Virtual Running Buddies 1/15/10

[SusanMac]

Happy weekend runners!! I'll kick off the new week, but haven't been running.

Fri - indoor bike spin. The temps outside were actually nice (around 30), but I was just in the mood for spin (which never happens!)
Today - I'm headed out to a 90-min yoga class shortly. New teacher. I hope I like him b/c that's a long class! Tomorrow is long-run day, so I think a great yoga stretch will be a good way to prep

Looking through the race calendar for the year this weekend. It's fun to consider which events to do this year. Maybe I'll get motivated. They just announced a new marathon/half-mar in our area for late Oct, too. Looking forward to that! It's always good to get new races

Anyone doing anything fun this weekend? I can bet Robyn is skiing :-)

[Natasha]

Hi Susan! Thanks for starting us off this week. :) Sounds like you're doing well! You reminded me that we also have a new (fairly) local marathon & half marathon this year. I've been meaning to read up about it. Off to do that.

I have a run to report from yesterday. It was an enjoyable jaunt, between 5 1/2 and 6 miles. Today I'll either spin or swim.

Hi to everyone else, and happy trails! What's everyone up to this weekend? We plan to relax at home and do some investment planning and such now (yay! fun! ;)). Then training and a few errands, some more relaxing, some cooking of course, and then socializing tonight.

[VictoriaL]

Hi All!

Susan, an hour-and-a-half of yoga? What fun! :)

Good show on the run outside yesterday Nat. DH is finishing up his investment planning today and is using me as a sounding board for his decisions. I tend to start to nod off... you, obviously, have more of a handle on the subject! ;)

We have been at the lake house since Thursday afternoon and will return to the farm later today (DH doesn't want to miss a playoff game tonight and we have no tv here).

I had anticipated a run, but the access road is snowy and sloppy, so I did 40 minutes on the EB yesterday afternoon. Then friends came over for dinner (chili and cornbread), we yakked for over 5 hours (:eek:), and today all I have yet to do is some vacuuming here in the house then pack the car.

Plan on doing some weights when we get back, but that may be pushed to tomorrow.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

[Natasha]

Hi everyone!

Vicci, hope you had a good drive home and that DH got the result he wanted from the game. How were the weights? Sounds like a great time with friends :)

I'm back from a very fun run. I was a few minutes late for the club run and couldn't find them so just ran on my own. It's nice and mild and dry out today. I kept a good pace and did at least 14k (somewhere between 8 1/2 and 9 miles), so am very happy about it.

Hope everyone has a great Sunday!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks for starting Susan. It's good to see a few folks hanging around and doing some running etc. 90 minutes of yoga sounds interesting and relaxing.

Good run Nat, 14k sounds like a fun number. Did you have a good weekend?

Vicci - I think I'm with you a little bit when it comes to investment discussions. Still, I can't say that all around though, I'm intersted - just no money to worry about right now.

I just got back from the Oregon Coast (Lincoln City). LW and I spent time with her family at the beach, part of us at her parent's beach house and part of us in a rental about 1 block away. I went for a good run on the HILLS there - they were killer! :eek: All in all it was about 65 minutes. It wasn't bad starting out, ~50 and a little fog which became a nice breeze and a bit more drizzle by the end. A little uncomfortable walking back up the hill to the house. Today was miserable but we went out in for a longish walk with SIL's pooch (std poodle) in the rain. (Luckily I bought a Columbia Sportswear raincoat yesterday). All in all about an hour walking.

We leave Tuesday and have a few things to wrap up before going, not the least of which is going to see Kathy mom (85 y.o.) in the hospital (pneumonia and LOW sodium [~105 vs. 135-180 {?}]) so the DR's are working to get her healthy before sending her home. Other than that just one last day of relaxation.

BTW - I forgot part of the reason I'm not a huge fan of Oregon, it's been grey and greyer for most of the 10 days we've been here. Maybe I won't look for a job out here just yet.

Anyway, happy trails all and I'll be checking in later.
Les

[SusanMac]

Happy MLK Day runners!

I had a great weekend
Sat - the yoga class was a killer! My quads & shoulders were sore all day. Really good stuff
Sun - I joined up with my running club & did 11 miles. Felt really smooth the whole time. Really boosted my confidence for my race, which is only 4 weeks away

Today will be a rest/recovery day. Cooking club is tonight & I just made a rosemary olive oil cake - it looks beautiful

Les - your trip sounds wonderful, even w/the grey skies!
Nat - I always have a fear of not making it to running dates on time. Argh! Sounds like you made the best of it, tho
Vicci - your lakehouse visits & house guests always sound so wonderful

[TKay]

Hello runners. I'm enjoying a rainy day at home. Yes, rainy. Blustery. Stormy. Can you imagine? Gee, I think you can. :rolleyes:

I took off a few days and not entirely on purpose. I just got really busy. Plus, my big toe has been bothering me. I thought I had an ingrown (eeewww! TMI?), but it turns out it just needed rest. It must be rubbing on my shoe funny. It feels fine now, so the days off did me good. Got in a good TM run yesterday (about 45 minutes or so). I'm headed up again today for weights and some intervals.

Les - I'm with you. The grey followed by grey would get old for me. I really enjoy the rain, but I think that's because it's a novelty for me. Your hill run sounds killer.

Nat - Sounds like you had a perfect weekend. Well, minus the investment stuff. I, too, have no interest in those sorts of things. Your (non-club) run was a success anyway, eh?

Vicci - Did you arrive safely? And did you get to those weights? I'm in agreement with Susan. Your social engagements always sound so lovely.

Susan - Wow. 90-minutes of sore-muscle-inducing yoga AND 11 miles? You had quite the weekend. I'm glad the run helped build your confidence too.

Happy Monday, all.

[Natasha]

Les, great to hear from you. Enjoy the rest of your travels. Sorry to hear about LW's mom. Hope she's doing better. Yes, we did have a nice weekend, thanks!

Susan, way to go on that run. You'll be ready for that half, no problem!

TKay, glad the rest days did the trick!

Sandwiched in between Friday's and Sunday's runs was a spin with lots of climbs and intervals on Saturday. So the lower body will benefit from some yoga tonight, I think (as will the rest of my body).

Lest you guys all think I love investment planning or something, I should clarify that yeah, not really :p DH is far more into it than I am. I don't mind it and in fact find some of it quite interesting, but am glad it's done for the moment ;)

[Natasha]

Checking back in to say that dinner tonight was based on a recipe from a library copy of Bicycling magazine, so I thought this group of many cyclists might be interested :) I hadn't made anything from Bicycling since making some energy balls years and years ago. This recipe was for butternut squash enchiladas. Quite good and super easy. I'll post the recipe one of these days.

[VictoriaL]

Les the time you spent at the beach sounds nice, even with the grey and rain. And think of how much stronger you will be having run those hills. ;) Have a safe return trip tomorrow!

Well Nat you certainly kept active over this winter weekend! Sandwiched in between Friday's and Sunday's runs was a spin with lots of climbs and intervals… Geez! :) Hope that the yoga was able to calm things down a bit (I can only imagine that it felt wonderful!).

Susan the half is only a month away? Time really does fly, and you’ll be in a nice, warm climate, too, as I remember. This past weekend must have proved that you can certainly run a half marathon. And now you have me looking for that cake recipe, how was it?

Tkay good return to it after the short break, but no run in the rain today??? I was ecstatic to see all of our rain yesterday (about ¾”). Most of the snow melted, and I was able to get out today instead of biking inside. And the sun came out here for a few minutes, too (I think that the last time I saw the sun was a week ago). You Southern CA people are so darn spoiled!!! :p I want to live there.

As I mentioned, I finally had a run outside today! Three miles. The trails down in the very deep woods were still snowy, and I only went through them once because I slipped all over the place, but up on the higher, more open, trails it was so nice. The sun came out for a short while, making it all the better. I was running up a hill, marveling at how the setting sun was turning everything (even the yucky dead meadow weeds) into a pretty golden tone. I reached the top, looked down the path that went to my left, and standing about 50’ from me, straight on, was a huge doe, glowing in the sunlight. We both jumped and ran, although I believe that I was the only one who screamed… :rolleyes:

Nat, today must have been Butternut Squash Day. The link to the enchilada recipe is here (http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-4-21-21248-1,00.html). I made an excellent curry from b'nut squash and red lentils for dinner and hope to get the review of this on my blog later this evening.

And I am so excited. When the piles of snow finally melted around my cold-frame, I peeked inside and found arugula, cilantro, and parsley growing! How they didn’t freeze on those mornings when it was 3 degrees out is quite surprising. I have to search for recipes for those, too. Like found treasure (especially the arugula!).

[Leslie Ferguson]

No run in the rain TKay I'm sorry you didn't get the chance to get out in it. Still, with an unhappy toe it's probably a good thing that you rested. I think you've got some of the stuff that's been hitting up here the past couple days.
Susan - Which half are you running? Good to get 11 in with 4 weeks to go. Hope you enjoyed your rest day and had a good dinner.
Nat - MIL is doing okay, it's always tough sledding for an 85 year old though. It should be okay, she's getting better but it won't be "tomorrow." I'm with Vicci too - sounds like a killer weekend to me.
Vicci - 3/4" rain? Sounds like you are out our way. ;) Dinner sounds good too.

It was a lay low kind of day today. I did a little personal stuff this morning (haircut at a real stylist), took a run for an hour, and saw my MIL in the hospital. The weather wasn't too bad this morning for a run, a little over 50 and a nice breeze. It would be nasty tonight because the wind is blowing up a storm. Trying to rest a little before flying home tomorrow - it'll be nice to see the kids and the house. Just think, in 4 months I'll be thinking about graduating? Who'd of thunk.

Happy trails,
Les

[Natasha]

Les, sounds like your trip so far has been a perfect combination of rest, family time, and exploring. Safe travels home! Good to hear that MIL is stable and improving.

Vicci, thanks for posting the recipe! :) I strayed from it ... mostly used it for inspiration. Among the changes I made:

- substituted Penzey's Fajita seasoning for the ancho chile
- used more green onion
- skipped the cilantro since I didn't have it
- skipped the cream cheese
- added a very small amount of chorizo sausage for some extra oomph and flavour
- used gorditas from the Latin American store instead of other tortillas

We are all big squash fans here too (yes, even the dog, who knows the word "squash" = "delicious treat"! ;)). He stays close and watches when I prepare it for roasting, or scoop it out of the skin. I like butternut squash in everything as long as it's mashed or very soft. Your curry sounds wonderful. Will have to check out your blog when it's updated :)

Hope everyone else is doing well. Happy Tuesday!

[SusanMac]

Nat - I've had that recipe torn out & in my to-do pile for a while now! Thx for the reminder. Glad to hear it was yummy & easy. We're trying to do more & more veggie nights, and this looks like a great one. DH keeps telling me that he doesn't like squash....but always likes any dish I make w/butternut in it. Very strange

[TKay]

Susan - Funny about dh. My dh told me early on he was not a soup fan. I rarely make it because of his aversion. I finally made chicken noodle from scratch over the weekend and he declared it one of his fave meals. Go figure.

Nat - The enchiladas sound great to me. Funny about the pooch recognizing "squash" as a real treat. Our dog comes running anytime I cut up fruit. She favors apples.

Les - Here's to MIL being on the mend. Hope that all goes well. Your hour-long run and haircut sound like just the thing.

Vicci - Yes, we are definitely spoiled by our mild weather here. I can't even begin to fathom shoveling snow or bundling up to get the mail. It's just so foreign to me, having grown up here. I have a brother who essentially lives in thongs. He showed up to a party in real shoes and we all gave him heck over it. :D A doe! Oh, I can picture it. How wonderful. Great job on the run too. Cool about your discovered treasures as well.

Robyn - How are the slopes?

Hello to everyone I missed today. We're enjoying yet another day of downpours. This watery weather is supposed to stick around all week. It would be great except for the mudslides this will bring. Our home is in no danger, but I feel for the people who can't get a break. Speaking of which, my heart is broken for those in Haiti. I saw a report that they just found a woman who'd been buried alive after six days. Simply amazing story. Her husband heard her cries. She's going to be fine.

I had a lovely 45-minute run on the TM this morning. Nice and consistent. It felt good.

[Natasha]

Hi,

TKay, that's cute about your dog. Mine likes fruit too but his favourite is clementines. He is far pickier about vegetables, unfortunately. Enjoy the rare stormy days! Nice job on the TM run. Hey, did you decide whether or not to take that assignment you were mulling over?

That is amazing about the woman in Haiti. It's so awful what's going on there that the stories of miracles are all the more precious.

Vicci, glad you got to run outside and encounter a doe! That's so cool.

I have a 45-minute spin and lower body weights to report today. Now I'm pulling together a white chili to cook overnight in the slow cooker. I don't like leaving any appliance on when I'm not at home, and silly as it is, that even extends to the slow cooker. This will even be the first time I've left it on overnight.

Hi to Susan, Kathy, Les (welcome home!), Robyn, and everyone else.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Safely back home - clock is way off too (it's coming up on 1:30 and I'm wide awake). The flight was smooth and uneventful. As far as I know MIL is getting better, the kicker now is my father has an URI - so bad that he's taking sick time and skipping his shift at the volunteer rescue squad to prevent a case of double pneumonia like the last time.

I'm off to bed - forcing myself to sleep so I can try to reset my clock a little.

Happy trails until tomorrow,
Les

[SusanMac]

TKay - please tell me that your brother lives in flip flops, not thongs ;-)

Nat - I used to be that way about appliances, but have totally adapted to the slow cooker. I'm such a fan of soup that I've learned to put the electrical part out of my mind.

Les - glad you had a great trip! Oi, aging parents. There is always something. I hope your dad & MIL mend smoothly

Had a great 60-min run yesterday. I included a stop at the post office, too. Got a few odd stares, but it felt very productive & saved an errand I would have had to run later in the day. Yummy salmon, spinach & cherry tomato pizza last night. It's one of our new favs on the regular rotation.

[TKay]

Susan - LOL! Do you have a problem with men in thongs or something? :p Forgive me. Yes, flip-flops. I don't know why, but in my family, we've always referred to them as thongs. Maybe that's because there weren't the other kind of thongs around when we were kids. Great going on that (errand) run. Your pizza sounds good too.

Les - Welcome back! Oh no about your dad. Here's to a speedy recovery for him as well. Did you get much sleep?

Nat - Apologies! You asked me about that assignment before and I completely ignored you. Well, the job morphed into something much smaller. So yes, I did some work, but it wasn't the major time-hog I'd anticipated. Your slow cooker recipe sounds perfect for a cool evening. I leave my slow cooker on all the time when I'm not home. Even with nothing in it. I just turn it on and walk out. :p Actually, when I am making something, I don't give it a thought. You're far more safety conscious than I am.

Did some weights, bands, squats and a walk with a wee bit of slow running mixed in today. Oh, and abs too. A good workout overall.

I don't know how much our weather makes the news where you guys are, but we actually had some teeny tiny twisters in our neck of the woods. People were in such a panic. I chatted with the ladies at the school bus stop and they were in a tiz. It cracked me up, because it never occurred to me to be worried. Some of the moms called the school to make sure the kids were safe. It's so funny when you compare our weather to what other people experience on a regular basis. Throw a little water at us wimps and we get all discombobulated.

[Kathy B]

Sorry I haven't joined in this thread yet! It just seems like things have been really hectic lately. I was looking at my pedometer log last night, and was bummed to see that my activity level has decreased considerably since the week before Christmas. :(

DS is back to college, DD is back in school, and I'm hoping things will slow down a bit. Of course, I have had things at work every day this week and it continues through Friday, so the slow down will have to start later....:rolleyes:

Tkay, the thing about twisters, at least around here, is that you usually have some warning and usually there are no (or very few) fatalities compared to other natural disasters. Glad to hear yours were tiny!

Susan, way to multi-task! ;)

Les, I am trying to get to bed earlier these days, too. It is so easy for me to stay up late, but then I really get a short night as I usually have to get up pretty early. Glad you arrived home safely.

Natasha, I cook things overnight in the slow cooker sometimes, and it works really well. I feel so accomplished when I wake up and it is done!

Susan, good job on your 11 mile run! Do you do a taper for a half marathon?

Vicci, your run sounds absolutely lovely!

I have been on the TM a few times and to the CC for weights once in the past week. Hoping to get there again tomorrow. Wishing you all dry runs (as in not wet! :D). Take care!

[VictoriaL]

Welcome home, Les!!! Hope that you've caught up on your sleep and are all rested and ready for your last semester. :D When does it start, anyway?

Thanks for listing your changes to the enchilada recipe, Nat. I'm going to give them a try next week. And I'm with you about not leaving appliances on when I am not at home. Maybe 20 years ago I had some laundry drying in our almost brand new dryer and was in another part of our house when I smelled burning. It was the dryer! Somehow the drum stopped rotating, but the heat stayed on, and the clothes touching the perimeter of the drum interior were smoldering. It scared the heck out of me and even today, before I do as much as go for a quick trip to the grocery store, I do a quick walk-around to make sure everything is turned off.

I envious of you Susan, for being able to (literally) run errands! I would really enjoy that. :)

Tkay, when was the last time your area had twisters? I was surprised when I read this. Yes, you do live in weather-heaven out there, don't you? I guess that Mother Nature likes to throw a twister or two at you all occasionally, just to keep you guessing. ;) Good job on the varied workout today!
Oh, and we called flip-flops "thongs" when we were growing up, too. Although the mental image of your brother attending family get-togethers in a thong made me laugh...

Nice to hear from you, Kathy! Life gets crazy, and sometimes you just have to go with the flow and cut back on other stuff for a bit. Sounds like you haven't been slacking too much in the exercise department, though, and that's good.

Another run outside today! I did 3.34 miles and it was lovely. And no wildlife encounters to speak of (although Spooky, as usual, was waiting for me at the end of the patio when I returned).

[Natasha]

Kathy, nice to see you! Sounds like you've been very impressive in the workout area despite everything else going on. Yes, it was so nice to wake up this morning and smell the chili and have it be just about ready (I needed to add one last ingredient).

TKay, sounds like it worked out well for you - having some of the assignment but not having it take too much time. You cracked me up about leaving the empty slow cooker on :D

Susan, I don't get to "run" errands often but it's great when you can! :)

Vicci, I think Spooky should count as a wildlife encounter ;) It's so cute that he hangs around outside and waits! On another note, I'm glad I'm not the only one who's paranoid about appliances.

Les, welcome home. Sorry to hear about your dad. Are you adjusting to Eastern time?

I'm another who grew up thinking of "thongs" as equivalent to flip-flops, but stopped thinking of them that way when the other kind of thong came along ;)

DH and I did a long core and strengthening workout today.

How's everyone else doing?

[VictoriaL]

Nat, I just have to ask-- did you have chili for breakfast this morning???

Hey, something I forgot to mention-- the lake house is available for any type of IRL VRB get-together! :) Hey, you all mentioned that it sounded like lots of fun when I go there, and it is! Run the mountains of WV with me!

I know that it's about 4 hours drive for Les, maybe 6 hours for Nat (?), but if the rest of you would like to take a road trip... ;) Tkay, what can it be, a 3 days of driving? It's us, you know! :p

[Natasha]

Nat, I just have to ask-- did you have chili for breakfast this morning???

Hey, something I forgot to mention-- the lake house is available for any type of IRL VRB get-together! :) Hey, you all mentioned that it sounded like lots of fun when I go there, and it is! Run the mountains of WV with me!

No, I refrigerated it and had it for dinner. Good as it looked, chili just didn't appeal to me first thing in the morning, you know? ;)

Running near the lake house ... you tempt me!!

[Leslie Ferguson]

I must be one of "those" folks and could probably put down some chili in the morning, it would have to be the right kind and I'd put it over scrambled eggs or maybe an omlet. And it wouldn't be the first time I've eaten chili first thing in the morning. ;)

Kathy - I know how things get and don't envy your life getting a hold of you. Luckily there are fewer things out there to bog you down with DS and DD back at/in school. I know things will pick up. I'm sleeping more, not always at night right now but that's just the way things are.

As for the thong thing, I'm one who thought of thongs as something worn on the feet until I came to understand Victoria's Secret (and not our famous Vicci either). Now the thought that comes to mind is either flip-flops or slippers (that's a Hawaiian thing) or shower shoes (for you guessed it... showering in a public shower).

Vicci - Don't tempt me to take a road trip before my last semester begins at the beginning of February (2/1 I believe). ;) Glad you had a good run without critters.
Nat - Sounds like a good day with DH and some tasty food.

A shout out to the rest of the gang, Susan and TKay and... I'm more or less on the correct time zone or will be by tomorrow evening. It was tough getting up this morning at 8:30 because my body was screaming that it was only 5:30 - so I napped for a little while this morning. Didn't run today, tried to get food back in the house and sort through 10 days of mail. Also tried to find out about the shooting near Appomattox (my folks used to live there). Some guy shot 8 people yesterday afternoon - sad.

Tomorrow, some errands with LW and then a run or ride depending on the rain.

Happy trails,
Les

[TKay]

So much activity since yesterday. It's nice to see all your updates.

KathyB - I agree with the others. You've had such a full plate and have still managed to fit in your workouts. Good for you. I wouldn't worry too much about the ped numbers going down. You probably needed it. We rarely get twisters around here. The ones we get are really water spouts off the ocean (is that even the correct term?). What's funny is that we've spent a lot of time assuring our kids that around here, we only get earthquakes. No hurricanes, no tornadoes. They came home from school terrified with all the talk of twisters.

Vicci - See above regarding twisters around here. They are very rare and what we had shouldn't really even be called a twister. Yes, a car was tipped over and some people lost their roofs. But it was nothing compared to a true tornado. I love the image of Spooky awaiting your return. That is the best. Oh, and an IRL VRB gathering? Yes, I think that would warrant a cross-country road trip.

Nat - I love that you and dh work out together. That must be motivating. No chili for breakfast? I suppose you skip leftover pizza in the morning too?

Les - Welcome home! Hope you get back into the swing of things soon. I hadn't heard about the shooting. That is tragic. Everyone you and your folks know safe and well? Good luck with your run or ride. Hope the weather is kind to you.

Speaking of weather, we have another day of downpours here. We've had a leak in our garage from the deck above, but nothing major. I have a deadline today, so I better get back at it. Ah, who am I kidding? I'm going to hit the TM first, and you all know it. :p

Happy day, all!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Les - Welcome home! Hope you get back into the swing of things soon. I hadn't heard about the shooting. That is tragic. Everyone you and your folks know safe and well? Good luck with your run or ride. Hope the weather is kind to you.

Thank you for asking, none of the names were immediately familiar to me from Appomattox. I'm still waiting on a note from my parents. I did get a run in this evening and am pretty much back on East Coast time.

Struggling with the end of a cold and I have a dentist's appointment at 8am (what was I thinking?).

See you on the morrow - wintry mix predicted over night.
Les