Virtual Running Buds - w/o 8/7

[TKay]

My my, it's quiet round these parts. Where is everybody? Out enjoying a lovely summer afternoon, I hope.

I've been consistent with my TM workouts. My new favorite is walking with very light weights, doing some easy intervals (still with the weights), hopping off and doing some resistance training, and then back on for a repeat. That's what I did today. Yesterday was a 45-minute run on the TM. I sure am catching up on my daytime TV. :p

Hope it's not too scorching hot for you all this weekend. We are heading to Palm Springs next week. Supposed to be 110 the day we arrive. Lovely.

Weekend plans, anyone?

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks for starting TKay. I wasn't hiding, just wrestling with my computer today (and I won). Good for you to keep your TM workouts going. It sounds like you have a neat program to break the monotony of the TM too. 110 is a scorcher and I don't envy you - stay cool and hydrated.

I didn't run today but I rode (hence the reason I didn't start the running thread ;) ). Not far but clocked my run from the other day - ended up with ~7.6 miles (not the bad run day either). Then I walked over to the store to pick up the last things for dinner tonight. We had a recipe from Cooking Club of America - ribbon zucchini and pasta salad and chicken. It was pretty good and oh how I want a mandolin if I ever have to make that recipe again. Deconstructing 2 pounds of zucchini with a peeler is a nightmare. :rolleyes: Shooting for a long run tomorrow and I'll probably do run/walk, mostly because I'm still a little iffy with my hip and it's supposed to be the hottest day of the summer - somewhere between 95 and 100 (dry bulb and no humidity added into that).

Off to bed so I can get up early and run. Happy trails,
Les

[SusanMac]

Thx for kicking off the new week Tkay. I have been laying low from VRB, and had an esp busy week at work. On this Sat morning I'm watching it dump rain much longer than anyone projected. At least I got a lot of cooking prep done for a picnic tomorrow.

Let's see.....workout reports.....
Wed - swim in the morning. Was supposed to bike Wed night with a GF, and the weather was picture perfect. But my GF had a work fire drill come up. It was one of those things where you say, just another 15 minutes. But then it turns into 1.5 hours. So, didn't make it out :-(

Thurs - really good 6.5 mile run. Felt steady. I really needed that!

Fri - rest day. Probably should have done something, but it was raining most of the day which was a good excuse.

Today - planning a killer bike ride if it the skies ever dry up!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Quick fly by today - at least for now. I want to claim my 2 hour run. Not sure how far but went the whole time (with the exception of ~3 minutes to refill water at the midway). Fairly flat the first hour and fairly hilly the second (hills in the shade and flat in the sun - so the flat came first). Went with 5/1 the whole way, and is seemed ok, only developed a slight shoulder cramp about 90 minutes in - not fun but nothing to stop me.

Off to clean up and get a caffeine hit.
Les

eta: I just figured out my run for today - ~12.3 miles. Thankfully long runs are about time not speed. Oh, and that tells me that I'll be fine finishing the half and making goal of sub-2:00, even if I run/walk.

Hope everyone is doing well on this fine Saturday. Happy trails,
Les

[oceanjasper]

I finally have a run to report! :)

Yesterday afternoon I went out for a trail run with a friend. I haven't run in awhile, so my speed and endurance were somewhat lacking, but it sure felt good to get out there!

Distance: 7.35 km (4.56 miles)
Time: 45:20
Pace: 6:09 min/km (9:55 min/mile)
Calories: 468
No wildlife sightings

The heat wave has ended, although we have yet to get any rain and the forest is unbelievably dry. It has been a long time since I have seen it like this. It doesn't normally get that hot here (broke lots of records) and pretty much no one has air conditioning, since it normally only lasts a couple of days, not weeks. Of course, I so smartly decided to sweat it out indoors and tackle my spare room.

Well, I am happy to report that I am done! I now actually have a spare room and I didn't stop there, but continued to do the rest of my place, i.e. kitchen, bathroom, linen closet, bedroom. For the first time in my life, everything is organized and in its place. It is an *amazing* feeling and I am not sure why I waited so long to do it. I guess I wasn't mentally ready for it. I know I wouldn't want to do it again anytime soon!

So, now that part of my life is organized, time to work on me! A run was a good start and we will see what else happens in the near future.

Ack, my laptop battery is about to die, so I will sign off and come back in a bit to read what has been going on around here. Have a wonderful day!

[oceanjasper]

I am back and fully powered. ;)

TKay - Good for you and your consistent TM workouts! It's always nice to have some variety (and entertainment!) Hope you enjoy your time in Palm Springs, even though it will be stinking hot. :) I am also heading on vacation next week and, while the weather is cooler right now, it is supposed to get warmer again by next weekend. I hope it does, as I would like to actually get out and enjoy some sunshine.

Les - Your pasta salad sounds good. I bought a mandolin last year and I love it, except for when it decides to take a chunk out of my finger. Those things are wickedly sharp. Congrats on your 2-hour run! You must have amazing endurance.

SusanMac - Good job on the 6.5 mile run! And the swimming and biking.... :) Did you get out for a killer bike ride today?

I am inspired by Les' early morning run and am now contemplating getting out there for a quick one. I have committments from 11am onwards today, so it might be now or never...

[oceanjasper]

Well, it was short, and I was way overdressed and had zip for energy, but I did it. Thanks for the inspiration, Les.

Distance: 3.67 km (2.28 miles)
Time: 22:20
Pace: 6:05 min/km (9:47 min/mile)
Calories: 234
No wildlife sightings

Time to jump in the shower! Have a good one!

[Leslie Ferguson]

You're welcome OJ. It sounds like you've had a couple good runs recently, good for you. My friend sup in Seattle were in the same boat and they couldn't stand the heat - I remember when I lived there and it was hot - we didn't have AC either. Now... the thing runs pretty much non-stop from May through September in Northern Virginia. Sometimes for cooling and others for removal of moisture.

I had a good ride today, a little longer than usual (time wise). It was unmercifully hot and it's supposed to be hotter tomorrow. Welcome to the dog days of summer - 95 and 90%+ humidity tomorrow is in the forecast so it may be a truly gross day.

Happy trails all and I hope everyone has been out enjoying the summer weekend.
Les

[Kathy B]

Didn't do any official exercise over the weekend...just a fair amount of walking as we did back to school shopping. WAY too hot to get outside and I didn't have time to get to the CC. Working 12 hours today, so maybe I'll be able to report something tomorrow.

Nice to hear your house stuff went to well, OJ. It's a great feeling to get it done, isn't it. We got our patio extension completed this past week, too, and we love it already! GOod for you for getting that run in!

I hear you on the heat, Les. Hope your ride had a lot of shady spots!

Nice workouts, Susan! We finally got some rain last night, so hopefully it will cool off here.

Good job on your TM workouts, Tkay! You do a good job of keeping some variety in them. Have a good trip to PS.

Work is waiting, so gotta run! :)

[SusanMac]

Happy Monday runners! I had a good weekend despite some wacky weather.

Sat - yes, the skies cleared up & I went on a great ride w/DH. Some tough hills, and my legs felt tired, but I just kept slugging through. 32 miles

Sun - joined my running club for LSD day. Did 10 miles. Wickedly oppressive heat. It was mostly hard b/c we haven't had heat this year, so no one is used to it. Plus, my legs were tired from Sat. Good practice, I guess, although my pace slowed much more than I'd like.

Tonight is cycling with my bike club. 2 of my GFs have decided to come. One just got her first road bike (vs mtn bike), and I promised to stick w/her if she drops back. She's quite athletic, but just new to the whole pedals/shifting/skinny tire thing. We're doing a tri together this weekend....so she had better learn quickly :-)

P.S. On an unrelated note...my MIL just joined FB and wants to friend me! DH is laughing. This is exactly why he refuses to join. I mean, how can I say no?! My hope is that she's never on it & doesn't bug me (she still can't figure out email)

[TKay]

Hello runners! We are heading for the fires of Palm Springs shortly, but I thought I'd pop in here before we leave.

Susan - Sorry about the rain, but you got in some great workouts nonetheless. Funny about your MIL. Enjoy your ride tonight.

KathyB - Bummer about the heat. Hope you get in a run or two soon--or get to the CC.

Les - Wow, a two-hour run? The most I've done is about an hour--if I remember correctly. It's been some time since I did that. Good going.

OJ - I am jealous of the organized house and of the runs! Wow, you're on fire. I can't even imagine a 6-minute mile.

I did a short TM run on Saturday. We had a wedding in the evening and I wanted to save my legs for dancing. :p Turns out dh's knees were bothering him, so we kept our moves brief. We did a l-o-n-g tandem ride on Sunday. I want to say it was 75 miles and I was totally cooked by the end. I was begging dh to just get us home so I could get off that seat. My legs were tired, yes. But it was my bottom (and my hands) that couldn't take the bike anymore. Ow. Heading to PS soon, so I'll be off-line for a bit. There's a very air conditioned gym where we are staying, so I plan on working out while we're there.

Have a great week everyone, and I'll catch up with you soon.

[SusanMac]

TKay - your trip sounds great! I hate to steal OJ's thunder....but it's 6:00 min/km. That makes her normal like the rest of us ;-) So we can keep her around here a bit longer!

OJ - I love seeing your computer readouts! The extra wildlife sightings are a hoot, although I notice you've been low lately.

Kathy - your work schedule always amazes me! Is DS taking off this week? I need a reminder where he is going to school.

Last night's bike ride was great! We had 10 women and perfect weather. Both of my GFs showed up and had a good time. My one friend with the new road bike totally reminds me of myself a few years back....having to think really hard about unclipping pedals, not wanting to get too close to other riders, etc. So, it's nice to help someone out the way others did with me back then.

Great swim this morning. We've had really good luck with calm water lately. Tomorrow I'm readjusting my schedule to do a mid-week long run.

[Kathy B]

Hi, all! Happy to report that I got in a good TM workout this AM. Also, yesterday at work I wore my pedometer and logged over 10,000 steps. Woo Hoo!! I was the resource or "helper" for the day, and there was a lot of helping to be done! :D

Susan, I had to laugh at your dilemma. DD informed me that she is a member of the FB group called "No, Mom, it's cool that you have a FB page. Really." :rolleyes: Although to be fair, she IS the one who insisted on setting me up with one on a slow summer day when she was bored. :p You have another tri this weekend?? WoW! Do you do any kind of tapering when you do these kinds of events so close together?

Tkay, a 75 mile ride sounds like a major event to me (vs. a workout). Even if there were two of you pedalling! Have you started packing yet?

DS is home for another week and a half or so before he has to be at school for orientation. The first weekend and full week is only for freshmen so they have a chance to really mingle with faculty and other freshmen before the official year begins...lots of activities planned. He is getting very excited. He will be attending Truman State University here in MO, about 2-1/2 hours away.

Hope everyone's week is going well!

[Leslie Ferguson]

TKay - 75 miles? :eek: I'm with Kathy, that's huge and I can bet your bod wanted off the seat. I hope that you enjoy your time in PS and that you recover from the bike ride quickly.
Susan - Glad to hear that you had fun with your GF and their biking. It's funny, I'm like you now that I've been riding my road bike for 3 (or is it 4) years, I can't remember when I couldn't get my cleats out of the pedals. I'm looking forward to being able to swim soon - the private high school that backs up on the Seminary has a pool and we've worked a deal with them to allow us to swim in their off hours (not during the school day) - perfect for me because that's when I would swim anyway. There are lots of remedies to the FB question too - friend then un-friend sometime later. She'd probably never know.
Kathy - It sounds great that DS is just far enough away for both of you - close enough to come home and far enough away that he can stay away if he needs to. Great workout too.

Today was the first day of orientation for new students - it's hard to believe that 2 years ago (almost to the day) I was in that seat. (first orientation day was August 13 2007) Greeted the new students this morning, sporting propeller hat and bubbles :D - I was the hit of the day. After having fun on campus (with nothing official to do) I came home and took an hour's run (give or take) then went back for a welcome dinner. I ended up meeting a gentleman who is an avid runner. Interestingly, we are a lot alike - both older (although he's probably a couple years older than I am), have beards (greying), wear hearing aids, and run mid-week runs at 8:30-9:00 pace. We're off tomorrow afternoon for a 4-5 miler as a break in. He's made the ~2 mile trek around the campus but wants to see some different trails - here they come.

Time to head away for the evening - happy trails all,
Les

[SusanMac]

Les - your new running buddy sounds fabulous! Can't believe it's been 2 years of school for you already.

Kathy - 2.5 hrs does sound just about right. I'm sure it's a strange feeling for you, though, regardless of how close he'll still be.

Wed was an a.m. swim. I also decided to do my LSD run mid-week. It went well. 12 miles. So I feel more confident about the half-marathon coming up. It won't be a PR race for me, but I'm OK with that. Just having fun doing races here & there this year. Tonight I'll join my running club for the weekly 5-mile run. My legs are tired, but I missed their run last week, so want to go tonight. I'm going to make sure to do an easy pace.

[Kathy B]

Les, Nice to be able to help with orientation without having an official role....makes it easier to mingle and have fun I would think! Hope you and the new guy get a good run in today. I'm sure he'll be happy to have a guide showing him all the good places to run! :)

Good job on your 12 miles, Susan! An easy 5 miler sounds like a good idea with your tri coming up. That's this WE, right? When is the half? You are really keeping busy!!

Yesterday was weights and a TM run with intervals. Today, I did an easy pace too, with a 45 min TM jog. DD is suddenly more interested in going to the CC regularly, so I am sticking with the TM for a while. It is still pretty humid out anyway. She is going out for tennis again, and she wants to get her legs "stronger and faster". School starts in another week, and then I hope to get back outside.

Errands this afternoon and an alumini picnic tonight (hope it cools off a little!). The Truman alumni in the KC area are sponsoring the event for incoming freshmen and their families. Our first official college event...woo hoo!! :p Should be fun, though, and a good chance for DS to meet a few other kids from KC who are going there.

[Robyn1007]

Hey all! It's been a long hard week for me that's gotten away. Quick wrap up of my workouts are a 32 mile ride Sunday, 15 mile ride Monday nothing on Tuesday or Wednesday then got in a 5k run after work tonight. Trying to get ready to ride with my dad next weekend so I would have liked more bike miles but it looked like rain tonight so I went with the run. I've already worked 42 hours this week and will put in at least another 8 tomorrow. I'm not used to these kinds of long weeks so it's taking a toll.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Flyby... It's great to just be myself and mingle on campus. It's hard to believe that I'm one of the "old guys" now. It's also hard to imagine that it's really been 2 years. I had a good run with my new running partner today and we ended up doing about 5.2 or so. It was a little warm and he hadn't experienced some of our hills (most of them actually) but was game. I think this is going to be a good running relationship for the coming year - we're about the same speed and have a lot of the same running mentality. He's actually only been running 15 years (I've got him by 1 this go around). He had never run before that and in fact was a 2 pack a day smoker until 15 years ago.

Need to hit the skids - -look for people tomorrow or might just offer an update here if I don't do something productive.

Les

[Kathy B]

Weights and a nice TM workout this AM. Just heard a chatty report from DD about her tennis practice this AM. Apparently it went well. :) Off to a Dr. appt and lunch. Have a good day!