Rock 'n' Roll Series Coming to Raleigh!

The Raleigh City Council gave approval on Tuesday for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series to do a marathon in Raleigh, starting in 2014. My first reaction was, "Wow! That sounds great!" My second thought was, "Will they have a half marathon too?!"  See, I've always wanted to do a Rock 'n' Roll race, just to see what it's like, but the total cost has been a bit over my budget. The race registration  for Rock 'n' Roll races is a little high, but the "official hotel" rates within close proximity to the start and finish lines are even higher, and sometimes require a 2-3 night stay. (That's the case for the Virginia Beach race, anyway.)

As word as spread through the local running community, I learned that feelings are mixed about a RnR race coming to town. Someone on Facebook compared it to Walmart coming to town, and out-muscling the local marathons. I'm not deep enough into the running scene to know if that will be the case or not. Time will tell.

Here's the story from wral.com.

I'd love to hear opinions from  local runners, as well those who have participated in Rock 'n' Roll races! What do you think?

2013 Race Schedule

I've been so inspired by the recent and upcoming fall races of many running friends, that even though we're not done with 2012 yet, I've already started plotting my running comeback in 2013. Too soon, you ask? Maybe, but I love the planning, love seeing how races map out on the calendar, love the possibilities!
I've been down and out for a couple of weeks with a collection of -itises that include coughing, congestion, and loss of voice, so both physical therapy and exercise have been put on hold lately. ON the plus side, I haven't felt like eating as much, so my weight is down a bit. While my voice is still gone, the coughing and congestion are better, so I'm finally to the point of THINKING about exercise! Yay!
I'd initially thought about some half marathons for the spring, but after looking at previous races, times, and training, I've decided to assume a slow recovery and build-up, working on 5Ks and 10ks this spring. If training and weight loss go better than expected, great, but I think I'd rather work toward building up slowly than crashing and burning due to overtraining.

My initial plan for the winter and spring is to shoot for the Second Empire Grand Prix Series Spring 2013 lineup, In this series, runners earn points for each race completed, and accumulate points throughout the season. The top 5 overall men and women, and top 3 point-earners in various age groups get prizes. Plus, runners who compete in 6 of the 10 races get invited to the nice Awards Luncheon at Second Empire as well. I'm shooting for the "6 out of 10" option, obviously! ;o)

My fall half marathon schedule will depend on how training goes over the next 10-12 months. Important things for me to work on:

1) Cardio
2) Strength training
3) Weight loss & better nutrition
4) Stretching when warmed up
5) Keeping running shoes pretty current

You may notice a lot of races in my "Races on My Radar" section. Don't worry, I'm not planning on doing all of them! The list is a work in progress, one I'll be updating in the weeks and months ahead.

Meanwhile, if you're planning to do the Second Empire Grand Prix Series this winter/spring, let me know!

Physical Therapy Starts Today!!

I begin  physical therapy for my left leg and right ankle after work today! Yippee! I can't tell you how excited I am about moving forward with treatment. I've already started looking at spring half marathons, which may be overzealous (and I have to be careful about that!), but it's fun to dream.

Saturday Gym Workout

I had a well-rounded workout at the gym yesterday, which included some time on the stationary bike, the elliptical, some upper body strength training with dumbbells, and a little bit of core work. I don't feel as sore this morning as I expected to. Either I've gotten stronger or I need to push myself a little bit harder. Maybe a bit of both.

I tried a new elliptical machine there at the gym, one with a TV screen, but the mileage was quite off from another elliptical machine I normally use there. After 7 minutes, it said I'd only gone 2/10 of a mile! I'm slow, but usually go more than twice that speed on the elliptical. I got off that one (the TV screen turned out to be a nuisance anyway!),  went to do something else, and hopped on my normal brand of elliptical machine (sans TV), and had a good workout there.

I still have my eye on the half marathons in March and April (and hopefully May), but am enjoying my time in the gym for now, especially during this cold weekend here in central North Carolina.

Ahhh, Massage!

I had a professional massage a little while ago, my first one in several months! It feels like I have a new upper back! Holy cow!

Meanwhile, I've gotten a little more exercise this past week, and that feels good too. Here's hoping there will be more of that soon. Grad school continues to eat up a lot of free time, but that's definitely a priority right now.

Meanwhile, George is gearing up for his first marathon a week from today! Yippee! I won't be running the accompanying half marathon that I paid for, but it is what it is. I stopped running because of plantar fasciitis in my left foot, but classes and studying have quickly filled the void I've felt in the past when I stopped running to heal. So, I'm really looking forward to supporting George during next Sunday's marathon. I'm sure he'll do great!

More Crosstraining

I'm still taking a break from running as the plantar fasciitis in my left foot heals. Meanwhile, I've been to the gym two days in a row now to crosstrain on the gym equipment, and it's been a surprisingly refreshing break from running. I think part of it is that I've been able to concentrate a little more on grad school, now that I've let go of my running training plan for a bit.

In some ways, I feel like I've traded in my identity as a runner for a new identity as a part-time grad student. I'm definitely enjoying grad school, though it's a lot of work and has wiped out much of my free time. I'm not ready to totally ditch running, but it could be that I need to adjust my goals for the next few years and concentrate on different ones. For instance, in my quest to run more half marathons, I have missed running the 5K races that I ran when I first started running again. One of the bright sides of training for shorter distances is that I'd run less chance of having the recurring pain in my right toes at distances of 3-4 miles (due to extra long metatarsals, not interested in bone-shortening surgery, thank you very much).

So, we'll see! Meanwhile, I'm back on the elliptical and the stationary bike, plus some weight lifting and other things. Maybe I'll plug into a fitness class or two for the social thing that I'm missing with the running group.

Small Running World

I'm in the process of getting many of my medical check-ups out of the way before I start graduate school later this month at North Carolina Central University. Yesterday I had my annual physical with a new-to-me gynecologist, and it just so happens that he just ran his first half marathon, the Inside-Out Sports Classic, back in May! He's signed up for the Outer Banks Half Marathon in November, and I did that one last year, so we really hit it off with the running thing! I liked his bedside manner as well, and also enjoyed talking with the nurse who assisted.

Although "going to the doctor" isn't my favorite thing to do, it feels good to be getting my health ducks in a row.




Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

New Week, New Training Plan

This morning I started a new training plan, Jeff Galloway's half marathon training schedule for a time goal. For now, I'm going to follow it as closely as I can, but I'll keep in mind that I may need to be flexible down the road and scale back a bit. Here's the link. Scroll down to the second plan to see what I'll be working on.

So, I did the 30 minute run on today's schedule outside for a change. I'd gotten into the habit of going to the air conditioned gym and running on the treadmill. Because I run more quickly on the treadmill, that's always a confidence boost. In the big scheme of things, though, running outside is more realistic, and allows me to track my progress on a wider variety of surfaces. Anyway, I ran through the Brier Creek Country Club neighborhood, and had plenty of company, including several dog walkers. (I enjoy seeing people's dogs, as long as they're leashed as I'm running by! Who knows, maybe being chased by a dog might help me with my speed, though!)

Today's workout: 1.51 miles in 30:01 min., 30 sec/30 sec run/walk intervals, sunny and around 75F

Gym Workout

This morning I rode 5:04 miles in 31:02 minutes on the recumbent bike at the gym. My legs still felt a bit tired, probably from Saturday's hilly long run. I decided not to worry about it and moved on the the weights for some upper body strength training (machine and dumbbell combo). I felt like I had a good upper body workout this morning! I think that if  I can be consistent with the strength training (especially core and upper body), it could really help me with the running.

I'm still mulling over my long run last Saturday, and how hard it was. Part of it was the humidity, heat, and hills, I know, but it was my slowest average pace for the season! I decided to plug my most recent Magic Mile time in on Jeff Galloway's website, and it says I should be training at a 23:35 minute/mile pace for a half marathon! It makes my 20:26 min/mile average pace from Saturday seem pretty good. It makes me wonder if my Magic Mile last week could've been faster. Maybe, but it felt like a pretty hard effort. Well, it could be that I'm still doing a pretty short long run (6 miles this past weekend), and I'll need the cushion of the extra minutes when the longer miles kick in, especially while it's still so hot! But I also hope that my endurance and speed will continue to improve, resulting in a faster Magic Mile.

Meanwhile, I've been tweaking my half marathon training schedule a bit, based on my target race and class schedule for the fall. (I'm starting graduate school part time in August, and will have a class every other Saturday.) I'm actually looking forward to making it work. Weekend long runs will be more challenging on class weekends, but I'm determined to make it work!

Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

Working on Speed

Yesterday morning's running clinic with Luis was cancelled due to weather, so I ended up doing my scheduled 4-mile walk as usual, though in the afternoon instead of the morning. I drove to the gym, planning to walk on the treadmill since it was still chilly and icky, but as I was getting out of the car, I noticed my light jacket in the back seat. Since I had my Garmin with me too, I decided to walk what I could outside, then head indoors later if I needed to finish up 4 miles.

My Hal-Higdon-Plan assignment today was 4 brisk miles, so I headed out on a paved path near the gym, and decided to see how far I could go at a zippy pace. I'd taken this path before, but had never gotten to "the end." Well, I made it to "the end," which (not a bit surprise) took me back to my gym! I ended up walking 2.63 miles from and back to my car, where I decided I'd head inside to use the facilities, then the treadmill. I did the 2.63 miles in 52:33, a 19:57-ish pace. I was happy to see that sub-20 pace on the asphalt! Inside, I walked 1.75 miles on the treadmill in 31:07, a 17:46 pace, a much better pace--but treadmill-assisted. My right toes hurt by the end, but I iced them afterward and that helped a bit.

My current goal is to hit a 4:00 (or below) half marathon, an 18:00 pace or below. I'm not sure if I'll hit that at the Tobacco Road Half Marathon in March, but it's definitely a doable goal before the end of this year. And who know's, maybe I'll be running by spring!

A Date with (and for) New Orthotics!

Well, I finally have a date to get my new orthotics--February 14, Valentine's Day! As much as I love running, I can't wait to get them in my running shoes and start breaking them in!

Meanwhile, I'm looking at fall races and wondering if I'll be able to do some running by then! Time will tell. I'm working on my walking form, in the mean time, and am currently reading the book, The Complete Guide to Marathon Walking, by Dave McGovern. I've just started it, but so far, it's a pretty good read. I'm trying to be optimistic about running comfortably again, but realistic too, planning for what I CAN do. I may never do another marathon, but I hope this book will help me with half marathons.

Driving to a Race--What's Your Limit?

I've been looking at walker-friendly half marathons within driving range of where I live (to save on costs since I'm saving for graduate school), and the New River Half Marathon looks delightful! The only catch is that it's three hours away!  I don't really want to spend the night, but I think I'd enjoy doing this course! What do you think? And what is the longest distance or time you'd drive to participate in a race on that day?

Check out this video of the course:

New Year, New Plan

Umstead Entrance on Hwy 70

I had a great walk this morning in one of the state parks in our area, William B. Umstead State Park, a place the locals call "Umstead" for short. I was a gal on a mission, with a new training plan in hand, but didn't expect to find myself hiking in a state park this morning. I was on my way to walk on the Raleigh Greenway system, and was passing by Umstead on the way when I remembered that I had my camera and decided to pull into the park and see if there was still any snow around for some shots. I found myself going further and further into Umstead, then I decided to park and walk around for just a few more pictures. Then I decided to turn on my Garmin Forerunner 205 and get some of my mileage out of the way while I was there taking pictures. Oops! 3.17 miles later, I had my mileage done for the day, and nearly 100 pictures in my digital camera! While I'm including three of my favorite shots in this post, the rest of my Umstead pictures are here.

Sycamore Trail

I had forgotten how pretty winter can be in the woods of North Carolina. It's a beauty that didn't really come through in the pictures like I'd hoped, and while most of the snow had melted, the scenery and atmosphere still reminded me of Robert Frost's poetry (though I can hardly compare our snow to New England's!). One of  my most delightful finds this morning was a small, well-kept cemetery on the edge (I think!) of the park. Since I'm a taphophile, I was so glad I had my camera with me, and stopped my Garmin to slow down and take some pictures there. My photos of the cemetery are here.

Wild Ferns Along the Sycamore Trail

Oh, I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I had a new training plan! Earlier in the Christmas break, I checked out Hal Higdon's website when I googled "half marathon walk plan," and discovered that the website had just the sort of plan I was looking for, something with structure that I could tweak. His half marathon walk program is twelve weeks long, and provides for long walks of varying intensity and mileage on the weekend, and five other days of walking (by minutes rather than miles) during the week. While I'm still waiting on my orthotics casting appointment, I'm going to do more crosstraining than walking during the week, mostly saving the walking for the weekend. Also, Higdon's plan doesn't include any speedwork, which I plan to do at least once a week (probably on the stationary bike, at least for now). I really miss working with a running coach, but it feels great to have a plan and to be able to tweak it for my needs and fitness level.

So, according to Higdon's half marathon walking plan, I had 3 easy miles on tap for this weekend, and thanks to my walk with the camera on the Sycamore Trail of Umstead Park, I covered 3.17 miles in 90 minutes, covering 3.644 feet of ascent (according to the Garmin), which is a lot more than I'm used to! Even though my average pace per mile was 28:23 min, I know I can normally go faster without my camera. This was the longest distance I've covered on foot since the Outer Banks Half Marathon, so it was a good start, I think. My right foot is a little sore around the toes this evening, but not as bad as I expected. I've been icing the area with a frozen water bottle.

In other news, I still need to find the right ticket for weight management, as I am up 1.4 pounds from January 1, 2010! There, I admitted it. Wrong direction! Stay tuned!

Signed Up For Another Race!

Well, I did it! Last night I registered for the Tobacco Road Half Marathon in March! The race is a local one (in Cary, North Carolina), and a good chunk of the course goes along a section of the American Tobacco Trail in Wake County. One of the biggest plusses for me is that the half marathon has a seven hour time limit! Not that I plan to take seven hours for a half, mind you! It means that the race, which has the same finish line as the full marathon, is walker-friendly! :)

Meanwhile, training at the gym has been going pretty well the past few days, but it's nice to have a race to focus on now. I'm tempted to do some 5Ks now for speed practice (and, truth be told, I love road race mornings!), but I'd be pretty slow right now.

And yes, I am watching the calendar! January 7 is my podiatrist appointment for casting the orthotics! Woohoo!

Does Housework Count?

George and I are getting ready for a party at our place Saturday night, so I've been getting a pretty good workout cleaning the apartment over the past few days! Last night I had a marathon session with a Hoover SteamVac (after vacuuming with a regular vacuum cleaner), and I'm feeling it today! I know that housework isn't a true replacement for cardio and strength training, but it burns off a few calories, I know! :)

In other news, I weighed in yesterday, and my goal is to lose 5 pounds this month of birthday and holiday celebrations. I'll let you know how it goes! I plan to sign up for another half marathon after Christmas, and I want to be ready. Losing weight will help, that's for sure!

A Half Marathon on the Bike

Well, I decided to hold back on running either the half marathon or the 5K this morning. I knew I'd probably try to go faster than I should on the 5K race, and running the half marathon distance was out of the question.

So, I headed to the gym and hopped on the recumbent bike first. Several miles into the ride, I wondered if I could go 13.1 miles on the recumbent bike. I decided to give it a try and see how I felt. I ended up overshooting the half marathon distance to hit a multiple of 5s in the exercise minutes category. (It adds up to extra points earnings with SparkPeople and the Presidents Challenge to do multiple of 5s in exercise minutes. An odd little motivator, but there it is!)

1) Rode 13.35 miles (1 hr, 5min) on the recumbent bike
2) Walked 0.90 mile (15 min) on the treadmill
3) Ran 0.16 mile (2:07 min) on the treadmill--this I shouldn't have tried, especially last, after 90 minutes of working out already. I'm not quite ready for running action yet, so I'm relieved I didn't go to Raleigh for the races today. I'm getting closer, but not quite there yet.

Saturday Run (mostly) at Shelley Lake

This morning I decided I was up for a change of scenery, so I headed to Shelley Lake to do my long run. The parking lot was pretty full, and I soon learned that the Annual Huck Finn Fishing Derby was being held today. Here's a cute article about a previous year's Huck Finn Fishing Derby at Shelley Lake. Despite the extra cars, I saw several Gallowayers gathering for group runs or walks, and it was fun to catch up a little! I walked with three of them for a little while, then took off!

I wasn't sure how long I was going today, but I knew it needed to be "long." I'd added some new songs to my iPod before I left home, for extra ammunition. I ended up going 9.05 miles in 2:30:15 in the beautiful weather, and saw several other Galloway run/walkers on the trail while I was at it! I worked on walking faster during my walk breaks, and the music helped my running go a little faster too, I think, so my average pace was 40 seconds faster today than it was during my last long run 2 weeks ago. (Last weekend I had a 5K race.) I'm happy about the faster pace, especially since the pain is back under the bridge of my right toes. I think a doctor's appointment is eminent, especially with marathon training just around the corner.

After the Shelley Lake run, I ran by the public library for some books I had on hold, then stopped by the gym. I decided to run on the treadmill for a while to work on speed when tired. I was just going to do a mile, but ended up doing 2.15 miles in 25:09 minutes, a decent pace for me any day of the week! So, I ended up with 11.2 miles for today, decent mileage (but not too much?) the week before a half marathon.

I got a little sun on my face today, and wonder if any readers have suggestions for sunscreen for the face, something that won't melt and dribble into my eyes (ouch, sting!).

My running, walking, and biking mileage for this week have all surpassed last week's mileage totals! Yay!

Thursday Workout and Fall Race Update

The gym was still pretty crowded with the Resolution crowd this morning, but I was able to get a decent workout in.

1) Ran 3.14 miles on the treadmill in 38:03 minutes
2) Walked 0.50 miles on the treadmill in 6:11 minutes
3) Biked 2.15 miles in 12 minutes

This afternoon, I noticed that the City of Oaks Marathon and Half Marathon have tentatively been set for November 1. That's cutting it close to the annual anniversary trip George and I usually take the end of October. (Our first date anniversary is on Halloween!) Sooo, I also found out that the Outer Banks Marathon and Half Marathon are on November 8! The timing seems better, and it would be a neat trip! Also, I've heard that marathon is rather flat (except for the bridge), and could be a great first marathon. I wonder if I could be ready for a marathon this year. I'd all but talked myself out of that goal for this year, thinking that another year of base mileage would be good for me. But what if I could do it?!

Well, I'll see how the Coach Bubba 20K next month goes. Raleigh Rocks Half in March will be a good indicator of my progress as well. Stay tuned!

2009 Running Goals

I've been mulling over my 2009 running goals lately, trying to decide how big or specific to be. I also mulled over whether or not the go for a full marathon this year. I decided I wouldn't push it this year, but continue to work on my base mileage and speed. If the marathon happens this year, okay, but at this point, I'm thinking 2010 will be the marathon year. So, for 2009:

1) Run 1000 miles this year.

I tried to do this in 2008, but with injuries early in the year, I wasn't able to catch back up.

2) PR in the half marathon.

I ran my first half marathon in November 2008, and I want to put the things I learned from that race into action and run a faster half marathon time in 2009. I've already signed up for the Raleigh Rocks Half Marathon in March.

3) Race a new distance.

I've already signed up for next month's Coach Bubba 20K. It'll be my first 20K, so it'll be an instant PR, the time to beat when I get around to another 20K!

Getting Back on Track

Late yesterday, I starting feeling the post-half marathon exhaustion starting to lift, thank goodness! I was wondering how long it would last, or if something else was going on in my body or mind. I think the new pair of running shoes has helped, both physically and psychologically. The new cushioning helps my feet, legs, and hips, and the new shoes mark the new I'm-a-half-marathoner era.

This morning I started with 2.77 miles (15 minutes) on the recumbent bike, and followed it with 2.8 miles (35:07 minutes) on the treadmill at a 0.5-1% incline. Felt good to run a bit farther in training.