Thursday at the Gym

My workout reflects that I'm rather pumped this morning--but a little short on time (meeting to try to get to)! First, I got a donation from my cousin, Wayne, for the Ronald McDonald House of Durham, in conjuction with my Outer Banks Marathon training! I'm so excited about this cause, and it's amazing how each donation motivates me! Then, I got a really nice email last night from the founder of the Magnificent Mile Race in Raleigh that made my day (at least!), as she'd discovered and actually read my race report from the 2008 Magnificent Mile! (It's a fun, well-organized race, and will be held on Sept. 13 this year. Run it!)

Anyway, the workout:
1) Rode 4.55 miles (25 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Walked 0.60 mile (10:14 min) on the treadmill
3) Ran 2.33 miles (27 min) on the treadmill

Crosstraining Morning

This morning I started with 20 minutes (1.47 miles) on the elliptical machine, followed by 20 minutes on the treadmill (1.55 miles), and cooled down with 10 minutes on the recumbent bike (1.78 miles).

I've plugged in a few more races I'd like to run into the list on the right. I also discovered the points totals online for the Second Empire Grand Prix Race Series, of which the Magnificent Mile (the race I ran on Sunday) was a part. There's a lunch in January, after the series is over, for the series winners (based on points), as well as for runners who participate in seven of the nine races. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to participate in seven races total at this point (since I missed the first race of the series). Part of it is due to other commitments this fall. Next weekend's race is the Anna's Angels 10 Miler and 5K--the 10 Miler is part of the series, but the course closes in two hours, and I can't run that fast yet. The 5K partnered with the 10 Miler doesn't qualify for series points. Ah well. I'll run as many of the races in the series as I can, and if they do the series again next year, I'll try to plan ahead.

I've put links for the Second Empire Grand Prix Race Series and the point totals on the right hand side of the blog pace to help me keep track. Let me know if you're planning to run any of the same road races!

Race Report: Magnificent Mile, Raleigh, NC

Okay, next time I start pouting about being a slow runner, someone just take me by the shoulders, shake me, and tell me to get over it. I had fun today! I finished the 1-mile race in 11:09, and was pleasantly surprised! The race report follows.....

The Magnificent Mile started in downtown Raleigh, near Second Empire Restaurant and the Clarion Hotel, at 2:00 this afternoon. I got there early to pick up my timing chip in the first floor of the Clarion Hotel, and decided to hang out in the lobby for a while, because it was so hot outside (low 90s, about 10 degrees above normal). I enjoyed people watching, as I often do. At road races, I find myself scoping out the competition, and at events that have both competitive and non-competitive categories, I tend to scan people's feet too, to see whether or not they're in the "competitive" (=timing chip attached to shoe laces) division. It amuses me that I do this, as I usually don't consider myself a competitive person when it comes to other people; I love beating my own times at various distances. Since this was going to be my first 1-mile road race, it meant a guaranteed PR! ;-)

This competitive 1-miler had two heats, one for the men first, followed by the women. While the elite men runners were being introduced just before the men's heat, I struck up a conversation with a lady standing near me on the sidewalk. She had a neon green t-shirt on that indicated she was part of a WISH Training Team, with the group's motto on the back. A couple of us in the crowd were intrigued and asked about it. Turns out she's a big Disney fan, and has run the Disney World half/full marathon courses a few times. Apparently, this is a virtual training team she's on, along with others from the Disney message boards on DISBoards.com. She was smiling as she described how much fun this whole thing was, as people from all over the world were part of these boards and the virtual training team as well. It reminded me of a lady I'd exchanged a couple of messages with some 2-3 years ago when I left a comment on her running/weight loss blog. (That lady was a big fan of the Disney races too.) I was trying to figure out if the person on that blog was this same person from her picture on her blog (which went inactive a while back), but I couldn't tell for sure and didn't want to come across like a stalker or something. Anyway, we did talk about our race hopes for the afternoon, and I was relieved to hear she was hoping to finish around the same time I was!

It was fun watching the guys run their mile. Since I always finish near the back of the races I run, I don't ever see any elite runners finish, but I got to today! The winner of the men's heat finished in a probable course record of around 4:12. Boy, was he flying toward the finish line when I saw him cruise past where I was standing! All the guys finished in under 10 minutes, except for one little kid, who finished in about 12:30. He was sooo cute, and his mom was trotting next to him with a stroller with another child in it. As they neared the finish line, she took the stroller to the left of the finish line, and the little boy wanted to follow her instead of crossing the finish line with his timing chip on! The race officials redirected him across the timing strip at the finish. Very sweet!

Then it was our turn to line up at the start line. Instinctively, I walked to the back of the pack, and there was the Disney lady! We had a few pre-race chuckles, and then the horn sounded. We started running down Hillsborogh St. toward the State Capitol area. The course would take us up to Salisbury St., Morgan St., Wilmington St., Edenton St., back onto Salisbury, then back on Hillsborough St. down to the finish.

At one point pretty early on, I realized I was the last one in the race! (The big clue was the police car right behind me.) The lady in neon green was maybe 50-75 yards ahead of me, and there were a couple of people in between us. I didn't know how that happened--it was like I must've zoned out for a minute or two. I shook it off, and set my sights on the next person in front of me. I caught up with her in a bit, and we exchanged some encouraging words. (She was wearing a gold colored family reunion t-shirt, along with a couple other ladies I'd seen near the start. I thought that was a neat thing to do.) I finally caught up with the Disney lady, and we traded places a couple of times along the way. It was fun to chat with her at different times over the next several minutes. At one point I passed one more lady, who's number (95) was one number lower than mine. I told her we were number neighbors, and to keep on keepin' on. She thought I was strange, I think. (Or maybe she was tired like I was, or maybe she just didn't care!)

When I got back on Hillsborough and could finally see the clock, I hoped I could make it in under 11 minutes, but I didn't quite make it. Disney gal and I ended up crossing the finish line together in 11:09, and it was fun to have someone to celebrate with at the end of the race!

I was pretty tired at the end of the race, though, and am still a bit sore. My cold is still lingering, but I'm still excited about the race, inspite of being a little under the weather.

It was about 20 more seconds before I realized I'd forgotten to turn off my Garmin-oops! I stayed afterward to enjoy the post-race food, watch the non-competitive race (a number of those runners would've beat me this afternoon), and see the official results for myself (out of impatient curiosity--they'll post them online eventually, but I was curious, since my Garmin had kept going). I found out my time of 11:09, and saw the name of the person who finished with me. Turns out it WAS the same lady I'd swapped messages with a few years ago! Now, I can start looking for her brightly colored shirt at future races and say hello. :)

Extra Push, Plus Race Concern

I woke up this morning feeling a little better, thanks goodness, so I was thinking I'd be feeling okay for this afternoon's race. I got on the internet for a few minutes for my habitual early-morning-quick-check of news/email/Facebook/Twitter. On Yahoo, one of the featured stories was called "4 Reasons We Regain Weight." Since I've regained a few of the pounds I lost on the Rice Diet and am eager to get them back off (see my progress pictures here), I pulled up this article to read it. One of the things the article said that people do to maintain weight loss is to exercise an hour or more daily. I used to do at least an hour daily while I was on the Rice Diet, but I don't do that as much any more. I do at least 30 minutes every day, but usually 40-45 minutes, and on Saturdays, I usually exercise 2-3 hours (when I do my long runs, except for yesterday--blasted cold!).

So, eventhough I'm still sniffling a bit from this cold, I decided to pick things up a bit at the gym this morning, eventhough I have a 1-mile race scheduled this afternoon. I did 30 minutes on the treadmill (2.24 miles, a slower pace with occasional .5% incline), and 15 minutes (2.67 miles) on the recumbent bike. Since I knew I'd probably make it to the race this afternoon, I stopped there. Now I wish I'd stopped a little sooner, because now my legs are tired! But, a mile's a mile, and I definitely have another mile in me. (Just wish the temps were going to be a little cooler; it's supposed to be over 90 degrees this afternoon! Ick!)

Speaking of the Magnificent Mile, I went to Raleigh to pick up my race packet at the Athlete's Foot in Cameron Village. The North Carolina Roadrunners Club had two tables set up outside, with one with race numbers and the other with t-shirts. (I can't remember where the goodie bags fell into the flow.) When I took my race number to Table #2 for my t-shirt, an older man standing at the table looked at my race number, looked at me, and said, "So, you're running in the competitive mile?" Okay, so I was already a little sensitive about my slow running, but I still took his comment a little personally. I doubt he meant a thing by it, but I felt a little self conscious! Silly, huh? But I nodded, and replied, "Yes!" Since then, I've been trying to remind myself that 1) I have as much right to be a participant as anyone; 2) the website didn't mention a time limit; 3) I paid the entry fee for a worthy cause, the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation.

Now, I did check the times from last year's race, and based on those times, I probably will be one of the last ones to finish. Do I want to set myself up for that? Hmmm, I think I just need to get over that, though there is the whole pride thing. What I should be proud of is showing up and doing my best. Now, this 1-miler is a USTAF State Championship, as well as a RRCA Southern Region Championship, so I may be a little out of my league. But, since I aspire to be a faster runner, I want to go out there and practice running faster this afternoon. Perhaps I need to remember to smile and have a good time (even with the remnents of this icky cold), to try my best without taking myself so seriously that I forget about the joys and benefits of running.

Missed Long Run

My cold has gotten a bit worse this morning, so I decided to take it easy at the gym. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine, and followed it with 15 minutes on the treadmill. No incline today. No speedwork. I just sucked it up and got some cardio time in. My legs still feel like they have energy in them, like they were expecting a long run today. My face, not so much energy! My nose is clogged up and my eyes feel droopy. Granted, I did go grocery shopping after my workout, all before 11 AM, but I do see a nap in my future!



I wanna be a wuss when I have a cold, but since I'm not coughing, I may try to run the Magnificent Mile tomorrow, since I'm already registered for it. I was hoping to use it as speedwork, but between the cold and projected highs tomorrow close to 95, I think I'll just go out there and run it, have fun, and see how I do.