Virtual Running Buddies--Week of 11/12

[beckms]

Yikes! 12:21 and no new thread!

I'm sitting in the computer lab at school watching the snow get heavier and heavier outside...this may put a damper on my plans to run outside this afternoon...

Any news to report from everyone else?

Mary, did you find your purse?

Happy Friday to all!

[SusanMac]

I just heard from another friend in Boston that it's snowing. Is this your first for the season?? I'm hoping for snow for Thanksgiving. My sis from Texas will be here, and I know it would be beautiful for them.

Anyway, I just got back from a killer weight workout at the gym. I must be in the groove w/my new weekly schedule, because I've been looking forward to doing this since yesterday. Can you imagine? Looking forward to weights? I'm now at 4 weeks in a row. As Bridget Jones would say....v. proud! I added 50 lb onto the sleigh machine. And bumped up the weights on all my back exercises. Tried to add weight to my chest exercises, but it was not in the cards. Argh.

Hoping for a quick run tomorrow, then my weekly long run with my rowing club. We're going to a new place w/trails. It's supposed to be 30 degrees. Brr.

Have a great Friday & weekend, running buddies!

[Alethea]

Yay! It's snowing! I'm probably one of the few people who are excited to see the flakes flying here in New England.

Thanks for starting the new thread Rebecca!

I didn't run yesterday, but since I'm taking a vacation day today I did run 6 miles this morning. That's a bit longer than I've done in the last few months, so I'm reasonably pleased. Though I wish I'd realized I would have the whipping wind in my face the whole way back.

Susan, congrats on the weight workout.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

[TLee4]

Originally posted by SusanMac
I just heard from another friend in Boston that it's snowing. Is this your first for the season?? I'm hoping for snow for Thanksgiving.

Hi all! Susan, I volunteer any Chicago snow..it can move right on up to you!! And good for you for doing those weights! I am so unmotivated for weights. My current strategy is to go to one strength training class/week (one hour..works the whole body..awesome class) and do one weight workout on my own. I have accomplished this for the past two weeks, but I still am DRAGGING myself in there. Yesterday I did walking lunges and I can sure feel them now.

Althea and Rebecca, enjoy that snow! (and keep it there...

).

No running to report. I did ellyptical and a step aerobics class today. Might run tomorrow...
Happy Friday!
Terri

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks Rebecca for getting us started this week. I hope it isn't too nasty in Boston tonight.

Originally posted by Alethea
Yay! It's snowing! I'm probably one of the few people who are excited to see the flakes flying here in New England... I didn't run yesterday, but since I'm taking a vacation day today I did run 6 miles this morning. That's a bit longer than I've done in the last few months, so I'm reasonably pleased. Though I wish I'd realized I would have the whipping wind in my face the whole way back.

Alethea, I'm with you - I love doing things in the snow. I especially love to run in the snow - something sureal to plod around in fresh powder. In fact I ran this New Years in 6 inches of powder in Portland OR. Was I in heaven!

Probably no run/elliptical today. Just not my thing on Friday and I'm trying to overcome being out of the office for most of the past week. So I'll sit here with the rain falling and do my work. Good to hear from the runnahs and take it easy in New England.

Happy trails,
Les

[seathyme]

'Nother New Englander checking in. Now the snow is even accumulating a little! I'm into it, since it's the first of the season. Couple months from now will be another story...

I also ran 6 this morning and encountered a bit of wind. Body was feeling yesterday's weight workout, so I had to talk myself into the last loop (woulda been easy to stop at 4). As always, glad I did. Doh. Plus I've inexplicably been eating a LOT lately, so these runs are not feeling optional.

Greetings to all on a gray Friday!

[beckms]

Seathyme, do you run with your dog all winter?

I didn't run today (did weights instead) because I didn't want to be out in driving snow, but I figure as long as it's not actively precipitating, it would be OK to take Wrigley out during the winter.

I'm just worried about her little tootsies.

Any thoughts?

Brrrrrrr.

[seathyme]

Originally posted by beckms
Seathyme, do you run with your dog all winter?

Rocky loves nothing better than snow -- it turns him into a loopy puppy-brain all over again. This is hilarious to watch, but not the ideal state for running... Also his paws get irritated when wet snow gets stuck in them, so he stops frequently to try to chew it out. This stuff we have outside right now would be too wet for him to successfully run in. When the pavement is clear, though, I do sometimes take him out in the winter. A lingering question I have is whether salt on the roads is a cause for concern with a dog. Does anyone know?

Can you believe this? I just shoveled the driveway! We have several inches of wet snow out there. Apparently if a run is in the cards today it will be later on. Or on the dreadmill, oh no! Feels like a very abrupt change in seasons here.

How's everyone else this weekend?

[beckms]

Yeah, the reason I did weights yesterday instead of today was because I was counting on all of the snow being melted by now so I culd go for a run. No such luck. But I'm holding off on shovelling in the hopes Mother Nature will do it for me...

It's looking more and more like a treadmill day for me...Blaaaaaah!

With regards to salt and dogs: yes, it can be irritating to their footpads. A lot of dogs have problems with cracked pads in the winter, and then they make it worse by licking and licking. Some people buy little booties for their dogs, but I know mine would freak out if I tried that. I think I'll only run Wrigley if here's clear pavement or sidewalk to run on. I guess that's probably a good rule for me, as well.

[MaryH]

Susan, today's Get Fuzzy must have been meant for you.

http://www.comics.com/comics/getfuzzy/

Got in my three this morning. Still no purse, but at least we don't have snow to shovel.

Edited to add: my bank says that someone tried to use the credit card at a local gas station Thursday afternoon. So, the bad news is, it is lost/stolen, the good news is I'm not crazy for not being able to find it here.

[seathyme]

Ah, bummer about your purse/cards etc Mary. Hopefully it won't be more than an inconvenience getting everything reissued.

Get Fuzzy does Wisconsin -- fun! Speaking of GF, Rebecca I love your tag line.

Little booties on Rocky would definitely not be a success, I'm quite sure. Ahem. So it will be clear pavement for us this winter too.

Reporting in to say, I did it! Went to the gym at the last possible hour before they closed and did speedwork on the treadmill. Ack. It was hard and I confess I didn't complete all seven of my 3 minute intervals. But did about 5.5 of them, and a total of around 5 miles, so that's gotta count for something. Feel good now too, yeah. Oh and a cooking show was on the little TV, so I was panting and watching the clock, while this incredible garlic soup was being concocted. Time to eat, though we're not having anything as interesting as garlic soup. Yum.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Mary - Sorry your purse was in fact stolen. Aren't criminals strange? You'd figure they'd know by now that people stop credit cards and banks track use of stolen cards. Oh well - sometimes it's good to know that there is such a thing as human nature (and stupidity).
seathyme and Rebecca - The thought of your dogs running with booties - even contemplating it - brings a big smile to my face. I'd agree that running with a dog in the snow around towm is probably a bad idea. If you lived out in never-never land it would be a different story, clean snow and no salt, but in Boston... no way. However, like I mentioned earlier, I'm a BIG FAN of running in the snow - something cleansing and refreshing and purifying about running in the flakes. Of course, it could be an example of a flake running in the flakes in my case.

Ok - who sent the cold weather and the Nor'easter to me today. Today was my first ride of the season when the temp was in the 40s. BRRR!!! Good that I bought nifty neoprene gloves and a fleece-like hood to wear. But boy oh boy the tootsies got VERY COLD. It was so bad that after 11 miles I had to get in my car and turn the heater on my bare feet to get them to warm up. Next week it'll be warmer socks for sure. All this leads to the bust of the day. Yours truly lost his car key (just long enough to feel stupid). On the plus side I flagged down the last runner who would have left me alone in a parking lot about 2 miles from civilization unable to get into my car, get to my cell phone, and my wallet. She gave me a ride to LW work so I could borrow her keys and car to get mine out of the parking lot. To make the long story short I spent most of the day fooling around only to find my key in the lock in the tailgate of my car, hidden by my bike rack. So with all that I felt really small. It fouled up my pool running so i relegated myself to an abbreviated elliptical (because I had to pick up LW to get her car once she got off work). I guess all's well that ends well but I feel stupid to say the least.

Since we're sharing comics I got this one the other day and thought I'd share it. It is one from Out of the Bleachers . Just another reason to do your long runs.

I hope everyone else had a good day and stayed warm and dry. Check you all tomorrow.

Happy trails,
Les

[Natasha]

Hi folks!

Is all the snow gone from New England now? I love snow for snowshoeing and frolicking around in generally (including running, as long as I have my Yaktrax) but I don't care for it at all for driving purposes. But hopefully we won't have to worry about that *quite* yet. You never know!

Seathyme, did you decide finally not to do Boston this time around? Sounded like it but I wasn't sure what you finally decided.

Thea, sounds like your training is going well!

Susan, good going on the weights workout.

Mary, sorry to hear about your purse

Les, I wouldn't feel stupid about the car thing. Goodness knows we all do things like that. At least I know I do. Glad your LW was able to help and that the keys weren't in fact lost.

Loved both comics posted - thanks, guys!

Hello to everyone else

Got in a 55-minute run today and enjoyed the bright sun and fairly warm weather, and lack of wind. Wonderful day to be outdoors!

Now to put on some chili. Catch you all later.

Natasha

[Alethea]

The snow sadly appears to be gone from the grass, but I'm wondering what shape the sidewalks will be in tomorrow. I did the elliptical yesterday because the roads and paths were a mess, but thought I'd try to get a run in this morning. Ugh, I remember now why I tolerate the elliptical and treadmill in the winter. Despite the fact that we didn't get that much snow here in Cambridge, the sidewalks were a disaster. (I'm also a wimp about ice though, since I fell rather badly once before.) I abandoned my usual route and started running down side streets, hoping to find a clear path, but I kept having to turn around or cut down a different street. At some point I visualized the Pacman game (the 90-degree turns and all) and then promptly had that music in my head all day long.

Great comics--thanks for posting them!

-Thea

[Leslie Ferguson]

Originally posted by Alethea
I'm also a wimp about ice though, since I fell rather badly once before.

I wouldn't call yourself a wimp about not running on the ice. I'm not a big fan of ice running -- too many bad things can happen (unless you're wearing Yaktrax like Natasha ). I've ended up tail over head too many times to admit from the ice and will only run in snow. I'm with you too about elliptical and treadmill in the winter. It's just too easy to bag an outdoor run in the winter - especially if I'm training for a race. And besides, I'm not a big fan of cold - not enough around here to keep the old body warm.
Natasha - I'm not too bummed by the key extravaganza on Saturday. All's well that ends well in my book. It reminded me that I can do a lot of things and a lot of people are willing to do "inconvenient" things to help you if they're your friend. I also got a good belly laugh from the whole affair in the end. Plus, like you said, it's good the key wasn't really lost - someone might just steal my nice 1993 Honda Station Wagon with dents on the driver's side. NOT!

Today was my cross train day. Solo this week because my coach is in Hagarstown scoping out the course for the JFK 50 miler coming up Saturday.

I hope everyone has a good week and I'll "see" you in the morning.

Happy trails,
Les

[SusanMac]

Happy Monday running buddies !

MaryH - Thanks for the Get Fuzzy. That one cracked me up! "oooh I wish!" I was thinking of that while snacking on my wonderful artisan gorgonzola yesterday :-)

Beckms & other dog people - My dog absolutely, positively loves the snow! So, we walk & hike as much as possible when there's snow. I refuse to run, though, mostly because I'm not confident of my footing on icy sidewalks. I've heard that Udder Butter is good for dogs' paws during the winter, but haven't had the need to try it. I can visualize Ki licking it all off immediately. We are diligent about checking for ice between his toe pads after every walk, though.

Any good Christmas gift ideas for dog owners ?? Need to start thinking about DH, and am a bit stumped.

Les - so sorry about the car key. At least it was just a key and not your purse :-) Re: the cold feet when cycling, you can make your own shoe booties. Just take old tube socks & cut a hole where your pedal clips go (if you have that kind of pedal). You wear them on the outside of your shoes to block wind. The "real" kind typically cost $30-40.

Had a great weekend with a nice long run on new trails with friends on Sunday. I was a bit irked, though. We had a group of about 6. There is one guy who runs a bit slower than the rest of us, esp on hilly courses. I held back to run with him (which I didn't mind at all). But, when he & I got to a 5-point intersection, no one had waited for us, so we didn't know which way they went. He & I ended up running together for another 25 minutes and had a nice time. But, I just know that if I were in the lead pack, I would have waited for the others. Just a bit of runner etiquette. On one hand, it's no big deal at all, esp since there was 2 of us together. But, I would never do that. When running with friends, I never focus on running fast. It's a social, supportive, group thing. Oh well.

Today the weather is cruddy, and I keep telling myself that I need to acclimate to the treadmill, so just might take myself to the gym. TLee, any tips?? It's been at least 6 months since I've been on a treadmill.

[TLee4]

Originally posted by SusanMac
TLee, any tips?? It's been at least 6 months since I've been on a treadmill.

Hi all! Susan, usually when I'm on the treadmill I'm always playing "treadmill games". Like, I will run at 6.2 when a new song comes on. Then, maybe every minute, or every tenth of a mile, I will put it up (6.3, then 6.4, etc) Then when a new songs comes on I'll start back over at 6.2.

Yes, I'm a big dork.

Terri

[KValley]

Hello Snow, Rain, Sea, and Sand Bunnies

It's cloudy, threatening to rain, about 45 degrees- typical November inif I lived in Seattle, but not so typical east of the mountains. I'm ready for our snowy nights and biting cold, brilliantly sunny days. Took my niece and nephew to see a matinee of Polar Express on Saturday- made me long for snow! Natasha I've got my yaktrax and snow shoes at the ready, too I'm in the market for new snow boots, though, and liking the looks of the new Columbia Bugabootoo boots (hate the name - too "Hello Kitty" for me)

Susan I do enjoy the treadmill- I can lose myself in thought without worrying about flying off a curb, stepping in front of traffic, stumbling over rocks. It's all about the music, though. I never listen to tunes running outdoors, but I couldn't face the treadmill without a good CD...

Speaking of the treadmill, today was my first try at running since I quit with a strained groin at the end of September. I ran short intervals/walked for 45 minutes. It felt so good! I thought I'd do this twice a week for a while- gradually adding to interval length and speed and just listening to my legs. I'll stay with the low-no weight strength training for lower body until I build up running strength and make certain the pain is gone.

Thea, Susan, Rebecca, seathyme, Mary, Les, Terri, It sounds like everyone is making great progress, use of the gym in foul weather, keeping motivated despite life's large and small challenges. Eva Have you decided upon the full or the half in January?

Have a wonderful week, runners!

Julie

[aggie94]

Originally posted by KValley
Eva Have you decided upon the full or the half in January?

It's still up in the air at this point. I am way behind my training schedule for my long runs, for a number of reasons (the knee thing, a working weekend last week, etc.), and I'm not sure if I can get caught up. I did 11 yesterday (my longest run to date), but I was supposed to do 16. I'm going to give it a couple more weeks before I decide for sure. Hopefully now that rowing is over, I can focus more on running again.

So it's finally sunk in that if I slow down my pace for my long runs, I can go for longer without feeling like I'm going to die. Yes, I know it sounds so common sensical. Yet up until yesterday, I'd been trying to keep the same pace for all my runs. DUH. I took it VERY slow yesterday and managed to get up to about 9 miles before I even started feeling tired. Now granted, I know at this pace the marathon will take me forever, but that's OK. It's just about finishing.

I did a really fun 5K Saturday morning sponsored by Iron Girl. It was a women-only event around Tempe Town Lake and it was very well-organized and well-attended. A couple of little things really made the event stand out. First, everyone who pre-registered had their first names printed on their bibs. That way, as you crossed, they could call you out by name. Very cute. The race shirts were also super cute:



(I have no idea who that woman is. This is the photo they have on their website showing the shirt.)

Instead of the usual cotton race T-shirts, they had these performance wicking tees, white with a little pink flower and the words "Iron Girl."

Finally, they had mile markers every 1/2 mile with really cute, inspirational sayings on them. The one that stood out to me was the one that said something to the effect of Pain is what you feel when weakness leaves your body..

Anyway, I had a really good time at the race. Not a PR, but it was nice to get out on the street for a change as opposed to my usual boring treadmill runs.

[ktg0930]

Originally posted by aggie94
So it's finally sunk in that if I slow down my pace for my long runs, I can go for longer without feeling like I'm going to die.

I had that same revelation while training for my half...glad I'm not the only one! I would start my long runs at the same pace as a shorter run and was pooped after a while. Then one day I consciously made myself go at a slower pace in the beginning and the run wasn't as hard. Congrats on your longest run! It's a great feeling!

There was snow on the ground when I woke up on Saturday morning! They said it would snow, but I guess I didn't expect to see it stick. It was coooold too! I waited until the afternoon to run both days this weekend. It's funny in the summer how you run early to avoid the heat and now, I postpone until the afternoon when it's a touch warmer. It doesn't work so well with the schedule though...gotta plan the day in advance!

Mary - sorry that the purse is definitely lost. I'm surprised no one used your cards before now too.

[Natasha]

Hi guys!

As far as keeping oneself sane (semi-sane?) on the treadmill, here are some things that work for me.

I play games sometimes on the treadmill too to keep myself amused -- increase or decrease mileage and/or incline every minute or couple of minutes (or mile, or km...), and crank it up if there's a good song on at the gym. I also watch TV if there's something worth watching (not having TV at home, this can work out well if there's a sporting event or something I want to see ), and of course there's all that daydreaming and thinking I do on the 'mill. I kinda like it sometimes, though most of the time I prefer to run outdoors. It's easier sometimes to run on the 'mill, you know?

Today I biked 40 minutes, ran 15, and walked 45. All in all a good exercise day. Lowkey and easy, to be sure, but pleasant.

Have a good evening, guys!
Natasha

[Leslie Ferguson]

Originally posted by aggie94
So it's finally sunk in that if I slow down my pace for my long runs, I can go for longer without feeling like I'm going to die. Yes, I know it sounds so common sensical. Yet up until yesterday, I'd been trying to keep the same pace for all my runs. DUH. I took it VERY slow yesterday and managed to get up to about 9 miles before I even started feeling tired. Now granted, I know at this pace the marathon will take me forever, but that's OK. It's just about finishing.

That's the key - going slow on your long runs. It isn't unheard of for people to recommend 1:30-2:00 slower per mile that you want to do your race at as the "right" pace for your long runs. I mean, in my case I run at between 8:40-9:00 miles (race pace for the marathon is 7:35). I'm running a little faster than 90 seconds slower but if I ran much slower I'd really mess up my stride and gait. But you've found the key -- long runs are about getting done, not about speed. There's plenty of time for speed in your workout on other days.

Susan - Thanks for the advice about the booties. I'll have to look at how to pull that off. It may be a challenge with my mountain bike and no toe clips. I think it's smart to not run in the ice (uh, oh, broken record).

My thoughts about the 'mill... I spend a lot of time watching either ESPN or one of the news channels when I'm slogging out the scheduled miles.

I was a good boy today - even though I really did pay for lifting a little heavy yesterday. I thought I was a good boy yesterday but... no such luck. Anyway, I did an hour of elliptical at lunch and felt great for it. My simple pleasure of the day was buying a space heater for my cubicle. I finally bit the bullet when I found out that there was a 7 degree gradient over the span of 10 feet in my cubicle. In fact one of the guys who works for me took a step into the cube and went "BRRR." Now I'm happy like a little kid - sitting in front of my heater and actually being able to work without wearing gloves. Tomorrow brings a visit to the doctor (probably to get referred to the orthopedic department) and some kind of early workout.

Howdy to all the rest of the gang - thanks for letting me give you all a little humor.

Until morning friends, be good to yourselves and keep warm.

Happy trails,
Les

[Natasha]

Good luck at the doctor today, Les!

And GOOD MORNING to all you fellow runfolk

Natasha

[SusanMac]

Aggie - that run sounds fun. I didn't know that IronGirl was sponsoring separate events now. Jealous of the cool finisher's shirt. The absolute last thing I need is yet another cotton race shirt.

It is so easy to get into a rythm of running all workouts at the same pace. Tough to force different paces, but it's really good for you & also helps keep things mixed up and less monotonous.

Speaking of monotonous....thanks for all the treadmill tips! I like the idea of changing around the pace or incline every few minutes. But, I absolutely hate the buttons on those suckers. Does anyone else have that problem besides me? The flat-panel displays are so hard. You have to push in just the right magic spot, which I find tough to do while you're running. I am obviously not at the same "princess" status level as Terri. Maybe I'll get there over the winter as it gets colder :-)

[seathyme]

Hi all,

Another affirmation for slower long runs here. Last winter when I first tried runs that got up into double digits, I decided not to worry at all about the pace. It was liberating! Then the exercise physiologist I saw at Canyon Ranch last June gave me heart rate targets for various kinds of runs, and the LSD (long slow distance) target was really low. As in walking up the hills kind of low. I've relaxed about that somewhat since, and don't stop to walk unless I'm drinking fluid, which I am way too klutzy to do while running. But it is a good feeling to know you can keep the pace very manageable and still be doing something good for your body.

Natasha, yes I did face the music and decide not to try for Boston this year -- after changing my mind no less than four times. It's the right thing for this sabbatical period -- I know that what my soul needs is unprogrammed time and space. I'm really craving an extended experience of waking up each day *deciding* what to do. And I have no doubt most days part of the answer will be RUN! But not follow a training program or worry about missed days, etc.

Speaking of liberation, after a couple of concessions to the treadmill due to ice and snow, today I went back outside and loved it!! Snow is still here, but the sidewalks were 90% clear, which was fine. And I'm loving wearing my snuggly long-sleeved winter running stuff -- it feels so good!

Sounds like everyone is doing well with workouts. Julie, glad you ran without pain! Eva, congrats on your longest run ever -- love that feeling. Les, hope we'll be hearing good things about healing for you too..... you're way overdue.

Hi to Natasha, Terri, Susan, Mary, Kathy, Thea, Rebecca, and anyone else out there.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey gang - hot off the presses. Talked with the doctor and got "kicked over" to the Podiatrist for another consultation. He said that there were ways to fix the pain, which I'm not a big fan of. He mentioned they may just inject my ankle with a steroid. Tha should take the pain away. Of course, I'm not sure I want to mask the pain - because pain is my buddy that tells me I've done something I shouldn't have. Now mind you, I'm not looking for surgery but if they're going to have to do something to my ankle that may lay me up for a while I'd certainly like to do it when I'm 42 and not 52 or 62. So it looks like I'm back in the system for further review. Not sure when the next appointment is but it will be soon I hope.

Congrats on wintery workouts. Hope you're all staying warm and safe.

Back to work now,
Les

[beckms]

Ugh. I am NOT motivated to exercise. All I want to do it eat everything in sight. School is totally dragging me down; we had a horrible test yesterday, and I'm gearing up for anoher horrible one Friday and then again on Tuesday...and then finals period two weeks after that! Aaahh!

On a good note, Saturday I ran my longest ever 7 miles! It was on the treadmill because it was still icy outside. But compared to the last long run I did on the treadmill (6 miles several weeks ago), this was so much better. I didn't feel like I was going to die, altough my knee started to ache at about 6 miles.

Then I took Sunday off to rest, and yesterday I had a massive, body-pounding, debilitating headache after my exam that I couldn't imagine bouncing around for any sort of run, so I took my dogs for a two-mile walk.

I promised BF I'd go to the gym today, so I'm going to try to get a two-mile warmup in outside with W before we go.

Sorry to be whiny. I feel school is this ever-present unbearable weight crashing down on me right now...BF is going through the same hellish exam schedule, so we are not a fun household right now.

Sigh.

[beckms]

Les, we were posting at the same time...

How frustrating for you. I know I keep saying this, but you and BF keep getting the exact same advice from doctors. Like you, BF doesn't want to just mask the pain, he'd like to get to the root of the problem. Keeping my fingers crossed that you don't need surgery, but if you do, that it fixes the problem!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Funny... those words came out of my mouth. "I'm not a big fan of having surgery but... if that's needed then now is better than later." I hope DBF is getting better or at least on the mend.

Happy trails,
Les

[ktg0930]

Les - Whenever you say you are going to the doctor, I keep hoping that you will come back with the final verdict on the cause of the pain! Of course, I'm sure this is what you are hoping too! I'm sorry there weren't a lot of answers this time.

Rebecca - Come here to whine whenever! It sounds like your school schedule is grueling right now. And yay! on your longest run ever.

Seathyme - I hope you are having warmer weather this week like we are. I haven't been out in the mornings so far, but am planning to run tomorrow am. It's supposed to be in the low 40s/high 30s.

Hi Natasha, Julie, Susan, Eva, Terri, Bethany (still on jury duty?), Thea, and Mary and anyone else out there.

Kathy