Run/Walk Club at Work

My employer's annual Run/Walk Club starts next week, and I've signed up!

This training group has been going for a number of years, maybe 15? I joined when it started, but started doing my own training, followed by years of no training. So, I'm trying it again this year, but probably doing it independently, at least for a while. I hope it'll provide some extra motivation,

This Week's Training and Life Outside of Running

I've continued my training this week, although it's taken me a little longer to recover from Saturday's 9 miler. On Monday, I ran 2.45 miles in 50:04 minutes, for a 20:27 average pace. I see a pattern now where I slow down the week after a longer weekend run. I wonder if it would help if I changed my runs to Tuesdays and Thursdays before work, instead of Mondays and Wednesdays. Maybe.

This morning, I hit the gym and rode 5.15 miles in 35:01 minutes. I felt like I worked harder than the clock and mileage indicated, but I did ride on a different stationary bike today, and am still a little tired. Huh.

Meanwhile, my laptop got wet on Sunday night (rain from leaky roof came through my home office ceiling and soaked my computer!!), and while it booted up last night, it wasn't as happy this morning. I was able to turn the laptop on and putter for a few minutes before it shut down on its own, and wouldn't come back up at all. I'll try again tonight, but I'm not hopeful.

[On a side note, I haven't been able to sync my Garmin Forerunner to my online training logs to update them with my runs, but as soon as I get set back on a personal computer, I look forward to doing that. I'm at my geekiest with numbers about my runs!]

On a happier note, I'm starting graduate school today! I'll be working on my Master of Library Science (MLS) at North Carolina Central University in Durham, and my first class is this evening! This has been a goal of mine for over 10 years, so I'm feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness today. :-) I'll have a class on Tuesday evenings and every other Saturday, so I'll have to be creative with my half marathon training, for sure.

Longest Run/Walk of the Season

Yesterday I completed my longest distance of this training season, 9.09 miles! I'm still tired this morning, so it's a rest day from exercise. Still, it felt good to finish the distance yesterday morning.


George and I Before the Run
(Thanks to George for the kiss, and thanks to Ashby for taking the shot!)


I started early in the parking lot where the Raleigh Galloway group was starting, since I wanted to be in the annual big group picture at 6:30ish. I tried 15-sec/45-sec run/walk intervals as Jeff Galloway suggested for my recent Magic Mile, but it drove me a little nuts, so I went back to my regular 30/30 interval again. Maybe I'll try it again, or fiddle with it and try 20/40 later. (I wish I'd done that at the end of yesterday's mileage, now that I think about it!)

After the group picture, Ashby was kind enough to take the picture above of George and me! (Thanks, Ashby!) Then I headed off to another part of the American Tobacco Trail to finish my run/walk. I felt pretty strong for much of the run on the other part of the ATT, but started to fade toward the end. I ended up walking it in, but wish now that I'd just shortened the running interval. But I finished, and I'm relieved about that.

9:09 miles in 3:14:32, 21:24 avg pace

According the Magic Mile prediction calculator, I should be training at a 23:48 pace, so I'm pretty comfortably ahead of the game there. My predicted half marathon race pace is 21:02, which I still have several weeks to improve on. (And I certainly wasn't doing a race effort yesterday!) Maybe I'll try another Magic Mile this week.

Yesterday's Run

I did another 45-minute run around Brier Creek yesterday, knocking out 2.31 miles for a 19:30ish pace. I was pleased to get the average pace under 20 minutes again. I had to focus and push a little, which is good training too. I've gone back to a 30/30 run/walk ratio, after trying 20 second run/walk intervals once. I like the feel of 30/30 better.

I decided to pass on water aerobics last night, since it's usually a pretty strenuous class, and I don't want to risk injury at this point. Crosstraining is great, but not at the risk of injury or knocking me out of a run very often. I did miss the exercise time with George, though.

Another Monday Run

This morning, I cranked out a run in slightly cooler temperatures, which felt great! My pace was better than both of last week's mid-week runs, but it's still slower than the sub-20:00 runs I was doing before that. Part of it may be that I'm running for a [slightly] longer amount of time, part of it may be a lack of sleep lately. I can definitely work on the sleep...except that I'm starting graduate school next week! I'll do what I can in that area, though.

2.31 miles in 47:01 (30-sec/30-sec run/walk ratio)

I've also reset my weight loss goal on Fitday.com (where I have the most weigh-in data), and have decided to make weight loss goals for a week at a time. I've been setting long-term weight loss goals this year, and have mostly floundered. Now I have a weight loss goal for the next week, and a new target weight for next Monday, 8/22.I'll post how that goes.

I'm a Weather Wimp!

Thunderstorms abounded this morning, so I decided to head for the gym treadmill instead of running in the rain. I missed the Galloway group, and was looking forward to trying out my new long run run/walk interval outside, but I enjoyed the air conditioning and dryness of the gym for a change of pace--at least starting out! The treadmill got boring after a while, but I managed to get my long run/walk DONE! The goal was 7.5 miles, and I finished 7.61 miles in 2:29:27. Week #3 of my training plan is in the books. Next week's workouts will be a little longer mid-week, and next Saturday the plan calls for several Yassos in place of the long run. Huh. I'll let you know how all of that goes!


Clipart from Clipartheaven.com.

New Run/Walk Interval Today

I emailed Jeff Galloway yesterday to ask his advice about my run/walk interval for the long run, based on an average of my recent Magic Miles. I received a nice email back from him, and he suggested 15-45 sec run/walk intervals for my long runs, and either 30-30 or 20-20 intervals for my mid-week training. I've been run/walking at 30 second intervals lately, so I decided to try 20-20 this morning. It felt different, but the jury's still out on whether or not I like it better than my regular 30-30 intervals. I'll try it out again next week.

I ran on the American Tobacco Trail again, and went 1.81 miles in 35:01 minutes for a 19:23 average min/mile pace. Nothing spectacular, but it's done. It did feel slightly cooler this morning, and it felt good to be out in the fresh air. What a nice way to start the day!

Here's a YouTube video of part of the course I was on this morning, though I didn't go as fast as the biking videographer, of course! :-)

Galloway Long Run #13 (Plus Pancakes!)

I had a 6 mile run/walk on this morning's calendar, and I'm happy to report that I completed it. It was a good bit slower than last week's run, but it felt really good to finish it AND stay on track with my training schedule.

I started at about 5:30 AM on the Bent Creek Greenway in Raleigh, and followed it to the Shelley Lake Trail. This YouTube video (done by someone else) shows my path today (though I went the opposite way around the lake):

While I was on the trail, I passed a number of other Raleigh Galloway runners, and it was fun, as always to see them out there. Even though I'd set out on my own this morning, the camaraderie among the group as a whole is very encouraging! Thanks to Ashby for shooting this picture of me in passing!

After the run, we had the annual Raleigh Galloway/ North Carolina Roadrunners Club pancake breakfast, cooked by volunteers who gave up their training time this morning to cook for over 400 runners! The food and company were great!


Here's a map of my run/walk course this morning:

Wednesday Morning Run

It was another pretty warm, pretty humid morning, but it was a good run/walk. I went to the same neighborhood to run this morning, but decided to go in another direction. It was a nice change of pace, with a few sprinklers to run through, to boot! I ended up going 1.92 miles in 37 minutes, for a 19:14 average pace. It's nice when I can go a little farther AND a little faster than the last run! Progress doesn't always show itself in the numbers on every run, so I'll take it when I can get it.

Monday Morning Run

This morning's run was another score for the warm outdoors! I've just gotten into the habit of running outside lately, though it really helps that I'm able to get out there early, before work, instead in the post-work heat of the late afternoon.

Today's running assignment was 35 minutes (up from 30 minutes on last week's mid-week training), so I went to a nearby neighborhood to pound the pavement. I ended up going 1.81 miles in 35 minutes, mostly doing a 30/30 run/walk interval. I pushed the pace a little to get my average pace under 19:30, and ended up with a 19:20 average pace for the run. If it weren't for being cautious about a pulled back muscle from the weekend, I think I could have gone faster. I'll keep working on that!

Wednesday Morning Run

I feel like I'm getting into the groove with the new training schedule. This morning's run was my second on the new plan, and my second outdoor run in a row. It feels nice to break away from the gym for my runs, even though I'm slower outside than on the treadmill. My weight training has slacked off this week, and I need to get back on track with that, but one thing at a time, I guess.


This morning's run was 1.53 miles in 30:02 minutes, slightly farther than Monday's 30-minute run, with 30-second run/walk intervals. I tried to pay attention to cadence this time, though I didn't bother to keep count. I got a good night's sleep last night, which helped too, I bet.

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

Yesterday's Long Run on the American Tobacco Trail

Yesterday's Galloway long run was on the American Tobacco Trail in Durham, one of my favorite places to run! I'm not up to the distance on the schedule, but I did do my longest run/walk total of the season, and I'm generally okay with that.
It was our first run starting at the new time of 6:30 AM. I enjoyed the slightly cooler temperatures; in fact, I arrived at 6:00 and got a mile in before the official run started. Then I joined the 17:00 training group, which is run/walking at 20 sec/40 sec run/walk intervals. I was at the back of the pack for most of my time with the group, but was able to hang pretty well. I suspect that their actual pace was a bit slower than 17:00, since I was able to keep up pretty well. Since I got a mile in early, I turned around at 1.60+ and headed back to yesterday's sponsoring running store, where I enjoyed a discount on a new pair of running shoes, Brooks Ghosts. (I walked in expecting to replace my Brooks Dyads, but learned that the Dyad line has been discontinued.)

Oh, on my run/walk back to the start (and the running store), I switched from 20/40s back to a 30/30 run/walk ratio, since I wasn't with the group anymore, and I was able to improve my average pace a bit.

Run #1: 1.02 mi in 20:04 min (19:42 avg pace)
Run #2: 3.33 mi in 64:04 min (19:14 avg pace

Run/Walk AND Water Aerobics Today!

This morning, I decided to return to the Black Creek Greenway, where I did a 3-mile run/walk in beautiful weather. I was able to pick up the pace a bit, but forgot to turn off my Garmin for a bit when I stopped to use the facilities in Godbold Park, so my Garmin time isn't totally reflective of my time on the move. Ah, well, it happens!

Afterward, I met George at the gym for an hour of water aerobics. The pool water usually feels cold to me, but it felt really refreshing after my run/walk!

So after back-to-back exercise sessions this morning, I'm pretty pooped tonight! It's a "good" tired, though! :) I think I'll crawl into bed with a good book now.

A Little Running!

Yesterday I decided to hit the local trails again, and try my luck at a 2-mile walk. I headed to Cary, NC, and started on the Black Creek Greenway, then turned onto the Northwoods trail. When I got to the end of the Northwoods trail (a new one for me, pretty!), I turned around, and decided to try alternating minutes of running and walking and see how my foot would take it. I made it all the way back to the car doing 1:1 run/walk! It felt great to run again, even if it was just for part of a mile! I finished 2 miles in 40:35, still a pretty slow pace overall, but the second mile was a big improvement over the first.

Mile 1) 21:03
Mile 2) 19:30

Today, I didn't get to the gym until mid-afternoon, riding the recumbent bike for 6.67 miles in 37:00. I warmed up for the first mile, then did 1 minute intervals (fast/slow/fast) for the rest of the workout.

It feels great to be tired from working out again!

My First 16-Miler in the Books!

This morning, George and I decided to take a break from the usual run with the Galloway group run, and do today's scheduled 16-miler on our own. Actually, George hadn't ever planned on running 16 miles, but he decided yesterday that he'd run it with me, since I'd decided to strike out on my own this morning.

I decided I wanted to run on the American Tobacco Trail once again, but from the opposite end (of the Durham section) from where I usually start, near the Durham Bulls (local minor league baseball team--ever seen the movie "Bull Durham?") Stadium (they have a newer stadium, but the one in the movie has been renovated--yay!) and the American Tobacco Campus. I have to tell ya, it was a charmed run, even though my pace was slower than usual. (I know, I know, I've been complaining about my speed, BUT it was a nice run, nonetheless!)

We started the run about 5:35 AM, and it was still dark on the trail, which goes through some wooded areas (mostly) as well as behind some neighborhoods. As we started, it was a little creepy, so I was glad George was with me. It was another hour or so before we started having company on the trail, then it really got packed.

After walking as a warm-up for the first mile, we started our 1:1 run/walk cycles. While it was still dark, it felt like we were running through some cobwebs we couldn't see (which added to the creepiness we felt earlier)! Weird. Once the sun started to come up, we could tell it was an overcast morning, which was nice! On the first half of the run, we saw THREE rabbits, two together, then another one. We also saw a number of squirrels and birds, and heard a symphony of wildlife in the woods for a large portion of the morning. On a couple of occasions, I got chill bumps listening to the sounds around me on the ATT! George and I both took our iPods on this run, but never used them. (I'm glad!)

We made one pit stop at the Solite Park restrooms (a little smelly, but nice timing), then headed for the end of that segment of the American Tobacco Trail. There's a strip mall there, with a McDonald's in the parking lot, so we were aiming for that all along. After running 8 miles, we made a pit/refreshment stop there, which worked out really well, and then struck out again to complete the remaining 8 miles. Because the ATT in that area is 6.6 miles one way, we took a couple of detours along the way to make sure we got in the full 16 in one roundtrip.

George was such good company on this run. Toward the end, he made me start repeating mantras out loud, which felt silly at first, but it helped more then I expected! Even though he's a new runner (and maybe because he's a new runner), it was nice to continue discussing some of my recent frustrations about running--while running! I think that running this distance with me (a new personal distance for BOTH of us!) gave him a clearer perspective of what I've been going through.

Having George with me helped me to keep the 1:1 run/walk ratio going today, even when I got tired, and this was great mental as well as physical training. Once, toward the end, we walked two minutes in a row, but then started up again, and actually run the last quarter mile to the end of the trail without a walk break. More good mental training for pushing myself at the end of a run. I was surprised I still had gas in the tank to do that!

We ended up finishing the 16 mile run/walk in 5:05:36. About as slow as molasses, yes, but a good training run/walk, nonetheless. I'm feeling exhausted and rejuvenated, all rolled up in one! (Does that make sense?!)

Meanwhile, I've really appreciated recent comments here, as well as some helpful email advice from Christina. I'm looking forward to the challenge of fine-tuning my marathon training schedule. The running community (both virtual and in-person) is amazing, isn't it?!

Saturday Long Run/Walk on the American Tobacco Trail

Today I started my run on the American Tobacco Trail a little early, getting a mile in before meeting up with the group. (Since George and I are getting ready for a get-together at our home, I thought I'd finish up early with the running.) I ended up finishing with the group, though, and finishing well behind a lot of the group---again. :( With the occasional Garmin Forerunner "malfunction" (me forgeting to restart the Garmin after a water break a couple of times!) I ended up clocking 10.22 miles of run/walking in 3 hrs, 3 min, an 18:06 average pace.

At the end of today's run, one of my pace group leaders suggested today that I try another half marathon instead of going for the full in November. *sigh* I'm not ready to give up on the full marathon yet, not ready to delay the goal for another year. I don't want to be stubborn, but in a way I do want to be stubborn, ya know?!

Okay, so what do you do to get faster?

Speed work is an option, but I don't have access to a track. I've tried some of the electrolyte powders in water during running, but haven't found a flavor I like yet. Any thoughts?