Virtual Running Buddies - Week of March 18/05

[Natasha]

Hi all!

I'll kick off this week's thread with this article, courtesy of Bethany (she asked me to post it, so here it is)! :D

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/columns/running/index.html

Happy Friday to all!

Natasha

[Leslie Ferguson]

Natasha - thanks for posting the article. Of course - where is Bethany? We've missed her.

Probably no workout in my near future (go figure) since I'm racing tomorrow. Feeling pretty good about the whole thing though.

Happy Friday Runnahs and pray the weather folks are right (for once) in Norfolk. It's supposed to be in the upper 30s lower 40s when the race starts tomorrow which will be a good thing (since they were talking rain as recently as two days ago).

Check you later,
Les

[jenmezzo]

Hello all!

OK--after a DISMAL week of gray skies, cold rain and snow (March in NC, what is up with that?) I am beginning to come out of the "funk" I seem to have been plagued by.

Seathyme--So good to hear from you! Sounds like a fantastic time, and I for another say way to go on the decision to change races and pay attention to those little things before they become injuries that sideline you for a long time!

My running has been on hiatus for the past week while trying to kick the tail end of the cold/sinus/bronchitis nastiness! So, with the advent of warmer temps and sunny skies, I will ease back in over the weekend and see if next week can't be back to normal for my four usual days running--even if I have to go shorter/easier than usual. Just to get back into the routine...

Howdy Les, Natasha and all y'all others further up the thread--have a great day!

[SusanMac]

Funny article, Natasha! Do you think the Oprah part is true?? I'm having a hard time picturing Oprah shopping at Walgreen's on a daily basis :-) The overwhelming allure of Boston Marathon is so wonderful, though. About this time every year I think I would maybe one day like to do it. DH could care less. Hmmm. We'll see.



Natasha - You've decided to do Niagra?? I've always been intrigued by that marathon. It sounds beautiful & unique. Way to go.

Seathyme - I didn't realize that you were traveling alone. That is very cool, and very free-ing. Seems like you made a sound decision. The important thing is that you're good with it. It sounds like a fantastic trip. I mean, who could possibly not have a wonderful time in Moab! Congrats on the race (and hoping you have your luggage back by now!)

Miss Giggles - You do realize, of course, that our next goal is to get you onto our VRB race schedule :-) Any distance, any time, any place counts! Should we shoot for something this fall? That would give you a solid 6 months to build up to a 5K. Whaddya say??

Well, yesterday I went on a 65-min long run. When we started, it was spitting snow ever, ever so slightly. By the time I got home the flakes were pouring from the sky! We ended up getting about 3 inches throughout the night. I think that is the first time I've run in so much active snow. DH & I weren't the only crazy ones out, either. I have that nice, you-know-you-had-a-good-workout soreness in my legs this morning :-)

Headed out of town this afternoon for a GIL (that would be grandma-in-law) 90th bday party. Have a good weekend everyone!!

[seathyme]

Hey Bethany, come post your own articles!:p Just a way of saying you're missed.

Natasha, what will your adventure race involve? I know you've been tempted by these before.

Jen, sorry that sinus/bronchitis thing has lasted so long. Yuck. Hope you will soon be back out on the road.

Susan, good job on the 65 mins, and happy birthday to GIL.

Les, luck 'o the Irish for your race tomorrow!

Terri now and then I toy with trying out spinning. Only have done it once and that was a few years ago. I did learn the value of padded shorts, even in that brief foray...

Got out for our regular 5.5 miler with Rocheux this morning before he went to spend the day at the groomers. Always good to tire him out a bit and get the ole system moving, ahem, before a day in the crate. It was so good to get back to our familiar route -- one of the nice things about traveling, appreciating the dailiness of life at home.

Enjoy, all.

[TLee4]

Good luck in the race, Les!

Thanks for starting us Natasha, and thanks for the congrats! It will be fun to teach in a new environment, although so far I think I like "my gym" much better! :)

Originally posted by seathyme

Terri now and then I toy with trying out spinning. Only have done it once and that was a few years ago. I did learn the value of padded shorts, even in that brief foray...


You have to definitely try it a few times in a row to get your butt used to it! I never wear padded shorts..I promise all of my students that it becomes a non-issue in very short order.

Happy Friday everyone. I'm staying on my little running schedule of 5 miles on Weds and 6 on Sat for another week or two. Then I'll up it. I don't have to start the marathon training til May, so I figure there's no big rush.

Terri

[Natasha]

Terri, all this talk of spin classes is making me want to do one. I haven't done one for a few years, since we moved away from a place that had a great instructor. Maybe I'll look into starting classes sometime, at least on a drop in basis :)

Susan, yes, I'm thinking of Niagara. I had thought about doing it other years, but generally prefer spring races. This year, though, I don't think it's too realistic to plan for a spring marathon, so I'm hoping for Niagara. It is a neat course, and has the advantage of being very close to home! Oh yeah, and I also have trouble picturing Oprah shopping daily at Walgreens. ;)

Jen, hope you feel 100% soon!

Les, good luck tomorrow and I'll keep my fingers crossed for good weather for you. Sort of like what we have here today - bright, not breezy, and not too hot or too cold. Very nice!

Seathyme, Bethany's around - I predict that she'll make an appearance here sometime in the next couple of days. (Come on, Bethany, you better do so or I'll look reaaaaaaaally stupid! ;) :D). She just couldn't get on the computer this morning so asked me to post the article. Good run with Rocheux, and he must look gorgeous after his visit to the groomer. He must have been glad to see you get home from your trip!

About the adventure race, it consists of trekking/navigation, trail running, paddling, mountain biking, and ropes. It should be, ahem, interesting ;) You're right that I've been tempted to do one in the past, but it hasn't worked out so far though I've done a fair bit of training for some of the disciplines. It's a long story how I ended up signing on for this race, but the bottom line is that I have a fantastic team, which was an absolute prerequisite for me. I know how important team dynamics are in that sport, and feel that at least we're in very good shape there :) Still, the training in the next few months will be quite formidable, to say the least (especially for one or two of the disciplines). :eek: Wish me luck!

I went for a 40 minute run this afternoon, taking it easy and enjoying the gorgeous day.

Take care, all, and here's to the WEEKEND!!!

Natasha

[badunnin]

Ok, my primary excuse will be that there are problems with our border manager at work, and I can't get to the CLBB anymore from work. The real excuse, however, is that I'm not running. :( :( I hope to be back out there this weekend. Things have been super stressful, but with a phone call from mom, things look better (Nat - they don't think it's cancer!) I feel a cold coming on, but I'm fighting it!

[Natasha]

Originally posted by badunnin
but with a phone call from mom, things look better (Nat - they don't think it's cancer!)

Yay!! :) That IS good news. Good luck fighting the cold, by the way.

Natasha

[Miss Giggles]

Week 4 is done!


My ankle is fine. It didn't hurt at all.

(But I am being careful)

[Leslie Ferguson]

Sorry to be "short but..."
Good reports all - thanks for checking in Bethany. We're pulling for you!
Congrats Miss Giggles.

It was a rest day and I'm getting ready to turn in becuase of the race in a very short while. One rub from this evening - my coach wants me at the starting line a little early for the marathon start (they start 30 minutes before the 8k) because we're (Hampton Roads Galloway Team) hosting a team of 14 from Atlanta for the race. That only sucks because I wasn't planning on getting up that early - to get to the starting line at 7:15 (it's 35 minutes to the beach and who knows how long to the starting line from the parking area) so it looks like I'm getting up at 5:30 again. Unless I gaff off a part of my morning routine for a little sleep and streamline my pre-race preparation. That may be the right answer.

Oh well, the trials and tribulations of being an assistant coach on a race weekend. Until tomorrow - happy trails,
Les

[seathyme]

Hi all,

Good job on completing Week 4, Miss Giggles!! You're doing a great job.

Bethany, thanks for checking in. I hope life will allow you to get the endorphins going soon. Maybe they'll help??

Natasha, the adventure race sounds aptly named! I think the "ropes" part would be freaking me out in particular. But it sounds really fun with a good team. Keep us posted on your preparation.

Les, hope your race went well this morning.

On this end, I realized that one aspect of my question about spinning was a desire to mix things up a little. I've been running focused for months now and half-hearted, to say the least, about my weight training. So, pulled out my dusty Body for Life book and wrote myself up a modified routine this morning, then went to the gym and did an upper body workout per Bill Phillips. Yikes, I was quaking! I think this is just what the doctor ordered for awhile here as I still feel pumped and good even a couple of hours later (yes, the pain will come, probably tomorrow:rolleyes: ).

So perhaps for the next while I will alternate lifting days and cardio days and see how it goes. Wouldn't mind a little body transformation in time for summer (it WILL be summer some day, won't it?), though I do realize how much that part has to do with, ahem, food. Ah, my downfall. We'll see.

[MaryH]

Originally posted by seathyme
So, pulled out my dusty Body for Life book and wrote myself up a modified routine this morning, then went to the gym and did an upper body workout per Bill Phillips. Yikes, I was quaking! I think this is just what the doctor ordered for awhile here as I still feel pumped and good even a couple of hours later (yes, the pain will come, probably tomorrow:rolleyes: ).

So perhaps for the next while I will alternate lifting days and cardio days and see how it goes. Wouldn't mind a little body transformation in time for summer (it WILL be summer some day, won't it?), though I do realize how much that part has to do with, ahem, food. Ah, my downfall. We'll see.


Right there with that part. So, mentally I understand that if I'm burned out on the weight/cardo training but not seeing results, it must be the food ... fixing that though..........:) :eek: (I did get in a run this morning, but that was more guilt appeasement because I blew off the gym yesterday.)

[Leslie Ferguson]

Natasha - Didn't comment on your upcoming adventure race and I'm like seathyme, it sounds fun (but I think all of it would be fun). Good you have a good team to do the race with you.
seathyme - I understand feeling burned out on running. That was me last summer (even though I was nursing a bum ankle) and probably why I got so much joy out of riding my bike and pool running (pool running is interesting because it really changes the whole aspect of running and the view of street running). I hope you find the thing that helps you get your "pop" back and start enjoying not only your runs but also your workouts. I think that's why I'm so fascinated with multi-sport events these days. Just a thought.

Race report: finished in better than "needed" time. I was trying to use the race as a 3:40 marathon predictor (37:06) and actually came in at 35:22 - I'm happy with that time and think it will put me in good stead to know I'll be able to run Boston at a "reasonable" speed and still have a lot of fun. :D

Hope everyone else is doing well and I'll check you later tonight (need to go out and try my new tires and the tuned up bike :) ).

Happy trails,
Les

[Laura]

Seathyme, I am right there with you. I am just now starting to run consistently (which at this point is 2x a week); I was so burned out from my marathon training, that I really needed a break. I am doing a modified BFL as well. Although I have it worked so I get two complete weight workouts in a week 1-2 interval workouts, and 1-2 steady distance workouts. This is how it would work for me.

Mon: Lower body weights
Tuesday: Intervals
Wednesday: Upper and lower body weights
Thursday: run 3-4 miles
Friday: intervals & upper body weights
Sat: Run (eventually back up to 6-7 miles) or spin class
Sunday: off

I work better with a schedule, so I will see how it goes. I know I need to cut down on the eating, but as I just finished a plate of nachos and 3 girl scout cookies for lunch, I am obviously not there yet :rolleyes:.

Natasha, that adventure race sounds awesome, but too adventurous for me. ;)

Les: great jot on the race!

Hi to all I have missed.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thought I'd drop a bike report after the ride this afternoon - I really like the tune up and tires. It was a good test of the new set up (changed the height of the handlebars too). Still tough to ride into the wind but in all a grand ride. I'd have appreciated about 10 more degrees of temperature though (it was only in the middle 50s when I rode).

Not much more to report from today. It looks like early to bed tonight - I'm beat after the race and the hour's ride.

Happy trails,
Les

[SusanMac]

Hi gang! Hope everyone had a good weekend.

Les - Nice job coming in under your target pace this weekend. Sounds like you are definitely ready for Boston!

Miss Giggles - Congrats on week 4! How is it feeling these days? Stronger? Easier?

Laura - Good to hear from you again. When you say "intervals" on your schedule, what is that? Running intervals? Something else?

Seathyme - I definitely devoted some time this winter mixing up my workouts to keep from getting in a rut. Aren't you glad you didn't sign up for the full marathon? That would have really had you in a running rut. Good luck exploring & finding something new & fun. Even it's just for 1-2 months, I'm sure something new will do your body & brain good.

TLee - thanks for the spinning/bike trainer input, btw. It sounds like I'm doing the right things, considering I can emulate much of what a stationary bike trainer can do except for getting out of the saddle. *Can* *not* believe you don't wear padded shorts1 Wow!

Natasha - Congrats on your adventure race! I was thinking you had done 1 before...maybe that was your DH. This was some time last week, but I think I remember you asking about "spin ups" on the bike trainer. That's where you start at a specific cadence (usually 90), then every minute increase the cadence by 5 more beats. My target right now is to get up to 120, but so far I've only hit 115, and can't yet keep it there for a full minute. Kind of the same concept as running speed intervals. Trains your legs to get used to fast turnover & makes them stronger. Plus, they keep me from going insane on the steady-state sessions!

Just got back from a great swim. I had not gone in 2 weeks because of my cold. It felt really good to get back in the water. I still have a bit more pent up energy, but haven't yet decided if I'll squeeze in another workout today. It's just so gorgeous out today, I'm very inspired.

Happy Monday everyone!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Susan - Thanks for checking in - I felt like I had fallen off the face of the earth... :D I think I'm ready to go but I'm also not sure how many more miles my ankle has in it. I'm feeling a lot of tenderness/ache on the front of my shin/ankle/top of my foot. I hope it's from too tight of shoe laces during the race or totally dead shoes (very likely). I'm not ready to accept another injury and I bet my coach would scream if I did something terrible to my ankle/shin considering the other runner with stress fractures in both shins. :( I'm off to see about new scooters - like I've been telling myself for the past two weeks and haven't stopped in to get them. Hey - I got a $10 off certificate on by bib from the race on Saturday so - SCORE - I'm off. I think your bike routine is pretty intense and whenever I get done with beating myself up with marathon training I may try some new stuff for biking/triathalon training.

Terri - I also am impressed that you don't wear padded shorts on the spinning bike. That is unless you have a cool :cool: seat like I have on my bike (very heavily padded to make up for my lack of padding).

Well - not getting any closer to the door writing here so I'll sign out now and head out the door.

Until tonight - happy Monday runners!
Les

[seathyme]

Hi all,

Susan, love your enthusiasm! "Inspired" is always a great feeling to share.

Les, very sorry you've got more foot pain. Please be careful!! Hopefully it's nothing more than the shoes.

All is well here. I've been alternating weights with runs for a few days. My upper body was in pain for two full days :eek: after that workout, so obviously that's an area I've been neglecting. Did the lowers this morning and will probably feel a little "good sore," but hopefully not more than that... will let you know tomorrow. Meanwhile, yesterday morning had a very nice run, and this afternoon I too was feeling inspired, so put on running stuff to take the dog for a walk, just in case I wanted to step it up. Ended up running about four miles I think, which was more fun for the dog and for me too. Yeah.

Oh and Laura and Mary, thanks for affirming the food thing. Ya know, I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted, and it's hard to let that luxury go. Time is not our friend in this department. More and more I live in relationship to an internal rebel that just wants to stuff everything good and wrong in my mouth! The healthier me knows that the answer is not to do more and more exercise and keep on eating -- there will be no end to that. But moderation gets so dull, on both the exercise and the eating front! It's not a crisis on the order of world peace, but kind of a daily nag. Onward we stumble...

Greetings to all VRB's. How are ya?

[Elizabeth B]

Greetings!

Yes, I know it's been quite awhile since y'all have heard from me, but I have been lurking when possible to see what you've been up to. I see that we have some new VRBs, which is great - the more, the merrier.

Anyhow, I've been traveling a bunch and also training for my first half-marathon, which was this past Saturday!!! My time was not impressive, but I'm still very proud considering that I only started running a year ago. I originally entered this half marathon as a "training run" to gauge my progress before another half marathon at the end of April.

I couldn't have done it without the VRBs, so thank you!

[Laura]

I did lower body weights today. I probably overdid it again too, which is not good considering I am going skiing Wed. and Thursday.

Susan, intervals for me means anything from 800's on the track to 4 minutes of hard riding on a bike (with 100+ rpms) to running on the treadmill at a very increased incline. It is just a way to get my heart racing for about 4 minutes with a short recovery in between. I try to do this for about 30 minutes.

Elizabeth congratulations on your 1/2 marathon! I am impressed you are ready to do another one so soon.

Tomorrow I will probably do some running intervals as long as my hamstrings aren't too tight.

Have a great week everyone.

Laura

[Miss Giggles]

Susan - It is getting easier, but I am tired.

Today was good, didn't seem as hard, good pace though slow compareds to others, but I don't care. But I am not sure what heart rate range I am supposed to be in.

I have to go to the gym after work at 5 or 5:30, depending on which one I go to, I get a good workout and then I have dinner but I am pretty tired by 10 o clock. So I started to go to bed a little bit earlier. But its not every day that I am tired so that is weird.

Les- sorry about your feet.

Tomorrow is weights and maybe a Pilates video. Still cold here :(

[Leslie Ferguson]

Welcome back Elizabeth. COngratulation on running your first 1/2 marathon this weekend. Which one was it? I'm impressed that you did one so soon - way to go. :) Glad we could be of inspiration to you.
Originally posted by Miss Giggles
Today was good, didn't seem as hard, good pace though slow compareds to others, but I don't care... I have to go to the gym after work at 5 or 5:30, depending on which one I go to, I get a good workout and then I have dinner but I am pretty tired by 10 o clock. So I started to go to bed a little bit earlier. But its not every day that I am tired so that is weird.
Well, being one of the kings of tired these days I can tell you that it's a number of things that make you tired, and most of them aren't readily apparent. How well you sleep (even if you do sleep through the night without waking up) has a big impact. What you eat, when you eat, and lots of other things (not even addressing cyclical issues). It always feels good to "push through" when you're a little tired at the gym/on the track, etc. Thanks for the wishes about my foot. I think it will be ok in the long run - I just need to listen to this nasty little thing because it is the one that I've developed a nice case of arthritis in.
seathyme - I love good sore. Now all I need is good non-pain. :) I'll take care of my ankle too - I want to be moving well when I head up your way in under a month. I've got to be moving well enough to finish my last marathon ever.

Well Iwas successful, I got new shoes. Actually this year's model of the same shoe I was wearing - Nike Pegasus. They feel good (but then new shoes always feel good). I took a short ride (30 minutes) on a stationary bike at the Y - it was almost 6:30 when I started.

I hope everyone is well and enjoying the beginning of spring (started yesterday ;) ).

Have a good evening runners and I'll chat with you in the morning. Until morning friends...

Happy trails,
Les

[Mimeea]

It's been a while, and I thought I would check in. Being on the track team at school has been going pretty well for me. It has been helpful to have a designated time slot to run in, as well as "having" to do a certain amount of mileage, which is easy to brush off if I'm running by myself. So far I have had two track meets, I ran the mile (1600m) in both of them, first with a time of 7:57, then 7:45 - which means I'm improving, but still not at all up to the level that most high school milers are. Today's workout was pretty typical 3x1200 (.75 miles) with 6:15 splits, then 6 stair drills, then another 1.5 miles, counting the warm-up jog, makes about 4 miles. I have practice all week, then a practice 10k on Saturday, a track meet next Thursday, then my real 10k that Saturday (April 2nd)! I've never ran over 5 miles at one time, and even those were slow ones, and I haven't really been following a 10k program, so we'll see how it goes.

I'm still having a big problem running on my toes. I just seem naturally inclined to run on my heels, which is a very hard habit to break. Whenever I do run on my toes it feels choppy and awkward. But my coach really wants me to work on it, since it will definitely help sprinting to the finish line -- any suggestions?

Miss Giggles- great job sticking to the C25K program. I can remember from when I did it that week 5 is quite a milestone- the first time to run for 20 minutes straight, good luck!

[Natasha]

Hi runfolk!

Les, that's a great result in your race, and definitely a very positive indicator for Boston! :) Good to see. Have fun with the new scooters :D

Susan, I've never done an adventure race before, though I've been part of a larger team before, have trained with them, and was pretty close to doing another event once but it panned out. So this will be interesting territory for me! I understand the sport but actually doing the race will be a new challenge - and much more of a challenge for me than the marathon was, especially mentally. :eek: You're right that my husband has done these races before: I don't know how many he's done, but more than 10. He's one of my team members, probably needless to say ;) Thanks for the spin-ups info; I'll have to give that a try when I spin tonight! And yay on being inspired!!

Elizabeth, congrats on the half marathon!!! :) Great to see you back, too.

Meg, nice to see you too, and the track team sounds like fun.

Seathyme, I applaud your decision to combine weights with running and alternate. I'm going to have to do more of that myself in the next few months. Maybe we can keep each other on track with the weights - I'm not the most disciplined person in the world regarding weights ;)

Miss Giggles, keep up the great work!

Quick workout summary: Sunday I spun; yesterday I ran; today I'll spin.

Hi Mary, Bethany, Terri, Rebecca, Kathy (where are you?), Maureen (ditto), and the rest of our gang.

[jenmezzo]

Morning all!!

Ahhhh! Deep breath, no cough and a beautiful run yesterday with my dear Doodle. Took it easy, just doing an easy three but boy does it feel good to be out there again!!!!

Seathyme--I am still laughing over the "will run for food!" I can definitely relate. Though, having always been overweight as a teen/young adult, I have the odd sensation of being in far better shape now than when I was young. But, the running does provide for regular indulgences of chocolate and stinky red wine!

Les--Hope your new "scooters" are the ticket. Do take care as you head for your Heartbreak Hurrah on Patriot's Day!

Elizabeth--Howdy! I'm one of the newbies to the VRB crowd, pleased to make your acquaintance. Bravo on the 1/2 Marathon!

Miss Giggles, keep it up!! You are doing a great job on your C25K program.

Meg--Good going with the track team! Keep us posted with your progress in the upcoming races.

Laura, Natasha--greeting from the warm but rainy southeast--no complaining here, though!

Have a great day runners!

[ktg0930]

I'm here <waving>!

Finally, I went running on Saturday and yesterday. It's so pleasant to run in the nice weather. March is always a hard month for me because after being diligent for Jan and Feb, my brain thinks March is spring and when the weather doesn't cooperate, I have a hard time getting out there.

Seathyme, I don't think I commented on last week's thread about your race in Utah. It sounded like you had a great time hiking and did the right thing to listen to your body and not run the 1/2.

Elizabeth, congrats on completing your first 1/2!

Natasha, wow, that adventure race sounds like a challenge.

Meg, you sound like you are enjoying the track team, especially for the consistent training.

Les, sounds like you're ready for Boston.

Jen, glad you are feeling better.

Miss Giggles, yay for completing week 4 and having no more ankle pain.

Laura, I hear you on the running burnout! I was so sick of running after my 1/2 last summer. It felt like my life was dictated by how many miles I had to run that day/week. It felt nice to take a break after it was done.

Hope everyone else is doing well!

[TLee4]

Hi all, and welcome back to others who have been lurking like me! :) Glad to hear there is good running taking place.

Not much new with me. I am teaching my first Spin at the new place on Friday morning. It is a different set-up, and the stereo is across the room from where my bike is. Besides the fact that this will be annoying re: adjusting volume, seeing how far I am in the song, etc., I am also used to keeping my "cheat sheet" (the profile for the class) on the stereo. So it will take some getting used to. In any case, during my run tomorrow I am going to listen to the music for Friday's class, so I can memorize the song order and profile!
Re: padded shorts, I do have ample padding in my own body, unfortunately. :rolleyes: However, in my experience, the initial soreness from the saddle is not exactly in the butt area, if you know what I mean. :o So nature is not that helpful. But I think you just get used to it. I definitely see people with padded shorts in my classes, but I see more people without.

Hope everyone has good workouts today!
Terri

[SusanMac]

Happy Tuesday runners!

It's nice to hear from some of the new-old people :-)

Elizabeth - That is so cool that you completed your first 1/2 !! What an awesome feeling that is. It's a very challenging distance and a huge personal milestone. Good job.

Mimmea - So glad you're sticking with the track team! It must be a huge confidence booster. I would personally be anxious over not being able to hit certain paces to hang with the front of the pack (being a life-long middle-of-the-pack kind of girl myself). I think it's awesome that you're just out there doing it.

I am slated to go for a run a bit later today. About 45 minutes, including a few long intervals in there.

But, I felt the need to report early to share my big news.......

This morning I bought a new bike :-) :-) :-) Very excited. We've been talking about it for a few weeks, but I didn't want to jinx anything. I had been using DH's old bike, which was too big for me. DH tried to get me to buy a new one last year & I said no. I wanted to really be sure that I was into this sport for the long-term, was nervous about shelling out more $$, and wasn't convinced that a few little ol' centimeters would make much of a difference. Wow, was I wrong! I test rode my target bike today & it immediately felt like a dream! We pick it up this afternoon. Now, if only the rest of the snow would melt!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Good hearing from some lurking voices. Welcome back Kathy and Jennifer.
Jennifer - I'm glad that you are breathing well these days. I'm sure you all are going through the same blooming junk we are up here. :( I know how you feel getting an easy run in after not being able to breathe too.
Terri - I hope your spinning class goes well. It's funny how we (people) develop a tollerance for certain exercises better than others. Personally I can run about 4 hours without significant discomfort - at least before my ankle arthritis kicked in - but put me on a non-padded bike seat for 45 minutes and I'm in terrible pain.
Meg - There's not much you can do to help your mile time and sprinting technique except practice. With time you'll be running on your toes during that last kick like a gazelle. :cool: My advice for your 10k (the first one) just have a good time and try to figure out how to pace yourself through the race. Try not to go out too fast (that's really easy to do).
Susan - Congrats on your new bike. I bet you're thrilled. If I decide to make multi-sport races my thing I'll probably need to work up a new bike too. I can do great things with my mountain bike but I'm sure the difference between that and a racing bike is unbelieveable.

I got a good workout in with little additional pain and discomfort. It was 60 mintes of elliptical (thank goodness for that machine) so I didn't put too much extra stress on my ankle. Now to ice it again tonight and see if I'm on the road to recovery. If not, I'll try to take it easy on the runs/workouts for the rest of the week - no need to stress that thing this close to my Heartberak Hurrah (thanks Jennifer). One funny thing about the new scooters - I think they may be too small. I've got a little hot spot on the tip of my second toe which is a sure sign the shoes may be too small. I'll try again tomorrow but this isn't a good thing.

Need to head home... wonder what I'll make for dinner. LW (being herself) had no real input into dinner so I'm left to my own devices evil cackle in the background.

Chack you all later this evening and for everyone - swift runs to you.
Les

[seathyme]

Hi everyone,

Elizabeth, congrats on your half marathon!! That is fantastic in your first year of running, and in general for that matter. Glad you checked in and hope you'll continue to do so.:)

Meg, most people on the planet can't run a mile in under 8 minutes, so you're doing great. It's easy to lose perspective trying to keep up with the top people, but ultimately we're only running against, and for, ourselves, with the exception of a very few people with great natural speed. Anyway, keep up the good running there.

Kathy, I hear you on the dying-for-spring front. I'm trying to ignore our forecast for tomorrow which includes Snow, and focus on the fact that it was 50+ today and gorgeous. Glad you got out to run over the weekend.

Jen, also glad you were able to get out finally. You've been struggling with that respiratory stuff for so long.:(

Susan, congrats on your bike!!

Les, sorry about the blister. You sound like me -- got the same shoes I usually do but this time they aren't the same perfect fit. Either the shoe, or my foot, must have just subtly changed. Next time I'm gonna try on some alternatives and see what happens.

Terri, good luck with the new class. I hear you about the challenge of a different setting. We get all used to our "usual" place... anyway I hope you have a good experience.

Natasha, yes let's do our weight workouts "together" -- that would help!

My story: went swimming today and had a great time. Oh and Susan, I tried el cheapo $8 Speedo goggles with padding and they worked perfectly. No leaks, no dark circles. Go figure.

Later all.

[Natasha]

Natasha's day:

Get up super early, go to work, work a full day.

Go home, go hiking with my husband and the dog, in hard icy snow (good workout for the calves!).

Go home, leave doggie for a nap, and go bike riding outdoors while my husband runs. First outdoor ride of the season, and brr! it was a tad chilly. It was a short ride, but it felt good to get out there and do it.

Make dinner (simmering as I write this) and prepare to eat it and veg on the couch and finish seeing The Incredibles. :)

Susan, big congrats on the bike! How fun :D

Les, good workout!

Seathyme, I'm thrilled to have you as a weights buddy :D

Jen, glad to hear you're feeling better and got in a run :)

Hello to everyone else, and have a splendid evening.

Natasha

[beckms]

Just a quick hello...school's getting crazy again! I wanted to alert everyone to Bethany's post (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=826607#post826607) on the Other Stuff board. Looks like she could use some good VRB vibes. :cool:

[Miss Giggles]

Natasha - Yikes! I would do one or the other (workout or cook) not both.

Can I join in on the weights too? I am on like 3 different threads on 3 forums (it gets slow at work sometimes) so I am trying to get down to one :D

Did Pilates and biceps / back / weights today. Thu is shoulders and legs -- am still sore from Sunday.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Rebecca - Thanks for the heads up. Headed there presently.
Miss Giggles - Only 3 threads. ;) Sure you can chime in with weights comments too (this thread isn't exclusively running any more but that's ok because we all have a passion for running at some level).
Natasha - What a day. I'm exhausted just reading about it. You deserve a break this evening. I hope dinner was good too.
seathyme - Isn't it odd about shoes? I think mine could also be attributed to the purturbations of the orthotics. I seem to have to fool with my right shoe quite often - regard of the pair of shoes I'm wearing. If things aren't better tomorrow then I'm really looking at either a bigger or different pair of of scooters. Also, isn't it odd about the "cheap" sports equipment? Go figure with your goggles.

Not much more to report from this afternoon. Just finishing up a course of ice and for the most part my ankle is still happy so I'll chock up a good workout w/o further exacerbation of a chronic condition.

Anyway - headed to dreamland... so

Happy trails runnahs,
Les

[Natasha]

Miss Giggles,

Sure, please do join in re: weights! :)

Originally posted by Leslie Ferguson

Natasha - What a day. I'm exhausted just reading about it. You deserve a break this evening. I hope dinner was good too.
Les

Dinner was great, thanks! We just made some lightly seasoned and sauced chicken breasts with carrots and mushrooms, and served it with mashed potatoes. It was good, simple, and hit the spot. :) I'm sure you came up with something great too for you and your LW. Good luck with the shoes. I hear you about having to fiddle with them - I too have to do funky things with my shoes (like you, the right one in particular), despite having orthotics.

Rebecca, good luck with school!

Hello to all, and happy humpday.

Natasha

[SusanMac]

Happy Wed, everyone!

Seathyme - no circles under your eyes?? I'm jealous. maybe I need to keep shopping around. BTW, I absolutely loved your thoughts about keeping perspective & running against yourself! So true.

Did my first speed run/workout yesterday & it felt good. I wasn't in the mood to go at all, but made myself get out there & was glad. 4 sets of 3min at 155HR (9 beats below race pace for me). I really want to focus more on long intervals & tempo runs this season. It's something I haven't been very dedicated with in the past, but I think it will help.

Weights gang - I miss some of the previous chatter about weights, so I'll definitely join you guys. In fact, here's my first question that I've been thinking about....Do you guys do aerobic training on days that you do weights?? If so, which do you do first - weights or running? (I'm curious mostly, of course, if you're doing lower weights.)

[ktg0930]

Rebecca, thanks for the heads-up on Bethany.

Susan, congrats on the new bike! Have you been out for a ride yet?

We are supposed to get rain and then 3-6 inches of snow today so I'm glad I got my run in last night! I'll do some weights this evening and hopefully the snow will be plowed so I can run tomorrow morning.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Kathy

[Leslie Ferguson]

Originally posted by SusanMac
Happy Wed, everyone!
Happy Wednesday back at you! :cool:
Weights gang - I miss some of the previous chatter about weights, so I'll definitely join you guys. In fact, here's my first question that I've been thinking about....Do you guys do aerobic training on days that you do weights?? If so, which do you do first - weights or running? (I'm curious mostly, of course, if you're doing lower weights.)
I wouldn't call it an aerobic workout but I do 15 minutes of brisk walking as a warm up before stretching and lifting. When I lift (once a week) I lift lower body then upper body. But then my lifting day is the day after my long run and my one dedicated cross-training day a week.

I hope you don't get too water-logged Kathy - we had rain to beat the band here.

Natasha - Dinner was scrumptuous - broiled salmon w/ginger-orange glaze (from a bottle) and corn for LW and blackened tuna with all my sides (salad, veggies, soup) for me. :) Was I a happy camper.

Looking at going back to the gym for an elliptical session in a few minutes - once we have a break in the rain.

Check you all later,
Les

[Elizabeth B]

Thanks for all of your congratulations.

Saturday's half is called the Tom King Half Marathon and 5K in Nashville, TN. I decided to give it a try as my first 13.1 distance run before the Country Music half because I had already run the entire course which is flat and easy. I had several 2 hour runs under my belt, so it wasn't that bad until I saw the finishing time I had hoped for (2.25 hours) vanish before my eyes around mile 9, which was disappointing. I ended up finishing in 2.5 hours. I've got a few weeks to work on keeping up my endurance for those last few miles, so that's what I'm going to do. The good news is that I was happy with how my shoes felt, how much I had to eat, my hydration, my heartrate, and my breathing. All body parts below the hips were screaming in pain, however.

It was a completely different experience for me - I'm used to passing other runners on the last leg of 5Ks and 10Ks and then finishing above the middle of my age group. Neither of those things happened this time. I also imagined that I'd finish with my arms raised and a huge smile on my face (possibly followed by tears), but that didn't happen, either. I was just glad for it to be over.

Natashaand Les - your meal reports are making my mouth water (it's almost lunch time)!

Take care, all!

[seathyme]

Hmm, something tells me I might have planned poorly here... did my killer upper body workout today, which led to two days of significant soreness last time. Then it registered in my feeble brain that we're forecast for 6-12" of heavy snow tonight and tomorrow a.m., which will need to be SHOVELED. Hmm. I might be a sad sight out there, grimacing with every toss.

Susan to answer your question about weights and running, during the last few months of training I was doing weights approx twice a week, followed by about 40 minutes of running or elliptical (more often elliptical). That worked fine, but my weight workouts were more maintenance than real strength-building. Now that I'm trying to focus on building strength for awhile, I find I'm so wiped after the weights I don't have much left, beyond maybe some hill walking. The other day, though, I did lower body weights in the morning, and by late afternoon was ready to run 4 easy miles with the dog. This alternating weight and cardio days is the Bill Phillips plan (though I do more than his 20 mins of quick intervals on the cardio days).

Speaking of being wiped out after the weights, I'm finding an interesting comparison between weights and running. A really challenging weight workout requires real mental focus and effort, similar to what I experience with running hard intervals. The maintenance lifting I was doing before was more like an easy run -- good for you but not all-consuming. That make sense to anyone else? The hard-effort workouts are very high quality. In fact I'm trying to apply the same level of effort and focus to certain other parts of my day, like study time. An interesting experiment!

Greetings to everyone -- please think good melting thoughts to those of us who really don't have an appetite for any more snow.:rolleyes: ;)

[Leslie Ferguson]

Originally posted by Elizabeth B
Saturday's half is called the Tom King Half Marathon and 5K in Nashville, TN. I decided to give it a try as my first 13.1 distance run before the Country Music half because I had already run the entire course which is flat and easy... The good news is that I was happy with how my shoes felt, how much I had to eat, my hydration, my heartrate, and my breathing. All body parts below the hips were screaming in pain, however... I was just glad for it to be over.
I'd say that you had a very productive half-marathon. And considering it was your first foray into that distance you did very well and only 15 minutes off your goal isn't bad. I would bet you do better at the Country Music half now that you know "what" to do. The pain below your waist will lessen with each run you do at the 13.1 mile distance so don't fret. BTW - how was lunch?
seathyme - I hope that you don't get all the snow or that DH will help you shovel the snow that falls. Something to try regarding cardio and weights - try your cardio first asa warm up then lift. I bet you'll feel a little different - just don't do your cardio too intensely or too fast. Regardless, I'll think melting thoughts.

Well, the elliptical foray was a bust. I'm wondering if anyone know if you have a tendon on your shin? Especially above your ankle. I feel like I have tendonitis in my lower shin/upper ankle/foot. That's the best way I can describe what's going on in my ankle right now (besides the ice pack on my shin). There's pain almost from the middle of my shin donw to the top of my foot. Luckily (in my opinion) the pain isn't in a pinpoint location (or else I'd think a stress fracture) but rather along most of the front of my shin and ankle. It certainly doesn't feel like a shin splint (and I've had those before). Anyway, I did 10 minutes of elliptical and didn't feel that good so I stopped fully intending on going pool running after work. Alas that didn't pan out so I came home and have tried to rest my leg a little. Tomorrow is another day so here's to recovery tonight and tomorrow morning.

Happy downhill side of the week to all - may you have a great remainder of the week and until the 'morrow..

Happy trails,
Les

[SusanMac]

Elizabeth - Thanks for the race report. Sounds like a great learning experience for you as you get ready for the Country Music race. Keep up with the endurance maintenance. Maybe you can add a bit of strength training with weights, hills or intervals before the next race? You should closely look at your tapering plan, as well, to ensure your legs aren't tired going into race day. I've forgotten how much time you have to prep. Good luck!!

Seathyme - I definitely know what you mean about weights. It can be either mindless or focused, just like running. Seems odd for weights, but it's true. I do always like to have music on for weights, though, even if it's a concentration workout. As my tri-training progresses, I'll probably play with both weights first-then run/bike and run/bike first-then weights. I've found that the order doesn't make much difference when it's a swim day. Good luck with the shoveling :-)

Les - Your ankle/shin woes sound yucky! Do you think it's the new shoes?? When I've had that pain in the past, it's typically from breaking in new shoes & having to figure out the right shoelace adjustments. The pain doesn't hang around like yours, though. Wish I could help.

My bike trainer session went well yesterday. It was a key workout day at 60 minutes & lots of strength drills. Horrible TV lineup, but I made it through :-)

Woo-hoo! Rest day today!! And supper club Easter dinner tonight.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Susan - I don't think it's the new shoes but it may actually be the old ones. The pain really started before I got my new shoes so I think I can rule that out. The more I look at the physiology of the shin and lower leg and where the pain is I'd almost put money on the start of tendonitis. There's a "neat" tendon that connects the tibialis anterior (muscle that connects the outside of your knee to the top of your big toe) that starts mid-shin (where my pain starts) and ends at the top of the toe (where my pain ends). I'm able to ride a stationary bike without much issue (as long as the level isn't too high). I seem to think that there is some connection with the ankle pain (arthritis) and sub-consciously favoring my right foot that was the root cause. But that's only the uninitiated talking.

I also did 60 minutes on the bike today (the only thing I could stand). It seems to be ok and I'm working on tylenol for the pain but may shift over to aspirin for anti-inflammatory later. Looking forward to hearing from others as the week comes to a close. Until later -

Happy trails,
Les

[Natasha]

Seathyme and Rebecca, I hope you didn't get too much (or any) snow!

Les, that's too bad about the ankle/shin issues :( Good luck with them.

Susan, great sounding workout!! :)

Well, here I was feeling all good about my fun 50 minute run at lunchtime, and then I had to go and read this ;) :

http://www.runnersweb.com/running/RunnersWeb_External_Links.html?http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=7996275

[Miss Giggles]

That is crazy

Ran last night, didn't post (8 min intervals)

20 minute run tomorrow..

[TLee4]

Natasha, that is just CRAZINESS!!!!!

That's all I have to say. :)

Terri

[seathyme]

LOL - Time for RA (Runner's Anonymous) for that guy: I admit I am powerless over running all night. Eesh!

Good going on the workouts, everyone. Les, continuing best wishes for your pain to recede.

Good news on two fronts here: the weatherguys were way off, and we had only a couple of inches of slushy stuff. It kindly melted all by itself by mid-day. Meanwhile, had shoveling been required, I probably could have done it. Soreness is minimal compared to last time. Yay. So, got in a late afternoon 7 miles and felt great afterward. Dat's da nooz.

Have a good evening, all.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Double bonus for seathyme with only a couple inches of slushy (and melting) snow AND a good 7 mile run. I'm with her when it comes to having my pain go away soon. I'm working another startegy right now - aspirin and ice followed by a Ben Gay patch when I go to bed. Maybe that will help it keep happy while I sleep.

Natasha - Where did you come up with that atricle? That was a hoot. :D

Miss Giggles - Good for you - finishing your 4th week (or is this the 5th) of C25K. I bet you're feeling quite good right about now.

As seathyme said - dat's the nooz. Not much more (you already got the major stuff earlier). So I hope that everyone has a good day and I'll be looking for a new thread in the morning.

Happy trails,
Les