VRB's w/o 6/18/10

[Robyn1007]

Well, guess it's my turn to start us off. We had a pretty quiet week around here last week.

Les congratulations on your ordination.

Vicci you are a saint. Hope you have a quiet weekend coming.

Kathy I've done a lot of reading on different theories with fueling around exercise. My basic belief is that I fuel enough so that I have energy to do the workout I want to do but don't want so much that my stomach feels icky or that I'm not burning more than I am taking in. My standard breakfast before a long run these days is 1 egg and 1 egg white scrambled and a banana at least 1 hour prior to starting.

Natasha oh, sweet potatoes sound good right now, I should figure something out to make with them.

Well, it's been a crazy week for me. I got up Tuesday morning in Oregon and did a 4 mile progression run. It started off pretty poorly but as I hit mile 3 and 4 I was feeling nice and strong. Last night I got my rear handed to me in a 6x5 min interval at sub mile pace with 3 minute walking recoveries. OUCH!!!! Thankfully today is a rest day or a short bike ride.

So excited for tomorrow's trail run at Doudy Draw. This run is the one that I did last fall with my now coach as part of this free group that convinced me that she was the coach I was willing to pay for. I'll never forget as we finished our slow 4 miles (first half up, up, up) she looked back and saw a group of the boys who'd done 6ish miles approaching from behind. She mentioned that we couldn't let the boys beet us and I kicked it up a notch. She laughed and said "A little competitive are you?" :p I'm so excited to go back!

[TKay]

Hello, VRB! Robyn, thanks for kicking us off. Enjoy your trail run.

Apologies for being MIA lately. I've had so much going on. Work deadlines, my friend's funeral, last days of school (with associated volunteer activities) and family stuff. I have managed to remain consistent throughout, much to my sanity's liking. I will have a calmer weekend, and I hope to catch up with your activity then. Forgive my absence.

Heading up for a stress buster now. Weekend plans, everyone?

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks for starting this week Robyn. Your workout yesterday sounds pretty intense but it sounds like you had a good workout. Enjoy your rest today. :) It's funny how things went in Oregon but not unheard of. A little competitive? Nah. Thank you for your comment about my ordination too - I'm basking in the moment.

Run 2 in the new scoots this morning. It was a decent day to go out, 74 or so when I left (warm but all things considered). I did my hilly run - the one with an 18% incline. :eek: Just felt good to get out and run and felt smooth. This weekend will include a ride (probably) and I may go to my friend's ordination in Baltimore ('tis the season).

Otherwise, just a calm weekend. Happy trails,
Les

[Natasha]

I've also been MIA - sorry about that.

Les, did you end up going to Baltimore? If so, hope it was fun and you had a good trip to and fro. 74 is decent running weather this time of year, though I expect it was humid.

Robyn, welcome back from Oregon. :)

TKay, I read on Other Stuff about your friend's passing. I'm so sorry. What a shock that must have been for you, and of course how terrible for her family.

Hi to Kathy, Susan, Jennifer, Vicci, and everyone else. Kathy, thanks for the cookie review. I also have coconut to finish so will make that once I'm feeling better (more below).

I've been training but nothing too exciting. Didn't sleep well last night as I had pains (stomach pains, lower back pains, even a bit near my ribs...). Not sure if it's something I ate or a stomach bug - guessing a stomach bug, as these have been going around lately - but it was highly unusual and not one bit fun. Even today I'm still lying low. I'll take the day off training and am eating very carefully.

On another note, is it really true that none of you are following the World Cup? It's a big deal around here - I'd say between 5-10% of cars have at least one flag (of some country or another), at least as you get closer to the big and diverse city. It's neat. I flopped down on the couch to see a bit of Australia and Ghana today - quite entertaining. I'm not majorly into the tournament but do enjoy it.

That's about it from these parts. :) Take care, all!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey Nat - sorry you've been under the weather. I hope you've just having a little stomach bug and that it passes quickly. There are lots of people around here who are glued to the World Cup; I'm not focused but have been keeping track of the end of the day results. I find it hard to keep soccer on the scope these days even though I'm not working. Yes, I did get to Baltimore and it was a great day - but then almost every ordination is something to glow about. I'll put a picture at the bottom of the post.

I'm definitely sold on my new scoots, love them. Nat, it wasn't too humid when I ran yesterday, only about 60% which for around here isn't bad. That's the opposite of today - when i got back from Baltimore at ~4:00 it was 90 and ~80% humidity. I ended up taking a ride (no wonder there). 14+ miles in just over an hour, nothing breakneck but still a nice ride. After that did a little marinated pork tenderloin - lovely.

Today's festivities: three young ladies were ordained at the Episcopal Cathedral in Baltimore. One was my classmate; the service was joyous and there were all the "accoutrement" - incense, chanting, and the like. I think there's a glow in the picture isn't there? ;) It's certainly been a long row to hoe and the joy is still here.

See you later, may run or ride tomorrow - it's supposed to be hotter tomorrow than today. :rolleyes:

Happy trails,
Les

[VictoriaL]

Robyn, how did the trail run go yesterday? And, really, you've got a competitive streak??? :p Who'd guess???
As for sweet potatoes, I made some as part of DH's birthday dinner a couple of weeks ago. The recipe is for Sweet Potato Mofongo (a mofongo is a Puerto Rican dish of mashed plantains, but this recipe added sweet potatoes and it was pretty awesome). Mashed sweet potato and plantain with chipotle, cumin, and orange juice to flavor. If you're interested (to quell your sweet pototo tooth!), I can type it up and pm to you.

TKay, keep bustin' that stress! I've not been around much lately, either, and I miss "our group". :D

Nat, I hope that you're feeling much better by now. With luck, a nice weekend of taking it easy would have been the ticket to make the bug go far, far away. As for the WC, I've never really been interested in sports at all (books, yes; activity, not so much!) although DH got me "into" hockey when he worked for the Pens many years ago.

Les your trip to Baltimore sounded very enjoyable. And congrats on choosing such good scoots, were these your first Nikes? If so, what made you switch?

Another run early this am before the heat got to be too much. We received over 1-1/4" of rain in less than an hour late yesterday afternoon and all was still very wet but there really is no way, on these hot and humid days, I can put it off until later. I had a half of a banana, a handful of wheat cereal, and water about 15 minutes before I went out and it was a much better run than that one last week on a totally empty stomach. Time-wise I did better than I have for a while.

I really do think that the magazine article which DH gave me, exercising on an empty stomach, is one which I will ignore. ;) It just doesn't feel right, and the results are less that what I want.

Heavy-duty yardwork yesterday, house cleaning for the first part of today, and now I have some intense list-making on tap for the rest of the afternoon-- MIL's 90th bday dinner is less than 2 weeks away and I'm beginning to panic a bit.

Hope that you all had a great weekend!

[Robyn1007]

Natasha sorry you're not feeling well! I'm listening to the updates about the WC but I'm not really into it. Soccer has never been my thing though.

Les which new scoots did you get?

Vicci after all you've been doing you're now planning a 90th birthday bash? I hope your MIL and DH appreciate what a gem you are!

Tkay I know what you mean about exercise being a stress buster. Hope you get some down time soon.

Well, yesterday's trail was, as expected, very very hard. With the steep uphill start (entire first half) my asthma and peroneal tendon both acted up but it was incredibly gorgeous up there so that was a reward. This is the kind of run where you can never relax because your are watching your footing the entire time but it was still fun. When I finished most of the group was there waiting for me and Coach Patrick had heard my tendon was acting up so he asked how it was. My response was "It hurt, my asthma hurt, it was fun." Everyone laughed.

Today is a rest day and I got to have brunch with my aunt and uncle and some other family, bought new dishes at Crate and Barrel and making a pork roast with Bohemian Forrest Rub from Savory Spice Shop.

[Leslie Ferguson]

I'm in Nike Pegasus - neutral and cushioned. Vicci, I've been in Nike before but it's been a long, long time. I ended up in these after trying on and running in 4 or 5 different pairs of "like" shoes. 2 pairs actually caused hip twinges after running less than 1/10th of a mile - definitely a non-starter. I was really torn between the Nike and a pair of Mizzuno and ended up in the Nike because they had a little firmer feel in the forefoot (not too much but the Mizzuno felt squishy from heel to toe) and I think I'm becoming more inclined to have something that is a little softer in the heel and firmer in the forefoot because that makes it feel like I get a better push off. Oh, and they were $15 cheaper than any of the other pairs that I tried on. The switch was precipitated by my Brooks Defeyance were making my legs feel dead after a run.

Vicci - I'm with Robyn, I hope MIL and DH know what a gem they have on their hands. It must have been lovely to get the rain to break the humidity. I'm glad you got out for it and that you've found a plan for eating before a run. In years, I haven't been able to run or exercise on an empty stomach; in fact I often break the "rule" and eat less than 15 minutes before starting exercise.

Robyn - Sorry about your peroneal and asthma acting up but it sounds like a beautiful run. Definitely a plus. Hopefully things aren't acting up too badly or for too long.

If you exclude the weather today was a great day. Weather-wise it was gross today - no wind this morning and really hot and humid. It didn't get much better later today except that the wind came up a little. But besides that I had a great day - I went to an old church home of mine (in "uniform") and was invited to serve as Deacon. What an awesome moment to be able to work in an old home and practice my trade.

After doing some other chores today I went for a short ride - nothing terribly long but did my own version of a time trial. I rode for 44 minutes and did 11+ miles. Not too bad because that's 1 mph over my norm (or a little more).

Tomorrow - SSDD - if it's not hot or I get up early enough (not likely) I'll go for a run.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and I'll see you this week.
Les

[Kathy B]

Happy Monday everyone! :D

Got in a long workout at the CC yesterday, weights followed by almost an hour on the TM. I didn't intend to go so long, but I was watching Ice Age, and for a cartoon, it really has very clever dialogue. I was entertained! Today I am clearing all of the leftover garage sale stuff out of our basement and taking it to our church for the giant garage sale next week. I've already made one trip, and the van is loaded for a second one. Still have another 5 or so boxes after that. I think it kind of counts as a workout, because I will have made so many trips up and down the stairs and also in and out of the church by the time I am done. But I may do a little TM this afternoon anyway.

I'm with you, Les, I often just eat something small right before I go out for a run when I run in the AM. If I waited an hour, I'd never get out the door! I will keep the Nikes in mind next time I go shoe shopping. Nice that the shoe that works best for you is also a good buy!

Robyn, glad you enjoyed the trail run even though it was tough. I am sure it was very satisfying to finish. I love new dishes! Wish I had more room to store them. Sounds like a nice meal to break them in with!

Vicci, are you expecting a large crowd for MIL's BD? Where are you having it? Glad you got your run in, and I'm glad to hear you had a good run with a little food on board.

Natasha, I have watched a very little bit of the WC, but DH is pretty much glued to the TV. :p He records all of the games, watches one before work and the other two when he gets home every day. Woe to the person who mentions the outcame of a game he hasn't seen yet! :eek: ;) He and DS both used to play and currently are both soccer referees, so they love to call each other and discuss the games. Hope you are feeling much better by now!

TKay, hang in there, and good for you for keeping up your workouts! Hope your family is having a good summer. :)

Hi Susan and Jennifer! Hope you had a good trip Susan. Will we get to see pictures soon?

Better get that van full of stuff delivered. Here's to a good start to everyone's week!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey Kathy B, I like Ice Age - especially Scrat. That nut will get the best of him. Way to clear out the stuff for the garage sale at church. It's nice to get rid of stuff before it becomes a crisis. Good job getting to the CC too. Nice way to start a week.

I actually was productive today. Besides the typical stuff that I've been doing. I did some cleaning and being helpful around the house. But I did get out for a run this morning - it was a bit hotter than the other day almost 5 degrees and 15% more humidity so it was fairly nasty. It slowed me down a bit but I'll take it.

This afternoon I did a bunch of picture scanning and posted a bunch of them on FB. It has been really neat to walk down memory lane and help folks catch up on where I've been in the last couple years.

Tomorrow -- probably a ride because it's supposed to be even hotter. :rolleyes:

Happy trails,
Les

[SusanMac]

Hi runners! Yes, I'm here, I'm home & I'm still alive! I returned from Budapest early last week, but have been laying low from the computer a bit. the week definitely flew by fast.

Budapest was fantastic. A really beautiful city with diverse & interesting history. I was there a full week and got in 4 runs, so I'm pretty pleased. 2 runs along the Danube. 1 run through downtown to the main city park & zoo. And another run at a spot for locals, which is a car-free island designed for recreation. Very fun. It was sooooo hot while I was there. Definitely not used to the heat & humidity yet. I took more walking breaks than usual. Of course, I usually run w/my camera, so that's always a good excuse to stop, rest & take a few pictures, too.

Another foodie highlight was my trip to Central Market. It's a giant marketplace built in the 1800s and still used today for locals & tourists to get produce, meats, juice, etc. I'll post some shots when I get a chance.

My trip meant more than a week off the bike, so my legs were a bit cranky during my first few workouts last week. But, I'm back in the groove now, after doing a 55 miler on Sun with DH. I have not been swimming at all though - argh! I caught a really minor bug, most likely on the plane, and am just now getting back to normal breathing. So, I really need to hit the pool today or tomorrow.

The other good news is that I think my knee is back to normal & healthy. I did the long trail race and 4 runs on pavement with absolutely no knee pain. Keep your fingers crossed that it stays that way! I've been doing some squats, balance, core & hip exercises to hopefully fend off any future issues.

Headed out on another bike ride with DH shortly. I'm enjoying the post-even lull in work levels! It couldn't have come at a better time, as my big race is now 40 days away.

Les - congrats again on your ordination! I've loved all of the stories & photos.

Robyn - awesome job on your 'anniversary' trail run. It sounds like a blast

Vicci - I totally agree that you should ignore the article about not eating before morning workouts. When I saw those headlines in the news, I cringed. The media takes the parts of those studies that sound good, and ignore the rest so you don't get the full picture

Tkay - do the boys have any big plans for the summer?

Hi to Nat, Kathy & the rest o the gang!

[TKay]

Another MIA check in for me. :o Things continue to be busy. I realize they are that way for everybody, but for whatever reason, my schedule is keeping me from posting right now. Ds got sick the night before the last day of school (pretty bad chest cold), and now I've got it. I've been laying low trying to recover before we head out of town tomorrow. We are going to Phoenix until Saturday. We'll drive back for a surprise 40th party for my SIL Saturday night. Then Sunday, the boys have a birthday party with their good friend down the street. Never a dull moment.

Susan - Great trip report! Sounds wonderful. Glad your knee is better. As for summer, the boys will likely do a day camp here or there, but I have booked nothing. We will do Phoenix and then Palm Springs for a week. We bought passes to a local water park. Other than that, I'm not sure yet.

Les - Love the new kicks! I have some too. It really is nice to have your feet comfy for your runs. Good on you for getting some cleaning done too.

Kathy - Moving those boxes counts as a full-body workout if you ask me. Great going on your lengthy CC workout. I am not exaggerating when I say the DVR helps my workouts go much longer than they might otherwise.

Robyn - You are too funny. It hurt. It was fun! LOL. If I had views like you must have, I might be inclined to trail run too. Might. ;)

Vicci - You are having some wild weather, no? Well, it would be wild for a fair-weather wimp like me anyway. And by that I mean, nearly the same weather day in and day out. :rolleyes: Good luck with MIL's birthday. What do you have planned?

Nat - Hope you're feeling better. No World Cup following around here. Sorry. I see my niece's FB posts about it though, which really surprises me. When did she become a fan? :D

We are headed out of town tomorrow. Since I've been under the weather, I have zero workout reports. I hope to be back in form by the time we are home. I really miss my runs. I'm starting to get crabby. Ask dh. :p

[SusanMac]

Tkay - this is DH's graduation trip, isn't it?? Big congrats to your DH! That's awesome. BTW...while in Europe, cycling was on TV every single day. I even watched the Alpe d'huez stage of the Dauphine while at the airport. Gosh, I love Europe!

Nat -yes, we are really loving the World Cup! We're watching it all with online web streaming, and it's been fantastic. On certain days we have to go on news blackout until we are able to watch the games.

In Budapest, they put up giant video screens in many of the city parks and showed the games each day. They were absolutely packed. It was quite fun being there for the opening games of the World Cup. I watched the England/US match at a pub...and was the only one cheering for the US :-( Some people came through the pub handing out hats & vevuzulas, which was too big to bring home in my bag. If only I'd known how popular they would become!

Just back from a tough bike/run brick workout. I did a 25-mile tempo ride, followed by a 20-min run. Just had lunch & I'm still hungry!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Welcome back Susan and I'm sorry you've been under the weather TKay.

Susan - It sounds like you had a blast in Budapest, that's someplace I've never been ashore in Europe. It sounds like the island would be a lot of fun. Is there a "pecking order" to modes of transportation? Or at least sections that are for runners and other places for cyclists? I'm glad your knee is starting to act better now and it'd hard to imagine that you're 40 days away from your race. I guess you about at the right place in your training. I hope you continue on the road to a good race.
TKay - Sorry you're under the weather - it always seems like illness comes around near the end of school years or semesters. I hope you're well when it comes time to head to AZ. I bet you need to get out for a run or something to spend energy.

I was a good boy and a bad boy today. I made the mistake of doing some puttering work around the house and couldn't walk away from. So I ended up scanning pictures for about 2 hours then "had" to go for a ride at about 2:30; about the hottest time of the day. It was really gross out today too - certainly in the 90s with high humidity. Still did ~17 miles on the bike. Then this evening I did some upper body work helping a classmate unload some boxes as he's moving a few blocks (not a long way). Still, it has been a long time since I've done that kind of carrying work. Oh well, a good kind of sore and tired.

Tomorrow I'll be spending some time chatting with a friend in the morning and packing for our upcoming family reunion trip. Still hope to get out for a run or ride (most likely a ride).

Happy trails,
Les

[SusanMac]

Les - the running paths on the island were cinder (like on a track), which was nice & cushy, but also a bit odd since I don't run on tracks often. The roads were mainly used by cylists. They also had a pool & tennis courts. It was also about the only place I saw very many dogs, I guess b/c it was away from the tourist areas & more locals. It was very nice.

I'm really getting into the groove of workouts, so have much to report

Tues - Bike & run brick
Wed - 40-min run on some newish bike paths (yay!) & 30-min pool swim. Oy, my shoulders & arms are tired. It's been many, many, many weeks since swimming
Today - First open water swim of the season. I much prefer this. Water temps were lovely & much easier to get in a groove when you don't have to turn around every 25m. I plan to run later on today.

Tonight is picnic & a play with DH :-) It should be a lovely summer evening

[Kathy B]

Glad to hear you got a swim in today, Susan. I am sure your body will adapt quickly, now that you are back at it. I missed it in your post, but saw from Les....40 days...boy that is coming fast! I remember you said it will be "blazing hot!" during the race, so I guess the weather so far has been good for training. :D That's probably the only good thing about the heat, but it's something!

Actually, it cooled off a bit here last night, and this morning was very nice, so I actually got outside for an easy, not quite 3 miler. Then of course the dogs had to get out for a walk, too. Fair is fair! :D

Les, when you are done scanning your pics, I have a huge box in my closet that needs going through ;) ! It will be nice to have that done. I have another load of boxes to take to the church today myself, then the rest is for the truck to pick up. It is great to get all of that stuff cleared out! I find myself constantly scanning the house to figure out what else can go. Hope you got your ride in, and that it was a little cooler than the last one!

Hope you are feeling better, Tkay, and can really enjoy your trip to Phoenix! My impression of Arizona is that it is an outdoorsy kind of place. Even if you don't get in a run, I'll bet you are out being active in one form or another. Just have fun!!

I work this weekend then I am heading OOT for about 8 days (two different trips). Off to the grocery store to get a few things so the family doesn't starve while I am gone (or drive us to bankruptcy eating out!!) :p I am definitely the kind of mom who calls from the rest stop to make sure they know how to heat the casserole and they found the salad in the frig! Can't help it...it's my nature! :D

Stay cool everyone!