last day of 2008

We're closing early today at work (3 p.m.), so I'll hit the gym for a good run. I'm planning on 4-5 miles, but if feeling good, might as well keep going. Gym closes at 6 for New Year's Eve, so have plenty of time available to me.

Then home to clean up and over to DBF's for a low key evening - videos, pizza/salad, and a good bottle of wine.

I'm volunteering at a local 5k tomorrow (forecast for friggin' freezing, so I'm glad I'm not running LOL)!

First things first, I'm starving and can't wait for lunchtime (12:01 p.m.). :-)

I went to the gym last night for what was supposed to be 4 miles, but ran out of time around the 3.25 mile mark. Not to worry, it was a run and for now, it's okay if I come up a little short in the mileage department. The main thing is to actually get there consistently during the week and get a mid-length long run on the weekend.

Tonight, I'm planning on 4-5 miles, treadmill at the gym.

By the way, the New Year's resolution folks have already invaded the gym and are crowding my treadmills. Now, I'm not going to complain and wish that they would just disappear, because I've been one of those folks before, trying to get back on track with my fitness and health, and indeed, that's my plan for 2009. So more power to them. But I still want them out of my way. ;-)

time flies!

Time flies when it's the holiday season! I can't believe 2008 is almost over and that 2009 is almost here. Holy smokes... So, time to look back and time to look ahead.

Looking back, I didn't meet very many of my running goals for the year (the usuals being to run consistently, to PR in all distances, etc.). I lost traction in my goal to run consistently back around July, and never really got back on track. Forget the fact that I was in the middle of marathon training season, I just couldn't get interested in running. As for PRing in all distances, well, I only raced three times last year: a 5k on New Years day (run with 6 inches of fresh snow on the course, so no PR there), the Manhattan Half in late January (a PR by 11 minutes, woohoo), and my NYC Marathon (which was a personal worst due to stomach issues). So, I'm happy to leave 2008 behind from a running perspective.

Looking ahead to 2009, well, I think my main goal is to get consistent again, with a minimum of 4 runs per week. I have a 15k in March, and a half in June. After those, we'll see how things look with regards to doing a fall marathon.

So, repeat after me: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!!

Oh, and while I'm at it, I plan to take off the extra pounds I put on in 2008 while being inconsistent with my running. :-)

I spoke too soon

It started snowing, heavily, this afternoon right around 2 p.m. Watching it pile up quickly, I was thinking our boss might send us home early but no such luck.

So, I leave work at 5 p.m. on the dot. And it takes me 65 minutes to cover the 5.0 miles between work and home. Roads were absolutely AWFUL. Too much snow falling too close to rush hour, no time for the plows to clear the roads, and even if they had, they couldn't have kept up with the snow fall.

That's my long-winded way of saying I blew off the gym. There was no way I was driving any further than my house tonight.

getting caught up

I feel like I'm starting to get back on track with my running, at least with the motivation and consistency of it. Certainly not on the fitness end of things (I'm unfit and slow as molasses at the moment), but those improvements will come with time.

This week so far:
M: srd
Tu: 5
W: 5
Th: 3

Normally I'd take SRD today, but I'm in a 4/5/6 running challenge, where I have to run minimum of 4 days a week, minimum of 5 miles/run, for 6 weeks straight. And this week since I only have 2 5-milers so far, and the challenge week ends on Saturday, well, I have to do 5 today and 5 tomorrow.

On an unrelated note, it just started snowing again. We're due for 6" or so tonight.

Another unrelated note, I have to buy my Christmas tree tomorrow, decorate it, do all my Christmas cards, and shop for my DBF's present and my Mom's present. Yowza.

Not much to say for myself running-wise. Did a 3-miler on WEdnesday, skipped last night, and have a work event tonight. Back at it tomorrow with something in the 1:30-2:00 hour range. I need to start getting some endurance again.

More importantly, please think some positive thoughts for Cody, the little boy in whose honor I ran my marathon. He's not feeling great and his mom is taking him in for tests today.

Looking ahead a bit

Given the small population up here in the North Country, it's difficult to find enough races to fill my race calendar, and it's sometimes necessary to travel to other parts of the state for races. I've been keeping my eye on a race called the Covered Bridges Half-Marathon down in Woodstock, in June. It's hugely popular, and last year, the registration cap was reached in 82 minutes. Yes, you read that right, 82 minutes.

So, with registration opening up this morning at 9 a.m., I had a reminder on my Outlook calendar at work. I jumped on a few minutes early with no luck, so went to my 9 a.m. meeting, When the meeting was out at 9:45 or so, hopped right back on my computer, got the "this site is busy" message a few more times, kept refreshing, and finally got through and got registered.

Sheesh, it's almost as tough as getting Red Sox tickets. :-)

So, my first race of 2009 is on the calendar!

Let's see, where were we??? :-)

My knee seems to be back to normal now, thankfully. Yesterday, I hit the gym for a mixed bag of cardio:

4 x 10 minutes on elliptical, then arc trainer, then back to elliptical, then the rowing machine.

Can I just say that the rowing machine kicked my butt? Partly because I was 5 minutes into my 10-minute interval before I realized I was on the highest resistance setting, and partly because I just don't have any upper body strength. Clearly I need to remedy that!! LOL.

Today, went for a walk along the river w/ DBF after brekkie. BRRR! Then I went home and did some house stuff. Also fit a nap into my afternoon.

Tomorrow, back to the gym after work for a run, 5 miles or so.

You know, I really have no idea what's going on. I've been having pain and instability with my right knee since Sunday. No apparent reason whatsoever. No fall, no twist, no nothing. It *is* my knee with the ACL reconstruction, and occasionally it acts up. But that doesn't make it any less annoying.

I'm finally feeling good and motivated about running again, and now I'm taking USRDs for the knee issue. Very annoying.

Anyways, I'm going to the gym tonight, and will do cardio of some sort.

yesterday/today

I did 6.25 miles last night, TM at the gym, and 100 crunches. Then out w/ DBF for Thai food.

Today, SRD although will try to fit in a walk at some point. Right now, I'm heading over to Mom's to help her put together some veggie/dip and chip/dip trays. Then we're going w/ my sis and her family to her inlaw's Thanksgiving gathering.

Back at it tomorrow with 5 or 6 miles.

Happy Thanksgiving!

p.s. I know I've said 100 times that I'm sticking with half-marathons for a while, but I'll admit here that I'm considering running Chicago 2009. I'll see how my running is going in Feb/March timeframe when Chicago registration opens up, and make a decision then. In the meantime, I have a *cancellable* hotel reservation for Chicago marathon weekend - $206/night, which is GREAT!! - and if I decide not to run, well, I can cancel it.

5 months from today

I looked at the calendar this morning and realized that my brother's wedding is 5 months from today. I'm taking this as my wake-up call to get back on track with eating properly, and getting and staying consistent with my running, or really, exercise of any sort. :-)

I have 5 miles on tap tonight at the gym.

This week

Start of a new week, and I'm now 2 weeks past my NYC Marathon. So, feeling recovered for the most part!

I did 6 miles on Saturday, treadmill, followed by 100 crunches and 2x10 pushups.

This week, I'm planning on:
Monday: 5 miles
Tuesday: 6 miles
Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday: SRD (and it's my yearly condo association meeting)

Then between Friday, Saturday and Sunday, will get in a 4-miler and a long run (8 miles). It'll depend on the weather - if we have a nice day on the weekend, I'd rather be out hiking, so will move the run to the other day.

yesterday/today

I got in 40 minutes on the treadmill at the gym last night. 3.4 miles - sheesh, I'm slow again.

My goals for the next few months are:
* consistency with my running - which should help with
* my overall fitness - which should help with
* gaining my speed back again.

I was planning on 5-6 miles tonight, but turns out I have a work event tonight (rolling my eyes here), so will have to take today as USRD.

Back at it tomorrow with that same 5-6 miles.

Sometimes I really need to sit back and think before making a decision... Last month, when the stock market was tanking (and of course, it still is), I quit my gym membership to save the $52/month. Reason being I can go to the fitness center at the college I work at for free, and that paying for the convenience of a gym near my house is just wasteful.

Well, I suppose it is wasteful, but I know myself well enough to know that if it ain't convenient, I ain't going.

So I've rejoined my gym as of today. The sales staff there must think I'm a nut. But at least I'll be a healthy nut. :-)

Back at it tonight with 4 miles, or however much I can fit in before going over to my BFs for a night out.

I ended up with no run yesterday.

DBF and I were going to hike instead, so I skipped the run, then by the time we got to the trailhead, it was pouring rain (rolling eyes here). So, on we drove, down to Barre where the granite quarries are, hoping they might have tours going - but closed for the winter now (rolling eyes here). So, on we drove, down to the Waitsfield area, hoping to drive over Lincoln Gap and take some pix (the sky has cleared now) but the Gap is also now closed for the winter (rolling eyes here). So all in all, lots of driving for no apparent reason - but some nice countryside and scenery. :-)

Finally, we ended up going bowling. My best game was 91. Yes, I'm awful at it, but it's still a hoot! DBF was in the 120s for all 3 games.

So, today, running after work at the gym. This'll be my first post-marathon run, so I'm interested to see what my legs will feel like.

My NYC Marathon race report...

AKA The worst day at the NYC Marathon is still pretty darn great...

After an okay night sleep, up for brekkie of bagel and cream cheese and a luna bar. Felt nervous but great. Get to the start around 7:30, meet up with my friend Cindy. We are so bundled up from the cold that we're unrecognizable (I'll post pix when I'm home - it's hysterical). We also find my friend Joe. And out of 40000 people, I see John, one of my RWOL forum buddies. SMALL WORLD. :-)

Line up for the wave 3 start, gun goes off at 10:20, and I'm over the start by about 10:30. Beautiful run over the bridge, and I see some friends around mile 4. I take my first pack of sport beans around this time.

By about mile 5, I'm starting to have stomach upset. By about mile 6, I'm about to puke, so I drop it to a walk and my stomach calms down. So I start to run again, my stomach revolts again, and I drop it to a walk. I'm able to do the running/walking for a while, but finally give it up around mile 8 and stick with walking. So, I accept that I'm on a walking tour of NYC and walk through the rest of Brooklyn, walk through Queens.

I arrive at the 59th Street Bridge and start powering up the hill. As we arrive at the top of the bridge, I'm behind an Achilles runner wearing a t-shirt that he's a heart transplant recipient. He turns around right then, and tells those of us walking near him that his guide is the brother of his heart donor. I promptly burst into tears and blurt out something to the effect of "that is the most beautiful thing I've heard all day." Gosh, I was a blubbering mess, but it really put the day in perspective for me. The NYC Marathon may be a competitive physical event for some people, but it's also the most amazing exhibit of personal spirit that you'll ever find.

So, I carry on. Down the bridge, into Manhattan. I run by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, for whom I was fundraising - give high-fives to the patients, docs and nurses who come down to cheer on the Fred's Team runners (and walkers, in my case). See friends at 74th, and then on to 92nd/1st where my DBF and sis and friends are waiting. Hugs, kisses, and on my way.

Up to the Bronx, back to Manhattan. By about mile 23, I'm exhausted and also starving, but still nauseous beyond words. I haven't been able to stomach anything but water all day, and have been taking salt packets to keep my salt okay.

But my DBF, Sis and friends are waiting for me at 92nd and 5th, so I keep trucking on. Into Central Park, past mile 24, past mile 25, onto Central Park South, back into Central Park at Columbus Circle, then finally the finish line.

Anyways, that's it - a long day, actually my personal WORST. I'm guessing I lost about 20 minutes to the portolets, which is always a fun time (rolling my eyes here), but it really doesn't matter.

I had a great day, covered 26.2 miles on foot, talked to folks from all over the world, high-fived kids in every neighborhood along the course, and had a truly amazing moment with the Achilles athlete.

I'm in New Orleans now with Sis#1, and we're doing Habitat for Humanity this week. The benefit to this is that I get so sore from the hard labor LOL that I lose focus on how my legs feel!

Can't believe it's almost here - 2 days 22h 09m 14s to go!

Wow, so the marathon is just a few days away, and also just a few days from being over. :-)

Deposits = Returns. No deposits = No returns. And I didn't make many deposits this training season. I just want to get this over with. I'm disappointed in myself already and will cross the finish line feeling the same way.

When I'm mentally ready to do the hard work again, I'll think about another marathon. Until then, running for the sake of running. Working up a sweat. Getting the legs moving. My overall health. Being able to eat without worry. The cameraderie of races. and of course, the free t-shirt with race. :-)

Nice sunrise this a.m. and brrrr, it's cold out there! 24F at the moment. Mount Mansfield is now white on top, as is Camel's Hump (Camel's Hump is the mountain pictured on the VT state quarter, fyi ).

My right calf is still killing me, so I'm still stretching, still using the stick, etc. I'm going to try one of those icy/hot patches today to see if that helps. I tried running last night with no luck, so ended up on the exercise bike at the gym just to get some cardio. Anyways, I'll try running again at lunch today.

I had the funniest dream last night. DBF bought a house on my Mom's street without realizing. Within 2 days of his closing date, she put him to work on her yard like nobody's business. By coincidence, the same day, the Vermont City Marathon also finished in my Mom's backyard. but I could see the NYC skyline at the back of the yard. The mind works in very strange ways...

hmmmmph.

My right calf was tight all day yesterday, and by the time I left work, it was bad enough that I was limping. It also cramped up most of the night. No idea what's going on there, but I've been using the Stick and will get out for a walk at lunch to see if I can loosen things up. If so, will run tonight.

This is the LAST thing I need right now, with NYC just over a week away.

Heaven knows my training has been crappy. And I was planning to get another quality run in this weekend (12-15 miles) for a bit more confidence.

Busy busy weekend! The forecast was best for Saturday and Sunday, and not quite as nice for Monday (which I also had off, thanks to my paesano Christopher Columbus). So, we went hiking on Saturday and Sunday.

Although I can run until the cows come home, I was sucking wind within about 5 minutes of starting - from the incline. I should run more hills, apparently. :-)

Did 15 miles yesterday. SRD today.

By the way, I'm offering up a huge thanks to the finance gods that the MS/Mitsubishi deal got done and that MS has a new infusion of capital. Otherwise, I'd be crying in my (insert beverage of choice here).

Now that they've got a bit of stability, I'm going to move the shares of out the ESOP plan administrator and into a brokerage account where I can sell a little at a time and DIVERSIFY my retirement.

The stupid stock market is giving me agita

Good grief, I'm going to have a coronary soon. The stock market is out of control. It's completely irrational and completely driven by fear, nothing to do with fundementals of individual stocks.

The overall economic picture, lack of liquidity, etc. is CRUSHING stocks that are perfectly profitable.

I'm going to be working until I'm 90 at this rate. Way too much of my retirement savings is in financial services stocks, a result of working 10 years on Wall Street. Yes, I know I should have diversified, stupid me, but I have/had great faith in the business models and more importantly, the leadership of the stocks I own.

Anyways, enough of my non-running-related (NRR) rantings. Only running thing to say for myself is that I have 5 miles on tap for tonight.

yesterday/today

So, I got in a 40 minute progression run last night, from "super duper slow" progressing to "still pretty darn slow." It's a little discouraging, where I am right now with regards to speed, compared to where I was in the spring. Guess I shouldn't be surprised, given the lack of consistency in my training this summer/fall. Oh well, it'll come back with some work, no doubt there...

Tonight, I have 6 miles on tap, maybe 7. TM at the gym of course. It's now getting dark early enough that I can only fit in 3-4 miles outside before it's dark out. So, gym it is.

Oh, speaking of the gym, I quit the gym near my house. I love the convenience of it, but I have free access to the fitness center at work, and also a free membership to an older gym that's near my office. Given the state of the economy (and of my retirement plan), it's best if I save that $50/month. I'm paid up through 31 October, so that gets me through marathon season. After that, I'll figure it out and also maybe work in some classes and some resistance training, something I haven't had time for with the running.

I was awake from midnight until well after 4 a.m. last night. Very annoying, I must say, but I made a HUGE dent in the book I'm reading at the moment. :-)

I'll be stopping by Dunkin Donuts on my way to work for the Big One, or whatever they call the x-large coffee. and of course, a cinnamon-swirly coffee roll thingamajig.

Anyways, I have 5 miles on tap tonight. Then out with the BF.

change of plans

I've decided to cancel my trip to NYC this coming weekend (was going down to do the Staten Island Half).

I'm sick with either head+chest cold or a whopping case of allergies, but it's really kicking my pants. Work is crazy right now. And lastly, I just got back from a trip (Austin, TX), and don't feel like travelling again so soon.

It's a 3-day weekend due to Columbus Day, and it'll be nice to just stay put, enjoy a little downtime, and get my run in. This will also give me a little more flexibility to go longer than the half-marathon distance I was going to race on Sunday. And heaven knows, at this point in my training, I need to go longer. (rolling my eyes at myself here).

ok, here's the plan

So, my training has NOT been what it should have been. I've been on the road way too much this summer and fall, and worked way too many weekends. Too much time away, and not enough time running. As well, I have had a mental block this whole training season, and now, 4 weeks out from my marathon, I still haven't gone further than 15 miles.

So, here's the plan for the next 4 weeks including today:
today: 15 miles
this coming week: rest/5/7/5/5/rest/half-marathon race
week after that: rest/5/7/5/5/rest/18
week after that: rest/5/7/5/5/rest/15
week after that: rest/5/3/5/3 rest/marathon

In other words, little to no taper, because frankly I haven't been taxing my body enough to need one. I'm going to have to count on good general cardio fitness, and only moderate long runs/endurance to get me through the race.

So, 4 weeks from today, the torture will be over, and I can go back to actually enjoying my runs. Basic 5/7/5/10-14 long run, 4 days a week, no schedule and no pressure. Just the joy of running again.

I won't be doing another marathon anytime soon, if ever again, after this one. It really just gets in the way of my running, however counterintuitive that may sound.

Austin City Limits Festival, day 3

Sunday, last day of the festival. At this point, I'm pretty beat... I did manage to drag my bumm down to the hotel gym and get in a 5-miler.

So, day 3, here's who I saw:
Nakia & His Southern Cousins
Mike Farris featuring the Roseland Rhythm Revue
Xavier Rudd - (rolling my eyes at this one)
Joe Bonamassa
Okkervil River
White Denim
Band of Horses
Foo Fighters

Best of the day goes to Mike Farris - fantastic set, fantastic voice, really tight back-up band. I only heard the last 2-3 songs from Nakia & southern cousins, but what I heard was GREAT - I'll definitely be picking up this album. and Okkervil River was really great as well. Band of Horses - I like them more now that I've heard them live. And Foo Fighters sounded great, but it was a complete mob scene near that stage, so we left after 4 or 5 songs. I'll regret that, I'm sure...

Xavier Rudd - well, folks jammed that tent so tight I was expecting something amazing. Frankly, though, it was musical wanking. I left after 2 songs - just nothing there at all that interested me. So I went to Joe Bonamassa instead and he was good.

Austin City Limits Festival, day 2

Day 2, hot as h*ll. But hey, it's Texas and I don't mind. :-)

So, we saw:
Old 97's
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears
Robert Earl Keen
Spiritualized
Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band
The Black Keys
Iron & Wine (just a song or 2 - way too mellow)

Best of the day - Old 97s, absolutely.... Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings were also great. Interesting note - she used to be in music back in the 70s, but left the business, and while away from singing, she used to be a corrections officer at Rikers Island, and there were moments when looking at her face, you KNOW she didn't take any crap from anyone. :-)

After Festival, we went to dinner at El Sol y La Luna. Yes, same place I went to brekkie on Friday. Also same place I went for late lunch/early dinner on Thursday when I flew into town. Food is great, and they serve a nice cold Shiner Bock.

Austin City Limits Festival, day 1

OK, I'm digressing from running to music for a few posts....

I just got back home from a long weekend in Austin, TX, where I was fortunate enough to enjoy 3 rockin' days of great music, great food, and great weather.

Here's who I saw on day one:
Dan Dyer
Rodney Crowell
What Made Milwaukee Famous
Vampire Weekend
Jakob Dylan and the Gold Mountain Rebels
Jamie Lidell
Bobby Bare, Jr.
Hot Chip
Ryan Bingham
David Byrne
Antibalas

Best of the day, by far, was Rodney Crowell. Houston-born singer-songwriter, played some great songs, new album out called Sex & Gasoline. I also really liked What Made Milwaukee Famous, Jakob Dylan, Bobby Bare Jr., and David Byrne also sounded great, the few songs of his I heard.

Also started the day off right with a great brekkie at my favorite mexican restaurant, El Sol Y La Luna, with 2 of my Dad's cousins. It was wonderful to see them.

I went to the gym last night and did 3 easy miles to get my legs loose. It's amazing how sometimes a 3-mile run is harder than a 10 or 15 mile run.

Anyways, back at it tonight. I'll figure out the distance when I get to the gym.

I head to Austin, TX tomorrow morning for the Austin City Limits Festival, 3 days of music and sun in Zilker Park in Austin. I will do some running when I'm down there, but probably treadmill, just to keep things simple. It's going to be smokin' hot (90-95) and sunny the whole time I'm there. Back on Monday. I should have computer access, just not a ton.

Time for coffee!

Well, I don't really have much to say for myself lately.

I'm running, but probably not as much as I should be, and I'm hating every step of it. I'm dreading the marathon, and know it's going to be a long hard slog - mostly because I'm not training well. Sort of a vicious circle, huh? I could use a kick in the pants! The only thing keeping me going is that I'm running with Fred's Team, and have folks counting on me.

I have 5 miles on tap for tonight.

Gosh, it's pouring out!

Rain of biblical proportions coming down right now, and tons of ugly thunder and lightning too. The sky is already getting a bit lighter, though, so I expect that the t&l will move out quickly. We've had so many sunny dry days recently that I suspect we could use the rain, so no worries...

I was away the bulk of last week on a road trip with the BF. Saratoga Springs, then onto Hudson, NY, then on to NYC for the weekend, including the men's semi-finals at the US Open on Saturday afternoon. Saw the Federer vs. Djokovic match in its entirety, and saw the portion of the Nadal vs. Murray match they were able to play before the rain came (remnants of TS Hanna).

Back now for a few weeks, which is good because my running suffers when I travel. I got in 2 short runs while away, but no long run. Which I'm doing tonight on the treadmill at the gym. I don't mind the treadmill at all, but doing my long run on a Tuesday for the previous weekend pushes next weekend's long run to Sunday or Monday. Oh well, I'll figure it out as usual.

I've been MIA this week. DBF was in the hospital and I was pretty preoccupied with that. He got discharged yesterday, and boy, was he happy to get the heck out of there! :-)

I did 13 miles yesterday (s/h/b/ 14, but I ran out of gas), so SRD today. It's gorgeous out, so will get out for a walk on the lakefront with DBF to keep the legs loose.

Then I'm meeting my Sis and her family at the Fair (it closes today, so must get my last helping of Fair food and rides LOL).

Back at it tomorrow with an easy 5 miles.

Can I also say that I finally feel mentally back in the game? I've been dreading EVERY run lately, and it's nice to have turned the corner from that. good thing, since my marathon is 9 weeks from yesterday.

I had the cruddiest night's sleep last night. Fell asleep on the couch around 9, I think, woke up at 11, and was awake until about 3 a.m. Harrumph. Coffee will be my best friend today. Tons of upheaval at work and it's stressing me out.

Have also decided that I'm sticking to halfs after NYC this year. Yes, I know I've said that before, i.e. during EVERY marathon training season, BUT THIS TIME I REALLY MEAN IT! :-) I just find the training for a full so torturous that it really drags me down.

Or maybe I'm just in a sh*tty mood. Which would probably be helped by a run. There's logic in there somewhere??

I was in Boston for the weekend (Sox game work event - not a bad gig LOL), and didn't get back in time yesterday to do my long run, so will be doing it tonight on the treadmill.

I've reworked my schedule a bit because I've missed enough runs over the last few weeks that it would have been "too much too fast" if I stuck with it as it was. So now, I'll get to marathon Sunday with 2 15-milers, 2 18-milers, and 2 20-milers (I'm taking out 1 of the 3 originally planned 20s).

Also, there's a 3-week DRASTIC taper at the end of my program, with the schedule going from 20-miler 3 weeks out, down to 10, down to 4, then marathon. I'm going to tinker with that a bit - probably follow the 20-miler with a 15-miler two weeks out, then 8 or so a week before the race. I need to think about that a bit and look at my plans from previous years.

ick.

I did 6 TM miles at the gym after work.

I was thinking the entire time that the 1/2 a pulled pork sandwich I had for lunch wasn't a great idea. Sure enough, I got home from the gym and almost puked. TWICE. Is that too much information? Anyways, I had to cancel plans w/ the BF and now I'm just going to take some Pepto Bismol, lay down on the couch, and hope for the best.

6 easy tonight

It's raining, YET AGAIN, so I'll be at the gym on the TM tonight, doing 6 easy miles.

I'm one of those strange folks who don't mind the treadmill, and indeed, sometimes I prefer it. Obviously I need to do outside miles, for hills, getting my legs used to the pounding on pavement, etc., but there's something to be said for access to bathrooms, unlimited water that I don't have to carry, and being able to watch the Red Sox game while running. :-)

Our 10-day forecast = rain, rain and more rain. I'm just glad I live on high ground!

repeating a week?

I think I'm going to repeat last week's training schedule. No reason except I missed 2 of my 4 runs.

My job really seems to be getting in the way of my running lately. ;-) Seriously though, I'm happy to work however many hours you'd like, Monday to Friday, but I'm really starting to resent having to work weekend days due to events. By the time summer is over, I'll have worked 8 weekend days. That's a full 1/3 of my summer weekends that were taken by my job - and since not all the weekend days fell as a Saturday+Sunday pair, it's actually more like 6 weekends out of 12 that were disrupted, not 4 weekend. Harrumph...

Okay, I'll stop my whining now, I promise.

Can't wait to run tonight - the sky finally cleared, and it's blue sky and dry out.

10 yesterday, SRD today.

Got in my 10-miler yesterday afternoon (treadmill, no shame in that). 10 was a nice surprise, as I had been remembering my schedule to have a 12-miler.

Anyways, SRD today, then 4 miles tomorrow.

99 days until the NYC Marathon!

Guess I need to catch up here.

I was having a bit of a mental slump earlier this week. There are days where I really just don't like to run, and getting out the door is impossible. But I got a few words of wisdom from the MASTERS on the RWOL forums :-) and got back on track.

Did 4 easy Wednesday, 6 easy last night, and will do 4 easy tonight. It's a gorgeous day out, so will run outside as opposed to the treadmill like my last few runs.

SRD tomorrow, then 10 on Sunday.

10-miler tonight

I was scheduled for a 10-mile long run yesterday, but my stomach had other ideas in mind for me. Apparently, it did't like something I ate on Saturday, and as a result, I stuck pretty close to home yesterday. Except for a trip to the grocery store for milk.

Anyways, I'm doing yesterday's run tonight, and will shuffle this week's schedule forward a day. This seems to happen a lot...

I got in a little over 5 miles at the gym last night on the treadmill. It was in the midst of a huge thunder/lightning/pouring rain storm, so was happy to be inside. Funny, though, is that when the power went out for a second or two, I went plowing into the front console of my treadmill. Power came back on and the display was still at the right distance and timing, so I kept on going.

SRD today, back at it tomorrow with 10 miles. I'm scheduled for an 8-mile race up in Stowe, but frankly would rather skip the race and just do my long run locally without travelling for it. We'll see what my sister says, since she's also registered for the race. Maybe if I reimburse her the race fee (since the race was my idea)...

So, my goal this fall is to go sub-5:00 in my marathon. I just can't run another slow race. Anyways, with that in mind, I just plugged my half-marathon PR into the MacMillan Running Calculator, and that 2:28:53 half indicates a 5:14 full marathon.

Good grief.

So, extrapolating backwards, I plugged half times into the calculator until it gave me a sub-5:00 marathon. You know what I need? A half run in 2:20 (10:46/mile pace).

That means almost 9 minutes off my half PR, and a 10:46 pace which I've never even run in a 5k, so heaven knows how I can run that for a half-marathon.

Deep breath...

Unrelated topic - I finally found a use for the 2 pair of Asics running shoes that I can't run in. My local running specialty store collects sneaks for "Soles for Souls," a non-profit that sends running shoes to Africa for those who can't afford them. I'm glad they'll get a good home. And lesson learned that Asics just aren't my brand. I'll stick with my Sauconys going forward.

I got in a 4 miler last night, as scheduled. I did first 2 miles at 5.0-5.1 mph (slow, I know), mile 3 at 5.3 mph (slow, I know), and mile 4 at 6.0 mph (might be slow to some, but that's an effort for me LOL). Good grief, I really need to work on my speed.

Back at it tonight w/ 6 easy miles. My easy pace needs to come in around 5.3-5.4 mph if I'm to have any chance at a sub-5:00 marathon in November.

back at it...

again.

After last week's trip to KC, and then to Boston on the weekend, I was happy to be back home on Sunday night and sleep in my own bed. Last night I ended up dog-sitting for my sister while she's travelling for business, so I stayed at her house last night, but didn't get my run in.

So, I'm shifting my schedule this week a day forward. So tonight is 4 miles, tomorrow is 6 miles, 4 on Friday, SRD on Saturday, then 10 on Sunday.

Well, actually, I have an 8-mile RACE on Sunday, so will tack on an extra 2 miles after the finish. I'm starting the race w/ my sister (different one than the traveller), but she's not trained up for that distance, so she's planning to walk part of it. I think that might give me some time at the finish waiting for her, so I'll just keep running.

I'll probably also break out my new Garmin 405 for the event! :-) I haven't even charged the battery yet and have no idea how to work it. I'm on the verge of buying a new computer soon, though, so just need to see that I don't have any software that needs to be loaded onto my computer. If there is, then I'll have to wait to use it until the new computer arrives.

anyways, now I'm rambling so will stop now.

back in town - for the moment...

I got home from Kansas City last night at 12:30 (so technically this a.m.). Severe thunderstorms in Chicago, not to mention their radar system was out, delayed our flight by 3+ hours. No worries, I have the largest Dunkin Donuts coffee known to man at hand, and that'll get me going...

Here's my recap of Kansas City:
* Beautiful city (we were in the Country Club Plaza area of town - beautiful architecture, lovely sculpture and fountains), and
* Great BBQ: baby back ribs at Jack Stack's on Monday night, Gates BBQ on Tuesday at the Royals game (brisket on a bun), Gates BBQ on Wednesday night at a BBQ and Blues party at the American Jazz Museum (brisket and ham), and a pulled pork sandwich with spicy slaw at lunch yesterday before heading to the airport.

Tuesday a.m., I hit the treadmill at the hotel fitness center, and I was sweating smoke from my BBQ the night before. :-)

Back at it tonight w/ 5 easy miles.

Tomorrow a.m., I head to Boston to host 60 alumni at the Red Sox game, back to VT on Sunday a.m., so I'll run again on Sunday.

PHEW!

yesterday/today

Was schedule for 8 miles yesterday. Got to about 6 and started having some pain in my right piriformis - kept going, but it started affecting my gait, so I dropped it down to a walk, and stopped at 6.5 miles.

Today, I'm scheduled for 3, so will add the 1.5 left over from yesterday, and do 4.5 miles.

I'm off to Kansas City for a work conference tomorrow a.m., travelling home on Thursday. Will get my runs in at the hotel fitness center.

This week's runs

Did 3 miles last night, per my schedule. That seems low to me, and hardly worth getting sweaty for, but it's on the schedule so I did it.

Back at it tonight w/ 4 or 5 (schedule says 4 miles).

Pre-marathon season, I was running 5s and 6s as my midweek runs, and it doesn't make much sense to me to back it down to 3s and 4s. I might take my own mid-week schedule and then couple it with the long run progression from one of the plans I like (Glover or Higdon).

Phew, it's over!

I am SOOOOO glad this week is over.

We've been in prep for a 2-day event at work, and I worked 83 hours this week. No time for running, no time for anything at all.

So the event is over now, and here's where I am at the moment:

* At my desk checking email and my running forum (RWOL)
* Huge glass of sauvignon blanc in hand
* Bought myself a birthday present of a GARMIN 405 at Eastern Mountain Sports on my way home from the event this afternoon.
* and I'm officially as old as dirt today... :-)

Need to get myself cleaned up and over to the BF's soon. He's taking me out tonight for my bday.

today

I have a haircut scheduled for 6 p.m., then will hit the gym for a 6-miler.

My Camel's Hump hike for this weekend is a no-go - we're scheduled for rain/thunder and lightning the rest of this week AND the weekend. That at least helps with making sure I get my runs in...

SRD

I have an SRD today (scheduled rest day) - I shuffled the schedule around due to a work event that I have tonight.

Back at it tomorrow with 6 easy miles, 6 again on Thursday, SRD on Friday (it's my BF's birthday), then 9 and 6 on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Plus the BF and I are planning to hike Camel's Hump one day this weekend (about a 6-hour hike roundtrip). And my nieces have a soccer tourney all day BOTH days that I need to go to. Not sure how to fit it all in...

Got in an 8-miler yesterday afternoon (treadmill, I'm not ashamed to say).

My legs felt like they could have kept going, which is reassuring considering that's the longest I've run since my half in late January. I've been doing 5s, 6s, 7s since then, nothing longer. That didn't exactly set me up with a great training base for marathon season, but it'll have to do.

Took today off, back at it tomorrow w/ 6 easy miles.

SRD today

It's going to be hazy, hot (90F) and humid again today, with chance of severe thunderstorms and possible hail. oy. Anyways, I have SRD today, so won't need to venture out on a run in that mess.

I'm home waiting for the delivery guys to come with my new washer and dryer! YAY, I'll be able to do a real-size load of laundry. I'm going from a 1.5 cubic foot washing machine up to a Whirlpool 3.7 cubic foot front-loader. Amazing that it's Energy Star rated, and will use HALF the water for a washer that's over twice as big!!

today

Having some cereal for brekkie (raisin bran w/ 1% milk, in case you're curious LOL), and will head out for 8 miles around 9 a.m. or so.

Then my BF and I are going hiking. I'm letting him pick the hike, with my only request that it's easy. We're supposed to get into low 90s again today, so being up in the mountains sounds pretty good.

The heat is on
The heat is o-on...

(said in my best Glenn Frey of the Eagles voice - I think that's who sings that song?)

OK, as of yesterday, I'm officially in the 2008 NYC Marathon. One would think that would light a fire under my butt and get me out the door running a bit more consistently?

I just CAN'T run another crappy marathon this fall - I was well trained last year for Chicago and the fates intervened with a 90F/high-humidity/sunny-no-shade-to-be-found day. So I'm gonna put in the work, and I damn well better come up with a good result this year... grrrrrr. :-)

I only got in 4 miles yesterday, the day just got away from me.

Today is SRD, back at it tomorrow with 6 miles. And then 6 again on Wednesday.

5 easy miles today

OK, did 5 easy miles on the treadmill at the gym today. No special reason I didn't run outside, just happened to be passing the gym, so pulled in.

Back at it tomorrow w/ a 7-miler. I'm in a June mileage challenge, so rather than do 6 today and 6 tomorrow for 12 total this weekend, thought I'd go 5 today and then 7 tomorrow when we're into June. :-)

yikes!

OK, although the results aren't really supposed to be posted until Monday 2 June...

Looks like the NYRR is already posting lottery results for the Nike NYC Half-Marathon. And my sis and I both got in!! YAAAAAAY! I'll wait until Monday when results are really supposed to be up, and then will book my flight down to the city for it.

Running has been low priority lately due to bathroom renovation, but that's almost over now, so back at it full force!

Tonight I have 6 easy. Of course, I haven't been running much, so I don't really think a 6-miler's gonna be easy at all. :-)

some sobering facts

You may or may not have gleaned from my posts that I run marathons with Fred's Team, raising funds for cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Fred's Team focuses their efforts on the Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research. Here are some sobering facts about pediatric cancers:

The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) federal budget was $4.6 billion. Of that, breast cancer received 12%, prostate cancer received 7%, and all 12 major groups of pediatric cancers combined received less than 3% .

Cancer accounts for the greatest number of disease deaths of children in the United States and kills more children per year than cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, asthma and AIDS combined.

Each child in the U.S. diagnosed with cancer receives approximately one-sixth of the federal research support allocated to each patient afflicted with AIDS. Yet in 2004, 48 new cases of pediatric AIDS were diagnosed vs. more than 12,000 pediatric cancer cases.

Each school day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer.

Although the 5 year survival rate is steadily increasing, one quarter of children will die 5 years from the time of diagnosis.

Please keep these facts in mind - it's a lot to think about, but there are a lot of families bearing a terrible burden due to this awful disease.

Also, please consider making a donation to fund Neuroblastoma research at MSKCC by supporting my run in the 2008 NYC Marathon. My fundraising page on MSKCC's website is: https://fredsteam.mskcc.org/fundraising/Controller?action=userHome&user_id=26&event_id=113

Thanks so much!
Elizabeth

not exactly on schedule

So, I missed a few runs this week (no surprise there).

Back at it tonight w/ 6 miles. 6 again tomorrow, and 5 on Sunday. That's lame. Not much more to say than that...

5 miles for tonight

I have 5 miles on tap tonight.

Whether it's on treadmill or outside is dependant on my motivation level at the end of the day. I have a habit of going home and then never making it back out the door for my run, so sometimes it's just best for me to head straight to the gym on my way home from work.

Gosh, if someone could invent an auto-pilot button on cars to drive people right to their gym, that'd be great. Or other option would be a "kick-in-the-pants" machine to help me get my butt out the door to go running. Either way... :-)

Sheesh...

This time last year, I was pleased to be at a weight where I felt really fit, healthy, and comfortable. I'm 5'5", but given my Italian-peasant-stock bloodline and childbearing hips, I will never be a tiny thing. Which is absolutely 100% fine with me - I look fit and healthy.

Anyways, I've not been really paying much attention to my diet over the past year, and through the summer/fall of 2007, it didn't matter because I was in marathon season and running a ton. So when I saw a gain of .5 of a pound here, and .5 of a pound there, I didn't really think much of it.

But I've not been running much in the last 3-4 months. Just having major motivation issues, and a general lack of interest in running.

So, today, I actually looked at where I was last year, and where I am now, and looking at those two numbers next to each other - well HOLY CRAP, I've gained 11.8 pounds in the last year.

It's clearly time to focus - on the food intake, AND on my running. Actually, the running goes without saying as I begin my marathon training season in less than a month. YIKES! I can't be carrying around 12 extra pounds - that's a lot of wear and tear that's not needed.

tonight

I have 6 miles on tap for tonight, then will have to jam in 3 or 4 at lunch tomorrow since I have a work event tomorrow night.

Then I'm heading to Maine for a long weekend w/ the BF, so will probably get a few 3-4 miles runs in over the weekend.

NRR (non-running-related): The bathroom remodel starts next Tuesday, heaven help me!

woohoo!

OK, I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but I just booked my flight to NYC for the marathon in November, then on to N.O. for post-marathon vacation/Habitat work.

YAY for free flights with air miles!!

4 not so easy miles

Went to the gym, did 4 miles in 46:48. I know that sounds slow, and before the last 2 months of slacking off, that would have been my easy pace. However, it wasn't easy at all. 4 miles, cooldown, stretch, 100 crunches.

Back at it tomorrow with 5 miles.

yesterday, today

Got in a quick 2-miler last night. Yes, you read that right, 2 miles. I was planning on 3 or 4, but was a bit short on time so did what I could.

Today is an SRD, which is good since I have a work event tonight. And when that ends at 8, I'm heading straight home to sleep.

Another work event tomorrow night, so will plan on jamming in 3 or 4 miles at lunch.

check!

OK, check that off the to-do list! I got myself to the gym tonight, ran 5 miles, cooldown, stretch, and 100 crunches.

One icky thing... My arms, which I really sunburned in New Orleans, are now covered in those gross water blisters, since apparently my sweat couldn't escape due to burned/dry skin. ick. and probably TMI (too much information).

Anyways, 5 miles in the mileage bank for the week. Planning on 4 tomorrow night, mostly due to time constraints - have plans at 7:30 w/ the BF.

I'm baaaaack!

I got back last night from my annual pilgrimage to New Orleans Jazz Fest - I'll post my usual review of each day of Fest, best music I heard, best food I ate, etc., later.

I will admit, I didn't run even once while on vacation. Back at it tonight with an easy 5 miles. I'm pretty sure it's not going to be easy at all though. :-)

back at it

I had 5 easy planned for last night, but felt pretty icky after yesterday's doctor appointment, so got out for a walk and that was about it.

Back at it tonight with 5 or 6 easy miles, treadmill - I'm putting the car on autopilot to the gym.

If I go home with hopes of running outside, I'll end up falling asleep on the couch and never making it outside. I had a cruddy night's sleep.

Gosh, I sound whiny. My apologies. :-)

4 easy miles

I did 4 easy miles at the gym tonight, on the habitrail/treadmill.

Yes, it was absolutely gorgeous out today. and Yes, I should have been running outside. But I know my (very low) level of motivation lately. If I went home, ostensibly to change and go running, I'd get sidetracked and never make it out for a run.

I thought it best just to drive straight to the gym after work, and run, even if it was inside.

So, 4 easy miles, cooldown, stretch, and 100 crunches.

Back at it tomorrow w/ 5 easy miles.

maybe not my best idea ever

But I went to the gym after work tonight and did 35 minutes (3 miles equivalent) on the elliptical.

Conventional wisdom holds that re exercising w/ a cold - if it's a head cold, ok; if it's a chest cold, not ok. However, even though I think I have a chest cold, I'm sick of being sick, I've been feeling a bit better day by day, and a good workout and a good sweat usually helps w/ my head colds so I thought I'd go for it.

I felt fine, breathing was fine, and I feel much more like myself.

Back at it tomorrow with a short run.

nothing to say for myself...

Well, I have nothing to say for myself lately. I've been sick enough that I haven't run in over a week now. I even (insert gasp here) took a sick day on Monday, my first since the mid-'90s.

I feel about 85% today, and if nothing else, will get out for a walk tonight after work. I think the fresh air will do me good, and frankly am feeling like a marshmallow lately, and need the exercise.

last night/today

Got my run in last night. Did 5 miles as follows (bear in mind, it was supposed to be 5 *easy* miles):

mile 1: 5.3 mph - fine
miles 2-4: 5.4 mph - fine
mile 5: 6.0 mph - I just can't resist the fast finish last mile. Almost coughed up a lung here...

My legs were pretty tired from Sunday's run, so really none of it felt that easy.

Today is SRD, thankfully. Back at it tomorrow with EASY miles. :-)

I'm home from my run, and I'm pretty pleased w/ myself that I mustered up the motivation to get it done.

I did 6 miles as follows:
mile 1 - 5.3 mph at 2% grade
mile 2 - 5.3 mph, 1st .5 at 3% grade, 2nd .5 at 4% grade
mile 3 - 5.3 mph (recovery LOL)
miles 4 and 5 - 5.4 mph
mile 6 - 6.0 mph

I'm trying to approximate my May race w/ the first 2 miles uphill, and will keep doing a run similar to this every week until then. I'll admit, the incline during the 2nd mile just about killed me. I *clearly* need to do more hills.

I've also decided peanut butter on toast before a run is not a good thing. The peanut butter kept repeating on me, so to speak. Is that TMI?

Howdy, got in 5.5 miles at the gym tonight.

I was planning to run 10 or so, but I thought ahead to the menus for Saturday (italian holiday feast) and Sunday (southern - ham, black eyed peas, collard greens, hush puppies), and thought I might as well save the long run for one of those days to help me OFFSET the meal. :-)

I didn't get to the gym tonight, BUT I went over to my sister's and we did 3 miles run/walk. She wanted the company, and it was nice to be outside for some fresh air. I'll just go with the "exercise is exercise" theory, and get back to the running tomorrow night.

I'm baaaaaaack (aka consistency is key)

I'm baaaaack... :-)

I've really been having a problem lately getting motivated and staying motivated. Haven't been running much and haven't been watching what kinds of food I've been putting into my body (i.e. way too much cheese and crackers for dinner, not enough veggies). Anyways, I'm switching things up a bit. I've got a scale at home now, and am going to start journalling my food intake for a bit to get back to better portion control and also making sure I'm getting the right number of fruits and veggies, enough calcium, enough protein, etc. It's time to get back in gear - I just looked at my calendar (where I jot down my weekly weigh-in) and I'm 7 pounds heavier right now than I was at this time last year. That's just plain silly.

I'm going to take the running a day at a time - not every run has to be a 5 or 6 or 10 or 12 miler; I can do some short stuff too - the point is to get out there running, period. As I've said before (and clearly have a hard time executing the concept), CONSISTENCY IS KEY.

Also running related, my sis and I are cancelling for the MORE Half because she's not been able to get in much training due to injury. Oh well, saves me driving 640 miles roundtrip to/from NYC and also the $$ for gas for said miles. I have a half up here in June, and am in the lottery for the Nike NYC Half in July.

I have 6 miles on tap tonight, treadmill of course. 6 miles steady state. I have a habit lately of starting easy and then doing a fast finish for every run. Essentially, I guess I don't know how to maintain a pace. i.e. I start a run at 5.2 mph, and then keep bumping up my pace, an hour ends and I've covered 5.5 miles. However, I'm not sure that I could maintain 5.5 mph as my pace for an hour, and I think that's a problem.

So I'm going to start working on that and build some consistent speed over distance.

Blue sky out this a.m. Still looks cold out though, based on the crusted-over snow I'm seeing outside.

Last night, I went to the volunteer meeting for a race I work on up here. Very invigorating! During the meeting, the race organizers showed the trailer for "Spirit of the Marathon" which they've arranged to screen up here next Friday. I'm so darn excited to see it! I'm bringing my NRBF (non-runner boyfriend) - I'll probably be choked up and all emotional the whole time, and he'll probably be snoozing the whole time. :-)

I'll get in 6 miles or so tonight.

Did a quick 4-miler last night. 4 miles in 42:49, which would be a PR for me if it was a race (which it wasn't). Of course, I haven't raced a 4-miler in about 5 years, and I wasn't running regularly back then, so that's a pretty soft PR.

Would like to run tonight, but I have a volunteer meeting for a race I work at up here, so no can do. BAck at it tomorrow w/ 6 or 7 easy.

Lastly, a dear friend of mine lost his mother to cancer last night, so if you're inclined, please offer up a quick prayer...

long run tonight

I got in a short 3-miler on Saturday, then blew off my long run yesterday to go skiing instead. It was just too gorgeous a day to pass up, plus it's a chance to hang out w/ my Sis!



Back at it tonight w/ my long run, 12 miles. Forgot my gym bag on the kitchen floor, so will have to go home to get it - it will take *ALL* of my motivation to get back out of the house and to the gym. Anyone willing to bet on this? I'd give it a 50/50 chance right now. :-)

last night's run

I barely made it to the gym last night - called Mom, said I'd be over for dinner, then as I was approaching the turn-off to the gym, my guilt factor kicked in. Called Mom, said I was going to the gym as originally planned and made the turn to the gym.

Did 5.4 miles in 60:00 - 4.4 miles in the first 50 minutes (progressing from 5.2 mph up to 5.4 mph), then did the last 10 minutes at 6.0 mph. Then a cooldown and stretch.

Then to Mom's for dinner. :-)

the last few days...

Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name I call myself
Far, a long, long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow Sew
Tea, a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to Do (oh-oh-oh)

OOPS, sorry, was I singing out loud? :-D

On Saturday, I went x-country skiing at Trapp Family Lodge (of Sound of Music fame). It was gorgeous - blue sky, glistening snow, absolutely gorgeous. We skied almost 3 hours - plenty of UPS and DOWNS. Bear in mind that I hadn't x-c since junior high. I'm happy to say I didn't fall at all, but was longing for my downhill skis quite a few times, that's for sure!

I'll freely admit that it completely exhausted me. I was asleep on the couch by 8 p.m. that night, woke up at 11, got right into bed, and slept until 6 the next morning.

As for Sunday and my run or lack thereof, I took a slip and slide on ice in my parking lot, legs going 2 different directions, and am having adductor pain again, left leg, where I did back over the summer. So took the day as USRD.

I'm going to try for a run tonight, and am hoping to get out of work an hour or 2 early so I can run outside. If not, treadmill will do just fine.

yesterday/today

Got to the gym last night for a short run. Only was able to fit in a 5K before having to cooldown, stretch and head home to get cleaned up for a night out w/ the BF. So, did first mile starting at 5.2 mph working my way up to 5.4 mph, 2nd mile made my way up to 5.7 mph, then finished at 6.2 mph. I think total it was 3.1 miles in 33:10.

then home, clean up, out for Thai food. yummy.

Tonight, I have a haircut, and I'm debating whether to go to chin length (which means no more ponytail but maybe a lot more style), or just a trim and keep it long enough for a pony tail while running.

Then to the gym for 6 or 7 easy miles.

I've been in a motivation lull lately. And how many times have I said that recently?

Anyways, enough already with the slacking off. I'm going to follow the mantra of a wise RWOL forumite Geetah, of "no deposit, no return" with regards to my running. If I don't do the work - day in, day out, month in, month out - I'm not going to get the return on race day.

Running long tonight, treadmill. I'll post results later.

OK, home from the gym. Did speed work as follows:
1.2 mile warm up at 5.2 mph
.5 mile at 6.0 mph
.1 recovery
.5 mile at 6.1 mph
.1 rec
.5 mile at 6.2 mph
.1 rec
.5 mile at 6.3 mph
.2 rec (yes, .2)
.5 mile at 6.3 mph
.1 rec
.5 mile at 6.4 mph

Cooldown to finish out at 60 minutes. Thought I was going to get sick after the first 6.3 mph interval (probably more due to Mexican food for lunch than my effort OOPS LOL), which is why I took a little longer recovery there.

Then stretch, 200 crunches, and 3x12 girly pushups.

I'm so frickin' sick of winter I could just about scream right now. More freakin' snow, then sleet and freezing rain, then more snow on the way. What else is there to say except grrrrr.

I didn't run last night, no excuses, just didn't feel like it.

I need a vacation somewhere warm and sunny so I can get back into my happy place. :-)

I will run tonight, some yet-to-be-determined distance.

Greetings from the Arctic Circle!

Greetings from the Arctic Circle!

We're at -7F this a.m., straight temp. Thank heavens there's no wind anyways. The sun is on the way up, though, so that'll help. And then we've got snow forecast for tonight into tomorrow, another 6-10 inches. oy.

Anyways, enough of the weather report. I'm planning on a run tonight, treadmill of course, and will come up with a distance depending on how my calf feels.

It was still tight and cramping yesterday, so I took USRD last night and went to town w/ the foam roller and the Stick. Seems a little better today.

brrrr....

BRRRR... We were at 4F on my way to work today, winds of 20 mph and gusts up to 30 mph, for a windchill of negative14F. Is winter EVER going to end? (and yes, feel free to remind me of this day when it's 95F and humid this summer LOL).

I took yesterday as USRD. My right calf was tight and cramping all day, residual effect from being in ski boots on Saturday I think (although left calf was fine). So will do my 12-miler tonight, treadmill of course.

6 easy with a fast finish

I'm home from the gym. I did 6 miles easy but with a fast finish. So, first 3.5-4 were at 5.3-5.4 mph, worked my way up to 5.6 mph until I hit 5 miles, then for the last mile I bumped the speed up by .1 mph for every .1 mile, and ended up at 6.6 mph by the end of it. Felt fantastic, actually!

All in, 6 miles in 66:18, followed by a good stretch and 200 crunches.

Now for some eggs and toast!

tonight's run

So, my run tonight... I did what was supposed to be 7 easy miles, but they sure weren't easy. Breathing was fine, just the legs didn't have it today. Anyways, 7 miles in the bank, a good stretch, 200 crunches and 3 x 12 girly pushups.

And my new pair of Brooks felt fine - even with the change from narrow back to medium width. I certainly felt the extra room the first few minutes, but it was fine. No blister issues. :-)

Another grey day here, but no worries. Since we're now in Feb, I can say with great enthusiasm that we only have 2 or 3 more months of winter left. ;-)

No pain from last night's workout, so I'm back at it tonight with 7 easy miles.

And I'm taking my new sneakers for a test drive - this is pair #2 of Brooks Adrenaline. I had to put in a new pair of laces in a different color (Masters Orange, of course) so I could keep them differentiated from pair #1. All this because I'm at 350 miles on one of my pair of Saucony, so time to get a new pair into the rotation.

5 easy miles

I'm home from the gym. I did 5 easy miles, 200 crunches (10 sets of 20, a few different varieties) and 3 x 12 girly pushups.

No discomfort at all with the hammie/glute/piriformis today, which makes me happy.

Back at it tomorrow w/ 7 easy.

dang, I'm tired.

Is anyone else exhausted lately?

I really need a vacation where I sleep until I wake up, lay around reading all day (poolside/oceanside, of course), the occasional margarita or 3, run when I want to, and go to bed early.

Anyways, since that's not gonna happen, guess I'll just have to have another cup of coffee LOL!

I have 6 easy on tap for tonight, will see how it goes. My hammie/glute seems to be feeling ok - no pain yesterday, just the occasional twinge of discomfort. So will do a nice long walking warm-up then see how the running goes...

yesterday and today

Yesterday, was having a good amount of discomfort/pain from hammie/glute area (piriformis, I guess). Sat on a baseball for part of the afternoon - it's pressure point massage, essentially, right at the affected area. Then hit the gym for some easy miles. I did a 5 minute walking warmup, followed by 3 easy miles at 5.2 mph and 0 incline, then 5 minute walking cooldown. stretch, then tried again with the foam roller. I just can't get the right pressure with that on this area. It's great for ITBS, just not for this. Anyways, the running felt perfectly fine, it's just before and after that's the problem. At home, I used The Stick, and that helped a bit.

Felt pretty good this a.m. Mild soreness, but no pain per se.

SRD today, and am going out w/ the BF to a concert - North Mississippi Allstars. Blues/rock/country - I've seen them in New Orleans a few times and they're great.

easy 6 tonight, or not

I'm having a little pain at the very top of my left hamstring since yesterday afternoon - not sure what that's about, since I felt perfectly fine after my race on Sunday and most of the day yesterday.

Tried to stretch it a little last night. Used the foam roller, but wasn't able to get the right angle or enough pressure on the area. And I was hoping it'd feel better this a.m., but after bounding out of bed this a.m. for the phone (wrong number, damnit - come on, people, pay attention when you're dialing!!), it's still a problem.

So I'm sitting on a baseball as we speak...

Manhattan Half RR (race report)

Manhattan Half-Marathon
Central Park
31F and overcast
Sunday is grey and dreary out, 31F so a few degrees warmer than expected. I head to Central Park and meet-up with a few runners I know. Very nice group of people. Drop our bags off at the baggage trucks, and head down to the start area. At this point, I realize I left my ClifBloks in my backpack which is now on the baggage trucks, so I’m going to be racing w/ no fuel on the run.

I peel off from the group for a stop at the portolets – it’s about 20 minutes before the start and the lines are ENORMOUS. I’m still waiting when the gun goes off, so I cross the start at 7:21 into the race – thank goodness for chip timing.

First mile is flat to downhill, and we get to Lasker Hill (aka the Harlem Hills) a mile and a half into the race. I just go for even effort, reach the top no worries. The west side of the park loop is rolling to mostly downhill so I try to gain some time on the downhills. Keep running, pretty steady pace and I feel really good. Round the lower end of the Park, and we start w/ the rolling to uphill climb, with Cat Hill around mile 5. I again go with even effort, and am trucking along nicely. I’m taking Gatorade at the water stops that have it, to help offset my lack of ClifBlocks.

Ikeep going onto my 2nd loop. I put on my iPod at this point (it’s allowed in NYRR races, and I keep the volume low). Downhill at this point, water/Gatorade at the bottom of the hill, then long uphill Lasker Hill again. I run into one of my best friend’s boyfriends, he’s walking the hill a bit (he’s having PF issues), so I walk a minute or so with him, then start running again. Top the hill, then rolling downhills again on the west side.

By about mile 10, my legs are getting heavy, but I keep going. I’m just reaching the bottom of Cat Hill, and the best running song EVER comes onto my headphones, “I Will Follow” by U2. In my bonehead move of the day, I start charging up the hill, I mean probably the fastest I've run all day. I pass a good 15 people or so in the first half of the hill, and then my legs say to me “Are you out of your freakin’ mind?” I end up dropping the pace, and then dropping to a walk (at which point those same 15 people I just charged by probably end up passing me). Duh Liz.

Now I’m around 11.5 miles and my legs are lead. I just focus on keeping my arms relaxed, keep my form, and move forward. I’m just counting down the streets (conveniently marked on the lamp posts), so I know how much further I have to go. I try to pick up the pace for the last mile but my legs are having none of it. At the 13 mile mark, a woman I’ve been running alongside picks up the pace and passes me, so I try to keep up – we round the corner onto the 102nd street transverse, and cross the finish line.

I’ve made my 2 goals for the day:
1.) PR of any sort (previous PR was a lame 2:39:53)
2.) Sub-2:30Chip time 2:28:53, pace 11:21/mile. (that's an 11:00 PR).

:-)

My first marathon - do as I say, not as I do.

I think my first time falls into the category of "do as I say, not as I do."

New Years Day, 2000 - I was hideously unfit, and was turning 35 that June. I call my sister, who was turning 40 that year, and said jokingly, "let's do the marathon this year and prove we're still hot sh*t." She stupidly say YES, and away we go. Another sister decides to also run and she joins in the madness.

Of course, I couldn't run more than 3 or 4 minutes at a time, so slowly built up some fitness, dropped some weight, etc. June comes, I don't get into the marathon (stupid lottery), although my sisters do. I was working at Chase at the time (they were the marathon sponsor then), so I call up corporate events marketing and beg for a number, and they say they'll get back to me. In the meantime, I'm maybe running twice a week since I don't think I'm doing the marathon. Well, August rolls around, one of my brokers asks me if I can pull any strings to get HIM into the marathon - I call Corp events mktg again, and lo and behold, 2 days later - TWO guaranteed entry forms show up in interoffice, 1 for him, 1 for me. So it's mid-august and I'm 2 months behind on training.

Needless to say, I jump back into it... Shin splints for the month of September, they finally go away. Then October rolls around and I start having tiny bit of discomfort on outside of my left knee, nothing to slow me down or alter my gait, though, so I keep on training.

Oh, and I moved to Chicago during all this for a job - so was making trips back to NYC to meet my sisters for long training runs.

Well, race day comes and I'm pretty much in one piece. My 2 sisters and I start together. Lose Sis#1 around mile 8 when she runs ahead to find a portolet. Sis#2 stays w/ me until the half when I tell her to go ahead since I was holding her back. I get to the 59th Street Bridge, feeling ok and still running, but by the time I finish the mile-long downhill, my ITBS (undiagnosed at that time) has kicked in so bad that I'm pretty much doubled over in pain - equal in pain to when I broke my femur skiing. So I start walking at mile 16, try to run every once in a while, double over in pain again, keep walking. This continues for the last 10 miles and I finally finish the stupid thing in 6:17:xx.

Sounds like a cruddy day, huh? Well, it wasn't. It was an absolute BLAST.

I got the crappy result I absolutely deserved, but it was still a great day. Poorly trained, injured and in serious pain, finishing in the dusk - it was still a great day.

Would I ever go into another marathon w/ that little respect for the distance? No freakin' way.

p.s. I sidelined myself for FIVE months due to finishing the race w/ my stupid ITBS.

another ICK run

I had MAJOR stomach issues on my run tonight. Got about 35 minutes in, had to bail off the treadmill for a quick bio break. Then back on the treadmill running, but stomach started acting up again, so I dropped from a run down to a walk, 4.0 mph but bumped the incline up to 6-7% and did another 30 minutes. Then stomach really let me know it wasn't happy, so I called it a day (after another bio break).

I'm guessing it's due to the very cheesy omelette I made for dinner last night. dang.

Well, if nothing else, this might cure me of my cheese addiction.

and by the way, this post is probably TMI (too much information), so feel free to ignore or pretend you never read it.

long inactive weekend

I had houseguests this past weekend and we had a blast. But no physical fitness activity of any sort. No running, no skiing, no nothing.

Just lots of sitting around drinking coffee and gabbing; or sitting at a restaurant table eating and gabbing; or driving around town and gabbing; or driving out to the country in the car and gabbing.

In other words, the only thing that moved this weekend was my mouth - either eating or talking.

I feel like a complete slob at the moment, and can't wait to get to the gym tomorrow. :-)

Well, I skipped the run last night - I was just too bone-tired by the end of the day after getting approximately 3 hours of sleep the night before. All with the intent of going to bed early last night and getting up early this a.m. so I could get to the gym and fit it in before getting my houseguests from the airport.

Unfortunately, I slept until almost 9 this a.m. so that plan's out the window. (needless to say, I have some last minute straightening up to do at my house).

Nice day out, though, so I'm assuming we'll be tooling around town today. And tomorrow we'll either be skiing, or if it's too cold to go to the mountain, we'll be hitting the gym and I can get a run in then. Otherwise, it'll have to wait until Monday after I drop everyone off at the airport (mid-afternoon). oy.

zzzzzzz.....

I am so darn tired. Had an AWFUL night's sleep last night - was awake well past 4 a.m., and the alarm went off at 7:15 this morning. I've had 3 HUGE coffees and feel somewhat alert, but am tired to the bone.

I'm scheduled for a 14-miler tonight, trying to get it out of the way because I have weekend guests arriving tomorrow. However, they don't get in until 11:30 a.m. I'm debating whether to just go home and go to bed early (i.e. 9 p.m.) and get up and go run in the a.m. when I'm more rested.

I'll see how I feel when I leave work today, and will report in later....

SRD, thankfully

I have SRD (scheduled rest day) today, thankfully. Last night's 6 was tough, so will enjoy giving the legs a rest. So out for dinner w/ BF tonight.

Back at the running tomorrow w/ my long run for the week. I have 14 miles on tap, treadmill. I have to get the long run out of the way before my weekend guests arrive on Saturday a.m.

I might also want to clean my house before they arrive? Actually, it's always CLEAN, it's just CLUTTERED. :-)

I'm home from the gym.

Did 6 miles, 11:03 pace. Then cooldown, stretch, 160 crunches, and 3 x 12 pushups. If I can ever lose the last layer of "stored fuel", I'm going to have an awesome stomach. ;-)

And for dinner - grilled chicken breast marinated in olive oil, Tabasco and Tony Chachere's seasoning. YUMMY. Am I supposed to have a veggie too? :-)

crack me up...

I was just rereading my posts from the last few days.

On Sunday, I stated that I was going to make 5.3 mph my easy pace. And in last night's post, I stated that I was going to make 5.5 mph my easy pace. So tomorrow, you should expect to see a post from me stating that I'm going to make 5.7 mph my easy pace. ;-)

I really have a habit of getting ahead of myself.

Anyways, 6 miles tonight, at some yet-to-be-determined pace. I'll report back.

6 sorta easy miles

Got in a good 6-miler tonight, treadmill of course.

I'm working to making 5.5 mph (10:54 miles) my easy pace. It felt pretty good. I will admit to being happy I was done - but definitely could have gone a few more miles no worries.

Another 6 tomorrow night, SRD on Thursday, long run on Friday. I think. I need to shuffle my run and my weekend houseguests and my interest in seeing BF before the weekend. I'll figure something out - I always do. :-)

ick

Well, I was planning on 12 miles today, which would get me to 30 miles this week. So much for that plan.

I went out to lunch w/ some friends from work (italian restaurant, had a calzone) and then to the movies. Then directly to the gym for my run.

My legs felt fine, my breathing was great. Unfortunately, I think the calzone was waaaaay too cheesy for a pre-run meal, even with 3+ hours between it and my run. I barely managed to get through an hour run and was on the verge of puking the whole time.

So I end the week at 23 miles. oy.

I did 7 miles this afternoon, treadmill at the gym. Gorgeous day up here (sunny and low 40s), but I got started too late and didn't want to finish outside in the dark.

Anyways, supposed to be an easy run, but I can't seem to restrain myself from a fast (for me) finish. First 3 at 5.3 mph (which I'm making my EASY pace), next 3 at 5.5 mph, last mile at 5.8 mph. Then 140 crunches and 3 x 12 pushups.

I'm planning to run 10 or so tomorrow, which should be interesting. I always take SRD before a long run. However, the Higdon Intermediate plan has a medium distance run on Saturdays, with the long run on Sunday. So, depending on how this feels, and knowing I have 5 months until marathon training officially starts, I can get the legs used to it.

I'm breaking 5 hours this year if it kills me.

speed work tonight.

Home from the gym. I ended up doing speedwork tonight, as follows:

1 mile warm up at 5.3 mph
4 x .75 miles at 6.0, 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3 mph with .25 mile recoveries at 5.3 mph after each one.

Then cooled down until I hit 60 minutes. Followed by a stretch, 140 abs and 3 x 12 pushups! The intervals felt pretty good, but the last one was tough to maintain form towards the end.

another USRD

I had more tightness in the calf again yesterday, so took it as USRD. I guess that's the benefit of a 4-day/week running schedule - lots of flexibility. :-)

Back at it tonight w/ last night's 6-miler.

You know, if I spent as much time on the actual RUNNING as I do THINKING/OBSESSING about running, I'd be a lot better runner.

6 easy miles

I've had some tightness in my upper right calf for the last few days (since skiing, coincidentally), so skipped my run last night and used The Stick (cue the heavenly angels singing LOL).

Anyways, it felt a bit better today, so off to the gym I went. I got in 6 miles easy tonight before I felt my calf tightening up a bit - plus there was a line waiting for the treadmills. harrumph! I hate this time of year when the gym is packed.

Back at it tomorrow w/ another 6 miler. Speed work if the calf feels ok, otherwise will stick w/ easy miles again.

At this point, I just want to be consistent w/ my mileage base, and will have to go on the assumption that speed will feel easier as my overall fitness improves.

I got up to Smuggler's on Saturday for my first ski day of the season. The conditions were amazing, tons of snow, pretty much no ice (which for anyone who knows VT skiing, that's extraordinary), high 20s, and some sun. Fairly windy, but no complaints at all.

I thought I might find it easy, considering I can run until the cows come home, but I tell you, my legs were D-O-N-E by the time we left the mountain. Yesterday, Uncle DOMS paid a visit, and my right upper calf is strangely tight. Taking that into consideration, and my late night out on Saturday, I took yesterday as USRD.

Back at it tonight with 14 miles, treadmill. My only concern is not getting kicked off the treadmill by the crowds at the gym - new years resolution folks make it pretty crowded these days.

back on track

I got myself to the gym tonight for a run, 6 miles speedwork.
mile 1: 5.3 mph
mile 2: 5.3 mph
mile 3: 5.6 mph
mile 4: 5.8 mph
mile 5: 6.0 mph
mile 6: 5.7 mph

It felt GREAT! Then cooldown, stretch, 100 crunches, 2x10 pushups.

I'm going skiing tomorrow, which means my legs will be begging for mercy by the end of the day, and screaming at me on Sunday when I try to run long. Yes, I can run 'til the cows come home, but skiing is a totally different beast. :-)

New Year

Let me also just say I'm glad it's 2008 - a clean running slate, new goals, and a training log book with no unplanned zeros in it! :-)

RunVermont First Run 5k

OK, I did the race, not a PR, though. :-)

First mile: It's snowing, the gun goes off, and we're on our way, slipping and sliding through the 2"+ of snow on the ground. Tough footing the first mile or so - 2 folks wiped out right in front of me - stopped to help one of them up, the other was up before I got to him. Split - no idea because I still can't figure out how to work my stupid @&%&(##%^ sports watch.

2nd mile: footing is a bit better - we're down to wet slushy pavement in 2 tracks (car marks), so as long as you can stay in those, you're all set moving along. split? no idea.

3rd mile: steep downhill on a small sidestreet still completely snowed in, so I slow way down here, cruddy footing for a little after that, then things clear up and I start passing folks. Got past 4 or 5 people, then hit some ice and have to slow it down again. split - no idea.

I approached the clock at 33:xx, but lost track trying not to wipe out on the ice at the finish and also trying not to plow over the person in front of me who came to a dead stop BEFORE the finish line. uh, duh!

Now that results have been posted - I finished in 33:51:00. So, no PR, but given the course conditions, I'm absolutely fine with that. A 5k when I'm actually running on pavement, well, I'm gonna rock that course.