Dragging This Morning

Although I got to bed early last night, I had to drag myself out of bed this morning! I made it to the gym for a shorter workout:

25 minutes (4.25 miles) on the recumbent bike
20:01 minutes (1.51 miles) on the treadmill, 1% incline, slower than unusal

I'm hoping to get to bed early again tonight. Blah.

Here's to Running!

I was just looking at my Flickr pictures, and noticed the difference in these two shots. Interesting contrast in a lot of ways.

The top picture was taken April 8, 2006, before the first 5K I did in this running life. I came in last place in the recreational division of the Cary Road Race 5K, in a little under an hour. They pulled the time clock down right behind me. (As it happens, this was about four months before I checked into the Rice Diet Program.)

The bottom picture was taken this past Sunday, November 2, on the course of the City of Oaks Half Marathon.

Slightly Better

I get to bed earlier last night. While I'm not as sleepy, I'm still tired--but not quite as tired. I'm still recovering, but making progress.

At the gym, I rode the recumbent bike for 25 minutes and 4.4 miles, then ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes and 2.33 miles. Slower, but that's okay.

Sleepy Morning

I had another busy day and evening yesterday, so I was still dragging this morning for my workout. I did 15 minutes on the recumbent bike (2.44 miles), then got on the elliptical machine for 20 minutes (1.65 miles). I got off to head for the treadmill, just as the last open treadmill got a customer! So, it was back on the elliptical for another 5 minutes (0.41 miles). I finally got on the treadmill, this time for 20 minutes and 2.01 miles. Tonight, I get to bed early.

Keep On Keepin' On

I made it back to the gym this morning, though I was pretty tired after yesterday's long day. I warmed up with 25:01 minutes (4.32 miles) on the recumbent bike, then 15 minutes (1.25 miles) on the elliptical machine.

While I was getting on the elliptical machine, the lady on the machine next time me tapped me on the arm and asked how much weight I'd lost. I told her, and she said she could tell it in my face, just since she'd been coming to the gym, and that I'd inspired her to get off her duff. Okay, I'm still tired from Sunday's race, but I couldn't help but pick up the pace a bit on the elliptical machine! That was really nice!

After that, I got on the treadmill, which I hadn't really planned to, and ran 1.76 miles in 22 minutes. Now I'm ready for a nap! But, it's off to work I go!

Post-race Workout

I woke up for this morning's workout feeling pretty rested, but still somewhat tired and sore from yesterday's half marathon. My hips aren't bothering me as much as they did after last weekends's 13.1 mile training run, but the plantar fasciitis in my left foot is bothering me more.

I decided to take it pretty easy for today's workout. I started with the recumbent bike, riding 2.61 miles in 15:01 minutes. Then I got on the treadmill, going 1.64 miles in 21 minutes. Afterward, I felt so-so, glad to have a workout under my belt, but still kinda tired.

I have a meeting after work tonight, but I hope to go to bed at a little early.

Race Report: 2008 City of Oaks Half Marathon

This morning I ran the City of Oaks Half Marathon in Raleigh. I was a bit nervous about finishing within the race time limit of three and a half hours, but I decided to go for it. It was a beautiful morning to be out running, and I was looking forward to seeing some people from the Galloway training group there. George went with me too, and gave me a great pep talk before the race started.

Some of the Galloway group runners met up at a predetermined spot before the race, and it was fun to see them. I came across even more of them on the race course, which was encouraging! A number of Gallowayers also volunteered at a couple of different water tables, and others were scattered along the course to cheer people on. That was a great pick-me-up, especially in the later miles!

I really enjoyed the course, eventhough it had some hills! It started on the NC State campus, and went through parts of downtown, around the capitol area of Raleigh, down Hillsborough St. on different legs, past St. Mary's School (my high school alma mater) and Meredith College, and down around the NC State Vet School, before heading back to the Centennial Campus of NC State. Not too far from the finish line, I spotted our local CBS affiliate station, WRAL, which was kinda neat to see, too.

I used the run-walk-run method I learned from training with the Galloway group through the summer. I started out running 2 minutes and walking 1 minute, then repeating, but decided to scale it back to running 1 and walking 1 minute, and that worked out well for most of the race. Sometimes I ran extra or a little less, depending on water and porta-john stops. Once my feet started hurting and my legs got tired, I knew that I could last for a minute's worth of running, at least!


The porta-johns were a life-saver, by the way. I ended up stopping at every available one! While I was thankful for them, I don't want to have to use another one for a long time to come! I hope that my innards settle down for the next half marathon I do. I'll definitely try to alter how I eat/drink in the couple of days prior to the next half marathon.


The plantar fasciitis in my left foot really started bothering me the last couple of miles, so I did a lot more walking. When I got within the last mile or so, I started running more. Seeing the finish line ahead of me was such a relief, like a magnet pulling me toward the time clock!

George had our digital camera, and spotted me in the white shirt and shorts in the background. Audrey, an acquainance from ERUUF (who I didn't even know was in the race) is in the black shirt in the forefront!






I was sooo tired!








Still heading toward the finish line, I was on autopliot by this point!






George happened to catch my gun time of 3 hours, 22 minutes, 52 seconds on the big clock. Official results are already posted, and my chip time was 3:19:24. I was back in the pack at the beginning of the race, so it took me three minutes and change to cross the starting line.





After the race, I saw Susan, the Junior League friend that I ran with in last December's Jingle Bell Run. She's the one who let me know about the Galloway training program in Raleigh that I joined (so did she), so it was fun to see her during and after today's race. I also saw Audrey from ERUUF, as well as Suzanne from Team in Training, whom I met on last weekend's long run on the American Tobacco Trail (she was manning a TNT water stop), after the race, and it was fun to have hugs and congratulations all around after the race!

After the excitement of finishing, getting my finisher's medal, and getting some water, I remembered how exhausted I was! It was a challenge walking to the car, and I was thankful George was there to drive us home!


I've been working toward this goal for so long. Now I'm feeling a little bit of "What's next?!" I definitely want to do another half marathon. Maybe there's a full marathon in my future. But first things first--more rest, and more water!

I Finished My First Half Marathon!

I had a fun and interesting time this morning, running the City of Oaks Half Marathon! I'm thrilled to report that I finished within the time limit of three and a half hours, with an unofficial time of 3:22:55. George manned our digital camera at the finish line and got some fun pictures! I'll post them and do a full race report soon. The bed is calling my name, and I can't resist a nap right now. More later.

Pre-Race Day

It felt good to sleep in my own bed last night, and to go to my regular gym this morning! Vacation was great--don't get me wrong!! But, it's nice to return to my regular routine a bit.

I ended up going a little longer than I meant to on the treadmill, 25 minutes for 2.02 miles at a 1% incline. It felt good to run, but I finally made myself stop! To round things out, I rode on the recumbent bike for 6 minutes and 1.02 miles.

After the workout, I went to the ladies restroom, and low and behold, there was a WIG hanging from one of the hooks! It caught me by surprise, to say the least! :D

From there, I went to Cary to get my Weight Watchers weigh-in for the week in. I usually go to meetings near work during the week, but since I missed this past Wednesday, and that location is on the other side of Durham from where I live, the Cary location turned out to be closer. According to the scales, I'm down 3.2 lbs from my last weigh-in about a week and a half ago! Mind you, this time I was in workout clothes and hadn't eaten anything today, and when I weigh in after work, I'm in work clothes and jewelry, and have had a couple of meals by the time I weigh in. So, probably not much of a difference, really, but okay since I've been on vacation.

Tomorrow's the race I've been working toward for months, the City of Oaks Half Marathon. I'm excited, and pretty nervous! I'm going to the expo in a while, which should be fun. I've never been in a race big enough to have an expo. Wow.

Another Vacation Workout

I'm still on vacation, but made it to the hotel gym for another workout. I'm off my diet a bit, so I'm glad to still be burning some extra calories off!

This morning, I ran for 40 minutes on the treadmill at a 1% incline (3.15 miles), then rode the recumbent bike for 20 minutes and 4.33 miles (seems like higher mileage than I usually do).

Three days from now, I'll running (and hopefully finishing by now!) my first half marathon!

No Running Today, Looking for Shoe Advice

The plantar fasciitis in my left foot is acting up this morning, so I decided to stay off the treadmill and roads and just ride the recumbent bike in the hotel's workout room. I ended up going 40 minutes, and the "dashboard" on the bike said I went 8.66 miles. That seems like more than the effort I put into it! Perhaps it's calibrated differently from the recumbent bike I use at the gym near home.

I realized when I was packing up for our trip that my newer running shoes are more worn that my previous shoes on the outside of each heel. I'm trying to decide whether to run in one or the other pair for the half marathon, or to buy a new pair Saturday morning to run in on Sunday. The past couple of days, I've worked out in the older, less worn shoes, then walked around (touristy things) in my newer, but more worn shoes. I'm not sure if this is playing into my pf acting up or not. Possibility. Any advice?

Vacation Run

This morning I slept in (yay!), and then checked out the gym at the hotel where we're staying. The first treadmill was too squeaky, but the second was fine, so I ran 3.23 miles in 40 minutes, with a 1% incline.

Now I've run 100.9 miles for the month of October! Woohoo! I will be slowing down the running a bit this week, though, as I taper for Sunday's half marathon.

Workout Push

My vacation starts today, and we're heading for the mountains later this afternoon--yay! I decided to get a decent workout in this morning, eventhough I still feel some residual tiredness from Saturday's 13.1 mile run. (Is the tiredness normal two days afterward?) I ran 3.19 miles on the treadmill in 40 minutes, no incline today, and followed that with 20 minutes/3.58 miles on the recumbent bike.

It turns out I'm only about two and a half miles away from logging 100 miles for the month, so I'll probably try to hit that this week, but I don't think I'm going to push for a lot more. I hope to do some hiking while on vacation, and maybe some swimming. I sure do feel like I need some rest, but I don't want to lose an fitness or pack on the calories!

Tired From Yesterday

Boy, I'm still dragging from yesterday's half marathon distance! I slept in this morning, and when I finally got to the gym, I only did 40 minutes (7.08 miles) on the recumbent bike. The treadmill didn't even tempt me this morning. Did I mention I'm tired?!

So, my first half marathon race is a week from today! Since I'm feeling so wiped out today, I'm wondering how I'll feel next Monday, the day after the race, when I actually have to go to work! Other than getting plenty of rest afterward, what can I do to recover well enough to me effective at work the next day? I'm sure I'll figure something out.

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.

Backing Off the Running

I decided to take a break from running this morning, to baby the plantar fasciitis in my left foot, and to rest what may be a little tendonitis in my left ankle. I still made it to the gym, though, where I rode the recumbent bike for 25 minutes (4.39 miles), then did the elliptical machine for 20 minutes (1.48 miles). I'd forgotten how much I enjoy the ellptical machine, and it's nice to break up the routine a little. I missed my morning run, but it's nice to shake things up!

A Little Different

This morning I decided to start with the elliptical machine, and went for 15 minutes and 1.14 miles. Nice change of pace there. After the elliptical, I rode on the recumbent bike for 2.19 miles and 12 minutes. Then I ran on the treadmill for 33 minutes and 2.74 miles (12:02 average pace).

Last evening I went to my second Weight Watchers meeting in a row (yay!) and was glad to post a loss there. There was one lady who had returned to the meeting after some time away. She talked about how she'd eaten a half gallon of ice cream, to which she'd added peanut butter and chocolate sauce. Oddly enough, that sounded really good to me! But she shared that by the end, she didn't even like it anymore. Can see that too. After that, at the end of the meeting, people got various little WW awards, and one lady got her lifetime membership! Now, that's a better "prize" than ice cream, peanut butter AND chocolate! To get to lifetime Weight Watchers membership, she had to hit her goal weight and MAINTAIN it for SIX WEEKS! Now, there's determination!

Another Hour

This morning I rode the recumbent bike for 20 minutes and 3.44 miles. I followed up with running on the treadmill for 40 minutes and 3.30 miles, a 12:07 average pace. Now I'm thinking about breaking 12 minutes for training runs, perhaps it isn't too far off!

Hour-Long Workout

I started in the recumbent bike this morning, and went 4.74 miles in 25 minutes. After that, I got on the treadmill and ran 2.75 miles in 35 minutes, with a 1-1.5% incline.

I was a bit tired this morning, eventhough I got to bed at a decent time last night. Yesterday was jam packed, and I got to bed late on Sunday night. I think it takes me a while to catch up on rest sometimes.

Good Start to the Week

This morning I was a bit tired from getting to bed late last night, so it took an extra kick in the pants to get myself to the gym this morning. Once I was there, though, I had a good treadmill run, going 4.13 miles at a 1% incline in 50 minutes, a 12:06 average pace! That's pretty zippy for me. Amazing what a day off from running can do! :)

No Running Allowed

After running even more miles than last week (yikes!), I stayed on the recumbent bike this morning, and pushed myself to do 7.03 miles in 36 minutes. My legs are tired and sore, but I'm glad I spent time at the gym anyway.

Long Run

I did a long run this morning, starting with 5.54 miles outside doing a run/walk combo. Then I hit the gym and ran 5.12 miles straight with a 1% incline on the treadmill. The total time was 2 hours, 40 minutes, for a 15:00 min/mile average. I had a little pain in my right foot, but it wasn't too bad. Glad to have it behind me, as we're heading to Home Movie Day at the library at Duke, followed by the Duke-Miami football game!

Getting Back into Focus

This has been an interesting week in terms of getting refocused on my dieta (one of the Latin meanings of dieta is "way of life," which I like much better).

• I discovered and got sucked into FitDay.com's food and activity journals, not to mention the nifty weight charts and graphs.

• I attended a Weight Watchers meeting, and decided I enjoyed it, which included the weigh-in and a leader-lead class with others going through the same food issues. I got something out of the meeting, and think it'll help keep me accountable and motivated. While Weight Watchers eTools is available to me, and I should choose between the points plan or the core plan, I'm going to stick with the food and activity journals on FitDay.com for now and see how that works. I'm also going to continue to weigh every day, not just at WW meeting nights.

• I stopped by the Rice House this evening after work and caught up with a few people. It was great to visit Ginger and some other old Rice Diet buddies, and to remember the progress I made there. (Ginger is so funny and wise! I've missed her! She's going to visit Lenore, another good buddy from the Rice Diet, in Virginia this weekend, and I hope they have a blast!)

Okay, Now My Legs ARE Tired!

This morning I decided to cut down on my running mileage by getting on the recumbent bike at the gym first. I did 30 minutes on bike (5.15 miles), and right about that time a treadmill opened up, and I took that as a sign. Planning just to go a mile or so, I started to think about the big difference in calorie burning between the recumbent bike and the treadmill, and I just kept going on the treadmill. My legs had felt tired when I got up this morning (although I went to bed early and had a good night's sleep), so I didn't feel like the Energizer Bunny at all, but I was able to keep going for 30 minutes and 2.34 miles (still under a 13 min/mile pace, which has been a goal for weekday runs lately).

My legs are still feeling tired, and I've been planning a long run tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. I'll make sure I drink plenty of water today and will try to get to bed early again tonight.

Just Running

I stuck to the treadmill this morning, so I ran for 51 minutes and 4.03 miles. It was one of those mornings when I just needed the simplicity of a single exercise. I got on the treadmill and just ran. I did nearly all of it at a 1% incline, and upped the speed on the treadmill as I went along. Average pace was 12:39 minutes/mile.

Tired Morning Workout

Last night, George and I stayed up watching TV until "Law and Order: SVU" went off just before 11:00 PM. I got in bed right at 11:00, but I'm feeling a little tired this morning.

I started with 10 minutes on the recumbent bike at the gym (1.65 mi), then ran 47 minutes (3.68 miles) at a 1% incline on the treadmill this morning. The run felt pretty good once I got going, but my legs felt like cement for the first mile or so.

Yesterday I got reconnected with FitDay.com, and am trying the food and exercise journals as well as the weight log. I like the graphs and charts a lot. I'll post how things are going with it later. The kicker will be if I can stick with it.

Another Run/Ride Combo

I ran 3.66 miles in 46 minutes on the treadmill (1% incline) this morning, then rode the recumbent bike for 12 minutes and 2.33 miles. I skipped the podcasts this morning and just listened to music (my workout playlist), and that was a nice change of pace. :)

Tired Morning Workout

I'm feeling a bit tired and sore from the weekend's race and long run, so I cut things a little short on the workout. I started with 20:08 minutes (3.55 miles) on the recumbent bike, then ran for 35:08 minutes (2.7 miles) on the treadmill. I didn't bother with setting the incline on the treadmill this time, and it was a nice change of pace just to run on "flat land" today! :)

I ran 26:09 miles last week, when my goal was to break 21 miles! I think I overdid it a little, so I'll try to scale back a bit this week.

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.

Race Report: Autism Ribbon Run 5K

This morning I ran in the Autism Ribbon Run 5K in Raleigh, and had a good time! The race started and ended near Moore Square, which has a number of interesting stores and restaurants around it. I always enjoy running races in the area, because the routes often include running through the downtown historic district, including the governor's mansion. The particular course was a little hilly, with more downhills going out and some uphills coming back in. None were too bad, though I did walk up a couple of them.


The weather was great for running! The skies were overcast, there was a light breeze, and the temps were in the low to mid-6os.

Before the race, I had to get there in time to pick up my race packet. I usually like to pick that up the day before, but the website incorrectly listed last night's pickup at the Athlete's Foot at Cameron Village for both Thursday and Friday nights. The BROCHURE correctly listed the Friday evening packet pickup at Moore Square. By the time I arrived at the Athlete's Foot last night, it was about 6:40, and I didn't think I could get to Moore Square by 7:00. Kinda frustrating, but at least I had the option to pick up it before the race this morning.

Since I got there early, I enjoyed looking at the various vendor tables set up in Moore Square. It was fun to catch up with Wendy from the Magnificent Mile there, and to see that she's out of her orthotic boot--no fun! I hope she had a good race! I also gave a big hello to a lady at one of the tables; I thought I recognized her from the Galloway group, but it came up in conversation that she hadn't run in a couple of years! Ugh, oh well! :)

Afterward, the vendors were still there, and post-race refreshments were plentiful.

I ended up finishing the race in 39:31, under my goal of 40:00! Woohoo! I beat my last 5K of 39:47, and I'm happy about that! I'm still trying to beat my pre-injury PR of 35:30. I'll get there sometime!

Same Thing

I did the same routine at the gym this morning that I've done all week. Oddly enough, it hasn't been boring. I think it's been such a busy week for me that the gym routine has been comforting.

I ran on the treadmill for 35 minutes (2.73 miles) at a 1% incline, then rode the recumbent bike for 25 minutes (4.62 miles). I ran a bit less today because I've got a 5K road race in Raleigh tomorrow.

Yesterday I started reading the book, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, by Haruki Murakami. I haven't gotten very far, as George and I had dinner with his family in Cary last night for Yom Kippur, but I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth into it.

More Run/Ride

This morning I felt a little tired, though not as tired as last week. (I've been trying to get to bed by 11:00 every night, and that's helping a lot. Even George commented this morning that I've been looking "healthier!") I got on the treadmill and decided to run at least a mile and see how I felt, and I ended going 3.1 miles in 40:04. (My pace was a little slower this morning, but still under 13 minutes, @ 12:55 minutes per mile, with a 1-1.5% incline.) Then I hopped on the recumbent bike for 20 minutes and 3.58 miles. Not a bad morning's work!

Run/Bike Again

I'm on a roll with the run/bike thing this week. This morning I ran 3.27 miles in 42 minutes, then rode 3 miles on the recumbent bike in 16 minutes. All my runs so far this week have had an average pace of under 13 minutes, which is encouraging to me. My quads are sore, but it's a good sore.

More Running

I'm getting into a groove on the treadmill. Today I ran 4 miles in 51:19, without any foot pain! :) I finished up on the recumbent bike with 2.16 miles in 12 minutes.

I miss running/walking outside sometimes in the morning because it's so dark when I get up and head to the gym, but I'm glad the treadmill's feeling good. Listening to music and podcasts on the iPod helps/

Good Start to the Running Week

This morning I had a good run on the treadmill, going 3.25 miles in 41 minutes, with a 1-1.5% incline. Then I got on the recumbent bike for 15 minutes and 2.68 miles. My feet didn't bother me today--yippee!

My running goal for this week is at least 21 miles.

Not-So-Long Weekend Runs

I usually do a long run on Saturdays, but yesterday morning I had to work a shift for the Junior League's Bargain Sale, so that threw me off my usual morning run. I finally got to the gym around 5 PM and ran 3.33 miles in 42 minutes, then rode the recumbent bike for 25 minutes (4.46 miles).

Since I had a really busy week, I've been feeling a little bit run down this weekend, so I slept in a little this morning. I ended up running 5.15 miles in 1:11:02. Once I started running, I felt better, but I had to stop to get ready to go to church. *sigh* I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get more running done this weekend, but I'll get over it!

Lighter Morning

This morning I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine (2.15 miles), then 20:03 minutes of running on the treadmill with a 1% incline (1.6 miles). That's a 12:31 pace, so I'm getting a little faster. :) I did push the pace a little, since I knew it would be a shorter run.

I wanted to run longer, but have to think about tomorrow. I'm a member of the local Junior League, and tomorrow's our annual Bargain Sale, a huge garage sale thing. Everyone in our local league must work at least one shift, and tomorrow morning I'm working from 7:30-10:30 AM. That'll be 3 hours on my feet, for sure. After that, I need to get a long run in, not sure if it'll be 10 miles or not. I'm not going to worry about it. Helping with the Bargain Sale is always fun, and it's a big fundraiser for us. I'm sure I'll get my miles in between Saturday and Sunday.

Back to Running

I started out on the recumbent bike this morning because all the decent treadmills were taken when I got to the gym. I did 2.54 miles in 15 minutes, then hopped on the treadmill. I thought I might just do 15 minutes on the treadmill, but I ended up going for 40 minutes, logging 3.16 miles. Even at an incline set at 1% and sometimes 1.5%, the pace (12:39 minutes per mile) felt decent. I've been pushing to get my average pace under 13:00, so I'm happy about that. It's nice to be feeling a little stronger as well as more rested.

Sometimes I worry that if I take the time to rest my weary self, that I might get out of sync and have a hard time running again. That may happen someday, but I need to try not to worry about it! Rest is okay!

Coming Around

While I'm still feeling a bit tired, the weariness is subsiding a bit. This morning, I started with 15 minutes on the recumbent bike, then did 26:01 minutes on the treadmill (2.02 miles) at a 1% incline. I've decided to back off a bit from the 60-minute workouts this week, since I have a lot going on at night after work this week.

Okay, No Running Today

I managed to stay off the treadmill this morning, although it WAS calling my name! I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine, and another 10 on the recumbent bike. I'm still a bit tired, though I got to bed a little earlier last night. I need to continue to monitor the tiredness thing. I'm eating well enough and taking a multivitamin. I feels like an exercise tired. I'll continue to hydrate, and will try to get to bed at a decent time again tonight.

I Didn't Mean to Run Today...

I woke up weary this morning, partly because I went to bed too late, and partly because I ran 26.24 miles last week, a big increase from running 20.89 miles the week before. I was just going to crosstrain today, so I rode the recumbent bike for 25 minutes (3.72 miles). Then I decided to get on the treadmill-for just a few minutes. The exercise on the bike had gotten the blood flowing, and I was eager to burn some more calories. I got on the treadmill and started slow. I ran and ran, and before I knew it I'd logged 2.3 miles in 30:15 minutes. Okay, so now I'm still tired, and a little sore too. I need to rest, but I need to exercise too. Where's the balance?

Treadmill Run

I had planned to do a little running this morning, and follow it with some crosstraining, but I got on the treadmill and just kept on running. I ended up going 3.47 miles in 45:08, about a 13- minute pace! Not bad for a morning after a long run-for me, anyway. I set the incline at 1%.

I feel a bit tired, and my legs are sore and a little tight. I've been stretching a bit since I got home.

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!

Getting Closer to Milestone

This morning I ran an easy 35 minutes on the treadmill for 2.62 miles, then got on the recumbent bike for 25:01 minutes (4.45 miles). I'm just a little over two miles from hitting the 500 mile mark--yay! I should pass that tomorrow. It's not the 1000 miles I was shooting for in January, so now I'm running to set the total to beat NEXT year.

After yesterday's blog post, I registered for the City of Oaks/Rex Healthcare Half Marathon, which is exciting! I'm a little nervous, but a mostly excited! I also signed up for the Autism Ribbon Run 5K on October 11. I've run that race before, and it's a fast course, so that'll be fun, and a good chance to do a little speed work for the half marathon. Since the timing worked out, I decided to sign up for the virtual Worldwide Festival of Races, and will use my Autism Ribbon Run time.

No Treadmill Today

My legs are still feeling tired this morning, and the plantar fasciitis in my left foot was peeping at me when I got up, so I decided to take a break from running today. I did 45 minutes on the elliptical machine instead (for 3.16 miles) and followed it with 20 minutes on the recumbent bike (for 3.46 miles).

Last evening I finally got around to exploring a website called MapMyRun.com, where you can map out routes, and the site will tell you distances. (I'd heard of it for a while, but hadn't gotten around to poking around on it.) You can save routes to your profile, and make them public or private. Once I got the hang of it, I could see that the site could be a lot of run in terms of creating new routes, or finding routes already added by others on the site. I've already got some good ideas of places to run around here.

Broken Record

Okay, I did the same gym machines as yesterday, but it works. I ran a little less today, though, because I started feeling a little nagging pain where I had the groin strain earlier this year. When I started feeling it, I finished that minute and hopped off! Ended up with 32 minutes of running on the treadmill, for 2.47 miles.

I stretched a little bit, and got on the recumbent bike for 30 minutes (5.39 miles). No more pain, but I'll stretch some more today.

I enjoyed watching "The Biggest Loser" with George last night. He suggested we have a contest with each other, to see who can lose the most weight. He wants to go pound for pound, but I'd rather do weight loss percentage, like they do on "The Biggest Loser." We'll see how this goes!

Running and Bike

This morning I ran 41 minutes for 3.10 miles on the treadmill, then hopped on the recumbent bike for 3.58 miles in 20 minutes. It's the second day in a row that I've exercised for an hour total, and my legs feel it a bit. I'll probably need to do a little less some days until I get used to it.

I've continued to find workouts to add to my BuckeyeOutdoors online log. Yesterday I remembered the log I used to keep on running2win.com back last year. I wasn't very consistent about it using that log, but it has enough to make it worth consolidating, especially the road races I recorded online. One online log I used to use (I think it was on coolrunning.com) ceased to exist, so I lost some workouts from that, but oh well. I've glad to have the records I've got, and I've been recording consistently for quite some time now. One thing I've recently discovered on BuckeyeOutdoors is that I can record my weight, which I think will be motivating. There's also a food log, but I think I'll stick with another site for that.

Crosstraining Morning

This morning I did 35:01 minutes on the treadmill for 2.54 miles, 15 minutes on the elliptical for 1.11 miles, and a cool down on the recumbent bike for 10 minutes (1.74 miles). It felt great to do a full hour of cardio again!

I finished plugging in this year's workouts into Buckeye Outdoors. It was interesting to plug in the limited workouts through my February groin strain, as well was all the "rest days" (doctor ordered) after I broke my nose, then had it reset in the hospital. It was a good experience to review the whole year to date, really, and think about what next year's goals will be. I'd hoped to hit 1000 miles of running for this year, but won't make it, so I think that 1000 running miles will be a goal for 2009.

I was also glad to figure out how to put my workouts from the BuckeyeOutdoors log onto my blog here. See the right side, near this post. From there, it's also easy to see monthly and yearly totals, which is fun. (I'm almost up to 500 running miles for the year, which is pretty decent.)

Long Recumbent Bike Ride

My legs are sore from yesterday's long run on the treadmill, so I got on the recumbent bike at the gym this morning, and did 7.01 miles in 40 minutes. Late on Sunday afternoon now, my legs are still pretty sore!

One of my projects this weekend has been entering my miles from earlier this year into my online training log on BuckeyeOutdoors, so that I can let the website do the math and create stats and reports for me. It's been an interesting reminder of all the miles I did at the beginning of the year (I'm transferring early February's runs now.) Not only did I run farther 8-9 months ago, but I was going faster too! *sigh*

It's reminded me of two things: 1) that I got injured in mid-February, due to the distance and speed I was putting in; and 2) I weigh a few more pounds than I did then.

I need to remember not to overdo it as I increase my workouts. I also need to continue to watch my calories and refocus my weight loss efforts.

Long Run Inside

I decided to take it easy on themy 10-mile run this morning. The Galloway group was going to run a hilly course, and my week was busy enough that I didn't feel like going there. So, I headed for the gym this morning to run on the treadmill. I had to break the runs into chunks, since the treadmill only lets me do an hour plus a few minutes of cool down. My total was 10.17 miles in 2:33:00, for a 15:02 pace! I did most of this on a 1-1.5% incline, so that it would be a little harder. I'm excited about the faster pace, even if it was on the treadmill.

I did do some walking, but I ran for the whole first hour, and it felt good to find out I could do that. Now, in the middle of the day, I am pretty tired and sore, but nothing that a nap won't cure. Okay, and maybe a bubble bath later. :D

More Running

My favorite treadmill was calling my name again this morning, so I ended up running 40:01 minutes for 3.12 miles at a 1% incline. It's more than I'd planned to run, considering I'm planning to do a long run in the morning. We'll see how that goes now!

Afterward, I got on the recumbent bike to cool down for 5 minutes, and it turned into 15 minutes (2.67 miles).

It was a good workout, but I'm exercise-tired. I hope I can get to bed early tonight.

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!

More Running

My favorite treadmill was free when I got to the gym this morning, so I hopped on and went for 45 minutes and 3.42 miles. I cooled down with 10 minutes (1.74 miles) on the recumbent bike.

George and I watched the season premier of "The Biggest Loser" last night. I like watching the show, eventhough I'm envious of the contestants for getting to take time out from "regular life" for their weightloss efforts. One thing I pay close attention to is what the personal trainers are having the contestants do in the gym. It's fun to get new workout ideas from the show!

Back on the Treadmill

I got back on the treadmill this morning, not sure how it was going to go. My cold is a little better, but I'm still feeling a bit tired and achy. I thought I'd try going for 5 minutes and see how it went. I ended up going for 35 minutes (2.63 miles), and followed it with 10 minutes (1.67 miles) on the recumbent bike.

I had a church meeting last night, then we had to stop by the drugstore, so we got home close to 10 PM last night! Ick! Tonight I hope to get to bed early.

On the Recumbent Bike

This morning, tired and still sniffling, I went to the gym and did 40 minutes (7.02 miles) on the recumbent bike. Mentally, I felt better after exercising, and there's a lot to be said for that! I'm still tired and sniffling, though, but hope I'll turn the corner soon.

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.

Under the Weather--A Little

I've been nursing a scratchy throat and slightly stuffed-up nose since yesterday. It's not any worse this morning, but not any better either. I decided to go to the gym anyway, but had a pretty light 35 minute workout on the recumbent bike. It wasn't anything intense, but it was something.

Good Treadmill Run

It was back on the treadmill for me this morning. My basic plan was to run 30 minutes, but to hit the 5K mark if I had it in me. I remembered to set the incline to 1% at the beginning of the run, and hit the Start button. I ended up going for 45 minutes and 3.4 miles--yay! The pace was a little slower than it has been on the treadmill lately, but the steady incline, eventhough just a little, took its toll a bit, as the plantar fasciitis in my left foot flaired up a little. The foot feels better now.

I'm thinking about running a 5K on Saturday! Hmmmm....

Combo Workout

This morning I ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes (1.43 miles), then spent 20 minutes (3.5 miles) on the recumbent bike. My knees were feeling a little sore going down the steps of my apartment building on the way to the gym this morning, so I felt like I needed to take it a little easy.

On the treadmill, I forgot to set the incline at first, but 3-4 minutes into the run, I set the incline to 1% and left it there. I could feel some difference in the run (not QUITE as easy)!

Back on the Treadmill

I ran a 5K (3.1 miles) in 40 minutes on the treadmill this morning, with some incline (.5% and 1%). It felt pretty good, no foot pain today.

It's still dark during the majority of my workouts now. The seasons are changing, for sure. I'm kinda missing the possibility of running outside in the mornings. Oh, well, at least I'm okay with the treadmill.

I had a checkup yesterday, and was glad to hear my diabetes is still under control with diet and exercise. (Two years ago, I was taking four insulin shots for Type 2 diabetes!) She encouraged me to do the half marathon rather than the marathon at this point.

No Running Today

I decided to give my legs a break from running today, though it was a little tough! (Crosstraining is my friend, crosstraining is my friend!) Instead, I spent 30 minutes on the elliptical machine, and another 15 minutes on the recumbent bike. On this end of the workout, it feels good to have done other exercises. :)

Unexpected Run

I got on the treadmill this morning expecting to run just enough to bumped my mileage up above last week's mileage of 17.85 miles. I only needed less than a mile, but I felt good enough to keep going, so I ended up with 2.73 miles in 35 minutes. That's 20.47 running miles for the week (in addition to the elliptical machine and recumbent bike). It's good to be back to a 20-mile running week!

Back on the Treadmill

I slept in and puttered around this morning, since Tropical Storm Hanna's wind and rain were coming through. I made it to the gym this afternoon, and did 30 minutes on the treadmill for 2.33 miles. Although I usually listen to my iPod during runs, I shook up the routine a little and watched the rest of an episode of "House" on the treadmill's little TV screen, plugging my earbuds into the sound jack. (There's a "House" marathon on the USA network today, and I got sucked in this morning!)

After the treadmill, I got on the recumbent bike for 15 minutes, for 2.55 miles.

Bike Workout

Still tired from yesterday's long run, I hopped on the recumbent bike at the gym this morning, and went 5.25 miles in 30 minutes, a pretty decent pace for me. I'm looking forward to running again, but my legs needed a break today.

I added a little bit of upper body strength training. The 15 lb. kettlebells are still too heavy for me, so I worked with the 5 lb. free weights.

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.

Bike Ride

I took it a little easy this morning, doing 35 minutes (6.07 miles) on the recumbent bike. My body and legs are tired this morning, and I gave myself permission not to push it too much. I just enjoyed the time at the gym, listening to podcasts, with the morning news on the bike's TV screen.

Crosstraining at the Gym

This morning I started with a slower run on the treadmill (30 minutes for 2.26 miles), then 15 minutes on the elliptical (1.07 miles), and lastly 10 minutes on the recumbent bike for 1.71 miles. Yes, my legs are feeling tired now!

The City of Oaks/Rex Healthcare Half Marathon that I want to run is just two months away now, on November 2! Yikes! No, I can be ready--and healthy! I can do it!

Speaking of doing it, my running friend Tayler has signed up for Team in Training--yay, Tayler! I'm excited for her, and impressed that she's taken on fundraising in addition to training for her first half marathon in December or January. Her fundraising page is here.

Treadmill and Bike

Although my legs still felt tired from the weekend workouts, I decided to get on the treadmill and see how far I felt like going. I ended up doing 3.15 miles in 41 minutes, a 13 minute m/m pace! Glad to be running a little faster, even if it's on the treadmill. I need to remember to be careful, though, and not go so fast that I get injured again.

After the treadmill, I got on the recumbent bike and did a slower (than yesterday) 2.61 miles in 15 minutes.

Bike Workout

After yesterday's long run and a pretty active evening at the Duke-James Madison U. football game, I woke up tired this morning. I procrastinated for a while, then headed to the gym for a 30-minute workout on the recumbent bike. I did 6.82 miles in 30 minutes, a 4:23 pace--faster than usual for me. I felt spent at 30 minutes, and was relieved to stop. Good workout, though.

On the virtual front, I'm enjoying using the website DailyMile for some tracking and the message boards. Let me know if you'd like an invitation.

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!

A Little Crosstraining

This morning I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine, and 10 minutes on the recumbent bike. I took it easy this morning, saving some energy for a long run tomorrow morning. I hope to go at least 10 miles, but would love to hit the 13-mile mark tomorrow morning and see what my training time is.

Good Run

I hopped on the treadmill this morning and had one of my best runs in a while, 3.11 miles in 41 minutes for a 13:10 pace. I ran the whole time, with no walking breaks (mush easier on the treadmill). I did increase the incline for parts of the run. The best part of the run was that my feet didn't hurt today--yay!

It dawned on me recently to check the time limits for the longer races I'm interested in. The Battleship North Carolina Half Marathon, which I'm already signed up for, has a 3 hour time limit. I'm not sure I could do that yet (did I mention I'm slow!). :-( The Rex Healthcare Half Marathon (which is coupled with the City of Oaks Marathon) has a time limit of three and a half hours, which is a 16 minute pace. Sounds slow, but it has taken me a long time to run the longer distances, using the Galloway run/walk method. The last time I ran/walked with the Galloway group, my pace for a little over 10 miles was nearly 18 minutes per mile! Yikes! I know I'm building my mileage base, but I may not be fast enough to run the half marathon in Raleigh--YET! I need to look for some other half marathons in the area, I think, and check out time limits. Meanwhile, I'll continue to work on my running. Time for some new running shoes, too, I think.

Elliptical Workout

This morning I stuck to the elliptical machine, though I was itching to get on the treadmill. I really wanted to run, but since I've logged miles the past two days, I decided to take a break and do the elliptical. I went 3.35 miles in 45 minutes, a 13:25 pace. I've decided to start working on picking up my pace, so I was pleased to see that the 13:25 pace is a little faster than other elliptical workouts lately.

Good Treadmill Run

I hit the treadmill for a run this morning, with no plan in mind. I ended up running 3.4 miles in 45 minutes with relatively little pain. I did feel a little pain under my right toes, this time only under my "twin" toes. (That's what my family's always called them. My sister has them as well, but we don't know of anyone else in the family who has had them.) I wonder if the pain has something to do with that, but I have the webbed toes on both feet, but the strange pain under-toe only on my right foot. Hmmm....

Elliptical and Treadmill

This morning I did 35 minutes on the elliptical (2.54 miles), then hopped on the treadmill for 15 minutes (1.09 miles). While on the treadmill, I played with the incline a bit. It was a good workout, all in all.

Crosstraining

This morning I did a little bit of several things. I started with 20 minutes on the recumbent bike, then 10 minutes of running on the treadmill, followewd by 10 minutes on the elliptical machine. I had it in me to do a little more, but wanted to be careful with my left foot--the plantar fasciitis is still nagging a bit. Maybe I'll do more later. Or maybe I'll get some rest.

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......

Just the Bike

My legs are a bit sore (and I'm a bit tired) from last evening's run at Umstead State Park, so I just did 30 minutes on the recumbant bike this morning.

I'm thinking about doing my long run by myself in the morning. I'm scheduled to do 12 for the half marathon, but have been stuck at 10-ish on my long run Saturdays of late. I'm getting a bit discouraged about talking about my bum feet to the Galloway group; I wonder if they think I'm complaining and not doing anything about it! Truth be known, I have been delaying a bit, since seeing a specialist and getting orthotics, or even getting good running shoes (which I have already)...it all gets expensive, and I'm trying to weigh the foot issues with other things I'm saving for. Orthotics-probably the route I'll go in time, cost $400-500! Yikes! That's on top of decent running shoes, which wear out, and cost in the $100 neighborhood.

In the big scheme of things, this running thing is a hobby of mine, but it's a really important hobby! Would I spend this kind of money on any other hobby? Probably not in one chunk. My feet rarely bother me when I'm going through the day, doing normal things. So, I'll probably start socking money away for orthotics, or wait my healthcare reimbursement account can be flush again. (My current balance is down to a couple of dollars, should've put more in, but didn't anticipate the broken nose plus physical therapy for a groin strain.) That money would be pretax, which is nice, if I can wait a few more months.

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.

Outside Walk

I slept in a bit this morning after celebrating George's grandfather's 94th (!) birthday last night in Cary. I was hoping to run this morning, but didn't have the mojo, so I decided to walk outside around the neighborhood. I got in 1.73 miles in 36 minutes. It's a pretty morning, so I enjoyed being outside. Nice change of pace. Maybe I'll get some more exercise in later today.

Combo Workout

This morning I did 15 minutes on the recumbent bike, then 20 minutes on the elliptical. I woke up feeling a little tired this morning, so I was tempted to stay on the bike. I'm glad I pushed myself to work on the elliptical machine too.

Treadmill Run

This morning I did a 5K on the treadmill, 3.1 miles in 40:05, a 12:56 pace. Although I didn't get as much sleep as I would've liked last night, I felt pretty refreshed during the run, and even now. I would've liked to have come under 40 minutes for the 5K, but that's okay.

Yesterday I walked during my work breaks and went around the Trinity Park neighborhood near where I work. I really enjoyed looking at all the houses and yards. I was fascinated by the renovations going on at the Kings Daughters Home on Buchanan, which I hear is being turned into a B & B. I want to keep walking in that area at least to see how progress is going there!

I registered on another running site yesterday, DailyMile.com. It seems to be a good site, another place to track mileage and participate in forums, groups, and such. I'll see how long I can keep yet another site going! BuckeyeOutdoors is still my favorite for keeping track of my workouts.

Elliptical Workout

This morning I did 40 minutes on the elliptical machine. I'm a little sore from this weekend's back-to-back runs, but not too bad.

A Little More

This morning I decided to run outside, which was a nice change of pace. I felt tired, though, from yesterday's activities, so I thought I'd go a mile and see how I felt. One mile turned into three, in 45:16. Though you'd never know it from my time, I did more running than usual. Eventhough I was tired, the hills felt a little easier this morning.

My muscles are a little sore from yesterday's run, but it still felt good to run today, partly to have some time to myself. While I enjoyed yesterday's meeting and dinner, it was a lot of "people time," so I needed some time to myself. Now that I think about it, that's probably why I ran outside this morning, rather than going to the gym where there were other people. Though I'm still tired, I do feel better.

Partial Run

This morning I got up early and was at the gym before 6 AM to run on the treadmill for a while before my 9 AM meeting. I was scheduled to run 10 miles, but ended up doing 4.46 miles of (mostly) running, and then 1.7 miles on the recumbent bike before heading home to get ready for the all-day meeting at ERUUF.

I wish I'd had time to get the whole 10 in, but I was hard pressed to get up early enough to run 10 miles before 7:30 AM, giving me enough time to get ready and get to church in time. (It was a good meeting, and I'm glad I went.)

I watched the end of the women's Olympic marathon tonight, and it was very inspiring. I only caught the last couple miles of the gold medalist, but wow, how impressive! Constantina Tomescu Dita from Romania won in 2:26:44, and is the oldest woman to win the Olympic marathon! Wow!

Yesterday I emailed a lady about the Anna's Angels 10-Miler, which I was considering signing up for. (Since I've run 10 miles or more a few times, I thought it would be a good experience to try a race.) I noticed that the awards ceremony is going to be 2 hours after the race starts, so I emailed the contact person to see if I could run in it, eventhough I knew I couldn't finish it in under 2 hours. (I wasn't worried about being in medal contention!) She replied that the course closed after a couple of hours for safety's sake, so the 5K might be a better option for me. *sigh*

I'm planning to run again in the morning to round out the week's mileage.

More Bike

This morning I did 35 minutes (for 5.71 miles) on the recumbent bike at the gym.

I'm feeling tired this morning, after spending several hours on my feet (a chunk of it on concrete flooring) for yesterday's open house at work. It was a lot of fun, but I can still feel it in my body this morning. I'm surprised I still feel as tired as I do. Wish I could sleep in tomorrow, but I have a meeting at church from 9-4!

Treadmill Run

I did 40 minutes on the treadmill this morning for 3.18 miles. It felt great, wish I could've gone longer. I'm heading to work soon to help set up for our open house. (Can't wait to see people!)

Crosstraining

This morning I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine and 10 minutes on the recumbent bike. Switching around on the machines this week is helping to keep me going. I'm tired this morning after last evening's interview with a Korean documentary crew. I was on the elliptical at the gym already when I realized my v-neck t-shirt was on backward! Hehehe

Variety

Yesterday I did 45 minutes on the elliptical machine. This morning, I ran for 30 minutes on the treadmill, and finished with 10 minutes on the recumbent bike.

Short Bike Ride

This morning I did 30 minutes on the recumbent bike at the gym. I still had some sore muscles from yesterday, and I wanted to save some energy for the day's events (being a Worship Associate at church this morning and lunch aftward with the family). It was a good day, all in all, but I'm looking forward to more exercise tomorrow. (I think I still feel a little gipped from Saturday.)

That Darn Foot

This morning I had a pretty eventful run, eventhough it was cut short (disappointingly, because my feet were hurting). I ran/walked 10.09 miles in 3 hours, 14 seconds.

While I was running near the back of the pack, I got to talk with JoAnn, one of the group leaders. I hadn't had a chance to talk with her before, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her better. She asked what I do, so we talked about libraries and my job for a bit. She told me about a friend of hers who works at Joyner Library at East Carolina University; she decided she wanted a faculty position within the library, so in past few years, she's completed her bachelors degree as well as a masters degree in English. Now this friend of hers is about to start the library science degree program and NC Central, utilizing the online option, at the age of 51! Pretty inspiring! That was great for me to hear.

JoAnn and I also talked about my running goal of the City of Oaks marathon. She suggested (tactfully and kindly) that I consider running the half marathon instead. She has run several half marathons and loves them! I started thinking about it, and how I've felt pretty spent after 10 miles in the past few weeks. If I concentrate on half marathon training, I could continue to build my mileage base, and return to some fall road races without feeling guilty about missing higher mileage runs on Saturdays. I'm still mulling over all of this, but my gut feels relieved when I think about running a half marathon and more 5k and 10K road races.

During one of our bathroom breaks, which happened to be at Crabtree Valley Mall. We were diverted from the door we usually go in because it was still locked--to keep out the line forming for none other than American Idol tryouts! Who knew?!

After I finished 10 miles and veered off from the group, I got to the parking lot, and had a nice chat with Janet and Jeanette, twins training with the Galloway group, who were parked near my car. They're very nice, so I enjoyed talking with them while standing still. :)

I got in the car and headed for the gym, feeling the need to work out some more. I felt a little frustrated and cheated out of a longer run. I went through the McDonald's drive-through and got a Diet Dr. Pepper to rehydrate, and drove straight to the gym. (Since my apartment complex is right across the street, I was a little tempted, but not much.) I did 45 minutes and 3.33 miles on the elliptical, and enjoyed listening to music on my iPod for most of that workout. I still felt bummed about not going 18 miles as planned today, but I felt better.

Afterward, I dropped into the grocery store in the same strip mall as the gym to get some items. When I was ready to check out, I happened to get in line behind several men with Durham Fire-Rescue shirts on. As they were getting their grocery bags together, the cashier reached for my discount card and asked how I was doing. I usually say, "Fine, how are you?" This time I told her I was okay, that I'd just worked out at the gym and was ready to get home. For some reason, she asked how long I'd been at the gym. I told her 45 minutes, but that I'd run for three hours before that. (Okay, she didn't know I was licking some silly wounds!) Well, the Durham Fire-Rescue guy closest to me heard the exchange and did a double take at me, then turned to his cohorts and said, "Dang, she ran for three hours!"

Okay, so that made me feel a little better! :)

Bike Again

I did another round on the recumbent bike, 6.64 miles in 40 minutes. I'm going to be drinking a lot of water today in anticipation of tomorrow's looooonng run. I'm thinking about getting some early miles in, depends on whether or not I can get to bed early!

Elliptical

This morning I did 45 minutes on the elliptical for 3.21 miles. I may join the NCRC this evening for their August trail series. It's hot......

Busy Times

Yesterday morning I did 40 minutes on the elliptical, and I got to bed earrrrrly last night. This morning I got on the treadmill and ran for 30 minutes. It was a little hard to get going, but once I did, it felt great! After the run, I did 20 minutes on the recumbent bike.

The move to the new building for work went well, all in all, and has provided me with some extra physical activity, between unpacking, learning where everything is, and getting to the staff lounge upstairs. I like the new building a lot!

Short Elliptical

This morning I did 35 minutes on the elliptical machine. I woke up late this morning, as I forgot to set my alarm last night, so...a short workout this morning. I'm eager to report to our new work building this morning, so I'm rushing to get in earlier than normal. Wish me luck!

Back on the Bike

This morning I found my way back on the recumbent bike at the gym for 7.21 miles in 45 minutes. Although I'm not in nearly the state I was in last weekend, I still feel the plantar fasciitis going on in my foot, so I decided to take it easy.

Galloway Scavenger Hunt

This morning's marathon training run with the Galloway group was the annual scavenger hunt, this time at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. Luckily (for the artwork!) we ran on a trail around the museum and on a nearby greenway, where we had to take pictures to show that we found clues on a sheet of paper.



We used my digital camera, which is how I got the pictures here. Although several more were taken, these are my favorites!








Another picture of my pace group-pretty neat, huh?








Although this wasn't a scavenger clue, it's also along the art museum trail. I though it was interesting, and I was glad I had my camera handy.





Toward the end of the mileage, Gloria (who was behind me with a few other folks) called up to say they were going to the Cloud Chamber. I turned around, followed the sign, and headed down this trail, trying to catch up with them. I came to a spot where I had to choose between going left or right, and there wasn't another sign. I could hear some (non-distressed) voices in the distance and called out, but didn't hear anything back. I decided to turn around and head back to the parking lot and my car.

I ended up clocking 9.71 miles in 3 hours, which included time to stop and take pictures, as well as once when I stopped my Garmin and forgot to restart it. I don't feel as tired now as I did last Saturday, but my feet hurt a good bit during this morning's run. The plantar fasciitis in my left foot stretched out eventually, but the burning in my right foot (under the toe bridge) was a nagging (and sometimes sharp) pain.

More Energy

This morning I feel more rested, which is a relief. I only ran 5 minutes on the treadmill, though, as I wanted to check out some new arch supports. (The plantar fasciitis in my left foot has been bothering me since last weekend's run.) They feel okay, so I decided to save my legs (and feet) for tomorrow's 10-mile run. I hopped on the elliptical and did 40 minutes on it, working the legs but without the impact.

I hope the plantar fasciitis does okay tomorrow morning.