Virtual Running Buddies w/o 7/31/09

[Kathy B]

Did weights at the CC this AM, then a 35 min TM workout with some intervals. I really tried to push it since I had to cut it short (had to pick up DD).

Lots to do before DS gets home tomorrow, so I'll keep it short. Wishing you all a good weekend! :)

[TKay]

Thanks for kicking us off this week, Kathy. I like that you were looking for errands to do so DD could drive more the other day. Enjoy your time with DS. Oh, and I did your version of ladders yesterday. Considerably more difficult that my version. :eek:

Les - What an adventure! Sorry you got displaced a little sooner than expected. I would have felt uncomfortable staying too. I hope the class is all you hope it to be. Also, hope you get in that ride or run, depending on what works best.

I did a ladder workout yesterday (as described by KathyB in last week's thread). Ouch! It was tough for me. I've gotten used to taking breaks and slowing down throughout my workouts. I will keep this type of run in the mix since I must need it. I think it will help with my speed in the long run too. Also went bike riding with the kiddies yesterday. Not sure what's on the agenda today other than a weight-walk, abs, and band workout. I need to get back to lower body work rather than relying solely on running and walking for that (and the occasional bike ride).

Happy Friday. Any big plans for the weekend?

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks for starting Kathy B, a whirlwind day. DS is getting rain on the day before he leaves DC too. Nothing terrible but rain none-the-less.
TKay - I actually prefer a Fartlek to a "ladder" (we called them Tempo runs). The Fartlek is alternating fast and slow (trying for equal intervals like 1 minute/1 minute) whereas a Tempo run is increasing from an easy pace to the max (10k or 5k pace) then back in an hour run. It was weird and it is great to be home too.

I went for a ride as the rains were starting to fall a little (now a little more). It's interesting, my average speed is almost 1 mph slower here than in Blackstone (go figure).

Off to get a test to one of my classmates (I have one she needs to take). Have a good weekend and happy trails,
Les

[Kathy B]

DD and I hit the CC again this AM and I got in a good TM run. Tkay, I don't always have the energy for those ladder workouts, either, but some days I just feel really strong, so I push it. Today wasn't one of those days. :D I just kept a steady pace, and called it good.

Les, maybe your ride was a little slower because it was raining? I'll bet it feels great to be home again! :)

[Leslie Ferguson]

Kathy B - It may have been a combination of the rain and the winds that were gusting too. It's funny, the hills are steeper in Blackstone but the flatter hills in Alexandria are longer - maybe that weighs in the equation too. Sorry you were not feeling energetic today. I think there was a lot of that going around. Still good to get out and keep plugging along. Countdown to DS's arrival must be short (if he's not already there). Yep, it's good to be home even with all the noise, cars, fire engines/ambulances/police sirens all hours of the night (it's loud here - even without my hearing aids - which is odd until I realize how quiet it was in Blackstone except for the bull frogs, crickets, ciccadas, and other critters in the night).

I got a run in today and I think this was the worst run I've had in a while. I ended up developing a big-time cramp in my hip flexor and hamstring (same leg), and had some tightness/pain in my (arthritic) shoulder. So bad I ended up walking for 14 minutes straight. I big deal because I hadn't put on sunscreen and got badly baked on the road walking home. Luckily I was able to shuffle along and ran most of the way home - finished in about 1:22 (I wanted to run something closer to 12 or 13 miles). Oh well, just not there today.

Happy trails all and have a great weekend, whatever you may do.
Les

[Robyn1007]

Hi all!

Kathy hope you are enjoying a nice reunion with your son!

Tkay sounds like you've really been stepping up your workouts, way to go!

Les those cramps sound miserable! And getting baked on top of it, youch!

Well I have not one but two workouts to report. Yesterday I did 30 miles on my bike. I was quite disappointed with my speed and the way I really died at the end. It was quite painful actually. Guess 3 weeks off really hurt my bike fitness. :( The scary part is I go to visit my dad and stepmom in 3 weeks and I'm supposed to do some group rides with them and I'm scared. I really will need to put in some miles over the next few weeks to get back into it.

Today I went for a run and was happily surprised which I totally don't get. After yesterday hard ride I thought today was totally going to suck. Instead, I did 2.66 miles along a dirt path and at about the same overall pace as I raced in my tri. :eek::D Not great but since I hadn't run since the tri on June 28th, heck I'll take it! :p

So, my plan now is to cancel any more tris for this year which makes me kind of sad but at the same time, I just can't afford the race entry and wetsuit rental costs right now. I'm going to focus on run/bike for the next month or so and then will probably do more run focus after that. I see the Colorado Masters Run Association has a race on the very trail I just ran (a really nice fine gravel/dirt trail) that is 5.72 miles in mid-October. Maybe I'll shoot for that one since it's only a $10 entry fee. It's the same group that I did my first 5 miler back on Valentine's Day with and they were wonderful. Best part is the start is a mere 2 miles from my house.

Alright all, now that I've rambled on for too long I best get in the shower and get ready to go help mcgeiger move. Rumor has it she'll be feeding us as well. :D Hey, maybe she'll join me for that October race. Get this, she's moving just about 5 miles from me and our favorite Indian restaurant is halfway between us. I'm so excited to have her nearby again. Oh, and she gets to be Milo's vet to! :p

[Kathy B]

Weights and 35 min on the TM at the CC this AM. I am bummed because I lost my brand new pedometer somewhere today, and it was really a nice one. :( It was a little bulky, and I think it just got bumped off when I wasn't paying attention. Oh well, I have a back-up, (but it isn't as nice...sigh.)

Busy day running DD back and forth to band camp, baking for the church's giant garage sale that starts tomorrow and thinking ahead to dinner. I have to cook a lot more food now that DS is home..but I love it! There are also a couple of men in the back doing some work to extend our patio. They think they will be done this week, and I am very excited about that.

Robyn, I hear you about the expense of the various racing events. When our whole family does a 5K it usually costs a minimum of $100. And I know the longer the race, the more costly it gets. Your $10 5 miler sounds like a bargain!!

Les, hope your leg is better and your burn wasn't too bad. On the bright side, the next run pretty much HAS to be better, right? :)

Oven timer is ringing, so I better sign off and check the cupcakes. Happy running all!

[SusanMac]

Kathy - Cupcakes??!! I'm coming over

Robyn - I wouldn't worry too much about your cruddy bike ride. It may not have been your break. Some days are just like that. You're not cancelling tri's b/c of that, right? I want to make sure. I think the cost of tri's is outrageous. I've really been trying to choose ones that are NOT USAT sanctioned to keep costs down. I mean, who really cares about that? Glad you're getting settled in a bit, and meeting up w/McG, to boot

TKay - I'm super impressed w/your consistent workouts lately. Wow

Les - crazy story about the apartment & cohabitation. Very weird, but sounds like you handled it all gracefully. Too bad about your run. Hopefully it's not a precursor to any issues.

Well, my triathlon yesterday was a blast! This is my first tri in 1.5 years, and I'm so pleased to be back in it! The weather was picture perfect. The calmest water you could hope for (1500m). A hillier bike than I expected. It was constant rollers, which was fun, but meant nonstop shifting & tough to get into a groove (24 mi). I did hit 34mph on one of the downhills -- weeee! The run was tough with some killer hills that many people walked. (10k)

One fun part is an unexpected little competition between me & another girl. She first passed me on the bike at around mile 14. I was surprised to see her again at mile 20, where she looked like she was out of juice. I passed her. Then -- whoa -- she was in front of me coming out of T2! She was ahead of me, but within sight, during the entire run. Argh! DH saw me at mile 5.5. I said 'I've been trying to catch her this entire run!' I knew the last 500m was downhill (which I'm pretty good at), following a killer uphill. I finally pass her with about 200 m to go. We come around the corner nearing the finish line neck & neck, and the spectators start cheering super loud. I was dying to know how close she was on my heels. I saw DH and he said 'you better kick it in gear'....so I did. He was taking a video clip, which shows her coming in only 2 seconds behind me! how fun! We chatted a lot afterwards & talked about how fun it was racing together. Really nice woman.

Today is a happy, happy rest day :-)

[Leslie Ferguson]

Robyn - I'm with Susan, I wouldn't sweat a bad ride. Shoot, a 30 mile ride would be more than plenty for me. And you can count it like I counted my bad run the other day - sometimes those things just happen. In the past 16 years of semi-competitive running I've had more than my fair share of bad runs - with or without a lay off. Glad you got to see McG and that you'll have a friend as your vet - a true blessing. And a double blessing to have a favorite restaurant between the two of you. Life is good.
Kathy B - How did our cupcakes turn out (and what flavors were they)? Hard having the young 'un back, especially with the other mouth to feed again. Great consistency with your workouts too. I'm impressed.
Susan - Thanks for the tri- report. 1500m swim? I thought our swims at 1000m were pretty long (ocean is a great place to have long tri swims). I love the battle report too. I've been there with the "I'm going to catch [that pony tail/that guy in my age group]" thoughts and sadly, I don't think I've ever done that (with the exception of my running partner who took off on me when I was pacing her - she gassed out and I passed her at the finish). Boy was she shocked (and she could have blown me away if she had run a smarter race).

I took it a little easy today - I still had a twinge in my hip and wanted to rest it a little. But I also wanted to get out so off a biking I went. Thank goodness Alexandria has been repaving the bike trails - made for a great ride. About normal for the mountain bike but still a stiff 65 minute ride.

There's supposed to be rain tomorrow (thunderstorm maybe). So I'll probably try to run easy and see what develops. Last thing I need is to have a hip issue a month from the race.

Happy trails all and I hope to hear from some of the others.
Les

[SusanMac]

I meant to give a warning about the long post/race report. But, it was a fun story. And you guys know by now how chatty I can be.

Les - some biking is probably good to keep your hips loose. Good luck, take it easy & take care of yourself so those aches don't linger.

Got in a great run today at the dog park with DH & Bode. It's a super hilly workout, and I'm not fully rested yet from the race. The hills were much tougher than they should be. But I just slowed down & kept going. Mexican dinner tonight w/some old rowing GFs. So now I can justify those chips :-)

[TKay]

I've been a bit MIA the past few days. I've taken time off and it hasn't been entirely intentional. I rested Sat and meant to run Sunday. At the last minute, the boys and I decided to go see dh race since we haven't been much this year. And yesterday, I unexpectedly had to run ds to the doc for an ear infection. Deadlines kept me off the TM when I got back. Needless to say, I'm itching to work out today.

Robyn - I agree with the others. Don't take the cruddy ride to heart. Maybe just an off day. Those entrance fees are rough. Dh races almost every weekend through the summer months and I just have to look on the fees as a non-negotiable part of our budget. He'll typcially do two races in one day and oy! (Hands over ears) "Lalalalala!" Glad you're back on (running) feet. Fun about McG!

Les - Sorry about the twingey hip. Best to take it easy, I suppose. Enjoy the fresh bike trails. How nice.

Susan - Great tri report. I loved the competition. I couldn't wait to get to the end to see what happened. Hope you enjoyed your rest day. How are you feeling today?

KathyB - Sorry about the pedo. Good luck with all the kid activities. Your extended patio sounds great.

I'm seeing a reumatologist today about the stiffness and loss of grip in my hands. My maternal grandmother had early onset reumatoid arthritis. I am hopeful my (self-diagnosed) case is mild and treatable.

[Kathy B]

62 min on the TM this AM. I have to work tomorrow, so I was aiming for a 2-for-1 workout. (One workout covers 2 days!)

Tkay, sometimes life just gets in the way of our workouts, doesn't it? :D Watching your DH race is important, too! What kind of racing does he do?

Susan, congrats on your Tri! Sounds like an exciting finish! Nice that your DH caught it on film. BTW, DS ate a cupcake for you, the rest have been delivered to the sale. ;)

Les, good job on your bike ride. We have been getting a few thunderstorms lately, too, but oddly enough, they seem to mostly be at night. Which is great! Reminds me of that song about Camelot.

Hope everyone's week is going well!

[Robyn1007]

Thanks for the encouragement all! The ride still didn't feel very good but I reviewed the numbers and they're not as bad as I thought. Tonight I got out for a short 15 miles but was able to maintain an avg speed closer to what I was doing pre-surgery so I'm happier but don't feel like I could have kept that average up for much longer so I definitely need to keep working hard to get ready to ride with my dad. I'm hoping to join up with a women's group tomorrow night so that should be nice. Part of the reason I'm not doing any more tris is because I really want to focus on bike and run right now, I just don't have much desire to get in the pool but yes most of it is financial. Between entries and wetsuit rental I'd spend close to $200 to enter one and just can't do it right now. Moving is expensive!

Susan your tri finish sounds like so much fun!

Tkay I hate it when life gets in the way of my good intentions!

Les take care of that hip!

Kathy good job doubling up!

I'm beat and hoping to fall asleep early tonight. The benefit to getting back to my workouts is my sleep schedule is coming back around! :D

[TKay]

Got in about 45 on the TM yesterday. Going again today, but mixing it up with bands and weights too.

KathyB - Dh races bicycles (road races). Each race is about an hour. That's why he'll do two in one day. I like the 2-for-1 idea!

Robyn - Glad the sleep is returning. I had no idea a tri would be that expensive to enter. Yikes! Good luck with the ride tonight.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Been out a couple days, boy it's quiet this week too.

Robyn - I'm glad it's a moving thing as well as a chort lay off. I think you'll be back pretty quickly, I know I pop back without too many issues after a short lay off - just the first couple runs/rides are blech. I hear you about tri's too - part of the reason I bought a wet suit when I did my first one. Nothing too special (not a high speed tri-suit) just a simple 3/2 Body Glove suit that my surfer friends would have used in the old days. And had a friend give me an old shortie that I've never raced in. I can only imagine renting a suit on top of the $75-85 entry and "day" USAT fee.
TKay - I'm not sure I could handle two races in a single day, even "just" an hour bike race. You've got lots of distractions in your normal day don't you?
Kathy B - I could explain thunderstorms at night or late in the day but it wouldn't be any fun and I can't draw on the BB. :D Hope work was good today.
Susan - Hope you recover quickly, you did work pretty hard in your race.

I'll claim a run yesterday and a ride today. The run was pretty good, nothing stellar but better than Saturday (more water consumed). I got just over an hour on funky hills around here. Today I got a short-ish ride in, only about 45 minutes, because I had a dentist appointment to get the first half of a crown done (the last one this year), one implant sometime later in the year though. LW has her own dental fun probably losing 2 teeth on Monday afternoon. :( Not sure what's on tap for tomorrow, it's supposed to be a scorcher tomorrow and this coming weekend (95+ :eek: ).

Talk to you all later,
Les