Tuesday's Speed Workout

This morning's workout assignment was what has turned out to be my weekly speed workout on the treadmill. It was pretty darn hard, as usual, but was a little different this time, as it was the longest total distance where I've worked on speed intervals. Hoping it'll pay off down the road! Here are the results:

1) Walked .26 mi in 5:09
2) Ran .25 mile in 4:00
3) Ran 1 mile in 13:46
4) Ran .50 mile in 5:16
5) Ran .50 mile in 5.52
6) Ran .50 mile in 5:53
7) Ran .50 mile in 5:52
8) Walked .50 mile in 8:59

The first half mile was an anamoly, as I looked at my workout notes and thought it read that my half mile intervals should be at a 5:30-5:45 pace, when my coach meant that I should run the half mile invervals IN 5:30-5:45. Hehehe, big difference, no?! I was trying desperately to work my pace down to something sub-6:00, and my legs were flying (by my standards)! I knew I couldn't maintain that for long, and I'd just started! I was relieved that the lightbulb flashed on and I realized I could slow down, but by the time I worked my way back down to a more reasonable pace on the treadmill, I was pretty spent. I had 3-minute rests between each running interval, but it was still a struggle to complete the workout! I'm glad I made it through to the end. I DID consider cutting it short, but I kept remembering last Saturday's 5K race, and how much I want to get faster!

Race Report: 2010 St. Timothy's Spring Sprint 5K, Raleigh, NC

Well, this was not the race I was expecting. I was hoping for a PR in this sixth race of the Second Empire Grand Prix Series, but it wasn't meant to be, though I felt like I did a lot of things right in preparation for this race. I followed Brennan's workout and rest plan for the week, got plenty of sleep, drank lots of water throughout the week. Yep, I thought I was ready. And the race description online called it a flat and fast course! Hehehehe. *sigh* It turned out to be the hilliest course of the series!

My plan was to run .75 mile intervals at around 14:30, with walk intervals of .1. I pretty much did the distance, but the hills sent my pace all over the map. The heat got to me as well after the 9:30 start. I was surprised to find that by the time I got to the water stop, they'd run out of cups! I was slow, but not THAT slow! Since I was struggling anyway, that really threw me for a loop. Thank goodness, by the time I got back around to the water stop on the opposite side of the street from the first water stop, the volunteers had located some cups, and the water was especially cool!

I felt pretty discouraged by the end of the race, which ended uphill. My chip time was 49:43, gun time was 50:12. It was a finish, but it was more a hill workout than a race for me. I felt pretty deflated when I was done. When I went inside to the bathroom, my face was really red, much more so than usual after a race. I stopped and got some fluids in me for the drive home.

I did see some Galloway people before and during the race, as well as some other runners I know. It was a nice surprise, too, to see the daughter of one of my former Wake Forest University coworkers walking the race. I introduced Steph and Ruby before the race, and met George afterward at Panera for lunch.

I must admit that I'm not eager to do this race again, not without some more hill training, anyway. This was a new course for this race, which went through the North Hills neighborhood in Raleigh. It's a beautiful neighborhood, but a tough course for a race. Also, they had a one-mile race before the 5K start, which pushed the 5K to 9:30, kinda late for this area. Parking was plentiful, and it was nice to get a closer look at St. Timothy's School, which looks pretty and probably has a good reputation. The proceeds went to the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, a great cause.

All in all, the best thing I can say about my own performance was that it was a finish, for which I'll earn Series points toward the series-end luncheon. My mile splits are below:

1) 15:15
2) 16:39
3) 15:43
.14) 14:55 pace

Today I've gotta work on getting this one behind me so I can look ahead. The next 5K in the series is in two weeks, and will be a 2 PM (Sunday afternoon) start. Weird start time for an early May race, when things have warmed up even more. Yes, everyone will be out in the same heat, but I'm still dreading it, in a way! Must. Stay. Positive.

Music vs. Podcasts

I had a light workout this morning, 2.2 easy miles in 30:15 min. on the elliptical. I was thankful for the easy assignment, as yesterday's speed workout was tough!!

I listened to podcasts instead of music during this morning's workout, unusual for me, but a nice change of pace! I wonder if others have a preference for music vs. podcasts. I'm usually a "workout playlist on my iPod" gal, but I've been listening to more podcasts during my workouts this week. I think part of it is just a change of pace, but maybe I need some new songs to liven up my workout playlist. Any song suggestions?

Speedwork Tuesday

This morning I did some speedwork on the treadmill. First, I walked 0.50 mile (10 min) to warm up, then ran 0.51 mile in 8:05 mile to warm up some more. After a 2 min. rest, I ran 1 mile in 13:44, rested three minutes, then ran 1 more mile in 13:30. I cooled down with a 0.52 mile walk  (9 min) and about 10 minutes of stretching. It was tiring, for sure, but in a good way. I think I'll sleep well tonight!

Coach Brennan and I had a nice chat last night about last Saturday's run and my upcoming 5K. She encouraged me to get plenty of rest, good nutrition, and plenty of water over the next few days. We'll talk again Friday night before the race.

Yesterday's Long Run Plus Race Report: Cary Road Race 5K

I felt like such a renegade yesterday, as I decided on Friday to run the Cary Road Race without running it by my coach. Mainly, though, I was looking for a way to jazz up my training run just a bit, so I decided to make the 5K race the end of my training run, that's all. I knew there'd be a pretty good hill in the first mile or so, then later in the course a small lake to run around. Also, George had decided to run in the 10K, which started before the 5K, so it was a good opportunity for me to cheer him on as well. An added bonus was getting to see a number of my running friends (in addition to George, of course!), plus, the weather report for yesterday promised it would be a beautiful and slightly cool morning.

So, after seeing George and Meri (one of our Galloway friends) off for the 10K, I took care of my early mileage, about 1.15 miles of running and walking, then looked for people I knew in the 10K while I waited for the 5K show to start. I was able to see George once and Meri twice before the 5K started.

The first mile was my slowest (with the big hill), but also just about my favorites, since one of my Galloway pace group friends, Ellen Klinger, came up behind me! She called out to me and  when I turned around, we hooted and hollered and carried on! :) It was sooo much fun to visit with her!

My training run for yesterday called for running three 1 mile intervals with quarter mile walking intervals in between. I decided to still run the 1 mile intervals, and walked somewhere between .1-.25 in between, so that the last "mile" of the 3.1 miler was a little short, but close enough. I kept a pretty close watch on my pace, as I didn't want to race this race; I just wanted it to be a training run with punch!

At the first water stop, I had to get my own water cup off the table, as the volunteer kids were busy starting to clean up. (I was near the back of the pack, of course!) Still, I was thankful for the water, which took care of me through the end of the race.

As I finished running around the lake, I saw George and Meri waiting on me to cheer me on, and they ended up running in the last bit (maybe a quarter of a mile) with me, which was fun! There was only one finish clock, and it showed the 10K time only, so I had to wait until results were posted to see how I did for the 5K portion of my run.

Before the race, it was good to visit with Gary and Rachel from Galloway/NCRC, and afterward I saw Lena from NCRC. Ron and Elaine were manning the Raleigh Galloway table, so we enjoyed visiting with them after the races as well.

My overall time for 4.25 miles was 1:10:46, a 16:40 overall average pace, which is an improvement for me! I finished the 5K in 49:07, an average 15:49 pace. Although I had a chip on my shoe (thank goodness!), there wasn't a starting pad, so the time is "gun time" only. This wasn't my best 5K time of the year, but not my worst either. Not bad, considering it was a training run. I'm pleased with the negative splits below.

Mile Splits:
1) 19:26 (part of warm-up)

2) 16:43 (big hill here)
3) 15:57
4) 15:18
.25) @ 13:35/mi pace

Sidestep: Low Carb Diet Progress

Yesterday, I went to see Dr. Westman. He's a Duke internist who's specialties include bariatrics and addictions, and he has a new book out that updates the Atkins diet. I've been seeing him since mid-January, so yesterday was my monthly appointment, as well as my first visit to the lab since my initial visit in January. I'm happy to report that I'm down about 18 lbs and 7 inches in my waist! My labwork also tells an interesting tale. Below, I'll give my numbers from mid-January and yesterday:

A1c: 7.1--> 6.3
Total Cholesterol: 246-> 193
Triglycerides: 161--> 114
HDL: 46--> 42
LDL:168--> 128

Most of these numbers are rather good, and all without medications! I still need to stay the course, as they could be better still. The goal for my A1c is to get it below 6.0, and the HDL should be higher. I'm encouraged by the improvement, though! And the whole cholesterol thing fascinates me, since Atkins has the reputation for being all about fats--steak and cheese, and all of that. I must admit, I have stayed away from red meats, by and large, and usually choose low-fat cheeses when I can.

I'm still pondering the differences between the Rice Diet, which I spent numerous months on with success, and the Atkins Diet, which is successful so far as well. One is low-fat, the other low-carb. How do they both achieve similar results for me?

Thursday Run

This morning I ran/walked 3.27 miles on the treadmill in 54:04, a 16:32 average pace. I could've gone a little faster, but I decided to take it pretty easy on my knee. Still, this is a decent training pace for me, better than I usually do on the road for a training run. My road training pace will get there someday! :)

Yesterday's Speedwork--Not! But Go Blue Devils!

Yesterday was supposed to be a speed workout, but that didn't happen. Brennan, my running coach, had emailed me over the weekend, and asked how my knee felt. I admitted that my weekend workouts had felt a bit sluggish, and my knee was talking to me a little. So, she suggested I make yesterday's speed workout a 2-2.5 mile walk instead! I'm glad she gave me a way out of having to do speed, because it turns out I had a way late night Monday night, staying up to watch the whole Duke-Butler game in the NCAA Basketball Championship game! It was too exciting and CLOSE not to watch the whole thing, which lasted til around Midnight EDT, then I was too keyed up to go to sleep for a while. *sigh* So, I walked an easy 2.32 miles in 45:03 minutes on the treadmill yesteray morning, then went to bed early last night. (I think I finally gave up and turned my light out aroun 8:00!)

I was good for little yesterday at work, but it was a good day to be a Duke fan! :) Unfortunately, I arrived at work to see the (Duke) blue screen of death on my computer screen, so I had to work at another computer all day. I hope it gets fixed today.

Saturday's Run on the American Tobacco Trail

I had a "long" run on the American Tobacco Trail on Saturday. It was a beautiful morning, clear with temps in the mid to high 50s. I wish my mojo had matched the great weather!  I felt sluggish, and was worried about my knee, so I ended up run/walking 3.81 miles in 1:08:31, barely breaking 18:00 for my average pace. Blah! Some runs are like that, though. I'm glad I got out there and got the mileage in.

Yesterday's Run/Walk on the Treadmill

Yesterday's run/walk workout assignment on the treadmill was my longest workout of the week! I'm used to having my longest run on Saturday's, so this was different for me. As usual, my running and walking intervals were by distance. Since I've become accustomed to doing speedwork on the treadmill, I found myself pushing the pace yesterday morning on the treadmill. Bad move! After running intervals of one mile and 0.5 mile with walks in between, I was running my second 1/2 mile when my left (oh, yes!) knee starting hurting--more than usual. I looked at my pace, and it was sub-14:00 by then, faster than my race pace of late. No wonder! I took it down to a walk, and walked through my next walk interval, and stopped for a minute. I decided to record my distance and time up to that point, then massaged my knee for a few seconds. It felt better, so I decided to try to run and walk the end of my workout MORE SLOWLY and see how things felt. My knee felt much better after that. Whew! So, here are the numbers from yesterday:

2.56 miles in 40 minutes
1.5 miles in 23:08 minutes

Today, my knee has felt a little creaky, so I'm glad it's been a rest day. I also took today as a vacation day, so I've really been able to take it easy. I hope tomorrow's run, 3.75 miles on run/walking, goes okay.

On the Bike

This morning I did a 50-minute bike ride, doing 2 minute speed intervals with 2 minute easy rides for most of it. It was a good workout, one I wasn't accustomed to doing before I started working with Brennan. I think it'll pay off in the long run. I had to do a 10 minute walk on the treadmill while I waiting for the bike to open up. Final tally:

Walked 0.50 mile in 10:12
Rode 9.76 miles in 50:00

I signed up for my next 5K road race earlier this week, the St. Timothy's School Spring Sprint 5K. I'm very excited about this race, since my training has been going well, and I'm continuing to lose weight and stay injury-free. I hope to break 45 minutes in that race.

This is the final week of the "Shape Up Duke" challenge I've been participating in at work. 12 weeks of being part of the "Bookworms" team will end on Sunday! Wow. I've gotten a lot out of being part of this team effort, and we've done well as a group. I'm proud of my teammates!

Speaking of teams, and perhaps because my time as a "Bookworm" team member is coming to an end in a few days, I've created a new team on SparkPeople called Triangle Roadrunners. While I have a group of people I enjoy running with already, I'll be interested to see if any runners from the area where I live are on SparkPeople and find the group. We'll see! :)

Back on the Elliptical, Plus Cookie Baking

This morning, I did 3.41 miles in 46 minutes on the elliptical machine, with 30 minutes at a more intense pace. It was a pretty good workout, all in all. I finished with about 10 minutes of stretching.

Yesterday morning, I got a two mile walk in before the rain, thank goodness. At Brennan's suggestion, I walked outside instead of my usual treadmill walk. I could feel the hills, but I'm glad I did it.

Yesterday afternoon, George and I met our covenant group for lunch, then went to Nancy's house for cookie baking. I have been dreading the cookie baking for WEEKS, ever since I started the low-carb diet, because cookies have been a big downfall of mine! I *heart* cookies.

So, why didn't I bow out? Well, every year our covenant group works a dinner shift at a local homeless shelter. We meet early and cook dinner together for the folks who come through the homeless shelter on a Saturday night. Well, starting last year, our covenant group was asked to bake the cookies that we'd serve the people for dessert. Since we have our dinner shift coming up in a couple of weeks, we met yesterday to bake around 400 cookies! Of course, now that I'm eating low carb, and am more conscious of nutrition, I'm asking myself why we're handing out cookies for dessert at the shelter instead of something like granola or fruit. I imagine that cost is a factor, like it is for American families trying to stretch their food budgets stocking up on cheaper, empty-calorie foods. Maybe another mindset at work here is that the people who come to the shelter deserve a "treat" in the cookies we've baked. That's a trap I've fallen into soooo many times---rewarding myself with food that's full of refined flour and sugar, when I could be rewarding my body with something healthy instead.

I guess the answer to the question about why I stayed to help make and bake 400 cookies is that the experience itself was a bonding one with my covenant group. Part of me needs to remember that sometimes, it's not about the food. It's one thing to join people for a meal, though, and harder to make something I can't join the group in tasting. I didn't even lick my fingers! By most accounts, I worked by myself on one recipe and looked pretty intense while I was making 4 batches of Toll House bar cookies. I think I got into "the zone," eager to get 'em done and out of my sight! Everyone else was working in pairs pretty much, but I grabbed one of the recipes, found the ingredients and the bowls and utensils I needed, and just ran with it. Occasionally, I would ask for help in grabbing another two sticks of butter or a greased pan, but otherwise, I was pretty focused on getting the job done. I did enjoy the company and chatter of the people around me in the nice, big kitchen with two convection ovens, but I guess the introvert in me came out, too. I was able to think about whatever I wanted to, rather than having to TALK about the cookies while I was making them. I hope I didn't come across as unsocial or pouty, now that I think about it....Anyway, I'm glad I resisted temptation, as I was down again on the scales this morning! Now I'm down 16 pounds since I started the low carb diet in mid-January. Nicer feeling than even licking cookie dough off my fingers would've been yesterday!

4-Miler on the American Tobacco Trail

I had a really nice run/walk this morning on the American Tobacco Trail section in Durham! It was a clear, cold March morning, but spring was in the air and on the ground (in the shape of a bunny rabbit hopping across our path!). I met fellow runner/walker buddies Wendy and Michelle, and we started out together. I was in the presence of a couple of speedy ladies, so I soon set my own pace behind them. Part of my workout today included two running segments of 1 mile each, and two more segments of 1/2 mile each, with some walking in between. I ended up finishing 4 miles in 1:07:07, a 16:46 average pace. I'm pretty pleased with this, since it's the first sub-17 average training pace I've had outdoors in several months!

Speedy Tuesday

I was assigned some speedwork on the treadmill today, and it was challenging, but satisfying at the end! I was to walk 1 mile to warm up, 1/2 mile at 100%, followed by a 3-minute rest, then another 1/2 mile at 100%, then a 1/2 mile walking cooldown. My final numbers were:

Walked 1.02 mi in 21:05 min

Ran 0.50 mi in 5:48 min
Ran 0.50 mi in 5:34 min
Walked 0.65 mi in 12:07 min

It's a little bit hard for me to guage 100%, oddly enough. I wonder if I could've pushed myself a little harder. And on any given day, 100% could be a little bit different, depending on the circumstances. At least I have numbers now, something to compare to down the road.

Volunteer Report: Tobacco Road Marathon

Yesterday, I volunteered at a race for the second time, and it was my first time volunteering at a marathon! It was the Tobacco Road Marathon and Half Marathon, which started and ended in Cary, NC. George and I joined some other Raleigh Galloway runners to help man this water stop, which covered both sides of the trail for both the half and the full marathon. George and I actually took folding chairs for when we had a chance to sit for a minute, but we never did!! We arrived at the water stop around 5:45 AM to help set up, and didn't leave until after 1 PM! Long day on my feet, but I had a fun time working with the other volunteers, so the time went by pretty quickly.

I was surprised by the number of runners I knew (or knew of) in the races, between the Raleigh Galloway training group, church, Web 2.0 (Facebook, Athlinks, Twitter, etc), the North Carolina Roadrunners Club, and other ways. It was so much fun to be able to encourage both friends and strangers out there!

Theoretically, we saw everyone twice, as we were part of both the half and the full course, and our water stop was before AND after BOTH courses' turn-arounds. Sometimes it felt really congested to me, and I wondered if the runners noticed it, or if it was okay for them. Hopefully it was all good.

I saw a barefoot runner, a sock-only runner, and at least one pair of Vibran Five Fingers! Since I just finished the book Born to Run last week, it was interesting to see the barefoot running in action. I enjoyed the book well enough, but don't really buy into the barefoot running thing for myself at this point.

I left the water stop yesterday exhausted, but happy to have been part of something bigger than myself for a morning! I've run so many road races, and been at the back of soooo many packs, that I was glad I stayed  with several other volunteers to cheer, encourage, and offer water to the last walker to pass.

Since then, I've been thinking that I definitely want to do another half marathon, but I think it'll be a while before I'm ready to do a 26.2. I have much, much work to do!

Today's Long Run on the American Tobacco Trail (Durham)

I had a delightful run/walk this morning on the American Tobacco Trail with Jeanette and Janet! What a nice way to say goodbye to winter and hello to spring!

My assignment was to run/walk 4 miles, with two 1-mile running segments, and two .5-mile running segments, with short walk breaks in between. It challenged my endurance, but wasn't out of reach. Having Janet and Jeanette there to chat with helped me keep my pace in check, slow enough to be able to carry on a conversation. It was a beautiful morning out, and once I warmed up, it felt really good!

We ended up going 4.03 miles in 1:08:39, a 17:01 average pace for me, the fastest average pace I've had on an outside training run in, uh, forever! (When I did a 4-miler on the same course last month, my average pace was 18:22!!) My mile splits today were:

1) 17:57
2) 17:18
3) 16:33
4) 16:13

Ahhhh, Rest Day

No, I haven't had a TOTAL rest day, but it was a rest day from exercise and the gym. I used the time this morning to get into work early for some library search committee business. I'm glad it's been a rest day, as my leg muscles are a bit sore and tired. I've come to appreciate the value of days off from exercise. Sometimes it's good to push, as I often feel better after a workout, but sometimes it's even better to let the body rest and recover.

Making Progress

I was back on the treadmill this morning for a run/walk session, 3.6 miles on the board. My longest running segment today was 1.25 miles, not the first time I've run that far since working with Brennan, but the longest I've run at one time in a while. Since I've had a couple of back-to-back races now, I have a pretty good sense for the pace I need to work toward. Of course, this morning's run was on the treadmill, which is much easier for me to run on than the road. I ended up running most of my running segments at around 15:00 (though sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less), but then most of the walking segments were a little slower as I worked to recover from the runs.

I have a rest day tomorrow, and am looking forward to Saturday's 4-miler!

Tired Tuesday Run

I had a run/walk on the schedule this morning, so I hit the treadmill at the gym. (It's still dark outside when I leave to do work out.) My assignment was to run the 1 mile segment of my run/walk at a sub-15:00 pace. I decided to try to run all of the running segments (shorter distances) at a sub-15:00 as well. I managed to do that, but my walking segments felt a little slower today because of it. I'm still dragging today, partly because of race recovery, I suppose, as well as the time change. I also had a meeting last might, and didn't get home until about 9:30. *Yawn!* Post-run, my quads are hurting a little, and I could use a nap! :->

Monday, Monday!

My Monday morning workout assignment was 45 minutes on the treadmill, with 30 minutes of it at a more intense pace. Ahh, it was a little harder than it should've been, I think! I'm still a little tired from Saturday's race, perhaps, and also a little groggy from the time change. But I'm glad I did it! 3.36 miles in 45 minutes, it's in the books now.

Race Report: 2010 Run for the Oaks 5K

Yesterday, I completed my fourth 5K of 2010, the Run for the Oaks in Raleigh, NC, and I'm excited to report that it was my best 5K time of 2010! I crossed the finish line with a gun time of 46:51 and a chip time of 46:35.

The weather was overcast and in the 50s, so it was great weather for the start of the race! (There had been a decent chance of rain 10 days out, and even earlier in the week.)  I met up with work colleagues Samantha and Karen, and we signed up together as a team in this race, which was the first in the Eastern Carolina Corporate Cup Road Race Series for this year. (I tried to organize a Duke team for last year's Run for the Oaks, but it didn't work out at the last minute, as we ended up being one person short of an official team.)  This was Karen's first race ever, so I was happy that she was willing to be part of our team too!

I was a little tired from the start, and I think it was partly because I hadn't slept well Wednesday and Thursday nights. I went to bed early Friday night, and had one of those sleeps that had me feeling kinda groggy and hung over (eventhough I hadn't had any alcohol) when I woke up with a start when the alarm clock went off yesterday morning.

It was a great morning to be out on the streets of Raleigh, though, and I had hopes of getting a PR for this year from the start of the race. The first mile felt pretty good, but I sagged a little in the second mile, and I became aware of the cop car iddling not far behind. Somewhere along the way, I caught up with teammate Karen, and I thought about what I'd tell her if she worried about the cop car. "Don't worry about it!!" So, we both forged ahead, doing our own running and walking patterns as we needed to. I was glad that Karen and I were near each other for encouragement and comraderie, eventhough we were going at our own pace. (She was actually ahead of me for most of the race!) There were a few other run/walkers around us, in fact, so it was all good. Nobody asked us to move off of the city strees and onto to the sidewalks, even! :-) I was able to pick up the speed a bit in the last mile of the course, and the last turn in the course revealed the finish line a couple of tenths of a mile ahead, with a nice downhill in. Karen and I decided to cross the finish line together, and Samantha was already there to cheer us in! (Congrats to both Samantha AND Karen!)

My mile splits were:
1) 14:26
2) 15:45
3) 14:55

I wonder if I went out too fast in the first mile, probably by a bit. Otherwise, it was a decent race for me, and I was happy to find out at home that I beat my 5K time from last September's Anna's Angels 5K, to boot, in addition to getting a 2010 PR. My next goal will be to pull in a sub-45 min. 5K, as I pull my race times on down.

I enjoyed hanging out with Samantha and Karen a bit after the race. I also chatted with Shannon and Tracey, local runners from the SparkPeople website, as well as some folks I know from the Raleigh Galloway training group. Samantha had to head home, so Karen and I stayed for the awards ceremony, to see if our team placed. (I'd noted only two other Women's Open teams when we registered, so I thought we'd have a chance of getting some sort of prize! It turns out that we did! Our team got the 3rd place plaque for the division! Okay, so it was a "showing up" prize, since only three teams signed up for our division, but after last year's unsuccessful bid at putting a corporate team together, I was grateful to have enough runners show up for a team this year, and I was pretty darn pleased for the three of us! We did better than just "show up" for this race, we had fun too!

Since Samantha needed to head home, Karen and I got someone to take a picture of us with our plaque:

This was the fifth race in this spring's Second Empire Grand Prix Series. I'm looking forward to competing in the next two 5K races in the series! I don't think I'll be ready for the half marathon at the series' end, but finishing seven out of the eight races will allow me to attend the series-end awards luncheon at series-sponsoring Second Empire Restaurant, which I hear is quite nice!

Today--Rest Day, Tomorrow--Run for the Oaks 5K!

Today's my weekly rest day (by order of my orthopaedist and scheduled by my running coach)! It feels wierd, but I enjoyed staying in bed a little longer this morning!

I have another 5K tomorrow, the Run for the Oaks 5K.I'm really looking forward to it! For one, there's a corporate team challenge component to it, so I'll be joined by a couple of colleagues from Duke! I tried to organize a team last year, but one of the three of us didn't show up at the last minute, so we didn't have enough to form an official team. So far, the team thing looks like a go for tomorrow morning, and I'm excited about that! Samantha and Karen will be joining me, and it's going to be Karen's first 5K--yay!

I'll write up a race report this weekend and let you know how we did.

Recover and Rest and Rain

This has been an unusual exercising week for me, as I'm recovering from last Saturday's 10K and taking it easy for this coming Saturday's 5K road race, but I've still had some pretty challenging workouts. Monday's workout was easy enough, a light workout on the elliptical. Yesterday was my only training run of the week, but I did intervals, including a couple of sub-14:00 segments. Today, I did intervals on the recumbent bike. My legs are definitely feeling it, but it's a good feeling, ya know? Speed is something I definitely need to work on, so it feels good to be practicing that.

Saturday's forecast is calling for rain, but who cares?! I'm hoping for a 2010 5K PR.

Race Report: 2010 WakeMed Distance Festival 10K

Yesterday was my first 10K since the fall, so I was both excited and nervous about it! My main goal was to finish feeling decent in 1:45:00, since I had some recent knee troubles that slowed down my training, and I have another race (the Run for the Oaks 5K) next weekend.

It was a beautiful, crisp morning for the race! I started out wearing gloves, but ended up taking them off part way through the race, and was good in short sleeves. It was that nice of a late winter morning!

As others had warned, the course was rolling hills, some of them more rolling than others! According to my strategy for this race, I started out doing a 1:1 run/walk ratio, taking the downhills for a longer run. Pretty soon into the race, I was asked (very nicely!) to get on the sidewalk by one of the policemen, and I complied. I focused on not getting worried about being last, since I still had some people in sight, and the traffic cones were still in place to mark the way.

Well, in the 2nd-3rd mile, they started taking the traffic cones up, so I started to panic just a little! I had to slow down a couple of times to ask policemen at the street corners what the next turn would be, just in case I lost sight of the other racers as well as the cone-pick-up truck. After that, I tried to speed up a little to make up some time. But once I turned into the neighborhoods, the cones were still there, as well as an out-and-back water stop with some wildy enthusiastic and very funny volunteer teens! (The 1st water stop kids were packing up as I passed them, and no one offered me anything. I was a little thirsty then, but was in decent enough shape that I decided to let that slide off my back. The next water stop was worth the wait--they were great!) So, it was nice to relax a little through the neighborhoods! In addition to the course monitors and fun water stops, there was a course sweeper on a bike, who was very encouraging as well as helpful.

So anyway, my race plan from my coach was to do 1:1s for the first half of the race, then walk quickly for the second half of the race. I felt like this was going to take me forever, and told her so! She gave me the idea to run the downhills to make up some time, and to otherwise see how I felt during the race. She encouraged me to take it all conservatively for the sake of the knee, and to listen to my body. I probably ran a little more than was called for, but my knee only fussed at me a couple of times. Walking helped with that.

Within the last mile, my friend Stephanie showed up to walk/run the last part with me! She had already finished the race under her goal (congrats, Steph!), and she still had the energy to come join me for the last part of my race! Thanks, Steph! At the finish line, I ended up meeting up with a new buddy from Sparkpeople, Sharon from Raleigh, and it was a lot of fun talking with her too!

I ended up crossing the finish line at 1:40:58 (no chip time here), four minutes under my goal, and just a couple of minutes over my 10K time from the fall! I passed another racer at the last water stop, so I finished 256/257, a couple of minutes ahead of the last person. I'm still waiting for the updated points standings for the Second Empire Grand Prix Series.

Mile splits were:

1) 16:04
2) 16:17
3) 16:26
4) 16:03
5) 16:44
6) 15:37 (woohoo!)
.26) 13:54 for the last 3:39 minutes (a pretty good kick at the end)

All in all, I'm feeling good about the experience, and am looking forward to other 10Ks down the road!

Easy Pre-race Workout

This morning, after enjoying a day off from the gym yesterday, I hopped on the recumbent bike for 5.2 miles in 31 minutes, then I walked an easy 1.01 miles in 21:05 minutes on the treadmill. I'm thankful for yesterday's day off, as my legs really needed the rest. Tomorrow--my first 10K of 2010! I'm excited and a little nervous about it.

Getting A Little Faster

This morning I had another run/walk on tap, a 3-miler with shorter walk breaks. I was kind of amazed to find out after my workout that my 3.07 miles in 50 mintes (on the treadmill) turned out to be a 16:17 min/mile average pace. That's pretty zippy for a training run of mine! I must admit, though, that my legs have been feeling pretty tired ever since. I'm glad tomorrow is a rest day!

A Run to Start the Month

I had another run this morning, and though I forgot my little pink runner's strap to wear under my left knee, the run/walk went fine! Part of the assignment was to run a mile without stopping in under 16 minutes, and I was able to do that without any knee pain--yay! The total for the run/walk was 3 miles in 50:04, a 16:41 pace. Not bad for me! :) (Of course, being on the treadmill helped!)

Yesterday's Run/Walk on the American Tobacco Trail

Yesterday's workout assignment was 4 miles of run/walk outdoors, the farthest I've gone all year with running segments added. I was a little nervous about it, with recent knee troubles, so I decided to put speed worries out of my mind and just enjoy it!
I emailed my "new" running buddies from the pre-snowy Saturdays and races of late, but no one else was available for yesterday. I was a little bummed, but then remembered that I do like running on my own anyway, and to enjoy the time to myself. I wasn't sure I could make the whole four miles anyway, so I could just make the run my own.

I started out with a .25 warm-up walk, then started running the 1.5 mile segment. A little bit into the run, my right shin starting hurting a little bit, so I walked a couple minutes until it passed, then started jogging again. After that, I felt good! I took periodic .25 mile walk breaks after that, and the running continued to feel strong, though I was very, very conservative about my speed! I ended up doing 4 miles in 1:13:28, and finished with energy still in the tank. Good deal! My legs (and I) were kinda tired for the rest of the day, but other than that I felt fine.

Just a Walk

I decided just to walk on the treadmill this morning at the gym. I had the nicest surprise when I got outside this morning--there was a light snow falling! Well, it was mostly light, but the flakes themselves were HUGE! It was so pretty, that I got a front window treadmill and just watched the snow as I walked. I never did put my iPod's earbuds in my ears. I walked 2.6 miles in 50:01 minutes, a pretty easy pace.

A Little Running!

Well, I had a 2.5 mile run/walk on the schedule today, and I decided to try some running. I had to ride 6.01 min. (0.82 mile) on the recumbent bike while I waited for a treadmill to open up at the gym. When I hopped on the treadmill, I ended up doing 2.65 miles in 45 minutes, with some random runs mixed in with my walking. I ended up with an average pace just under 17 minutes, which isn't good, but I've done slower and called it running in my past.

Someone suggest I try a runner's/jumper's band below my fussy left knee, so I ordered one and it arrived yesterday. It's pink. Go figure. Anyway, I tried it today, and my knee felt a bit better during and after the workout. Maybe it's the power of suggestion. Maybe it's my body healing. Maybe the little pink thing works. Anyway, I'll have an easier workout tomorrow, I can tell. My legs are tired tonight, and my knee IS a little bit tender. I haven't actually run about two weeks, plus I stood at a retirement party for a couple hours this afternoon. Looking forward to stretching out on the couch with an ice pack (not a 6-pack!) this evening.

Elliptical Machine

I was happy to have an elliptical workout today, but by the time I finished the 30-minute (2.1 mile) assignment, my left knee was pretty tender. I'm asking myself when I should listen to my body and stop, and when I should ignore it.

I decided to stretch today for the first time in a week to 10 days, and I was pretty stiff. It was especially hard to stretch my left quads. I just went gently.

On a brighter note, I left a Bookcrossing-registered book (about weight loss tips) in a "new" location, on a bench in front of a nail salon near where I work out! The shelves at the Starbucks at Olde Raleigh Village on Edwards Mill Road are overflowing with books now, so I've decided to start branching out and looking to other places to leave books that other people might enjoy reading. There are several good spots near my gym.

Walking for Endurance

This morning's pre-injury assignment was a 4 mile run/walk with incline on the treadmill. I traded it in for 4 miles of walking on the flat treadmill surface. I had to break my walk into two segments because the gym treadmill stops at 65 minutes:

1) 3.52 miles in 65 min.
2) 0.58 miles in 10:08 min.

Truth be told, I wish I'd stopped after 65 minutes, as my knee was hurting again at that point. I'm a stubborn thing, though, and wanted to finish the workout! Now my knee continues to hurts post-workout as well. *sigh* A rest day may be in my future tomorrow!

Race Report: 2010 Law Enforcement Torch Run 5K

It seems like this is the first pretty weekend we've had in a few weeks, so it was nice to wake up to blue skies for this morning's Law Enforcement Torch Run! I knew I'd be walking this one, as my knee is still bothering me a little bit, so I made it my goal to work on walking form a bit and finish strong. This was a pretty hilly course today, but I stayed pretty consistent throughout the race, and even managed to pass a few other walkers. It was a pretty big crowd for a February race, and quite a few walkers to boot. I was happy to finish with a chip time of 54:43 (gun time of 55:21), and 594th out of 645 runners and walkers.

It's kind of interesting how two 5Ks in the same city, just two weeks apart, can have such a different feel for me. At the Run for the Roses, I was the last finisher, with a time in the upper 40s. This time there happed to be more walkers, perhaps because this was for a different charity. Also, the Run for the Roses was on a Sunday afternoon, and this one was on a Saturday morning. Eventhough I finished with a slower time this morning than I did two weeks ago, and I'm still not 100% physically, I feel better about today's finish than I did two weeks ago.

More Walking

After taking a day off from exercise yesterday, I walked again on the treadmill this morning. It was a great walk, but it was something. My knee is improving, but it's still a little sore, especially in the lower part of the kneecap. It's a mad dash to be both rested and ready to at least walk at Saturday's 5K race. We'll see what happens tomorrow morning at the gym. *sigh*

Runner's Knee Recovery

I've been keeping things low key since last Thursday. A little "Dr. Google" and I think I have Runner's Knee. Bummer! The low key (and some days no) workouts since then are helping me to heal, but I am getting antsy to run again! My workouts of late have consisted of walking pretty slowly and doing upper body workouts with free weights. That does help with the stress a little, but I'm eyeballing my spring race schedule and wonder if I'll be ready. Time will tell!

Taking it Easy

I emailed Brennan last night, and her advice was to stay off the knee through the weekend, plus ice and advil. If only I could stay home from work and REALLY stay off of it! It felt better this morning, but I'm still going to take it easy. I walked on the treadmill for 35 minutes (1.65 miles) pretty slowly, then did some upper body strength training with dumb bells.

Ahhh, Rats!

My legs (and body, for that matter!) have continued to feel tired since Sunday's race, partly because of the hills and stress of a race, but also because of a cold that started Friday night, and flaired back up on Sunday night. The area above my left knee has been nagging me a bit more than the rest of my legs, so I've been giving it a little extra TLC. Last night, I noticed a bulge on the side of my left leg, near my knee, so I iced and soaked it as well. This morning, I went to the gym to try the bike workout in my schedule, and I felt discomfort around (mostly above) my left knee for the whole 11 minutes (1.32 miles) I tried to bike! I was hoping it would feel better after I warmed up, but no such luck. I decided to stretch for a bit and come on home. When I tried stretching my left quads, even THAT hurt that area above the knee. Ummm, ow! Rats!

Okay, these are signs that my body needs a rest, but of course I have a really busy day at work! Tonight, I'm in bed early!

Tired Elliptical Day

My assignment for this morning's workout was 45 minutes in Zone 1-2 on the elliptical. Man, I took it really easy! My legs are still pretty tired from two days in a row of running. (Haven't done that in a while!) Today's totals: 3.2 miles in 45:13 minutes, followed by about 10 minutes of stretching. Nothing special, just a little calorie burn.

Recovery Run

Another run was on my schedule today. I was kinda surprised, considering I had a race yesterday afternoon. Plus, I didn't sleep well last night, partly because the nasal congestion from Friday flaired back up again. So I was pretty grumpy this morning as I started my run/walk. My assignment was to run/walk 3.5 miles, with a 1% incline during the running segments. I ended up doing 3.54 miles in 60 minutes, a pretty slow pace for me of late, but I was happy to complete the distance. It helped me to get over yesterday's race...a little. I'm still kinda perturbed about it, but I need to shake it off. It was a 2010 PR, and in the big scheme of things, that's what matters, right. I can't control everything in a race, so I just need to focus on what I can control--my own nutrition, overall health, and training!

Race Report: 2010 Run for the Roses 5K

After having the Run for the Roses 5K on my mind for the last month, it feels good to finally have it in the books! It was a race of highs and lows, but in the end, I got a PR for 2010, and I'm pretty satisfied with that!

One of the highlights of the day was meeting Tracey Wilson before the race. I met Tracey online on the SparkRaleigh Team on SparkPeople.com, and learned that she was planning to run this race as well. We actually recognized each other from our profile pictures, which was a nice thing! We got someone standing nearby to take our picture together before the race to record the meeting--fun!

I warmed up with an 11 minute walk before the race, and thoroughly enjoyed being out in the sunshine this afternoon. It was a beautiful day, and after so many cloudy days lately, it lifted my spirits and helped me feel hopeful about the race.

The 5K started promptly, and the first mile went pretty well. In that time, Steph, an ERUUF and running friend who was doing some mileage before the race, caught up with me and decided to run/walk with me. It was nice to have the company as we worked through the miles. I'm usually going so slowly that I'm on my own with the running, so the company was good!

Somewhere between the 1st and 2nd mile, the police car at the end actually went ahead of me, and said we should consider running on the sidewalks when they were available! I was thrown off kilter by this, since I could tell by my Garmin that I was ahead of last month's 5K pace, and I've never had the police car escort actually pass me before. One of my mini-goals for today was to stay ahead of the police escort, so that unnerved me a little. Having Steph there helped me shrug it off, and we plugged along, mostly on the streets.

By the way, my prerace plan was to run for .60-.70 of a mile, then walk for .10 of a mile, then repeat throughout the race. I ended up doing a .70 run/.10 walk ration, partly because I wanted a PR, and partly to get done with it.

At the halfway water stop, one of the volunteers (and someone I know through road racing) started shouting something to us, but we couldn't really understand what she was saying. Then we realized we heard something about sidewalks. It made me feel kinda strange, like I didn't deserve to use the roads because I was so slow. Besides, the asphalt is easier on my IT bands than the concrete sidewalks, and there's less of a chance for my clumsy self to trip and fall on the road. So Steph and I stayed put for as much of the rest of the course as we could, hopping on the sidewalks for only a short segment toward the end of the 3rd mile. Oddly enough, I ran into that volunteer after the race, and she had something to say about my lack of sidewalk use again! I mentioned that I made it to the finish safely, and she replied, "Thank goodness for that!" No congratulations or anything. George heard the exhange, and said, "Well, at least she cared." Hrrrmmmpphhh! (Am I being sour grapes about this? An unsportsmanlike race participant? I'm not sure. This majority of this race, including the last half of it at least, was on neighborhood streets that weren't all that busy, at least until part of the third mile when we did get on the sidewalk. The race information didn't mention a time limit, either.)

The North Carolina Roadrunners Club president was doing the sweep, and ran the last little bit in with us. Again, the additional company was nice, since there have been plenty of times when I waddled in on my own. George ended up spotting me on the way to the finish line, and he ran with us for the final bit as well. It felt a bit like an entourage! Oddly enough, the police car mentioned before was parked length wise across the street as we made the final turn toward the finish line, so that he was between us and the finish! Odd! There were enough of us together that he saw us, hopped into his car, and backed up for us to pass! (Okay, this shouldn't have been an issue!)

After the race, I met someone (Sarah) from the Durham Spark Team on SparkPeople, which was fun! TWO fellow SparkPeople--cool! I also had a nice chat with my running coach (who was the first female to cross the finish line today--congrats, Brennan!).

On the way home, George and I stopped at Panera, where I had a big honkin' salad, and gave George my side of bread. (Low carb dieting can be a bitch sometimes, but I felt pretty smug later!)

The official results are in, and I finished with a chip time of 47:58, and a gun time of 48:24! Yes, it's still mighty slow by most runners' standards, but it's race progress I haven't seen about a year. Taking off about a minute and a half is a nice reward, but I did finish last, 430/430. I have another 5K in a couple of weeks, so I need to stay focused. Can I break 45 minutes by then? We'll see! It's definitely time for me to look ahead, and not dwell on the small weirdnesses of today's race. It's over! Thanks for listening!

Just a Walk

I walked on the treadmill this morning, an easy 1.35 miles in 30:02 minutes. I was thankful for the easy assignment, as my legs are tired and a bit sore from yesterday's workout. Tomorrow is a rest day, a mini-taper for Sunday's Run for the Roses 5K. I'm shooting for a 2010 PR, though Sunday's course is hillier than last month's Run for the Young. Wish me luck!

Maybe Fastest Bike Pace Ever!

This morning's workout assignment was to ride the recumbent bike for 45 minutes, with a warm up and cool down, with a Zone 3 ride in between. I take "Zone 3" as "peddle faster." I ended up riding 9.12 miles in 45:16, for a 4:57 min/mile average pace! FYI, that's pretty fast for me, especially over 9-ish miles and 45 minutes. I'm pleased with the progress, but have tired legs this evening! (Okay, not a bad thing!)

I did have a bit of an accident leaving the gym, though. I hit some black ice walking back to my car, slipped and landed on that darn left knee (same one I fell three times on during the Triple Lakes Marathon!). *sigh* I iced it before I went to work, and will ice it some again this evening. It isn't too sore tonight, but sometimes there's a delayed soreness, so I'm going to give it some TLC tonight. Tomorrow's workout is a light one, and Saturday is a rest day before Sunday's 5K, so the rest of the week's exercise should be easy! That'll be a good thing, as my body is telling me it needs some rest.

Faster Run!

This morning's workout assignment was to run/walk 2 miles on the treadmill. My usual mid-week run of late has been 3 miles, but Brennan is pulling it back a little because of Sunday's race. Well, I decided to work on my pace a little, and ended running 2.02 miles in 32 minutes, a 15:50 pace! I'm happy about breaking the 16 minute training pace barrier, but now I'm kinda sore! I'll ice and/or soak this evening.

No IT Band Fussiness Today!

I'm pleased to report that my IT bands did not fuss at me today, through 2.75 miles (46:06 min) on the treadmill, which included a 1% incline on the running segments (1 mile and .75 mile) of my run/walk workout. Eventually, I increased my speed as well, and nothing from the IT bands! Yay! I did have a good stretch afterward, and could feel them a little, but not much. I may not be totally healed yet....but it feels like it today, so I'll enjoy it for now, and keep my fingers crossed!

It's a Walk

I was happy to get back to the gym today, and I had 30 minutes of walking to get done. I still had a little bit of cabin fever from the weekend, though we'd met my sister, brother-in-law, niece, and her roomie at Guglhupf for brunch this morning. It felt so good to get 30 minutes of treadmill walking (1.53 miles) in that, after a visit to the restroom, I returned to the treadmill for what turned out to be 30 more minutes and another 1.62 miles on the treadmill. Okay, now I'm kinda tired! Afterward, I stretched for about 10 minutes, then did 50 ab crunches on the stability ball. (I love that stability ball!!! Seriously!!!)

Rest Day Became Jillian's 30 Day Shred Video Day

Well, I had the day off from exercise today, a designated rest day, since I did my Saturday run yesterday due to today's forcasted snow that did indeed arrive (starting last night). I must admit, I usually don't take rest days very well, and Brennan doesn't assign them very often (which I'm usually glad of!). Still, I was a litle surprised when I started getting antsy late this afternoon, so I decided to pop open a video my sister gave me for Christmas, Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. Since I've been working out harder thanks to Brennan's planning my workouts, so I thought that a 20 minute workout on the video wouldn't be a big deal! Well, the 20 minute "Day 1" was a bigger deal than I expected!! I worked up a sweat, the jumping jacks were a challenge, and the upper body workout was harder than I expected, eventhough I just used 3 lb. weights that my sister also gave me for Christmas. (Eventhough I've used 5 and 10 pound weights at the gym, 3 pounders were plenty here!) It was a good workout, and I plan to do it again.

"Long" Run Today Since Snow's Coming!

With Coach Brennan's OK, I ran/walked my "long" run this morning on the treadmill, since it's supposed to be snowing (at least, maybe the icy stuff too) tomorrow! I was supposed to have a rest day today, but she switched running/rest days on my workout calendar. Instead of running and walking 3.5 miles outside, I did 3 miles on the treadmill. Walk breaks were .5 mile to warm up and three quarter miles dispersed. My first mile was on the flat, the second run was a half mile at 2% incline, and the last run was .25 at 1% incline. I could definitely feel the 2% incline, but it didn't bother me much. All in all, a good run/walk. I finished the 3 miles in 50:02, a 16:40 average pace. Would've liked a faster pace, and looking back, I had a little more in me, but I was being a little cautious running on the incline because of my IT bands (the left was a little fussy this morning). Also, I did do yesterday's workout, so no rest day this time before the extra effort. I'm glad it's in the books, so I can enjoy tomorrow's snow day!

Excited about Today's RunWalk!

Today's run/walk on the treadmill is in the books, 3.02 miles in 49:06 minutes, a 16:12 average pace. It's the fastest average pace I've had for 3 miles in, like, forever! I had faster paces last month for shorter distances, but it's nice to be bringing the pace on down as I extend my distance. Minor victories are nice!

I did have a good stretch afterward.

Tuesday Bike Ride, Plus President's Challenge Complete!

This morning I did a revved up (for me) stationary bike ride, 8.1 miles in 45:03 minutes. Afterward, I still had more gas left in the tank than I expected, so I did some extra strength training reps, and finished with stretching.

When I got back home, I entered my workout on the President's Challenge website, and finally finished the Platinum level! It's taken me over three years to go through Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels. I was wondering what would happen after I crossed the Platinum line. No fireworks or songs eminating from the computer. The website just put the excess points toward the Bronze level--again! Yes, it reset the clock without even asking me! Ha! Now that I've reached "the end" of this challenge, I don't know that I'll continue it. It's been pretty fun, but I keep track of my exercise in several other places now. Time to look for other challenges and motivators! Sayonara, President's Challenge! :)

Monday Run/Walk

This morning I did 2.54 miles in 43:07, part of it at a 1% incline. I felt a little achy while doing this workout, but now I'm feeling fine. I suppose I could've pushed a little bit harder, but I'm still being kinda cautious due to fear of injury. I stretched for about 10 minutes afterward, then did 40 ab crunches on the big blue stability ball. I'm trying to do the ab crunches more frequently now, not just for my abs (which need a lot of work), but for the core strength work as well. Maybe I'll start adding a dumbbell to that workout in time.

Sunday Elliptical Workout Plus Running Thoughts

Today's assignment was an optional 40 minutes on the elliptical machine. I decided to go for it, but part way into the workout, my legs were feeling pretty cranky. I decided to finish, but I was really glad when it was over! (Now, I'm glad I did finish, but at the time, I was "done!") I ended up with 3.01 miles in 41:01 minutes. I stretched for about 10 minutes afterward, and did 50 ab crunches.

I've been thinking more about yesterday's run, and how much I enjoyed doing it with Janet and Michelle, rather then with the winter splinter of the Galloway group. I enjoyed having company to run with, and didn't feel like the odd man out for doing shorter mileage (alone) than the 10 mile base the group is doing. It has me wondering about how I want to proceed with training for the rest of the off-season. Certainly, I'll continue to follow the coach's plan, but I'm wondering if I need to continue to drive to Raleigh for my runs. Both Michelle and Janet live in Durham, and I'm just outside the Durham city limits. Hmmmmm.

Saturday "Long" Run/Walk

This morning I met Janet (from the Galloway training group) and Michelle (from the gym) at a local running store, so that we could run together on the American Tobacco Trail. It was a cold, but very pretty morning! (It's been raining lately, so it was nice to see the blue sky.)

To be honest, I was happy to see both of them, as I helped coordinate this off-shoot shorter run of some the off-season Raleigh Galloway runners. Most of the rest of them were running an informal 10K race, but I had 3 miles of run/walk scheduled for today. Janet indicated she was interested in running shorter miles, and Michelle emailed me a couple of days ago to see when I was running again. Things seemed to click, the time and location were right, and we had a fun time together!

I did 3 miles in 51:39, a time I was pretty happy with! My average mile pace was about 17:13, faster than last weeks by several seconds. It was nice to see the improvement in this training run, even if by several seconds. I'm looking forward to breaking 17 minutes, and I'm pretty confident that will happen in the next few weeks.

Still Here and Workin' the Program!

Wow, it's been 4 days since I've blogged here!??! Well, things have been happening on the exercise and diet front, for sure, and it's been taking some extra focus and energy. Most nights this week, I've been in bed by 9 or 9:15, with lights out soon after. I feel like it's going to pay off, so I'm excited about it all.

I'm still working with the running coach, who added something new to my plan earlier this week: adding incline to my treadmill runs. Wow, I felt THAT later! :)

Also this week, I had my second appointment with a bariatric physician, who has put me on a low carb diet. Yes, you read correctly, me, a runner wannabe, on a low carb diet! I was about to start the program afte Tuesday afternoon's appointment, cutting my carbs pretty drastically, staying away from sugar and flour, among other things. So far, I'm seeing encouraging progress on my home scales, partly because I'm peeing alot, I'm sure! (Sorry for the TMI!) I'm glad I have a mini-support system already, in Michelle from the gym, and Shauna, whom I met at the doctor's office on Tuesday (we were in the same group session and really hit it off!). I'm using Fitday.com to track my weight, and am happy to report that I'm already skinnier than I was on New Year's Day. (Time to dial back the years now!)

One of the things that will be checked each time I return to this doctor is my body mass--fat vs. muscle. That'll be one of the coolest things to follow, I expect, since I'm really working on my running and have added some strength training.

My running coach seems a bit skeptical about my doing a low carb diet, so I made sure to tell the doctor that I'm working on my running. Low carb is NOT the popular endurance athlete diet, but carrying around extra weight doesn't help with running either! Time and experience will tell how I'm able to merge the two.

Meanwhile, I'm the team captain of the Bookworms, a group of library employees I got together to take part in a 12-week health incentive program offered by my employer. There are 11 of us in all, covering two library buildings on two sides of campus. This is the second week, and so far, we're doing well. It's taking a little more time than I imagined, but it's been fun! We each work on one to three goals, with the choices of weight loss, pedometer steps and exercise minutes. I chose to work on all three, of course! This is my first time working with a pedometer, and it's been really interesting and enlightening tracking my daily steps.

Okay, I'm about to start snoring here at the computer. It's probably a combo of a challening week at work, the new diet, and workouts that have been kicking my butt. Back soon!

Monday Treadmill Run

I had today off for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, so I slept in and went to the gym a little later than usual. I had a 2-mile treadmill run/walk scheduled, with a 1% incline during the running portions. That was new. It was a shorter run than I have been doing, which I think was to compensate for the addition of the incline. It felt weird to just do two miles, so I worked on picking up the pace a little bit. I ended up with 2.01 miles in 33:01 minutes, a 16:25 pace. It's a slower average pace than I expected, but faster than any of my training runs last week. I had some faster treadmill runs earlier in the month, but no incline. At times I had the treadmill going faster, but scaled back a little. As it is, I'm pretty sore now. Maybe I'll take a hot bath BEFORE tonight's meeting. (Ah, the luxury of a day off! Love it!)

Location Change

I headed to UNC Wellness Center for today's workout, as they're installing new carpet at my regular gym today. While I missed the usual routine, it was nice to get  a change of scenery at such a nice facility. I ended up doing 3.27 miles in 46:01 minutes on the elliptical, nothing spectacular, but a decent cardio workout, nonetheless. My quads are still sore from yesterday's run, so I did a good bit of stretching afterward.

Run Down Six Forks

This morning I took my "long run" down Six Forks Rd. in Raleigh. The running group met at Panera, and while everyone esle did longer, I stuck to my plan and did 3.06 miles of running/walking in 53:05 minutes. It was a very good run/walk, where I upped my pace a bit with minimal (though some IT and PF) discomfort. The weather was a little warmer, which I ejoyed as well. Afterward, the group reconvened at Panera for coffee and breakfast. In honor of my working toward a low carb diet in the coming week, I had a Mediterranean Salad for breakfast, and it was good! (I almost felt smug for getting some veggies in so early!)

Today's mile splits:
18:05
17:26
16:31

Yay for negative splits! The first mile did include a .5 mile warmup, my biggest chunk of walking today.

Just the Elliptical

My legs were still sore and tired from yesterday's bike ride, so I was relieved to only have 30 minutes to do on the elliptical machine today. That was the plan, and I did 2.2 miles. Sometimes I'm chomping at the bit for more after a 30 minute workout, but I hopped on off of there today and did some stretching! Tomorrow's a run!

Big Bike Workout

This morning's assignment was 45 minutes on the bike (at the gym), with 30 minutes in "Zone 3." One thing I forgot to ask Brennan is, are the heart rate zones for bike riding the same as for running? Dunno. So I peddled my little heart out for 30 minutes, after warming up for 10 minutes. My tongue was hanging out for the last 5 minutes of the recumbent bike ride. It turned out to be 9 miles in all, in 45:05 minutes, quite fast for me. Seriously. I'm pretty tired and sore this late afternoon, and am looking forward to an early bedtime tonight. (I hope I can make that happen! Zzzzzzzz.....)

Wednesday Run & Weights

Today I did a run/walk on the treadmill, 3.04 miles in 52 minutes, a 17:06/mile pace. Not stellar, but faster than Monday. Of course, today, I did more running than I did during Monday's run/walk. Getting there, very slowly but surely. I did feel my left IT band a bit during the run/walk this morning, so I iced it for a bit before work.

I also did some stretching and upper body weight training this morning. It had been a while since I'd worked the biceps and shoulders, so I'm a little sore this evening!

Yesterday I went to see a new doctor to work on my weight via diet (no surgery!), and I'm pretty encouraged by yesterday's dialogue. He's an internist who specializes in bariatrics, and so far, I like his style. I'll return next week for one of the classes he teaches about the low carb diet he puts his patients on, and I'll find out the blood results from yesterday's visit to the lab.

One of my concerns about a low carb diet is how it will affect my long runs, both in training and in racing. Of course, I still have a good bit of time (and weight to lose) before I have to worry about running long enough to need additional carbs! My long run this coming Saturday will be 3 miles, after all. I did tell the doctor about my concerns, and he recommended I look at a book called The Men's Health TNT Diet. If you've read this book, let me know what you think!

Tuesday Bike Ride

This morning I did 45 minutes on the recumbent bike, but this time with a plan, thanks to the running coach! I did a 10 minute warmup, followed by 30 minutes at an increased speed, then a 5 minute cool down. I finished with 7.6 miles in 45:02 minutes. Not bad! I followed it with some strength training and lots of stretching.

Monday, Monday

I did a recovery run/walk on the treadmill this morning, and am still feeling a bit tired and generally achy. It was a slow and not-so-easy 3.08 miles in 55 minutes. My IT bands were okay during the run, but my plantar fasciitis was fussy. I had a good stretch afterward, though.

Post-Race Workout

Today's workout was an optional 30 minute ride on the recumbent bike. Being how I have a hard time taking rest days anyway, I went to the gym for the workout, but not until mid-afternoon. I enjoyed being a slug this morning, and even finished a book as I rested my legs on the couch! :)

So, this afternoon I did 5.63 miles in 36 minutes, then did some stretching and light core work. The bike riding felt slow, but my legs are still pretty tired, surprisingly so for a mere 5k!

Race Report: 2010 Run for the Young 5K

This morning I ran in my first road race of the year, the Run for the Young 5K in Raleigh, NC. It was my first 5K since September, and my first race since the Outer Banks Marathon DNF in November, so I was eager to get back on the road. It was a cold morning, so George came with me and brought coffee for himself (and for me later--yum!).

Parking was easy, and chip pickup was inside Christ Episcopal Church in downtown Raleigh. (I picked up my race packet last evening at the Athlete's Foot in Cameron Village. One of the men at the bib number and t-shirt pickup table commented that I ran lots of races. That gave me something to mull over on the way home, as it's been quite a while since I've run a PR. I really have been afloat for a while in my running, and am so happy to have more direction in my training and running goals now.)

I walked briskly to warm up before the race, at Brennan's suggestion, to warm up, and I enjoyed seeing and visiting with Pauline a little bit. The race started on time, best I could tell! The course took us through parts of downtown Raleigh, including my high school alma mater, which was cool! There was some hillwork in there, but I took it as it came along. My IT bands didn't give me any trouble, but I ran and walked pretty conservatively to test them out. Coach Brennan told me to try alternating running .5 mile, walking .1 mile, then repeating, and to alter that if I needed to for more walking. That run/walk ratio ended up working out well, though, and I was really glad. At the 2.4 mile mark, I started running the scheduled half mile, and when I got to 2.9, I could see the finish line, so I kept on going! Brennan found me on that last stretch, and ran  with me to the end. My last mile was the fastest, which was fun to learn from my Garmin later! Part of the motivation for speeding up was that I was tired of having the police car on my tail for most of the race, and I was ready to shake him/her! After the race I enjoyed chatting with Brennan and Steph.

I finished with a chip time of 49:28, gun time of 50:03, 302 out of 309 finishers, and 20/20 in my age group. After being the last finisher of the Mebane on the Move 10K and the Triple Lakes Marathon back in the fall, I was glad to finish ahead of the back this time! Now, I'd like to start moving up the age group ranks as well.

Afterward, we met some other runners from the Galloway group at Panera for an early lunch, which was a treat! We enjoy the running fellowship a lot! All in all, it was a really fun morning, and it reminded me why I run.

Rest Day, Plus New Pedometer

Well, today is an officially scheduled rest day, heading into tomorrow's 5K. Brennan and I talked last night about my race "strategy" for the Run for the Young, mainly about things like warming up, and the run/walk segments I'll be doing. I'm looking forward to this race, but I'm also looking forward to getting it over with! It's going to be below freezing outside! Brrrr!

Meanwhile, I'm excited about being the team captain of the Bookworms, a group of library employees, in the new Shape Up Duke challenge starting Monday! It's a three month challenge that allows team members track weight loss, exercise minutes, and pedometer steps, and compete against other teams within the university. I'm excited about it!

Light Cardio Day

I had instructions to take it easy at the gym today, so it was 5.07 miles in 31 minutes on the recumbent bike. Truth be know, my quads are sore from yesterday's run, so I was relieved to see a light day on the schedule. I also did some stretching and core exercises afterward. (I'm up to 40 ab crunches on the big ball!)

Tomorrow's a scheduled rest day from exercise, and I'm glad for it, truth be known. Since I'm training with a coach now, I see why most people who are seriously training need some rest days built in to their schedule.While I feel a bit more rested than I did earlier in the week, I'm still feeling kinda tired overall, and my legs definitely need a rest!

Wednesday Run

Ahhh, today's run went much better than Monday's! I did 2.77 miles of a run/walk combo in 45:06 minutes on the treadmill. I had a new lavendar-colored running shirt on, which didn't make my legs move faster, but it lifted my spirits, for sure. I've been getting more sleep this week, which has helped a lot, I know.

I stretched for a few minutes afterward. The left IT band was a little tight, so I iced for a while after I got home from the gym.

Weary Workout

I did 2.15 miles in 30:08 minutes on the elliptical machine, stretched for about 10 minutes, then did a shortened version of my lower body strength/core workout. My legs are sore and I'm stil feeling pretty tired. Now, some of that may be the fact that I returned to work yesterday after a two week break, and then had a meeting tonight. I'm often tired after those Monday marathon days that happen a couple of times a month. But, right now, I'm eyeballing the rest day (from exercise) that the coach has scheduled for Friday, and it's not coming fast enough! I suppose I'll get through the next couple of workouts, but I'm really looking forward to that rest day before Saturday's race!

I have been trying to get to bed earlier, and started drinking my 8 glasses of water again yesterday. I'm back to taking a multivitamin as well. Bit by bit.

Monday Run with Tired Legs

I did a treadmill run/walk this morning, 2.52 miles in 43 minutes. Okay, my legs are still quite tired! I soaked in warm water and epsom salts last night and went to bed early. I stretched today after running, and am taking Advil/Tylenol stuff. Brennan keeps telling me I need to ice, but I haven't been good about that yet. Need to start, but I need to head to work now.

On the Elliptical

Today I had a late workout, because I was pretty tired and sore from yesterday's run. I had 45 minutes to do on either the bike or the elliptical, or both. I opted for the more challenging of the two for me, the elliptical, and did 3.55 miles in that time. In retrospect, I probably should've done an easier bike ride, but there it is. I stretched for about 5-10 minutes afterward, which felt good.

Chilly Shelley Lake Run/Walk

This morning, George and I joined an off-season running group of the Raleigh Galloway group at Shelley Lake in Raleigh this morning. I had my own run/walk plan going on, but it was good to see them ahead of time. Some in that group ran 10 miles, and others ran 6 miles. I was supposed to run/walk 2.5 miles, but ended up going 3.5 miles! It was my first run outside since the Outer Banks Marathon, and it was a nippy 25 degrees, but it felt good to be out there. It took me 67 minutes to finish 3.54 miles, and I was disappointed with my time, but happy about the distance.

Back at the American Tobacco Trail

I went to the American Tobacco Trail for my "30-40 minute walk outside" today, which was on the Coach Brennan plan! I enjoyed it so much I ended up going 44 minutes and 2.23 miles. I was able to pick up the pace as I got warmed up, which felt really good. Tomorrow I'm going to run/walk outside for the first time in ages. Looking forward to that!

2009: The Running Year That Was

It was an interesting running year, for sure. I must say that it didn't really turn out like I expected, but I learned a lot about myself. Some highlights:

1) I completed my first marathon, the Triple Lakes Race, in an other-wordly time of 10:55:43. It's rare that someone would be allowed the time to complete a marathon in so much time, but there was a 40 mile race going on at the same time. I ended up falling three times during this trail race, and spent a lot of time at the aid stations, washing out my knee and doing first aid things to it. I was determined to go the distance, and I'm glad I did.

2) My second marathon attempt of the year, about 5 weeks later, was a DNF. My left IT band got the better of me at the Outer Banks Marathon, which was a bummer. I loved seeing the Outer Banks again, though, and running past the Wright Brothers Memorial was a definite highlight.

3) I joined the Raleigh Galloway Training Group for the second year in a row. I dropped out of the group early last year to train on my own, but decided to come back this year, partly because George decided to run with the group as well! That was a lot of fun, and George's participation kept me going to the group runs all the way through the season this year. At the end of the year celebration, I ended up winning one of this year's inspiration awards for finishing the Triple Lakes Race.

4) I got to hear John Bingham talk at the 4th quarter meeting of the North Carolina Roadrunners Club. I've been reading his books and columns for several years now, so it was a treat to hear him talk in person. He was both funny and insightful, and really spoke to me.

5) I got to co-host an episode of a running podcast called the Runners Roundtable, and while I was nervous at first, I really enjoyed the experience! I hope to do it again sometime.

6) George and I ran our first race together, the Mebane on the Move 10K. It was my first 10k in years, and George's first road race ever. I was quite proud of him! He finished ahead of me by a few minutes, which was all good.

7) I started working with a running coach in December, the first time I've tried a running coach. This leaves me with high hopes for the coming year.

8) I ran (or ran/walked) 753.76 miles in 2009. I'm still shooting for that elusive 1000 miles in a year. I'm not sure if that's in the cards for me or not.  Time will tell!

Last Workout of 2009

I ended this year with the elliptical machine and a strength training workout. I started with 2.45 miles (35:14 min) on the elliptical, not a stellar performance, but it's a light cardio workout day anyway. I followed it with a variety of strength building exercises, some of which I added some sets or reps to. (Yay!) At the end, I stretched. All in all, a good workout.

Wednesday Treadmill Run

I got on the treadmill this morning and followed orders to run/walk 2.5 miles, with an ever increasing amount of running and less walking--yay! I did this on the treadmill again, which makes it all easier, but I'm doing it. I did the 2.5 mile stint in 38:10, faster than Monday's run, per orders from the coach. It felt good today, to boot. I stretched for about 10 minutes afterward, which my right IT band appreciated today.

Tuesday Gym Workout and Weigh-in

I rode the recumbent bike for 7.8 miles in 45:05 minutes, then stretched for about 10 minutes and spent about another 5-10 minutes on strength training. Saw my new low-carb diet buddy again at the gym, and it was fun to talk with her a little more. :)

My first 5K of the new year is coming up next weekend--yay! I hope the weather is good, but either way, I'll be there! Now, if I can lose a few pounds between now and then, that would be great! Today I weighed after I woke up and used the bathroom, instead of waiting until after I lost some water weight from working out. I didn't like what I saw, but I have to think of the number as data, not as a measure of my self worth.

Monday Treadmill Run

This morning I continued to follow Brennan's workout schedule, and ran/walked 2.53 miles in 40 minutes on the treadmill. It was a better run than last week, felt like I was more in the groove. I hope it means I'm getting a little stronger too. :) I stretched afterward.

I had a nice conversation with a lady at the gym, the one I met a couple of days ago in the gym lobby. We struck up a conversation about weight loss then, and had an even longer conversation about it this morning. She was very inspiring! I got her contact information, and will drop her an email soon. I hope we stay in touch!

I started a new exercise log today--fun to think about the possibilities that the coming year will hold in terms of my running. One new thing I put in the section for today is this morning's resting heart rate. I think it'll be interesting to track that over the course of the year ahead. I wonder if the number will go down.

Sunday Bike Ride

It took me a while to get to the gym this morning, after a late night playing games at George's brother's house. (We had such a good time, that we didn't leave until midnight, and were still wound up when we got home! It was 2 AM before we went to bed--yikes!)

My workout plan for this morning was an optional 30-35 minutes of low intensity riding on the recumbent bike. I almost didn't go, but decided I'd feel worse mentally, at least, if I didn't go to the gym. I'm glad I did. It was a slow 5.23 miles, but it's in the books.

Tomorrow, I start a brand new exercise journal. Pretty good feeling.

Saturday Run at the Gym

This morning I ran/walked 2.53 miles in 43 minutes on the treadmill, and it was one of those "tough" runs. I knew I could gut it out, but I just felt out of sync. I was glad I finished, and my left IT band and plantar fasciitis felt better as I went along. It was slow going at the beginning, though, and it was hard to recover my pace by the end to keep it line with earlier run/walk paces this week. I'm building my endurance back, though, and not every run is going to be a winner.

I had a nice little visit with another gym member on my way of out the gym, as we somehow struck up a conversation about weight loss. She gave me some good tips that helped her, included the book, Good Calories, Bad Calories, which I ordered from Amazon when I got home! Has anyone else read this book? If so, any comments?

Merry Christmas!

I went to the gym this morning, and had more company than I expected. There were two people there when I arrived, and different person there when I left.

Today's workout was optional, according to my new plan from the running coach. I decided to follow it and walked 2.03 miles in 36:07 minutes on the treadmill. I followed it with 2.11 miles on the recumbent bike in 12:06 minutes.

My eye is feeling much better today. I had to delay my workout yesterday due to an early (thank goodness!) appointment with the eye doctor, who diagnosed a corneal ulcer on my right eye. It had been feeling very irritated, so I've been the eye drop queen (two types) for the past day. Minor bump in the road, in retrospect, but it was a little unnerving not knowing what was going on with my eye. Much better now!

Holiday Workouts

Yesterday I ran/walked on the treadmill for 2 miles (31:06 min), did some work on the ab crunch Nautilus machine, then did a light 10 minutes (1.34 miles) on the bike.

Today, I did 3.14 miles in 40 minutes on the elliptical machine, and followed with a 15 minute stretch. I'm still getting used to concentrating on one cardio machine when I'm at the gym. I got so used to hopping around on different machines that it's a bit of a challenge for me to just focus on one. I think it'll pay off, though.

Training Progress

This morning I did 2.72 miles in 36 minutes on the elliptical machine, followed by stretching and strength training, both upper and lower body. While my muscles ache a bit, I'm feeling the satisfaction of hoping that my muscles are getting stronger and benefiting from a more well rounded training plan. If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know I've stretched a bit and done strength training even less consistently. Well, I think THOSE days are over, and I'm looking forward to seeing how my body responds in 2010. Stay tuned!

New Week

It's the last full running week of 2009, and it happens to be the last week of pages in my paper workout log that I take to the gym with me daily.

Today I continued to follow coach's orders, and ran/walked 2.52 miles in 40:06 minutes on the treadmill. It was a pretty challenging run/walk for me, and I'm not sure why. It's the longest I've gone in a while, but I thought I was maintaining my fitness level better than that. I'm scratching my head on this one. I'm glad I made it to the end, and am surprised I finished in under a 16 min/mile pace today. Yep, I felt pretty sluggish. Maybe the fact that I'm on vacation and got to the gym a little later than usual had something to do with it.

Another Run in the Books

This morning I ran (on the treadmill) for only the third time this week, but I still have a weekly high for the month. It's been nice having running coach Brennan's guidance on the runs and cross training. One thing I'm not accustomed to is focusing on one cardio thing during a workout session; a couple of people have commented, after looking at my workout log online, that "you sure do do a lot of different things." I thought it was all about crosstraining, but truth be known, and both of those people said it, if I want to become a better runner, I need to practice being a better running. The other stuff is of secondary importance, and will help me become a better runner, but eventually, I'll be doing a lot more running than the other stuff (biking, elliptical, walking).

So, today, I did 2.29 miles of running and walking on the treadmill, increasing the amount of distance I ran, and finished it in 35 minutes. I also did some good stretching afterward.

Meanwhile, I found that online registration is open for the 2010 Run for the Roses 5K in Raleigh, so I'll be signing up for that after holiday shopping is over.

Next Race on the Calendar!

I'm happy to report that my next race is on the books, and the registration fee has been paid! It's the Run for the Young 5K on January 9, 2010, in Raleigh. It'll be my first post-DNF race, and I'm really looking forward to getting back out there!

Meanwhile, my training with the running coach's plan is going well so far, considering it's the first week and all. It's too soon to be noticing improvement, really, but I am pushing myself a bit on the workouts, and have incorporated daily stretching and lower body strength training twice a week. Brennan has me running just three times a week for now, probably a smart move since both IT bands have talked to me some this week. I've gotten religious about stretching because of that, as I'm eager for both of my IT bands to heal totally so that I can forge ahead.

While working out this morning, a new personal trainer at the gym approached me about signing up for a free consultation with him, and by the end of the conversation, he was "looking forward to working with me." Pretty hard sell. Thinking about it for the rest of the day, I think that paying for the gym membership and a running coach is plenty for now. In time, I could see myself having some strength training sessions with a personal trainer, but for now, I've got a full plate.

He seemed surprised when I asked him about his educational background, and replied that his BS is in something sports related, and he's in Duke's physical therapy program now. What else should I expect from a personal trainer? Should he/she have personal trainer certification, in addition to experience?

Runners Roundtable Podcast

Last night, I co-hosted a podcast called Runners Roundtable with Mike and Albert, and it was fun to do! It was my first time to do a podcast, and we used the website Talkshoe to record the call-in, live-recorded (and not-edited) podcast, so it was a big ole learning experience for me! It was a good one, though, and I would highly recommend the experience!

The guests on the podcast were Jan Seely, publisher of Marathon and Beyond, and Joe Henderson, a columnist for the magazine. I'd never heard of "Marathon and Beyond" before, and had a hard time finding it at the bookstore, because it's a shorter magazine, height-wise, than others, but it has a lot of great articles. I enjoyed learning more about the magazine, and found both Jan and Joe very personable.

The link to the show notes and last night's podcast is here.

Another Run and More Stretching

Following Brennan's training plan for me, I did another run/walk today on the treadmill, going 2.28 miles in 36 minutes. It felt strange finishing my cardio so soon, but it felt like enough running for today, considering my left IT band and plantar fasciitis were peeping at me.

Afterward, I had a great stretching session, which went on for about 15 minutes. Once I get on the floor, my right IT band felt as tight as my left, so I gave them some extra TLC. I also did some calf lifts and vertical leg lifts. It's nice to feel like I have permission to include lots of stretching now, as I've been bad about making time for it. Now stretching's on the schedule, part of the plan.

Starting With the Running Coach

Well, yesterday I started my workouts planned by my new running coach, Brennan Liming. It's felt a bit strange being out of control of planning my workouts, but then again, I've never done a lot of planning. Often, I would just show up at the gym and do what I felt like doing, and stop when I had to. Already, I've done a variety of things, all with some energy left to spare. I'm not overdoing yet, though it's been a little hard not pushing myself a little harder, especially on the treadmill and elliptical. I've felt a difference later in the day the past two days, though. My legs haven't felt sore hours afterward, and my plantar fasciitis has hurt less. All progress, I think.

Yesterday (Monday):
1) Ran/walked 2.1 miles (33 min) on the treadmill, measuring my run/walk cycles by distance instead of time, which was nice.
2) 10 min. stretching

Today:
1) Did 2.37 miles (30 min) on the elliptical
2) 20 situps on the stability ball, plus 20 obliques (1o left, 10 right)
3) I inserted some stretching here, though it wasn't part of the plan for today
4) 10 Superman moves
5) 2x10 calf lifts
6) 2x10 1-leg lunges

I was tired this morning at the gym, and kinda down, so it was nice to have a plan, especially with some new things to try.

Sunday Afternoon Workout

I ended up getting a late start this rainy Sunday morning, then ran some errands before going to the gym. I decided to keep it simple by riding an hour (for 10.53 miles) on the recumbent bike, followed by some stretching. At home, I did some bicep and hammer curls with 5 lb dumb bells my sister sent me for my birthday. First time breaking the 5 pounders in, and it was fun being able to do some strength training at home--yay!

Saturday at the Gym

This morning I slept in, and made it to the gym for 45:03 minutes (3.55 miles) on the elliptical before calling it a day. Then I met Teri at Shelley Lake for a quick photo shoot of me running a little bit. She's writing an article about John Bingham's visit to Raleigh a couple of nights ago, and wants to ask me a few questions tomorrow afternoon about my marathon and my impressions of Bingham's talk to the North Carolina Roadrunners Club. Pretty neat!

More Running Today, Plus John Bingham

Today I started with 5.3 miles (30 min) on the recumbent bike, then went straight to the treadmill, where I ran 1.41 miles in 20:04 minutes! Let me tell ya, it felt good! Once I warmed up a little more, it felt just right, so I went longer than the 15 minutes I was planning. I really enjoyed being able to increase my distance a bit. I finished with 15 minutes (1.25 miles) on the elliptical, a faster pace than usual for me, probably because I was pretty jazzed about the run. It's all still a pretty slow pace, but it's picking up!

Last night I attended the fourth quarter meeting of the North Carolina Roadrunners Club, and had the privilege to hear John Bingham speak. He was a very entertaining, funny speaker, and I'm so glad I went!

More Elliptical

I started with the elliptical machine today, and it was nice to change up my routine a little bit!

1) Did 3.03 miles (40:02 min) on the elliptical
2) Rode 3.55 miles (2:04 min) on the recumbent bike
3) Stretched for about 5 min
4) Did 10 pushups

Wednesday Workout

1) Rode 6.15 miles (35:04 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Did 2 miles (25:16 min) on the elliptical machine

I was soaked before I even got to the gym, as it was storming big time when I went down to the parking lot of my apartment complex. I couldn't remember where I parked my car last night, so I ended up trying to put my car key in a couple of incorrect blue cars! Third time was the charm, but I looked like I'd fallen into the pool or something! I thought about going back up two flights of stairs to dry off and change shirts, but I had a feeling if I did that, I might not make it to the gym! As it was, I was on the fence until I pulled out of my parking space. I was glad I went--once I got there!

Still Working Out

Well, I've gotten behind by a few days on blogging, but I've continued to work out the past few days, honest! I ended up having a busy, but very fun birthday weekend, which included meeting with my new running coach and attending the Galloway training group's end-of-year party at Frankie's. It was fun to see everyone in normal clothes, with hair down and makeup on in some cases even! :) I was surprised to receive one of the Inspiration Awards given out for finishing the Triple Lakes Marathon in what turned out to be an all-day affair. (Here's hoping I get to go for a PR eventually!)

Anyway, today's workout:

1) Rode 6.73 miles (40:01 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Ran 1.02 miles (15:04 min) on the treadmill
3) Cooled down with 0.38 mile (5 min) on the elliptical
4) Stretched for about 10 min
5) 10 pushups

Birthday Run

1) Did 3.08 miles (40 min) on the elliptical
2) Walked 0.70 miles (12:09 min) on the treadmill
3) Ran 1 mile (15:09 min) on the treadmill

It felt really good to run a whole mile on the treadmill, eventhough my legs (especially IT bands) were tight, and I didn't leave time for stretching this morning!

Today's my birthday, and I'm so excited about getting some dumbbells and a Jillian Michaels DVD from my sister! I actually asked for some dumbbells, and she saw the Jilliam Michaels DVD and thought I'd like it. The reviews for it on Amazon are quite good, so I can't wait to check it out! (Thanks, Lisa!)

Thinking about Running

Well, I thought about running again today, but did more crosstraining instead. My legs just aren't quite ready yet, with the fussy IT band. That being said, I haven't made time fore stretching yet today, but I must make the stretching a regular part of my routine. My recovery and return to running depend on it.

Meanwhile:
1) Rode 4.07 miles (31 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Did 3.3 miles (45:04 min) on the elliptical machine (this felt great, and is currently replacing my running, I think)
3) Walked 0.60 miles (10:15 min) on the treadmill

Mid-Week Workout

1) Rode 3.25 miles in 20 minutes on the recumbent bike
2) Did 3.02 miles in 40 minutes on the elliptical
3) Walked 1 mile in 17:05 minutes on the treadmill

I felt like a crosstraining machine today, on the cardio machines, anyway. I miss the running, really miss it, but I don't feel physically ready to start it up again. Soon, I hope!

This Week's Workouts

I've gotten a little bit slack about updating my workouts here on my blog, mostly because I was busy finishing the rough draft of my novel for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November. I'm happy that December is here, but I really enjoyed channeling my writing in the month of November. My story as about a group of runners. Now, I need to decide what to do with this rough draft of a novel, which I titled The Finish.

Meanwhile, here are my workouts from the past few days:

Sunday
1) Walked outside for 3.09 miles and 60 minutes. I stopped at a little family cemetery back off in the woods near this particular course that I take sometimes. It was both neat and creepy to be back there.
2) Did 0.75 miles in 10 minutes on the elliptical in the gym


Monday
1) Rode the recumbent bike for 5.55 miles in 35:03 min


Today
1) Rode the recumbent bike for 3.51 miles in 20:01 min
2) Stretched for about 5 min
3) Did the elliptical for 2.32 miles in 30 min
4) Walked 0.56 mile in 10 minutes on the treadmill