Virtual Running Buddies 9/26

[Kathy B]

Ran just shy of 4 miles this AM (dang it! If I had known I was that close, I would have circled the block one more time...). Another weekend of sporting events ahead. Plus tonight my mom and favorite aunt are coming for dinner. Hope to watch the debate afterwards.

Tkay, the house was spotless for an hour or so....then the family got home. :D Hope everyone is healthy and happy again at your house!

Natasha, I am watching for your review of Run Fatboy Run. I showed DS the trailer, and he wants to watch it too.

Congrats on the scale results, Robyn! As hard as you play, these days, it really couldn't stay still for long.

Laura, good for you for getting in your TM workout even when you didn't feel like it. Good job!

Have to be at the school in 30 minutes and still need to clean up, so better run. I'll catch up with the rest later.

Wishing you all good runs and a great weekend!

[Natasha]

Hiya Kathy! Thanks for starting us off this week.

I had to laugh about your almost 4 mile run. I have been known to do another lap around the block at the end of a run to achieve a time or distance goal. Sounds like a fun evening ahead with your mom and favourite aunt. Do both live close by?

TKay, glad your son is feeling better.

Les, hope the retreat is going well and I look forward to hearing about it when you return.

Yesterday I ended up doing a spin on the road bike for an hour instead of mountain biking - still very fun. I'm debating whether to run now or just relax and get ready for dinner at the Thai restaurant.

Have a wonderful weekend, all!

[Robyn1007]

Okay, I'm stupid. :rolleyes: I've avoided buying a Strassburg Sock for my foot all summer, had better things to spend my cash on. Finally gave in yesterday, skipped my swim and headed to the running store to buy one. They also sold me this ball thing that has little nubbies that you roll your foot on to massage it. Did a bunch of massage last night then slept in the sock. My freaking foot feels about 60% better. :eek::rolleyes::mad::D Freaking $41 later and it's already feeling better. http://www.theskidiva.com/forums/images/smilies/faint.gif I think I get the dunce cap award for the summer. So, now just cross your fingers that the sales I think are coming in this month do so I can go get fit for a spectacular pair of new running shoes and I'll get started on a treadmill very soon. http://www.theskidiva.com/forums/images/smilies/yahoo.gif

[KValley]

A lurker checking in - Robyn's post on the massage ball and Strassburg sock has prompted me to chime in.

Me: runner who after a year's hiatus from illness, retook to the road in January. I ran a 1/2 marathon in June and a 10k and a couple of 5ks over the summer. I'm now training for the Seattle 1/2 marathon 30 November.

Yesterday I met with a sports podiatrist who diagnosed me with what I already knew- plantar fasciitis in my left foot. It is not from running but rather because I spend my 8-9 hr work day on my feet, often on cement. I also walk to/from work (3 miles RT)- I'm just breaking down that fascial tissue as fast as my little feet will let me! :mad::rolleyes: The pf began a few weeks ago.

I've been wearing Brooks Addiction- which I love. Shin splints were threatening in the spring, but disappeared within days after switching to Addiction. A couple of weeks ago I was fitted for new running shoes. I knew PF was present and the "running specialist" set me up with Asics Gel something or other and inserts. I ran in the Asics a 3-4x on the treadmill and on the road and worked on breaking in the inserts, but my feet have been miserable, so I switched back to my Brooks and made the appointment with the podiatrist.

I brought 4 prs of shoes with me yesterday- the new & old runners and the 2 pr I switch off with for work. Podiatrist said to ditch the Asics- that I'd paid about $50 more for technology that was useless and for shoes that were utterly wrong for my feet, get my feet back into Brooks- either Addiction or Adrenaline for running AND work. Also recommended a moderate motion control New Balance for work that would be a bit cheaper. (to be clear, he said the Asics were excellent shoes for many, just not for me).

He also set me up with a night splint, got me to put a plastic bottle in the freezer for post-run icing and today I will seek out Biosoft insert for work and running shoes and the nubbie massage ball Robyn got yesterday.

The splint is hysterical. It's ENORMOUS. Brendan and I switched sides of the bed so I wouldn't bash him with my apparatus :rolleyes:. Last night wasn't so bad. I'm forced to sleep on my back, which is probably best anyway. I felt like Frankenstein trudging to the bathroom in the middle of the night, but I had no pain this morning. I wore while relaxing on the sofa, watching a movie last night and again this morning, reading. I'm to wear it until the pain is gone.

But I don't have to stop running, which is a great relief. And it's not as if I can quit my job, so taking care of my foot is critical. I returned the Asics, had a good chat with the young woman who sold me inappropriate shoes. She's a champion runner for the U of Washington and entering med school, so I shared with her what I'd learned from the podiatrist. I bought Brooks Adrenaline and a pair of New Balance that were on super sale- both for the price of the scorned Asics.

I also had a massage late yesterday afternoon, which did wonders for the bod and for the tortured mind (no, we did NOT make a run on our just-collapsed bank, though we did visit to pick up some paperwork. The 3 other customers in the bank WERE closing their accounts- one guy had a giant bank deposit envelope and insisted on receiving cash, which emptied out the tellers' coffers. It was a very sobering moment). DH and I went for a long walk after that, then to my massage- both needed for deep emotional breaths.

Now the sun is rising on a glorious autumn day. I'm waiting for Brendan to get himself together, then we are off for a run around Green Lake. I'm aiming for 6 miles...


Robyn, what's a Strassburg Sock? I'm so glad that your foot is feeling better and I send you my thoughts of healing and hope that you make a return to the treadmill very soon.

Have a wonderful weekend, runs and workouts all. I hope you don't mind me jumping in here. I've been grateful for your posts- you have been a source of inspiration to me these past months as I have sought to regain my running mojo.

[newsomz]

Kathy - Great job on the run!

Natasha - Did you go for a run? Or decide on skipping it? We'll be spending most of our time in Grenoble. Me taking French & snowboarding. DBF mostly snowboarding :D I am planning on training through the winter and hope to do a marathon in April over there. I need to get on marathonguide.com and see what I can find.

Robyn - Yay! I am glad to hear the sock/massage combo worked well. I know what you mean about not buying it sooner.. I've done that with a few things :rolleyes:

KValley - Nice to see you on the VRB thread! Welcome :) I am sorry to hear about your plantar faciitis problem but it seems as if you are on the road to recovery. Let us know how it goes. It is good to hear you do not have to stop running while your foot heals!

I stopped by to report my Thursday & Saturday runs! I got in a good 45 min on Thursday.. Still sticking to switching sides of the road to help out my IT band. Today I did my longest run yet - 10 miles! I felt very good and was happy that my IT band didn't act up. I went with a friend who was trying to push me towards 9 min miles but I held my own and we ended up doing 10 min miles. Overall, it was a good, strong run and I was happy to be running in the cool morning weather!

Happy trails. I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!!!

[Kathy B]

Hi, all! No official run today, but I went to a CC meet and in addition to walking a lot, I did a fair amount of jogging with a few intervals thrown in during DS's race in order to cheer for him at several spots. Even ran up a hefty hill at the end to try to make it back to the finish line, but I just missed seeing him cross. Fun day, though...I really enjoy CC meets. Came home and mowed the front/side yards, too, so I am considering myself worked out for today! :D

Carrie, your 10 mile run sounds really great. Nice that you could enjoy it with a friend.

KValley, nice to have you join in. I had Asics for my last 3 pair, but switched to Brooks with my newest pair because the sales person (about as old as my DS) recommended them, and I thought "What the heck, time to try something new." I like these, too.

Glad your foot is better, Robyn. :)

Natasha, I am sure I am an oddity, but I have never eaten Thai food. Which is strange, because DH and I like ethnic foods, and I have tried a lot of different kinds, but not Thai. Is it very different from Chinese?

Hi to Susan, Vicci, Tkay, Les, Kathy, Laura and all that may follow!

[Robyn1007]

Julie, take a look at www.thesock.com for more info on the Strassburg Sock which would be a replacement for your night brace.

I'll check in more later with a ride report with pics. I rode in Summit County during peak Aspen color weekend. :D

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey gang - lots of business on the thread. Welcome KValley, I feel for anyone who suffers from PF. Bad shoes are the culprit more times than people imagine. Glad you got into the correct shoes and hopefully you can actually get back to walking and keep running without further exacerbation. But I can say that PF does take a long time to heal/recover.

Kathy B - Thai food is really good in my book. It tends to be hotter and in my opinion less heavy than Chinese (at least the stuff one normally gets in the states). Fish-sauce is common ingredient as well as garlic and Thai peppers.
Nat - Wondering if you got your spin in or just relaxed until you went to dinner.
Robyn - Love the emoticons. At least you now you are back in battery (as we say).
newsomz - Glad your IT band isn't acting up and you got 10 miles in too.

I had a great retreat this weekend. Planned on it being cooler and less humid than it was all weekend. Nasty humidity had all the papers in our room wilting. Still had fun with my classmates and continued to learn a bit about myself and continued to grow as a community (a big deal for soon to be ministers). Couldn't get out for a run this morning - spent time last night doing important personal things (and some unimportant things like playing "cornhole" - advanced beanbag toss). Now I'm off to finish a couple things that I need for the morning then head to bed - early morning with 6+ hours on the scope at church.

Happy trails all,
Les

[Robyn1007]

Okay, this is going to be a trip report pics. Summit County Dillon almost to Copper and back 23 miles. Altitude beat me up today. Riding with my coach was great and after lunch we took the long way home to see more pretty colors.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/rspeirn/SN7h9q_qivI/AAAAAAAAAVw/F8s8mflEBuU/s576/P9262708.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/rspeirn/SN7h-mJc_bI/AAAAAAAAAWI/nd2B6ffQJ3A/s400/P9272711.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/rspeirn/SN7iAGzOqyI/AAAAAAAAAWg/NHfEzprsuZg/s400/P9272714.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/rspeirn/SN7iAgmbqMI/AAAAAAAAAWo/rpjV77Rpbbc/s576/P9272715.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/rspeirn/SN7iBsGflHI/AAAAAAAAAW8/IH0wbItJUQE/s576/P9272717.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/rspeirn/SN7iDAz7ICI/AAAAAAAAAXY/Tkmhx1N6o_8/s576/P9272721.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/rspeirn/SN7iECkHPRI/AAAAAAAAAXo/TwNgmcnxjjw/s576/P9272723.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/rspeirn/SN7iGjjy_DI/AAAAAAAAAYk/iNPbGUtZMHY/s576/P9272730.JPG

[Leslie Ferguson]

Great pics Robyn. Lovely scenery - nothing like we've got out here (but you know that).

Les

[newsomz]

Great pics Robyn. Thanks for sharing :)

[Natasha]

Hi all!

Robyn, glad the sock seems to be helping. Sounds like you have your riding mojo back too.

Welcome, Julie! Maybe you can convince Maureen (kima) to come visit us here on occasion too :)

Re: PF - I have an IRL running buddy who had luck beating his PF by going to our absolutely amazing physio-unlike-any-other-physio. He needed work much further up on his legs to beat it.

Carrie, Grenoble sounds wonderful. I love your plan of finding a marathon to do over there! Maybe you will do Marathon du Medoc someday :p Congrats on the 10 miler and good for you to stick with the speed that worked for you.

Les, the retreat sounds interesting and most rewarding. We had warmish weather here too this weekend, though not quite hot. Cornhole sounds fun but I think I'd have to start with more basic beanbag toss ;)

Kathy, I agree with Les' assessment of Thai food. Of course, if you enjoy curries with coconut milk (as I do!) some Thai food can be pretty "un-light" - but sooo good. Hope you and your DH try some soon! The CC meet sounds like a fun day and definitely a workout for you too, especially with the lawn mowing.

Hope Vicci is having/had fun at the beach!

This weekend brought a ride, a run, a hike, and a longish walk with my mom, who is over. Also a bit of shopping, some cooking, etc. Right now DH and I both have stews on: he is making a lamb stew in the Dutch oven and I am breaking in my new slow cooker with the Tex-Mex chicken and beans on TerryTX's thread. So we should be fairly set for hearty meals for the week ahead. I feel a bit like I am fighting something off, unfortunately. Hopefully a bit of sleep and tea will ward off the cooties. ;)

Best to all for the week ahead! It'll be a busy one here... among other things, I'll be cramming 5 days of work into 4 and going out one night for a send-off for one of our run club members who is going to Kona for the world championships! So exciting for her!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Nat - Somehow I forget the heavier Thai food. And you're totally right - the heavy stuff is oh, so good. It sounds like you and DH are having quite the dance around the kitchen, luckily you get along as chefs. :cool: I hope you get your 5 days of work into 4 without issue - somehow I bet you can considering the benefits of the crush.

For those who wondered (or haven't heard about Cornhole [aka Corn Toss]) wkikpedia has a good article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornhole_(game)) about the game. Imagine playing when it's over 90% humidity (the bags don't slide).

Good day today - the kickoff of a slightly busier week for me - nothing terrible just have to finish my sermon for the coming weekend... so off to be a scribe.

Happy trails all,
Les

eta: Here's an article (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10534748) about Haile Gebrselassie smashing his marathon record in Berlin. 4:43 min/mile pace. :eek:

Les

[KValley]

Oh Robyn, the photos are so beautiful- I had tears in my eyes remembering the glorious Colorado autumn- you live in a blessed place and I'm glad you take such joy in being there. Your smile is magic!

I will investigate the Strassburg Sock... I strapped the FrankenFoot too tightly last night. Ah well, the pain in my ankle and calves after I regained circulation was at least a distraction from the pain of PF. :rolleyes:

Kathy- I'm an infrequent partaker of Thai, probably because it could become an addiction if allowed to develop :p I love hot and spicy, peanutty, garlicky- it's all that! Good for you for getting "natural" exercise (mowing the lawn, cheering on your son). Sometimes it feels so good to let exercise evolve, without planning a work out.

Carrie I've missed why you are headed to France, but Grenoble is one of my favorite cities there (I attended university in Chambery, about an hour north). It's a beautiful ville and the surroundings are stunning. Have a wonderful adventure!

Les- I hope you are filled with inspiration this evening. Running must provide such a great outlet for writing/inspiration.

Natasha It's so great to see you here! I'll send along your words and wishes to Maureen :) She had a busy summer of coaching...

Did make a wonderful 6 mile run yesterday. Our weekend (my weekend is Fri/Sat) and today, the start of my workweek, was stupendous. Indian Summer has arrived. Tomorrow it's supposed to reach the mid-upper 70s. Autumn is without doubt my favorite season.

Despite a great run, or rather, because of, I hurt yesterday and today. I'm just about to spend some quality time with my ice bottle, then say hello to Frankenfoot for the evening. Thanks for the encouraging words and advice, eveyone. And here's to a great week of running!

Julie

[Natasha]

eta: Here's an article (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10534748) about Haile Gebrselassie smashing his marathon record in Berlin. 4:43 min/mile pace. :eek:

Les

Les - wow!! :eek: I hadn't read about that; thanks for the link! Amazing.

Berlin is such a great city and I'd love to do that marathon someday, but I might be, um, just a tad slower than Haile ;)

[SusanMac]

Howdy strangers! I think it's been almost a week since I've posted. Last week went by really fast.

Les - Thx for the Haile link! That's so exciting. We keep wondering when someone will actually hit the 2-hour mark. Getting very close. I know cornhole might be the official name. But, if it were me...I'd call it something else :-)

Robyn - I don't think you get the dunce award at all! I hope your foot gets better. Thx for the awesome pics! Glad you had a great ride

KValley - So good to see you around here. I don't have experience with PF, but sending good vibes your way. I often wonder how experienced running store people really are when they recommend shoes.....or are they just guessing? Good luck at the Seattle race! That was the first marathon I ever did. We have great memories of spending Thanksgiving there.

Kathy - I've never been to a CC race, but they sound so fun. I should scope out some local ones around here.

Nat - That's very exciting about your friend headed to Kona! It should be a really great race this year. No clear winners, and very deep competition on both sides.

Newsomz - Your whole Grenoble adventure sounds awesome, but I do hope you find some great races to do while you're there. Any distance would be fun. Remind me what months you'll be over there -- I've lost track

Well, last week wasn't very full of workouts, but the ones I had were great. I got in a 14-mile run, faster than race pace, and it felt really good. Then, on Sat, DH & I joined a fundraiser bike ride and put in 78 miles. Awesome weather, scenery, food & friends. My legs & saddle were definitely tired, but honestly not as bad as I expected. Hopefully we'll get out a few more times this autumn to enjoy the leaves. Planning to run today after the rains pass through.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Les - I know cornhole might be the official name. But, if it were me...I'd call it something else :-)

That's me too - way too many images from my youthful days keep popping up.
Les

[Kathy B]

5.75 miles for me today, and I felt pretty strong. That is the furthest I've gone in a while. Followed by a walk with the dog to cool down. Stormed last night, so it was nice and cool.

Robyn, beautiful pictures as usual! :) What are the average daily temps like in CO right about now?

Susan, nice to hear from you again. Great job on your run and ride! Sounds like a quality, if not quantity, week, and that's the main thing anyway, right? If Wisconsin's CC schedule is similar to ours, the conference, district, sectional and state meets are happening fairly soon. I wonder if any of it takes place in Madison?

Julie, sounds like you are having weather similar to ours......beautiful! By the way, thanks for posting the GO-Bars recipe on the GF board. I am always looking for snacks to send with the kids to hold them between meals, especially when they have sports practice or meets after school. I have a few good ones, but I don't want them to get sick of them, so I like to try others. Yours looked pretty good!

Natasha, hope you are feeling better and didn't end up catching anything. Sleep and tea sound like good remedies (popping a zinc lozenger might not be a bad idea, either!). Is your mom staying with you right now, or does she live nearby? My mom lives about 5 miles away from us which is really nice, and her sister (my favorite aunt) is visiting her from WI this week. They are actually both coming for lunch today. Great job on your varied workouts over the weekend!

Les, glad the retreat was a good one. You sound like things are picking back up to their busy "school year" pace. Hope you are able to fit in enough workouts to suit you...always a challenge trying to squeeze them into the schedule, I know!

[Natasha]

Susan, welcome back! 78 mile ride and that run - sounds fun!

Kathy, that's cool that your mom lives so close. Mine was staying with us for the weekend. She lives about 35 minutes away, so not too bad. Hope you had a wonderful lunch with her and your favourite aunt!

Julie, those bars (and the recipe Loren posted) sound good; thanks for starting that thread. I think I saw a recommendation for Larabars on the thread... I was so excited to try them but the one I had a couple of months ago just didn't do it for me. I also made some energy bars posted on GF a while back and they were good but so sweet. So I look forward to trying some more energy bars and finding one or two recipes I love!

Reporting success with the Tex-Mex chicken and beans. Very tasty and ridiculously easy. I had fun watching it bubble away in the slow cooker, too.

[ktg0930]

Hello runners!

Last week flew by for me too. This week has started pretty well with 2 runs. The weather is perfect now--cool in the morning and in the low 80s in the day. This morning I got up a little earlier than normal to run so that I could finish and go have my TB test read.

Natasha, I'll have to look for that tex-mex recipe.

Susan, that was a really long bike ride. When is your marathon?

Kathy, how's DS doing in CC? It's nice you can go and watch him and get a workout in at the same time.

Robyn, great pictures!

KValley, welcome! I hope the splint helps.

Carrie, congrats on the 10 mile run!

Les, glad the retreat was good and hope the sermon prep goes well.

[Natasha]

Back to report an awesome spin. DH reminded me that my road bike is almost a year old (well, that it was almost a year ago since he got it for me). I think we need to celebrate ;)

ktg, glad you are enjoying the fine weather for your runs! A TB test??

Les, getting excited about your anniversary?? What are your plans for the big day (or the weekend after the big day)?

Best to all!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Quick check in...
Good ride (78 miles :eek: ) and 14 mile run Susan. Isn't it about 4 weeks until your race now? 22 miles last week would make sense for that amount of time until you race.
Natasha - Happy Birthday to your road bike. :cool: Not sure what's on tap for this week and my anniversary (hard to believe 25 this year - and I still remember the day and all the fun stuff we did) but we should do something special. Wednesday is out though - in class until 5 and a small-ish project due on Thursday morning. Saturday may be a better bet but might hold out until Sunday to celebrate my first preaching session and our Anniversary since I may be polishing sermons on Saturday.
Kathy B - It is definitely hard to work workouts in with schedules but I'm going to try and avail myself of runs and rides (or spins) as much as possible. Congrats to DS and his CC'ing.

Speaking of which... I rode this evening in really failing light. 50 minutes that should have been something closer to 40 for safety's sake. Still nice to get out. It's also getting to be a little cooler than short sleeves - especially if the sun is going to be fading when I ride. :eek:

Sermon prep yesterday went well - now I need to get the one done for this coming Sunday (hard to explain).

See you all later and happy trails,
Les

[Kathy B]

Yoga this AM, then step class later in the morning. DS has another CC meet this afternoon, so should get in some jogging. High around 72 today! :)

Kathy, DS is having a good CC season. Last year he had to drop out midseason due to a leg injury, so he is still working towards beating his PR from his sophomore year, but he explained to me that the sophomore PR was obtained on a "fast course" (translate mostly flat). He has come pretty close to it this year on much hillier courses, so he is really looking forward to getting back to those "fast courses" again to see how things have improved. He is the team captain, and his coach feels he is doing well, so he is happy with that.

DD is almost done with her tennis season, and she has also had a good experience. She has played in a couple of novice tournaments as well as several JV matches. Wins some and loses some, but it is amazing how far she has come. Her next meet she will have a new doubles partner, so she is anxious to see how that goes (she thinks it will be a positive thing!). Tennis spectators just sit in lawn chairs under the nearest tree, so it is much less strenuous! :p

[TKay]

Hi all -

Sorry for the lack of participation. I ended up catching ds's tummy bug (or so I assume) and was down and out for a couple of days. Today was scheduled yoga, but I opted to skip it. I'm sure the stretching would have felt great after lying around so much, but I'm not quite up to snuff yet.

I will search through the recent posts and try to catch up, but for now, let me say:
Robyn - Breathtaking pics. Thanks for posting.
Susan - Welcome back. Sounds like despite the busy work week, you've done some fantastic runs/rides.
KathyB - Enjoy your workouts today. (I know what you mean about a clean house. I feel like I clean it just to say, "Ahh, for the next 30 seconds, it's just the way I like it.")
Les - Good going on the ride(s) and all the other stuff you have going on.
Nat - Happy birthday to your bike. I made the Tex-Mex Chicken/Beans recently and would agree with your review. Easy and delicious.
KValley - Hope you recover quickly from your great run. Sometimes it's hard to stop myself when I'm in the zone--even though I know I'll pay.
Carrie - 10 miles! You're my hero.

[Natasha]

Brr, cool here tonight. It was warm in the afternoon but when the sun went down and the wind picked up, there was a huge difference. That means... more tea, and as I just said to the neighbours, a night to snuggle in!

I'm taking a yoga night tonight, as we watch the season premiere of Rick Mercer Report. With an election on here too (Oct. 14), it should be good - elections, and politics in general, are great fodder for the comedy shows.

Saw Run Fatboy Run on the weekend. It was "meh". Some parts were funny, but in general I'd say I was disappointed. Kind of like The Full Monty in some ways, but not nearly as funny, as touching, or as intricate. Would be interested in reviews from the other runners, though.

Les, hope you and LW have an amazing day Sunday to celebrate, albeit a couple of days after the fact!!!

Kathy, sounds like another successful sporting weekend in the B family ;) When is the Scarecrow 5k again? What is your son's specialty distance (the one in which he got the PR you mentioned)?

TKay, hope you feel better soon. Not surprised you've all been fighting a bug, with all the stress of losing a pet. Saw your post about your cat on Other Stuff - poor thing!

Best to everyone. :)

[SusanMac]

Quick checkin to report a great run tonight. 10K at faster than marathon pace. Felt really good. DH really helped push me tonight. Some days it's nice to run solo, but other days you really need someone to get you out the door & moving, ya know?

[KValley]

Sounds like everyone is having a great week. Stay well! Change-of-season colds are running rampant around work and with my customers. I'm popping echinacea, Wellness formula, zinc and sadly, keeping my distance from Brendan, who has been hacking up a lung or three :(

Susan Wowza on the 78 mi bike ride! So glad you had a great run today- you sound exhilerated.

Nat- Happy Bday to the bike. Brendan and I shipped ours back from NZ but haven't been riding half as much as we like, despite being surrounded by great trails. Y'all inspire me to get out on the road more.

I'm still working it out with Frankenfoot, though I can feel the difference (positive), especially early in the day. By the end of the day, though, the PF is really pounding. I'm icing as I write.

I had a great speed work out yesterday- seeing slight improvements in my pace time on sprints and endurance to run a wee bit faster on my recovery jogs. Tomorrow am it's a tempo run on the treadmill. I'm following a 3 day/week run program, with 3 days x-train, 1 rest. Tonight it was a lower-body, core workout.

And now it's time for dinner. Sweet corn frittata :)

[VictoriaL]

Hi Everyone!
:)

The two weeks at the beach were mostly great fun, but on Day #2 my laptop began a slow death spiral which resulted in a frizzled hard drive. Especially annoying since DH is in the midst of a project and needed to be available for clients (but I also couldn't post about my beach runs in the mornings or the wonderful rum concoctions we came up with in the evenings!). Fortunately, my laptop was still under warranty and I did get a new hard drive, but (for a non-techy person) getting everything reinstalled and back to where it was has been terribly time consuming.

Anyway, this is a quick hello since I'm downloading some more programs and, since we have dialup, if I am at other sites the download just crawls. I plan to post more regularly within the next few days but I wanted to mention that, in addition to chocolate-covered almonds, nothing else better helped my frustrated being more than going out for a nice, long run. So therapeutic (and hopefully it counteracted the effects of the chocolate a bit!).

I shall return-- I missed you all! :D

[Leslie Ferguson]

The two weeks at the beach were mostly great fun, but on Day #2 my laptop began a slow death spiral which resulted in a frizzled hard drive... Fortunately, my laptop was still under warranty and I did get a new hard drive, but (for a non-techy person) getting everything reinstalled and back to where it was has been terribly time consuming.
Even for a techy kind of person it's a nightmare to reinstall programs. :D Regardless, it's good to see you back in the fold. It sounds like you actually had a good workout laden vacation and sampled some decent concoctions. :cool:

Natasha - I'm looking forward to the weekend, a lot. Not only with the celebration but because my folks come to town on Sunday evening (for an Alumni event at school - Dad is an alum).
KVally - Neat that Frankenfoot is working so well and have a good day off today.

Kind of mixed up day today and I may have to declare the possibility of sporadic visits over the coming days. Things are well just having three sermons to preach on Sunday (the same basic sermon three different times) is starting to weigh a little heavy. But I'm mostly done with the text and now just need to practice it some. But for a run today - did a friend a favor (she has two papers due tomorrow) and picked up a reception at the Dean's house this evening. Tomorrow, if the weather behaves, I'll be out again (and as long as the light holds out).

Happy trails and good night,
Les

[Natasha]

HAPPY 25TH ANNIVERSARY, LES AND LW!!!

And welcome back, Vicci! You've been missed!

That's it. Back to your regularly scheduled running :cool:

[newsomz]

Popping in to report a great track workout! A friend and I did 8x 400m each trying to hit our 5k target. I ended up going faster than mine each interval. Amazing how much faster I felt after the workout, too! It was nice to get my legs moving faster & farther :)

Also, Happy Anniversary to Les & LW!!!!!!

More later!

[Robyn1007]

Happy anniversary Les & LW!!!!!

[TKay]

Happy anniversary Les and LW!!!! Wow, 25 years. That's awesome. :D:D:D

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks Nat, TKay, Robyn, Carrie, and all this anniversary have been quite a fun day. Nothing spectacular b/c LW got her big present this fall in Toronto (Nat can attest). Still lots of fun.

Carrie - Your run sounds really strong and like you're right on track for your race.

I wish I could claim a run but there wasn't one in the cards. I think I'm coing down with the cold that's going around so I think it was a good idea to rest a bit. Took a Zicam and felt a little better. So I took a 35 minute ride tonight - nothing terribly strenuous but lots of fun. Partly more fun because there was a little rain in the air so I pulled out the mountain bike and crashed around the trails that have some sand and water. Mud everywhere. :cool: Had a good day at school - even though my sermon got critiqued by my classmates (thankfully not being done until November 16) but it was needed. Had LW up for noon worship and an Anniversary lunch. She got a couple pokes from the guys on campus because I bought her 6 roses, a plush squirrel carrying a 25th Anniversary balloon and left them on the table outside the Refectory. I'm just a hopeful romantic. :D Time to quit stalling so now to work on this weekend's sermon and the remainder of the week's classes.

Take care all and thanks for the anniversary wishes.

Happy trails,
Les

[VictoriaL]

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, LES & LW!!!

You beat us by about 9 weeks...

I think that the roses, balloon, and anniversary squirrel was a sweet idea. :)

Around 3:30 this afternoon the sun was shining and I decided to go for a run. 20 minutes into it, the skies opened and rain poured down as if from a faucet. Now, I was in the woods (still a lot of leaves on the trees, filtering the light) and probably didn't notice the darkening sky, but that was quick! I tried to run through it and was doing well until the flash of lightning and the clap of thunder, and I was in the woods. I got out of there pretty darn quick. I was soaked by the time I got back to the house (now tell me, why does it always start to rain when I'm at the furthest point away from home???) and only did about 35 minutes. Oh well.

The computer problems are slowly being worked out, so I'm feeling more normal than I have for a couple of weeks.

I really enjoyed reading this past week's thread and hope to get to the two I missed later this evening. You all are a busy lot! :D

[Leslie Ferguson]

You beat us by about 9 weeks...

I think that the roses, balloon, and anniversary squirrel was a sweet idea. :)
An early 25th Anniversary to you too. Funny thing, as predictable as I am I still surprised LW with the flowers etc.

Hopefully you can see what they looked like in this shot from another site (http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1029375&l=5cf04&id=654239289).
...now tell me, why does it always start to rain when I'm at the furthest point away from home???
Didn't you know that's the way it works? It always seems like it would start pouring at the 5 mile point of an out and back when I ran in Norfolk. I think it's Murphy's wife's law. :D

Happy trails all,
Les

[SusanMac]

Happy Anniversary, Les !! 25 years must be a really rewarding feeling.

Quick check-in to report a veeeery hilly 6 mile run today. I'm loving this crisp autumn weather, too! It's perfect for running.

Happy Thursday everyone!

[Natasha]

Les, sounds like a wonderful anniversary and what a cute gift for LW. Yes, I can attest to the majesty of the "real" gift. Fun photo!

Murphy's Wife's Law - you guys are too funny.

Sounds like there's some good running going on! I ran yesterday before going out (I knew I'd feel better about indulging in pub fare and beer if I ran first ;)). DH and I tentatively planned a social race weekend for next year with a couple of IRLRBs and hopefully a fun ride or two with another IRLRB I haven't ridden with before. We'll see what comes to pass.

Take care, one and all!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Susan - I'm almost jealous about a hilly (very hilly) 6-mile run in nice autumn weather. Really rewarding feeling, and loving the minutes of the second 25 years.

Nat - Running, pub food, and beer - always a great combination. I'm a little confused about the timing... race weekend next year: riding with IRLRB this weekend? :confused: Regardless, I hope you have a great weekend and a few more good runs.

No run today but I rode. I needed to make a run to the bank and it's a 30 minute one-way ride and I didn't have 2 hours to run so the bike got me there and back in just over an hour. Crisp as the shadows began to close in across the roads. Definitely getting to be fall here. Still wrestling with my cold - yes I know, you're not supposed to wrestle with it but I'm having too much fun. ;)

Happy trails all and a happy start of the next thread.
Les

[KValley]

Oh wow. 25 years- Happy Anniversary Les and LW! What a sweet celebration you had. The bouquet is beautiful. Your 25 is an inspiration. B & I just celebrated our 16th- doesn't the time fly?? I don't feel old enough to have been married so long...

Carrie, Nat and Susan- congrats on the glorious and satisfying runs of late. And Victoria for your exhilarating and slightly scary run in the storm. :eek: I miss exciting weather! When it rains here, it just rains.

Well, our glorious Indian Summer has come to an end (time enough for an October return, though!). High front swept away, low front hovering. Prediction is for buckets of rain by this afternoon.

A disappointing attempt at a tempo run Wednesday. I was on the gym's treadmill and got about 1/2 mile in when pain and common sense stopped me. THe PF was really bad. I was fine on the a combo elliptical/bike w/o and the work day wasn't too bad. I had a bad night with Frankenfoot Wednesday and a hideous night's sleep. Yesterday was a struggle to keep cheery and patient with customers and colleagues. I decided to refrain from any workout- just a long day at "the office".

Our weekend began today. I slept well last night, better with Frankenfoot, and had no pain this morning. I had a great workout- xtraining & core. Tomorrow is supposed to be an 8 miler steady pace. I'll just take it one step at a time. Literally.

On the search for Strassburg sock.

Have a wonderful weekend of runs and relaxation.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Oh wow. 25 years- Happy Anniversary Les and LW! What a sweet celebration you had. The bouquet is beautiful. Your 25 is an inspiration. B & I just celebrated our 16th- doesn't the time fly?? I don't feel old enough to have been married so long...

Thank you. I too find it hard to believe that I'm that old to have been married 25 years. (Understanding my current position as a student of theology...) My patter is, "somedays it feels like it was just yesterday and others feel like ... 'and then there was Adam and Eve' but we're still loving it each and every year."

Off to see if there's a new thread...

Happy trails,
Les