Happy New Year - Virtual running/biking/walking buddies January 2013

[Leslie Ferguson]

Happy New Year!

After the end of a relatively tumultuous 2012 we moved into a new year with many new opportunities. I know that Nat ran yesterday afternoon and had a playdate with Mr. J and a rockin' New Years Eve planned painting the town red. Vicci spent a little time digging out of the snow that had fallen on the farm and got a lot of snow shoeing in. Heather was back from NYC and points west. Cheryl was busy prepping for her New Years races.

I had a double run in the past 24 hours. I got the race in last night and beat the ball by ~20 seconds. The special prize was an engraved champagne flute. I also went for a slow and steady run with Charlie and Dr. Mike - about 6.9 miles at about 1:40; not an issue.

The race went well last night although there was a small hiccup before the race started - I dropped my car key (luckily I had my second set in the car). Alas, because the race was on base I was unable to get the door opened so I had to break the wing window in my car to get in and get my keys (and get home). I finally got home a little after 2 am and was a little out of sorts because I had to cover my window. Thankfully I found my key this morning after the run and everything is good in the world.

Does anyone have any resolutions or intentions for the New Year? I'm working on what I want to do this year but I'll post later.

Happy new year and happy trails,
Les

[Natasha]

Les, way to go on the race! The flute is a neat prize. Glad you found your keys, too. Thanks for starting off our first thread of 2013!

Resolutions - I don't make any, but yesterday I did find myself filled with extra energy and being just a whirlwind of DOING stuff (despite very little sleep the night before due to NYE). I didn't work out yesterday, though - time just didn't permit it. I had a more-than-decent 5-plus mile run today, though.

How's everyone else enjoying 2013 so far?

[Natasha]

Back-to-backs... did a short spin last night, an almost 7k run this evening, and have been otherwise busy with Mr. J stuff How is everyone?

[DeeK]

Congrats on the good race, Leslie, but sorry to hear you had to break a car window. That's not a fun way to start the new year.

Running is out for me right now (bad knee), but I'm able to walk so I have been walking A LOT! Our company health plan has a new incentive program. For points earned on a pedometer (that they provide), I can earn money into my health savings account.

So far, so good.

As for resolutions --- I do make them, but I'm doing it different this year. I'm making one new resolution a month. This month it is to eliminate all artificial sweeteners. For this diet soda lovin' girl, it has been a bit of an adjustment, but I'm doing it.

Feb. 1 I'll make another resolution to add to the first one and so on through the year. At the end of the year, with any luck, I'll have 12 steps to a healthier life.

Dee

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey Dee - I like your resolution plan, and it seems like a good way to really make a change. Any work out is a good workout.
Nat - good job with your back-to-back and your 7k run.

Running 10-ish miles with the group. More later...
Les

[cherylopal]

happy new year!!!!
les- the flute from you nye race sounds cool! neat swag sorry about your car

deek- like your idea of one a month- keeps things new and fresh and relevant- please keep us posted on how it goes


i made a goal at the beginning of dec so i guess that can count for my new years resolution- i don't make them anymore instead i just set goals as needed but do like the idea of reflecting back and then forward

i'm going to try to qualify for boston

i have two half marathons- one in feb and one in apr and i'll see how i do- i placed 3rd in my age grp in my new years day 5k and i wasn't racing all out and i'm on the wrong end of the age group- i'm getting faster we'll see if i can get fast enough

[Leslie Ferguson]

Good seeing you Cheryl and I hope you do well in your half-marathons. Boston is a hoot and worth running once.

I had a decent run yesterday ~ depending on which method of measuring you trust - GPS or MapMyRun - between 11.5 and 12.3 miles.

See you tomorrow...
Les

[hrk]

Happy New Years all

Les- What a neat race prize, but sorry it had to come with damage to the car. How is LW doing, I hope she is on her way to a full recovery. Glad to hear the runs are going well, anymore races on your calendar soon?

Nat- Hope the first holiday season with Mr J was great. Aren't you coming up on a first birthday soon? Loved that birthday time so much. And thanks for the pictures, he is a cutie.

DeeK- Love the idea of a new resolution to work on each month, what a great way to set small goals. And how great to have that incentive to walk.

Cheryl- Have a friend who ran Boston this last year and she loved it, hope you make your goal.

Well we spent the end of the year in St Thomas for 10 days, it was wonderful. Sun, sand and water. I was so active- got in three days of SCUBA diving with DH, played tennis with the family twice, snorkeled almost every day as there was a great reef right off the beach, and got in three formal running workouts on the treadmill, up to 81/2 minutes of running at 5 mph, so continuing to make progress. Didn't get much in last week as we were all getting back into life, but on the elliptical tonight.

As for resolutions, mine is to make things easier for the whole family, so the project this month is to try to stream line our meal planning. I will let you know how it goes.
Heather

[VictoriaL]

Happy New Year, everyone!

Les, it's too bad that you had to bring the new year in with having to break your car window to access your spare key. But you got in the race, and under the midnight hour (complete with engraved champagne glass!), so in my opinion the New Year came in well for you. I also ask how Kathy is doing.

Nat hating to ask, but when is your maternity leave over? I know that Mr. J's bday is very soon and I think that you worked up to the last minute (well, almost!).

Dee, artificial sweeteners have been out for me for a while, but I do have to start cutting down on sugar and that is not fun (why do the holidays have to include ALL of my favorite cookies, candies, etc.???). Good luck!

Heather, I can't even imagine how wonderful it was like in the VI, and your activities sounded like you didn't spend all of your time lying on the beach. What nice New Year memories!

Cheryl, if this past year or so has been any indication on your resolve, I would say that you'll be a shoo-in for qualifying for the Boston Marathon.

I've been a slug, exercise-wise. Cleaning like crazy for a few days' worth of houseguests, then having said guests (cooking, etc.), then cleaning afterward, and other fun things like spending hours and hours on the phone with computer support... yeesh... It really was too cold to go outside (frozen pipes in the new bathroom when the temp dipped to 9 one night. oops. guess the contractor didn't insulate as well as he said he did!) but I did get around to moving the EB up from the basement and want to start that soon. Plus, we go to the lake house later this week, and the highs are to be in the 50's, so I hope for a run while there.

Hope that you're all doing well!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Heather - I've never been scuba diving but it looks like fun and maybe someday I'll give it a shot. It sounds like you're making progress with your running - slow and steady so you don't rebound injure yourself.
Vicci - somehow I find it hard to believe that you have been that sedentary; maybe not exercising directly but with all the work you do around the house you before and during a visit. Sorry about the lack of insulation in your new bathroom - that would be really annoying.

I was happy with the race and in the long run the window stuff came out okay. I had the window replaced today and it "only" cost $135 (35 for the glass and 100 for labor). Kathy is doing well and we go in in a week to see how her ankle is healing. She's keeping her blood work in the therapeutic range so that's a good thing. If we can get another week in therapeutic then we go to every 10 days for blood thinners.

I ran today - just a touch over 7 miles and it was a decent run. Kind of cool but not bad.

See you all in the funnies...
Les

[Leslie Ferguson]

Back-to-backs... It's been a busy week, things are well at home and hopefully they continue to get better. Kathy is recovering well and we're looking at her orthopedic appointment on Monday. I'm having a great time getting back into the swing of things at church now that I'm spending more days working full days. At least I beat Nat back to full time.

I got another run in this week - 5 miles this evening in shorts and a tee shirt (and I was overdressed). Nice to get out again and to have things feel good after my run.

How is everyone doing these days?

Happy trails,
Les

[hrk]

Happy Friday all

Les- So glad to hear about LW's progress, that is great that her bloodwork has come back into range and I hope she gets some good news at the doctor on Monday. I am sure that the weather we are having has been incentive to get outside and run.
DH and I have been SCUBA diving for almost twenty years now, we were both certified in college and it has to be my all time favorite activity. I would encourage anyone to try it, it is an amazing feeling to be underwater. Our boys are both chomping at the bit to be 12 so they can be certified.

Vicci- I agree with Les that even if you are not running, I am sure you are keeping yourself busy. Any plans to go house hunting any time soon.

Well DH and I decided to join a jumpstart January fitness challenge so that has helped us get back into the swing of things. We do 30 minutes of cardio five times a week and a toning/lifting video each day. I ran on Wednesday for nine minutes but my leg just doesn't seem to be responding to it, so I am going to look into a running clinic at our local Fleet feet and see if I can't get some professional advice on my stride etc.. It is ironic, I can do the elliptical forever and no issues, but running still seems to be. We will see what happens.
It is supposed to be beautiful this weekend, so hoping we will get some outside time.
Happy weekend.
Heather

[Leslie Ferguson]

Heather - it's not surprising about the difference in running and elliptical. One is truly weight bearing and the other is only partly weight bearing. Likewise, the elliptical has a motion that is neutral and running can be a lot more complicated. Having someone check out your gait and stride is important and if you can get someone to check you out after you've run a little you'll be better set in my opinion. My running coach has decent gait early in his runs and later in the run his form can break down a little. I hope you can keep things going with respect to your workouts.

I ran this morning and somehow I ran more than I expected - almost 3 miles more. We were running in my old neighborhood and I thought I knew the distance but for some reason was off by quite a bit. Not a great thing but apparently no worse the wear for the extra miles.

Other than that it was a quiet day and I'm getting ready for tomorrow and then getting ready to head to Boston a little later this week.

Happy trails all and I hope you're having a good weekend,
Les

[DeeK]

Thanks. The no artificial sweetener resolution is going VERY well. I think I probably need to pick a harder one for February.

The walking is going okay. I do really well on the weekends, but during the week I'm not getting the 7,000 steps I need daily. :-(

I need to focus on that a little bit more and try not to get sidetracked by social events. Walk first. Socialize after. LOL

[VictoriaL]

Heather the jump start program sounds like it would be very beneficial, not to mention a great way to start the new year. It's a good idea to stay on the elliptical most of the time for now and not risk reinjury until your leg has built up strength, but I can see where it's difficult to stay inside. Eseciallly with last weekend's weather! Wasn't it wonderful?
We are doing some online house-hunting in DE, our realtor sends updates and new listings, but don't plan on actively looking again until spring.

Les, how did Kathy's appointment go? Has she been released from the evil "big" boot?
And I think it's very good that you ran so much extra milage and, well, barely noticed it!
What are you heading to Boston for?

Dee, great progress on losing your dependence on artificial sweeteners. What are you using to satisfy your desire for diet drinks?

We were at the lake house for a couple of days and I took the time to go out for a run. Unfortunately, after about a half mile, the mud was so thick that I had to turn back. I ended up doing four trips up and down the driveway, which was a decent workout (Les, you remember that driveway

I seem to be having some Achilles tendon issues. I moved my foot "the wrong way" on Saturday and it's a bit painful to wear shoes (the back of the shoe rubs in a very sore area). Fortunately, DH gave me a pair of nice Clark's fleece-lined clog-style slippers for Christmas and they are the only shoes I can wear without pain. But I refused to wear them out grocery-shopping today-- I'm not that old yet!!!

[DeeK]

Dee, great progress on losing your dependence on artificial sweeteners. What are you using to satisfy your desire for diet drinks?

We were at the lake house for a couple of days and I took the time to go out for a run. Unfortunately, after about a half mile, the mud was so thick that I had to turn back. I ended up doing four trips up and down the driveway, which was a decent workout (Les, you remember that driveway

I seem to be having some Achilles tendon issues. I moved my foot "the wrong way" on Saturday and it's a bit painful to wear shoes (the back of the shoe rubs in a very sore area). Fortunately, DH gave me a pair of nice Clark's fleece-lined clog-style slippers for Christmas and they are the only shoes I can wear without pain. But I refused to wear them out grocery-shopping today-- I'm not that old yet!!!

LOL -- Sheer willpower. For the past six months I have been trying to recover from a very bad UTI. While the infection is gone, there has been some after effects that artificial sweeteners make worse. I'm muscle-ing through it with herbal teas and lots and lots of willpower.

Hope your foot is feeling better soon. I must say, anything from Clarks is a winner. I love their shoes.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Dee - You definitely have a lot more will power than I do when it comes to artificial sweeteners. Have you ever thought of making your walking your socializing time? My longest runs of my week are group runs - makes things fun and passes the time faster.

Vicci - sorry about your foot too. I do remember THAT driveway and I can only imagine it with mud. Crocs would be fine for walking around these days until your Achilles gets better.

Kathy went to the orthopedic today and they took her hard cast off and put her in a boot (inflatable) for at least 4 weeks. She'll be able to put a little weight on her foot (50 lbs for the first 2 weeks) and hopefully a little closer to normalcy sometime in February.
I'm heading to Boston for a retreat at a retreat center near the New Hampshire border (West Newburry). It's been something I've been planning on for a while.

Bed time...
Les

[DeeK]

Dee - You definitely have a lot more will power than I do when it comes to artificial sweeteners. Have you ever thought of making your walking your socializing time? My longest runs of my week are group runs - makes things fun and passes the time faster.

I'm heading to Boston for a retreat at a retreat center near the New Hampshire border (West Newburry). It's been something I've been planning on for a while.

Bed time...
Les

DH and I sometimes can mesh schedules enough to walk together. Other than that...I'm on my own.

Have fun @ the retreat. I hope you can get some nice *outside* time to meditate and run.

[hrk]

Good morning all

Les- That is great the LW has moved into the boot, I hope it helps her get back some mobility and make more progress. As much as I did not like the boot, at least it let me do things and have more freedom. Have a great time at your retreat and good job on the extra miles.

Dee- great job on keeping up with your resolution and getting your walks in. Maybe there is a local group in your community that walks so you could have social time that way?

Vicci- Sorry to hear about the tendon issues. Hope they resolve themselves soon.

Well we had a busy weekend as the weather was to nice not to take advantage. Whole family went for a bike ride on Saturday along the Potomac tow path. We just rode until my youngest said he was ready to turn around. Well when all was said and done- we did nine miles I can't believe my boys went that long. Sunday was the elliptical and I increased the resistance some. DH and I finished our first week of our challenge and are now on to week two.
Went to the running clinic last night and it was not what I expected, far exceeded expectations. It was two PT's, a podiatrist and a running specialist from the store and it was individual appointments, so it was just me. They had me run, walk, stand etc and observed everything, then worked with me on some issues. Turns out my right hip seems to be weak so they gave me some exercises to work on that and I need to work on getting my cadence up as I don't take enough steps in a minute. This will also help me shorten my stride, which I need to work on as well. So I downloaded a cadence counter app and last night on the treadmill worked on it. Had to slow my speed down a bit but this morning the leg feels good so so far so good.
Hope everyone is well.
Heather

[DeeK]

Good morning all

... the leg feels good so so far so good.
Hope everyone is well.
Heather

Sounds like it was well worth the evaluation.

[nicklaker]

I'm also feeling great in 2013. Happy that the world did not end in 2012. And I'm still running!

Les, way to go on the race! The flute is a neat prize. Glad you found your keys, too. Thanks for starting off our first thread of 2013!

Resolutions - I don't make any, but yesterday I did find myself filled with extra energy and being just a whirlwind of DOING stuff (despite very little sleep the night before due to NYE). I didn't work out yesterday, though - time just didn't permit it. I had a more-than-decent 5-plus mile run today, though.

How's everyone else enjoying 2013 so far?

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey Nick - if you are a real person come back and chat with us.

I guess I'll bump up a little. I had a great visit to Boston/West Newbury in Massachusetts. I was up visiting the Brothers from the Society of Saint John the Evangelist. The visit was a 2 day silent retreat and it was just what the doctor ordered after this past season. It was cold but beautiful and I took the opportunity to run the evening before the retreat along the Charles River (I spent the night across the street from the Boston Garden) and picked up 9.1 miles. While on the retreat I was able to take another 6.9 mile run at the retreat center. Nice!

I also had the opportunity to have dinner with two of the bulletin board members (hrk and I've forgotten the other one's screen name but her real name is Katie Nunes).

I'm back home and Kathy is doing well and having a lot of fun and healing well. I've been back to work for two days and I was able to pick up a 5.15 mile run in the brisk conditions (~32 degrees) this evening. Felt good but it took quite a while to warm my legs up.

I hope everyone is well and that the lurkers check in... happy trails,
Les

[VictoriaL]

Heather the running clinic sounded like just what you needed. It has been a few days, how are you doing with the treadmill, hip exercises, and other things they suggested? Very cool about 9 miles w/ the boys-- they're taing after you and DH, aren't they?!

Les your trip to Boston/ retreat sounds like it was very enjoyable. And much needed, after the last couple of months you've had! How did LW deal with your being gone? Did someone come to stay with her?

I was able to pick up a 5.15 mile run in the brisk conditions (~32 degrees)

Oh, Les, that seems warm to me! We've had lows around 5 and yesterday the high was 14, but it's getting better-- it was the whole way up to 19 degrees this afternoon!

I did get in a run... let's see... it must have been Monday before the cold weather arrived. Not long, only about 3 miles, but then Spooky was waiting for me when I returned so we both went for a 1/4 mile "amble". Took almost as much time as the run!

Been keeping busy, and warm, by working on the new bathroom (staining/ polyurethaning trim, and all sorts of fun stuff). No frozen pipes this time, though. Until we can add some insulation to that area we decided to just let the faucets "trickle". I hate the waste, but it's better than frozen (and burst) pipes.

[hrk]

Happy morning all, ugh the weather has been crazy this last week, we have had two school delays and one early closing since Wednesday.

Les-I think you have my screen name confused with someone, as I wish I had been in Boston last week to have dinner together, but alas I was not there. Hope dinner was yummy just the same and I am glad the retreat went well. So glad to hear LW is on the mend and doing well also.

Vicci- Good for you for getting the run in and hope you get the bathroom pipes fixed soon. Our boys definitely take after DH and I and are very active, so it makes doing things as a family so nice.

Well I saw a new PT last week who gave me a whole bunch of core exercises to do to work on my hip. The good thing is I can do them at home so I don't have to have a time constraint, I just need DH to watch my form.

We have completed 3 weeks of our fitness challenge and have been enjoying the together time. I pushed my leg a little to much this weekend by ice skating for 2 hours followed by running the next day so took it easy yesterday and will do the elliptical tonight.

Hi to everyone else, hope all is well.
Heather