Another Mileage Milestone

Yesterday's long run/walk was a tough one, the hardest of the season for me. I finished 7.02 miles in 2:18:11, and finished is the operative word here. The 19:41 average pace is one many walkers can beat. It was a warm and humid morning, though, and speaking of walking, most of the last mile and a half was uphill. I walked most of that. It was my highest long run/walk/walk mileage of the year, though, so I guess that counts for something. Also, I've finished the running week with 14.58 run/walk miles, a 2010 high as well.

Part of my problem yesterday was that I tried some metatarsal pads yesterday. I went back to the podiatrist on Friday, and he gave me some to try before considering custom made orthotics ($400-500 not covered by my health insurance) or surgery to shorten the metatarsal bones (yikes!). I must have misplaced (not lost, incorrectly placed) the metatarsal pads, as my right toes started hurting around Mile 2, instead of the usual Mile 3). Eventually, I sat down on a bench, pulled my shoe off and detached the pad from my sole insert. The sticky on the bottom of the pad was gone then, so I tossed it, put my shoe back on, and continued. *sigh*

Meanwhile, I've started another 100-Day Challenge. I did this last year with some success. It's time to refocus on my weight loss, so I'm doing it again. The scoop is that I've created a spreadsheet on Google Docs, and I'm going to track my weight, pedometer steps, and whether or not I've drunk 64 ounces of water on each day. My goals will be to lose weight (of course!), walk at least 10,000 steps daily, and drink at least  8 cups of water each day.

Yesteray's Run on the Incline

Yesterday's running assignment was 4 miles of run/walk, with 3 of them running. I opted for the treadmill again, as I continue to be a wuss in the heat, at least during the work week. (I'll run outside tomorrow morning.) 2 of the running miles were at a 2% incline, and 1 running mile (the middle one) was at a 1% incline. I had quarter mile walk breaks at the beginning, end, and between each mile. Let me tell ya, that was a pretty tough workout for me, tougher than I thought it would be! I finished 4.02 miles in 63 minutes, a few minutes faster than my long run pace.



The treadmill picture is from http://www.fotosearch.com/clip-art/treadmill.html Since I work in for a university library, and use the treadmill a lot, maybe this should be my unofficial logo. What do you think?

Thank Goodness for Air Conditioning!

Okay, I've been a wuss this week, at least when it comes to the heat and working out. Granted, two out of three workout assignments this week have been on gym equipment, so I have an easy out!

Monday:
3.02 miles in 41 minutes on the elliptical, plus some core stuff

Tuesday:
SPEED WORKOUT
Walked 0.21 mi in 4:07
Ran 0.54 mi easy in 8:00
Ran 1 mi in12:47
Ran 1 mi in12:42
Ran 0.50 mi in 6:04
Ran 0.50 mi in 6:01
Walked 0.27 in 5:07

I rested 3 minutes between each interval. The miles were supposed to be sub-13, so I was happy to nail that. My half miles were supposed to be sub-6, not quite there.

Today:
Recovery bike ride, 6.23 miles in 42:00. I'm a bit tired this morning.

Weekend Workouts

Yesterday's long run/walk was an "H" trifecta: hot, humid, and hilly! I got it done by starting early and taking advantage of the Galloway water stops. In the end, I completed 6.62 miles in 2:10:21. It was a good bit slower than last week's pace, but I didn't worry about it yesterday. I still ended up between pace groups, faster than the group I ran/walked with last year, but not fast enough to join the next group up. Maybe I'll get there as I continue to lose weight.

My body has been tired today, but I hit the gym anyway. My assignment was to bike 30-45 minutes, depending on how my legs felt. My legs weren't sore (except for my knee, which got banged by a chair after the run was over!), but I'm just feeling tired today, so I ended up riding 6 miles in 36:03 on the stationary bike. It wasn't a very hard ride, but I still came home and took a nap!

Walking Machine

Today's assignment was 45 minutes of brisk walking, so I decided to head outside to a nearby neighborhood instead of going to the gym. When I started, I forgot about the "brisk" part of the workout, as I was enjoying being outside. Then I realized I needed to pick up the pace! I ended up doing 3.28 miles in 1:05:01, a longer workout than I'd planned, especially before work, but it was great to start out the day outside! My mile splits are below:

1) 21:37

2) 19:37

3) 18:39

.28) 5:07

Meanwhile, here's a fun little photo from the San Francisco Chronicle:

 

Bob Schneeveis of Palo Alto demonstrates his battery-powered "Walking Machine." Chronicle photo by Michael Maloney

Another Speed Workout in the Books

Today's speed assignment was 3 mile repeats between 13:00 and 13:30. I looked at this with a hairy eyeball, but decided to see if I could have negative splits, to boot! First , I warmed up a little.
Walked 0.25 mi in 5:00
Ran 0.53 mi in 8:02
Ran 1 mi in 13:21
Ran 1 mi in 13:14
Ran 1 mi in 13:12
Walked 0.27 mi in 5:03

I wish I could claim this workout on the road, but alas, it was on the treadmill, which is an easier way to go. Still, it was a good workout for me.

Longest Run of the Year!

Today's scheduled 6-miler turned out to be my longest run of the year! :)

I started out about 6:20 this morning in the Crabtree Creek area of the Raleigh Greenway System, and got a couple of miles in early before meeting up with the rest of the Galloway group. I saw some other Gallowayers on the trails getting in some early mileage before the group run as well, which made me feel a little "hardcore" like I think they are! :) After walking an extra quarter of a mile with the pace group, I started my own run/walk routine. It was a warm and muggy morning, but not quite as bad as I expected. I enjoyed stopping at the Galloway water stops and allowing the pace group to catch up with me. Since George is one of the pace group leaders for that particular group, it was fun chatting with him as well as the others for a couple of minutes. Toward the end of the run, one of the runners actually caught up with me, as he was in the mood to go a little faster than the group was going (and I was following my running coach's orders), so we had a nice chat. Herb is in his 80s, and is a real inspiration to me! I enjoyed talking with him so much that I ended up going an extra half mile today, finishing 6.5 miles of run/walk in 2:00:03! It was a long time to be out there, and it was slow, for sure, but it was one of the nicest runs I've had in a while.


Picture of Crabtree Creek above from http://www.flickr.com/photos/tmartin/3448508863/

This Week's Treadmill Runs

It's HOT here in central North Carolina, so I've enjoyed my treadmill runs this week, I must admit! Tuesday's run was a little bit of a speed workout, but not a big deal, really (3.62 miles in 52:52). For yesterday's run, I did some incline work on the treadmill, 1% at first, and 2% later on. I worked up a good sweat doing that (3.75 mi in 1:06:16)!

Tomorrow's run/walk assignment is a 6 miler, the most I've done in a while. I'll be running outside, and it's going to be another scorcher, so I hope to get an early, early start.

Decent Run Today!

I joined the local Galloway training group again for my run today, as I enjoy the people, the running comraderie, but I did my own run/walk assignment. (I continue to hope I'm not causing any ill will or confusion by doing this!) My Garmin Forerunner battery died before I completed my 4.2 mile assignment, but it did record 3.92 miles in 1:07:50, which was a 17:18 overall pace for me, pretty darn good for a long run for me, especially since it was pretty hot and humid at the start.

1) 19:44 (walked the whole mile)
2) 13:44 (ran the whole mile)
3) 17:59 (ran/walked, going uphill)
.92) 16:23 (ran/walked, going uphill)

At the halfway point, we stopped at the Galloway water stop, and noticed that someone down the street was on the ground! It was a neighborhood runner who had passed us on the other side of the street, it turned out. There were several nurses in our group who went down to help and stay with him until help arrived after the 911 call. Scary stuff, and reminded me of the importance of drinking water and being mindful of how I'm feeling out there!

Recovery Week Continued

So this continues to be a low-key week, exercise-wise. It's been a nice change of pace, which unsettles me a little! Am I losing my passion for running? I don't know about that, but I'm certainly discouraged about the pain in my feet (at around 3 miles), and I'm going through road race withdrawal. I'm signed up for an 8K that happens tomorrow, but that distance is beyond my pain threshold, and my coach has encouraged me to take a pass on this nearly-5-mile race. *sigh* I should look for some 5K races coming up, but haven't yet. I do have a 4-mile run/walk tomorrow morning, so hopefully I'll get my "sea legs" back.

Meanwhile, the Second Empire Grand Prix Series luncheon is coming up next month, and that's definitely something to look forward to! More good news is that the Duke women's open team that I formed for the Run for the Oaks ended up finishing 3rd in the corporate cup series! So, we're getting another plaque and a check for $35! I'll be splitting the winnings with the other two ladies on the team, so it doesn't look like I'll be quitting my day job to become a professional runner! Oh well. :)

Recovery Week

So, this is a recovery week for me. Brennan schedules me for three "hard" workout weeks, followed by one "recovery" week, to let my body rest for a bit. I still work out, but it gives me a chance to recover a little bit. At first, it felt a little strange, but now I kinda look forward to that fourth week of low-key workouts. Since this will be a busy week at work, I'm thankful for the shorter workouts, too.

George and I enjoyed a short getaway to Emerald Isle, North Carolina, from Sunday to yesterday, where we gathered with some other family members to break in my sister's newest rental house on the beach. We helped hang pictures and arrange things, and it was fun to help out, in addition to getting a little extra exercise. :) We also enjoyed the hot tub and pool for a bit, in addition to the beach, and as an added bonus, my uncle gave George, Emily, Laura, and me a long tennis lesson Sunday night! The tennis lesson was great exercise, and I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed the game! Now I want a new tennis racquet and lessons!