Another Vacation Workout

I'm still on vacation, but made it to the hotel gym for another workout. I'm off my diet a bit, so I'm glad to still be burning some extra calories off!

This morning, I ran for 40 minutes on the treadmill at a 1% incline (3.15 miles), then rode the recumbent bike for 20 minutes and 4.33 miles (seems like higher mileage than I usually do).

Three days from now, I'll running (and hopefully finishing by now!) my first half marathon!

No Running Today, Looking for Shoe Advice

The plantar fasciitis in my left foot is acting up this morning, so I decided to stay off the treadmill and roads and just ride the recumbent bike in the hotel's workout room. I ended up going 40 minutes, and the "dashboard" on the bike said I went 8.66 miles. That seems like more than the effort I put into it! Perhaps it's calibrated differently from the recumbent bike I use at the gym near home.

I realized when I was packing up for our trip that my newer running shoes are more worn that my previous shoes on the outside of each heel. I'm trying to decide whether to run in one or the other pair for the half marathon, or to buy a new pair Saturday morning to run in on Sunday. The past couple of days, I've worked out in the older, less worn shoes, then walked around (touristy things) in my newer, but more worn shoes. I'm not sure if this is playing into my pf acting up or not. Possibility. Any advice?

Vacation Run

This morning I slept in (yay!), and then checked out the gym at the hotel where we're staying. The first treadmill was too squeaky, but the second was fine, so I ran 3.23 miles in 40 minutes, with a 1% incline.

Now I've run 100.9 miles for the month of October! Woohoo! I will be slowing down the running a bit this week, though, as I taper for Sunday's half marathon.

Workout Push

My vacation starts today, and we're heading for the mountains later this afternoon--yay! I decided to get a decent workout in this morning, eventhough I still feel some residual tiredness from Saturday's 13.1 mile run. (Is the tiredness normal two days afterward?) I ran 3.19 miles on the treadmill in 40 minutes, no incline today, and followed that with 20 minutes/3.58 miles on the recumbent bike.

It turns out I'm only about two and a half miles away from logging 100 miles for the month, so I'll probably try to hit that this week, but I don't think I'm going to push for a lot more. I hope to do some hiking while on vacation, and maybe some swimming. I sure do feel like I need some rest, but I don't want to lose an fitness or pack on the calories!

Tired From Yesterday

Boy, I'm still dragging from yesterday's half marathon distance! I slept in this morning, and when I finally got to the gym, I only did 40 minutes (7.08 miles) on the recumbent bike. The treadmill didn't even tempt me this morning. Did I mention I'm tired?!

So, my first half marathon race is a week from today! Since I'm feeling so wiped out today, I'm wondering how I'll feel next Monday, the day after the race, when I actually have to go to work! Other than getting plenty of rest afterward, what can I do to recover well enough to me effective at work the next day? I'm sure I'll figure something out.

The Time to Beat

I was determined to run/walk a half marathon this morning, since this was going to be my last long run/walk before next weekend's City of Oaks Half. I decided to do the run outside at a new (for me) trail, forcasted rain be damned. I drove to one of the entry spots for the local American Tobacco Trail, and basically did an out-and-back run, though I had to get creative at the end of my run to get to 13.1 and still be pretty close to my car at the end.

The trail was very pretty, tree-lined, paved and mostly flat. It crossed several streets, which I wasn't expecting. Before I started my run, there was a man at a table near the start with Hammer Gels, water, and water spiked with Hammer's energy stuff. It turned out the man was co-owner (I think, with his wife) of a new running store in Durham, Bull City Running. It was nice to chat with him for a few minutes about the gels, his new store, shoes, and the trail. It turns out that his store is right there in Southpoint Crossing Shopping Center, next to where I got onto the American Tobacco Trail.

A few miles into the run, at one of the intersections, I couldn't tell where the trail went on the other side of the street. I'm sure I would've figured it out, but as good fortune would have it, there was a lady standing near the intersection, manning a big water cooler. Turns out she (Suzanne) is with Team in Training, and was happy to point out which way to go. We chatted for a few minutes, and it was a nice, if short rest. All in all, there were quite a few people out on the trail this morning, even in the rain, though there were times when I seemed to have the trail to myself.

One of the reasons I decided to push for the half marathon mileage today was that I wanted to run all the way to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. It was nice to be able to run to see it and the interesting Durham skyline! I wish I'd had a camera with me. Then, of course, I had to run back to get to my car!

I'm fairly pleased with my time of 3:34:38, since it did rain on me some, I had some plantar fasciitis pain, and I ran out of water during mile #9. The time cap at next weekend's race is 3:30, so I'll have to focus and pick up the pace a bit, but I think it'll work out okay.

Side note: With today's run, I passed the 600 mile mark for the year.

Backing Off the Running

I decided to take a break from running this morning, to baby the plantar fasciitis in my left foot, and to rest what may be a little tendonitis in my left ankle. I still made it to the gym, though, where I rode the recumbent bike for 25 minutes (4.39 miles), then did the elliptical machine for 20 minutes (1.48 miles). I'd forgotten how much I enjoy the ellptical machine, and it's nice to break up the routine a little. I missed my morning run, but it's nice to shake things up!

A Little Different

This morning I decided to start with the elliptical machine, and went for 15 minutes and 1.14 miles. Nice change of pace there. After the elliptical, I rode on the recumbent bike for 2.19 miles and 12 minutes. Then I ran on the treadmill for 33 minutes and 2.74 miles (12:02 average pace).

Last evening I went to my second Weight Watchers meeting in a row (yay!) and was glad to post a loss there. There was one lady who had returned to the meeting after some time away. She talked about how she'd eaten a half gallon of ice cream, to which she'd added peanut butter and chocolate sauce. Oddly enough, that sounded really good to me! But she shared that by the end, she didn't even like it anymore. Can see that too. After that, at the end of the meeting, people got various little WW awards, and one lady got her lifetime membership! Now, that's a better "prize" than ice cream, peanut butter AND chocolate! To get to lifetime Weight Watchers membership, she had to hit her goal weight and MAINTAIN it for SIX WEEKS! Now, there's determination!

Another Hour

This morning I rode the recumbent bike for 20 minutes and 3.44 miles. I followed up with running on the treadmill for 40 minutes and 3.30 miles, a 12:07 average pace. Now I'm thinking about breaking 12 minutes for training runs, perhaps it isn't too far off!

Hour-Long Workout

I started in the recumbent bike this morning, and went 4.74 miles in 25 minutes. After that, I got on the treadmill and ran 2.75 miles in 35 minutes, with a 1-1.5% incline.

I was a bit tired this morning, eventhough I got to bed at a decent time last night. Yesterday was jam packed, and I got to bed late on Sunday night. I think it takes me a while to catch up on rest sometimes.

Good Start to the Week

This morning I was a bit tired from getting to bed late last night, so it took an extra kick in the pants to get myself to the gym this morning. Once I was there, though, I had a good treadmill run, going 4.13 miles at a 1% incline in 50 minutes, a 12:06 average pace! That's pretty zippy for me. Amazing what a day off from running can do! :)

No Running Allowed

After running even more miles than last week (yikes!), I stayed on the recumbent bike this morning, and pushed myself to do 7.03 miles in 36 minutes. My legs are tired and sore, but I'm glad I spent time at the gym anyway.

Long Run

I did a long run this morning, starting with 5.54 miles outside doing a run/walk combo. Then I hit the gym and ran 5.12 miles straight with a 1% incline on the treadmill. The total time was 2 hours, 40 minutes, for a 15:00 min/mile average. I had a little pain in my right foot, but it wasn't too bad. Glad to have it behind me, as we're heading to Home Movie Day at the library at Duke, followed by the Duke-Miami football game!

Getting Back into Focus

This has been an interesting week in terms of getting refocused on my dieta (one of the Latin meanings of dieta is "way of life," which I like much better).

• I discovered and got sucked into FitDay.com's food and activity journals, not to mention the nifty weight charts and graphs.

• I attended a Weight Watchers meeting, and decided I enjoyed it, which included the weigh-in and a leader-lead class with others going through the same food issues. I got something out of the meeting, and think it'll help keep me accountable and motivated. While Weight Watchers eTools is available to me, and I should choose between the points plan or the core plan, I'm going to stick with the food and activity journals on FitDay.com for now and see how that works. I'm also going to continue to weigh every day, not just at WW meeting nights.

• I stopped by the Rice House this evening after work and caught up with a few people. It was great to visit Ginger and some other old Rice Diet buddies, and to remember the progress I made there. (Ginger is so funny and wise! I've missed her! She's going to visit Lenore, another good buddy from the Rice Diet, in Virginia this weekend, and I hope they have a blast!)

Okay, Now My Legs ARE Tired!

This morning I decided to cut down on my running mileage by getting on the recumbent bike at the gym first. I did 30 minutes on bike (5.15 miles), and right about that time a treadmill opened up, and I took that as a sign. Planning just to go a mile or so, I started to think about the big difference in calorie burning between the recumbent bike and the treadmill, and I just kept going on the treadmill. My legs had felt tired when I got up this morning (although I went to bed early and had a good night's sleep), so I didn't feel like the Energizer Bunny at all, but I was able to keep going for 30 minutes and 2.34 miles (still under a 13 min/mile pace, which has been a goal for weekday runs lately).

My legs are still feeling tired, and I've been planning a long run tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. I'll make sure I drink plenty of water today and will try to get to bed early again tonight.

Just Running

I stuck to the treadmill this morning, so I ran for 51 minutes and 4.03 miles. It was one of those mornings when I just needed the simplicity of a single exercise. I got on the treadmill and just ran. I did nearly all of it at a 1% incline, and upped the speed on the treadmill as I went along. Average pace was 12:39 minutes/mile.

Tired Morning Workout

Last night, George and I stayed up watching TV until "Law and Order: SVU" went off just before 11:00 PM. I got in bed right at 11:00, but I'm feeling a little tired this morning.

I started with 10 minutes on the recumbent bike at the gym (1.65 mi), then ran 47 minutes (3.68 miles) at a 1% incline on the treadmill this morning. The run felt pretty good once I got going, but my legs felt like cement for the first mile or so.

Yesterday I got reconnected with FitDay.com, and am trying the food and exercise journals as well as the weight log. I like the graphs and charts a lot. I'll post how things are going with it later. The kicker will be if I can stick with it.

Another Run/Ride Combo

I ran 3.66 miles in 46 minutes on the treadmill (1% incline) this morning, then rode the recumbent bike for 12 minutes and 2.33 miles. I skipped the podcasts this morning and just listened to music (my workout playlist), and that was a nice change of pace. :)

Tired Morning Workout

I'm feeling a bit tired and sore from the weekend's race and long run, so I cut things a little short on the workout. I started with 20:08 minutes (3.55 miles) on the recumbent bike, then ran for 35:08 minutes (2.7 miles) on the treadmill. I didn't bother with setting the incline on the treadmill this time, and it was a nice change of pace just to run on "flat land" today! :)

I ran 26:09 miles last week, when my goal was to break 21 miles! I think I overdid it a little, so I'll try to scale back a bit this week.

Sorta Long Run

This morning I knew I needed to attempt a long run, eventhough I ran a 5K road race yesterday, and my weekly mileage was already kinda high. It's such a pretty morning that I decided that ANYTHING I did outside would be great! Ever see one of those mornings? The temperature was in the 60s, the sky was a clear blue, and it was a bit breezy outside, but not too strong. I decided from the get-go not to worry about time or pace, but just to relax and enjoy being outside.

Though I felt kinda sluggish when I got up this morning, and I puttered around a bit inside, once I got outdoors I felt a lot better. I parked at the gym, and ran from there. I ended up run/walking 6.2 miles in 1:45:00, a 16:56 average pace. I did a lot of slow jogging, and even a fair amount of walking. I just thoroughly enjoyed being outside, catching up on my podcasts and speaking to the other runners and walkers who passed me.

When I got back to the gym, I went inside and rode the recumbent bike for 25 minutes (4.67 miles). I decided to hop on the treadmill and see if I had anything left in me in the running department. I lasted for a whopping 6 minutes (0.44 miles) and decided to hang it up for the day. My left knee's bothering me a little (the one I fell on before I landed on my nose back in March--ouch), and my right foot had bothered me during the long run outdoors. I decided it was time to get home and pull out the ice.

Still, all in all, it was a good workout, and I'm still feeling pretty much on track for my half marathon next month.

Race Report: Autism Ribbon Run 5K

This morning I ran in the Autism Ribbon Run 5K in Raleigh, and had a good time! The race started and ended near Moore Square, which has a number of interesting stores and restaurants around it. I always enjoy running races in the area, because the routes often include running through the downtown historic district, including the governor's mansion. The particular course was a little hilly, with more downhills going out and some uphills coming back in. None were too bad, though I did walk up a couple of them.


The weather was great for running! The skies were overcast, there was a light breeze, and the temps were in the low to mid-6os.

Before the race, I had to get there in time to pick up my race packet. I usually like to pick that up the day before, but the website incorrectly listed last night's pickup at the Athlete's Foot at Cameron Village for both Thursday and Friday nights. The BROCHURE correctly listed the Friday evening packet pickup at Moore Square. By the time I arrived at the Athlete's Foot last night, it was about 6:40, and I didn't think I could get to Moore Square by 7:00. Kinda frustrating, but at least I had the option to pick up it before the race this morning.

Since I got there early, I enjoyed looking at the various vendor tables set up in Moore Square. It was fun to catch up with Wendy from the Magnificent Mile there, and to see that she's out of her orthotic boot--no fun! I hope she had a good race! I also gave a big hello to a lady at one of the tables; I thought I recognized her from the Galloway group, but it came up in conversation that she hadn't run in a couple of years! Ugh, oh well! :)

Afterward, the vendors were still there, and post-race refreshments were plentiful.

I ended up finishing the race in 39:31, under my goal of 40:00! Woohoo! I beat my last 5K of 39:47, and I'm happy about that! I'm still trying to beat my pre-injury PR of 35:30. I'll get there sometime!

Same Thing

I did the same routine at the gym this morning that I've done all week. Oddly enough, it hasn't been boring. I think it's been such a busy week for me that the gym routine has been comforting.

I ran on the treadmill for 35 minutes (2.73 miles) at a 1% incline, then rode the recumbent bike for 25 minutes (4.62 miles). I ran a bit less today because I've got a 5K road race in Raleigh tomorrow.

Yesterday I started reading the book, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, by Haruki Murakami. I haven't gotten very far, as George and I had dinner with his family in Cary last night for Yom Kippur, but I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth into it.

More Run/Ride

This morning I felt a little tired, though not as tired as last week. (I've been trying to get to bed by 11:00 every night, and that's helping a lot. Even George commented this morning that I've been looking "healthier!") I got on the treadmill and decided to run at least a mile and see how I felt, and I ended going 3.1 miles in 40:04. (My pace was a little slower this morning, but still under 13 minutes, @ 12:55 minutes per mile, with a 1-1.5% incline.) Then I hopped on the recumbent bike for 20 minutes and 3.58 miles. Not a bad morning's work!

Run/Bike Again

I'm on a roll with the run/bike thing this week. This morning I ran 3.27 miles in 42 minutes, then rode 3 miles on the recumbent bike in 16 minutes. All my runs so far this week have had an average pace of under 13 minutes, which is encouraging to me. My quads are sore, but it's a good sore.

More Running

I'm getting into a groove on the treadmill. Today I ran 4 miles in 51:19, without any foot pain! :) I finished up on the recumbent bike with 2.16 miles in 12 minutes.

I miss running/walking outside sometimes in the morning because it's so dark when I get up and head to the gym, but I'm glad the treadmill's feeling good. Listening to music and podcasts on the iPod helps/

Good Start to the Running Week

This morning I had a good run on the treadmill, going 3.25 miles in 41 minutes, with a 1-1.5% incline. Then I got on the recumbent bike for 15 minutes and 2.68 miles. My feet didn't bother me today--yippee!

My running goal for this week is at least 21 miles.

Not-So-Long Weekend Runs

I usually do a long run on Saturdays, but yesterday morning I had to work a shift for the Junior League's Bargain Sale, so that threw me off my usual morning run. I finally got to the gym around 5 PM and ran 3.33 miles in 42 minutes, then rode the recumbent bike for 25 minutes (4.46 miles).

Since I had a really busy week, I've been feeling a little bit run down this weekend, so I slept in a little this morning. I ended up running 5.15 miles in 1:11:02. Once I started running, I felt better, but I had to stop to get ready to go to church. *sigh* I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get more running done this weekend, but I'll get over it!

Lighter Morning

This morning I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine (2.15 miles), then 20:03 minutes of running on the treadmill with a 1% incline (1.6 miles). That's a 12:31 pace, so I'm getting a little faster. :) I did push the pace a little, since I knew it would be a shorter run.

I wanted to run longer, but have to think about tomorrow. I'm a member of the local Junior League, and tomorrow's our annual Bargain Sale, a huge garage sale thing. Everyone in our local league must work at least one shift, and tomorrow morning I'm working from 7:30-10:30 AM. That'll be 3 hours on my feet, for sure. After that, I need to get a long run in, not sure if it'll be 10 miles or not. I'm not going to worry about it. Helping with the Bargain Sale is always fun, and it's a big fundraiser for us. I'm sure I'll get my miles in between Saturday and Sunday.

Back to Running

I started out on the recumbent bike this morning because all the decent treadmills were taken when I got to the gym. I did 2.54 miles in 15 minutes, then hopped on the treadmill. I thought I might just do 15 minutes on the treadmill, but I ended up going for 40 minutes, logging 3.16 miles. Even at an incline set at 1% and sometimes 1.5%, the pace (12:39 minutes per mile) felt decent. I've been pushing to get my average pace under 13:00, so I'm happy about that. It's nice to be feeling a little stronger as well as more rested.

Sometimes I worry that if I take the time to rest my weary self, that I might get out of sync and have a hard time running again. That may happen someday, but I need to try not to worry about it! Rest is okay!

Coming Around

While I'm still feeling a bit tired, the weariness is subsiding a bit. This morning, I started with 15 minutes on the recumbent bike, then did 26:01 minutes on the treadmill (2.02 miles) at a 1% incline. I've decided to back off a bit from the 60-minute workouts this week, since I have a lot going on at night after work this week.