Sticking with the Elliptical

I did 45 minutes on the elliptical this morning for 45 minutes, 3.4 miles, and 421 calories burned. I find I'm getting a little bored with the elliptical machine, but it burns more calories than the bike. Thank goodness for the iPod! I've been listening to a lot of podcasts over the months, but this week I've gone back to more music and my workout playlist to pump me up.

My injury is still a little sore.

Tried a Little Running

This morning I did 35 minutes (2.79 miles) on the elliptical, them tried a couple minutes of running on the treadmill for .16 miles. My strain is a little sore now from the running. Maybe shouldn't have done that! So now I know my body's not ready for running again yet. *sigh*

More Elliptical

I was back on the elliptical machine this morning, doing 3.53 miles in 45 minutes. I'm still a little sore from yesterday's visit to the sports medicine clinic--lots of stretching to pinpoint my injury. That'll get better, I know.

I have noticed that my stress level is up since I haven't been able to run my usual mileage. Grrrr.

Doctors' Visits

This morning I had my second doctor's visit in two days. Yesterday was a general follow-up with my primary care physician re: my diabetes. Today I met with the orthopaedist at the sports medicine clinic about my self-diagnosed groin pull. I mentioned the groin pull to my doctor yesterday, but today's session was most helpful on that concern. I was evaluated ahead of time by a couple of people-intern types, I think, and then the doctor came in. Both times I got stretched and pulled, and it was decided I have a groin strain. It was nice to know I was in the right ballpark. The doctor also concluded that my quads and hamstrings are tight, and that if I don't get more flexible, I'll be back with more injuries. She prescribed four physical therapy sessions (my first is next week), and I'll return to see the doctor in six weeks.

I'm definitely looking forward to the physical therapy sessions, a brilliant idea. I just looked up stretching online, and found this good, but kinda funny website. It wasn't meant to be funny, but the stretches are demonstrated by stick figures. Primitive, but you get the point! Check it out here. The stretch to the left, from this website, is called Bum Stretch # 2.

Take 20 Challenge

I've decided to give myself a challenge to jumpstart my at-home dieting efforts, and make it public! (Yikes!) I'm going to lose 20 lbs. in 20 weeks, starting March 1. I decided to make the start date on Saturday, in case anyone wants to join me between now and then. I'm hoping to lose more, but that will be the minimum. I've created a Yahoo group for it, thinking that that sort of forum may help some people, but I'll be posting my progress here.

The name of the Yahoo group is Take 20 Challenge, and the URL is http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/take20challenge/ New members to the group will need moderator (that's me) approval, so just type a few words about your weight loss desires/efforts. (Just want to keep spammers out.)

Still Sore

I did 55 minutes on the elliptical this morning (for 4.39 miles), then tried the treadmill for 5 minutes (.45 miles). The groin pull is better, but still sore. I go to the sports medicine clinic this morning, so I'll report later.

A Little Longer

I had a longer workout this morning, probably motivated by the fact that I have a doctor's appointment today, a checkup with my primary care physician. :P I did 50 minutes on the elliptical first, then went 13 minutes on the treadmill for 1.18 miles (11:01 average pace), beating my total mileage for all of last week. I think I'm getting a little competitive with myself. Well, actually, that's not a new revelation! The whole thing about trying to beat each 5K time is showing my competitive self too, I suppose.

Elliptical and Treadmill

This morning I was back at Anytime Fitness, and did 45 minutes on the elliptical machine (3.39 miles). I was pretty worn out by yesterday's 65 minute elliptical session, so I was surprised to last 45 minutes today. I even tried the treadmill after that, and ran .43 miles in 5 minutes. No big speed record there, and I'm still feeling the groin pull, but it was a good gym session, all in all.

I ended up with 1.14 running miles for the week, a sign of the times. I'm looking forward to my appointment with the orthopaedist at the sports medicine clinic on Tuesday.

A Change of Scenery

Today I slept in a bit, then went to a different gym to work out. I always enjoy going to the Duke Fitness Center, though it's a farther drive for me now. There are always plenty machines, plus there are lots of windows (love the natural light) AND an indoor and outdoor track. I also enjoy the pool and hot tub! I went today, planning to do some cardio and then enjoy the pool and hot tub, but I ended up getting there later than expected, and felt spent after a hard 65 minutes (5.44 miles and over 600 calories burned) on the elliptical machine. It was heading toward 1 PM by that time, and I was ready to go home and fix some lunch. I hope to get back for the hot tub soon!

I missed running in the Coach Bubba 4 Mile this morning, but I'm glad I didn't risk it. The groin pull is better, but not well yet.

A Little Running

This morning I ended up doing a variety of things for just a bit. I did the elliptical machine for 20 minutes, then tried running for 6 minutes for .51 miles. (The groin muscle is still a little sore.) Then I did 5 minutes with the 5 lb free weights.

I checked my fasting blood sugar after exercising for the first time in a while, and it was 88! Yay!

A Little Shorter Today

I did 40 minutes on the elliptical this morning. My groin muscle is still sore, and I'm generally tired this morning. I got close to 6 hours of sleep last night, not too bad, so I decided to take it a bit easy on the workout, especially after the hour-long workout yesterday.

I'm glad to be able to continue the cardio workouts, but I continue to eye the weights and weight machines. They're calling my name.

Back to the Elliptical

I stayed off the treadmill today, and stayed on the elliptical for a whole 60 minutes, for 4.41 miles. Meanwhile, I got an earlier appointment at the Sports Medicine Clinic, but I still can't get in until next Tuesday. *sigh*

Gave it a Try

I started with 40 minutes on the elliptical machine this morning, and my leg was generally feeling better, so I decided to try running on the treadmill for a bit. I was wondering if I might be able to go slowly in Saturday's race. I ran for 2:30 minutes and logged a slower .2 of a mile. Bad news, my groin muscle hurts a little more now. *sigh* I've made an appointment with a sports medicine doctor, but he can't see me until next week. :-(

Short Elliptical

I just did 20 minutes on the elliptical this morning. My injury is still sore. I'm tired from the weekend, and have a 2-hour meeting after work today. I felt like I had to get something in today. Looking forward to getting back on track, perhaps some weight training soon!

Day Off

I took today off from exercise, mostly because of my injury, and partly because George and I had a full weekend! It all started yesterday when we went bowling, then to lunch at Panera. Yesterday afternoon we checked into an area hotel with an indoor pool and hot tub, for a day of R & R away from home (but nearby). It was really nice! This morning, we had breakfast at the hotel, got some more pool and hot tub time in, then went for lunch at Doc Green's, a salad place. After a nap back at home, we went to a move ("Definitely Maybe"), then to Chammp's for dinner with my parents, uncle, and nieces. It was a fun weekend!

My groin muscle in still bothering me, though. *sigh* I'll see what I can do at the gym in the morning. More later!

More Elliptical

I did 31 minutes on the elliptical this morning for 2.34 miles. Still not ready to run yet. After a little internet research, I think I have a groin pull, hence the level of pain in that location of my leg. Ouch, ouch, ouch! *&*%$#$@

Another Elliptical Day

I'm feeling slightly less sore this morning, but I decided to stick to the elliptical machine again, doing 5 miles in 61 minutes. It felt great to last that long! My leg didn't bother me, and it felt good to go the distance.

Now I feel like I'll get back to running fairly soon. Not sure yet what I'll do about next week's Coach Buba 4-mile race.

Back on the Elliptical

I just couldn't do it this morning...my right leg hurt too much when I tried to run the treadmill. I even started by "warming up" on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes, before trying the treadmill. I think I'm going to have to spend more time of the elliptical for a few days and see how it goes. I called my doctor's office yesterday afternoon, and can't get in until Feb. 25 (she's out of town). *sigh*

A Stretch

I ran longer than I expected this morning, 4.67 miles on the treadmill in 50 minutes, for a 10:42 average pace. Not very fast. I did take a couple of rest/walk breaks. A muscle in my upper right leg is still surprisingly sore since the long weekend run and the race. I guess I'm still a little tired too. Pushing myself hard Saturday AND Sunday--bad idea! I feel a little impatient with my progress this week because of it. Can you tell? :p I just need to remember to listen to my body and give myself time to heal. I'm glad I didn't sign up for another race this weekend.

Weekly total so far: 10.02 miles

Getting Back to Normal

I'm still sore this morning, but a little less so from the weekend's running. I was able to clock 4.25 miles on the treadmill in 45:19 minutes, a 10:39 average pace. Not as fast as I'm used to running on the treadmill, but still faster than my race pace so far (no hills or wind resistance today, thank goodness!).

Recovery

This morning's gym time was pretty tough; I probably could've used a day off, in retrospect. I tried running first, made .93 miles in 10:37. I just couldn't keep going! My legs are so sore from the weekend running, and so is my left ankle! I did do 30 minutes on the elliptical machine, for 2.29 miles. I tried the treadmill again, 2 more minutes for .17 miles. So, I started the week with 1.1 running miles. Delightful. If I hadn't had the longer run on Saturday, I'd probably feel better today, so I only have myself to blame, huh?! I'm glad I did the long run on Saturday, but it was probably too much considering the race yesterday. I should've taken it easier on Saturday, so I'm paying for it now. I hope everything feels better tomorrow!

Race Report: Run for the Roses 5K

This afternoon I ran in the Run for the Roses 5K in Raleigh. It was a 2:00 race, an unusual time, since most road races start around 7 or 8 AM! I was glad for the chance to sleep in and rest my aching legs from yesterday's 5 mile run/walk. It was a pretty day, sunny--but windy! I wondered how the wind would affect my time, since I'm accustomed to running indoors on the treadmill.

George decided to go with me this afternoon, and he was good company. We got there early enough to find the community center where the race started, and I picked up the racing chip to tie to my running shoe. I saw one of the ladies I met yesterday at the Shelley Lake run, and we commiserated. :-) (I saw another lady out on the course, calling out splits at the one mile mark.) While I was stretching and such, someone came up and asked me about my Garmin, and it was fun to talk shop.

I decided to go out for a warmup run, partly to see how my legs would do and how the wind would feel during the race. I took it easy, running .53 miles in 6:48. I was surprised at how sore my legs were, but okay with the wind at that point.

The race started promptly (I think), and the course went by Peace College, then through part of the historic Mordecai neighborhood of Raleigh. It was a very pretty route, with a lot of flat areas, but some hills as well! Whew! Of course, the wind seemed to kick in big time on some of the steepest parts. ;-) I was tempted to stop and walk on occasion, but I was able to push through. Having the split times at each mile helped, eventhough I had my Garmin this time (the first race I've run since receiving it for Christmas). It was great to have the Garmin for tracking distance as well as time, especially when I could see I'd gone two miles, and I had a half a mile left.

The race ended where it began, so I knew from that too when I was getting close to the end. Since I started out the race pretty fast (for me), I didn't have a lot of kick at the end, but I tried to push a little and hold it to the end. It was a great feeling to see the finish line banner and hear someone over the loud speaker, eventhough I could understand what was being said at first, or see the clock yet. As I got closer, I could tell that I couldn't beat the 35 minute mark that I was hoping for, but that's just another goal for the next 5K, right? I ended up finishing in about 35:30 (my Garmin says 35:28), though I'm still waiting to see the official results posted on the website. That's about two and a half minutes faster than my last best time, so I've very happy about doing that much better, especially with the wind!

I had a great nap after I got home! Now I'm even more sore, but it was worth it!

(I ended up with 29.14 miles for the running week, but the way!)

***Official results have been posted, and my gun time was 35:30 (11:26 pace), chip time 35:08! I finished 424th out of 488 runners, and 28th out of 39 in my age group.

First Shelley Lake Run!

This morning I joined an NCRC group run for the first time at Shelley Lake. I met some nice ladies, several of whom were talking about running on relay teams at the Myrtle Beach Marathon next weekend. (That sounds like fun to me!)

The trail around the lake has is very scenic, lots of trees, a few bridges, some geese, and lots of runners, walkers, and cyclists (and a partridge in a pear tree!). This group runs 5 minutes and walks a minute, then repeats the cycle. Today they (oops, we!) went five miles. My final time was 1:02:25, a 12:29 average pace. It was great running outside, and nice to have varied company. I was a little disappointed with the final average pace, but I have to remember it was my first time running outside in quite a while, and the trail was new to me. I did get turned around at the end of the run, and separated from the group. I stopped (but left the Garmin running) while I tried to figure out which way was back to the parking lot. It was a wierd, "Twilight Zone" feeling, seeing quite a few people and not recognizing anyone in the group. Anyway, I finally asked someone the way back (choice of two trails), and they pointed me in the right direction.

I wouldn't have run 5 miles on my own today at all, so I feel great for going the distance. At the beginning of the run, I was behind the back of the pack, but had some company in a nice lady who's going to be part of one of the relay teams next weekend. Once the group turned around, I was able to keep up with everyone, which surprised me! I'd like to be able to keep up better early on.

I enjoyed using my Garmin today, by the way!

I've got 25.52 miles under my belt for the week now, with tomorrow to go. Tomorrow is the Run for the Roses 5K, of course. Today I'll go pick up my race packet-yay!

Back to an Hour

This morning I started by running 36 minutes on the treadmill for 3.54 miles, a 10:10 average pace. I was tempted to longer, but wanted to go a little easy on the running, with the race coming up on Sunday. I'm also joining a group run for the first time in the morning! I'm excited about that, but feeling a little intimidated too.

Anyway, I got on the elliptical machine for 25 minutes, for 2.03 miles. It felt good to be back on the elliptical! Felt good to get an hour of exercise in again.

Longer Run

It was nice to get back to a longer run this morning, even if it was a split run. First, I ran 1.45 miles on the treadmill in 15:02 minutes, a 10:22 pace. I had to make a pit stop, and when I got back on the treadmill, I ran another 3.3 miles in 33:16 minutes, for a 10:04 average pace. I feel like I could've run longer, but I overslept by an HOUR (yikes!), and had to come home to get ready for work.

That's 4.75 miles for the day, and 16.98 miles for the running week so far.

Short(s) Run

I actually got to wear shorts during my run this morning! It's been cold enough early in the morning that I've been wearing leggings, and have gotten used to the feel of them. It was different wearing shorts for a change--I felt a little exposed! I'm enjoying the warmer weather, but it's going to be cooling off again soon.

I ran a shorter run today, thinking about tapering a little for Sunday afternoon's 5K road race in Raleigh. I ran 3.53 miles on the treadmill in 36 minutes, for a 10:11 average pace. My leg muscles are feeling a bit tired--but I am feeling more rested in general.

Running Through the Tired

I made it through 41 minutes on the treadmill, for 4.01 miles, a 10:13/mile average pace. I could feel myself being slower this morning, just had to let it go. After a busy, busy weekend, I had my bi-monthly covenant group meeting last night, and didn't get home until nearly 10 last night. *Yawn!* I need to catch up on some down time. My introverted self feels very overextended. There are worse problems to have than that; I just need to make time to recover soon.

One month down...

I just submitted my first month's miles for the North Carolina Roadrunners Club's 1000 Mile Club, with my January miles of 114.35. It feels good to have a solid start with that goal! If I keep up that pace, I'd have over 1300 miles for the year, which sounds insane to me at the moment, but I feel like I'm pretty strong and getting in better shape all along. I need to remember not to overdo it, though, and get injured on my own accord. Acccidents happen, but I won't be happy with myself if I get injured from overdoing it!

Hard Morning Run

I had a hard time getting going with my morning run, after having to run last night. I wanted to get back on track this morning, though, especially since I have a meeting tonight. I ran 26:33 minutes for 2.57 miles (10:19 average pace) before accidentally hitting the pause/reset button TWICE! Usbkrufpphuh! (I thought I was hitting the distance/current pace/average pace button. It pays to LOOK!) I got going again and ran another 2.12 miles in 21:02 minutes, for a 9:55 average pace. I am tired now, but I'm happy to have my run behing me for the day. Not doing it in the morning yesterday, it was hanging over me all day, and I missed the run until I did it.

I ran 4.69 miles for the day.

Night Run

I ended up having to run tonight. I was a worship associate for both church services this morning, so I wanted to save my energy for that, especially since I didn't get to bed until midnight. George and I had lunch at Saladelia, and then I took a big ole nap, which felt great. I had a fairly early dinner so that it could settle before getting a run in. Even so, I didn't get to the gym until 8:00, and I knew I needed to take it a little easy, since it's getting kinda late for a workout. Need to keep in mind winding down afterward and my run in the morning. I decided to work a bit on speed work, so I ran 3.26 miles in 31:40 minutes (on the treadmill) for a 9:42 pace! I think that's the fastest average pace I've had! Still, I missed running longer, and much prefer running in the morning than at night.

I finished the running week with 27.71 miles, a little less than last week, but still not bad.

Shorter Run

This morning I ran 3.21 miles in 33:01 minutes on the treadmill, a 10:17/mile pace. I was tired and sore this morning from a hard day at work yesterday (moving and reshelving several booktrucks of books, not my usual routine, so I'm sore!), and short on time as well (had to be at work at 8:00 AM, a little earlier than I'm used to), so I went as far as I could go.

That gives me 20.3 miles for the week so far. I have a 9 AM meeting tomorrow (Saturday) morning, and have to be at church by 8:30 Sunday morning to be the Worship Associate, so my next two runs may be a little short as well. I'll shoot for at least 25 miles this week.

I logged 114.35 running miles for January, not too bad.