Virtual Running Buddies - w/o 8-21

[TKay]

Really? I'm first? Everyone must be busy. What, are you out running or something?

I've been slammed with work and kid duties. I have managed to continue with my workouts, but not with posting about them. Yesterday, I did about 45 on the TM. Today, I did a combo walk/jog with weights and then resistance bands and abs. My arms are responding to the resistance bands, so I'm happy about that. I just need to add in some lower-body stuff. I've been lax about that.

One week left until the kids are back to school. Summer has flown. It's been our best one yet.

I know there were posts on last week's thread I haven't replied to. I'll try to get to that this weekend. Speaking of which, anyone have fun plans? Tonight's movie and pizza night at home. Then we're going to two swim parties (in one day) tomorrow. I'm not sure if dh is racing Sunday, but we'll probably lay low anyway.

Oh, ds #1 is in Lego camp today, so ds #2 and I went to get pedicures. I figured he might like the massage and whatever. Not only did he like it, he went full tilt, requesting paint on both his fingers and toes. It's electric blue. What kind of damage have I done? ;) The ladies in the shop kept teasing him, "Oh, you don't want a flower?"

Happy weekend, runnahs!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks for starting TKay, sorry you've been slammed and I hope things settle down a little. At least you're busy. Lego camp sounds fun - maybe sometime I can figure out how to swing that for myself (as a counselor ;) ). Painted toes and fingers - I seem to remember there were a couple rock guys in the 80s and 90s with at least one fingernail painted... I'm sure it will not leave a permanent mark.

I had fun yesterday with a ride - there was one more in our little group, bringing the riding group to 3 (just like the running group). We had about an hour's ride and it was a blast. This weekend... nothing really interesting except for the last really long run before the race on Sep 7. I'm shooting for ~15 miles but I'll be happy with 14+. We had a picnic tonight as a welcome for the new students, they finished their first full week of classes and some of them are really reeling. Things will settle down, I hope.

Time for bed, 15 miles on the morrow will need some serious sleep.

Happy trails,
Les

[VictoriaL]

I can’t remember the last time I posted! :o

There has been so much going on lately that I don’t think I’ve gone out for a run more that once or twice a week in the last month. But since I’m being busy and not lying around, snarfing down ice cream, I don’t feel too badly about it… ;)

Tkay, once the kids are out of the door on the first day of school, do you collapse into the sofa and take a deep breath??? :) It’s incredible how you have managed to keep up with the TM, etc. when you are so busy—congratulations!

Les, so another year is about to start for your studies as well. I’m sure that you have plenty of empathy for those new students. And how did the super-long run go yesterday?

Well, with as few runs as I have taken lately, one does stand out. We were at my parents’ for a few days and DH and I went out for a run early one morning to attempt to rid ourselves of the calories we had ingested since our arrival (Mom is a great cook, but excels at baking and, well, I don’t need to say anything more than blackberry pie, do I?). I used mapmyrun to plot a course of about 4 miles (they live in a very hilly area, almost as much so as where our lake house is in WV). Although the last time he ran was at the beach last September, DH said that he thought he could do it. :) We all know what happened, don’t we?!?!? Less than a half mile in, he slowed and told me to go ahead but not too far ahead. He would do a combo walk/run and follow me. I told him the basic route then took off. Needless to say, that was the last I saw of him until I returned home. My 4-mile run ended up being almost 5-1/2 because I ran circles trying to find him (imagining the poor man lying in a ditch somewhere) when he had been looking for me on unfamiliar roads and we apparently just missed each other at one point.

Did I mention that, although cool, the humidity that morning was so high that it felt as though it was raining even though it wasn’t??? Just lending to the fun experience!!!

Anyway, we both took the extra exercise as an excuse to overindulge in that evening’s dessert, blueberry cobbler… if I lived anywhere near my parents I would be huge!

We both have actually gone out on bikes once a week for the last few weeks, too, so I haven’t been too much of a sloth. In 3 weeks, we will be on vacation and I’ve already mapped my beach runs!

Now off to do something in the kitchen. It’s finally cool today, so I want to bake some things to freeze then take on vacation. I found a great recipe site (http://www.baileyfarmsinc.com/allrecipes.asp) if you have lots of specific kinds of peppers

I am overwhelmed by all of the peppers I planted this year (cubanelle, Anaheim, bell) and this is really helping me to use them up.

Take care everyone, and happy running (biking, TM-ing, etc., etc.) ;)

[Leslie Ferguson]

Welcome back Vicci, your run sounds a little unnerving. I'm definitely not a fan of humidity, even when it's not warm. Glad that everything worked out. The berry cobbler sounds great.

Yep, classes start soon. It's hard to believe the summer is over and I'll be starting my 3rd year of school. Time flies... Yesterday's run, what a good thing to have behind me. I ran a loop course that I had clocked at just a tad over 5 miles (so I thought) that ended up being closer to 5.25 by the time I went back and measured on Mapmyrun. I was doing great through the first loop, even though it was gross - hot and humid (~90 and 80% humidity). Then about a 1.5 into the second loop it started raining (that was divine), then it started pouring (which wasn't bad), then the thunder and lightening (a long ways away but). By 2 miles into the second loop I was soaked and by the end of the second loop there was a significant amount of water coursing across the trail so I had to "wing" another route. Ended up with 15.7 miles all totaled and soaked to the skin. But soaked and cool is better than sweaty and hot at that point. Definitely ready for the race now.

Resting a little and getting ready to head out and figure out dinner - stopped at the farmer's market and picked up fresh corn and eggplant. Corn tonight and eggplant tomorrow.

See you all later and have a great week.
Les

[TKay]

Hi Vicci - Great to hear from you. I'm with Les. That run sounds less than enjoyable. Glad you and dh made it through unscathed--and with berry cobbler as a reward no less! Yum. The size of my lower body is the exact reason I don't bake more. My family eats baked goods, but I'm the one at home with them all day. And I have trouble resisting. Glad you found some good pepper recipes.

Les - Quite a run! The fresh corn and eggplant sound great. I haven't made eggplant in a while (dh is not a huge fan). I knew school was coming up for my boys, but completely forgot that meant you'd be starting back as well. Is year three the final year? I can't recall.

I didn't get in any good workouts over the weekend. Had too many activities to take care of. I am, however, hopping on the TM today. Then it's work, haircuts for the boys, and errands, errands, errands as school prep. We've done nothing in the way of back-to-school shopping. :eek:

Happy Monday. Here's to a great week for all.

[SusanMac]

Les - that's what Natasha would definitely call a virtuous run!

Vicci - oh no! Sounds like DH was not quite ready for that, at all. Running in circles trying to find each other totally sounds like something me & DH would do! Have done it a few times at the dog park, in fact.

TKay - good luck on the school prep. I'm trying to stay far far away from Target to avoid the crowds right now.

Had a really good weekend. Fri a.m. hilly dog park run. Sat I wanted to go for a long bike ride, but it was hella windy & decided to save myself for my last long-run on Sun. So, Sat was a 35-min run with DH with a few fartleks. Sun was an 8-mile run w/my running club. I have a half-marathon coming up this Sat. It's a brand new race here & I'm really looking forward to it.

[Leslie Ferguson]

TKay - Good luck getting the kids back to school. Are they anxious to get back or are they a little trepidatious? Luckily most of the stuff I get for school is carried at school and I don't have notebooks (take all my notes on my computer now). Yep, year 3 is the end! Then back to the real world of work and finding and keeping jobs. A great eggplant recipe: (start with Japanese or Italian eggplant) slice on the bias and put salt on them (I know, that supposedly doesn't work but I do it anyway - but rinse before cooking), saute garlic and bell peppers in olive oil, quick saute the eggplant in the same pan, finish with chopped roma tomatoes (just long enough to heat the tomato and not make them mushy). A little extra olive oil if you'd like, then serve over your favorite pasta - angel hair is great but tomorrow will be bow ties.

Susan - That's a phrase I haven't heard in a while and fitting considering the conditions. I hope you have a great 1/2 this weekend and that it's everything you hoped it would be. I've had the same issue when I used to lead the group in Norfolk and the worst morning was running an extra 3 miles (after running 12 to begin with) because part of our group went down one path and I went down another looking for them. :(

I had a great run today - no rain but a brisk run. I felt like pushing it a little, partly because I got started a little late and was supposed to be on campus in 18 minutes (it's ~2.1 or 2.2 miles mostly up hill). Then when no one took me up on the run (most had replied they wouldn't be able to run but I offered so felt compelled to be on time just in case). Pushed it home via a different route and felt pretty good. I don't know how far I ended up running but I ran for just over an hour.

'Bout all and time to sleep. Spent time at the dentist this morning getting a permanent crown installed before breakfast. I'm tired so until tomorrow... happy trails,
Les

[TKay]

Susan - Exciting about the upcoming race. I'll look forward to your report. I hope it's not hella windy that day. ;) When we arrived at Target today, the parking lot was shockingly empty. I guess other parents were actually early this year.

Les - I kind of like the runs where you don't really measure the mileage, but just keep running anyway. Well, if I remember from way back before I was dreadmill-exclusive. Your recipe sounds great! Thanks. The boys are actually pretty excited to go back to school. They say they're sorry summer is over, but the next moment they're talking about the coming year. It helps that they picked out lots of goodies (bendable rulers--who knew?) and new clothes today. They want to show off that stuff. That's great that you can go paperless in class. So environmentally smart. How do you feel about starting your last year of school?

I ended up with a 40-min sluggish TM run today. I had zero oomph. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.

Nigh-night.

[Kathy B]

Weights this AM and 45 min easy run on the TM.

Tkay, hope your had a good rest and a little more energy today. Good for you for slogging through even when you didn't feel like it....maybe it helped you get a better sleep?

Les, what a way to start your day! Hope you had something soft for breakfast. Glad to hear you had such a good run last night.

Good workouts over the WE, Susan! Now for a nice taper, right? :) What is the half you are doing? I always imagine you must have lots of college kids in the races around your area...do you? Does UW participate in sponsoring some?

Nice to hear from you Vicci! Your run with your DH reminds me of shopping trips with the family. Everyone circling and looking for each other. One reason I appreciate cell phones!!
Thanks for posting the link to the pepper site. I saved to my favorites!

I really would love to just sit and be a couch potato today after the busyness of the last several days, but the house needs some attention, so I guess I need to drag out the vaccuum cleaner.

Hope everyone's week is off to a great start! :)

[VictoriaL]

Les 15.7 miles is great-- especially with rain (and, at some times, pouring rain, no less!). So you're a "senior" this year. :) Are you anticipating the end of the formal education so you can get on with finding a position, or do you enjoy the studies? I couldn't wait to get out of college, but my brother was so into it that he spent additional several years there, culminating with a post-doc. Crazy man...

Tkay, a sluggish 40 minute TM session must have seemed almost unbearable! Good for you, I'd have probably given up to take a nap about 10 minutes in...

Oops, must go. I'll take care of the rest of you guys later.

Today a 4.8 mile run on our local rail-trail. DH is trying to get himself in shape for running on the beach. Hmmmm. ;)

[Leslie Ferguson]

LesSo you're a "senior" this year. :) Are you anticipating the end of the formal education so you can get on with finding a position, or do you enjoy the studies?
It's a complicated answer. I'm ready for classes to be over but I'm not ready to leave the school environment. There are 30 of us in my class and < 200 total (including faculty and staff) on campus and I love being in that kind of close, spiritual environment. But the classes - let's just say that the sooner they're over the better.

Getting ready to go for a ride this evening but need to prep dinner so I'll be back later.

Happy trails,
Les

[Robyn1007]

Wow, lots of interesting runs all around.

So, this past weekend was the weekend with my dad. When I arrived Friday we picked up a loaner bike from his LBS. It was a Bianchi and looked small when they wheeled it out. Unfortunately the rides proved that it was really too small. We did a short 1 hour ride Friday afternoon just my dad and I. It was nice to be out with him doing something we both love but I knew the moment we started up the first hill that it was going to hurt to ride that bike. Saturday we ran out of time before my stepmom's party. Sunday we did a hilly ride with my stepmom where I had a bad asthma attack. We had a hill where it was a steep downhill then straight back up the other side. Unfortunately the shifting on the loaner wasn't good either so I ended up out of the saddle in the big chain ring and it caused the start of the attack. I didn't really have time to recover so after a couple more hills I lost control and when my dad heard my breathing he insisted we stop. The rest of the ride was okay but I was kind of burned out after that big hill. Oops. Monday we did a longer 2 hour ride that was less hilly which I really enjoyed but the whole weekend proved to me how important bike fit is. I felt folded up on the bike the whole time which restricted my power output, caused cramping in my legs and hurt my back, neck, arms and core muscles. I was a mess by the end. In fact I was battling cramping hamstrings on the flight yesterday as a result.

I'm looking forward to getting out on my own bike this weekend. However, I think I've about reached my after work limit for riding. I'll be focusing more on runs and adding in some strength work to prepare for ski season. And I'm looking forward all of that.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Les, what a way to start your day! Hope you had something soft for breakfast. Glad to hear you had such a good run last night.
Actually, all I had done was a permanent crown attached so soft wasn't the issue - not too hot or cool was. :( It's still a little sensitive but I can breathe over the tooth without it bothering me now. It's always nice to have a good run, especially in the hot weather like yesterday.

TKay - I'd be primed with a bendable ruler too. :D But then the 5 year old in me loves things like that (just like mud puddles and puppies). I hope you get back to being able to run "however long" and not on the dreadmill. BTW - the recipe was a hit tonight. LW asked "is this out of Cooking Light or Cooking Club?" To which I replied - nope, out of the grey matter. She was pretty amazed that it came out as well as it did. I hope you have the same results if you try it - just a "safety tip," it is really important to get all the salt off the eggplant, otherwise they are almost too much (and that's impressive considering I'm a salt fiend).
Robyn - Sorry you didn't have a good ride while you were in Oregon. I'm a huge fan of a good fit on my bike. I can only imagine trying to ride out there with a bad fit. :( I hope there aren't too many lasting issues from the bad rides.

I had a great ride this evening. We had 2 new riders join us tonight, making 4 total. We had some fun working over to the W&OD trail - nothing too terribly long because I had to make sure the dorm folks got back in time to get dinner. But I got an extra 5 miles in (rode to and from campus), making a total of 17.5. I had the start of the day as I was blasting down a hill and around a corner (my biggest nightmare) - a car pulled away from the curb, not immediately in front of me but close enough that I was close to a panic stop. Luckily I kind of saw him coming and was able to start thinking about stopping but trying to bring a mountain bike moving at ~31 mph down hill (about 200 lbs of bike and rider) to a stop on a 15% grade is not the easiest thing. But all's well that ends well - nothing except a slightly elevated heart rate at this end.

Time for bed - I hope everyone is well and I'll see you on the morrow?

Les

[TKay]

Les - Glad you survived the bike scare unscathed. Yikes! I choose not to think about all the dangers out there for riders on the street. (Dh rides in traffic all the time.) Sounds like it was a good ride regardless. Funny about the recipe coming "out of the grey matter." :D

Robyn - Bummer about the bad bike fit. But I guess that just goes to show how much you know about cycling and how much your body is conditioned for a proper fit. Ski season? Really? I guess you're right. It's fast-approaching. You must be very excited.

Vicci - Running on the beach, huh? Will you be joining dh for this?

KathyB - I consider vacuuming an extreme sport--especially with the pet hair we are constantly battling. So good for you, working out with the vacuum when you would have preferred to be a couch potato. ;)

Too much work yesterday. Ended up sitting in my workout gear all day, just waiting for that break. Nope. Determined to get on the TM today.

[Leslie Ferguson]

TKay - Sometimes I don't like thinking about the dangers of riding on the road. Luckily I spend a lot of time scanning for things like car doors opening and cars pulling away from the curb. That's a bummer that you sat there in your workout clothes yesterday and didn't get a workout in. :( Hopefully you got your TM run in today.

Today was running day. Boy, my legs are tired too. I'm ready to taper a little next week (traveling mostly) because I don't think I can keep up the intensity of runs and rides and long runs much longer. Today was a 2 part run: ~33 minutes with one of my running partners and ~30 minutes on my own. He didn't want to do more than 3 - 4 miles and I needed more (although my legs would have been happier not running the extra stuff). Tomorrow will be a ride day - don't know how many but some number of us will ride.

Until later... happy trails,
Les

[Robyn1007]

I'm not feeling very talkative these days for a variety of reasons but I did get in a 30 minute run on the TM tonight.

Speaking of road riding dangers. Two of my online acquaintances were hit by a car on Saturday morning. One is still in a medically induced coma and the other is in ICU but interacting with visitors. If you get a chance can you send up a prayer? www.dickdime.info for more about one of the riders. :(

[TKay]

Robyn - I am so sorry to hear about your friends. Oh, my. I went to the web site and sent out some support. I'll keep them both in my thoughts.

[VictoriaL]

Today I am posting from the lake house. It's our annual "no entertaining, just relaxing" summer stay here. Four days of hanging out, and I'm enjoying it very much. :)

Okay, back to what I was into when I had to sign off two days ago...

KathyB, so now is it only DD at home with you? Did you get DS off to college? There was a week or two here when I was awol...

Well, Les, I had a good friend who felt the same way you did and after she got her doctorate (molecular biology, something easy, she got a position on staff at the university. Would that be anything you could do with your degree? And, on the subject of bikes and cars, that is the reason I spend 99.9% of my biking time on the rail trail. So many people just don't see bikers!

And to continue that, I'm so sorry that accident happened to your online buddies, Robyn. I certainly hope that the driver of the car was caught and will be dealt with appropriately.

Tkay, of course I will be joining DH on beach runs! :D Our annual 2-weeks at the beach house is coming up in 1-1/2 weeks and I have already mapped my courses.


The vacation is one reason why I've been so busy lately, a lot of planning plus friends are joining us for both weekends (long ones, of course), so menus have to be planned...

My run on the rail trail the other day had some dire consequences (or could it have been that combined with the subsequent 2-1/2 hours of gardening in the blazing sun?): achy back, very sore hamstrings (I thought I left that particular problem behind last year), and shin splints. The trail is "paved" with a solid base of crushed limestone, and since I have recently run 4+ miles on asphalt up at my parents' house, I'm wondering if it could have been the trail surface giving me the shin splints? The hamstring problem may have come on because we were running late and didn't stretch, rather just popped into the car after the run and went home.

Today, even on vacation, I think I'll do some weights. ;) Then maybe a run tomorrow...

Take care all and I'll "see" you on the next thread!

[Leslie Ferguson]

(((((Robyn))))) Sorry to hear about your friends. Certainly have a prayer beling lifted for them both. That's part of the scary thing of riding where cars are. I pray that they recover fully and I pray that whatever is troubling your soul passes quickly too. You've got friends who will listen.
Vicci - Wondering about your shoes. I know that my knees and ankles start to ache terribly when my shoes start to break down. Also, the change in surfaces can cause some discomfort, especially if there is a cant to the trail. I know that when I run on the road and there's the slope to the curb that my legs feel off. Regarding working at a University, unless there's a job that doesn't require a PhD (all the professorships do) there's not much I can do around the Seminary after school. And I'd be hard pressed to get the folks who sponsored me to come to school (and paid $$ to do it) to release me to work in an academic environment. Enjoy your vacation at the beach.

Taking it easy for the morning and looking forward to a good ride this evening.

Happy trails,
Les

[SusanMac]

Robyn - so sorry to hear about your friends! Very scary stuff. Enjoy your shift to running! I've found myself running more lately, too. Although I really want to take advantage of remaining evening sun with more riding. It just doesn't always fit into the schedule. Sounds like a good trip with your Dad! Bummer about the bike fit, but some good quality time together all the same

Vicci - I don't think a shift from pavement to crushed limestone path should cause shin pains. I'm with Les that it might be something else (shoes, slanted route). Sometimes I get unexplained aches, too. If it doesn't linger, hopefully it's just a random pain that will go away. Glad to see DH is now "in training" after you whooped him on that last run :-)

Les - glad you has some quick thinking & responses on your bike ride to stay safe!

TKay - I sit around the office in my running gear all the time just waiting for a workout....but sending just one more email! Glad to hear I'm not the only one

Well, here's my week so far:
Mon - planned on a bike ride w/my women's club, but opted for a rest day. Realized I had 4 tough runs in a row and was feeling a bit tired. Did some good core work.

Tues - went on a 3-mile run that felt like crud the whole time! My legs were really dead. Hoped that it was just taper week mental games?

Wed - went on another 3-mile run. Felt fresh & easy. Whew. Needed that to regain my confidence.

Today & Fri will be rest days. Yea :-)

Anyone heard from KValley lately??