Virtual Running Buddies - week of Jan 12th

[Leslie Ferguson]

I guess I'll start this week claiming a Friday run. :eek: That is the first run on a Friday in more than 6 years - do I feel ok? Yep I'm fine, missed my run yesteday (not really) and might not run tomorrow and most likely won't be a long run (12+) since I'm busy during the bulk of the day tomorrow. Today's run was decent and got warm by the finish. I went for about 64 minutes (unknown distance but time was the principle thing today) and felt reasonable by the finish.

Strangely, no racing in the next week for me - odd considering I did two races the week of New Years. Next race is on the 27th - 25k? I think the racer this weekend is Eva (aka aggie94) doing PF Chang RnR Half-marathon Arizona with DH - Good luck and swift feet tomorrow.

Actually, seathyme had the first run of the week this morning with le chien in Boston. How about the rest of the gang? Plans for the weekend? How about the coming week?

Happy trails all and see you in the funnies.
Les

[Natasha]

Hi all!

Les, your first Friday run in 6 YEARS?? That's wild!

Lori, good thoughts going out to you and please keep us posted.

Seathyme, nice job on that run!

Eva, good luck to you and DH in the 1/2!!! I hope DH is 100% now.

Hello to Kathy, Susan, Bethany, Mary (very nice to hear from you), Betsy, Scout, and everyone else!

Still mulling over the possibility of the VRB trip. It *might* work after all; I'll have to see in the next few weeks. IF we were to go, my preference of the options listed would probably be for Nashville since I've never been there (or anywhere in TN), and I like country music :p. Just FWIW, though, since I'm a tentative at best at this point anyway.

This is a random curious question, not a propos a VRB get-together at all, but does anyone have any local around-the-clock running relays? A famous one in Canada is the Cabot Trail Relay, which my running group has done twice and raved about. This year some of us are contemplating doing this brand new relay: http://www.shoretoshorerelay.com/ (http://www.shoretoshorerelay.com) Looks like fun! Just wondering how many of these kinds of events there were out there. I haven't ever looked into them.

No run yet but I'm supposed to fix that in a bit. I'm hoping for a fairly quiet weekend here. Take care, all!

Natasha

[MNGirlTX]

Eva and hubby - I hope y'all have good races! Looking forward to hearing your report!

Nothing too exciting for me for the weekend. I have a bowling lesson tomorrow. (Bowled after my last doctor appointment on Wednesday - 5 games, 130 average...162 for my high game.)

And, I'm going to dinner and a movie tomorrow evening with a girlfriend. Don't know what movie or where we're eating....

The cats need food, and I should have stopped on the way home from work, but didn't. And, it's POURING here. My 8 minute commute took closer to 25 minutes - about a block's worth of 6 inch deep water on the road slowed us waaaaaaay down. Not to mention a dead car taking up the right lane just before that. If the ran stops soon, I'll go back out. I knew I should have stopped at lunch, but lunch plans were changed at the last minute because one of my co-workers turns 20 tomorrow. (I remember 20 - vaguely.)

And, I s'pose, now that 12th night has passed, it's time to take down the Christmas decorations.

Okay - enough rambling from me. Have a great Friday night everyone!

Lori

[Elizabeth B]

Hello all!

No running (or any exercise today, for that matter), but just dropping in to say...

GO EVA!!!! I hope you and DH both have great races (and that he's feeling well enough to enjoy the race)!

Also, if anyone is thinking about coming to Nashville for Country Music (which would be great), please don't make hotel reservations without checking with me first.

Hopefully, the rain that they've been forecasting will hold off so that I can get an outside run in tomorrow morning!

Take care, all!

[aggie94]

I too love country music and have never been to Nashville so would be interested in trying to make it there.

Natasha, the relay sounds fun! I have looked into Hood to Coast (http://www.hoodtocoast.com/) in the past and started looking into it again recently and may try to put a team together for 2008.

Thanks to all for the good race wishes. Unfortunately, I am now sick too. :( I have been holding pretty steady for the past two days with a sore throat and some mild congestion, not getting any worse but also not getting any better. If I feel like this on Sunday, I will probably be fine. If I feel any worse, it won't be a pretty race. :eek:

In any event, I have been trying to rest up and get healthy, so I skipped what would have been my last run (of 3 miles or so) last night and opted to nap instead. So my last run (of 4 miles) was on Tuesday, and the race is Sunday. I get nervous about such a big gap of time between runs so I hope I made the right choice to focus on rest instead.

I will check in Sunday after the race!

[badunnin]

Hi all! Today's an off day for me - got in another enjoyable run last night.

As far as a race, I'd be interested in meeting you if you do Nashville, but don't think I'll run a half. I'm just not interested in training for that distance I don't think.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Natasha - The race looks like a blast but I'm not sure we can make it if you're getting a team together and I wouldn't want to move you to a different class anyway (being the "older" male that I am). ;) Isn't it a hoot that today was my first Friday run in forever? That said, we really don't have an around the clock relay unless you count the Relay for Life. Hope your run went as smoothly as mine did.
Lori - Good to avoid the rain and good job bowling. I'm sorry I didn't comment about your issue from last week but I'll be thinking about you on Tuesday.
Betsy - If I/we come to Nashville I'll certainly give you a shout.
Eva - Sending healing thoughts your way so you feel no worse (actually so you feel better) by Sunday. I've always wanted to do the Hood to Coast (being an Oregon Boy) but I've never been there nor have I been able to put a team together from here to travel all that way.

Howdy to Bethany and the rest of the gang - have a great weekend.

Happy trails,
Les

[2HUNGRY!]

Hi all! I would be interested in Nashville but like Bethanny don't know if I'd be interested in that distance. But I have been wanting to go and visit a friend there so maybe DH and I could be part of the cheering section!

Good luck Eva! I hope you're feeling better.

Work has been a major pain so I'm just doing the bare minimum as far as rnning goes. I can't wait until Spring so I can start going outside again! I have gone to 2 modern dance classes and managed not to fall down (yet) so that's a plus! Only 3 more to go and then its back to yoga which I think is a much better compliment to running. I'm off to Boston tonight to visit my family so I don't I will get any running in this weekend, but maybe next week will be better at work. We'll see!

[Kathy B]

Hi, all! Eva, I hope you are feeling better for your race tomorrow. I am sure the rest was a good decision! DD has been sick since yesterday, too, and while it is surely viral, she feels pretty lousy.

2Hungry, I hear you about wanting to get outside again. I just am not up for running in the cold weather (which is pretty much anything below 50!), and the treadmill does get a little old.

Elizabeth, did you get your run in before the rain hit?

So what movie did you see, Lori? We watched Goal! with the kids on PPV the other night, and it was a good family flick.

Sounds like you are keeping busy, Les. Hope your Saturday was productive.

Natasha, how does the shore to shore relay work? How many are on a team? And how many times does each team member run? Sounds like fun, but I don't understand the set-up exactly.

Today I did about 4 miles on the 'mill. I have been averaging about 3-4 treadmill days a week, but for some reason I quit logging them on my coolrunning site. I know that's not good, because if nothing else, I won't know when my shoes are ready to be replaced, but I haven't felt very motivated to keep track lately. Winter slump I guess. At least I'm still getting the workouts in, though....

Hi Bethany and seathyme and everyone else!

[Leslie Ferguson]

It sounds like we might have a bigger cheering squad than running squad if we go to Nashville this year. I mentioned it to LW this evening and she said she wouldn't walk the half but she'd go to Nashville to cheer us on if it didn't conflict with anything else on our schedules. Now I just have to see what my fluid work schedule might throw into the mix.
2HUNGRY! - Sorry you didn't get any runs in this week but there's next week and it sounds like you're having fun with your dance classes. You mean it isn't spring now??? It was 67 this evening when I left to run (5 pm). Hopefully next week will continue to be nice in all our collective locales.

Busy day but I'd call it a multiple win day. I slept in; :cool: went for our group's reflection; and got home in time to run for an hour. :)

Anyone else off on Monday for MLK? I wish I could really celebrate but I'll be stuck to a computer in the GRE Lab nearby so... 4 + hours whacked. A necessary evil though so I shouldn't complain.

Happy weekend runnahs,
Les

[MNGirlTX]

We ended up seeing "Freedom Writers". It was so good. I cried for most of it, but I'm a cry-baby.

Now, I'm crossing my fingers, with like a minute left in the game, that the Saints can hold on and win this football game.

I *might* could make it to Nashville to do some cheerleading, too.

Lori

[badunnin]

With so many of us interested, I would like to see a race that more of us could run, what with being the VRBs and not the VCBs. ;) I know, maybe easier said than done. I'll keep poking around. Not a very exciting city, but Buffalo has a marathon/half marathon/marathon relay on May 27.... *shrug* I love you guys, but if I'm travelling for a race, I'd like to be running it if possible, not cheering.

[Natasha]

I'd be totally up for Buffalo, schedule permitting, and though I can't speak for it personally, I have heard from a couple of people who have done it that the course is nicer than you might expect :) It's so close to me that I'm 90% sure I could make it. What does everyone else think though?

While we're at it, I'll put in yet another plug for the Ottawa race weekend, which is the same time as Buffalo. Absolutely phenomenal races (and in addition to the 1/2 and full, there is a 10k the day before), and a wonderful city. May be far for many people though - Buffalo is probably more feasible all around. One of these years I'll get you all up to Canada though ;)

It's late... more tomorrow! :D

Natasha

[Leslie Ferguson]

With so many of us interested, I would like to see a race that more of us could run, what with being the VRBs and not the VCBs. ;) I know, maybe easier said than done. I'll keep poking around. Not a very exciting city, but Buffalo has a marathon/half marathon/marathon relay on May 27.... *shrug* I love you guys, but if I'm travelling for a race, I'd like to be running it if possible, not cheering.
Buffalo might be a good call if that works with schedules. Really close for Natasha and DH and probably fairly close for you and Susan. Nothing is really close for me (11 driving hours to Nashville) so I'm neither here nor there. And if we're in Buffalo we might just have to hop over to the Canadian side and pick up some fabulous Maple Syrup (worth the drive - really it is).

Happy trails,
les

[badunnin]

Buffalo is closer to me than Nashville, and probably about the same as Nashville for Susan. Not sure on that one though.

[Elizabeth B]

Hello all!

I saw the posts about meeting in Buffalo, and I completely understand your point - I wouldn't want to travel and not be able to run, either. It's too bad that Country Music doesn't offer more options. Unfortunately, I'm already committed to Country Music and plan to back off on my distance afterwards so that I can do more swimming and cycling.

But my offer still stands - if any VRBs ever get to Nashville, I'll be happy to give a tour of running sites, running stores, cooking stores, ahd honky tonks - just let me know.

I have tomorrow off too. Yesterday was a nice 6-miler, today was weights, and tomorrow will be running and/or cross-training, depending on the weather and other variables.

So that's it for now. Take care, all!

[seathyme]

Hello Runpeople!

Les, I know runners need to be habitual to a certain extent, but your first Friday run in 6 years! Wow.

Elizabeth, sounds like your workouts are going well there. Isn't it fun to be able to claim a "nice 6-miler"?

Eva, how did it go?? I hope your cold didn't develop further...

Kathy, you're becoming our new Queen of the Treadmill. Long ago, TLee and Kristi competed for that esteemed title, but I'm forgetting exactly what we called it!?

Natasha, I've never done a relay, but that's not surprising since I've done so few races altogether.:o

I've had this weekend off, which has allowed good runs and yoga. It has also provided much needed time to get our house ready to go on the market. We met with our realtor Friday, and to my surprise she said the market had picked up significantly since Christmas and suggested we put it on ASAP.:eek: So we've been sorting and tossing and neatening and staging. Phew. It's an emotional as well as a physical process.

And now, watching the Patriots so far be outplayed by San Diego, but it's a close game so ya never know. Pats can be brilliant when they get in the groove... Scout, are you watching?;)

Hello to Susan, Bethany, Mary, Lori, Jill, Paige, and los lurkers out there.:cool:

[seathyme]

Whaddaya know? They won! :D

Sorry Scout.

[badunnin]

seathyme - love the new tagline. :)

Feeling emotionally bruised today. I just feel like I've taken on the world this weekend for some reason. Had a second date last night, and decided to toss this one back. He's nice enough, but just got odd vibes last night, and there isn't that *click* that I usually start to feel by the second date. There was no desire to kiss this one goodnight (of course, he had abruptly ended the date before 9pm, saying he had a long drive home. Huh?) So, I composed and sent the "let's be friends" email today. We went back and forth all day, he got snarky, and I suggested we keep the snark in check in case we decide to do coffee someday - don't want to say something we regret. Come evening, I was definitely ready to get out on the road for a run.

The run was mediocre however. On one hand I'm frustrated that I seem to have found a plateau, that I can't run more than about 8 minutes without having to walk a bit. On the other, I've been out there for the past 5 weeks, consistently getting 3-5 runs in a week, and going out for about 40 minutes of run/walk. I know that eventually, if I keep at it, I will run right off this plateau and start progressing again. And I enjoy it out there - the weather has been fabulous. It's nice to not have a timeline and a training schedule, to just be able to ride out this plateau and not worry that I'm not progressing enough and won't be able to do X miles. According to my jeans I've lost weight (I'm guessing around 6 lbs).

Feeling verbose today, so I think I'm going to type my way off this thread for the evening and do a bit of journalling. :)

[Leslie Ferguson]

Bethany - It sounds like you've had a tough couple days. Today (Sunday) is a day where running is therapy so good for you and your psyche to get out. Great attitude about hitting a plateau - it happens to all of us. You'll punch through it soon, don't get discouraged.
seathyme - Change? (from your tagline) I thought that was what life was about. ;) It is hard to believe that I haven't run on a Friday in nearly 6 years (as best I can recollect) but then almost every Saturday has been a long run so it's not hard to imagine from my perspective. Good vibes being sent your way for selling your house and a good week ahead for you.

Lifted today and tomorrow might be a late run or ride since I'm doing my GRE at 12:30 tomorrow (Monday). I have a feeling that I'll just try to sleep in a little, get a good breakfast and get to the testing site a little early. I'm not sure which race I'd like to run, logistically it would probably be easier to get to Buffalo and I heard from my coach that it is a nice race. But Ottawa is enticing too.

Happy trails,
Les

[seathyme]

Fly-by to wish Les good luck with the GRE!! Four hours of testing is not an ideal way to spend a holiday, but once it's done, it's done, right? Hope you fly through it.:)

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks seathyme, you're right it'll all be over by 4:30 today and behind me.
Putting a shout out to Eva about RnR AZ. I saw the results in the paper this morning. I wonder how the race was.
HT,
Les

[SusanMac]

Happy Mon, gang!

I'm very excited b/c winter is finally here in Madison. Had a really nice hour-long run w/a girlfriend through some trails. It felt like a winter wonderland fairy tale. It was wonderful. Of course, I only say this b/c we lucked out & didn't get the ice storms that much of the central U.S. got. That looks nasty.

Sun was a mediocre bike trainer session. Oh well. At least I did it. Fri was a killer-ab pilates session. Followed by a blown-off bike trainer session. I let work get in the way. Gotta keep my eye on that.

I agree that we need a trip with more runners than spectators. Buffalo is a longer drive for me, but don't let that stop the plan. I'm not certain if work, etc, would let me get away for a VRB race anyway. I've also heard great things about the Buffalo Marathon.

Anxious to hear from Aggie!!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Well looked at the RnR AZ site and if memory serves me our aggie94 Eva but her finish time was starred (power surge at the finish line) and her recorded time may be wrong. Now I'm more interested now in hearing from her how she felt and did in the race because I'm really confused. :confused:

Off to face down the GRE -- wish me luck. Personally, I'd rather run a marathon.

Les

[MNGirlTX]

Good wishes for your GRE day, Les!

I guess I'm having a 2-1/2 day weekend. We were hit by the ice last night. And, people in N. Texas just don't know how to handle that. Phone rang at 6 a.m. and my boss said to wait until noon because it's supposed to be better by then.

The skies are blue, but lots of white clouds. And the air temp is 26, with a wind chill of about 12. :eek:

Winter has arrived in Texas, too.

Lori

[aggie94]

Hey all,

Thank you for the good thoughts on yesterday's race. Unfortunately, it was some of the most miserable hours I've ever spent. For starters, I woke up sick as a dog. I knew it was a bad idea to race, but the idea that all of that training was for nothing made me want to cry, so I just sucked it up and went. BAD IDEA. Had a ton of head and chest congestion, and I managed to forget my Fuel Belt in the car, so I had no inhaler (for my asthma) and no water (I struggle if I'm not taking in fluids at least every half mile). Probably should have decided then to skip it. Instead, I ran with a 20-ounce bottle of Dasani in my hand (to which I lost the cap on mile 1 :rolleyes: ). On top of that, we had the lowest overnight temps in 17 years. It was 28° at the start and had only warmed to the mid 30s by the time I finished. Two hours of standing around in those temps pre-race left me shivering, shaking, and totally spent before the race even started.

My feet were completely numb in my shoes for about the first 5 miles, and today they feel bruised. There were many times on the course that I thought about quitting and now wish I had, but I kept plugging away. Amazingly, I only missed my goal time of 2:20 by a minute and a second and felt like I could have blown it away had I been 100%. I am paying the price for it now, though - have pretty much been holed up in bed since I got home yesterday sucking down Sudafed and drinking OJ. Didn't even get out of bed until noon today and feel like I could take a nap. :eek: Oh, and of course neither of us were thinking -- when it was pitch black and 26° outside when we left the house yesterday morning -- that sunscreen would have been a good idea, so my face is completely sun and wind burnt today. Lovely.

Poor DH had an even worse time. He does NOT do well in cold weather at all, and he has a torn meniscus in one knee that really acts up when it's cold. Well, he ended up hobbling his way through the last 5 miles, to the point that the medical guys at the end of the race tried to grab him to treat him when he crossed the finish, but he refused. He missed his projected time by more than 20 minutes (but managed to still beat me by 45 seconds :o) and thinks he might have now torn the meniscus to the point that will require surgery, as he can barely walk today. :(

Ugh, bad bad bad move on both our parts all around. Live and learn.

[MNGirlTX]

Oh, Eva and DH....big hugs to both of you!

[SusanMac]

OMG! Aggie, that was definitely not the RR we were hoping for. Yikes! I'm not certain I would have bailed on the race either. It's so hard to ditch it like that after you've invested the time. That is so amazing that you still came in so close to your target finish time.

Thanks for checking in with us, though. Stay off the computer & recover! Best wishes to both you & DH.

[Elizabeth B]

Eva - I always worry about getting sick after I've registered for a winter race. So far I've been lucky, but I'm sure that one day my luck will run out and I'll be faced with similar circumstances. When that day comes, I don't know if I could put in the kind of effort you did in order to finish so close to your goal time. I've never done a race in that kind of cold, either. Wow. You and DH take good care of yourselves (and each other).

Lori - The front that came through Texas is now coming through Tennessee. We've had rain all day and colder temperatures are supposed to be right behind it, which I'm not looking forward to at all.

Seathyme - The Patriots/Chargers game was interesting, wasn't it? It really looked like the Chargers were going to win, but you can never count New England out. Both teams were so tough that I almost felt like I was watching the Super Bowl already.

Because of the rain I didn't run today, but I did FINALLY swim!! Why, oh why, do I dread going to the pool when I enjoy it so much while I'm there and love how I feel afterward? I swam for a solid 30 minutes, but had to rest between laps. There was a man in the lane next to me who seemed to be a very good swimmer. I was very pleased that I was able to keep up with him when we started together. Of course, he kept swimming the entire time and didn't take any breaks.

Tomorrow is track practice so I'm kind of glad I missed today's run and will have fresh legs for tomorrow. I'm going to reschedule today's run to Thursday.

That's it for now - have a great week everyone!

[Kathy B]

Eva, sorry to hear your race was such an ordeal. But I agree it would be tough to ditch something you have been working towards for so long. It does make you wonder what your time would have been, doesn't it? It's great that you had such a good time (running time, that is) when you were feeling so lousy. Rest up and I hope you shake whatever has you down very quickly! :) Hope you DH's injury is not as bad as he is thinking, too!

How did the GRE go today, Les? At least it's behind you now, eh?

Bethany, great job with 5 weeks of consistent runs! That is a great way to kick off the new year (and a few weeks before, too). Way to hang in there, even though you think you've plateaued. As they say, "This, too, shall pass!" :)

Treadmill run for me again today. DH and the kids were all home for MLK day, so we watched "Apollo 13" (an all-time fav of mine) while I ran.

[seathyme]

OMG Eva. You and DH are seriously tough!! I'm so sorry it was awful, and amazed at your time. Maybe you can find another half before too long that will take advantage of the training you've done and let you see what you can do feeling *well*. Please take good care of yourself for a few days here!

Betsy, I agree the Pats/Chargers game felt like the Super Bowl (a good one, that is). The last few minutes were so dramatic! Congrats on your swim, and have a good track workout tomorrow.

Les, yay that the GRE is over! We'll send you good vibes for the result. Pretty funny that you'd rather run a marathon.:p

Susan, glad you had a good winter run this weekend. I still don't feel like I've had one of those, since we haven't had squat for snow around here! Not sorry to miss the ice, however. Sounds like the middle of the country has been wild lately, and the southwest so cold. Strange winter, this one.

Today we had freezing temps with rain -- ick. I had not planned to run, and gladly didn't. Hope to get out tomorrow morning, and follow up with yoga class tomorrow night. Complication will be that my car died at the end of the day today; I had decided to keep the old thing until it gave up the ghost, and apparently we're there. Luckily, we were able to push it to a safe place, and it happened right near home. It could so easily have been a really bad scenario, but as these things go, it's not so bad. I feel backhandedly lucky.

Greetings to everyone!

[badunnin]

Well, winter has arrived here in SE Michigan. Finally. Went to mom and dad's tonight for a run on the treadmill, and it was a great one. I did 9 minutes of run, 1 minute of walk, and 3 repetitions of that, so 30 minutes total, plus a bit of walking. :) I'm very pleased. The ab work I did I'll be feeling tomorrow!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey all - what a lot of traffic today.

:eek: :eek: Eva - What a tale! My hat's off to you for going out and even moreso being that close to your goal time. Take care of yourself and DH and I hope you both bounce back quickly. Somehow I just don't think of temps that cold in AZ even though I've driven from Bakersfield across AZ, NM and TX in 6 inches of snow and slush and temps in the teens so I'm not sure why I'm surprised. And thanks for the reminder about listening to your body when you run, even if it's a race day. NOTE TO SELF
seathyme - Sorry about your car, I hope mine lasts a little while longer (at least until September) since I said I was going to keep it until it stopped running period. Good call on not going out in the nasty weather today too.
Elizabeth - Well, the weather must be on it's way but we're still predicting 60+ tomorrow but 40 by Wednesday.

The GRE is over and I did about as well as I figured I would. One of the great things about being computer based these days (actually called Computer Adaptive Testing - the questions change based on whether you get responses correct or not) and I've already received the scores for the Verbal and Analytic sections. I'll have to wait for the writing sections but I'm not too worried about those. Suffice to say you can tell that I am a math-type person as opposed to verbal-oriented. The lady at the testing center told me I should be happy with my scores (and I am). The best thing is another thing off the list for school in the Fall.

Alas, no run after sitting for almost 4 hours. That and I had to do some shopping and had to share with LW and the ladies at work. So I bagged runnign today but will definitely go out tomorrow before lunch - before the rain and winds and the temperature drop.

Howdy to the rest of the gang, Lori, Kathy B, Bethany, Susan, Natasha and the rest of the gang.

Happy trails,
Les

[SusanMac]

Yesterday was a planned rest/recovery day. I bailed on pilates due to the early snow & messy roads. Will try to make it up this Sat, when I usually don't attend. This morning I got up & trained on the bike for 45 min. I'm hoping that's a habit I can keep up, as it feels good to get it done & out of the way.

Need to head to the pool shortly for a swim. Elizabeth - I totally hear you on never *wanting* to go to the pool, but feeling great afterwards. I think part of it is that it's more of an ordeal than simply running out the front door. I also hate the chlorine & goggle-eyes. But the water itself is envigorating.

Bethany - I think plateaus are quite common. Maybe it's our bodies' way of acclimating slowly & preventing injury. I suspect it's a mental thing, too.

MNGirl - sending good vibes for your Dr visit today

[MNGirlTX]

Just popping in to let y'all know that the doctor says I'm fine. It's fibrous fatty tissue that I wouldn't have noticed had I not lost weight. Nothing to worry about, just go back in 3 months for a follow-up.

Thanks for your good thoughts. I so appreciate it.

Les - I'm glad to hear your testing went well!

seathyme - I'm sorry to hear about your car. I had mine give up the ghost on December 22, 2004, as I pulled out of my parking spot to go to work. My Christmas gift to myself that year was a new car.

Susan - I hope you have a good swim!!!

Hello to everyone else. I hope you're keeping warm (or cool, as the case may be).

Lori

[2HUNGRY!]

Lori, that's great news. I'm so happy for you.

Les, good job on the GREs.

Eva, sorry you had such a bad time of it. Hope you are feeling better.

Hi everyone else. Buffalo would be fine for me too. I could combine it with one of my many Cleveland trips.

We got home LATE last night from Mass. due to the ice storms, so I'm dragging today. Hopefully I'll get on the treadmill tonight. Les, its not the temp. that bothers me. I just don't like to run outside in the dark by myself and I don't get home until about 6 so its hard in the winter.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Lori - Thank you for the good news - it's good to know sand be able to move on. Hope you have a good week with the bouyant news.
2HUNGRY - I hope you have a good treadmill run today and I understand not wanting to run outside after dark by yourself regardless of the temperature.
Susan - It's refreshing (I guess) to hear that folks who get snow regularly don't like driving in it either. Good for you to get your biking in early this morning.

Ran today at lunch - didn't think I would get out since it had been raining and the temp was dropping but combined with the call from LW that the plumber couldn't put the hot water heater we purchased to replace a dying old one (but they promised they could have one in this afternoon whether it is the new one or the old one reinstalled - yeah right) and the break in the rain I took off for a longish run ~8.8 miles. A little warm by the finish but I felt compelled to wear a long sleeved shirt (just in case I had to stop or it started to rain). It's nice to have it out of the way.
I don't really mind the personal safety issue running after dark - after running in the neighborhoods around here for the past 6 or 7 years everyone knows me as that crazy, skinny guy who runs in the rain and wind and... but anymore I can't see the holes which is dangerous to my physical well-being.

Gotta fly but I'll see you all later this evening.
Les

[Kathy B]

Hi, all! Did about 60 min on the treadmill this afternoon. Been picking up the pace a little the last few runs....guess I'm getting my "second wind" finally. Hope it lasts a while.:rolleyes:

The roads are bad here, too, and while I don't particularly like driving on them, I am glad DS is getting some practice (with DH and/or ME sitting in the next seat)!

[SusanMac]

Les - glad you feel good about the GRE. Your gut feel is really important on these things.

KathyB - great news about feeling good on the 'mill. Do you have any '07 races in the works? (I've forgotten)

MNGirl - excellent news about the Dr!! Stay off the roads today

I did get a good swim in yesterday, which felt good. Pilates class this morning. I think I prefer last week's sub instructor over today's regular-Wed instructor. Not quite sure what else is on tap for today. DH just sprung a last-minute sewing project idea on me, which will keep me busy. (we are making a new bed for Bode...for when he comes home tonight from his little....ummm...boy operation :-)

My training calendar says run today. But, seeing how it's currently below zero, I'll probably spin on the bike. Gotta draw the line somewhere :-)

[MNGirlTX]

Susan - thanks! So far, I'm staying home for the day. We've got a little dusting of pellet-y, icy snow on the ground.

Lori

[seathyme]

Lori, so glad for your news!

Kathy, an hour is a long time on 'ye olde mille.' You are living up to your potential new billing as VRB Treadmill Queen! Glad it's feeling good.

Les, I didn't know you could get partial GRE scores on the spot. Sounds like you don't need to worry about that hurdle any more.

Susan, we used to have a cartoon that showed one dog saying to another: "I don't know. They said something about going to the vet to get tutored." Please give the little guy a pat for me. Does he sleep on a special bed? I always thought Rocky would do that, but he prefers our bed....... or just a spot on the floor.

I did manage the a.m. run and p.m. yoga class yesterday, which felt great. And just in time for the deep freeze to hit. Single digits today -- eep. Very busy schedule for me, so next workout will be tomorrow morning, and perhaps indoors.... I love running in the winter, but add a little wind to single digits and somehow it loses its glamour...

Shout out to the VRB's out there!

[aggie94]

After the RnRAZ, I think I might be done with massive events like the RnR (and presumably Country Music) series. Between the Expo (parking, etc.) and event, I was beyond frustrated and have decided it's not really worth the $ spent. I much prefer smaller events.

That said, Buffalo might be a little too far for me to travel, once you throw on basically a day on each end just to fly. So I thought I might throw out some other suggestions for people to ponder:

http://www.marathonrelay.com/ (Being a former Austinite, I love the city, the weather is pretty good that time of year, and I love that the distances vary on the relay so that everyone who participates can choose a distance and be challenged)

http://www.denvermarathon.com/ (A new event as of 2006, so hopefully not yet a huge event and centrally located - cons obviously include elevation (oy!))

http://www.detroitfreepressmarathon.com/ (I like the idea that the course is international!)

[badunnin]

If Detroit is an option, I'll do the half. (or the relay!) I personally like the facts that you go over the bridge and through the tunnel, and end in the new stadium, which is gorgeous.

Are we looking at fall events as well? I know some people have fall things planned (other races, etc).

[Natasha]

Lori, I'm so happy to read your news. Yay!

Eva, sorry RnRAz was so awful for you and DH :( Good wishes to you both, and good luck to DH with his recovery!

Bethany, regardless of whether the rest of us make it to Detroit or not, I hope you do do the 1/2 -- it sounds like a fun race! I like the int'l aspect, too. Casino Niagara offers an int'l event too but only for the full marathon, as you know.

Big HELLO to everyone else!

Busy week here -- working hard, playing hard, and planning a trip I won from work. Destination: Hawaii! :D On Saturday we have our first running club dinner, and I'm looking forward to that too.

Off to the chiro. Best to all,

Natasha

[badunnin]

Nat - as I may have posted before, racing by myself (either running alone or not having a spectator there for me) just doesn't appeal to me.

[Natasha]

Nat - as I may have posted before, racing by myself (either running alone or not having a spectator there for me) just doesn't appeal to me.

I know... and hopefully (and quite possibly?) Detroit will work out for some sort of VRB group trip. :) Just throwing that out there as a suggestion and to offer encouragement that you can do it, regardless of whether or not you've got physical support there. When you're a VRB, in a sense you never run or race alone ;)

Natasha

[SusanMac]

Aggie - Excellent finds! I was originally looking at spring races, but more and more it looks like that might not work for me, regardless of location. All 3 Oct events look good. And I like the relay idea. I will be burned out by then, so tough to predict what distance I'd feel like running. Leaning toward Detroit. Although I have family in Austin, so can always justify a trip (even though it complicates my social obligations)

No swim today. I don't feel guilty tho :-)

We just picked up Bode. They said he was a perfec gentleman with no whining or barking after we left. Even if they say that to all owners, I absolutely love it when vets tell me that! He's quite groggy. Didn't get the bed finished (I had warned DH it wasn't realistic....ummm...I have to work!), but will get that done this weekend. Nothing special, just a new fluffy gift.

I'm off to spin on the trainer, then watch the pup for the evening.

[aggie94]

I wasn't deliberately choosing fall races - just turned out that way. Spring events are coming up quick, and nothing popped up that caught my eye (and I was strictly looking for marathon relay events, so we could run as a team - I think it would be a lot of fun, and I like that most of them have the legs broken up into varying distances), but I will go back to the list that Susan (I think) posted last week and see if anything else would interest me.

[Elizabeth B]

Hello all!

Eva - How are you and DH feeling? Is his meniscus improving? There is a big difference between the smaller races and the big events, isn't there? We have a small half-marathon here that has the best "goodie bags" of any race I've ever been to, large or small, and parking/shuttles/taxis aren't a problem.

Natasha - Have fun at your running club dinner! And WOW, you won a trip to Hawaii. My MIL went last year and told us that everyone needs to go to Hawaii at least once in their lifetime.

Susan - I'm glad Bode came through his surgery ok. And I'm sure your vet was telling the truth - that he was a perfect dog gentleman.

By the way, Speedo is having a great sale on its website. Racing suits are expensive, so check it out - there are some great deals.

A fall VRB get-together race is more realistic for me than a spring race, since I'm pretty well committed this spring. I'd be open to the idea of going to Detroit, Austin (I've always wanted to visit) or Denver (DH has relatives there).

Oh, I almost forgot my report - last night was track practice and while I know we're fortunate that we didn't get the bad weather many areas did, it was still plenty cold for us - around 27 degrees. My facial expression was stuck in a grimace and I couldn't speak very well. But I got through it and the temperatures are on their way up (a little), so all is good.

Take care, all!

[Kathy B]

Today was walking, running and hill intervals on the TM; Bourne Identity was the movie since there was no 24 episode today. Nothing planned tomorrow since it's a work day.

Susan, I am just shaking my head. You draw the line at ZERO degrees??!! :eek: (as I sit here typing in my coat! :o ) I don't have any races planned for now although I've been watching. I thought the Mother's Day race was an annual thing, but I haven't seen anything about it for this year. I'd love to think about a VRB race, but it's hard to plan trips very far ahead with the kids' hectic schedules during school.....

Natasha, WOW! You won a trip to Hawaii?? Congratulations!!!!! When do you go? You must be so excited! :)

Wishing everyone good runs tomorrow (or swims, or biking, or yoga.....:D ).

[Leslie Ferguson]

Busy week here -- working hard, playing hard, and planning a trip I won from work. Destination: Hawaii! :D On Saturday we have our first running club dinner, and I'm looking forward to that too.
Need a bag boy? ;) Depending on the date I might be available. Shoot, I'd even be bag boy for DH. Plus I know my way around the island a little. Running club dinner sounds like fun. Theme? Hope the chiro went well.

Susan - I'm glad you draw the line at ZERO when it comes to running too. ;) I hope Bode is getting better and the bed gets finished - sounds like a project but something you're looking forward to.
seathyme - Sounds like winter is hitting Boston again. I wasn't really expecting scores from the test but given that I've got them now that's one more thing behind me - and a little stress reduction. Now I've got to keep my sanity through the end of February and I'm in like Flynn. And single digits and wind... NO FUN! Stay warm.
Eva - Glad you're feeling better and thanks for looking the races up. I'm definitely not looking that far out - hopefully I'll be busy come October and unable to get away (financially and time wise being in school).

Howdy to Bethany, Betsy, Lori, and Kathy B!

I got a spin in today - about 50 minutes. It was pretty cold and windy outside today. Nothing like single digits but wind chills in the 20s, besides I had to do something to earn my pay. ;) Tomorrow could be a wild run - we're headed out at 6 pm for a run - as long as it isn't raining (I hope).

Talk to you all later. Happy trails,
Les

[MNGirlTX]

Good morning, all! Happy Thursday - it looks like I may actually work a full day today! The skies are cloudy, but no precip as of this time. We'll see. We're under a winter storm watch until Sunday, I think. And, I'm planning to drive to Austin on Saturday (about 4 hours) for a wedding celebration, so I hope the weather holds.

On the subject of races, this was in my e-mail this morning. For myself, March is a little soon since I'm still working out my foot issues, but I thought I'd pass it on:

http://www.rocknrelays.com/details.htm

Have a great day!

Lori

[badunnin]

Just a quick fly-by to say hello to everyone! I just got back from mom and dad's, and mentioned that the VRBs were considering Detroit as an option. If you guys do head out this way, either formally or informally, I'd like to host pasta dinner the night before, and mom would like to help out the team financially. :) She'll be running with us. Virtually, of course. ;)

[SusanMac]

You should definitely know I was *joking* about drawing the line at zero. I have no idea where I draw the line. It depends on my mood just as much as temp, I think. I did go for a run last year & my MP3 player froze up :-)

Got in a swim & bike spin today. Sidewalks a touch too icy to run, which makes me nervous even w/my Yaktrax.

Badunnin - Support us financially? Will your parents be our "sponsor"? We can wear their names on our shirts :-)

KathyB - I love that movie. Of course, I loved the book & love Matt Damon (& the Run Lola Run girl, too). So when they came out w/a movie, I was an automatic fan.

Nat - Very jealous of the free Hawaii trip! That sounds fab

[Leslie Ferguson]

Lori - I assume the relays are in Dallas (or nearby) and FWIW March could be a yucky month because of an extended business trip.
Bethany - I'm getting tempted to go to Detroit now...
Susan - I didn't really figure you balked at running in the really cold temps - I'm not sure what my threshold is but it depends on precip and wind as much as temp - I can always layer/bundle (4 long sleeve shirts in Newport when the base temp was 11 is proof positive).

Quick run report - even though the traffic was horrendous and tried to keep me from a group run I went out for ~68-69 minutes and ran in the drizzle around the lake at Mt. Trashmore. The guy I was running with said we were moving a little - we might have been but I was busy trying to keep warm (lined Gore Tex pants did help). Threw my system off though - didn't eat dinner until after running at ~8 pm. :eek: I'll be fine but my clock is off now. :(

Time to head home for the night... who starts in the morning?

Happy trails,
Les