Sluggish C25K W9D2 Done

This morning's run was sluggish and discouraging. Plantar fasciitis and tendonitis were both fussy this morning, and I have a lingering sore throat (but no fever as an excuse). I also overshot my time, so I got in more than my 40 minutes! I'd planned to run the nearby golf course again, but some early golfers were out, so I had to change my course on the fly. I headed through the sunnier, slightly hillier neighborhood, instead. Not so much fun, but it'll pay off later, I hope. It was a training distance PR for me during this C25K, but it didn't feel very good. Some days are like that. Time to look ahead to finishing this C25K!

C25K W6D2 Complete

C25K W6D2 by dukefan86 at Garmin Connect - Details

The link above has my numbers for this run. I almost ran on the treadmill, even drove myself to the gym! But them I decided to TRY running outside again, even though it was pretty windy. I ended up running at a slightly faster pace tonight than I did on Monday, even with more wind and more elevation. I'm pretty happy about that! Still a long way to go, though.

Walking with Some Pain

I haven't been to the gym this week, as I've been busy with school (class and looming deadlines), but I have been taking some walk breaks at work. The weather's been great for it, and getting some fresh air during the workday is always nice.

The catch? I'm feeling the plantar fasciitis in my left foot, even though I haven't been doing that much exercise, AND in my RIGHT foot, I'm thinking it's a heel spur. *sigh* I'm already wearing good running shoes (even to work lately--lucky!), and have custom orthotics in them. Guess I need to work on icing and such when I can remember to do it.

Meanwhile, I'm going to look into some classes at the gym once this week's school deadlines are over. Maybe water aerobics? Spinning/cycling? Any other suggestions? I love being out in the fresh air for exercise, but I don't own a bike (and don't have a place to store it if I did).

Another Treadmill Delay

I decided to head to the gym to walk on the treadmill this morning, but when I got there, I decided to walk outside instead! (Glad I had my Garmin Forerunner with me to help make it happen.) There's a paved trail that goes around my gym and meanders through part of RTP, so I walked around there for 1.5 miles in 31:16 minutes.

After the walk, I finally went inside the gym (first time this week!), and got a short bike ride and some (upper body) weights in for a well-rounded workout. I'm feeling a little tired from the workout, so I think (and hope) I'll sleep well tonight.

When I arrived at the gym this morning, it had a new name. Read all about the change here.

Meanwhile, I've dropped a couple of pounds in the past week, so there's progress again on the diet front. Yay!

Tackling the Hills of Umstead State Park

This morning's run was my first intentional mid-week hill workout, and it was an interesting one! I returned to Umstead State Park today, and instead of running the paved area this morning, I decided to shoot for the trails this morning. I missed the turnoff for the trails, but got a really good workout on the dirt and gravel roads instead.

I kept Tuesday's setting on the Gymboss pace timer to signal 2 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking. There were times when I was tempting to keep running after 2 minutes, but since this was my first mid-week hill workout, I decided to see how this worked out.

The temperature outside seemed a little bit cooler than earlier in the week. It was still plenty hot, but just a tad more pleasant. Of course, the area where I was running had plenty of trees, so I'm sure that helped. Umstead is such a pretty place to run! I saw a deer in the woods today--nice! There were a few other runners and bikers out this morning, and I enjoyed the company.

I tried out my new iPod armband this morning, and it worked pretty well! It was nice to have my hands free from carrying things. The only downside of my morning run was that once, while I was fiddling with the iPod on my upper arm, I tripped and fell! Ouch! My left knee got pretty scraped up, but otherwise I was okay. A park ranger happened to come into view just after I fell, so he stopped to check on me just as I got up. I was sooo close that I wanted to make it to my car, so I assured him I was fine. By the time I got back to my car (continuing my run/walk ratio), the blood had streamed all the way down to my sock! Charming. Thankfully, I had a clean towel in my trunk, so I was able to clean up a bit. I cleaned up the wound after I got home, and my knee doesn't seem to be too much worse for the wear, other than the scrapes. I'll probably ice it after work, though, just to be on the safe side.

My average pace per mile was 17:14, pretty slow, but faster than some of my other mid-week runs this summer. I was a little tentative, not knowing how my body was going to react, and then, of course, there was the fall. (I've learned how to make my Garmin Forerunner stop automatically when I do, so that feature came in handy!) As I write this, I'm feeling a little stiff (mostly in the knee that I fell on), but I feel like I could've given a little more out there. Now I know.

I ended up run/walking 3.48 miles in 60 minutes.

Mile Splits:
1) 17:25
2) 16:38 (Better pace there! Wonder why.)
3) 17:44 (the mile in which I fell)
Last 0.48 of a mile in 8:13 (On target to be my second best mile)

I think my overall training plan will include three runs--one speed workout, one hill workout, and then the weekend long run, and crosstraining on most other days, with a rest/easy day on the day before my long run (which usually falls on Saturday). I may do an easy run on a crosstraining day sometimes. I'll see how it all goes, and tweak things along the way. I'm so eager to improve my speed and endurance! (To do that, I need to stay healthy too!)

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!

Saturday Long Run

After a long week with lots of work meetings plus some after-work obligations, I decided to skip the running group and run by myself today. I needed the alone time in a bad way. I decided to head for the American Tobacco Trail, my current favorite place to run. I was feeling groggy and cranky, and when I got to the trail, I still didn't feel like running. I decided to take it slow, do all the walking I needed to do, and so what I could accomplish. I ended up covering the same mile or so stretch of the trail that was closest to my car, since I didn't know how long I'd feel like going. Back and forth, back and forth. I ended up run/walking 5.21 miles in 1:30:00. It was slow going, and the groggy crankiness didn't lift until nearly the end.

Afterward, I stopped by Bull City Running, a new running store in the shopping center near the American Tobacco Trail. I bought some Gu Gels to give them some business; they were very friendly. I also returned some library books and stopped by the grocery store, THEN I went to the gym. I thought I might ride the recumbent bike, but I decided to hit the treadmill, and ended up going 3.54 miles in 40:09 minutes, a much better clip (and no walking) than the ATT run.

I ended up with 116.16 miles for the month of January, beating my previous high of 114.3 from January 2008, exactly one year ago! Woohoo!

Tough Long Run

I hit the American Tobacco Trail again today with plans to do another long run. Two late nights this week have taken their toll, but I decided to gut it out, no matter what. It was a beautiful morning to be out, and I needed to get the mileage in. I ended up run/walking 8.01 miles in 2:21:01, a slow run/walk pace. The plantar fasciitis in my left foot is acting up again, and I'm still feeling it as I type. It's turned out to be a pretty high mileage week, so I may take it easy for a day or two.

Final Run of 2008

I decided to go to Shelley Lake this morning to do my final run of 2008. It was a beautiful morning, chilly enough to wear long leggings and a long sleeve t-shirt, but not cold enough for gloves or a hat. I just ran around, with walk breaks, and ended up doing 4.71 miles in 1 hour 18 minutes. It was a pretty slow average pace, but I felt like taking it easy today. I just enjoyed being outside and getting a little sweaty.

I ended up with 108.2 miles for the month, my second highest of the year. The highest mileage month of the year for me was back in January, and the third highest month was October. My total 2008 running mileage was 811.7 miles, a good bit short of my 1000-mile goal. I'll shoot for 1000 again in 2009!

Another Run on the American Tobacco Trail

I had a hard time getting out of the apartment this morning for my workout. I finally figured out I needed a break from the gym, even a small break would do. I peaked outside and noticed it wasn't raining, so I grabbed my Garmin Forerunner, hoping I could run in the neighborhood for a little while before the rain started. I got to my car, and the forecasted rain didn't look as threatening as I thought it would. I asked myself what would make my workout, and the quick answer was, "American Tobacco Trail!" I ran there for the first time three weeks ago and really enjoyed it, so I headed back there this morning. Eventhough I had week-old running shoes on, I decided not to worry about the weather, whatever may come.

The weather, by the way, remained very cloudy and pretty windy at times, which felt great! I wasn't sure how far I wanted to run this morning, but I knew it wasn't the 10 miles I'd kinda hoped for early in the week. I'm still just a tad tired from the half marathon, and my legs are still a little heavy-feeling--not as bad as this time last week, but just a little. Once I started running, I thought I'd go 5 miles, but at the 2.5 mile mark, I decided to go for 6 miles. I turned around at the 3.05 mile mark, and decided to stretch it the end for a 6.2 mile long run in 1:43:21. The pace is slower than I'd hoped, but since I was tired, I took some walk breaks. I must admit, it was very pretty on the ATT this morning, even with the heavy cloud cover and wind. There were a lot of leaves in the air and on the trail, a very fall-like day. I enjoyed the scenery! :)

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.

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.

Long Run Report

This morning I decided I just had to get some outdoor miles under my belt! So, I parked at the gym, and set out from there with my Garmin 205 on my wrist. I did some of the miles near my gym first,; then I went to the Brier Creek residential area and ran a long stretch of Arnold Palmer Drive. It was a really pretty morning for running outside! I could feel a difference in the temperatures, and that helped a lot, I think. I ended up hitting the 10 mile mark in 2:40:00, four minutes and change faster than my last outdoor 10-mile run. I ended up continuing for a few more minutes outdoors, finishing 10.21 miles in 2:44:00 (with some more walking at the end). Then I went inside the gym and ran another 23 minutes (1.83 miles) on the treadmill (without a walking break).

My total for today is 12.04 miles in 3:07:00. I'm feeling more confident now about finishing the City of Oaks Half Marathon within the 3:30:00 time limit--yay!

Long Run Early

Since George and I are taking a couple of days off, and Tropical Storm Hannah may drop some rain on us Saturday morning, I decided to get my long run out of the way this morning. I got a late start, though, as I slept in a little. (I had a Junior League meeting last night, and a glass of wine at the post-meeting party at the Franklin Hotel. The meeting and party were fun, but the glass of wine wasn't the best decision for a night before a run!) By the time I started running at Shelley Lake, it was about 8:20, late for me, and already getting warm. I decided to see how far I could go, hoping to do 10 miles, given I was feeling a little blah.

The traffic between home and the lake was a little more congested than I'm used to, but the lake trails weren't as crowded was they are on Saturdays. Even still, I saw another Galloway training group member out running, so it was fun to chat with her for a couple of minutes. :)

I ended up with pesky pain (the usual plantar fasciitis in one and the mystery toe pain in the other) in my feet again today, so I took some walk breaks, but still finished an even 10 miles in 2:44:12, a 16:25 pace! I can tell I'm getting faster (and walking less), and that's encouraging. I need to build some more distance in soon, to make sure I nail the half marathon distance.

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!

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......

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.