Bike Workout

After yesterday's long run and a pretty active evening at the Duke-James Madison U. football game, I woke up tired this morning. I procrastinated for a while, then headed to the gym for a 30-minute workout on the recumbent bike. I did 6.82 miles in 30 minutes, a 4:23 pace--faster than usual for me. I felt spent at 30 minutes, and was relieved to stop. Good workout, though.

On the virtual front, I'm enjoying using the website DailyMile for some tracking and the message boards. Let me know if you'd like an invitation.

Shelley Lake Run

Today I hit the trails around Shelley Lake in Raleigh, hoping to work on my speed a little bit. My goal was to go between 10-13 miles, and I ended up on the low end of that, with 10.25 miles in 2 hours and 55 minutes of running and walking.

I did a 10 mile route that includes part of Shelley Lake and part of the greenway heading toward Crabtree Creek. I was a little worried about getting lost, but it all looked familiar to me, and eventhough I took a wrong turn at one point on the greenway, it was a short path, and I was able to turn around and get back on track easily. (That accounted for most of the extra quarter of a mile in my total mileage.)

I took a pit stop at Crabtree Valley Mall, including filling up my water bottle down by Pottery Barn.

My feet bothered me some, but not as much as during my last 10-miler. I also drank more water, which helped overall. (My sweat didn't smell like ammonia today either, big relief! Sorry if that's TMI!)

My average pace today was about 45 seconds faster than my last 10-mile run, so I'm happy about the progress. At a 17:04 average pace for today, I'm still about a minute/mile slower than I need to be to finish the City of Oaks Half Marathon on time. Granted, this was a training run, but it wasn't even a full 13 miles. I'm hoping I'll get there!

A Little Crosstraining

This morning I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine, and 10 minutes on the recumbent bike. I took it easy this morning, saving some energy for a long run tomorrow morning. I hope to go at least 10 miles, but would love to hit the 13-mile mark tomorrow morning and see what my training time is.

Good Run

I hopped on the treadmill this morning and had one of my best runs in a while, 3.11 miles in 41 minutes for a 13:10 pace. I ran the whole time, with no walking breaks (mush easier on the treadmill). I did increase the incline for parts of the run. The best part of the run was that my feet didn't hurt today--yay!

It dawned on me recently to check the time limits for the longer races I'm interested in. The Battleship North Carolina Half Marathon, which I'm already signed up for, has a 3 hour time limit. I'm not sure I could do that yet (did I mention I'm slow!). :-( The Rex Healthcare Half Marathon (which is coupled with the City of Oaks Marathon) has a time limit of three and a half hours, which is a 16 minute pace. Sounds slow, but it has taken me a long time to run the longer distances, using the Galloway run/walk method. The last time I ran/walked with the Galloway group, my pace for a little over 10 miles was nearly 18 minutes per mile! Yikes! I know I'm building my mileage base, but I may not be fast enough to run the half marathon in Raleigh--YET! I need to look for some other half marathons in the area, I think, and check out time limits. Meanwhile, I'll continue to work on my running. Time for some new running shoes, too, I think.

Elliptical Workout

This morning I stuck to the elliptical machine, though I was itching to get on the treadmill. I really wanted to run, but since I've logged miles the past two days, I decided to take a break and do the elliptical. I went 3.35 miles in 45 minutes, a 13:25 pace. I've decided to start working on picking up my pace, so I was pleased to see that the 13:25 pace is a little faster than other elliptical workouts lately.

Good Treadmill Run

I hit the treadmill for a run this morning, with no plan in mind. I ended up running 3.4 miles in 45 minutes with relatively little pain. I did feel a little pain under my right toes, this time only under my "twin" toes. (That's what my family's always called them. My sister has them as well, but we don't know of anyone else in the family who has had them.) I wonder if the pain has something to do with that, but I have the webbed toes on both feet, but the strange pain under-toe only on my right foot. Hmmm....

Elliptical and Treadmill

This morning I did 35 minutes on the elliptical (2.54 miles), then hopped on the treadmill for 15 minutes (1.09 miles). While on the treadmill, I played with the incline a bit. It was a good workout, all in all.

Crosstraining

This morning I did a little bit of several things. I started with 20 minutes on the recumbent bike, then 10 minutes of running on the treadmill, followewd by 10 minutes on the elliptical machine. I had it in me to do a little more, but wanted to be careful with my left foot--the plantar fasciitis is still nagging a bit. Maybe I'll do more later. Or maybe I'll get some rest.

Not-So-Long Run

This morning I decided I didn't feel like a group run, so I did part of my run at Umstead Park, and the rest on the treadmill at the gym. As it happens, I have things to go to four out of the past five nights (including dinner with George's family last night for Barry's birthday). My introverted self needed some alone time, so I slept in a little, and headed over to Umstead Park.

Okay, so it wasn't JUST the busy week that kept me closer to home than the Galloway group's Shelley Lake run this morning. The plantar fasciitis in my left foot is bothering me, and I didn't want to be at the back of the group again this morning!

I did enjoy the time at Umstead, which included some time on dirt roads and the discovery of a lake there. I ended up doing 4.09 miles there, and 4.15 miles on the treadmill at the gym. The 8.24 mile total took me 2:12:20. I wish I could've run longer, but 8+ miles is okay......

Just the Bike

My legs are a bit sore (and I'm a bit tired) from last evening's run at Umstead State Park, so I just did 30 minutes on the recumbant bike this morning.

I'm thinking about doing my long run by myself in the morning. I'm scheduled to do 12 for the half marathon, but have been stuck at 10-ish on my long run Saturdays of late. I'm getting a bit discouraged about talking about my bum feet to the Galloway group; I wonder if they think I'm complaining and not doing anything about it! Truth be known, I have been delaying a bit, since seeing a specialist and getting orthotics, or even getting good running shoes (which I have already)...it all gets expensive, and I'm trying to weigh the foot issues with other things I'm saving for. Orthotics-probably the route I'll go in time, cost $400-500! Yikes! That's on top of decent running shoes, which wear out, and cost in the $100 neighborhood.

In the big scheme of things, this running thing is a hobby of mine, but it's a really important hobby! Would I spend this kind of money on any other hobby? Probably not in one chunk. My feet rarely bother me when I'm going through the day, doing normal things. So, I'll probably start socking money away for orthotics, or wait my healthcare reimbursement account can be flush again. (My current balance is down to a couple of dollars, should've put more in, but didn't anticipate the broken nose plus physical therapy for a groin strain.) That money would be pretax, which is nice, if I can wait a few more months.

Umstead Park Run

This evening I participated in the North Carolina Roadrunners Club's (NCRC) August Trail Series at Umstead Park in Raleigh. Most of the group ran an 8K, but I took advantage of the 5K option. After that first trail run I did with the group last month, I have this fear of coming in dead last, which shouldn't have bothered me like it did.

The last time I did the trail series, later in July, I recognized someone from the Galloway group, who introduced me to some other people. This evening I didn't recognize anyone, though plenty of other people seemed to know each other. How does that happen?! *sigh* I did talk to one lady afterward who, as it turns out, is a physical therapist with plantar fasciitis. I got a good recommendation (I think) from her about a podiatrist for my foot issues. He's at North Carolina Orthopaedic Clinic. I am a bit discouraged at the thought of expensive orthotics, but I'm also discouraged by the pain I feel when I run anything much more than three miles.

I also talked to a guy who was there serving as a medical contact (required for the club's permit to run there this evening), who sounds like he runs about the same pace as me. He said he doesn't run the group events because he's afraid he can't keep up. Boy, could I relate to that!

Anyway, I did run 3 miles this evening, in 43:10, not great, but not bad considering the humidity and the hills.

Outside Walk

I slept in a bit this morning after celebrating George's grandfather's 94th (!) birthday last night in Cary. I was hoping to run this morning, but didn't have the mojo, so I decided to walk outside around the neighborhood. I got in 1.73 miles in 36 minutes. It's a pretty morning, so I enjoyed being outside. Nice change of pace. Maybe I'll get some more exercise in later today.

Combo Workout

This morning I did 15 minutes on the recumbent bike, then 20 minutes on the elliptical. I woke up feeling a little tired this morning, so I was tempted to stay on the bike. I'm glad I pushed myself to work on the elliptical machine too.

Treadmill Run

This morning I did a 5K on the treadmill, 3.1 miles in 40:05, a 12:56 pace. Although I didn't get as much sleep as I would've liked last night, I felt pretty refreshed during the run, and even now. I would've liked to have come under 40 minutes for the 5K, but that's okay.

Yesterday I walked during my work breaks and went around the Trinity Park neighborhood near where I work. I really enjoyed looking at all the houses and yards. I was fascinated by the renovations going on at the Kings Daughters Home on Buchanan, which I hear is being turned into a B & B. I want to keep walking in that area at least to see how progress is going there!

I registered on another running site yesterday, DailyMile.com. It seems to be a good site, another place to track mileage and participate in forums, groups, and such. I'll see how long I can keep yet another site going! BuckeyeOutdoors is still my favorite for keeping track of my workouts.

Elliptical Workout

This morning I did 40 minutes on the elliptical machine. I'm a little sore from this weekend's back-to-back runs, but not too bad.

A Little More

This morning I decided to run outside, which was a nice change of pace. I felt tired, though, from yesterday's activities, so I thought I'd go a mile and see how I felt. One mile turned into three, in 45:16. Though you'd never know it from my time, I did more running than usual. Eventhough I was tired, the hills felt a little easier this morning.

My muscles are a little sore from yesterday's run, but it still felt good to run today, partly to have some time to myself. While I enjoyed yesterday's meeting and dinner, it was a lot of "people time," so I needed some time to myself. Now that I think about it, that's probably why I ran outside this morning, rather than going to the gym where there were other people. Though I'm still tired, I do feel better.

Partial Run

This morning I got up early and was at the gym before 6 AM to run on the treadmill for a while before my 9 AM meeting. I was scheduled to run 10 miles, but ended up doing 4.46 miles of (mostly) running, and then 1.7 miles on the recumbent bike before heading home to get ready for the all-day meeting at ERUUF.

I wish I'd had time to get the whole 10 in, but I was hard pressed to get up early enough to run 10 miles before 7:30 AM, giving me enough time to get ready and get to church in time. (It was a good meeting, and I'm glad I went.)

I watched the end of the women's Olympic marathon tonight, and it was very inspiring. I only caught the last couple miles of the gold medalist, but wow, how impressive! Constantina Tomescu Dita from Romania won in 2:26:44, and is the oldest woman to win the Olympic marathon! Wow!

Yesterday I emailed a lady about the Anna's Angels 10-Miler, which I was considering signing up for. (Since I've run 10 miles or more a few times, I thought it would be a good experience to try a race.) I noticed that the awards ceremony is going to be 2 hours after the race starts, so I emailed the contact person to see if I could run in it, eventhough I knew I couldn't finish it in under 2 hours. (I wasn't worried about being in medal contention!) She replied that the course closed after a couple of hours for safety's sake, so the 5K might be a better option for me. *sigh*

I'm planning to run again in the morning to round out the week's mileage.

More Bike

This morning I did 35 minutes (for 5.71 miles) on the recumbent bike at the gym.

I'm feeling tired this morning, after spending several hours on my feet (a chunk of it on concrete flooring) for yesterday's open house at work. It was a lot of fun, but I can still feel it in my body this morning. I'm surprised I still feel as tired as I do. Wish I could sleep in tomorrow, but I have a meeting at church from 9-4!

Treadmill Run

I did 40 minutes on the treadmill this morning for 3.18 miles. It felt great, wish I could've gone longer. I'm heading to work soon to help set up for our open house. (Can't wait to see people!)

Crosstraining

This morning I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine and 10 minutes on the recumbent bike. Switching around on the machines this week is helping to keep me going. I'm tired this morning after last evening's interview with a Korean documentary crew. I was on the elliptical at the gym already when I realized my v-neck t-shirt was on backward! Hehehe

Variety

Yesterday I did 45 minutes on the elliptical machine. This morning, I ran for 30 minutes on the treadmill, and finished with 10 minutes on the recumbent bike.

Short Bike Ride

This morning I did 30 minutes on the recumbent bike at the gym. I still had some sore muscles from yesterday, and I wanted to save some energy for the day's events (being a Worship Associate at church this morning and lunch aftward with the family). It was a good day, all in all, but I'm looking forward to more exercise tomorrow. (I think I still feel a little gipped from Saturday.)

That Darn Foot

This morning I had a pretty eventful run, eventhough it was cut short (disappointingly, because my feet were hurting). I ran/walked 10.09 miles in 3 hours, 14 seconds.

While I was running near the back of the pack, I got to talk with JoAnn, one of the group leaders. I hadn't had a chance to talk with her before, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her better. She asked what I do, so we talked about libraries and my job for a bit. She told me about a friend of hers who works at Joyner Library at East Carolina University; she decided she wanted a faculty position within the library, so in past few years, she's completed her bachelors degree as well as a masters degree in English. Now this friend of hers is about to start the library science degree program and NC Central, utilizing the online option, at the age of 51! Pretty inspiring! That was great for me to hear.

JoAnn and I also talked about my running goal of the City of Oaks marathon. She suggested (tactfully and kindly) that I consider running the half marathon instead. She has run several half marathons and loves them! I started thinking about it, and how I've felt pretty spent after 10 miles in the past few weeks. If I concentrate on half marathon training, I could continue to build my mileage base, and return to some fall road races without feeling guilty about missing higher mileage runs on Saturdays. I'm still mulling over all of this, but my gut feels relieved when I think about running a half marathon and more 5k and 10K road races.

During one of our bathroom breaks, which happened to be at Crabtree Valley Mall. We were diverted from the door we usually go in because it was still locked--to keep out the line forming for none other than American Idol tryouts! Who knew?!

After I finished 10 miles and veered off from the group, I got to the parking lot, and had a nice chat with Janet and Jeanette, twins training with the Galloway group, who were parked near my car. They're very nice, so I enjoyed talking with them while standing still. :)

I got in the car and headed for the gym, feeling the need to work out some more. I felt a little frustrated and cheated out of a longer run. I went through the McDonald's drive-through and got a Diet Dr. Pepper to rehydrate, and drove straight to the gym. (Since my apartment complex is right across the street, I was a little tempted, but not much.) I did 45 minutes and 3.33 miles on the elliptical, and enjoyed listening to music on my iPod for most of that workout. I still felt bummed about not going 18 miles as planned today, but I felt better.

Afterward, I dropped into the grocery store in the same strip mall as the gym to get some items. When I was ready to check out, I happened to get in line behind several men with Durham Fire-Rescue shirts on. As they were getting their grocery bags together, the cashier reached for my discount card and asked how I was doing. I usually say, "Fine, how are you?" This time I told her I was okay, that I'd just worked out at the gym and was ready to get home. For some reason, she asked how long I'd been at the gym. I told her 45 minutes, but that I'd run for three hours before that. (Okay, she didn't know I was licking some silly wounds!) Well, the Durham Fire-Rescue guy closest to me heard the exchange and did a double take at me, then turned to his cohorts and said, "Dang, she ran for three hours!"

Okay, so that made me feel a little better! :)

Bike Again

I did another round on the recumbent bike, 6.64 miles in 40 minutes. I'm going to be drinking a lot of water today in anticipation of tomorrow's looooonng run. I'm thinking about getting some early miles in, depends on whether or not I can get to bed early!

Elliptical

This morning I did 45 minutes on the elliptical for 3.21 miles. I may join the NCRC this evening for their August trail series. It's hot......

Busy Times

Yesterday morning I did 40 minutes on the elliptical, and I got to bed earrrrrly last night. This morning I got on the treadmill and ran for 30 minutes. It was a little hard to get going, but once I did, it felt great! After the run, I did 20 minutes on the recumbent bike.

The move to the new building for work went well, all in all, and has provided me with some extra physical activity, between unpacking, learning where everything is, and getting to the staff lounge upstairs. I like the new building a lot!

Short Elliptical

This morning I did 35 minutes on the elliptical machine. I woke up late this morning, as I forgot to set my alarm last night, so...a short workout this morning. I'm eager to report to our new work building this morning, so I'm rushing to get in earlier than normal. Wish me luck!

Back on the Bike

This morning I found my way back on the recumbent bike at the gym for 7.21 miles in 45 minutes. Although I'm not in nearly the state I was in last weekend, I still feel the plantar fasciitis going on in my foot, so I decided to take it easy.

Galloway Scavenger Hunt

This morning's marathon training run with the Galloway group was the annual scavenger hunt, this time at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. Luckily (for the artwork!) we ran on a trail around the museum and on a nearby greenway, where we had to take pictures to show that we found clues on a sheet of paper.



We used my digital camera, which is how I got the pictures here. Although several more were taken, these are my favorites!








Another picture of my pace group-pretty neat, huh?








Although this wasn't a scavenger clue, it's also along the art museum trail. I though it was interesting, and I was glad I had my camera handy.





Toward the end of the mileage, Gloria (who was behind me with a few other folks) called up to say they were going to the Cloud Chamber. I turned around, followed the sign, and headed down this trail, trying to catch up with them. I came to a spot where I had to choose between going left or right, and there wasn't another sign. I could hear some (non-distressed) voices in the distance and called out, but didn't hear anything back. I decided to turn around and head back to the parking lot and my car.

I ended up clocking 9.71 miles in 3 hours, which included time to stop and take pictures, as well as once when I stopped my Garmin and forgot to restart it. I don't feel as tired now as I did last Saturday, but my feet hurt a good bit during this morning's run. The plantar fasciitis in my left foot stretched out eventually, but the burning in my right foot (under the toe bridge) was a nagging (and sometimes sharp) pain.

More Energy

This morning I feel more rested, which is a relief. I only ran 5 minutes on the treadmill, though, as I wanted to check out some new arch supports. (The plantar fasciitis in my left foot has been bothering me since last weekend's run.) They feel okay, so I decided to save my legs (and feet) for tomorrow's 10-mile run. I hopped on the elliptical and did 40 minutes on it, working the legs but without the impact.

I hope the plantar fasciitis does okay tomorrow morning.