Virtual Running Buddies -- Week of March 21

[seathyme]

Starting off the week with a 4.5 mile run logged. Once again it was windy enough to blow Mary's DD's into the harbor! Welcome to March in New England. But howling wind or not, I now must focus on work; what a shame, when running and cooking and reading novels is so much more fun!

Have a good new VRB week, all.:cool:

[Natasha]

Seathyme, thanks for starting us off! Good job on the windy run. Hope Mary's DDs are hanging in there :cool: Hope the work goes well.

I ran yesterday and plan to spin today. *Maybe* a short outdoor ride, but I've been fighting something off these past few days, so perhaps not. I started my four-day weekend yesterday (day off yesterday; Good Friday today). Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and happy Easter to those who celebrate it!

Vicci, glad the party went well and I do have to check out that cake you mentioned. Speaking of cake, I'm off to find an orange cake recipe and then get off the PC :)

Natasha

[SusanMac]

Canadians get Fri & Mon off, too?? I knew the Brits did. Please join the rest of us heathens who have to work :-) Actually, even if my clients were closed today I'd definitely be working.

I've been watching the snow fall nonstop all morning, sipping my coffee. Part of me wants to curl up w/a book. But, will just hunker down & get as much work done as possible before the weekend. The little breaks to play chase-the-bracelet with Merckx are nice :-)

Planning a spin this afternoon.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Susan - It must be snowing like crazy up there. I saw something on the Weather Channel that you had at least 4" (that was before I went for my run). This non-heathen would be/has been working today, and would normally be working tomorrow, and Sunday this week - just ask our famous seathyme all about that. Hope you had a good spin today and didn't wig the cat out too much.

Speaking of seathyme... thank you for starting us with a run report on this blustery Friday. Grace to you as you really prepare for the weekend.

Natasha - I hope that you aren't coming down with something now - that would be really terrible. Good that you got a good spin in yesterday and hopefully you get outside for a ride today. Regardless, get better ok?

It was a bit blustery but nothing like the rest of the country. I think it's about 50 or 51 but there's a nice stiff breeze from the WNW at about 15-20 mph. Still, took an normal run (60 minutes) and will finish my cool down as I get ready to make some dinner for one of my classmates whose wife had a baby Wednesday. I'm up to make dinner and I'm going to make something easy: Oven-fried chicken, mac&cheese, and green beans. That should do them wonders.

Hope all are well and I'll see you later.

Happy trails and happy Easter,
Les

[Robyn1007]

Well, I nearly talked myself out of today's run. :rolleyes: It's windy out so I get nervous about dust in my eyes since I'm super sensitive to it. But, oldest friend came to my rescue and claimed he was going for a run very hungover (he's an army boy) and then I felt like I'd be a wuss if I didn't get one it. ;) So I did. It felt okay, although a little tougher just because of the wind. I'm wearing a heartrate monitor and my max was down from 197 on Wednesday to 181 today although average was exactly the same.

I'll be skiing both Saturday and Sunday so those will be my workouts. Hopefully I won't be too sore from running. YIKES! :eek:

[seathyme]

Wow Robyn, those max heart rates are high. Every body is different so maybe that is typical for you. If not, you might want to slow down just a little as you're building up an endurance base. Not that you asked for advice -- but my self interest is to keep you running and posting here!:p

Susan, it must be so much fun to have a kitten around. Loved the pics of Merckx from last week! Did the vet ask about his name?

Nat, I hope you feel better so you can fully enjoy the 4 days off, or the remaining two anyway.

Les, you should also enjoy what might be one of the last work-free Easter weekends you'll have for a good long time!

Hi to everyone else and happy weekend.

[Robyn1007]

Yeah, I was a bit alarmed of Wednesday so to see it drop that much in one day was encouraging for me. I'm going to see how it goes for a couple more days. I don't feel like it's hurting too much and it may have something to do with altitude and such but my average is right in the range for increasing fitness. I'll definitely keep an eye on them.

[SusanMac]

Robyn - It's so fun to have you as a regular around here! Not wanting to be a wuss compared to your friends is an excellent & common motivator to get out the door :-) I'm w/Seathyme....180-197 is a low, easy run HR for you??

Nat - Good luck staving off that cold. Believe it or not, DH & I both caught colds from.....Merckx! He came here sneezing w/a runny nose. Then DH got it. Then I got it. The vet said that's extremely common w/shelter cats. Who knew!

Les & Seathyme - I forgot how much work you guys have for holidays like this! Wishing you both joyous weekends. I hope you have nice, clear spring weather to keep the mood going!

I got a ton of things checked off my to-do list today, including just wrapping up a spin! Felt very good. My 3rd workout this week, and I'm planning on Sat & Sun, too.

[VictoriaL]

Seathyme, great run even with the wind. This may be your only one for a few days, with all you have yet to do this weekend. I hope that the weather clears up so you can at least *think* of springtime!

Susan, your part of the country is getting Christmas weather! :) We're only to get an inch or two, but I'm hoping for less since we have a 2+-hour trip north to visit my parents until Tuesday. On Christmas Day it was 43 degrees there, Sunday is supposed to be in the mid-30's...
And aren't kittens a load of fun?!?!

Nat did you rest or try the short outdoor ride? Hope you can shake off that nasty thing you've been feeling.

Les that's so nice of you to make dinner for your friends when you're so busy this weekend. :) Good that you were able to get out for a run, though.

Robyn I had to read your HR readings twice before I believed my eyes. I once got to about 170 and was afraid that my heart would explode... of course, I'm older than you are. :o

As I mentioned above, tomorrow morning we are heading to my parents' to spend Easter with my family. It seems so weird. Easter is my second-favorite baking holiday and this year all I was able to get together was anise cookies (must have the scent of anise in the house on Good Friday).

I did a great 22 minute spin on the EB this morning. I used my HR monitor for the first time in quite a while (I log my runs in, and my last session read "trail run 1/12 3pm 50 minutes 128bpm" *sigh* 12 hours before my fall *double sigh*

Anyway, my heart rate was the same today. That EB isn't too bad, but I'd so rather be outdoors (ooh! only 3 months until I can!). ;)

Tomorrow is my day for weights and yoga (that doesn't involve too much balancing or crossed-ankles) but I may do another session on the EB since Mom has been baking for a few weeks... how can I say no?!?!?

Hi to all and hope that everyone has a great weekend!

[Robyn1007]

Okay, just to clarify, my average heart rate is 147 those two numbers were just a max number at some point. Certainly I couldn't maintain at that number and I hope to see both numbers come down quickly. For all I know those high numbers could have happened while I freaked about unleashed dogs. I have scars on my hand to prove that even the nicest of labs can turn mean in an instant. Even when it's your dad's dog so unleashed dogs freak me out. :eek::o

[Leslie Ferguson]

Robyn - It sounds like you were happy to go out today even with the wind. I'm with seathyme, I'd be concerned if my heart rate were that high, or even over about 170 (data point - 45 y.o. male) but I can understand why yours might have been that high and why you weren't too concerned. 147 as an average hr isn't bad. Enjoy your skiing this weekend.
seathyme - Thanks and I'm going to enjoy a quiet-ish weekend although it's been a busy "work" week for me with leadership roles in 3 services and a vigil already and I have a feeling that I may get pressed into something on Sunday at Dad's place. Sending calming thought for the remainder of your weekend.
Vicci - That is kind of freeky that you found your HRM and it had your last run logged in but it's good that your hr hasn't taken a vacation while you've been away from the training world. Ainse cookies? That's a new tradition by me but it sounds like something worth looking in to. Actually, cooking like I did today is somewhat theraputic and as a labor of love and community it really wasn't a big deal - planning was the hardest thing.

Speaking of which, there was a happy dance going when I brought dinner. Comfort food for Mom and Dad (all from the CL Cookbook - although I can't remember which one it was right now). They were both so happy and I bet their young son (in a high chair) will like the mac&cheese. I'll be traveling tomorrow so probably no run to speak of and it won't be very spring-like here - they're talking about freezing temperatures by Sunday.

Have a great remainder of the weekend and Happy Easter.
Les

[VictoriaL]

Okay, just to clarify, my average heart rate is 147 those two numbers were just a max number at some point. Certainly I couldn't maintain at that number and I hope to see both numbers come down quickly. For all I know those high numbers could have happened while I freaked about unleashed dogs. I have scars on my hand to prove that even the nicest of labs can turn mean in an instant. Even when it's your dad's dog so unleashed dogs freak me out. :eek::o

It was clear to me that those were your max numbers, but I'm surprised at how high they were. Occasionally a deer of some wildlife will appear out of nowhere on the trail while I'm in the middle of a run and startle me, but those hr numbers will spike around 170.

I love my hr monitor. ;)

Les anise cookies are a tradition in my Italian family. It's just not Easter without that scent in the air. I did, however, have to box them up and put them in the car to keep us from eating them. Neither DH nor I have much in the way of willpower!

Have a good trip and visit with family this weekend. You need a nice, long break! :)

[newsomz]

Hi to All!

Les - Glad to hear your weekend is more relaxing than the past few weeks! I'm sure your mac-n-cheese was very much appreciated :) I love it when people cook for me!

Vicci - Those anise cookies sound good. I'll have to go check your blog for the recipe. And great job on the EB sessions!

Robyn - Good to hear you've gotten a few more runs in.. I think we'll be seeing you around here more :) Have fun skiing this weekend. I only went on one ski trip this year.. a pity since it seems to have been a good season!

Susan - Great job on the spin! What workouts are you doing this weekend?

Natahsa - I hope you've kicked the cold by now!

seathyme - You continue to amaze me and are getting some great miles in. Keep up the great work!

The horticulture club had a strawberry fund raiser so I ended up picking up my flat of strawberries yesterday. Today I'm busying making jam so no workouts. Tomorrow I'll be going for a 12k run. Next weekend is my 10k... I'm very excited as it will be my first race in probably 4 years or so :)

[seathyme]

All this good food.... you all are making my mouth water! I'll be roasting lamb tomorrow afternoon, to go with asparagus and new potatoes, yum.

Robyn, the 147 avg seems very normal (are you in your 30s?), and a dog scare could definitely cause a spike. I'll bet you'll see those top numbers come down pretty quickly as you get acclimated to running. Good job getting out there even when you don't entirely feel like it; this is my biggest issue with running, for sure. What never fails is being *really* glad afterward.

Hey Mary, did you and DDs get home okay? I envy you the warmth and flowers of Fresno at this time of year, sigh.

Happy Easter, to all those who celebrate it! "See" you on the other side.

[Natasha]

Hi everyone, and Happy Easter!

Susan, we don't get Monday off (well, government and such does, but not the rest of us) - just Friday for the rest of us. I took off Thursday as well to celebrate my mom's birthday. If it makes you all feel better, though, I did/do have work to do on the 4-day weekend ;)

I can't believe you got that much snow! We might get snow again this week. UGH. It's not good snow for snowshoeing or othe outdoor activities, and it's not festive and Christmas-timey, so I just want it to be gone now. I had NO idea you could catch a cold from a cat! Very interesting. Hope you and DH are both 100% now!

Robyn, good job on the run, and I hope you enjoyed your skiing weekend.

Vicci, hope you had a great Easter with your family. It's too bad you couldn't do all the baking you normally would, but at least you made the anise cookies :) BTW, did I mention that a friend gave me a subscription to Canadian Living for my birthday? (I'd let my sub lapse some time ago.) I made the penne with tomato lentil sauce from the April issue yesterday - pretty tasty and certainly healthy.

ktg, I made the tofu burritos based on the Tex-Mex Tofu Burrito recipe in the Complete CL cookbook (used the recipe but as I usually do I made some modifications). I'd made them before and find them very tasty but I think you would probably have to like tofu in a fairly undisguised form to enjoy them. Definitely recommended as a quick meal for tofu lovers. Are you still travelling a lot these days?

Carrie, I'm so envious about your strawberries!! How was your jam-making day? And the 12k run? Glad you're so pumped about your upcoming race.

Les, sounds like you're having a relaxing weekend with your family and the comfort food sounds like just the ticket. I'm not surprised that it was so appreciated by everyone.

Seathyme, enjoy your festive-sounding meal! You deserve to really indulge after all that running you've been doing. :)

Pretty nice weekend here so far. We did get in a short outdoor ride on Friday, on our mountain bikes. Yay! I wanted to go out again for longer yesterday but it was cold and I wimped out. I think I managed to dodge catching the cold in earnest, but didn't want to take a chance of it coming back. Friday and Saturday I did indoor spins, and Saturday I also did lower body weights. Today I ran about 11 miles, which I hadn't done for a LONG time. Trying to keep my options open for a possible half marathon this spring.

Hi to Mary, Betsy, Legolas, Kathy B (hope you're enjoying the extended family time), and everyone else.

Take care, everyone,
Natasha

[Leslie Ferguson]

seathyme - I hope that you and DH aren't too tired after a busy weekend. Hopefully you get tomorrow (and part of the rest of the week off to compensate). I hope you get some of the weather we had down here tomorrow and Tuesday too (it was pretty nice and mostly clear).
Vicci - It's neat to hear about family traditions and I'd never heard about anise cookies for Easter before. Sounds divine and the smell would be too much for me too.
Natasha - Now your 4-day weekend makes sense, Happy Birthday to your mom too. I'm glad you had a good run today too and that you and DH not only got out on your bikes this weekend but that you've also kicked the cold that was nagging at you.

Speaking of cooking and neat meals - we had our "traditional" Easter dinner today which has become curry (don't ask, I'm not sure how that has become our Easter meal for the past 3 years but...). My sister and I did most of the preparation - she precooked and chopped the chicken yesterday and made a big fruit salad today and I did most of the chopping and cooking of rice and curry - quite tasty and quite a hit. It was a new recipe for me, one of my Mom's new recipes from a book that is supposed to help build brain power starting with food (she turns 70 in May). After all was said and done I took off for an hours run and loved every minute of it. It was ~50 and a gentle breeze in my face on the road out. The hills here are a little different than the ones at home, a lot more rolling, so it made for a different run and still probably had much of the same elevation gain and loss along the way just spread out over a longer distance.

Driving home tomorrow and it's time to head to bed - long day with all the festivities.

Take care all and Happy trails,
Les

[Robyn1007]

Thanks everyone for the input on the HR. I'll definitely keep a closer eye on it, I want to see if I can set it up to set off an alarm only if it goes above, say 170 so I can get a better idea of when it's happening.

I had a fantastic weekend of skiing. Yesterday was the last day of coaching for the season so it was bittersweet. Today I skied with a friend from a skiing BB and we had a BLAST. Well, except for coming upon a very bad accident with patrol doing CPR. With a child watching. :(:(:( But, I managed to forget sunscreen as it's normally in my makeup and I forgot to put that on this morning. :eek: Yep, I have a racoon face sunburn. :rolleyes: Now, I've just spent the last 5 hours making biscuits and gravy for my office for tomorrow, enough to feed 25.

Leslie, your Easter sound very nice.

Newsomz, those strawberries sound so yummy!

Natasha, I'm looking forward to when I have the time to get out for an outdoor ride. Hope you keep warding off that cold.

Hi Seathyme, Vicci and Susan.

[MaryH]

Hey Mary, did you and DDs get home okay? I envy you the warmth and flowers of Fresno at this time of year, sigh.

Happy Easter, to all those who celebrate it! "See" you on the other side.


Happy Easter to all. It was so nice to actually get to put a face to the name.

We did (finally). Friday we spent packing, taking to T to Cambridge - trying to walk around in that bitterly cold wind. Then to Newbury Street. But I honestly just wanted to be inside. Luckily we all had hats and gloves because it just hurt to be outside if you didn't.

Flew out and got into SF at about 10:30 p.m. Stayed overnight at the hotel near the airport where I had left the car. Next day we drove to Carmel (because that is where DDs dad is) and stayed there overnight. Sunday - ended up going to Santa Cruz and the boardwalk - and then met with some of DDs cousins for a little bit. Did not make it home until after 8:00 p.m.

But I do have to say that I am happy to be home. :D And yes it's definitely warmer here. :D

[SusanMac]

Happy Mon, runners! Geez, that came about too quickly for me. But, I did have a really nice productive weekend.

Sat was just a hike at the dog park. But, w/the deep powder & hills, I'm counting it as my workout. Sun was running w/a few friends. We decided to hit the trails & tromped through deep snow once again. So, my quads & hamstrings are feeling quite healthy today. I plan to spin later.

Robyn - Sorry to hear about the ski accident. But, glad you had a nice weekend to wrapup the season. I played hooky from work once to go skiing w/DH....got raccoon sunburn....so had to call in sick the next day so no one would know what I was *really* doing :-)

Vicci - I've never made anise cookies! But want to try

MaryH - good to hear from you. It's been a while.

Nat - jealous of your outdoor bike ride! I've seen quite a few folks around here doing it, but I'm still not ready w/all the muck on the roads. Soon, though

I finally got new scooters over the weekend. Decided to stick w/the same kinds. Asics Foundation (motion control). I'm not 100% convinced I have to have motion control (the last guy said I did), but I do like them & have not been in the mood to check out 10 new kinds. Do you know that feeling?? Oi.

We had a fab Easter dinner, I must say. I know you guys can appreciate the good feeling of making a stellar dinner. I made polenta, sauteed spinach, braised cannellini beans w/carrots, and pan-seared lamb w/a red wine reduction. Then our neighbor brought over some homemade cookies. It was a really nice evening.

I'm off to NY tomorrow for another work trip. Bringin' my new shoes!

Hi to Les, Newsomz, Seathyme, Legolas, TKay & the rest o' the gang. Anyone heard from Aggie lately? I wonder how the race training is coming along.

[Robyn1007]

Robyn - Sorry to hear about the ski accident. But, glad you had a nice weekend to wrapup the season. I played hooky from work once to go skiing w/DH....got raccoon sunburn....so had to call in sick the next day so no one would know what I was *really* doing :-)



That's always a concern when you are *sick* on those random days. Actually, I have 3 more weekends before the major resorts close and then Arapahoe Basin will likely be open into June. I'm looking at somewhere around 40 ski days this year! :D So, while this was race season wrap up it certainly was not ski season wrap up.

Susan, I wish I'd been at your house for dinner, that sounds fabulous!

[mcgeiger]

I'll chime in...

Saturday I ran 10 miles in just under 2 hours. The half is April 14th...
I planned on running a medium distance of 4-5 today, but I my back won't let me stand up straight. and I"m no longer in the mood, go see other stuff thread...)

I just wanted to add that my max HR will hit the 170s on the hills around here as well...I wonder how much elevation would affect this? But my RR is in the 70s anyway....

I'm a little behind on catching up with everyone individually, so I'll start fresh on the next thread....;)

[SusanMac]

McGeiger - Maybe a run is just the stress release you need!! This may sound weird, but sometimes I really enjoy running when I'm angry or frustrated.

Just got done w/a spin. My legs were sore, so I kept the drills to a minimum & truly just spun (spinned?)

I was hoping it would put me more in the mood to work....but it didn't. Oh well.

Later

[Natasha]

Hi everyone,

Susan, nice job on the spin. I do hear you about not wanting to try out a gazillion pairs of shoes and experiment. If the Asics work for you, why not stick with them, right? I went from MC with orthotics to stability without orthotics with my last pair (not the current pair, the one before) - that was weird at first, but the soles of the MC shoes told the tale, so I gave stability a try.

Kelly, great to see you here! Good job on the run but too bad about the work stuff (saw your other post) :( Also sorry to hear about your back. Is that from the run?

Mary, welcome home!

Robyn, how sad about the accident :( Nice to hear that in general, though, the ski weekend was good.

Sounds like there were lots of good eats to be had this weekend!

Planned rest day today, with lots of yoga and stretching. Maybe some core. Take care, everyone,

Nat

[mcgeiger]

I'm not sure what caused the back problem, but I pretty much can't stand up straight. I've taken advil, streched, tried laying flat...as long as I don't try to stand up straight I feel fine...
Hopefully it'll be all better tomorrow!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Robyn - What a bittersweet day, a good skiing day then the accident. Sorry that you got burned, isn't it odd that we still forget to put on/do things that we normally do when we get a little out of rhythm. Biscuits for 25 people, sounds like a chore.
Susan - Good spin today. I fully understand not wanting to try on all the new scoots and just sticking with tried-and-true.
mcgeiger - sorry your back is bugging you and that's great that you stuck it out and got out on the road wven with the pain. Hopefully it gets better tomorrow.
Nat - Enjoy your rest with core and all.

I had a good trip back from Appomattox today after a very relaxing weekend. Funny thing today, it was snowing when we left but warm enough that it wasn't sticking. After I got home I took a spin, not because I really wanted to spin but it was getting a little late and it was looking a little blustery. 60+ on the trainer and I'm happy as a clam. Off again tomorrow so I'll try to be productive, ;) or not.

Happy trails,
Les

[seathyme]

Belated yay to Nat on 11 weekend miles -- when will you be deciding about the half?

Kelly, sorry about your back. I hope it's feeling better today.

Susan, give a wave to my brother while you're in NY.:D

I'm very happy to report 7 miles this morning. For some reason it felt smoother and easier than my runs have in quite some time. Dunno why but I'll take it. (It did help that the wild winds we've had lately have subsided -- sorry Mary, but it's beautiful in Boston today.)

Hello to everyone else -- it's really great to have so many VRB's these days.

[SusanMac]

Nat - Tell me about the soles of your shoes when switching from MC to stability! When my shoe guy told me to switch to MC, he was watching my stride. I'd be curious to learn how the wear on your shoes indicated which kind to get.

Seathyme - Waving from NY ;-)

Actually, I'm in Jersey City looking at Manthattan/Wall St (as this is where my client is). Luckily the hotel snuck me in early so I don't have to sit, work & do conference calls from the lobby. I'm really tempted to sneak in a run, but know I should get more work done b4 my marathon offsite meetings begin tomorrow. Headed into Manhattan for Italian tonight. Indian planned for Thurs night.

Later

[Robyn1007]

Seathyme, isn't it great when running (or cycling or skiing) feels better than you expect?

Susan, enjoy italian in NYC tonight!

Les, I think you deserve some non-productive time. ;)

Nat, stupid question here, what are MC shoes?

Well, I've got a run planned this evening. I really should have done it yesterday but considering I'd run or skied 3 days in a row I thought I'd give my body a break last night. I'm going to try to watch the HR monitor more closely to see what's going on.

[seathyme]

I'm really tempted to sneak in a run, but know I should get more work done b4 my marathon ...... tomorrow.

And it's generally a good idea to rest before a marathon, anyway, right? ;)

Have a good run tonight, Robyn! You said it here; now you gotta do it.:D

[Robyn1007]

Have a good run tonight, Robyn! You said it here; now you gotta do it.:D

Ummm, yeah, that's exactly why I posted it here. :p;):D

[newsomz]

Well, I had time to read everyone's reply's but I won't have time to respond to everyone individually :(

Robyn - I look forward to hearing about that run!

Kelley - Sorry to hear about the back & work problems. Glad to see you here, though.

Susan - Have fun in NYC!! Wish I were there to eat Indian with you tomorrow or Italian tonight!

Everyone else - Great job on the recent runs, spins & skiing.

I snuck in a 5k today just before the sun really started to drop. I'm looking forward to my race on Sat.. Now I just have to book a rental car or bus ticket to get up to my parents house.. My car is no longer reliable/safe on the highway and riding the bike might wear me out!

[Robyn1007]

Good luck on the race on Saturday Carrie!

I got my run in and while the average heart rate is not reliable as for some reason the monitor wasn't happy today while I was walking (kept loosing my heart beat completely) it was fine while running and the max was 158 so YAY, much better than before. I really concentrated on breathing when it got tough going up the little hills and such so maybe I was holding my breath causing some of the spikes. :rolleyes:;)

[Leslie Ferguson]

Carrie - Sorry your car isn't behaving well these days. I hope that it isn't too costly for you to either get it fixed or replaced. I'm glad you're ready for your race, I just hope that the car isn't too much of a damper.
Robyn - I know how frustrating a HRM can be. I used to have problems with mine picking me up before the battery in the display/watch died. Sometimes I had issues when the monitor was right in the middle of my chest and I also had problems because of body fat percentage. You might want to try moving the sensor to one side or the other (if there's only one sensor). I used to get pretty good results by moving the sensor just left of center. Breathing and hydration are two simple things that will impact your heart rate. Hydration is one of the things that people don't think about but my heart rate went up when I was dehydrated.
seathyme - That's great that you had a good run this morning and got 7 miles in too. Lack of wind will make things seem a little easier all around so maybe that's it. Love the comment about resting before the marathon (meeting). :D
Susan - Hope the run went well today and that your meeting tomorrow isn't too terrible.
mcgeiger - Sometimes my back acts up when I'm stressed or holding things in - maybe that was the culprit for you too. I hope your back is better.

It's nice being off this week. Slept in, did some puttering around the house and hacked around with a scholarship application and had to relook at my taxes (long story about a retroactive VA disability payment during last year). After lunch I got out in a pretty stiff breeze (19 gusting to 25) but hit up an hour. I'm feeling a lot better about the race in about 6 weeks - which is good because a couple weeks ago I wasn't. Tomorrow I'll be later getting out because I've got to take LW's car to the muffler place (first one since 1999).

Happy trails all and good evening,
Les

[newsomz]

Carrie - Sorry your car isn't behaving well these days. I hope that it isn't too costly for you to either get it fixed or replaced. I'm glad you're ready for your race, I just hope that the car isn't too much of a damper.

Actually, I'm thinking of not replacing my car. It is a 20 yr old Honda and has served me well but currently I am not in much need of it. I cycle commute to work (and have for the past 2 years) and live in a fairly small town so I can run my errands on the bike. For road trips I'm renting a car anyway so I might just continue on with that. Plus, it gives me a "reason" to spend a little money on my bike, right :)

[TKay]

Hi, everyone, hi! I have been so outta the loop. I've been super busy with work and the kids are off on break. Forgive me for dropping out for a while. I have no runs to report, but wanted to touch base. Sounds like everyone is keeping at it. Hooray!
I'll pop back in when I have time for personal responses. In the meantime, run on.

[Natasha]

Quick pop-in:

TKay, hi!! Great to see you. Have a good break with the kids.

Susan, hope you're enjoying NYC and the great food! Re: your question, it became obvious that I was wearing down the sides of my soles much more than the middle, so the two (knowledgeable, which was nice as they're not always in these stores) guys at the running store steered me towards a stability shoe. I ended up taking out the orthotics, too. I'd run with both motion control and orthotics for years with success, but the speculation is that once my pelvis shifted and left hip flexor "unlocked" through work with my osteo/physio guy, my needs changed.

Robyn, you've probably already figured out now that MC = motion control ;) Good work on your last run!

Kelly, hope your back is all better now.

Les, glad your week off is nice and that you got in a run. How is LW's car?

Seathyme, that's awesome that you had one of those fluid runs. I'll make a call on the half once I see how my next few runs go. There are a few in this area in the spring so part of the decision is whether to do one, and if so, the next part will be choosing one!


Carrie, that's cool about all the bike commuting you're able to do. Keep getting pumped about the race!

Okay, so this was not so short after all. Got in a good 50 minute spin last night. Debating running tonight but I might bag it and do yoga and more core, and some weights.

Take care, all
Nat

[Leslie Ferguson]

Actually, I'm thinking of not replacing my car. It is a 20 yr old Honda and has served me well but currently I am not in much need of it. I cycle commute to work (and have for the past 2 years) and live in a fairly small town so I can run my errands on the bike. For road trips I'm renting a car anyway so I might just continue on with that. Plus, it gives me a "reason" to spend a little money on my bike, right :)
Makes all the sense in the world to me. If I were in your shoes (on your wheels) then I'd be looking to get rid of the car too. Still, for around town it doesn't sound like a bad thing to have just in case. It does sound like a great plan to me. I hope you continue to get stoked for the race too.
TKay - Welcome back. We've missed you too and hope you can come back and chat when there's more time.
Nat - Thanks for the good update, 50 minutes of spinning sound divine. It's good to hear as a reminder how we do change over time when it comes to shoes and clothing needs. I'll think good thoughts about a half-marathon for you too. LW's car is fine, and in less than an hour and $300+ poorer the car sounds like a car again as opposed to a dump truck. That should help things get along too, Hondas are a little particular when it comes to the exhaust system (mileage drops when there's a problem with the muffler - don't ask it just happens).

As for the remainder of the day I took advantage of ~70 degree weather and took a ride outside and had about 17 or 18 miles up and down the hills on the mountain bike. Nice to take a break from a run today and get a bunch of stuff taken care of. The remainder of the night will probably include installing my DSL (I'm finally getting to the late 20th century) so I can get off dial-up.

Hope all are well and I'll be in touch. Happy trails,
Les

[VictoriaL]

Hi everyone!

I hope that, to those who celebrate Easter, your holiday was a nice one. It’s the second biggest day of the year for my family, and since my Mom had walking pneumonia during Christmas, this year Easter had an extra spark to it. :) Unfortunately, I ate like a pig. Although my ankle was at week #10 of its repair, I was still forced to sit a lot. And was brought food without even having to expend a calorie in retrieving it for myself (I swear, the trays of cookies, nut roll, and pizelles constantly appeared beside me and, as I’ve mentioned before, I have no willpower…). The result was that I feel like a big ol’ slug. I will not weigh myself for at least another week. The depression of seeing those certainly higher-than-usual numbers will kill me. ;)

Today I programmed the EB for 25 minutes and at a “steep hill” setting for the middle 12 ½ minutes. Yikes. But I would think about the chocolate-covered eggs (coconut, pb, fruit & nut, maple nut, and so on) which I consumed and that was a good incentive to just do it! I was totally exhausted after this “ride”, but it felt good.


Carrie How’d the jam turn out? I have 2 jars left from last year and just noticed that strawberries are on sale this week. And I am very jealous that you live where you can walk or bike almost everywhere you need to!
And best of luck with the race day after tomorrow.

Nat I had the penne with tomato/lentil sauce bookmarked and may make it tonight. I think that the photo (in the Easter buffet article) of the butter lettuce salad with the cruet of Green Goddess dressing beside was stylized so nicely-- it looked so much like “spring”! :)

seathyme your Easter menu sounded perfect, even if I don’t eat lamb! And how great about the smooth run—it is well deserved after your windy runs of late.

Les Enjoying your down time?! ;) You’ve been making up on missing those runs during midterms, haven’t you? Good luck on upgrading your internet connection. I’ll be on the dinosaur dial-up for quite some time, I’m afraid.

Susan hope the business trip is going well—hope that the Indian dinner tonight is wonderful!

Robyn when I first started posting here I soon realized that I was doing more on my runs because I “couldn’t get on the VRB thread and tell everyone that I ran a piddly _______ today”. It’s great incentive!

Tkay is sounding a little busy… :D


Little bits of progress- I can now walk down steps almost normally. I have to hold onto the railing because my ankle still doesn’t flex the way it used to, and I have to do a little hop as well, but hopefully this will work itself out in the next few weeks. I am now able to wear slacks and jeans instead of the stretchy pants I’ve been wearing for the last 2 ½ months, and the tendons on the top of my foot are actually somewhat visible indicating that the swelling continues to decrease. Still can’t wear my usual shoes, but that will come soon, I hope. I called the high school nearby and left a message about using their track (figuring that we’ve paid school taxes for 24 years and have no kids, so they could at least allow me to rehab there!) but have yet to receive the return phone call (doesn't anybody answer their phones any more???)

It was in the mid-60’s and sunny yesterday and I wanted to run sooooo badly!

[ktg0930]

Hello runners! It's a beautiful day here in the 60s and sunny and I just completed a 3 mile run (in shorts!) The Knoxville marathon, half and 5K are Sunday and DH and I are doing the 5K. The finish line is the 50 yardline of the UT football stadium so that's pretty cool.

Vicci -- I used my local HS track in NY without permission. It was never locked or anything and lots of people would use it. I usually went in the early morning or in the evening when there wasn't likely to be teams practicing. It's great that you can see and feel improvement in your ankle.

Carrie -- I'm jealous too that you can walk and bike everywhere in your town. Knoxville is unfriendly that way--for biking or walking/running. Luckily, most of my running routes have sidewalk or aren't well-traveled.

Les -- hope you are enjoying your time off.

Susan -- enjoy NYC. I still miss living there sometimes. But not the rent or the lack of space.

Seathyme -- I never realized until recently that March is always an especially windy month. USA today had a blurb on why it is that way...something about changing weather patterns.

Hi Natasha, TKay, Robyn, Kelly, and everyone else.

[Natasha]

Hi,

Vicci, just a quick note that if you make the pasta, you might want to spice it up a bit. I thought it needed a bit of "livening". Didn't keep me from eating it for lunch three days in a row, after the day I first made it, but I did think it needed some more kick.

I plan to make the Green Goddess dressing next week. Looks good!

Nat

[Robyn1007]

Vicci, growing up we always used to use the school tracks for time trials without asking as it is public property (those taxes and all).

While today is a scheduled run day I've been having knee pain this week so I may jump on my bike on the trainer instead so at least I get some workout in. I've got a pretty intense weekend of skiing coming with people in from out of town so I need to conserve for that.

[seathyme]

Kathy and Carrie, good luck with your races this weekend! We will expect reports.;)

Vicci, I'm glad you allowed yourself some Easter indulgence! What's a holiday for, after all? :D You'll get rid of it in no time with high intensity EB minutes. So glad to hear you're getting some visible progress with the healing.

Les, happy DSLing, and great you got in such a good ride yesterday.

Natasha, how great that your hip flexor "unlocked" through your work with the physio! Well worth a new pair of shoes. I guess the shin bone really is connected to the knee bone...

Robyn, definitely a good idea to be careful about knee pain. I used to think I couldn't run at all due to knee pain (tendonitis), but slow rebuilding ultimately worked out. I still try to pay close attention to mechanics to keep from backsliding. Have fun with your ski weekend!

Well this morning's 4 miles were much harder than Tuesday's 7. Go figure. But they're done and in the books, so no complaints. And today's sighting: actual blooming crocuses (croci?). Yeah.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Little bits of progress- I can now walk down steps almost normally. I have to hold onto the railing because my ankle still doesn’t flex the way it used to, and I have to do a little hop as well, but hopefully this will work itself out in the next few weeks. I am now able to wear slacks and jeans instead of the stretchy pants I’ve been wearing for the last 2 ½ months, and the tendons on the top of my foot are actually somewhat visible indicating that the swelling continues to decrease. Still can’t wear my usual shoes, but that will come soon, I hope.
That's normal. I think it took 5 or 6 weeks after my cast to have mostly full range of motion in my knee and I seem to remember the last time I actually sprained my ankle it took a couple weeks (no cast that time) to really feel right when flexing. Once you start being able to flex it most of the way then range of motion (ROM if I slip into that short hand) will come quickly.
I called the high school nearby and left a message about using their track (figuring that we’ve paid school taxes for 24 years and have no kids, so they could at least allow me to rehab there!) but have yet to receive the return phone call (doesn't anybody answer their phones any more???)
As with Robyn and Kathy, I've always been of the school that a public high school track is just that - public. The only time there may be an issue is if the team is using the track or preparing for a meet. Besides that, as long as it isn't gated and locked then I say have at. Even the private high school didn't kick us off for running there, they just closed the track at sunset and one public high school locked their track (liability issues we were told). Enjoy your laps on the track when you feel up to it.

A bit nippy, not cold but damp. But I'm loving the break, having time to do real people things and fiddling with my DSL. So far, my only issue is getting my old ISP to stop wanting to run things (Earthlink wants to run it's tool bar and Verizon doesn't like that all that much) But I won't be defeated.

Happy trails all and see you in the funnies.
Les

[newsomz]

TKay - busy, busy :)

Natasha - Great job on the spin. Did you do yoga? Or go running?

Les - It's wonderful you've been getting in so many workouts on your week off. Great time of the year, too! Glad to hear you got DSL working (mostly).

Vicci - Wow! On the ride. The jam turned out great - very strawberry! In the next day or so I'll be posting the pics & recipe on cooksimple :) I was amazed at how much sugar is in jam.. Holy cow! I'll probably give lots of it away, lol. ps- is the Green Goddess dressing in the latest CL? I've used school tracks (even the University track) without asking, too. Just make sure there's no practices going on (or at least that you don't interrupt them).

Kathy - Sounds like a wonderful day for running! Good luck to you and DH on the 5K. That will be so much fun finishing at the 50 yardline of the football stadium.

Robyn - Have fun on the ride or run - whichever you decide on :)

seathyme - Too bad today's run wasn't as "easy" as Tuesday's. Oh well! I guess spring is finally coming for you ;)

I got in a 5k. Nothing spectacular but I did explore some woods on the edge of my neighborhood. I always wondered where they went and decided to venture through them today. Turns out they go to another neighborhood and in a loop.

Hi to everyone else!!!

[Natasha]

Hi everyone,

Carrie, it's cool to explore new areas on a run, isn't it? To answer your question, I did yoga yesterday. If I don't "see" you before your race, good luck and have fun! The Green Goddess dressing recipe is from Canadian Living. I'll let you know how it turns out, and if you want the recipe by any chance just ask :)

ktg, good luck on your 5k too! That is a neat finish line. There's a race here (also this weekend, actually!) that finishes in an arena. I loved that. That's nice that you're doing the race with DH. Does he run a lot?

Les, enjoy your DSL!! I know you'll love it :cool: That's good that LW's car is purring again, and it sounds well worth it.

Seathyme, crocuses/croci ;) - yay!! I know what you mean about it being weird how a shorter run can be much harder than a longer run - so much depends on the day, doesn't it? Regardless, nice that you got out and your March mileage totals must be mighty respectable.

Vicci, great to hear from you! Sounds like you had a FABULOUS Easter. It's good too to get your update. I hope too that you're back to normal shoes soon. We also just use one of the local HS tracks for track workouts.

I did a gentle run today and enjoyed just being outside and relaxing before dinner (leftover Thai curried shrimp with veggies and rice, which hit the spot post-run).

Hi to Robyn, Susan, Mary, Betsy, Kathy, Legolas, Kelly, and the rest of the gang.

Take care,
Natasha

[Leslie Ferguson]

Isn't spring neat seathyme? I love the croci and tulips (I think) that are coming up all over the place around here. Some days it just doesn't pay to run - 4 harder than 7, all the time down here.
Natasha - Things are great here and it sounds like you were in the good run crowd today along with a couple others these parts. LW is happy as a clam and so am I.
Carrie - Always neat to explore new places with your run - even if it was "nothing special." Good grace and fleet feet for your run this weekend too.
Kathy - Enjoy your run and it sounds like a neat race. You've run it before haven't you?

All things considered it was a good day today: time around the house, time fiddling with the new connection and I think I've got most of it solved now - just a little more tweaking and making sure that mail is going where it should be going. After that I took a long-ish run without any rain but a kind of wicked breeze a couple times. Just wrapping up for the night and might try to bank some sleep before the last 6 weeks of school starts next week. Tomorrow may be an indoor spin - it's supposed to be thunder and lightening tomorrow afternoon which would make for an unpleasant run, especially with all the trees and things around here. :rolleyes:

See you tomorrow and happy trails friends,
Les

[ktg0930]

Carrie--good luck on your race too!

Natasha--DH used to run a lot but doesn't so much anymore. And we won't run the race together...he's far too competitive. I see it as basically just another run and he wants to get the best time he possibly can. After our first race together, which was not a happy time, we now start together and meet at the end.

Les--Yes, I did this race last year. I'm hoping it doesn't rain this year like it did last year. Glad you had a nice run yesterday.

Seathyme--I'm loving the flowers too. There are daffofils everywhere and the trees are flowering.

Natasha--sounds like a nice run and a wonderful dinner. A belated thanks to you for the description of the tofu burritos.

Hello to everyone else.