degrees F
Felt like: 79 degrees F
Dewpoint: 75 degrees F
Humidity: 100%
Visibility: 8.0 miles
Presssure: 30.02, steady
Winds: Calm

Confessions: Why I haven't been running

2006-07-29T06:50:00.000-05:00

I love running. Running helped me lose weight, gain confidence, be independent, and helped me enjoy being outdoors. So why am I suddenly so unmotivated to run? Just when I had finally got back into the swing of things, we moved, and my whole world was turned upside down. The lack of routine (get up at 6, run, breakfast, shower, work) has been a rough adjustment. I'm tired from staying up with Andy (now that he's working, the only time we have together is after 7:30 pm, and sometimes after 9:30 pm), and can't get out of bed in the morning to save my life. On those rare occassions that I am up before 7, I have no desire to lace up. Why not run after 7? Because the humidity is 100% and the sun darkens my skin in about 5 minutes of exposure, even with sunscreen.

About a month ago, I re-discovered yoga. My mother-in-law lent me her beginner's DVD and I was hooked. A month later I finally shelled out for my own set and rturned hers. I even signed up for a yoga class at the local high school, which starts in September. Something about yoga has helped me tremendously through this period of adjustment. I still get that "me time" that I enjoy with running, but more than that, I get to enjoy it at home. In the morning, Buddy basks in the sun while I do my sun salutations and my 40 min routine on our screened in patio. By the end of it, he's ready for breakfast and I'm as soaked with sweat as I am after a 4 mile run. Most surprisingly, I feel great, and not a bit out of shape. On the contrary, my arms feel leaner, and I haven't done a single set of crunches in a month -- I haven't had to. When I run, my mind wanders. I think about the things that are bothering me (leaving my parents, lack of a job, Andy's job, everything). When I do yoga, all I can think about is my breath, and who hard this pose is at this very second. Which, I think, is the whole point of yoga--to live in the moment, the action, and not the past or future.

I miss running, but really I just feel guilty for not running. It's been such a part of my life for so long, that I feel weird without it. The guilt is pretty overwhelming at times. Enough for me to go next door and hop on the treadmill, even just to get in a couple of miles. What's worse is that I like how I feel when I don't run -- I have no leg pain, no stiffness, and even my crepidis (creaky cracky knee joints) is getting better. I read somewhere (sorry, don't remember where!) that "Yoga is good for running, but running is not good for yoga." Unfortunately, that statement is so very true. After a run, my hamstrings shrink and all the progress I feel I've made (whether true or not), is erased. I can actually touch my toes now!!! It sounds funny, but I've never been able to do that!

Cool & comfortable run

2006-06-30T09:56:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that there is one distinct advantage to living up here: it's nice and cool in the mornings. Well, cool for Florida, anyway! I got goosebumps as I walked out of the house. My goal today was only 3 miles, but the weather definitely was tempting me to go farther. I just didn't want to overdo it. Instead, Andy & I got to enjoy some sunshine with Buddy on our patio, which is usually hard to bear after 8 a.m.

-------------------------
Run time: 00:29:31

Distance: 3.01 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:49 / mi

Best Pace: 06:31 / mi
-------------------------
Mile #1: 09:50
Mile #2: 09:40
Mile #3: 09:43
------------------------
Sunny, 67 degrees F
Felt like:
Dewpoint:
Humidity: 91%
Visibility: 2.2 miles
Pressure: 30.08 in., rising
Winds: from NNW at 2 mph

Getting adventurous

2006-06-29T12:25:00.000-05:00

We've been here for one month now and I finally ventured out beyond my little "safe" zone. The last time Andy & I were visiting, Gary showed us the trail and said that I would probably enjoy it. We saw it by golf cart, but it looked like fun -- a paved winding path, some hills, and tunnels! Unfortunately, I was so disorentiated when we finally moved here, that I had no idea where the trail was. I thought I saw it every time I drove to the grocery store, but I wasn't sure. So today I finally put on my contacts (a rareity when I run, but necessary to explore new places!) and off I went in search of the elusive trail.

I got to the tunnel, used by golf cart drivers to cross the road without, well, crossing the road. I was skeptical. It looked so short. Would this really put me on the other side of the street? And more importantly, was there any other way to cross the street???? I took the plunge and slowly trodded down the very steep hill. Across the tunnel and out I came, looking at an equally steep uphill. I ran up. Sure enough, there I was, on the other side of the road! Awesome.

I remembered Gary's advice: Just stay on the cart path. So I did. And there it was, just where I thought I had seen it, marked by a golf cart crossing -- the trail. I checked my Garmin: 1.15 miles from home. The path itself is marked in 1/8 mile increments...very handy. Another mile across the trail and I came to what I think was the end of the trail (short trail!), but I can't be sure without more exploring. There was another tunnel, so I went under and turned left, praying I was going the right way.

I ended up back on the main road/cart path and a couple of landmarks later, I knew I was headed for home. The entire trip was 4.2 miles. Not bad. My goal today was 5 miles, so I ran around the house to finish up. I did regret not having some hydration with me...next time I'll take my fuel belt. And maybe I'll find out whether the trail continues...

-------------------------
Run time: 00:49:15

Distance: 5.0 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:50 / mi

Best Pace: 07:05 / mi
-------------------------
Mile #1: 09:57
Mile #2: 09:49
Mile #3: 09:50
Mile #4: 10:12
Mile #5: 09:20
-------------------------
Haze, 72 degrees F
Felt like: 72 degrees F
Dewpoint: 72 degrees F
Humidity: 100%
Visibility: 5.0 miles
Pressure: 29.96 in., rising
Winds: From NW at 3 mph

Anti-anxiety run

2006-06-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

My parents are visiting today. I decided to run to shake off some of the anxiety. I don't know why I'm so nervous, but whatever the reason, running helps. I did an OK 4 miler, sticking with my new trusty loop. I've been taking more 1-minute walk breaks lately, to give my legs a break from the hills.

------------------------
Run time: 00:39:40

Distance: 4.01 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:55 / mi
------------------------
Mile #1: 09:51
Mile #2: 09:36
Mile #3: 09:31
Mile #4: 10:06
------------------------
Haze, 72 degrees
Felt like: 72 degrees
Humidity: 100%
Dewpoint: 72 degrees F
Visibility: 8.0 miles
Pressure: 29.95 in., steady
Winds: From N at 3 mph

Avoiding the hills

2006-06-23T12:25:00.000-05:00

Finally! I managed to get up early and get out the door for a great run. I purposely avoided the hills and (inadvertantly) found a fun 2.5 mile loop! The bonus: most of it was downhill! I'm excited to get back into my routine...hopefully I'll be able to get up again tomorrow.

-------------------------
Run time: 00:38:32

Distance: 4.01 miles

Avg. pace: 09:37 / mi
--------------------------
Mile #1: 09:47
Mile #2: 09:26
Mile #3: 09:56
Mile #4: 09:21
--------------------------
Fog, 72 degrees F
Felt like: 72 degrees F
Dewpoint: 72 degrees F
Humidity: 96%
Visibility: 2.5 miles
Pressure: 30.06 in., steady
Winds: calm

Befriending the treadmill

2006-06-15T12:34:00.000-05:00

Ok, I admit it: I'm terrified of the hills. I dread getting up in the morning to run up those stupid hills. I try to convince myself to just get out there and run around the block (no hills), but the prospect of having to complete 3 laps just to get in a mile (that's 15 laps for 5 miles!!) wears me out. To make matters worse, I'm addicted to the gym. Naturally, when B&G suggested that I use their treadmill whenever I want, I was very tempted. No hills and no pounding pavement! And they have a TV! How could I say no?

I ran Thurs & Fri on the treadmill, two 3-milers. Their treadmill has that nifty EKG sensor on it like the one in the gym. Not sure how accurate it is.

Today we went to the gym for our long workout. I did two circuits of the all the leg machines, hip machine, ab machine, and the seated row. I also did 2o mins on the elliptical, my new best friend.

06/16/06

Run time: 00:34:00 (Run 30 mins; cool down walk 4 mins)

Distance: 3.25

Avg. Pace:

HR: 144-155
----------------
Mile #1: 09:46
Mile #2: 09:31
Mile #3: 10:16

06/15/06

Run time: 00:35:00 (Run 30 mins; cool down walk 5 mins)

Distance: 3.25 miles

Avg. Pace:

HR: 142
----------------
Mile #1: 10:17
Mile #2: 09:54
Mile #3: 10:16

Gym run

2006-06-13T12:34:00.000-05:00

We went to the gym again today. Best deal for five bucks. I ran on the treadmill. The guy on the machine next to me turned to the woman on the machine next to him and said: "If this lady were on the road, she'd be half way to Ocala by now." Too funny. I wasn't even going that fast, but I must have looked like I was doing light speed next to the old folks. We rounded out my workout with the ab machine (love that thing!) and some cable crossovers.

I started the machine at 5.5 mph, then bumped it up to 6.0, 6.2, and finally 6.4, which was the most comfortable pace for me. The only thing I don't like about treadmill running is that I feel as though I'm running downhill. I set the incline at 1%, and that seemed to take care of the problem. Having a HR monitor on the machine was cool, too. I have no idea if I was going too fast, so I'm going to start reading up on what my HR should be for an "easy run".

----------------------
Run time: 00:31:10

Distance: 3.10 miles

Avg. pace: 10:20 / mi

Incline: 1%

Avg. HR: 152 (140 after I stopped)
---------------------

A triathelete in the making

2006-06-11T12:34:00.000-05:00

I am finally learning how to swim! Andy has made it his mission to teach me, and I am scared to death but willing to learn! We went to the pool for the first time this week. I suck, but I'm not going to get discouraged. Andy once said that if I only I could swim, there be no stopping me...I'd be out doing triathalons. He's right. I just need to learn how to relax in the water, a place I am a complete stranger to.

Andy and I also discovered our little community gym, which rocks. I remembered suddenly why I love lifting weights. Great, here we go again, I thought. I'll start lifting and forget about running. It was fun to do something other than run, though. I used the stationary bike, which was a great workout. And I used all the leg machines I could to strengthen my running muscles. Then I discovered my new best fried: the ELLIPTICAL TRAINER! Wow. What an awesome workout. I know Andy saw it written all over my face: we have to get one of these! So much fun.

I did 30 mins on the elliptical this week, and 15 mins on the bike. The rest of the time Andy put me through grueling machine workouts. I love having a workout buddy, though (except for running! That did not work out well!); especially Andy because he actually knows what he's doing and what I'm doing wrong.

Doubles

2006-06-04T12:34:00.000-05:00

Today's workout was a good idea, in theory, anyway: I'd run while Andy biked alongside me. After his one-and-a-half-miler the other day, we both realized that running is not good for my sweetie's hard-working heart. Biking seemed a better option. The only problem (which I, unfortunately, didn't foresee...but should have!): HILLS! I chugged up the hills while Andy plowed ahead on his dad's bike, then down he went at 20 mph while I still chugged downhill at the same pace. It would have been ok if (1) I had my own hydration (Andy carried the water); (2) it's wasn't 8 am and 100 degrees; and (3) I didn't have PMS. I got mad at him for going ahead of me, when I thought the whole idea was for us to exercise together. By the time I hit mile #3, I was dying of thirst, and he (and the H2O) were nowhere in sight. Blah. Not a fun run.

I don't know how those people who go for noontime runs do it. I was dying at 8:00 in the morning. Too much sun and too many hills makes for a cranky Buddy's mama. I still managed an ok 4 miler and beat yesterday's pace. Note to self: sunset runs with Andy ONLY.

--------------------------
Run time: 00:39:36

Distance: 4.00 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:41 / mi
--------------------------
Mile #1: 09:20
Mile #2: 09:16
Mile #3: 10:31
Mile #4: 09:38
--------------------------
Haze, 73 degrees F
Felt like: 73 degrees F
Dewpoint: N/A
Humidity: 100%
Visibility: 5.0 miles
Pressure: 29.90 in., steady
Winds: From SSW at 6mph
---------------------------
TOTAL MILES THIS WEEK: 11

My first run after the move

2006-06-03T12:34:00.000-05:00

It's official, we're retired. Well, not really, but everyone else here is and it's starting to feel like we are, too. I finally ventured out on my own for a run. I did a short 2 mile run with Andy (who only ran 1.5 of the the 2 miles) the other day. I'm still sore from the hills. After running for 6 years on relatively flat terrain down south, I'm a wimp when it comes to even the smallest hills. I'd better get used to it, though, because they're everywhere up here.

I've finally mastered the golf cart path rules of the road (stay on the left), but my route has been limited because I have no idea where I'm going!!!! Gary showed me the "trail" but I have no idea where it is. All I know is, when I've hit the polo field, I've run 4 miles and there's no more cart path (i.e., time to turn around!).

Anyway, I did a decent 5 miler. With Andy home, I have a feeling it's not going to be easy getting out of bed this early every morning.

--------------------------
Run time: 00:48:46

Distance: 5.03 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:42 / mi

--------------------------
Mile #1: 09:42
Mile #2: 09:27
Mile #3: 09:56
Mile #4: 09:38
Mile #5: 09:41
---------------------------
Sunny, 70 degrees F
Felt like: 70 degrees F
Dewpoint: 71 degrees F
Humidity: 94%
Pressure: 29.90 in., steady
Visibility: 3.0 miles
Winds: from SSW at 5 mph

Last run before the move

2006-05-27T12:34:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow Andy graduates from Pharmacy school. I know I won't get to run tomorrow morning because we'll be busy getting ready for graduation. Monday is the big the move. I still believe it's finally here. I hoped today's run would eleviate some of my anxiety, and it did. I don't know when I'll be able to run again, which sucks. I finally starting to get back into the groove.

I didn't have time for too long of a run today, because there's still so much packing to do. I did manage to squeeze in 8 miles.

P.S. I am soooooooooo proud of you, sweetie!!! Congratulations!!! :)

-------------------------
Run time: 01:18:49

Distance: 8.0 miles

Avg. pace: 09:51 / mi
-------------------------
Mile #1: 10:02
Mile #2: 09:05
Mile #3: 09:28
Mile #4: 09:24
Mile #5: 09:27
Mile #6: 09:46
Mile #7: 10:33
Mile #8: 10:02
-------------------------
Fair, 73 degrees F
Felt like: 73 degrees F
Dewpoint: 68 degrees F
Humidity: 84%
Visibility: 10.0 miles
Pressure: 30.03 in., rising
Winds: calm
-------------------------
TOTAL MILES THIS WEEK: 20

Good morning, bad run

2006-05-25T11:10:00.000-05:00

I hate technology. Almost 4 miles into my run, the batteries in my Garmin gave out. I don't blame the watch; it emitted a sharp beep!, which I promptly ignored as a "Weak GPS Signal" warning. It was cloudy (lovely running weather!); it happens. So there I go, running along completely obvlious to the fact that miles #4 and #5 aren't being recorded. Blah!

I ran home the short way and scrambled to find the new batteries we just got for hurricane season. Not only did Andy not buy me the rechargable watch, he moved the batteries!!! Sorry, sweetie.

I have no idea how far I ran...I know I did one lap around the gate, which is exactly 1 mile. Then I ran home as soon as I realzed what had happened. I think that's another 0.4-0.5 miles. My watch says I ran 5 miles, but really it was probably closer to 6.5.

------------------------
Run time: ??? (Garmin: 00:47:42; actual time: 00:57:00)

Distance: ??? (Garmin: 5.02 miles; actual distance: 6.52)

Avg. Pace: 09:30 / mi

Best Pace: 06:55 / mi
------------------------
Mile #1: 09:27
Mile #2: 09:09
Mile #3: 09:21
Mile #4: ??
Mile #5: ??
Mile #6: 09:36
------------------------
Partly Cloudy, 79 degrees F
Felt like: 83 degrees F
Dewpoint: 73 degrees F
Humidity: 83%
Visibility: 10.0 miles
Pressure: 30.02 rising
Winds: calm

Perfect running weather

2006-05-23T09:45:00.000-05:00

The weather today was perfect for me. Completely overcast. I love when I don't have the South Florida sun burning down on me at 7 a.m. The humidity felt a little overwhelming, but it was nothing a few extra water breaks didn't take care of. I was still a little tired from Sunday's long run, and I need a couple of walk breaks, too. I've finally accepted the fact that these breaks are helpful and that I shouldn't feel guilty about them...and they really don't affect my time very much.

------------------------
Run time: 00:57:50

Distance: 6.00 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:38 / mi

Best Pace: 06:10 / mi
------------------------
Mile #1: 09:39
Mile #2: 09:10
Mile #3: 09:48 (1 min walk)
Mile #4: 09:40 (1 min walk)
Mile #5: 09:38
Mile #6: 09:45
------------------------
Fair, 76 degrees F
Felt like: 78 degrees F
Dewpoint: 70 degrees F
Humidity: 82%
Visibility: 10.0 miles
Pressure: 30.04
Winds: Calm

My new toy

2006-05-21T12:18:00.000-05:00

Faced with the prospect of being stranded in 90 degree weather without hydration, I bought myself a Fuel Belt. I've been lucky at my parents' house, where I can't go very far on my runs (lucky?), so water and Propel are always at least 2 miles away. But now that we're moving up where B&G are, I'll have trails and golf cart paths to run on that extend beyond 4 miles. That's a long time to wait for water if I get thirsty.

So I bought a Fuel Belt. The four-bottle version. I didn't think I'd need all four bottles, so I filled one with water and one with Propel and out I went. Or not quiet. So much for the promise for "no bounce." There was plenty of bounce. I had the bottles positioned on my back, but as I ran, they continued to swing themselves to my front. So frustrating. I finally had to stop and put the bottles in the front. From then on out, it was smooth sailing, if not heavy sailing. I also had to strap the belt on pretty snuggly to stop the bouncing, which was a little uncomfortable. After a while, though, I zone out and didn't notice.

I did notice that I was drinking 4 ounces of liquid a time, and one bottle holds only 6 ounces. Hmm...maybe I'd need all four bottles after all. I ended up refilling my water twice. I'll try all four next week, but even just two bottles were sooo heavy. I might have to take two bottles of water and skip the Propel. Maybe I'll stash a GU in the pocket of my new toy.

--------------------------
Run time: 01:50:00

Distance: 11.0 miles

Avg. pace: 10:00 / mi

Best pace: 06:48 / mi
--------------------------
Mile #1: 09:29
Mile #2: 09:09
Mile #3: 10:04
Mile #4: 10:09
Mile #5: 09:39
Mile #6: 10:06
Mile #7: 10:21
Mile #8: 10:13
Mile #9: 10:17
Mile #10: 10:18
Mile #11: 10:13
--------------------------
Fair, 71 degrees F
Felt like: 71 degrees F
Dewpoint: 66 degrees F
Humidity: 84%
Visibility: 10.0 miles
Pressure: 30.03 rising
Winds: From NNW, 3 mph
---------------------------
TOTAL MILES THIS WEEK: 25

Sleepy & slow

2006-05-19T10:07:00.000-05:00

I need to start going to bed earlier, instead of staying up until midnight with Andy. He's the first to tell me so, too, and then proceeds to engage me in some discussion about ________ <insert latest thing that Andy wants>. Sorry, sweetie...you know it's true!!!! ;P Sadly, bedtime is the only time we seem to have some peace and quiet where we can talk about whatever. Inevitably, I end up staying up way past my bedtime and then I'm too sleepy to get up and run. I've been doing great lately; running more has been motivating me to get to bed earlier. Yesterday, though, was another story. I set my alarm for 6:15 and didn't get up until 6:40. Yikes. Needless to say, I was very slow today! Although, looking at the numbers, I wasn't nearly as slow as I thought. I thought for sure I was doing 10 minute miles.

-------------------------
Run time: 00:38:05

Distance: 4.01 mi

Avg. Pace: 09:30 / mi

Best pace: 07:16/ mi
-------------------------
Mile #1: 09:49
Mile #2: 09:07
Mile #3: 09:23
Mile #4: 09:38
-------------------------
Fair, 67 degrees F
Felt like: 67 degrees F
Dewpoint: 61 degrees F
Humidity: 81%
Visibility: 10.0 miles
Pressure: 30.00 rising
Wind: From WNW, 3 mph

No tempo?

2006-05-18T13:25:00.000-05:00

How is it possible that I ran yesterday's 6 miler faster than today's 4 miler, when I thought I was hauling ass???? Go figure. I really thought I was running at my 10K pace today, between 8:40 and 8:50 per mile. Guess not! So weird. I guess it pays to look down at your watch every now and then.

My goal today was 5 miles. Feeling a little too lethargic and sleepy, I told myself to at least do 3. As usual, 3 turned into 4. It works out ok, though; I was supposed to do a 3 miler tomorrow, but instead I'll just do 4 to make up for the extra mile. Or, if I feel really energetic tonight, I'll try for a quick second run, which I've been dying to do, but never get a chance. We'll see what happens. Usually I end up on the couch with Andy flipping channels. I still need to walk 2 laps after dinner today if I'm going to meet my goal of 10 laps this week. There are never enough hours in the day.

------------------------
Run time: 00:37:23

Distance: 4.01 miles

Avg. pace: 09:20 / mi

Best pace: 06:37 / mi
------------------------
Mile #1: 9:25
Mile #2: 9:12
Mile #3: 9:20
Mile #4: 9:33
-----------------------
Fair, 67 degrees F
Felt like: 67 degrees F
Dewpoint: 57 degrees F
Humidity: 70%
Visibility: 10.0 miles
Pressure: 29.92 rising
Wind: Variable, 3 mph

Don't rain on my parade

2006-05-17T12:47:00.000-05:00

South Florida weather gives new meaning to the saying "when it rains, it pours." There's nothing worse than getting stranded in a Floridian downpour. The signs were there this morning: ominous dark clouds, low-flying birds, a few drops on my forehead here and there. My goal today was 6 miles, but I told myself I'd be happy to just get in 3 miles, and that I'd just have to make up the rest later this week. I felt great today. My legs finally felt rested and I knew I was running faster than usual.

Just as I started out for mile #6, it started to rain. At first it felt good; a light drizzle, almost like mist. Then I remembered, this is Florida--run home now! Of course, I didn't listen. I rounded the bend to come home and it started to rain a little harder, then a little harder. By then I was almost home...and at 5.75 miles! Forget it. I wasn't going to let a little rain keep me from getting in my 6 miles! I managed to finish and ran inside. Note to self: Hurricane season is around the corner; dust off your rain gear and get it on standby.

-----------------------
Run time: 00:55:42

Distance: 6.00 miles

Avg. pace: 09:17 / mi

Best pace: 07:10 /mi
--------------------------
Mile #1: 9:34
Mile #2: 9:15
Mile #3: 9:43
Mile #4: 9:31
Mile #5: 9:00
Mile #6: 9:34
--------------------------
Cloudy, 70 degrees F
Felt like: 70 degrees F
Dewpoint: 68 degrees F
Humidity: 93%
Visibility: 6.0 miles
Pressure: 29.75 steady
Wind: 8 mph from N

Post cheat day run

2006-05-14T21:17:00.000-05:00

Cheat days are overrated. I felt like a beached whale today after downing two chocolate chip cookies, 2 pieces of chocolate, and a bacon cheeseburger (no, not together). That's a lot of junk food in one day for me. That's a lot of junk food for me, period! I never eat that much junk on my cheat days, which are usually just one cheat meal on Saturday, but I think I might have been a little too good lately, and it backfired. My brain was whispering: where's the chocolate? I want chocolate!!!

My goal today was to run 5 miles, because I skipped Friday's run. I felt pretty good after the first couple of miles (once the cheat day induced jelly belly melted away). I knew I would at least try for 8 miles, to get in my 20 for the week, but I really wanted to do 10. I ran the first two miles, and then my body was craving a walk break. Overall it was a great run, and the walking breaks definitely help. So does hosing my legs down afterwards with cold water from the garden hose! Weird, but it works!

I didn't make my goal of walking 10 laps this week. I managed a miserable 5. That's about 3 miles (or 3.5, depending how my Garmin feels).

I've also now made it a habit to check my blood pressure every weekend. Hey, I'm at the grocery store anyway, and it's free! This Saturday, my stats were:

Blood pressure: 99/59 (low??)

Resting HR: 65
-----------------------
Run time: 01:40:17

Distance: 10.0 miles

Avg. pace: 10.01 / mi
------------------------
Fair, 68 degrees F
felt like: 67 degrees F
dewpoint: 63 degrees F
humidity: 87%
visibility: 10.0 miles
pressure: 29.99 rising
wind: calm
-------------------------
TOTAL MILES THIS WEEK: 22

Smoke inhalation

2006-05-10T12:16:00.000-05:00

Yikes! Visability was almost zero this morning as a thick layer of smoke covered much of South Florida, thanks to more wildfires burning (including in the Everglades near our community) . One of our neighbors actually pulled up alongside me in his car and told me I shouldn't be running because the smoke is bad for me. I didn't even realize how bad it was gradually becoming until he said that. I didn't stray far from home, trying to follow yesterday's 2 mile loop. My goal was 5 miles; I did 6. I wanted to do 7, but my knees had other ideas. I rarely run two longer runs on consecutive days, but I have to plan in advance for the "red zone" this weekend! My legs were already so tired from yesterday's run, but I still pulled through, despite feeling a little wobbly.

I did feel my right ankle starting to bother me, just a little. I don't know if it's because I upped my mileage (probably), or if I need new shoes (true anyhow). I have to try to follow the 10% rule next week, or I'll be sidelined again.

-----------------------
Run time: 00:58:15

Distance: 6.00 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:42 / mi

Best pace: 07:37 /mi

Tuesday's easy run

2006-05-09T11:53:00.000-05:00

I ran the easiest 6 miler in history today. I don't know where the time went! I figured out a new route, which amazingly enough, didn't involve running on the parkway in speeding traffic or on concrete sidewalks! This was a 2-mile loop, which I did 3 times, and pouf! Six miles done. Amazing. I was definitely slower today, and I felt it, but I still felt good and light. All in all, a great run.

My goal this week is to run 17 miles. It's the week before that time of the month, which means I'm sluggish and probably won't be running this weekend. I'll be happy to get in 17 miles before Friday. It works out well this way; 3 weeks of steady mileage increases, and then 1 week of backing off a little. I guess I'll have to really come back strong next week.

My other goal this week is to walk 10 laps, which is 7 miles. I managed 5.6 last week (8 laps). This is definitely working, because I've blasted a whole pound of fat in the last two weeks alone. Awesome. I did one lap yesterday. Nine to go.

------------------------
Run time: 00:58:20

Distance: 6.00 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:43 / mi

Best Pace: 06:34 / mi

R/W-ing

2006-05-06T13:58:00.000-05:00

My goal today was to do ten 1-mile repeats, using the Runner's World Run/Walk (R/W) program. That is, run 1 mile, walk 1 minute, repeat. I've tried to insert some walking into my runs in the past, without much success. Usually, I just end up running and deciding to skip the walk breaks. Yes, I feel guilty and wimpy. But not after today. I wouldn't have been able to get through today's 10-miler, either physically or mentally, without those walks. Note to self: 1 minute is not that long! It took me long to run ten miles than it normally would, but I didn't notice.

------------------------
Run time: 01:48:17

Distance: 10.00 miles

Avg. pace: 10:49 / mi

Best pace: 06:28 / mi

TOTAL MILES THIS WEEK: 26!

Sad run

2006-05-05T11:44:00.000-05:00

I took off like a rocket this morning, and had to remind myself to slow down. My goal was to run 5 miles, and with 5 miles to go, I was looking to wear myself out pretty quick. My mind was distracted by thoughts of a little boat-tailed grackle chick that died on our lawn this morning. My mom spotting him hopping around yesterday, and told me about him. Andy and I checked on him last night, debating what we should do. Put him back in his nest, out of which he had clearly fallen, or wrap him up and take him inside? The last time we did that, with a baby mourning dove, the poor thing died. The nest was too high in our tree for us to reach. We were hoping to at least keep the little guy warm until we could figure out what to do with him. Eventually we left him in the grass, fast asleep. When I went out for my run this morning, he was dead. :( I eased him into our lake, hoping he would drift away peacefully, and have better luck in his next life.

I thought about the poor little guy the whole time I was running, pondering how so many animals can abandon their young. Being a "bird person" myself, it was even harder. Baby birds are so sweet. Such is life...

I did a pretty good 6 mile run...I did mile #3 in 8:53, which is my 10K pace. Not bad.

------------------------
Run time: 00:58:56

Distance: 6.31 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:20 /mi

Best pace: 06:10 /mi

3rd mile was in 8:53

Wednesday's run

2006-05-03T12:15:00.000-05:00

All of my Wednesday posts seem to have the same title. But what else can you say about a mid-week run? It's hump day and thankfully the week is almost over. My goal today was another 4 miles. Again, some carefully planning allowed me to get out the door just a little earlier (putting out my running clothes the night before works!) and squeeze in another mile and a half. I feel fantastic now that I'm running again, and I'm starting to look forward to my runs instead of dreading them as I had been lately. I don't, however, enjoy the feeling of bruised toenails squished into pointy-toe heels. Ouch! I can't wait to put my flip flops on.

----------------------
Run time: 00:52:36

Distance: 5.50 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:35 / mi

Best Pace: 06:55 / mi

Don't drink & run

2006-05-01T15:12:00.000-05:00

Yikes. Yesterday somehow turned into my "cheat day", complete with two Bahama Mamas. Ouch. I was so out of it last night that I don't know how I got up this morning. I set my alarm for 6:35 and woke up at 6:34. Then I reset the alarm for 7. Feeling guilty, I just lay there, rationalizing to myself why I shouldn't run (I could use the rest, and would run better tomorrow) and why I could try to squeeze in a weight workout instead (I won't have to go outside!). Eventually, I got up and got dressed and suddenly I was on auto pilot. I put on the Garmin and laced up and was out the door. Surprisingly, I put in an ok run and felt really good! My goal today was 4 miles...I had plenty of energy, but not enough time to log many more miles.

------------------------
Run time: 00:40:01

Distance: 4.19 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:34 / mi

Best Pace: 05:50 / mi

Wet bird

2006-04-29T16:57:00.000-05:00

Here's Buddy, cooling off after a relaxing shower.

Another run today

2006-04-29T16:50:00.000-05:00

I did it again. I ran even though I didn't have to. I couldn't help it. I love not being hurried on the weekends...I can run as fast or as slow as I want. I didn't, however, particularly enjoy getting out of bed at 6:40 a.m. on a Saturday, but I managed to do just that and get in an ok 4-miler. Seventeen miles so far. It's been so windy out these last few days (22 mph gusts today!), that I'm not sure I want to venture out again today for another 3-miler (yes, trying for 20 again). We'll see...maybe tomorrow? It's supposed to be my rest day.

All this discipline is definitely paying off...today was my "cheat day" and the only thing out of the ordinary I ate (so far!) was bacon (and boy, was it good!). That's what I love most about running; not only does it make me feel better in and of itself, but it encourages me to make better food choices, which also make me feel 100% better.

I did a few fartleks today, but not even for a mile. I can't believe I used to do 4 miles of those!! I have to get back into my speedwork...slowly.

----------------------
Run time: 00:39:59

Distance: 4.01 miles

Avg. pace: 9:58 / mi

Best pace: 6:19 / mi

Friday's run: met my goal

2006-04-28T11:13:00.000-05:00

My goal this week was to run 12 miles...a very low goal, only because I knew I could do it and it wouldn't feel like torture. The way I see it, any miles after those 12 are a bonus. I love running on the weekends when I have limitless time, and it never feels like a chore. I was supposed to run 4 miles today, but with some careful planning (i.e., going to bed early last night so I could walk up a little earlier and still not be late), I managed to get in 5. Woohoo. Thirteen miles down already. So I exceeded my weekly goal by one mile. In a perfect world, I'd do some short runs this weekend and make it 20.

------------------------
Run time: 00:48:05

Distance: 5.01 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:35 / mi

Best Pace: 07:02 / mi

Wednesday's run

2006-04-26T10:30:00.000-05:00

Still going...my goal today was 3 miles...as usual, I did 4. It's so hot out now; that alone should motivate me to wake up earlier and get out there before the sun does. Blah. My other goal this week is to walk every day after dinner, just one lap around the "Isle." That's about 0.7 miles. I figure if I do that every day this week, I will have walked 5 miles...really without even trying! I used to do this when I lived with my parents, usually twice around every night. Then work and laziness set in. Yesterday I actually managed to get Andy to come with me. But it was so muggy and buggy, I dobut he will again! I won't add those walking miles to my weekly totals (tempting!), but at the very least the extra calories I'll burn will help cancel out any ice cream calories I might consume this Saturday on my cheat day! ;) Still craving Little Caesars pizza...!
----------------------------
Run time: 00:39:07

Distance: 4.01 mi

Avg. Pace: 09:46 / mi

Best pace: 07:46 / mi

Surprise! I still love running!

2006-04-24T11:06:00.001-05:00

No surprise, I never made it to 20 miles last week. Being at B&G's (which induces a close-to-comatose laziness in me, for some strange reason) and being that time of the month = no running. I managed to get some decent weight workouts in last week, including a great PT session with Andy where I learned (once again) that proper form makes ALL the difference. Needless to say, I was too sore to do anything yesterday. A string of muscle building workouts always gets me hooked, and I almost didn't run (again) today so that I could lift again. But I told myself just to do 3 miles and set a measley goal of 12 miles this week. That's definately do-able.

As soon as I got going, I remembered that I still love running! It felt relatively effortless, until the sun came out and the humidity increased to 99%. Otherwise, it was a pretty good run. I just wish I could get out of bed earlier to do some longer runs.
----------------------------
Run time: 00:39:12

Distance: 4.01 mi

Avg. pace: 09:47 / mi

Best pace: 07:51 / mi

Eleven down...

2006-04-13T11:20:00.000-05:00

My goal today was to run 3 miles...my legs felt shaky and tired from running two consecutive days (and not stretching last night), but I felt better as I went and managed to eek out another mile. That's 11 so far this week...which means I just have to squeeze in 9 more miles this weekend (at B&G's). I definitely feel better running more...especially as this is my yucky week and I can't stop eating chocolate. I miss running longer, but if this is the only way to drag myself out there...hey, whatever works. It's so much easier to convince myself to get up when I know I only have to run 3 miles, as opposed to 8 or 9 or 10. And I don't have to get up at 6 am when I'm dead tired, either.

Stats from the Garmin later....
------------------------
Run time: 00:40:30

Distance: 4.00 mi

Avg. Pace: 10:08 / mi

Trying for twenty

2006-04-12T12:05:00.000-05:00

Trying to hit my old mark of 20 miles this week. Seven down, 13 to go...

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Run time: 00:40:11

Distance: 4.00 miles

Avg. Pace: 10:03 / mi
-----------------------------
Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Run time: 00:29:48

Distance: 3.00 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:55 / mi

(Note to self: 1 lap = 0.70 miles)

Running weekend

2006-04-09T16:09:00.000-05:00

Sunday a.m.

Run time: 01:02:40

Distance: 6.01 miles

Avg. pace: 10:26 / mi

------------------------
Saturday p.m.
(treadmill)

Run time: 00:34:22

Distance: 3 miles

Avg. pace: 5.5 mph
-------------------------
Saturday a.m.

Run time: 00:29:10

Distance: 3.01 miles

Avg. pace: 09:42 / mi

I hate Daylight Savings...still

2006-04-05T10:45:00.000-05:00

This sounds VERY familiar! Didn't I already have a posting about that??? Anyway, I got up yesterday with every intention of running, except for the fact that my legs didn't quite agree. They still felt heavy and tired from my long run on Sunday, so I decided not to push it. I lifted weights instead. So today the pressure was on to get out the door for a run. Except for the fact that it was so freaking dark out!!! At 7:00!!!

I can't win. But I did manage an OK 3+ miler. After two miles of running faster than my target pace (9:48), I suddenly got very tired and slow. The result of poor fueling last night and this morning. Also the result of just plain running too fast on my easy run! I really need to slow down a little so I won't burn out and won't be tired for my tempo run on Friday. I think I might have to learn how to use my Garmin's pace alert function!!!

Run time: 00:31:30

Distance: 3.31 miles

Avg. pace: 09:31 /mi

My new 4-week program

2006-04-03T12:57:00.000-05:00

Now that my 4-week weight lifting cycle has ended, I'm moving on to a new 4-week running cycle. Hopefully, the break from running has allowed my calves (and spirit) to heal. I know the break and return these last couple of weeks have sparked my motivation again. I tried the new Runner's World "Smart Coach" to get my new 4-week plan. Here's the first week:

Mon REST
Tues Easy Run, 2 miles @ 10:43
Wed XT
Thurs Tempo Run, 5 miles, incl. 6 miles @9:07
Fri XT
Sat REST
Sun Long Run 6 miles @ 10:43

Hmm...Okay, I immediately changed the 2 mile "easy run" to 3 miles. There's no way I'll run it at 10:43...I barely run at 10:43 even when I'm pooped after 6 or 7 miles! The cross-training (XT) will be weights, mostly upper body work. I like the two rest days, especially on Sat. The 6 mile "long run"? Here's my tweaked schedule:

Mon REST
Tues Easy Run, 3 miles @ 9:43
Wed XT
Thurs Tempo Run, 5 miles, incl. 6 miles @9:07
Fri XT
Sat REST
Sun Long Run 10 miles @ 10:00

Much better! I hope I don't get burned out again...

Daylight Savings run

2006-04-02T19:47:00.001-05:00

I did it! After a very long time, I did a long run today. The plan was to use Daylight Savings to my advantage by getting the out the door at 6 (really 5)...of course I listened to Andy and slept in. But I still managed to get out there and do a decent 10 miler. I wanted to do another mile or 2, but it was soooooooo hot!

It's been 4 weeks since I backed off of the running and have been lifting weights 5 days / week. This week I start my running again, lifting only 2 days. I'll try to do a four week cycle, but I'm going to take it one week at a time. I'd be happy with just doing one long run every week. It felt great. My knees are a little sore for the first time in years of running, and that's not good...

Run time: 1:42:37

Distance: 10.0 miles

Avg. pace: 10:15 / mi

2006-04-02T19:47:00.000-05:00

Gimme a kiss, Grandpa!

2006-03-29T11:30:00.000-05:00

Here I am (#290), crossing the finish line at the Riverwalk 5 mile run.

Running on my birthday

2006-03-25T22:16:00.000-05:00

Today is my birthday!!! Today was also the Riverwalk 5 Miler I've been looking foward to. Yesterday was Andy's last day of school EVER! Needless to say, he was zonked, so I gave him a get out of jail free card (read: I let him sleep in). My mom, also pooped, volunteered to do her "motherly duty" and came with me (lured mostly by the promise of free stuff). Note to self: if you ever want to score free stuff, take someone without shame, aka Mom.

Mom would have had even more fun had it not been freezing (my coldest birthday ever!) and had she had some company in the form of Andy's muscles to drag around all that free stuff. We had a blast, though. It was probably my worst race ever, as well. We went to dinner at the Olive Garden last night and I didn't exactly fuel up properly. I was so tired, so cold, so unmotivated. This is such a HUGE race (I placed 6th in my age group last year), I knew I wasn't going to win anything. I just wanted to hang out and enjoy the music and goodies. To make matters worse, my chip kept coming loose as I ran, costing me precious seconds every time I had to stop to tighten it. Eventually the stupid thing fell off as I approached the finish line, and I didn't even bother with my finshing kick. My time didn't get recorded. I even went back to look for the darn thing. I found the plastic tie (never again!), but no chip. Alas, I'm sure I'll get a bill for 30 bucks.

The race was fun, and it was awesome having my mom there. We scored lots of goodies. I was probably a good 30 seconds slower than last year, and my photo finish time says 44:49. Blah. As I passed the first mile marker and it said 9:00, I knew it wasn't going to be a good race!

My birthday was good...didn't turn out exactly as planned (fondue). But Andy & I did have a very nice post-run outdoor lunch at a Japanese/Thai place on a lake and gorged on ice cream and cake instead of dinner. What more could a girl ask for? :)

My first race of 2006!!!!

2006-03-20T11:53:00.000-05:00

Woo-hoo! I finally dragged myself to a race, my first in a looooooong long time. It was great. I love the Miramar 10k for so many reasons...it's close to home, I always have support with me, and it's a 10k! My goal this year was simply to finish. Not having run more than 2 miles continuously in a while and it being that time of the month, I didn't have much confidence in myself. But amazingly, I did ok, 12 seconds better than last year, actually! I'm sure it was all the weight training I've been doing. My quads didn't get tired until the last few minutes of the race.

Even though I told myself, I just want to finish, less than a mile into it I felt myself getting competitive again. I HAD to win something!!!! As soon as I finished and downed a bottle of water, I rushed to see the results....I came in third!!!!! (Again!) Not too shabby, but I wish I could finish in under 50 mins! Maybe next year.

My next race: next Sat, on my birthday...the Riverwalk 5 miler. This time, Andy's coming with me! :)

The "official" numbers:

Run time: 00:55:14

Distance: 6.2 miles (10k)

Avg. Pace: 08:54

Trying something new

2006-03-06T11:59:00.000-05:00

In my effort to get motivated again and introduce some variety into my workouts (and most importantly, to burn that last bit of stubborn fat!), I've decided to try something new: more lifting and less running. That is, I'm going to try to lift weights 6 days this week, with short bursts of running every day. Ideally, I should run after lifting to burn more fat (see www.philkaplan.com), but today I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. After running for about 10 mins, my watch died and I decided to head back after my turnaround. I run this route every day, so I know I ran about 2.5 miles in about 25 minutes. Then I did my weights: 2 sets of 12-15 reps of 5 different shoulder exercises, with lunges and crunches in between. It felt great. Tomorrow, I'll do my weights first, maybe work on my back, and then do another short 20 minute run. We'll see what happens...

I almost didn't make it

2006-03-03T12:38:00.000-05:00

Another sleepy morning. My motivation was down to an all-time low. Can't I just go back to sleep??? Even after I got dressed I was still yawning. We went to bed at 10 last night!!! Surely, I got enough sleep! In any case, I told myself I would at least do 30 minutes, which is the bare minimium in my mind...

As I turned the corner to leave our community, Andy pulled up alongside me on his way to work. A quick kiss was enough to keep me going. :) I ended up doing 5 miles. My goal (originally) was 7.

I took a long walk break after the 3rd mile, about when I stopped for some H2O. That killed my avg pace. Otherwise, it wasn't too shabby for being so tired.

We're going to B&G's this weekend, and it's supposed to be in the 40's overnight. I doubt I'll run (at least not in the a.m.)...but I'm taking my gear with me just in case! I'll be happy to get in another 3-miler.

Run time: 0:50:49

Distance: 5 miles

Avg. pace: 10:10 / mi

Best pace: 07:07 / mi

Wednesday's run

2006-03-01T13:11:00.000-05:00

My goal today was 5 miles. It almost didn't happen. I was so sleepy...I managed to get out the door, and thought, maybe I should just do 30 minutes. That sounded easy enough. And it was. And I felt good enough to do another 20 for a total of 50 mins. I took a few more walking breaks, which increased my avg pace, but oh well. I like this walking thing.

On a much happier note, today is our 3-year anniversary!!! :)

Run Time: 53:04

Distance: 5.16 miles

Avg. Pace: 10:17 / mi (those darn walk breaks!)

Best pace: 6:34 / mi

Total so far this week: 9 1/2 miles

My goal for Friday's run is 7 miles...let's hope I can get out of bed early enough!

Getting motivated again

2006-02-27T13:01:00.000-05:00

My motivation must be creeping back slowly...I actually got up at 6:20 (good thing, too, as Andy's alarm didn't go off!) and even though it was 56 degrees outside, I suited up for a run. My goal today was 40 minutes. I did 4.30 miles.

Last year around this time, I entered into my first race ever, the St. Paddy's 4 miler. I had such a blast and was instantly hooked on racing. Unfortunately, we have to go away this weekend (but for a wonderful reason!), and I won't be able to go to the race this year. But I still have a couple of good races to repeat from last year, coming up next month.

Run time: 42:08

Distance: 4.30 miles

Avg. Pace: 9:48 / mi

Thrills and spills

2006-02-23T11:29:00.000-05:00

Woohoo! I actually got up slightly earlier today and ran! I set three goals today (four, if you count actually getting up and running!): (1) Run 10 laps (arbitrary, yes, but I figured it would take me about an hour...); (2) Run for 1 hour; and (3) Run 7 miles.

I actually tried the whole run-walk thing, which, up till this point I had been stubbornly against. And with no good reason, apparently, because it felt great. I did 3 laps, stopped for some H2O, and walked a bit. I'd say probably less than a minute. But when I started up again, it felt effortless. It works! Who knew!!! So I did another 3 laps, water, walk, run. Six laps -- easy! About then I started feeling the strain (and boredom) of running in the same direction over and over. So I switched, if only to prevent some weird repetitive stress injury, which I'm sure only I could get. Then I did 2 laps, got some water and walked a bit. Only 2 laps to go!!!!!! And it looked like the 10th would get me to 7 miles after just over one hour. All three goals were thisclose from being met. And then...

...for the first time in SIX years of running, I FELL!! SPLAT. I never ever run on the sidewalk, and today, to get out of the sun, I broke my rule. My foot got caught in an uneven slab and down I went, face first. Luckily (?) I put my arms out in front of me, but MAN did it hurt!!! I scraped my right elbow, left knee, both palms, and my right hip.

And there were people around!!!!! (Who, surprisingly, did nothing to even attempt to offer help. What is wrong with people??) Anyway, it was a good thing that I was only a couple of houses away from ours. I walked home and washed off with my water....and then finished my 10th lap. Yes, I wasn't about to let some blood stop me!

I did it!!! (And I'm sure I'll pay for it tomorrow!)

Starting over...again

2006-02-21T14:59:00.000-05:00

It's a miracle! I ran yesterday! And today! Hallelujah. The temp was 65 degrees yesterday (admittedly, my preferred temperature for running). So I had absolutely no excuse for not getting out there. And I had the day off, so I really had no excuse. It was so perfect out, my only regret was that I didn't stay out there longer. But considering I haven't run continously for that long in ages, I didn't want to push it.

My goal was just to get my butt out the door and do 30 minutes, but I ended up doing 40. It felt so good. I knew I'd be a little sore this morning (and I was), but it wasn't too bad. I know I ran ridiculously slow...I'd be lucky if I did 4 miles.

I felt like walking this morning, so I headed out thinking I'd walk a lap and jog a lap. I ended up walking one lap and running 4. Not too bad. Three miles total. If I go for my after-dinner walk, I'll cover another mile for a total of 4.

I'm finally starting to look forward to having some time on the weekends to try to do a longer run. I have to get my motivation back somehow!!!!

Sidelined...again

2006-02-14T14:44:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been feeling more like Buddy's Mama, the Slug, than Buddy's Mama, the Runner. I'm lucky if I get one run in a week. ONE. So so so sad. It's been sub-50 degrees most mornings, which is far too cold for my thinned-out Floridian, albeit former Canadian blood, can handle. I've been so pooped lately, too, which hasn't helped. I think I have SAD. :-S As Buddy would say, Where's Mr. Sunshine??? I miss the heat.

Let's see...what happened since my last post???? Oh yeah...I finally decided to go pick up my race packet the Sat before the Miami 1/2. That Fri (I still get the heebie jeebies just thinking about it), I got violently ill. I had no idea what was happening. I went to bed fine and woke up in the middle of the night with horrible stomach cramps. I stood up and became so dizzy and lightheaded, I was sure I was going to faint. Instead, I threw up. Five times. So gross. Poor Andy. Up and down all night getting me crackers and meds and water and gatorade. I was out of it for four days and couldn't keep food down for two. And I had a fever of 103. What was that??????? Severe dehydration soon set in and I think I lost a couple of pounds...but felt bloated beyond belief. Very weird.

So much for the race. As soon as I recovered (I still can't eat food I ate that day!), Andy got sick. He was worse off than me, minus the vomiting. High fever, chills, sweats, a horrible cough that's he's still trying to shake off.

Then Florida sunk into a deep freeze. I've been trying to get out as much as I can...I'll walk around the block and jog a couple of laps. Hey, it's better than nothing. I HATE bundling up!!!
At least I've been consistently lifting weights and watching what I eat, so the lack of running hasn't made too much of a dent in my pants size (yet). But I miss it!!!!

I did my weights this morning, so bring on the chocolate! :) Happy Valentine's Day, sweetie.

Still undecided

2006-01-27T13:58:00.000-05:00

I still haven't decided whether I should get my lazy self up out of bed at 4 am on Sunday to go down to the Miami 1/2 marathon. And drag Vishal & Lisa with me. I've decided to at least go to the expo tomorrow and pick up my race packet (and maybe cash in my "free 15 minute massage" coupon!). Maybe it'll motivate me some. Still can't figure out what's holding me back. I haven't done a long run in so long...

I went for a walk today with some bursts of running. It was actually fun not to be tied to my watch, which I left at home. I was walking and then suddenly I felt like running, so I did. And then I walked some more. I remembered what it was like to actually run for fun.

Big decisions and major disappointments

2006-01-24T12:32:00.000-05:00

The Miami 1/2 is this Sunday...I had already kindasorta accepted the fact that Andy probably wouldn't be there because of work and Buddy...but at least my dad, who knows the city like the back of his hand (read: the best places to park), would be there. Now, because of unforeseen circumstances, my parents have to go out of town until Sunday. So no ride. Despite my mom's insistance that my brother will drive me (hello, at 4 am???), I don't know what to do.

One the one hand, I've been looking forward to this race for months. Because of my leg cramps, my training schedule went by the wayside, but I've been trying to run as much as I can. I know I can run the 1/2, I just won't be raciing it (never my goal, in the first place). So what if it takes me 2 and 1/2 hrs instead of 2? I want my medal! It just feels like all those months of putting in the miles and trying so hard, and the ankle injury, was all for nothing. And I paid 70 bucks!!!! Mostly, that fact is not sitting well with the "new me", who doesn't like to waste $$ and is very conscious of where every penny is going. Should I think of this as money spent already and just move on?....drive myself to Miami and figure out where to park and show up? I'm used to not having a cheering section and going to races on my own, so why should this be any different? But something about the enormity of the event is making me very apprehensive about doing this one on my own.

I still don't know what to do....I don't think Vishal and Lisa want to spend their weekend driving me back and forth from Miami...part of me is just so mad that every single big race that I've planned (and paid money) for, I haven't been able to attend. It sucks. No wonder my motivation has been ZERO lately. Why bother??????

Why bother? I still dragged myself out of bed this morning at 6:30 and went for a run. Just do 30 minutes, I told myself. It'll make you feel better. It did. I did 40.

Updates

2006-01-20T14:07:00.000-05:00

I don't know what I've been doing that I haven't updated my blog in so long, but here we go:

Sat 1/14
Today was my grandmother's birthday...I was looking forward to do doing two runs, an am and pm, but it didn't happen. It was so bitterly cold Sat morning, I ended up sleeping in with Andy. Actually, Buddy has an internal 8 a.m. timer, so we never get to sleep past 8, unless one of us (usually me) feeds him breakfast while the other (usually Andy) gets some more (but not much) sleep.

Sun 1/15
No running today. I wasn't feeling so great so I didn't do much of anything.

Mon 1/16
I did another sunset run of about 40 minutes, while Andy waited around for the UPS guy to bring his espresso machine. Poor thing. It never happened. But I did a nice run in.

Tues - Fri
No runs. Blah. Major cramping (of that other kind). The last thing I've been wanting to do is propel myself forward with any kind of speed. Being horizontal feels best...being curled up in the fetal position is even better. I walked 20 mins Thurs morning and another 20 Thurs night. Today I walked 30 minutes and I'll try to do at least another 20 tonight. If I do 30 minutes, that'll be 10 laps total -- that's 6 miles! I did lift weights on Wednesday, so I haven't been a total slob. I must be doing something right (mainly lifting more weights and eating smaller meals) because I finally (finally!!!) got my pre-wedding body back and managed to slip into my smallest pants with plenty of room to spare. It only took me a year.

The "Big One" is fast approaching!

2006-01-13T11:57:00.000-05:00

I can't hide under the covers anymore...the Miami 1/2 Marathon is a couple of weeks away and it's too late to back out!!! Especially because I'm paying the marathon price to run the 1/2! (See past posts.) I'm finally starting to prepare mentally. Too bad my training plan (which was going AWESOME!) fell by the wayside when my foot and leg cramps returned. I'm lucky to be running at all, let alone the 3-5 days I'm trying to do. So I've already accepted the fact that I'm not going to set any PR's at the 1/2. I really want to just go there and run for fun and TRY to finish under 2 hrs. I really really hope I have some support there...maybe Andy can take a Sunday off to come out and cheer me on...pleeeze sweetie, if you're reading this! I think they have free coffee for the spectators! I know my dad will be there.

My goal today was to run for 50 minutes. It felt good. Maybe tomorrow I'll turn on the Garmin and see what my paces were like this week. I know the mileage will be way off, but that's okay. I can estimate. It's good that I'm doing it at the end of the week, so it's too late to cry about how I didn't run 30 miles. :) I'm looking forward to trying to split up my run tomorrow and go out there twice.

Still haven't decided on Sunday's 10K race. Still weighing the pros and cons:

Cons:

Waaaay too far away and gas is expensive!
The low temp Sat night/Sun morning is supposed to be in the 30s inland! Yikes!
It's Sunday and I want to sleep in with Andy (although, see Pros)
My "spending plan" is tight, and registration is 20 bucks

Pros:

I haven't raced in a LONG time and I'm looking forward to seeing some fellow runners again
It's a longer race, which are few and far between
They're having an expo = free food,goodies, and massages!
Free massage!!!!
I have Monday off, and so does Andy, so we can sleep in then
If I run 6.2 miles, I can enjoy a yummy breakfast! Eggs & bacon!!!
I can spare the 20 bucks -- and it's for scholarships, which I strongly believe in
Starbucks is a sponsor!!!!! (Free coffee for the caffeine addicted hubby)

Okay, the pros are winning so far...I have until tonight to register online, unless I drag myself to the friendly depot and register there, thus saving $2.00.

Buddy's Christmas

2006-01-11T15:00:00.000-05:00

Buddy got the biggest and best present this Christmas! A box full of new toys!

Bonus run

2006-01-11T12:13:00.000-05:00

I woke up 10 mins late today...I'm not sure how I finally got up, especially with Andy still in bed next to me. Without enough to time for a full weight workout and only 30 mins to spare, I decided to go for a short run. My body felt heavy, like lead. Probably because I ran yesterday and I'm used to having a day off between runs to recover. But it still felt good to be out there, even if only for 30 minutes. I really want to run twice on the same day, at least once or twice a week, as recommended by RW. The problem is dragging myself out the door at night after work. Maybe I'll give it a try this weekend when I can go outside as the sun is setting.

My watch is rebelling against me!

2006-01-10T13:17:00.000-05:00

My Garmin does NOT like that I'm not using it properly. I'm trying to stick with this whole "running for time" thing to keep myself from becoming too obsessive about my mileage (or lack thereof, rather). Today my goal was 50 minutes. To break it up a little, I decided to set my watch for 5 ten-minute intervals. I'm running and running and I look down to see the Garmin counting down from 18 minutes. Huh? At 12 minutes it tells me I did one interval and have 4 to go. What? I kept going and the next time I looked down I saw that the timer had frozen at just over 9 minutes. What the #@!#?!@# I stopped and started the timer again. Finally I stopped running and reset my run so I could check my time....the right time. I had run 18:51. Great. Another 31 minutes and change to go. I turned off the Garmin and turned it back on and just ran. Thirty one minutes. Somewhere along the way it beeped to tell me I had run 1 mile. Whatever. It felt good to run a little longer. I'll keep going like this: 50 mins, 55 mins, 60 mins, etc.

There's a cool-sounding race this Sunday I'd like to check out. I think I can squeeze 20 bucks out of my budget, but we'll see.

My goal this week is to get in 4 runs. One down, 3 to go!

Running for time

2006-01-06T13:52:00.000-05:00

I don't know how I managed to run today...I got up and checked the temp: 65. Not bad at all. In fact, I've discovered in the past that 65 degrees is the ideal temperature for running in SoFla. What I didn't realize (or ignored, rather, because I saw it on the TV) was the gusting winds of 20-22 mph!!! Man. It was rough. Once again, afraid I would chicken out if I waited for the Garmin to calibrate, I told myself I would run for time, and not distance. Forty minutes. Piece of cake. It wasn't so bad after a while, and I remembered how I used to feel like I could just keep running and running forever. If it hadn't been so windy, I could have. I think I did about 45-50 mins; I can't be certain because my batteries died (or froze!). No leg pain today. Hopefully as the weather warms up, I'll be able to start running more.

First run of 2006!

2006-01-03T16:00:00.000-05:00

I finally made it outside for a run after a two-week hiatus! My legs felt like lead and I had to stop after 2 miles. So sad. It felt great to sweat and breathe some fresh air, though. I forgot how much I missed it. I told myself I wouldn't count miles and set a goal to just run for 35 or 40 minutes to ease myself back into it. I started without letting the Garmin position itself and did 40 minutes. I was chugging along, so I probably did 4 miles. We'll see how my legs feel tomorrow morning! I haven't had a massive cramp in a couple of days (*knock wood*), so I don't want to overdo it.

Aching...to run!

2005-12-29T15:26:00.000-05:00

No, I haven't given up my blog. The end of the year means busy busy busy @ work. Which usually means the last thing I have time for is blogging. Even if I did update my blog, it would say: I missed another run today. Blah. Still struggling with these pesky (and painful!) leg cramps. Just when I thought it was getting better, my other leg cramped up on me. I have no idea what to do, or what I'm doing to cause these cramps! The weather lately really hasn't helped, either. It's been so cold in the morning. We up to visit B&G for Christmas, and it was FREEZING! I've been doing what I can to stay in shape, mostly weights every other day and ab work every day. I haven' t done this many weight workouts in two years! But it's definitely helping. I just wish I could run without hurting myself.

The new year is right around the corner (and our 1st wedding anniversary! So exciting!), which means I'll be re-evaluating my running goals for 2006. Hopefully my legs will cooperate. ;)

Something's not right

2005-12-15T10:47:00.000-05:00

Last week was pretty good, up until Thursday night. I still managed to do 20 miles battling a yucky infection. But before this morning, I hadn't put any miles in all week. Then the day before yesterday, just as the infection seemed to be getting better, I started having horrible, debilitating cramps in my left leg and foot. I used to get these cramps a while back, and then they went away for a while. Now they're back and it sucks. I can't move and I just want to cut my leg off. Even stretching it out is so painful. Andy and I can't figure out what it is. He thought maybe peripheral arterial/vascular disease, which might also explain why my hands and feet are always so cold, even in the dead heat of summer. But I really have no risk factors for that. From what I've read, it could be compartment syndrome, which usually affects the side of the lower leg, which is where my leg freezes up. I have to get it checked it out.

I didn't think I'd be able to get out of bed today but it's already Thursday and I hadn't run since Saturday, when I did a pathetic 4 miler. Today was hard. I felt as though I hadn't run in months. I couldn't get enough air and my calf just cramped up on me from the get-go. Two miles into it I was ready to stop. BONK! No!!!!!! I haven't bonked in years! YEARS. I did 3 miles and stopped for some water and then did another mile. Usually, I'll just run all the way home no matter where my run actually ends, but today I had to actually stop and walk the rest of the way.

Three hours later my calf is still incredibly tight and just cramped all the time. This really sucks.

Stats from the Garmin later....

Run time: 00:38:01

Distance: 4.01 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:30 / mi

Best Pace: 07:47 / mi

---------------------------------
Saturday, December 10, 2005

Run time: 00:36:21

Distance: 4.01 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:05 / mi

WEEKLY TOTAL 12/4/05 - 12/11/05: 20 miles

Thursday's run

2005-12-08T12:45:00.000-05:00

I actually did the run that was scheduled for today! A first! Today I was supposed to run 5 miles, including 4 x [1:30] AI, and 5 GP. I can't figure out how to turn off the interval training on my Garmin. I've been turning it off and on again to reset it; the result is that my run gets recorded in segments.

3-mile run:

Run time: 00:27:46

Distance: 3.00 mi

Avg. Pace: 09:15 / mi
-------------------------
4 x [1:30] AI

Run time: 00:06:00

Distance: 0.75 mi

Avg. Pace: 07:58 / mi
-------------------------
Back to start

Run time: 00:04:06

Distance: 0.38 mi

Avg. Pace: 10:54 / mi
-------------------------
5 GP

Run time: 00:04:50

Distance: 0.62 mi

Avg. Pace: 07:45 / mi
--------------------------
Back to start

Run time: 00:06:16

Distance: 0.62 mi

Avg. Pace: 10:05 / mi

TOTAL DISTANCE: 5.37 MILES

Hanging around

2005-12-07T09:59:00.000-05:00

Buddy, hanging around with Mr. Froggy.

Rain and disappointment

2005-12-06T13:48:00.000-05:00

Another morning where I had to drag myself out of bed, today only to find that it was so foggy I couldn't see the house across the street. Blah. I put my hat on and went out anyway, hoping to do Thursday's run of 5 miles, including 4x1:30 AI and 5-6 GP. The plan was to do 4 miles, then do my speed work, which would have been a nice 5-miler. Alas, it was not meant to be; half a mile before I hit the 4 mile mark, it started to rain. I kept on going, but I was asking for trouble. Running in the rain is one thing, but running in torrential Florida downpours is quite another. I made it back to the house and huddled on the front porch. Then I heard the garage door open and ran for cover. My dad was about to get into the car to come rescue me! Hilarious. Note to self: put a map of your running route on the fridge for all would-be rescuers to see.

Now I'm two days into this week without any speedwork. Maybe I'll run out there tonight and go around the block a couple of times. Otherwise, weather permitting, it'll have to be tomorrow.

I was so disappointed at not finishing my run. Of course, it stopped raining about 15 minutes later, but I would have been ridiculously late for work had I waited. And it never even occurred to me to jump on the treadmill. So stupid.

Run time: 00:36:58

Distance: 4.00 mi

Avg. Pace: 09:14 / mi

Best Pace: 06:34 / mi

Making up for lost workouts

2005-12-05T11:00:00.000-05:00

I hate not being able to run because it's that time of the month. Blah. Andy suggested I schedule off days for those weekends I know I'll be out of commission so as not to mess up my training (and be guilt-stricken). I'm not going to cry over not completing all my miles last week. This is a new week and I'll just keep going. Today was supposed to be a rest day, but I've had enough of those now, so I did Friday's run instead, which was an easy 4 miler. I did 5. I hate not having more time in the mornings because I felt really good and could have done a couple more miles. Oh well.

Run time: 00:46:04

Distance: 5.01 mi

Avg. Pace: 09:12 / mi

Best Pace: 06:55 / mi

Holiday Survival Mode

2005-12-05T10:46:00.000-05:00

I told Bennie (my m-in-law) a couple of weeks ago that the "Average American" gains 7 pounds from Thanksgiving till New Year's. SEVEN pounds. For me, that's an entire dress size (and a half!). I've been doing great lately, but ever since Thanksgiving, things have not been going well. Andy was home all week and weekend (a first) and my normal eating patterns (read: healthy) were thrown all out of whack. Before this morning, I hadn't run since last Wednesday, and I hadn't exercised since Friday, when I did weights. No run + holiday food = two words = JELLY BELLY. Nooooooooo! I felt it this morning as I started to run and it did NOT feel good! Luckily, it's still early and certainly not too late to reverse the damage.

I've decided that I have to create some rules and abide by them if I'm going to get through the holidays without turning into the "Average American" and on my way to Goodwill to reclaim my size 4 jeans. So:

Rule #1: Only plain black decaf coffee (maybe a sprinkle of cocoa or two) when we're out around town. Andy and I have a bad habit of buying Starbucks whenever we go out. Actually, he's quite addicted and I'm just an enabler. And inevitably, as I hold my decaf skinny mocha, my brain starts crunching the numbers: 160 calories + no run = jelly belly. Yikes. But usually, I drink it anyway. No more. I don't care if it is the holidays.

Rule #2: Only two small squares of dark chocolate after dinner. No rice pudding, pumpkin cake, egg nog (damn those egg nog manufacturers!!!!), chocolate truffles, ice cream, etc. etc. I don't care if it is the holidays.

Rule #3: Let Andy eat most of the dessert. Or better yet, skip it! We rarely go out to eat, so when we do, it's hard to resist dessert. Of course we feel sick immediately thereafter, but it never seems to deter us. We'll save it for our anniversary.

Holiday survival mode has officially begun!

Re-scheduling again

2005-11-30T12:33:00.000-05:00

I don't think I've done a single week of my new plan exactly as scheduled. Life just keeps getting in the way. I inevitably have to rearrange my runs around the other stuff. Tomorrow I have an all-day seminar (not looking forward to it), which will require me to leave the house at 6 a.m. I probably won't get back (pooped) until well after 6 p.m. So no run tomorrow. I did Saturday's run today and moved Sunday's run to Saturday. Whew. Today was supposed to be an easy 3 miler, but I did 5. That average pace is definitely going down! Slowly but surely...

Run time: 00:47:06

Distance: 5.05 mi

Avg. Pace: 09:20 / mi

Best Pace: 05:45 / mi

Week #4 of the New Plan

2005-11-29T11:34:00.000-05:00

I'm half way through my 9-week Runner's World 1/2 marathon training plan! Actually, whether I actually run the 1/2 or not, I really like this plan. I think I'll stick with it even after the 9 weeks are up, and just juggle the workouts around. Or just start all over again, so that I don't get caught up in building mileage every week (and then hurting myself). It'll give me a chance to slow down, only run 10 or 15 miles a week, before building back up to 30. So far so good.

Today's scheduled run was 3 miles, 3x[2:00, 2:30] AI, 2 miles. I HATE those last 2 miles after a quad-burning interval workout, so I've been doing one of those miles at the start. That way I only have a 1 mile cool down at the end. The 2 minute intervals were fine, much better than last week. I was dreading the 2:30's, but I actually ran them faster!!! What's really weird is that I never, not even once, hit the 10-min-mile mark today! Even my "cool down" mile, which felt like I was straggling along, was sub-10. I finally feel like I'm getting faster, but nowhere near as fast as I'd like to be. Patience.

I had to do the 2:00 intervals and 2:30's separately, because that was the only way I could program the Garmin. It worked out okay, though. Overall, I did 6.73 miles.

-------------------------
1st 4 miles:

Run time: 00:38:30

Distance: 4.06 mi

Avg. Pace: 09:29 / mi
-------------------------
3 x [2:00] AI

Run time: 00:06:00

Distance: 0.73 mi

Avg. Pace: 08:12 / mi
-------------------------
3 x [2:30] AI

Run time: 00:07:30

Distance: 0.94 mi

Avg. Pace: 07:57 / mi
-------------------------
Last mile

Run time: 00:09:50

Distance: 1.00 mi

Avg. Pace: 09:49 / mi

TOTAL: 6.73 MILES

It's too hard to run on vacation!

2005-11-26T15:31:00.000-05:00

Lately my entries have been sounding like complaints! Oh well, here's another one. It's so hard to get up and run while on vacation. But I managed to do just that this morning. It's definitely a lot nicer running up here than at home. The golf cart path is a little dangerous...kind of like a mini-road. I was almost hit by a cart with a driver who didn't see me because the sun was in his eyes! All that in the name of getting my miles in.

Run time: 01:17:52

Distance: 8.04 mi

Avg. pace: 9:41 / mi

Best pace: 7:17 / mi

I hate layering

2005-11-23T10:58:00.000-05:00

I hate the cold! I hate bundling up. I hate layering!!! I felt like I weighed 200 lbs out there today, chugging along in the headwinds with my base layer on and my warmups and my gloves. Fifty eight degrees is COLD for a transplanted Canuck. I do have to admit, though, that all this speedwork is really paying off. My lungs felt awesome (I did feel the burn after the fact, though), and after the first 1/2 mile, I forgot about the cold.

Today's scheduled run was 2 miles, 2x[1:00, 1:30, 2:00] AI, 2 miles. One minute intervals are a piece of cake, and the minute and a half ones were fine, too. But that first 2 minute interval kicked my butt! I was huffing and puffing like I had just run the mile in gym class weighing 190 lbs. After that, the next set was fine and I actually enjoyed it! Even more than fartleks. Six miles done. I have to run another 13 miles this week to get to my 20-mile mark. With Thanksgiving on the horizon, and 30 degrees weather expected, I don't know if it'll happen.

Stats from the Garmin later...

Run time: 00:59:07

Distance: 6.12 mi

Avg. pace: 09:39 / mi

Best pace: 07:01 / mi

Holidays make for rough running

2005-11-22T12:16:00.000-05:00

After doing so good last week, Turkey Day is going to mess up my entire schedule this week! Maybe. I won't be able to run Thurs because we'll be on the road. And now the weather is getting nippy again and I don't know if I'll have the guts to go out there in 30-40 degrees weather. It was so windy today that I couldn't go out at 6 a.m. I did manage to do tomorrow's weight workout and then run outside like a maniac for some quick intervals. Well, maybe not so quick with that wind resistance.

Here's what I managed today:

4x1:00 AI

Run time: 00:04:00

Distance: 0.54 mi

Avg. Pace: 07:25 / mi
--------------------------------------------
6 GP (1 + 5, fiddling with my GPS)

Run time: 00:05:48

Distance: 0.74 mi

Avg. Pace: 8:22 / mi (1st), 7:38 / mi (2-5)
---------------------------------------------
TOTAL DISTANCE: 1.28 miles

Running longer again

2005-11-20T16:05:00.000-05:00

I finally managed to get up out of bed on a Sunday morning for a long run. My goal today was to run 8 miles, to cover my mileage for this week, but I felt good and it's been so long since I did a long run, that I figured I'd go for the whole 10. It felt great, but I forget how those long runs wipe you out for the rest of the day. I took my nap and now I need to ice my calves. Definitely an extended legs-up-the-wall pose today!

I did good yesterday, too, doing 6 miles instead of the scheduled 3. I didn't, however, get in my four 100 m gentle pickups this week. I did do one yesterday, untimed, but mostly because it started to rain and I wanted to get home! ;)

My weekly total for this week: 21 miles! (Yeah!)

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Run time: 01:30:40

Distance: 10.00 mi

Avg. pace: 09:52 / mi (awesome for me for a long run!)

Best pace: 06:16 / mi
-----------------------------

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Run time: 00:57:39

Distance: 6.00 mi

Avg. pace: 09:36 / mi

Buddy's Thanksgiving

2005-11-19T17:44:00.000-05:00

Here's Buddy, enjoying some early Thanksgiving treats.

"This pumpkin bread is yummy!"

Getting better

2005-11-16T10:23:00.000-05:00

It never fails to amaze even me that I can get up in the morning and run when I'm so freaking tired. Tweaked today's scheduled run just a bit. I was supposed to do 2 miles, 5x1:00 AI (Aerobic intervals), and another 2 miles. Instead I did 3 miles, then the AI, then another mile, which was sooo much easier.

I used my Garmin to time my intervals today. I can't believe I've had this awesome tool for almost a year and have only now started to take advantage of it. I set my watch for 1 min intervals and 30 sec breaks. It was great not have to look down at my watch repeatedly to see the time, or to remember which lap I was on. I did realize, however, that 30 secs is not enough time for me to recover. Either I'm running my AI's too fast, or I just need more time to fully recover! Next time I'll set it for 45 secs.

Total run time: 00:42:31

Total run distance: 4.75 mi

3 mile run
Run time: 00:27:53

Distance: 3.01 mi

Avg. pace: 09:17 / mi (getting better!)

Aerobic Intervals
Run time: 00:05:00

Distance: 0.64 mi

Avg. pace: 07:47 / mi

1 mile run
Run time: 00:10:38

Distance: 1.10 mi

Avg. pac: 09:41 / mi

Trying to stay on track

2005-11-13T21:58:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to keep on my training plain...it hasn't been easy to get up every morning. I did good yesterday...I did 4 miles instead of 3. But today wasn't exactly according to plan. I was supposed to run 6 miles, but instead of getting up at 6:10 a.m. like my alarm told me to, I got up at 7:15 when the sun was out in full force. I still managed to drag my butt out the door for a 3 miler, thinking (beyond reason) that I would run other 3 miles later in the day. Besides, running twice a day is supposed to be good for you! The problem is having the energy and motivation to do it. I obviously didn't. To make matters worse, it was raining after dinner when I planned to go out. Blah.

My Runner's World half marathon training plan follows a Mon-Sun week, which is weird for me. So this week I managed 16.5 miles. I would have hit the 20 mile mark had I done my scheduled run for today. I have to get over my laziness!

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Run time: 00:30:03

Distance: 3.20 mi

Avg. pace: 09:24 / mi

Saturday, November 12, 2005

Run time: 00:37:42

Distance: 4.00 mi

Avg. pace: 09:25 / mi

Best pace: 06:51 / mi