Virtual Running Buddies - September 2012

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks Nat, things behaved and here's a race report of sorts.

The forecast was for temps in the low- to middle-60s with a fresh breeze from the south. It was about 64 when we started and there was a significant breeze ~10-15 mph blowing off the James River (that was nice). It warmed up to almost 70 by the time I finished but thankfully the humidity was "low".

The bottom line up front: 1:54:09 finish time - what I was targeting as a predictor for a 4 hour marathon. I started a little faster than I wanted doing the first mile in 8:29 (pace was supposed to be 8:42) but settled into my target and averaged right about 8:42. My hip and quad were tight to start but started to loosen up by mile 2 and wasn't noticeable by mile 4 but started to resurface about mile 11-12. I was happy with my race and the ability to push and ease up on my pace when I wanted to. I don't think that I could have gone much faster but that's okay.

The only down side of the race is my ankle and hip are starting to tighten up a little but I'll take it. Thanks for all your good wishes. Nap is calling.

Good job on your workouts this morning and I hope your day will be as good as you'd like them to be.

Happy trails,
Les

[VictoriaL]

So Les, how'd you feel after the nap? It sounds as though you did well and since you were pleased with the results, that's really all you could have asked for. Well, that plus no more leg/ ankle pain...
Great weather for the half, too!)

Yes, our mantra for the next few weeks will be "if it was meant to be, then it shall happen...". I'm a believer in things working out for the best, so we will see.

Nat, did you get in a run this afternoon?

We arrived home late afternoon. I went for a 3 mile beach "power walk" this morning because I didn't want to tire myself out too much (my "job" is to stay awake and keep DH awake as well).

All is fine at the farm, but it's cold! We left the beach and it was sunny and 84, it's now 51 and rainy here! Ugh.

[Natasha]

Vicci, welcome back to the farm though too bad about the weather. The last beach walk must have been nice. I take it you were able to stay awake and keep DH awake since you're all in one piece

Les, congrats on the race! I know half marathons are a dime a dozen for you but it's still an accomplishment and nice that you were exactly where you wanted to be pace wise. How are your ankle and hip today?

Got in an 18k run and it was like night and day compared to last week's most challenging run (to put it diplomatically). Thank goodness. Still need to stretch a lot but now I need to run around after an active little one He's sitting on my lap and babbling. Time for his lunch!

Have a lovely Sunday, everyone!

[Natasha]

Back to backs?!

Just did abs and weights yesterday and now plan to spin. Yes, in the evening. I was out with J this morning / early afternoon

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying fine fall weather!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Sorry to leave you in a lurch Nat - it was a weird day yesterday. It sounds like things are getting to be fall for you up there and that you're having a lot of fun with Mr. J. How's DH doing these days (you can tell me elsewhere)?

Interesting developments with my hip/ankle. This is new for me too after all the injuries and dings I've had over the years. My hip was still sore yesterday morning and I was living on BioFreeze. I put an Ace wrap on my ankle and my hip started to feel better. Later my hip started to loosen up and it has been good ever since. I can't figure it out because it doesn't make any sense to me.

I hope to run with a wrap on to test everything out. Hope everything is good with the rest of ya'll and I'll chat later.
Les

[VictoriaL]

Nat, nice run on Sunday, and I'm glad that it was more enjoyable than the earlier one.
DH and I stayed alert on the trip home with the help of potato chips...
You need to wear a pedometer and measure how much exercise you get in following around Mr. J!

Les, the ankle bone connected to the hip bone?!?!?! Perhaps wrapping the ankle did some sort of realignment to your hip? Whatever, I hope that it continues to help!

Got in a walk/run this afternoon. The grass was too long to run in this morning, but by the time it all dried off and DH mowed, it was late afternoon. Not my most productive time for running (I envy your being able to spin in the evening, Nat!) so I walked a lot.

So what has the weather been like for you all? We've actually had frost warnings the past 2 nights-- I cannot remember that ever happening in September before. And our furnace kicked on early this morning, which is a few weeks earlier than usual. Although it was nice to be out working in the garden and running in the cooler temps, I hate to think that this may be a taste of the thpe of winter to come!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey Vicci - I don't know but my guess is my ankle tends to collapse outward which puts stress on my entire leg. Good for you to get out for a run/walk.

It's been in the low- to middle-50s overnight for most of the last week and highs typically in the 70s. This is nearly the perfect time to live in Tidewater.

To bed I go. Happy trails,
Les

[Leslie Ferguson]

Back-to-backs

4.6 miles done with no specific issues. I'm a happy, happy person.

Hope everyone is doing well... happy trails,
Les

[Natasha]

Hi all,

Quick note here. I also ran this evening - 3.5 miles or so in my case, but enjoyable, like Les' run. Les, DH is good, thanks, except for fighting off a cold. Hope LW is doing well too!

Vicci, potato chips are a great way to stay awake in my book Nice going on the walk/run. We're getting late summer weather most afternoons, and fall weather in the mornings and evenings. Makes it a bit tricky to dress. Layers all the way.

Today J and I did "artwork" (I did most of it except we put paint on one of his feet so he could do some). So cute. Then coffee with moms which was fun as always. The day flew with the two outings, and with J's Gran staying with us for a couple of days. Hence no run 'til night.

Heather, how are things going with your recovery?

Hi to everyone else!

[VictoriaL]

Today J and I did "artwork" (I did most of it except we put paint on one of his feet so he could do some).

How fun that must have been-- feet-painting! Good job on an evening run-- I always poop out at the end of the day.

Les have you tried running with your ankle wrapped to see if that helped the hip situation?

Yoga this morning and a lot of stair climbing in the afternoon (I'm packing up the summer house decorations and they're stored in the basement; tomorrow I bring the fall decor from the attic... it's more exercise than one may think!).

Hoping to get in a run tomorrow!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Vicci - not running with my ankle wrapped it's difficult to have a wrap when running. Especially when running on pavement it may actually cause more trouble than it's worth. Part of running unwrapped is making me run with good form.

Nat - love thinking about painting with Mr. J and your feet. I'm a little jealous (in a good way).
Les

[cherylopal]

hi everyone!!

nat- so cool to hear how mr j keeps growing! i know they do but i still have him pictured as a baby not mobile! typical grown up i guess

heather- wow so glad to hear that you ran!! never heard of the color race but sounds super fun!

sad about that cyclist you all mentioned earlier- i've been doing a bit of biking. i ended up on the roads (up in columbia md) thought we were biking in the park- all good but it still scares me so


i've been steadily training for my obx marathon- no pains or issues- ran 18 last sat- quite an accomplishment for me. 16 tomorrow. my longest run will be next sat at 20 or 22 and its my birthday weekend- what a present to myself- running sat and going to cirque du soleil sun so i should be well rested if i go to bed early.

got these new shoes so i'm not wearing the same pair two days in a row



fleet feet everyone!

[Natasha]

Oh, cute shoes, Cheryl!!! Never seen any like that. Love 'em. Great job on the long runs and good luck with the even looonger one. Enjoy Cirque!

I also need new scoots. I have known that for a while but today although I played around with different lacing techniques one shoe refused to get comfortable. So I hopped off the treadmill and onto the bike.

Also had a beautiful walk with Mr. J to the library and store, via the pond path and the woods. This time of year is so gorgeous - not hot, not cool, and the trees are starting to turn colour.

Vicci, your house decorations sound spectacular!

Les, how're the ankle & hip doing now?

Hi to everyone else and HAPPY WEEKEND! We have a BBQ planned and a few other things but also some much-needed downtime.

Natasha

[VictoriaL]

Cheryl I love those shoes! I would ask you for buying info, but I simply can't have them-- trail running would dull those lovely, bright colors VERY quickly.
Keep on trainin' !

Nat, those end-of-the-season BBQ's can be so bittersweet... enjoy!

It looks as though my next few days will be yoga-and-weights. An appraiser is coming to look at the house next week (for a beach house home equity loan, though that's ourword for it) and I haven't done a lot of housecleaning this summer so guess what I'll be doing this weekend.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Fly by... it's good to see folks and I'm doing okay. I think my ankle/hip issues were from running too hard on Thursday and Saturday. I guess I'm going to have to slow down a little on longer runs.

I spent 3 hours in the yard today, edging, mowing, and cleaning up the grass. Ready to turn in for the (last I hope) 5:00 am start for a long run tomorrow.

Happy trails,
Les

[Leslie Ferguson]

Great day today on the trail as it were. It was REALLY DARK when we started and a bit warmer than the past couple days but still decent. We plugged out with a bit of a breeze until the turn at 5 miles, then there was a little drizzle for the remainder of the run. It felt good but we were doing 1/1s - but then 22+ miles doesn't have to be fast. All in all a good run - especially considering it's the 4th or 5th 20+ miler of the season.

Nap this afternoon and getting ready for church. Can you believe that the end of September is tomorrow? I've got to get out and buy something for my anniversary (that's on Monday).

Happy trails,
LEs

[Natasha]

Les, way to go on the 22 plus mile run! And on the varied full-body workout the day before.

Vicci, I don't envy you that housecleaning. You'll need the yoga to relax and take deep breaths in between. Good luck with it!

Just finished a 12 mile run. It felt very good. Taper time!!! Now to stretch and fuel the tank.

Heather, have you been doing any more 5-min (or slightly more) continuous runs, and if so, how is it going?

It occurred to me that it would be funny to see how Cheryl's shoes would look if she wore them in a Color Run

How's everyone else doing?

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Natasha

[VictoriaL]

Nice 12-miler, Nat! You've certainly returned to form in the last few months, haven't you? Like anyone expected that a little one could possibly slow you down...

Les, your Saturday (very) long run sounded good, even though you started in the dark. I just noticed last week how dark it is in the morning, and at 5am, well, is your group returning to a later start time this weekend?

As I reported the other day, I've been keeping up with only yoga and weights while trying to get the house in shape for the appraiser on Wednesday. It's not as though we live in a pig sty, but I've let the cleaning go a bit during the summer (can I use lack of a/c as a partial excuse?) so everything looks a little yucky. Especially those rooms which we don't use on a regular basis (like the guest room, which I refer to as the "dumping room").

Hope that you all had a great weekend and I'll see you on the next thread!


ps- There was a color run near here a few weeks ago and a photo was in the paper of a woman finishing, covered in purple, yellow, and pink cornstarch. Alas, it probably washed off her shoes where Cheryl's will look colorful all of the time!