VRB Week of 4/23 -- Go JJSooner

[Leslie Ferguson]

Now that we're working on the correct week - best of luck to you on your race this weekend. I bet you'll be great!

I took a look at last week's thread...
Robyn - 25-30 minutes turned into 32 minutes, no issue in my book. I hope you're back on your game today; never any fun being heavy-legged.
TKay - I know how beautiful CA is... lived in SD for a few years. Hope you have a good weekend.
Susan - Did you have a good ride today? I hope your weather was good for riding like mine was here.
Vicci - Your birthday pictures look great! I'm glad you had a good day.

Mixed day today. Hard to believe but in 18 days (total days) all my papers and projects have to be turned in and on May 12 all my grades have to be turned in to the Registrar. Where is the spring going? I had a good ride to cap off a wacky day. ~16.5 miles on a mostly flat course. I got information back on my first interview... I wasn't in the final group being considered for the position (it was in Richmond VA). Robyn - there's a church looking for a pastor near Denver (Evergreen), just checked on the job and more than likely they're looking for someone different than me but I may take a look at it.

Tomorrow will be hauling loads of stuff to church and date night (probably nothing more involved that a drive by at Borders, a little mall walking, and dinner at Jason's Deli. If there's good enough weather I'll run (raining) or ride (nice).

Hope all are well,
Les

[Natasha]

Hey Les,

Echoing the good luck thoughts to Jennifer! BTW, I looked at the "why I run" page. Very inspiring.

Les, sorry to hear about Richmond but it sounds like you have many other pokers in the fire. Your date night sounds wonderful. We also spend part of many a date night browsing at the bookstore. Books are a good thing :D That reminds me that I won a gift card to the bookstore a few weeks ago. I haven't used it yet since our library has pretty much everything on my to-read list, but I would like to use it soon.

I got in a good workout yesterday, but the day before was a rest day because I enjoyed drinks and dinner with a colleague instead. Today I plan to run. Looks like a nice day and I think rain is rolling in, so I should take advantage of this now! The coming week or 10 days look crazy so we'll see how much running and riding I fit in.

Susan, how was your ride?

Hi to Kathy, TKay, Robyn, Vicci, and everyone else :)

[SusanMac]

Happy weekend everyone!

Les - thx for starting off the new week. Too bad about Richmond. Nice to have lots of other interview & opportunities. yes, this year has flown by so far. Crazy fast

My Thurs girls ride was really great. It was flat, so I was hoping for a nice easy night, but the leader kept us pushing a tough pace. That's really good for me & a big reason I like to ride w/a group anyway. Weather was perfect.

Fri I decided not to workout. Doh!

Today I went to a great yoga class. 75 min. I love this particular instructor but don't get to make it to his class often.

We have a rainy weekend in store. Kind of looking forward to it, actually.

JJ - Good luck on your half this weekend!! We'll be thinking of you!

[Robyn1007]

Les Evergreen is gorgeous! ;) Sorry to hear about the Richmond job but I believe the right position will come for you.

Natasha how was your run today?

Susan sounds like a lovely yoga class.

I was really kind of nervous about my 6 today. Especially since even when I went to bed last night they were saying rain/snow mix for this morning. Instead we were blessed with just cool overcast so I was very happy with that! The 6 went okay, although my legs still felt kind of heavy. I guess that hill workout took a lot out of me last week. But, I got it done and a full 40 seconds per mile faster than I did my last 6 mile run last May! :D

I've been quite tired lately and overheard another woman in our group talking to our coach about the same thing and she suggested nutrition adjustments, mainly getting some more iron in. I realized that I've had very little red meat of late and that might just be it so I'm going to have to figure something out to make with some red meat tonight. Just not feeling the love though. :( Maybe after a nap I'll gain some inspiration? :p

[jjsooner73]

Thanks for the good wishes, all! Sorry I sort of disappeared last week; I had a lot going on and wasn't too "chatty", though I did lurk a bit.

Les, sorry the Richmond position didn't pan out, but that just means there is another position out there that is meant for you. I bet your last 18 days fly by even faster than the last 18. Hopefully you have time to enjoy them! Enjoy your date night!

Natasha, I hope you got that run in this morning!

Susan, your riding group sounds like a great group, as does your yoga class. 75 minutes? Yikes. Good job!

Robyn, congrats on your improved 6 mile run, even with the heavy legs. Good point about the iron--I need to keep that in mind myself.

Vicci, I loved the pics of Spooky! So stinking cute! And your birthday cake is making my mouth water.

Kathy, it doesn't look like you've missed a beat since your half--good job!

Hi Tkay and anyone I may have missed!

I'm ready for tomorrow! I hope to get up early enough to make it for the sunrise service at the survivor tree at 5:30, but my cousin that I run with has decided to skip that so we'll see.

The weather is going to be cooler than I expected, which I am glad for but am still deciding if I want to wear my light weight wind jacket. The wind has been awful-huge gusts, crap in the air, etc.

My dad was going to come up, but they have my niece so he's not. My dbf hurt his back, so he's doubtful. The survivor I work with has a schedule conflict. Still, it's going to be a moving and trying day in many ways. I still cry when I read things about the bombing, so I'm hoping that's not a distraction!

One of my oldest friends (from kindergarten) sent me good luck flowers today. That made my day--I have't seen her in a while or talked to her for a few months, but she remembered this. Those are the best kind of friends. :)

If DBF can't do dinner, I'm making myself a small filet with blue cheese and some Brussels sprouts with bacon and figs for dinner and hoping to crash early, if I can. I'll report back sometime post-race!

[Leslie Ferguson]

My dad was going to come up, but they have my niece so he's not. My dbf hurt his back, so he's doubtful. The survivor I work with has a schedule conflict. Still, it's going to be a moving and trying day in many ways. I still cry when I read things about the bombing, so I'm hoping that's not a distraction!

One of my oldest friends (from kindergarten) sent me good luck flowers today. That made my day--I have't seen her in a while or talked to her for a few months, but she remembered this. Those are the best kind of friends. :)

If DBF can't do dinner, I'm making myself a small filet with blue cheese and some Brussels sprouts with bacon and figs for dinner and hoping to crash early, if I can. I'll report back sometime post-race!

Jumping in for a quick post in case you are still out there. I'm brought back to running the Marine Corps Marathon in 2001 and all the emotion involved with that - running down the hill into the hole in the side of the Pentagon. I pray you are not overcome in the process but in the end the emotion will be the thing that carries you all the way to the end of the race.

Need to check out now -- be back later to check in after my run today.
Les

eta
Nat - A crazy 10 days? I find that hard to believe. ;) I hope you get a few runs and rides in before your excitement.
Robyn - Great job: 40 seconds per mile faster over 6 miles! That's great and impressive. Nutrition, especially when you're training like you do is really important. I got a book from my coach a couple years ago that may be of use. It was written by a female marathoner who is a RD. I have to find the book to get the title.

A shout out to Susan, TKay, and Vicci!

I did get a good run today, just over an hour (63 minutes). I'm not sure what's going on - I've got this tightness in my hip that shows up 2-3 hours after running. Don't think it's speed (not too fast - about 20 sec slower than normal - not bad considering the amount of on road running I'm doing) or dead shoes (these are fairly new and certainly don't have more than 150-175 miles on them.

Date night was good - LW and I like Jason's Deli (www.jasonsdeli.com) and it's always nice to walk around Borders.

Need to bed... Happy trails,
Les

[SusanMac]

Sending good race vibes to JJ today!!

Les - I often get tight hips & really try to do lots of stretches for them. Both yoga poses & just regular stretches. I think it's helping.

Robyn - excellent time on your 6 mile run!! We aren't big on hunk-o-beef dinners, as I call them. A fav way DH & I get our iron is pan seared sirloin sliced thinly on top of a killer salad. It's a good way to get red meat w/out it being too much in our stomachs.

I was hoping to ride today, but the weather is horrible (rain & gusty 25 mph winds). So, I'm waiting for a break in the rain to go for a run instead. I should have a few hours of dryness soon. Les would probably go run w/out waiting for the rain to stop :-)

Big pot of CL Mexican ham & bean soup is in the crockpot for tonight!

[jjsooner73]

Finished with a time of 2:34:44, much better than I anticipated. I was hoping for a 12:00 mile pace, and that was 11:49. I thought I'd do more like a 12:30 though.

More later...I'm beat!

[TKay]

Super quick post from me.

Jennifer - Hurray! Congrats on doing so unbelievably well in your race. Wahoo! You were even faster than you'd hoped. That's awesome. I can't wait for your full report.

I've been buried in work and also car shopping. My old jalopy has been on its last legs for some time. Needless to say, life's been overwhelming. I've kept up with the workouts to maintain my sanity, but haven't had much time for updates.

Off day yesterday. Will get on the TM today. Big work week ahead. More personal responses as the deadlines begin looming tomorrow. :p

Happy Sunday, all.

[Natasha]

Jennifer, CONGRATULATIONS!!! That's awesome. Enjoy your well-earned rest! Looking forward to hearing the details in good time.

TKay, hang in there with the deadlines and car shopping.

Les, Jason's Deli sounds good.

Susan, we're getting that sort of weather too, and I'm not riding in it either. Like you, I'll run instead. Your soup sounds great! I made a soup yesterday and plan to make another one today.

Last night we went out to catch the late show at the movies, which is something I very rarely do (we don't go to the theatre very often in the first place, and in the second place I'm a real morning person as many of you know). Speaking of date nights, we saw Date Night for something light. It was hilarious. We enjoyed it thoroughly :D

Today - stuff around the house, couple of errands, cooking, and that run.

Hope everyone else - Kathy, Vicci, Robyn (congrats on the fast run!), is doing great!

[Robyn1007]

Way to go Jennifer!

Tkay, I know how it feels to deal with car shopping. My biggest piece of advice is to do all of you negotiating by phone and email. It's much easier to walk away that way.

Natasha, date night seeing Date Night sounds like fun.

I've been a lazy bum today. Well, no not exactly, productive with laundry and grocery shopping and making a good dinner but no workout. I've enjoyed a rest day.

Tomorrow, mile repeats. Fastest I've done thus far is a 10:06. Do you think I can bust out a sub 10? We'll see...

[Leslie Ferguson]

Jennifer - It sounds like you had a great race. Those times sound really good and neat that you were that much faster than you expected. Great job!
Susan - Me run in the rain? You must know me all too well. ;) Definitely wouldn't ride in those conditions and as long as the rain wasn't too terrible I'm all for it! Soup sounds good too.
TKay - I don't like shopping for cars either. And in my case I've only shopped for 7 cars in my life. Breathe deep...
Nat - Your date night sounds like lots of fun. Did your run come off nicely?

Most of today was wrapped up in church or church related things. (That's a shock?) This evening was a kick - we had a service, reception and dinner for members of the committee at my (and all the other seniors too) internship site that have been providing feedback to me over the past two years. A great service, a nice celebration for the guy who has been running this program for 16 years, and to start to say goodbye to the folks who have been instrumental in these last two years.

Tomorrow will hopefully entail a run or ride along with my class in the morning.

Happy trails,
Les

[TKay]

Les - Starting to say goodbye. :eek: I still can't believe how close you are to being done. Glad the evening was so enjoyable. Here's to getting in a good run today.

Robyn - Somehow the phrase, "I've been a lazy bum," doesn't really seem to fit you. :D Hope you break that 10-minute mile today. And if you don't, that's okay too. I rarely run sub-tens. I applaud your need for speed. :p

Nat - The date night Date Night sounds like a hoot. How'd the run and the household duties go?

JJ - How's the recovery going?

Hi to Vicci, Kathy, Susan and everyone else I failed to mention.

I'm in the midst of deadline heck right now. I just vaccumed and changed the load of laundry. Tee hee. I seem to be very productive with household chores when I'm avoiding my desk.

Oh, and we got our new car over the weekend. A Mazda CX9. I wanted a hybrid, but just couldn't get one for the right price that had three rows. I hope by the time we make our next car purchase, they'll be more readily available. I love what I got though. And we made the deal just in the nick of time. My old car was limping along. It feels good to have something reliable again. :D (Robyn, I asked dh to handle the deal. He did most of it, like you said, over the phone. Then he went in to buy the thing and was back in about an hour.)

Have a great week everyone! Getting in a TM run this morning too.

[Leslie Ferguson]

TKay - Sorry you are swamped with projects and getting your car. Still I think you made a good purchase and hope you have many good years of use. It's hard to believe the "end" is this close; definitely too close for me right now. I'm down to 2 more Sunday's at church, less than a month until graduation -- yikes! Hope you had a good TM run today.

I had a fun run after class today. It was a little drizzling when I started but (drum roll please) it started raining really steadily by the time I finished. 45 minutes of running in the rain - nothing but fun. :D Feel better today than I did the last time I ran so maybe the best thing is to just run through and my hip will be better after I get more frequent runs in.

Tomorrow - no class but I'm donating blood; prepping for my last two classes of the week and visitors this weekend. I'll actually get to show off my home-away-from home at the 80 acres in Alexandria to some friends this weekend. Love it!

Happy trails - no run tomorrow; after blood donation, never a good idea.
Les

[Kathy B]

Hi, all! I finally got in a good TM workout yesterday (a little over 3 miles with lots of intervals), and this AM I did weights. We had family here over the weekend, then DH and I went to see DS and hear him play in a couple of concert performances.

My weekend went something like this: Eat dinner, sit and visit, go to bed. Eat breakfast, sit and visit, eat lunch, sit and visit, 3 hour car ride, eat dinner, sit and visit, CONCERT, go to bed. Sunday was more of the same.

It was great to visit with everyone and the concerts were wonderful, but I sorely needed that interval workout yesterday!!

Les, sending good vibes as you wrap things up and continue with your interviews and search for the right position. I am sure it is out there, but the suspense is difficult, I know! Hang in there!

Tkay, congrats on your new car! That is always a fun purchase. Good luck meeting your deadlines, and good job on the TM run despite the crazy schedule!!

Robyn, great job on your 6 miler. You are setting new PR's right and left!! What a great feeling!

Jennifer, great job on your half!! Feel's pretty good to set that goal and accomplish it, doesn't it? :) I am looking forward to your race report as well. What a great friend you have to remember your race and send you flowers...that was really sweet.

Susan, we do the sliced beef over salad, too. A lot of Iranian dishes are like that.... a bit of beef with lots of other stuff and served over rice. I usually get 6-8 servings from one pound that way...depending on whether or not DS is home and eating with us. :p I think we had your windy rainy weather all weekend and yesterday, too. Nice to see the sun today.

Natasha, I thought Date Night looked like it would be a really fun movie. Glad to hear a good review. Good luck with your busy week ahead!

Vicci, thanks for the recipe! I bought some ground turkey yesterday, so hopefully I can try it in the next day or two. Hope things are settling down a bit for you after all the business with your MIL.

Lots of stuff on the agenda today, so signing off!

[TKay]

Les - Gee, a run in the rain? How odd for you. :p Drink lots of fluids after your blood donation. You've got to keep up your reserves.

Kathy - Sounds like an enjoyable weekend, but I can see why you were anxious for the interval run. Good luck with everything on today's agenda.

I got in 60 minutes on the TM yesterday. I really needed it. Today, I was at it early to work before heading to school. I work in ds's classroom, then it's back to the desk. I'm hoping for some sort of physical outlet today, but it really depends on these deadlines. Must...work...faster...

Have a great one, runners!

[VictoriaL]

Hey everyone!

There IS light at the end of the tunnel!!! :D

As of 5pm, MIL's old apartment had been cleared out of everything but a sofa and a chair. Someone is coming for those items tomorrow (how is it that I can post a listing on craigslist for a decent sofa for only 50 bucks and get only one person who doesn't even show up for it, but put it on the same site for free and I get 10 responses it in less than 2 hours?!?!?!). Hopefully.

My basement is so full of STUFF that I can hardly stand it. It will take 3 trailer-loads to Goodwill to get rid of the bulk of it.

But that's almost over. And as for MIL, well, I went up to take her to exercise class today and she was already there (having been to breakfast just prior), chatting with "the ladies". She does surprisingly well, too (I spied on her!).

Then we went down to the activities room for the free manicure. The woman doing the manicures is a resident and she is 99 years old! MIL said "she's kind of slow, but very nice." :p

And MIL told me that she likes exercise class and I don't have to come up to take her any more. Wa-hoo!

Never had we dared hope that she would make this dramatic of a transition from her old, solitary life to this one of exercise class, movie nights, and sing-a-longs. Makes all of the work in this past 1+ month more than worth it.

Sorry to jabber on and on, but it seems that within the next week or so we will finally have our "old" lives back. And I can return to regular running and posting here!

You all seem to be, as usual, quite busy (and still able to get in the running, biking, TM time, etc.). I can't remember too far back, but I did manage a 3.75 mile run on Saturday before the rain arrived. Spooky chose to not "run", he waited on the patio for my return. He had apparently tired himself out stalking a wild turkey around the yard earlier in the day...

Must get some things done here tonight before my brain freezes, so I just want to say hi and that I'll be back-- soon!. :D

[Natasha]

Very quick check-in to comment on Vicci's post. Vicci, that's wonderful!! I'm so glad things have turned out so well. Here's to continued progress. The manicure comment is great :D

Kathy, I forgot to mention the other day that the zombies game sounds hilarious (though I think I'd be like your DS (editing because I realized I wrote DH!!) and enjoy by spectating ;)).

That's it for now - time to unwind and get ready for bed :) 'Night all!

[jjsooner73]

OK, finally checking back in.

What to say but "WOW". From the 168 seconds of *mostly* silence, to the incredible support along the route, to the memory of those we were running for, to the walk through the outdoor part of the memorial after the race. It was all in all an incredible experience. However, I missed part of it. The last part of the race has banners spaced with each of the names of the 168 victims. I think I was in a daze at that point, because I don't remember seeing them. At all. That just means I need to do this again next year (or maybe the full?) to experience THAT part of it.

It started out a cool and windy day. It was in the 50s--nice, but with relatively strong winds. My hands and nose were numb at start time. I felt pretty good until about mile 8, at which point my hip felt angry. The last two miles were a struggle, but in retrospect not really that bad. I just didn't have that spring in my step that I had for the first 8. :) Some of the fun/interesting sights along the way-a life size banana and gorilla at Gorilla Hill; both were posing for pictures with runners; the girl in Nichols Hills (exclusive neighborhood) with trays of bite size pieces of bacon and snickers :D (I passed on both), the belly dancers around mile 8 :eek:, the lawn parties with people drinking Jack and coke and/or Mimosas along the way (at 7:30???), the knowledge that this race is a 100% volunteer effort, for everything from the companies supporting water stops to the guy who manages the trash pickup, seeing a firefighter and his wife from my hometown as course marshals towards the end-it was nice to get high-fives at that point. I could go on, but I'm sure much of this isn't unique to marathons.

I feel pretty good today. Quads are sore, but thankfully my hips, arches, and knees feel normal again. :) I'm going to do about 3-4 miles tomorrow. I think my cousin and I are registering for a half in Tulsa in November. I have plenty of time to be in better shape for this one. Now that I know I can do it, I want to do it better.

Vicci, that is wonderful news about your MIL! Such a relief, I'm sure.

TKay, I hope you were able to get some physical activity in!

Kathy, after that weekend of sitting and eating, were you able to get anything in today? Do you have a source for Iranian recipes?

Leslie, YAY on donating blood! I am always a bit fearful about doing that I think because the first time was my Sr. year of HS and I had basketball practice later that day. It was rough...I remember having to run extra for being too slow. :rolleyes: At any rate, I'm always glad when I do it. I can't now because of a fairly new tattoo, but hopefully I'll get back into the habit of it at some point.

Robyn, did you break that 10:00?

Natasha, I'll have to check out Date Night. I'm due a funny movie.

Susan, I hope your weather has dried up so you could get some good rides in.

OK, that's it. I'm beat. Thanks again for all of the words of support.

Here's a pic of part of the memorial. There is a chair representing each of the 168 lives lost. The smaller chairs are for the kids and are all in the 2nd row (they were on the 2nd floor of the building).

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs514.snc3/26967_388643034451_735849451_3704566_505560_n.jpg

[SusanMac]

JJ - What a fantastic race report! I'm so sorry about your hip issues. But all in all, it sounds like a really fabulous day. Love the visuals of fans & volunteers! And such great news that you're already thinking of a 2nd one.

This is a quick fly-by for me, as I'm in Boston for work. Quick tirp. I didn't even bring my running shoes. Now I feel guilty, tho, b/c my colleague did. It's raining cats & dogs, tho, so I probably wouldn't make it out anyway.

Mon DH & I snuck in our weekly long bike ride since the weather was better than Sun. 45 miles! It felt good.

Our fundraiser bike ride is this Sun. Right now there's a chance of rain. Please send good weather vibes our way!!

[TKay]

Vicci - Great news on the MIL front. I'm so glad she's settling in nicely. What a relief for you, huh?

JJ - Great report! What an experience you had. You must be so proud--not just of completing the race but of participating in such an amazing event. Congrats. Thanks for the photo too. How emotional (especially about the kids' chairs being in the second row :( ).

Susan - Ooh, a killer ride. Good for you. Hope the rest of your trip goes well.

I never made it out/up for any exercise yesterday. I'm doing a combo workout today: weights (while walking), lunges, squats and abs.

Have a great day, all.

[VictoriaL]

I have a run to report and a few minutes to do so (although I just saw that the birdfeeder needs to be refilled before I start making dinner).

But first:

Nat, thanks for the recc of "Date Night", I'll have to look it up. DH and I are at the point in our Netflix choices where he orders a movie he wants to see, then I get the next choice, and so on. ;)

Jennifer, having never run a race before (I'm one of those "solitary runners" :p ) I thoroughly enjoyed your account of your race last weekend. I think that I would have stopped at the Snickers bar tray, and probably remained there... And I think that you just may be reporting on having run the "full" race next year at this time!

Susan, many strong good-weather vibes being sent for your area on Sunday. And have a safe trip back.

TKay, how went the combo workout? I really should try to fit in squats and lunges, but I never seem to find the time.

Well, today we hauled 2 huge trailer-loads to Goodwill (one smaller load of clothes to a local church is pending), someone came and picked up the sleep-sofa, we took one last look around MIL's dismal old apartment, and happily left the keys with the manager. DONE!!! :D And I got in a 2.5 mile run (would have liked to do more, but time was running out).

Tomorrow I have to be at MIL's by 8am (good grief! I'll have to get up practically in the middle of the night!!! Unlike Nat, I am decidedly not a "morning person"!) to show her where she goes for her monthly blood-draw. Then DH will join us for breakfast in the dining room and go on his merry way while I accompany MIL to the exercise class, and then to baking group. Then groceries and errands. So no hope of getting in any exercise tomorrow, but, really and truly, it appears that I will be on a more normal schedule next week-- at last!!!

Hi to Kathy, Les, Robyn, and the others.

Off to feed the birds and decide what to make for dinner-- chicken and asparagus stir-fry, or pasta with chicken and asparagus. Can you tell that I have some asparagus to use up?

[Kathy B]

Well, I managed to get 4 miles in this AM along with a bit of yoga and a walk with the dogs.Which is good because I work tomorrow and Friday will be another long day in the car. Maybe a longish run on Saturday?

Good job on your run, Vicci, and what a relief to be done with all of the MIL's apt stuff. I remember how great it felt to get the last load out of my mom's house about a month ago! What did you end up making for dinner?

Tkay, you always make me feel guilty with your lunges and squats! :D Good idea to combine the exercises with the weights. Are the kids anxious for school to be out? DD and DS both have countdowns going....

How long is your Sunday ride, Susan? Hope you have a day like we had today, sunny and cool! Great job on your 45 miler...are you tapering at all before Sunday?

Thanks for the recounting of your race, Jennifer. It sounds like it was very awe inspiring. I am sure you would notice new things and experience it differently each time. Good for you already planning your next half!! I am looking at a couple of 5ks, but holding off on a half for now...largely because it is not easy to find half's around here that are not VERY hilly. I have a couple of Iranian cookbooks as well as a MIL who supplies me with my recipes. (DH is Iranian. ;))

Natasha, how is your busy week going?

Les, I still need to get the names of some books about or by John Shelby Spong from you. I have been meaning to ask you for some recommendations, but I know you have been swamped. I can probably get them at the library, but wondered which titles you suggest? Hope you have a great weekend with your guests!

Robyn, how did your mile run go?

Did a lot of cooking/baking today. Talked with DS today, and he is feeling overwhelmed getting ready for finals. Friday we are taking DD to an event OOT, so decided to detour by DS on our way home to take him out for a late lunch and hand deliver a care package. I called to let him know we were coming so he wouldn't eat lunch early, and he sounded much more cheerful when he hung up. Another long day in the car, but hey, my boy needs cookies! :p (DD went out and bought him a few of his favorite snacks for a care package from her. She misses her brother, though she will never say it out loud. ;))

See you all on the next thread, but hope the end of the week is good to all of you!

[jjsooner73]

Hi all!

Kathy, what part of Missouri are you in? Thankfully, hills aren't too much of a problem here, though I wonder about the one in Tulsa in November. I work with a guy whose daughter married an Iranian and he's told me about some of the food they've had at family events. It all sounds wonderful. I love ethnic food of any kind. Where is your son in school at?

Vicci, good job on getting the 2.5 mile run in on a busy day!

Tkay, sounds like you got a good workout in today. I need to do more weights, squats, etc. but just don't. :rolleyes:

Susan, how long is your ride on Sunday? I hope the rain stays away!

One other comment I forgot to mention about my run. I was passed by the men's eventual winner towards the end. The police cycle honked and announced that the race leader was coming and everyone just about stopped and applauded. I was in awe. Amazing. His final time was about 30 seconds faster than mine. I just can't fathom that, but then I know those people treat running like a job. Amazing. :)

I did a run today of just over 3 miles and finished it with about a half mile walk. I had Cosmo the crazy dog with me, so my arms got a workout too. :) I am upping my interval run timme by 30s and trying to maintain my pace, and today wasn't too bad in spite of huge winds. Oklahoma, where the winds come sweeping down the plains...we certainly felt it!

I read an article about two survivors who ran the half for the first time this year--it's pretty amazing--http://newsok.com/main-event-you-see-the-names-you-keep-going/article/3456836 if anyone is interested. The video also has a clip of the men's full winner and then the finish for the women, a 1 second difference where the winner trailed until the end.

Happy running/riding everyone!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Kathy - I sent you a PM about John Shelby Spong.
Susan - How was Boston given the wintry weather that New England has been having?

A shout out to the rest of the gang...

Quick fly by - busy couple days wrapping up a couple last projects that are due before the end of next week. Also, laid off yesterday - doctor's orders after donating a pint; did some work after class and had the opportunity to have Rev. Mpho Tutu sign copies of her most recent book which she wrote with Archbishop Desmond Tutu (http://www.tutuinstitute.org/tutu.html) for me - one for my personal library and 2 for gifts.

Tomorrow, we'll put the finishing touches on having out of town visitors through Sunday (that will make more northerners in my car over the span of 24 hours than have ever been in my car). Probably won't get out - depending on reading and writing due tomorrow for class at 2:00... but there's always a chance.

See you all later,
Les

[Robyn1007]

Oh boy, I got way behind here!

Jennifer, congrats again on your race and thanks for the great report.

Susan, hope your trip went well. I ended up with flank steak quesadillas. I also bought a cast iron pan so that I can cook my morning eggs in it.

Les, so neat to have signed copies of the book!

Kathy, how sweet that you delivered cookies to your DS!

Vicci, wow, I'm exhausted reading about your plans with MIL.

Hi Natasha and Tkay!

Okay, so for my update. Monday I was told no PRing that mile repeat, they wanted 10k pace. I was a good girl and listened. Yesterday we did 7x3 min intervals at mile or less pace. All were below mile pace with most significantly below mile pace so I think I've got a mile PR in me soon. It's great being a new, slow runner, constantly PRing stuff. :p Today is a rest day since I'm doing my weekly long run a day early tomorrow evening because I'm skiing on Saturday. 4 weeks to Bolder Boulder!