Virtual Running Buddies - 7/2

[SusanMac]

OK, it's Canada Day weekend & US Independence Day weekend! So, I'm not expecting much posting around here. But, I did think it appropriate to start a new week anyway.

Happy running, biking, hiking, grilling, pool-ing, cooking, reading, sunning, drinking, fireworks-ing & relaxing to everyone!!

[Natasha]

Hi Susan! Thanks for starting us off and for the collective holiday wishes! Same to you and the rest of the VRBs!

Rest day here (other than stuff like cleaning the car ;)). I think I might actually go clothes shopping although I really don't like doing it. I am looking for a couple of short summer skirts (casual ones). It's hard to find ones that aren't too big, too long, or both.

Tonight we're having a little dinner & bevs party. I'm planning to make a chicken recipe I found in a recent issue of BA, and perhaps some blueberry limeade and a dessert.

What's everyone else up to? I know Vicci's got her big party, and Kathy's travelling. :)

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks for starting Susan and it's good to have a check in from you Nat. I hope you're successful in finding a summer skirt. It sounds like you've got a good meal planned. I hope you had a good Canada Day a couple days ago.

I rode for 17+ miles again yesterday. Rode to National Harbor and back, a great ride and I love the trip over the Wilson Bridge and back and since I went early enough I avoided a lot of the nasty traffic. I tried to go for a ride today - I even made sure everything was sett up - full tires and all things tight. Then I got to the W&OD trail and ended up with a completely flat front tire and no way to reinflate it. So I stopped by the LBS to get a tube and will (hopefully) get the bike ready for a nice long ride tomorrow.

Happy trails all and a happy 4th of July to those from the Southern side of the continent.

Les

[Natasha]

Les, that sounds like a fun ride, and good planning to do it when you did. Sorry to hear about the flat, though. Those are no fun.

Hope everyone is having a relaxing, fun and safe Fourth!!

I did my clothes shopping today (blech) and found a dress and a skirt, so that was a success. We've also been doing a lot of stuff around the house and enjoying the hot weather. I came to a realization today about why I'm loving summer so much this year. Usually I like it fine but prefer it a bit cooler. This year, since I'm not doing any hard core training, I can enjoy the laziness and heat without worrying about getting in my training at the crack of dawn or else getting soooo hot.

That being said, the next couple of days are going to be even hotter - maybe even a bit too hot. Even last night at dinner we all consumed mostly liquid calories (mostly non-alcoholic). It's just too hot for a lot of food, or alcohol for that matter.

Hi to all and I look forward to hearing all about your long weekends later this week!

[Leslie Ferguson]

I hear you about hot Nat, it's supposed to be over 100 on Wednesday down here (before the humidity :rolleyes: ). Good to keep hydrated and cool if you can.

I was almost really bummed last night - I tried to fix my tire and when I inflated the tire it looked like it was holding air. :mad: But today when I went out the tire was completely flat again so I replaced the tube and headed out. Nice to get out again and get on the W&OD. I did a bunch of miles (28.5+) and hit a long stretch that I'd never ridden on before (Nat - I almost got all the way out to Church). A nice stretch of trail to ride on but I could see it was starting to climb again - something that wouldn't be fun I think. But it's getting me ready to go all the way to the end of the trail (~45 miles total).

Other than that - not much more fun going on today. I may try to catch some of the fireworks on the tube (not a fan of big crowds in the heat).

Happy trails,
Les

[ckrukow]

I just saw something about a 100 mile challenge. The goal of the challenge, as the name implies, is to run/walk 100 miles in a month for 3 straight months. There are other rules if you choose to do another type of exercise as well. I was wondering if anyone is interested in this type of challenge. My step aerobics is canceled for this week so I would love to have some thing to motivate me. Anyone interested?

[SusanMac]

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Looks like a lot of us took a break from the PC

Les - nice riding this weekend! 28 miles is awesome, and the goal of doing that whole route sounds great.

Nat - I'm also in the 'blech' camp when it comes to shopping. People make me feel like i'm the only woman who doesn't like to shop. Glad to see I have company! & glad your trip was productive. World Cup games have been very exciting with several upsets over the past week!

cruckow - you might want to try starting a new thread to catch a wider group of BBers who might be interested in the challenge.

I had a great weekend, and not quite ready to jump back into work (that's always the way after 3-day weekends)
Fri - Did my long bike ride early with DH. 55 miles. it was windy as crud, but I felt smooth. Followed with a 20-min run.

Sat - No workouts & too much food. Headed down to the in-laws to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary!

Sun - 8-mile run along the Mississippi River! Very fun new route near my in-laws house. Lots & lots of runners & cyclists out, which was fun to see. Hot & muggy, so I was feeling sluggish, but that's good training, I guess

Mon - 6-mile run back at home. Felt much better.

Mon evening -- dinner with our very own KathyB & her daughter!! yea! That was so much fun to meet in person. We hung out for a long time just chatting about everything. And her daughter is so lovely. I'm always impressed when a 16 y.o. can have an engaging conversation with adults. They are driving back home today & probably somewhere in Iowa at the moment.

[Robyn1007]

Hi everyone! Sounds like it was good weekends all around.

Saturday I did a miserable 4 mile run. I'm realizing that rest/recovery week doesn't sit well with me. Then I headed to Vail, rode the gondola to the top and then did about 4 miles of hiking up to the summit and back. Dinner was at Dish so I ate plenty of calories to make up for all of it.

Sunday was a rest day and went to a bbq at one of my running friends' house.

Monday was cooler than it has been and I got to get out earlier than usual for a weekday and had a very nice 4.5 mile run. Feeling like I'm mentally back in after Saturday's tough run.

Tonight is mile repeats. 4x1 at 10k pace with 1 mile each warm up and cool down.

Back to work now, just needed to clear my head for a minute. Happy short week to all who get it!

[Natasha]

Robyn, sorry you didn't enjoy your run after the rest/recovery week. The hike and Dish sound fun, though.

Les, glad you got in a good ride, and that is quite a distance! I can visualize it now.

Susan, good job on your runs too. Yay! You did get to meet Kathy and her DD! I'm so envious that you guys got to meet up :) How fun!!

It's been super hot here so I did a spin indoors last night, plus some weights. I'm not training outdoors in this type of weather, not if I'm not training for an event :) I'm enjoying it - just don't want to overly exert myself in it! I'm also really relishing eating light, good meals (tons of fruits, veggies and smoothie-type drinks). They're all just hitting the spot.

Okay, off to do another spin now, and some core. Take care, all!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Susan - I'm glad you got to meet Kathy - it was fun seeing her last year when she brought DS to DC. It sounds like you had a great mixture of workouts - 55 mile bike ride AND a 20 minute run, I'm impressed. It's always neat to celebrate 50th Anniversaries isn't it? My parents celebrated theirs this past December.
Nat - Considering how hot it must be in Toronto I can imagine how much you don't want to be outside. Good that you're still getting workouts in and enjoying fresh fruits and veggies.
Robyn - I'm sorry that your run wasn't that good. I looked up Dish and their menu looks divine; what did you eat and drink? I hope your run tonight went well

Well - it is HOT here. Thankfully it wasn't humid or else it would have been terrible. I think the official high at National Airport was 102; supposedly the temp was as high as 106 in Alexandria and an apparent temp somewhere in the 110-112 range. It was 95 by 11am this morning so no running but I hit an 18.5 mile ride. Amazing that I've found a couple new roads that will help me avoid nasty traffic if needed.

Other than that - spent a lot of time inside and checking out the birds. I saw 2 black vultures near National Harbor; and there are at least 2 house finches eating at the feeder in the front - love seeing the new birds.

Tomorrow - it's supposed to be hotter than today. :rolleyes: So if there's any exercise it will be a ride. Staying cool and hydrated are keys.

Happy trails,
Les

[Robyn1007]

Les, I've heard about the heat wave, good for you for still getting out to do something!

Nat, I've been known after hot afternoon runs to just have a smoothie for dinner too.

I did my mile repeats tonight had got faster each time (not planned) which made my coach happy. Then I came home and foam rollered my legs and whimpered all the while.

I can't believe I haven't shared my meals at Dish on this thread before. The owners/chef are now good friends of mine so I get the royal treatment when I go. I sit at the kitchen bar and chat with everyone. I had: Truffle Popcorn, The Original, Beet and Ginger Soup, Tempura Garlic Whistles, Crab Cakes, Tuna Sashimi, Barbacoa, Chicken and Blood Orange Semifreddo with almond brittle. Fortunately all small plates.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Robyn - I think you may have talked about the meals from the Dish but I had forgotten the breadth of the meals. I took the time to check out the menu and the pictures from the restaurant website. Thanks for sharing the fare. Great job with your mile repeats too - sometimes it is unbelievable what happens with a little rest and a bad run the day before.

I've got a little request - it appears that my father who thought he had pneumonia a couple weeks ago. It appears he may have congestive heart failure. Obviously not time critical considering they won't do his echocardiogram until next Wednesday. I guess that considering they aren't admitting him to the hospital and reacting horribly is good news to hear but still - it's never great news to hear those three words together.

Sorry for the downer... hope everyone is keeping cool and hydrated - the heat can't hang on forever.

Happy trails,
Les

[SusanMac]

Robyn - very interesting about your recovery weeks. Why do you think they don't agree with you? Hmmm...should be the opposite (cheering with rest & easier workouts)

Yesterday I swam for 30-min, in really choppy water for the first time this season! It was cruddy, but I'm very happy for the experience, as Steelhead is in Lake Michigan and likely to have some currents.

Later in the day I did my now-weekly tempo bike ride w/DH. 25 miles. My legs felt tired, but I hit the same pace as last week, so that felt good.

Today, a 38-min swim. Water was calm, although it started raining mid-way through. Luckily no lightening, so we were safe. Decided not to run today so I could rest my legs. I have a sprint tri coming up this Sat, which I'm approaching solely as practice for my half at the end of the month. I need the reminder on how to do transitions!

[Natasha]

Les,

Many many good thoughts and prayers are going out to your dad, you, and your whole family.

[Kathy B]

Well, back home and back at it! DD and I had a great trip to Wisconsin with 3 family reunions in 3 days...whew! It was really nice to see lots of family and get aquainted/reaquainted with some of the more distant relatives. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit with Susan Monday night, too! It was great to meet her, and a very nice and relaxing way to end our trip. :)

We managed to miss the rain almost entirely by going home via St. Louis instead of DesMoines which I was very thankful for. Although we were sitting all day, I was pretty tired last night and went to bed early. Got up this AM, and got in a little over 3-1/2 miles. Even though it was humid and warm, it felt great after all the inactivity of the previous several days.

Les, Sorry to hear about your dad's potential diagnosis. Hope he isn't feeling too poorly. Is he in the hospital? Sounds like you have been getting in some good rides. Speaking of birds, a heron flew over me this AM while I was out. I know we have them around here, but it is a rare occasion for me to see one.

Susan and Natasha, I hate shopping too! At least for clothes. I'd rather do almost anything else. Get me in a grocery store and it's a different story. DD totally doesn't understand that. :p What do you say, Robyn and Vicci, are you shoppers, or not so much? Is this a VRB trait?

Susan, sounds like a good idea to use the sprint as a transition refresher. You'll still feel that sense of urgency since you are in a race vs just practicing on your own. Good job on your swims!

Natasha, just curious how hot "super hot" is? In Wisconsin all of our relatives were talking about how hot and humid it was, and those of us from MO/KS were thinking it felt great! I hear you about enjoying the lighter fare of summer. I have been getting a box of organic produce every two weeks from a service some of my coworkers use, and I love it. We have been eating many more fruits and veggies, and it is perfect for this weather.

Vicci, what are you up to? How was your get-together and the wonderful meal you were planning? Hope it all went well!

Robyn, great job on your mile repeats! When the coach is happy, everybody is happy! :D

Hope everyone is having a good week!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Kathy - Good that you're back and you're more adventurous than I am with three family reunions in three days. WHEW! Dad isn't in the hospital, they're letting him stay at home since he isn't exhibiting any adverse symptoms (EKG etc.) right now. I'd imagine that if he weren't in as good a shape as he is (walks for an hour 5 or 6 days a week before he got pneumonia a few weeks ago and lifted weights 3 days a week) he'd be in the hospital. Good job with your run in the warmth and humidity too.
Nat - Thank you for your well-wishes.
Susan - A couple good swims - that's always nice to have under your belt. Good luck on your sprint tri this coming weekend. 1/2 IM this fall - I had forgotten that you were doing that distance again. I love open water swims in tris (but then I've only ever done open water swims with currents in my tris). Hope you had a good rest today.

I didn't ride or run yesterday - oddly I didn't feel up to it and in fact I fell asleep for about 90 minutes in the late morning. Today, I got a decent ride in this morning in the relative cold snap (only 93 degrees). A nice ride really. Then I helped LW move a bunch of fabric to my old church for a huge fabric sale tomorrow and Saturday. Hopefully we'll get her stash sold down some more.

May go out before the sale tomorrow but may not be able to get out Saturday. Have a great weekend... happy trails,
Les