Virtual Running Buddies 1/22/10

[TKay]

Hello VRB -

I have absolutely nothing to report today, so I feel rather strange starting us off. Alas, I need a rest day. I've got a scratchy throat and haven't take a day off all week. So today it is. I may squeeze in a little yoga later. Some good stretching sounds like just the thing.

Tonight is pizza and movie night for us. It's another blustery day, so staying in should be perfect. We have a family gathering on Sunday, and I'm not sure what else. A Scouting event tomorrow will likely be canceled due to rain. (It's a bike event in the park.)

What plans do you all have? Hope it's wonderful, whatever you do!

[VictoriaL]

I'm right there with you, Tkay! :) Nothing for me today, either.
Your evening plans sound perfect, what movie will it be? Hope that the scratchy throat goes away soon.

I'm wondering how Les did with the dental appointment today. Yeah, 8am-- what were you thinking???

I'm drinking a cup of "bold" coffee, trying to get enough of a lift to make dinner. :p This morning was a longer-than-usual stretching session (I still have sore muscles from xx skiing 2 weeks ago!), but even though today is a run day it will be 12 degrees warmer and sunny tomorrow (compared to "dreary" today) so I switched. May do some weights if the coffee kicks in soon...

And I just wanted to mention that I'm quite serious about a VRB Run The Mountains event at any time. Run, eat, drink, hang out on the boat, eat more, drink more... ;)

Hope that you all have a great weekend. With any luck, I'll check in tomorrow with a run report.

[Natasha]

Well, I don't have a run or workout to report either! Three's a charm ;)

We went out tonight with a friend to see one of the country's most famous comedians. It was a lot of fun. We had dinner out beforehand. Very nice evening. About to nod off but thought I'd surf for a few minutes to unwind.

Vicci, Run the Mountains sounds great. I could well be up for that! :) It's very hospitable of you to offer ... thanks!! Mind you I'd have to work on my hill running :o

TKay, hope the day off was just what you needed. Pizza and movie night sounds cozy, especially with the blustery weather you've been having.

Les, hope the dentist visit went OK.

It was gorgeous out today - dry, sunny, just an enjoyable day overall. We're supposed to get pouring rain on Sunday and a high of almost 50F. Strange.

Hi to everyone else and enjoy the start of weekend!

[Kathy B]

Three's a charm, four is a trend? :D I did do the TM yesterday, but today was just yoga since I was gone most of the day helping teach a class at work.

DD and DH were at futsal this evening (he referees, she keeps score) so the dogs and I were dozing on the couch with L&O for background.

I think we are due for some heavy rain this weekend, too, Natasha. Nice that your evening out was today before the bad weather hits. Dinner and a comedian sounds like a very fun night!

I don't blame you for switching days, Vicci. 12 degrees warmer always sounds better to me in January! I checked out your squash and lentil recipe (I know you and Natasha were talking about it earlier!), and I may give it a go. Not sure what DH will think, but we are both interested in trying more meatless meals, so I know he will give it a fair shot. I envy you being able to have a bold coffee before dinner. Any caffiene for me past 2PM, and I am bound to be awake half the night. :rolleyes:

Tkay, shall I send you some zinc? It really seemed to hold things at bay for me last week. A rest day sounds like it was definitely in order. Maybe a rainy day at home tomorrow as well? What movie did you end up watching with the family?

I am sure I will be up rather early tomorrow since I was napping this evening, so I am determined to get in some TM time. DD and I will be working on getting her GS cookies delivered, but other than that, an uneventful weekend planned.

Take care all! :)

[Kathy B]

45 min on the TM, plus yoga first thing this AM. I thought about running outside because it actually wasn't that cold, but by the time I got ready it had started raining. Naturally by the time I finished on the TM, the rain had stopped :rolleyes:, but I know it would NEVER have stopped if I waited for it. (Can't fool me!! :p)

[Leslie Ferguson]

The dentist went well thank you. Threw off my whole day (but more later).

If I had posted anything yesterday it would have been 5's a charm. :rolleyes:

TKay - I hope that you get better soon, your cold is hanging on as long as mine has been.
Kathy - I'm not sure I'm familiar with futsal, it sounds like it has something to do with soccer (the real football). Good getting onto the TM today too.
Vicci - You might get a phone call from me sooner than you expect, I'm looking for someplace to decompress a little in the near future (before I get too far into the LAST semester). How were things today for you?
Nat - Ditto on dinner and a comedian from me.

Yesterday was really whacked out. It wasn't too bad getting the dental work done at 8 am, it only took <30 minutes and no shots or any pain at all. But the only down side was I couldn't eat for 2 hours (a bad plan for me in the morning since I didn't get up early enough to eat before going to the dentist). So my options, I went back to sleep for 1:45 waiting to eat breakfast. Of course, that threw off my whole day and sapped my energy more than you would have imagined. This morning was a little worse - I had a "drop off" at the airport (students get paid to pickup and deliver guests of the seminary at the airport or train station) and had to get the Dean of the Seminary in Tanzania to the airport by ~6:10 so it was an early morning. Needless to say, the cold has been taking a bit out of me but I decided that I'd run again today (this afternoon) figuring it would help cure me or kill me. I think after evacuating ~1/3 of my sinuses during the run I'm on the mend. Now - to sleep off the remainder of the crud tonight.

Still one week left before classes start - lots of ground to cover between here and there but still a good week for a break.

Happy trails all and I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Les

[VictoriaL]

Nat we are also expecting very warm temperatures with a lot of rain tomorrow. Strange, but welcome! :) Who was the comedian you saw on Friday night?

Kathy, your comment to Tkay reminded me that I need to thank you for mentioning your taking zinc last week when you were feeling the possible beginnings of a cold. I had read about this, but never tried it, and that very day I read your post I was feeling a little scratchy, myself. Grocery shopping that afternoon, I bought some and started to take it and in a couple of days-- nothing! Yay.
Have fun sorting and delivering the GS cookies this weekend. Glad I don't live near you (well, for this, anyway, as I have no control around those things...)

Good for you Les, for joining all of us in our "light, or nothing at all" exercise day! :D I hope that you're feeling better (need any zinc????). And let me know when you want to decompress, the lake house is a perfect place for doing just that.

Oh, what a gem of a day in late January! :) Blue skies, SUN, almost 50 degrees-- I want more! I celebrated with a run, almost 4 miles. The trails were no longer snowy, even in the deep woods, but a bit slippery in the uneven areas. But glorious nonetheless.

On a related note, but I think that our local deer are trying to punish me for spraying repellent on my (quite decimated) holly shrubs the other day. Several times today I almost tripped over exposed roots (which looked like they had been dug up with hooves) or tripped over grapevines dragged onto the trail. DH thinks that I am paranoid... ;)

Have a great weekend, all!

[Natasha]

Kathy, I also believe that the rain would have behaved differently if you had been about to run outside! :p Nice job on the TM run and yoga. That's fun that your DH and DD can work the futsal game together. I had to look it up. It looks like fun! I hadn't even heard of it, much less known it's a Pan Am Game event!

Vicci, those spiteful deer ;) Sounds like a glorious run! We saw Rick Mercer the other day. He does a TV show.

Les, isn't it funny how something relatively small can throw off your whole day? Sounds like you're doing well overall though, and enjoying your long break.

Hope everyone else is doing well - Susan, TKay, Robyn, and the rest of the gang.

I did a short spin yesterday and today got my act together and ran with the group. (It helped that I'd mentioned yesterday that I was going, so I really had to!) I had planned to do 16k but ended up doing 18k (roughly 11 miles). It was a lot of fun, as was coffee afterwards. That being said, I'll definitely need a nice long soak, a bout of stretching, and some time with my Trigger Point kit (balls and rollers that DH got me last year).

Have a wonderful Sunday!

[Kathy B]

Yoga early, then weights and a couple of machines at the CC. Supposed to be pretty cold around here this week, so I will probably be mostly on the TM or at the CC. Too bad I missed out the one day last week that I might have run outside.

Natasha, great job on your 18K! It really helps motivate you when you have verbally committed to others, doesn't it? I will have to google trigger point balls....never heard of them.

Vicci, well, maybe just a wee bit paranoid. :p Glad the zinc helped you ward off whatever was brewing. My family was laughing at me this year, because I had zinc lozengers set out in a Christmas dish in the kitchen for handy grabbing. :D But they also were grabbing them as needed!

Hope you are feeling better, Les! At least you still have this week to recover. Any plans before the classes resume? Futsal is a modified form of indoor soccer that uses 5 people to a side (one goalie and 4 others), and it is played on a basketball court. No walls, so if the ball goes out of bounds, it is out of bounds. It is very fast-paced and good for allowing increased "touches" on the ball and teaching better ball control. DH and DS both referee soccer, and futsal keeps them involved during soccer's off season.

How are you doing, Tkay? Better I hope!

[TKay]

Quick pop-in for me. I've got a sickie home from school. Poor ds (almost 10) woke up in the middle of the night with what seemed like a migraine except that it was accompanied by a fever. :( Poor kid. I was up with him for a few hours, so I may take today as a rest day. If I'm getting exposed to a bug, I'd rather play it safe and try to stay well. Off to take some more EmergenC.

I did get in a long run on Saturday (about an hour) and a shorter run/walk with weights on Sunday.

More personal messages later. Happy Monday!

[VictoriaL]

Les, we haven't heard from you and are hoping that your run on Saturday cured, rather than killed you! :eek: Do you have my e-mail address so you can let me know when you want to decompress?

Nat, it's a good thing that you aren't the kind of person to wimp-out on a promise to run! 11 miles. Cool!

So Kathy, exactly how long do you take the zinc? I had stopped it after a few days of feeling better, and the next day I had that ginger-ale feeling in my nose and started sneezing! Needless to say, I've begun again, and added echinacea and double the usual vitamin C...

Does Tkay need some zinc, too? Hope that ds is feeling better, and that you don't catch the bug.

I almost didn't go for a run today, but then the sun came out... a little over 2.5 miles because I wasn't feeling in top form but at least I did it. The temps are supposed to plummet starting tonight. *sigh* Winter's back. *double sigh*

[Leslie Ferguson]

Vicci - My run didn't kill me, although cleaning out the house is doing a good job of it. I'm trying to get rid of a bunch of stuff that I've amassed over the past 2 1/2 years in preparation for the end of school (notes that I'll never look at again or that I have electronically). I think I have your email and depending on LWs recovery (double dental implant this morning) I may be able to get out for a little towards the end of the week. More off line.
Nat - It is amazing how much a day can be thrown off by something as small as that. Good job with 18k, I cn't remember the last time I ran that far. :( Maybe before classes start in a week. Yeah right.
Kathy - Futsal sound like a lot of fun. Almost a little brutal too but fun none the less.
Tkay - I'm sorry that DS isn't well. I hope he bounces back quickly.

No run but lots of running around an plenty of lifting (see comment above). The biggest undertaking of the day was getting LW to and from the dentist. A double implant is "something I'll never do again" in a direct quote from LW. She was done pretty quickly and wasn't doing too bad until the anesthetic wore off then WHAM! I decided (before she got into pain) that I would make her something really comforting to deal with the pain for dinner - and made homemade mac & cheese. She really liked it too. I did something I've never done before with the m&c too - I used (fat free) evaporated milk, havarti with dill and sweet red peppers, and Gruyère, elbow and whole wheat fusilli topped with seasoned bread crumbs. She really liked the flavor and liked how she could taste the different cheeses and the richness of the evaporated milk.

Tomorrow will be a day to run early, do a follow up medical appointment and get ready for the new semester to begin next week.

Until later, happy trails,
Les

[SusanMac]

Zoom -- fly by!

Sat - weekly long run. 11 miles. Slow & icky weather. But proud to get 'er done.
Sun - Wed - work trip to Bay Area. Rain + full schedule = no running. Just did a few squats in my hotel room. Does that count for something?

Phenomenal Indian food last night! And catching up with some old friends during free time makes up for the lack of workouts :-)

Looks like an odd week for everyone! Fending off colds. Dentist appts. Futsal. Oi.

I'm back home Wed night. Have a great week everyone!

[Robyn1007]

Ack. Well, things fell apart for me workout wise for the last week. It seems test driving, negotiating a deal and buying car is time consuming. But, alas, it's done and I've a new SUV that will be perfect for all my sporting goals. So, tonight, I finally got in a run. Very short but I wanted to take it easy on my first run back in over a week. Oh and my calves are a bit sore from skiing a knee deep powder day on Sunday, half of which was spent with Mcgeiger.

I'll catch up with everyone soon but for now it's off to bed and a little bit of reading time.

Happy running all!

[VictoriaL]

Les, enjoy these last few days before classes begin. :) Hope that the weather is conducive to a couple of long runs which you can "bank" for later.

Susan even though you claim that you did just a few squats in your room, I have to imagine that you're being a little more active that that. ;) Hope that you had a nice return trip and are safely home.

Congrats on the new car, Robyn! I just hate the whole process, and have gladly allowed DH to do the entire thing for our last 2 vehicles. You are brave.

Well, the bubbly feeling in my nose has turned into a full-blown head cold, but I am hoping (knock on all wood in the area) that I turned the corner today. No exercise, just the usual stretching and maybe weights tomorrow. We have a busy couple of weeks coming up and I just have to shake this (and not pass it on to DH, either!).

Stay healthy, everyone!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Vicci - Sorry you've come down with a cold. Now that I'm over the one I had I hope yours doesn't last as long as mine did. I hope you didn't pass it to DH too, he doesn't need to get sick now either.
Robyn - It sounds like you are having a blast skiing up a storm. A day in the powder with mcgeiger - couldn't ask for more. I'd bet an SUV is a great thing up your way - not so much down here but in Colorado - most certainly.
Susan - Glad you had good Indian food with friends last night. I wish I could find some good Indian food (and inexpensive) around here like I had in Bahrain. But, alas, things aren't like that over here. One of the best meals I had in Bahrain (short of going to the Baklava baker or the place that made fresh Naan, hummus, and tabouleh) was an Indian place where the most expensive meal was ~$2.40US (800 fils).

Things are getting a little better around here. LW has bounced back from her dental work for the most part. Just a little residual achiness is all. I've been a good boy and actually ran a couple times - I can tell that I'm picking up endurance and speed even with the few runs I've made over the past month or so.

I did ~80% of my Ordination physical today and have to do lab work in the morning so I'm in the midst of my 12 hour fast. Besides a new background check and a letter of support from my church in Norfolk, this is the last thing I have to do besides graduate.

Off to sleep - I pray all are well,
Les

[Leslie Ferguson]

reported... hard to believe that a spammer jumped on our lovely thread.