Virtual Running Buddies March 13th

[1MegMeg]

Good morning runners!

Not too much to report, but wanted to start the thread. :) Had three good runs this week, but Monday's run was *hot* I am definitely going to have to take some time to get used to running in the heat....or maybe just get a TM so I can run inside sometimes. :p

I am doing an 8k race on April 11th so I've been increasing my mileage in preparation for that. I've run 5 miles once so far...a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully it wasn't a fluke and I can do it again hehe.

I completely agree with everyone - no showering before the grocery store! And I too look like he** after a run, face is beet red, hair matted to my head in a ridiculous looking bun. Not winning any beauty awards hehe!

[SusanMac]

Thanks for kicking things off, MegMeg! Sounds like your schedule has been quite steady. I'm confident you'll be ready for your race.

I had a great run w/the Fleet Feet team last night. Almost didn't make it due to work. Had to drop a call w/my client, then call them back from my car on the way to my run. They even knew the reason I had to go was to join my running group. This is the client who is leaving me....so I didn't feel to guilty :-) It was a new route for me (yea!) and I ran a solid tempo pace. No one was my pace last night, so I was by myself in between the faster & slower packs the whole time. I don't mind, though. It's still nice & motivating to get out the door with a group.

Today I'll get in an easy run. Our Shamrock Shuffle 10K is this Sun. We should have gorgeous weather! Sunny & 40! I haven't had time to work on the shamrock attenae visor, but will try to tackle that Sat.

Any other fun plans for the weekend!

[TKay]

Meg - Thanks for getting us going this Friday. I agree with Susan. Sounds like you'll be ready for your race.

Susan - Glad your run went well. While pairing up with someone makes the workout go faster, I like to run alone and be in my own head too. Enjoy the Shamrock Shuffle.

I'll be off for a bit. Finishing up some work and some kid projects today. Then packing for our Cub Scout mountain trip. Hoping there will at least be some good hiking involved. I think of you guys every time I tell my kids this trip is going to be "freezing." I said, "It's in the 20s or 30s at night. You guys have no idea how cold that is." :D And it's true. They don't.

Yesterday was a rest day. Today will be a pooch walk, and either weights or a TM run. Not sure yet since I won't get anything structured in this weekend.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone.

[Kathy B]

Hi, all! Yoga for me this morning and then about 45 min on the TM. Felt good, and it's a good thing since I'll be sitting in the car all day tomorrow.

Susan, did you get your headgear figured out? Have a great time at the shuffle!

Meg, I am sure you will be just fine doing an 8K....what is that....4.8 miles? Keep up the good work with your training.

TKay, have a great time on your trip!!

I won't be posting again for a while, as I am heading to the mountains. Hopefully I will be back in one piece next week... Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks for starting Meg. I too think you'll be fine for your race in a couple weeks.
TKay - 20s and 30s, sounds like out this way. ;) I hope that you had a good weekend with the scouts.
Susan - I do hope that you get the shamrock stuff put on the visor. If you do pictures, please. Great job on your run too.
Kathy B - Enjoy the mountains too.

Nothing much to report here. I had plans for the weekend that haven't materialized. Let's just say I've been out of pocket for most of the last day (hard to explain). A little anxious time in the Ferguson household but all is well. Details may come later or via PM.

Tomorrow is a long day at Church and I've got Midterms at the end of next week. But, there's only one paper to write and a test to prepare for. Plus (of course) a sermon to prepare for next weekend.

Time to wrap up for the evening. Have a fine VRB weekend and I'll see you sometime this week.

Happy trails,
Les

[oceanjasper]

1MegMeg - Way to go on the consistency of your running! I'm sure you will do great at your race in April.

SusanMac - Good luck at the Shamrock Shuffle tomorrow! Sounds like lots of fun! Would also love to see a picture.

TKay - Hope you don't 'freeze' too much on your mountain trip. :)

KathyB - You are off to the mountains, too?! Have fun!

Les - I hope the anxiety was very short-lived. Certainly not something you need with everything else you are trying to focus on right now. Hope you have a productive week!

Well, as for me, I am not feeling like much of a virtual running buddy. I want to be, I really do. :(

My hamstring was fine for my soccer game last Sunday, but I managed to get myself another injury. I took a really hard shot (cleats to shin pad) which managed to do some pretty decent damage to my shin (also known as the entire lower leg). I had a lot of pain and a giant sausage leg for a couple of days and then slowly it started to feel better.

By yesterday, my leg had pretty much resumed its normal size and it had stopped aching (although it was still tender to the touch). I did have a fair bit of colourful bruising and some blood pooling in both my calf and foot. Today, in a moment lacking great judgment, I decided that I would be just fine to try some classic cross country skiing. After an hour or so, I came in and checked it out. The entire part of my lower leg that was above my sock and boot was totally swollen (you could actually see the indent where my sock had been) and more blood had pooled into my foot.

Needless to say, I won't be playing in the last soccer game of the season tomorrow (sent my team a pic so that they would believe me!) and I likely won't be running anytime soon either, especially if 'glorified walking' did this much damage to it today. <sigh>

I'll keep reading your posts and being inspired and hopefully I will be back soon, so that I can get going on my 10km training plan as June is going to be here in no time!

[Natasha]

Hi everyone!

Meg, you'll be ready for your race; I'm confident.

Kathy, nice work on your run! Enjoy the mountains :cool:

Susan, hope the Shuffle was fun.

Oceanjasper, sorry to hear about your leg. :( Please keep us posted on the progress!

Les, sorry to hear about the stressful day but I'm happy to hear all is well now. Let us know if there's anything we can do.

We had a lovely dinner last night with some run club friends but this morning I opted not to run with the club as they were doing a (local) destination run and I didn't feel like making the trip. I ventured out on my own and did about 1:50. It was great to be out there on a gorgeous day with my tunes and my thoughts. I love running with friends but like most/all of you, also treasure my solo runs. DH is out riding now. I was so tempted to go with but didn't want to push it after my run and a hard spin yesterday.

Wishing everyone a fantastic week ahead!

[Robyn1007]

Hi everyone!

Long time no check in here. It's been an absolutely insane couple of weeks but I am finally home with no more visitors coming for at least a month. The week with my ski friends was fantastic and my family reunion was incredible. Last year I surprised everyone with a visit from my cousin and this year she and her parents surprised me so we actually had all 12 of us there. That has never, ever happened before. So much fun! And a couple of nights of playing Catchphrase had us laughing so hard we were crying at times. Only downer was my local uncle tore his meniscus the first day of skiing. :(

Anyhow, I'll be working on catching up on all the goings on here over the last couple of weeks and getting back into my program tomorrow with an easy run (although I doubt it will feel easy as I haven't run in 3 weeks!).

[Leslie Ferguson]

Oceanjasper - OUCH! Sorry about your leg and I pray that you get better soon. I can imagine the swelling and the pain involved and don't envy you in the least.
Nat - Thanks for your words. I sent you a not elsewhere. Things are okay - I just need to make it through Friday and the end of midterms and I think I'll be better. My favorite professor/priest/pastor being laid off as of May isn't being helpful with the situation.
Nice seeing you again Robyn. It sounds like you've had a busy month and I'm glad you're getting your life back to yourself.

Not much to report here - lots of church today, a little writing (necessary considering the anxiety comment earlier), a little rain, and a wonderful Sunday.

Happy trails all,
Les

[SusanMac]

Happy Monday, runners!

Robyn - So good to hear from you again. Sounds like you are having a fantastic spring!

OJ - yikes! take care of that leg

Nat - we're hoping to get outside on the bikes this week, too. Woo hoo!

The Shamrock Shuffle yesterday was fantastic. Gorgeous day. Lots of families, costumes, etc. Unfortunately, I didn't get my shamrock antenna to work. I think I need to purchase a different kind. Maybe later this week is the time to get a better one on sale for use next year! I ran really solid & am happy w/my race. I'm a few minutes off of a PR, but most of my PRs tend to come late in the season. But, I'm 3 min faster than last year's race time, came in at under 9-min mile, and was 18th out of 69 in my age group. Plus, it just felt good. So, all in all, a great race.

After the race, I hung out w/a GF at a coffee shop, while DH drove home. So, I ran home, which is 3.8 miles. So, I not only got in a race, but could call it a long-run day, too. Not quite sure how to log that in my tracking schedule! But it felt good.

Oh, I did get new scooters, too, but don't like them. Grrr. Will swap them out this week. I love stores that let you actually run in shoes & return them, if needed.

Don't quite have my head in work-mode yet today, but have a ton to do. <sigh>

[Natasha]

Hey guys!

Robyn, nice to see you and hear that you've been enjoying yourself (though too bad about your uncle).

Hi to Susan, Les, and the rest of the gang!

Light spin today (33 mins.) to work out the legs, and lots of stretching. Tomorrow I'm doing a little interprovincial trip so it'll be a hectic day with no opportunity to train. And no opportunity to make Irish Soda Bread. Ah well...

Julie, good luck with your procedure tomorrow!! We'll be thinking of you.

Take care, everyone!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Checking in to wish Julie a successful procedure tomorrow. I'll be praying for you as the time comes to remove the alien.
Nat - Too bad about the trip tomorrow impacting your workouts. Hopefully soon.
Susan - Good job on your race this past weekend. It sounds like you're moving up in the world of running -- good for you.

Nothing much excpet writing today. Finishing touches on an acceptable draft for the paper that's due on Friday. Acceptable in that if I don't do anything I will probably get a passing grade but if I can do some more refining I may do better.

Off to the paper so happy trails all.
Les

[KValley]

Thanks for the well wishes and prayers for my surgery tomorrow. I'll hang on to each one. Poor DH- he'll get home from work tonight (tomorrow) around 2 am, then up again at 5- we have to be at the hospital at 5:30, surgery at 7:30. It's is supposed to take about 2 hrs. Hopefully I'll have the less-invasive version and be home by noon.

This morning was my last w/o for a wee while. I know I'll be anxious to hit the road again as soon as possible...

I felt SOOO sorry for yesterday's St Paddy's 5K runners. We usually run this race and it's a blast, but sat it out yesterday because we both had to work well, & last week I was officially forbidden to run). The weather was HIDEOUS- snow, hail, sideways rain, gusting winds. Meg, I'd give anything for a dose of Florida sunshine right now! But you're right about acclimatizing to runs in the heat- you'll build up your mojo in no time.

Susan Your run with the Fleet Feet group- of the pack but not IN the pack- sounds ideal. You have the motivation of a group, but able to keep your own pace. Cool. So glad you had a fantastic run yesterday!

Tkay- hope you had a great time with the Cub Scouts and that they survived the cold!

Kathy- have a wonderful time away.

Les- best of luck plowing through and finishing that paper. I'm am certain that you will produce outstanding work.

OJ your shin injury sounds so awful! Rest rest ice ice I am so sorry this had to happen, just as you were underway with training. I hope it heals soon.

Nat A great weekend behind you. Safe travels tomorrow. Too bad about missing out making your Irish Soda Bread- but we'll give you permission to extend St Patrick's Day for as long as you need!

Robyn Breezing in from the slopes to give us an updated! Your family reunions sounds precious. Please post photos here or on FB.

SPRING is FRIDAY- although from the looks and feel of things here, it might as well be January :mad: Have a wonderful week everyone- I'll catch you on the other side of the anesthesia!

Julie

[1MegMeg]

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Julie - Sending you positive surgery vibes this morning!!

Susan - Great job at your race!! You did fantastic! And you ran home afterward too? Nice!! Good luck finding some new shoes that will work for you.

Robyn - Good to hear from you! Your coaching season is almost over already, isn't it? Time flies! It seems like winter was just starting.

Les - Good luck this week with mid-terms and paper writing! I know its that big push time of the semester! You'll do great!

Nat - Hope you have a good trip today, even though you don't get to train...or make some delicious bread! Mmmm.

Ocean - Owwww! So sorry to hear about your leg! How is it doing? Has the swelling gone down at all?

Kathy - Hope you're having a great time in the mountains.

Tkay - How was your cub scout trip?


Thank you all for the race confidence! I am hopeful that I'll be ready by then! 8 kilometers is 5 miles, so I can do it! I did 4 miles last night...pace was quick, but the heat was really getting to me. I think I need to slow down some while I am still acclimating it.

My good friend is getting married in two weeks and this past weekend was her bachelorette party! We all stayed in a beautiful suite at the Portofino Bay hotel at Universal Studios and went to City Walk. It was very fun!

Any fun plans for St. Patrick's Day? Nothing specific planned here... though I did see that Corned Beef and Cabbage is on the hospital cafeteria menu. Yum! :)

[TKay]

Super quick check-in for me. Thanks for asking about our trip. It was fantastic. There were only patches of snow on the ground, but enough for the boys to fashion a run. They loved every minute of it. We even got to sleep in beds and had access to real bathrooms. Now that's luxury living. The weather was beautiful. Cold enough to bundle up, but warm enough to enjoy. Arrowhead is beautiful even though portions of the area have burned.

Managed to get in some hikes on the trip and ran on the TM yesterday. Pooch walk and possible yoga today, but I'm very time-squeezed.

I'll catch up on all your posts soon. Have a great one, runners!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks Meg, at this point in time (and for lots of good reasons) I'm sure that things will get done as they need to. I'm winding down for the midterm that is Thursday morning (hopefully takes less than an hour). But then there's everything else that comes up this weekend - making a presentation about a project I'm proposing for my intern parish and preaching a sermon on Sunday. I only wore a special hat today (looked like Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat except it is orange, white, and green).
TKay - I'm glad that you made it safely through the weekend and hope that you get back to a normal routine.
Julie - I pray that you are home from the hospital by now (even though I doubt you're looking at the computer). I pray everything went well.

Spent plenty of time studying today and even took a shortish spin (35 minutes). It's nice to get some exercise and get some studying done too. I hope that things work out for the remainder of the week and I'm fully ready for the weekend. Regardless, I'll be as ready as I need to be.

Off to the books... happy trails,
Les

[TKay]

Quick run by. Nothing but a dog walk yesterday. Hoping for a TM run today.

Wanted to add my well wishes to Julie. When you are up to it, post an update. Sending you healing vibes in the meantime.

[Natasha]

Julie, hope all went well and that you're recovering smoothly!

Susan, great job on your race! :) Sounds like an awesome time.

TKay, welcome back!

Meg, sounds like a fabulous weekend with your friends :D No St. Patrick's Day plans for me but I think tonight I might have a belated beer :p

I need to run soon but am not doing it yet because I have a dog under the desk with his head on my feet. It's too cute, and he and I are too comfy, to think of moving. ;)

Best to all!

[Natasha]

I'm back to report my run. I ended up doing a run of almost 45 minutes with the Wed. night group. Not quite a tempo run, but close. Gorgeous night for a run, at about 50F.

Hope everyone is having a good evening!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Chillin' Getting ready for my Ethics midterm in the morning.

Good seeing you Nat and glad to hear you had a good run - hope it's the start of something regular and good.

Happy trails,
Les