Core Exercises for Runners and Walkers

I really need to improve my core for running AND walking, so I was glad to find this video by Jenny Hadfield! I decided to post it here, partly to share, and partly so I can find it again! :)


Core Exercises for Runners and Walkers from Jenny Hadfield on Vimeo.

Catch Me If You Can

Well, I've registered for my first 5K of 2011, the Catch Me If You Can 5K in Garner on May 8. It'll be my first 5K since last September. I'm looking forward to seeing how my times compare. Since I haven't done much speedwork since then, I may be slower. BUT I do have custom orthotics in my shoes now. We'll see. I love the name of this 5K! Maybe it'll help me run faster! :)

Run/Walk AND Water Aerobics Today!

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

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

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

Don't Go, B.O.!

I logged into my favorite online training log, BuckeyeOutdoors.com (B.O.), this morning to log yesterday afternoon's walk, and got the following message:

Buckeye Outdoors has suffered a major outage. A series of electrical storms first knocked out the backup servers that were located at the backup up location. Then the unthinkable happened 4 days later and a second electrical storm caused an extended power outage at the datacenter where the primary Buckeye Outdoors servers are hosted. The current situation is pretty grimm [sic] and I'm despritly [sic] trying to recover the data that has been lost. If I am un able [sic] to recover the data I will put the application back online but right now I am holding out hope and I even might send the Hard Disks to a data recovery place. If you have any questions please email here: questions@buckeyeoutdoors.com

Ahhh, rats! A lot of personal data will be lost, but I do hope the site comes back up in time (hopefully sooner than later!). In a way, it would be like having a fresh start with my training. I hadn't planned on "wiping the slate clean," but hardware crashes happen. *sigh* I've really enjoyed BuckeyeOutdoors as an exercise log, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, I was able to update my data on DailyMile.com this morning. I like DailyMile, which is like Facebook for exercise, big into the social networking, but lacking in the data and stats departments. I also revisited Running2win.com and RunningAhead.com, two more online training logs I've tried in the past, and uploaded my current Garmin date to RunningAhead (which I prefer over Running2win, but not as much as BuckeyeOutdoors).

New Weapons in the Weight Loss War

I ordered a new bathroom scale from Amazon.com a little while back, and have had it at home for a week or so, but I finally put the batteries in it this morning. It seems to be a nice scale, and it weighed me a little less than the old scale did, so it's my new best friend! :) It is nice to have a fresh, new machine to step on, and I like that the display is backlit. The bathroom scale I ordered is here.

Meanwhile, I'm trying out a new diet website called FatSecret.com. I heard about it last weekend from Jeff Galloway, so I decided to check it out. It's a food, exercise, and weight tracking website that also has an iPhone/iTouch app. Although I use bits and pieces of other similar websites, I'm enjoying the newness of FatSecret.com. It's fun and motivating to see the numbers in a slightly different context.

The good news is that I'm down 6 pounds, the most success I've had in a while. (A little bit of that is the new scale, but most of it is from effort.) Things that have made a difference so far this week: more exercise, packing my lunch for work, and staying away from the Peanut M&Ms, a new temptation at work.

Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

Galloway Season Starts Again!

Me, George, Jeff Galloway, Margaret

It's been a busy weekend for the start of the new Raleigh Galloway season here in the Triangle. Friday night, pace group leaders and their significant others were invited to the program director's home for a meet-and-greet with Jeff Galloway. This is the second year I've gotten to attend this event with George, who's a pace group leader. It's a lot of fun to visit with the leaders, and to re-meet Jeff Galloway. He is very personable, knowledgeable and encouraging. The picture on the left is from the Friday night gathering. Jeff Galloway is the man in the cap.

The Raleigh Galloway Program Annual Kick-Off was yesterday morning at the North Carolina Museum of Art. George and I both volunteered, so we were there at 7:30 AM! It was fun to see the large crowd (350+), including a number of people I know in the running community. Afterward, George and I participated in the 3-hour running school that Jeff Galloway ran at a nearby wellness facility. It was my third year doing the running school, and I enjoyed it a lot. It's been a little different each year, depending on who's there, mostly. Galloway changed the format a little bit this year, too.

After leaving home at 7:00 AM, we got home around 4:00 PM, after a day full of talking about running, but without actually running at all! It was a fun day, though!

I had planning on doing a 7-miler this weekend, but all I could muster was a 1.5 mile walk at Umstead State Park this morning. I was feeling pretty tired, and my right ankle's tendonitis is fussy from all the standing this weekend. Otherwise, it was a nice, but hilly walk.

Another Long Walk in the Books

George and I did our long run/walk yesterday, since we both went to a Galloway training session Saturday morning. I did 6.2 miles (2:20:00) with George's company, first along the Rocky Branch Trail, then on part of the Reedy Creek Trail, both part of the Capital Area Grenway System. The Rocky Branch Trail was new to me, so I really enjoyed it the change of scenery, and would go back there on my own. Here are three YouTube videos, showing different parts of the Rocky Branch Trail:








I ran/walked about 3.3 miles, and just walked the rest. It really wore me out! My right toes and right ankle bothered me some, to boot. I am rethinking the New River Half Marathon next month. Perhaps I'll continue my training and shoot for one later in the season.

Long Walk on Crabtree Creek Trail

I decided to do my long walk yesterday, instead of Saturday, since I had college reunion festivities Friday and Saturday. It was a really busy week leading up to the reunion, so I was really tired heading out the door yesterday morning. George had promised to do some of the mileage with me, and the fact that he was heading out the door with me helped a lot.

I ended up doing 5.12 miles on the Crabtree Creek Trail in Raleigh, with about 3.5 miles of it run/walking. Even with some running in there, it still took me 1:50:01. Still, it was time on my feet, and Saturday night's rain had everything looking especially green yesterday morning. Crabtree Creek was flowing more like a river, and the sounds of the rushing water and the birds chirping was all very pleasant.

Even though it was slow, I was pleased with the mileage. I'm hoping to do 6 miles next weekend.

Meanwhile, I started back to tracking my food intake this morning, in hopes that it will help with the weight loss.

Water Exercise

Last night, George and I did water aerobics at the gym again. A different instructor was there last night, so it was a different workout! I'm sore this morning in places I haven't been sore in a while!

Afterward, I joined George in some water running for the first time, so that might have something to do with my soreness too! Although it can't totally replace running time on the road, it was a great workout too! I'm really glad our gym has water running belts available.

Here's an intro video to water running, also known as aqua jogging:

Weekend Walk and Workout

Yesterday morning, I joined the Galloway Pre-Season Run from Raleigh Running Outfitters in Cary. It was nice to see some "old" folks and meet some new people! I walked 4 miles in 1:21:56, with negative splits on all miles!
1) 20:40
2) 20:37
3) 20:21
4) 20:13

I was going to do the Cary Road Race this coming weekend, but have decided to pass on that and continue to work on endurance in light of the New River Half Marathon on May 7. I haven't signed up for it, but would still like to do it.

Today I went to Gold's Gym at North Hills Mall, and really enjoyed my workout there. I did 2.82 miles in 37 minutes on the elliptical machine, then did some upper body and core strength training. I also sat in the steam room, which was like dessert after the workout, especially with the eucalyptus spray! Mmmmm!

Umstead Walk

Yesterday I started with some of my Raleigh Galloway friends at the Old Reedy Creek Rd. entrance to Umstead State Park. I've never been to that area of the park before, so I had a very enjoyable walk. (The only downside was the lack of bathrooms at the start!) Once I got past the gravel road leading up to the gate, the trail was packed dirt. The flowering trees are starting to blossom, and there was a good bit of foot and bike traffic, but it wasn't overly crowded. I hear that the airport overlook is off of this trail, but I didn't make it quite far enough down. Check out this webpage about this end of Umstead and the airport overlook.

I ended up going 3.26 miles in 1:09:01 with no toe pain.

Mile 1) 21:28
Mile 2) 21:09
Mile 3) 21:00 (the Garmin called this mile 20:60!)

Afterward, I met up with the rest of the group (they ran longer) at Panera for lunch. After lunch, George and I grabbed our bathing suits and went to the Gold's Gym at North Hills, where they have a saltwater swimming pool AND a saltwater hot tub! Ahhhh!

Race Report: 2011 Tobacco Road Half Marathon



Toni White and Lesley Looper

 This past Sunday, March 20, I participated in my third half marathon, the Tobacco Road Half Marathon in Cary, North Carolina. The weather was perfect, and the volunteers were wonderful!

This was my first race with the custom orthotics I picked up in mid-February. I was curious and concerned about how things would go, since I hadn't trained beyong 3.5 miles with the new custom orthotics in my shoes. I wondered if my right toes would hurts, and how my feet and legs in general would handle the orthotics. Mostly, I was concerned about my lack of training in general this winter, but I was determined to start the race and see what happened.

George and I parked at NetApp in RTP around 5:30 AM and caught the shuttle bus to the park where the race would start and finish. (We were glad we got there early, because others arriving later had problems with the shuttles and late arrival to the race.) We didn't know until we got there that the bus drop-off was about .7 mi. from the start and finish line, an unexpected hike, both before and after the race! The race itself started about 15-20 minutes later than expected, as we were waiting on some of the late shuttles to arrive.

Before the race, George and I had a good visit with Emily, Jon, and Ashby. At the start line, I saw Barbara and Toni too. Toni, pictured with me above, is the cousin of Danny, someone I met on the Outer Banks Half Marathon course back in November 2010. Danny introduced the two of us through Facebook, and Toni and I met for dinner in Raleigh a few weeks ago. It was a lot of fun to walk with Toni for the first half of the race (her first half marathon)!  (Thanks for Cara Greening for taking the picture! Cara was a water stop volunteer at Mile 6.)

Speaking of volunteers, there a lot of Raleigh Galloway runners on the course, both participating in and volunteering for the race. It was a lot of fun to see so many people I knew out there!

My right toes starting hurting a little before the Mile 6 mark, and the tendonitis in my right ankle started bothering me as well. At one point, I was glad I didn't see a bench, because I might've succumbed if I'd seen one! When I told my mom about the pain later, she asked, "Well, couldn't you have stopped?" Yes, I could have, but the truth is, I didn't want to, not really.

With about a mile to go, George found me! He finished a while before I did, and after a stop at the first aid tent for his knee, he walked backward to find and walk in with me! How sweet was that?! :)

I finished the race with a chip time of 4:50:06, my worst time ever in a half marathon, but I was mighty glad to finish! I've been thinking about it over the past few days, and here are some things I learned from this race:

1) It pays to train! My longest walk since my last half marathon was 3.5 miles. Even though I've been crosstraining, nothing beats time on your feet when you're training for an endurance race.

2) The extra weight I've gained had an effect, and I don't like it. I need to find a "healthy way of eating" (avoiding saying the "D" word) that works for me.

3) The pain in my right toes came several miles later, a good sign! Time and training will tell if that's the new norm.

4) When my tendonitis gets better, I need to work on building stronger calves, and continue to work on my upper body and core strength.

5) I continue to love, love, love Race Day and all the runners and walkers out there. I pay for it for a few days afterward, though,  in "recovery" since, by nature, I'm an introvert. I think I've been quieter than usual  the past few days as I've tried to recharge internally. I've also been much more physically tired than usual since the race, so that probably has something to do with my quietness too.

6) I want to stop my trend of slower and slower half marathon times. I'd like at least one more that's faster than the last one!

7) I found out last Thursday that I got into graduate school, and today when I registered for classes, I learned that one of my classes in the fall will be every other Saturday. It'll make training a little more interesting, but the things that are important to me will rise to the surface.


Meanwhile, I haven't exercised since the race on Sunday, but George and I are planning to meet for water aerobics this evening. Should be a good way to start my comeback! :)

Icing My Ankle

I've been icing my ankle throughout the morning--under my desk at work (thanks to my efforts in yesterday's Tobacco Road Half Marathon)! I did finish, although it wasn't my prettiest race. A race report will be coming sometime in the next few days.

Meanwhile, I'll be giving my ankle a little more TLC!


Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

Getting Ready for Tomorrow

Tomorrow morning I'll be attempting my third half marathon, the Tobacco Road Half Marathon in Cary, NC. My training has been less than stellar this winter, but I'm hoping for a nice 13.1 mile walk on a beautiful course. I'll be introducing my new custom orthotics to their first race, though I think my feet have adjusted to them in daily life. I also have a new ankle support that I've been wearing today only, but I think I will try it out for the race anyway, and see if it provides adequate support for walking the half marathon.

George and I went to the expo last night, and saw several people we knew, which was fun. One fun surprise was seeing my freshman year roommate, Lisa! We hadn't seen each other since college, but we've been Facebook friends for a while. She's doing the Tobacco Road Half too, and this will be her first! How exciting!

I've also set up race alerts for Facebook and Twitter, hope it works!

Missing That Lost Hour of Sleep!

Yesterday, we changed to Daylight Saving(s) Time, and I'm really missing that hour of sleep I lost! I had an industrious workout at the gym (50 minutes on the elliptical, 3.85 miles, including some intervals, and some upper body strength training) yesterday, and I'm feeling a little sore in the arms today. On another positive note, I've got a professional massage on tap for this evening, and I'm really looking forward to that! I have a feeling that I'll be tempted to come home and go straight to bed after the massage!

Walk on American Tobacco Trail

I had a nice walk this morning on the American Tobacco Trail (White Oak Entrance). I started with Meri, Bert, Jon, Susan, and Linda, but did my own pace. It was a chilly, but beautiful morning out! I didn't feel any pain in my right toe bridge (yippee!), but the achilles tendonitis (I think) in my right ankle DID bother me. I return to the podiatrist on Monday for a followup on the orthotics, so I'll ask him about the tendonitis. (Meanwhile, I'm icing as a type!) Today's walk: 3.54 miles in 1:12:00.

More Water Aerobics

George and I did a water aerobics class last night at Gold's Gym, and Kathryn from our Galloway running group joined us! It was another pretty good sized class, not like two weeks ago when I was the only one. I enjoyed knowing one more person in the class, and Kathryn had a nice time chatting in the sauna for a few minutes afterward. I tried the heavier water weights during the class last night, and I can feel it this morning! Not too bad, but I can tell I had a good upper body workout last night. I need more of those, since upper body strength is a weakness of mine right now.

Meanwhile, I've finally started having some success with my latest Weight Watchers venture, down 6.8 pounds on my own scale. I continue to be consistent about weighing myself daily, even when I've gone over the points allowance. I'm not enjoying tracking what I eat and drink, but I think it's helping me be more aware of what I eat, which is a good exercise right now.

I'm Tired!

I finally made it to the gym last night for the first time in this week's exercise cycle. I've been pretty tired from last weekend's workouts (bike & running clinic on Sat, elliptical workout on Sun.), so I took Monday off from working out. I didn't want to take two days in a row off, so last night I hit the gym a bit later than I like, but I did an easy session on the recumbent bike, and am glad I did. Good to move the legs just a bit, a slow, cruising 5.26 miles in 37:00. I'm still pretty tired this morning, but I do plan to go to water aerobics with George tonight. Another running friend might join us, hope she does!

Meanwhile, early to bed tonight!

Elliptical Love

I arrived at the gym a little later than I'd planned, feeling tired and uninspired, tempted to go back home and take  rest day. But since George was working out in the pool, I decided to head upstairs to the cardio machines and get moving on the elliptical machine. Once I started moving, I felt sooo much better! And I'd forgotten what a great workout the elliptical machine can be! I ended up doing 3.15 miles in 45 minutes on the elliptical, and followed it with some stretching, dumbbells, and ab crunches. I felt good AND tired when I got home!

I feel a lot better about my training looking forward, now that I've rediscovered the elliptical machine. I think that, as someone who wants to return to running, the elliptical may be a better workout for me than the bike on most days. I love how my weekly total mileage can hike up with bike miles, but it's not always about the high numbers, right?

Some More Speedwork

This morning I joined some running friends for another speed clinic, and it was very helpful. We did some stretches after a warm-up on the track, then did some 400s. I was pretty pleased with my splits, even though I was the last one to finish each time. It was fun to see that I could go faster than I expected. I need to keep working on it.

Before the speed clinic, I worked out at the nearby Gold's Gym, a different location from my normal Gold's Gym, but still in the network of gyms I can visit under my membership.That's one of the nicest gyms I've ever been to! I was very pleasantly surprised! It's much bigger than my location, with cardio machines both downstairs and up. The women's locker room is huge, with amenities like lotion, mouthwash, and Qtips. The steamroom has eucalyptus spray available, which was sinus-clearing and smelled great, and the pool (they say) is salt water! The whirlpool was indoors by the swimming pool. The weight machine area was expansive, with at least one machine I'd never seen before. Ever.

And then, there's the fact that I rode the recumbent bike (4.55 miles in 31:01 min) in the cardio theater, with a James Bond movie playing. I have no idea which one, but it was interesting to experience. At first I thought it would be neat to watch a movie while I exercised, but since it was dark, I couldn't see the buttons on the recumbent bike. I had to use my iTouch as a flashlight to start my workout, which was a little frustrating. Also, my bike pace was a good bit slower than usual this morning, and I don't know if it was because of the movie, or because I was being cautious before the running clinic, or maybe because of my slightly tired legs at the time. *Shrug*

Anyway, very nice gym experience, too bad it's 30-40 minutes away, with gas prices the way they are. "My" Gold's Gym is less than 10 minutes away.

A Little More Running!

This evening, I met with the Triangle Turtles Meetup group for the first time, at the Fleet Feet Raleigh Thursday Social Run. It was fun to meet some new people on this chilly evening. Once we started, I was at the back of the pack, as usual, but I was focused on getting a good workout in and didn't worry about anyone else. Since I didn't have my interval timer, and it was soon too dark to see the time on my Garmin, I just ran and walked by feel. I ended up going 2.24 miles in 42:01 minutes, an 18:44 average pace. It's nice to be under 19:00, but I still have a way to go. My right toes started hurting around 1.75 miles (earlier than before), but it wasn't very sharp. I don't know if it was just orthotic adjustment, or if the toe pain is here to stay. Time will tell. I'm icing now, and will take some ibuprofen before bed.

Good Crosstraining Day!

This morning I went to the gym before work, and did 35 minutes (6.25 miles) on the recumbent bike, and followed that with some upper body strength training and much needed stretching. On a work break, I I walked 1.5 miles. After work, George and I met at the gym and took 60-minute water aerobics class together.  I am worn out and ready for bed!

A Little Running!

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

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

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

It feels great to be tired from working out again!

Water Aerobics

Tonight I made it to a water aerobics class at the gym, my first class at this gym, and my first water aerobics class in, like, forever! My right ankle is still pretty tender with achilles tendonitis (self-diagnosed), but I'm going nuts over lack of exercise! So, late this afternoon at work, I checked the group exercise schedule at the gym, and decided to try to make either the 6:30 water aerobics class or the 7:00 yoga class. Either one would have been great for me tonight, I think. I made it in time for water aerobics, and really enoyed the it, even though I was the only student! The instructor asked if I still wanted to have the class, and I was totally game if she didn't mind. She seemed good with going forward with the class too, so we grabbed some pool "toys" (noodles and foam weights) and hopped in the pool. I was glad it worked out, as I got a really good workout, as well as some good ideas for things to do on my own in the pool. And it was an hour long class, to boot. It felt great to exercise for a whole hour--my arms (especially) are still pretty tired! :)

Saturday Speedwork

Saturday's workout was a little different! I signed up to join some other Raleigh Galloway runners for a running clinic held by another Raleigh Galloway runner, Luis, where we learned some speed work exercises plus a hill repeat drill. Since that didn't start until 10:00, I walked 2.29 miles beforehand. I'd meant to walk indoors on the gym treadmill, but by the time I got to the gym, there was only one treadmill left--and it was broken! Not a bad thing, though, walking outdoors, as it was a beautiful morning (though a little windy). I covered the distance in 45:08, a 19:42 average pace. I was happy to get under 20 min. for the average mile pace, as I'm trying to work my way down to sub-18 for some half-marathons with 4-hour cut-offs that I'm interested in doing.

The running (speed) clinic was great! Got lots of ideas for strengthening exercises. Unfortunately, the tendonitis in my right ankle really got aggravated, so yesterday turned into an unexpected rest day from exercise. My ankle was still quite tender this morning, until I took a warm shower and the ankle warmed up a little took, so I decided not to exercise this morning too. I think I'll use the dumbbells at home after work this evening, convenient to do and restful for the ankle.

I'm a little discouraged about missing some more endurance training with the half marathon coming up in a month, but I still have time. Perhaps I need to remember that rest is part of training too!

Meanwhile, I am working on other healthy habits, and my weight was down a little this morning.

New Orthotics, New Shoes

I picked up my new orthotics on Monday, and last evening I got a fresh pair of Brooks Dyads to put them in. I've worned the orthotics since I picked them up Monday morning, and even walked twice yesterday--once on the treadmill yesterday morning before work, and then outside late yesterday on a break. I'm pretty tired today, probably a combination of getting accustomed to the new orthotics, and getting my strength back from being out last week with the flu. I've had laryngitis for a week now, a secondary viral infection from the flu, and trying to talk at work makes me tired too. I'm eager to lean into my half marathon training and test the limits of my new orthotics, but my body is telling me to ease into things! Meanwhile, I'm trying to get more rest and drink plenty of liquids.

Nothing Like Forced Rest!

I've had the flu since Sunday night, though I tried to deny it by going into work yesterday morning. (My workday only lasted about 3.5 hours!) Today, I woke up with a 102.2 degree temperature, so George was nice enough to take some time off work to drive me to the doctor. This afternoon, I'm feeling better, but still not 100%. I'll stay home tomorrow, and hopefully be back at work Friday or Monday.

Meanwhile, I haven't exercised since Sunday morning, and while I miss it a lot, I think it's actually helped to have some rest! The tendonitis in my ankle (which has bothered me since the OBX Half in November), for example, seems much better!

Clipart from Clipartheaven.com.

Working on Speed

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

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

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

A Date with (and for) New Orthotics!

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

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

Back on the American Tobacco Trail

I hit the American Tobacco Trail again this morning, this time for my longest walk of the new training cycle. It was a chilly start, but once I warmed up, I was able to take the gloves off and drop them off at my car. My pace was decent through Mile #4 (mostly under 20:00:00), but slowed down during the last two miles. I think part of it was the pain in my right foot, as well as slowing down to walk with some friends who were cooling down from their run. (I had also walked pretty darn quickly to get to the bathrooms at the end of Mile #4!)

So, I finished walking 6.22 miles in 2:08:01, a 20:35 pace. *sigh* Was hoping to finish 6 miles in under two hours today. Just gotta keep at it! (And I DID enjoy walking and talking with my friends for a little bit!)

Yesterday's Long Walk

Yesterday's "long walk" was a 5 miler on the American Tobacco Trail from the White Oak Entrance. It was cold, cold, cold, but it felt good once I got going. The nippy temperatures were a good motivation to keep the pace as zippy as possible! The toes in my right foot felt pretty good until around Mile 3, when the pain came on again. Still, I finished 5.01 miles in 1:41:01, a 20:10 average pace by the end. (I was shooting for 20:00 or less for the average pace per mile, so I was a little over the mark, but still feel pretty good about it.)
Mile Splits:
1) 20:13
2) 19:36
3) 19:52
4) 20:25
5) 20:41

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

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

Check out this video of the course:

(Almost) No Tech, Just Me

Today's a holiday from work for me, thanks to Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, but I got up early anyway, planning to go to the gym. George left for work and I puttered around a bit. Finally, I decided to put my Garmin on, but leave the iPod and my camera at home, and just take a walk outdoors for a few minutes before leaving for the gym. A few minutes turned into 30, then 3 miles! My goal of getting some (cold) fresh air turned into trying to come in under a 20:00 min/mi average walking pace. Leaving the music and camera at home allowed me to concentrate on my form a little more.  By the time I got back home, I'd walked 3.04 miles in 1:00:02, for a 19:46 min/mile average pace. I was pleased with the results, even though my right toes were hurting again. I need to do this sort of workout more often! I love taking pictures when I'm out on a walk, but I need to make sure I'm ready for my next race, too!

Mile splits (glad I had my Garmin!):
1) 20:13
2) 19:23
3) 19:43 (right toes hurting here)

It's Hard to Listen with Good Company and Good Scenery

Jafar, George, Sue, & Margaret

Well, I walked farther than I expected (or wanted) to today, but I took my camera with me today, and I just couldn't help it!

I started out with these four fun people, but they took off after a few minutes to do their run/walk thing. Since I'm "just" walking for now, I started stopping peridocally to take pictures! I made it once around the lake with camera at the ready, then closed it up and decided to take another lap around a slightly frozen Shelley Lake.

I ended up walking 4.26 miles in 1:31:02. It felt great at the time, all the fresh air and nice scenery! Tonight, my knee is talking to me a bit louder! I'd better listen tomorrow!

The pictures I took of today's nice walk around Shelley Lake are here.






My Knee is Talking to Me!

I've had a busy training week, nearly 28 miles of biking (mostly) and walking (a little) since Monday, and today (a planned rest day anyway) my right knee is tender when I walk! I iced it a while this morning before work, and I'll ice it some more when I get home. I'd planned to walk 2-3 miles tomorrow morning, but maybe I should do the pool at the gym instead. I'll see how I feel in the morning.

Feel Like a Million!

Today is the start of a new 12-week health incentive program through Duke's Live for Life (employee health) office, called "Feel Like a Million." I'm excited this has started, and I'm looking forward to being part of the "Bookworms" team again! The employee health office offered a similar program last year, and I created a team called the Bookworms, and 7 fellow library employees joined me. This year, 6 of us have signed up for the reconvening of the Bookworms, but we have the end of the week to "recruit" new team members! :) We have a good team, but "the more, the merrier," right?! I think the team concept will help me stay a little more motivated and focused during these winter months!






Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

Black Creek Greenway (Cary, NC) Walk

This morning I joined George's running group for a 4-mile walk. (This running group is an extension of the Raleigh Galloway running group, but that training season ended in early December.) I was planning just to meet them at Starbuck's and walk at my own pace, while they did the run/walk thing, but they were so nice to walk with me for the first two miles, then I turned around and they continued on (George and Margaret are doing 18 today, and Sue has 10 on her schedule.) It was the first time I'd been on the Black Creek Greenway in Cary, NC, and it was lovely! I'd like to go back there.

I ended up walking 4.06 miles in 1:25:02, and am happy about my negative splits:

1) 21:47
2) 21:32
3) 21:05
4) 19:24 (yahoo!)

The morning was cold but beautiful, to boot! Great morning to be outdoors!

New Year, New Plan

Umstead Entrance on Hwy 70

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

Sycamore Trail

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

Wild Ferns Along the Sycamore Trail

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

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

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

Signed Up For Another Race!

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

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

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

More Benchmarks Plus Some Running!

I returned to the gym yesterday, and after a 20-minute walk on the treadmill, decided to try my hand at running for just a little bit and see how my right foot and the rest of my body took it. I ran for 5:03 minutes and covered 0.36 miles. Okay, not very far, but it's a start! My foot's okay today, but the rest of my body is slightly sore. After the walking plus running, I was inspired to get back to some work on my core, plus some work with the 7.5 lb dumbbells, as well as some stretching, especially for my quads, hamstrings, and IT bands. I covered a lot of body-ground yesterday, so today's been a nice rest day. :)

Setting a New Bar

I went to the gym late this afternoon for a change (since I started my vacation around Noon-woohoo), and decided to start with the ArcTrainer, an elliptical-like contraption that's pretty challenging for me. I surprised myself by staying on there and moving for a whole hour! It was slow, but it was a good workout to me! When the machine cut off at 60 minutes, I'd completed 2.66 miles. Slow, for sure, but now I have a distance to beat! Feeling pretty good about that! :) All in all, a good endurance workout for me.

(It did remind me that I need to work on my speed this winter too.)

Back in the Gym

Lately, I've been putting rest days between my workouts, but since we have a chance of inclement weather in the morning, I decided to hit the gym again this morning. Thanks to another stationary bike ride, I have a weekly total of 11.75 miles so far! Okay, so it wasn't as challenging to hit 10 miles for the week as I thought it would be. I am eager to get my base back up, though, partly because I want to be as physically ready for running as I can be. We'll see.

So, tomorrow's a rest day, then I'll have Friday through Sunday to add some miles.

New Goals

Last week's cardio goal was a success, as I was shooting for 10 miles of crosstraining and ended up with 17.94 miles of walking, biking, and ArcTrainer (elliptical thing). Saturday's workout was the best sweat I've worked up since the Outer Banks Half Marathon, and it really felt good.

An artic blast is whipping through my area now, so it's going to challenge my motivation to get to the gym in the mornings, and out for walk breaks in the afternoon. I'm going to shoot for another 10 miles this week, then. Soon, though, I'm going to push for 20 miles of crosstraining as my base.

In other news, I have another appointment with the podiatrist on January 7, this time to be fit for custom orthotics! I'm excited that this is finally going to happen! I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be running again in the next month or so. Running, how I've missed ye!

On My Way Back

It another 30-minute bike ride at the gym this morning, and hit 5.17 miles, helping me get to 10.17 miles of cardio for the week. My goal for the week was to hit 10 miles of cardio for the week, so it feels good to surpass the 10 mile mark with a couple of days to go in the workout week (Monday through Sunday for me). Yes, 10 miles in an hour's worth of biking is pretty easy when you think about it, but part of it, for me, is getting back into the swing of exercise after the half marathon and other things.

Body-wise, my achilles tendon is still a little tender, so I'm going to continue to take it fairly easy, and just work on building my endurance base back up. Speedwork will need to return to my routine soon, maybe after the first of the year.

A New Week

I usually like new beginnings, and Monday always starts the beginning of a new workout week for me. Since Saturday was my birthday, it still feels like a new year for me. Then there's the new work week. :) I'm feeling pretty darn tired this morning from the weekend's festivities, which included my birthday party Saturday night, and the end-of-season Galloway party last night, but am looking forward to the week ahead.

I didn't quite achieve last week's goal of 10 miles of cardio training, but I am down 1.4 pounds since December 1, so I'm pleased enough with that progress. I'm shooting for 10 miles of cardio again this week, in addition to drinking more water!

Does Housework Count?

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

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

Back in the Gym

It felt great to get back into the gym this morning, eventhough it was only for about half an hour. 20 minutes on the bike and a few minutes of strength training were good for the mind as well as the body. While I've got a busy week ahead, I'm shooting for 10 miles of cardio this week, and hope to do at least one more strength training session.

I'm also happy to report that my weight is down a little from yesterday. Glad to see the upward trend going in the opposite direction now!

Light Exercise

I'm still here, but taking it pretty easy these days as far as exercise goes. My right ankle still bothers me a bit, especially first thing in the morning, but at other times too, like when I take the stairs at work or home. I think it's Achilles tendonitis, so I don't feel too bad about taking it easy right now. I did buy a swimming cap and goggles recently at Wal-Mart, so I would be ready for swimming when I'm tired of taking it easy! :)

I have been taking some occasional walks, sometimes with co-workers during the day, and that's been nice. The weather's been pretty temperate during the day here this week, which has been nice.

Truth be known, though, I'm ready for the calorie burn of more intense exercise for the short term, and long term, I'm thinking about walking another half marathon in March. I've got a time to beat! :) Meanwhile, I'm in the middle of a really busy stretch at work and especially at home, so I am enjoying the extra time for other things. I sure do miss the exercise, though, and am looking forward to getting back on the horse soon.

Recovery

I've been taking some short walks the past couple of days to recover, but am taking it slowly. My legs aren't sore, but my body still feels tired. Also, I have some tendonitis in my right ankle, probably from compensating for the pain in my toes during the half. Not as bad as it could be, but I'm taking it pretty easy for now. I'm eager to get back to the gym, though, so I can keep my endurance up.

Meanwhile, I'm looking at some other half marathons that I can actually walk and finish like the Outer Banks Half. One good possibility locally is the Tobacco Road Half Marathon on March 20, 2011. It's held on the American Tobacco Trail, which I love! Ya know, I was concerned about being goal-less after the Outer Banks Half, but I'm feeling better about things already. Meanwhile, I'm still eyeballing those custom orthotics after the first of the year.

Race Report: 2010 Outer Banks Half Marathon

Yesterday morning, I really surprised myself by finishing the Outer Banks Half Marathon! I signed up for this race back in the spring, before I was diagnosed with the foot issues. As my training progressed (or didn't, rather) I was doubtful that I could do this race. We were invited to stay with some friends in a oceanfront house in Nags Head, since George and I were both registered to run the half marathon. I decided several weeks ago that I would start the race and go as far as my right foot would allow me to walk My crosstraining since then has been less than spectacular, so yesterday morning, I was even less sure that I would finish. The weather forecast was beautiful, though, which helped me get into the right mindset. I decided to try to relax and see what happened. Before the half marathon started, I got to chat with several runners from the Raleigh area, including Pauline, Jeanette, Susan, Linda, Marjorie, Barbara, and of course George and Ashby. (Many thanks to Meri for the drop-off near the start in Nags Head!)

Once the race started, George walked with me for the first two miles, and I really enjoyed his company. He headed off to run at the beginning of Mile 3, and I started listening to music and taking in the surroundings. It wasn't long before I caught up with a combination of walkers who I enjoyed meeting and talking with, including Danny (from the Los Angeles area) and Susan (from Huntersville, NC), who I walked and talked with the most. Danny and Susan were planning to keep around a 20:00 min/mile walking pace, so I decided to see how long I could keep up with them. They were fun to talk to--and to listen to when I felt like being quiet.

Before I knew it, I had passed my first goal at the 3 mile mark, and was quite surprised to hit 6 miles and the half way point without enough discomfort to stop to rest and massage my foot. My next goal was the bridge, which I never made it to in last year's DNF of the Outer Banks Marathon. I wanted to see the bridge so badly this year that I could taste it, so it was good motivation to keep moving at a good (for me) walking pace with Danny and Susan! During this stretch, the front marathoners passed us, and it was a lot of fun to see and cheer them on!

Getting to the bridge was my favorite part of the course, I think! Before the ascent, Danny and I (Susan had dropped back a bit) decided on a game plan for tackling the bridge, which helped. We hit the 10th Mile Marker while on the bridge, and the view all the way across it exhilarating! Yes, I was still walking it, but the bridge wasn't as difficult as I expected it to be. My foot was bothering me, of course, but I still had energy left in the tank. (I had stopped and had my water bottle refilled at every water stop but the first one, and took a couple of Hammer Gels along the way, and that all helped, I think. )

After we hit the bottom of the bridge, we could see the stoplight where the runners and walkers were making the right turn to head into Manteo. It was a great feeling to know the end was near! I had been worried at the start about being able to finish, so hitting Mile 12, my last goal before the finish, brought a huge sense of relief, and I really enjoyed taking in the sights around me! By now, we were seeing people with finishers medals hanging from their necks, and that was great motivation too. :)

I called George and let him know that I had about a mile to go, and that I was still walking toward the finish line, and he was almost as excited as I was! When we passed Mile Marker 13 and could see the finish line, Danny and I took off and ran across the finish line, a great feeling to finish strong! My foot hurt, but I was done! That finisher's medal never looked so good!

I ended up finishing with a chip time of 4:24:15, and gun time of 4:35:18, 3747th out of 3757 overall, and 258/258 in my age group. Before the race, I told George that finishing before 4:30:00 was my over-the-top goal at a walking pace, no way would I finish by then. There ya go. :-) Kisses and hugs to George for walking with me at the beginning, and my gratitude to Danny and Susan for seeing me to the end!  Official results are here.

George met me at the finish line, and it was great to share war stories with him. We ate at the Full Moon Cafe in Manteo, before heading back to the beach house. The big group enjoyed a great meal together last night, and George and I returned home this afternoon.

I took a few pictures over the weekend, but as usual, I wish I'd taken more. They're stored online here.

Now I'll work on recovery and am looking forward to trying custom orthotics early next year. I'll be back in the gym soon, though! Maybe there will be more half marathon walks in my future!

New Cardio Machine

I think I may have found a new challenge for me at the gym. It's the Cybex ArcTrainer. It's like the elliptical machine, but to me it's harder! I couldn't stay on it all that long this morning, and I felt pretty uncoordinated on it, to boot. Watch out, ArcTrainer, I'm going to tackle you!

A New Workout Schedule in the Works?

This week, it just so happens that I've only worked out three times since Monday (when I start my workout week). I'll work out tomorrow morning, too, of course. It's a big shift from my usual workout week of 6 trips to the gym or the trails. I've been busy with work after last week's vacation, as well as the start of National Novel Writing Month on Monday (November 1). I must admit that I've made good use of the time I missed my workouts, and have enjoyed getting a variety of things done. Is it the busy time of year? A shift in priorities? Hmmm. Part of what I'm thinking about now is how I can make the most of my workouts, and to maintain a minimum of 3-4 workouts a week.

I walked about 4 miles last Saturday, and my right foot hurt again. :( So, I'm still looking at orthotics after the first of the year, and we'll go from there with the running. You know what I miss? Having a road race that I'm shooting for! At some point, I'll need to look at how I can set other meaningful goals to shoot for.

Back From Vacation

George and I returned from vacation tonight, a few days away where I did lots of walking but only one intentional workout in the hotel gym. I'm pretty tired tonight, but am looking forward to returning to the gym in the morning! More soon!

Getting Back in the Groove

After a low key week last week, and taking Sunday and Monday off from exercise for the GRE (standardized test for graduate school admission), I've enjoyed getting "back into the groove" the past couple of days, with the elliptical machine and some weight training yesterday, and biking and some more weight training (different muscle groups) today. I've included some intervals on the cardio to help get my heart rate up and continue to work on speed. It's made for a good couple of workouts, feeling a little tired afterward without interfering with work for the rest of the day.  :)

Have You Tried Water Running?

George is thinking about joining my gym after the running season is over, with the hope that we can train together doing water running, since I've been having such trouble with my foot. I found an interesting article about it in Runner's World, posted back in September 2003. Check out the article, "Head for the Pool."

Would love to know if any of you have ever tried water running to train due to injury or weather!

Looking Up at the Gym

After a call to the employee health office yesterday about my new gym membership (and still not being in the system), I returned to Gold's this morning, and I'm finally "in the system!" :) I have a name and number to call there to set up an appointment for an orientation, and I'll get my key chain swipe card then. Yay!
Heartened, I went to the cardio area and had a good elliptical workout, followed by some hammer and bicep curls. Good way to start a busy Friday!

Low Key Week

This has been a low-key exercise week, with a couple of biking sessions, a walk, and some upper body strength training. I've been a little sore and tired overall, plus I've been studying for Monday's GRE (Graduate Record Exam). Today I'm taking a break from the gym, something normally reserved for Fridays. I'll get back on track soon!

Serendipity Strikes

American Triple-T Finish
Originally uploaded by dukefan86

Yesterday, George and I took a daytrip to Bladen County for my NC Odyssey Project blog, and when we found White Lake, there were some runners going along the side of the road, within traffic cones. We followed the road around, a slow go in part because we didn't want to HIT anyone, but we were also looking for a place to take a picture of the lake. Well, we happened to pass the place on the lake that was the staging area for not just any race, but a triathlon to beat triathlons, at least to me! This triathlon didn't happen on one day, but over THREE! It's the American Triple-T.

Friday: Super Sprint: 250m swim, 7 mile bike, 1 mile run
Saturday: 2 Olympics, an AM and a PM: 1500m swim, 40K bike, 10K run
Sunday: Half Iron: 1.2 mi swim, 56 mile bike ride, 13.1 mile run

Okay, so George had the bright (very bright, seriously) idea that we should park, go into this area and explore (i.e. take pictures of the lake). When we first walked into the area, we didn't have a full understanding of what was going on. We saw the runners, spotted the bike transition area, and numbers on the athlete's arms, so we figured a triathlon, but OMG! For a while, we stood at the finishline and clapped people in, just totally amazed at the athleticism of these people! I was so impressed and inspired!

We didn't go to White Lake to watch this race, but I'm so happy it worked out that way! What a cool way to spend part of a Sunday afternoon!

Walk Report: Triangle Run/Walk for Austism

This morning I decided to take a break from the new gym and walk a 5K race, the Triangle Run/Walk for Autism. I was ready to walk with a bunch of people around, like when I used to be able to run with the group. I got to Moore Square in Raleigh early to register on-site, enjoying the crisp fall air. I didn't see anyone I knew, but it was still a great morning to be outside. I did have doubts as I lined up near the back of the pack before the race, but once the horn went off, I was happy to be there.

It was hard at first, adjusting to just walking this one, but I wanted the practice in walking faster and using my arms to help me move forward. I ended up talking with a mother-daughter pair for most of the race, and that helped the miles go by quickly. We enjoyed talking about the big, old homes we walked by, including the Executive Mansion.

I had some discomfort in my right foot, as expected, but nothing that caused me to stop. I ended up finishing the 5K walk with a chip time of 56:29 and gun time of 57:03, good for 840th place out of 853 overall, and 32/32 in my age group. I'm glad I did this! (My only regret was not taking my camera with me.)

What's New

My arms are finally sore for the additional strength training I've been doing at the new gym! I was beginning to wonder if I were doing big enough weights. Yep, that's good.

Speaking of the new gym, I've figured out that there's a disparity in the follow-through-ness (I know there's a better word) of the front desk staff there! I've already discovered that the front desk person AKA Brian will answer questions and point things out with a positive attitude. Others have been less responsive. My biggest concern right now is getting my name into their system so I can get a swipe card and not have to sign in every time I go there. Brian gave my name and number to two different staff members after I talked with him a couple days ago, and someone was supposed to give me a call. Nada. So, Brian checked again this morning to see if I was in the system yet (no), and got my name and number again. I just feel like being persistant about this.

Meanwhile, I biked againt this morning, but didn't do any weight training, opting to give my upper body a rest. Since I haven't been running, though, I've noticed I haven't been burning as many calories, and it's making a difference on the scales. I definitely need to reverse that trend!! Tomorrow, though, will probably be a rest day from exercise. I'm thinking about testing my foot with some walking on Saturday.

Good things I learned from this morning's gym visit included learning where the steam room is in the ladies locker room (though it's broken right now) and the hot tub (which is outdoors, just outside of the indoor pool area). Can't wait to use those things! :)

New Gym, New Me?

I decided to go ahead and sign up for Gold's Gym through my employer's Occupation Health Office, and went for the first time yesterday morning. (I went back this morning too.) I've done some cardio (but no treadmill) both days, as well as some upper body strength training. I think the strength training "opportunities" there are what I like most so far. My "old" gym's weight machines and dumbbells don't hold a candle to the equipment and space at the new gym. (Who knew there were so many muscle groups from the waist up to work on?!)

I'm also eyeing the class schedule as well as the pool, but haven't tried them yet. Soon, I hope. I'm still getting used the the new routine, including increased strength training (which I think will pay off in the weeks ahead!).

Meanwhile, I'm going to a new-to-me hairstylist this evening! What does that have to do with running and exercise? Not a thing, but with all the troubles I've had with my sore toes and running lately, I'm hoping the haircut will be a nice lift for my spirits.  :)

Clipart from Clipartheaven.com.

Good Walk Plus Workout Today

Since yesterday's "long walk" was cut short, I hit the treadmill at the gym this morning to put my sore toes to the test. The pain hit a little before 2.5 miles, but I pushed on a bit, and finished with 3.4 miles in 60 minutes, a pretty good pace for me. Still, my walking pace is something I need to work on in addition to my endurance.

I decided to take a break from cardio after an hour, so I did some upper body strength training with 5 lb. and 8 lb. dumbbells. It felt really good to work on my arm and shoulder strength, and I hope it'll help me if I decide to go ahead and give the Outer Banks Half Marathon a walking try.

After that, I stretched my quads, glutes, and hamstrings, then finished with 2.02 miles (11:01 minutes) on the recumbent bike. All in all, a good workout for me.

Back On My Own

Well, I made the hard decision to stop being coached for my running. I have mixed feelings, really, because it feels like giving up on running, but also realistic, at least for now. It also has forced me to start looking more seriously into other forms of exercise.

For instance, I looked at the Gold's Gym closest to home last evening, and was impressed by the amount of equipment, especially for strength and core training. There are also some cardio classes I could attend, plus there's a pool! The membership sales guy I talked with was surprisingly unenthusiastic, though. I told him my story--running, injuries, running, half and full marathon, wierd foot bones, and his reply when I finished, was, "Okay." I asked if he could give me a tour, and he said something like, "Okay. This is the weight equipment. Cardio machines. Pool's over there," with some walking in between. Can I look in the ladies' locker room? "It's over there to the left." I see you have a massage therapist, what are the prices? "They're in this brochure somewhere." I swear, he didn't ask me a thing about my goals, wishes, or impressions. Maybe he was on his way out the door when I walked in. He just didn't seem to be into a conversation about his gym. Business must be good.

Anyway, I have printed out the information on my employee discount and enrollment through work. I'll still probably go that route, then cancel my current gym membership if I like Gold's.

I'm continuing to exercise. I cut yesterday's speed workout short due to foot pain. Today I had to sub the elliptical for the assigned bike workout, and cut it short to get into work for a meeting. My workout life seems to be a series of short workouts lately, partly due to my body and partly due to increasing time at work. Interesting.

I'll miss working with my coach, and would love to work with her again if my orthotics work out in the winter!

These Shoes Were Made For Walking

This morning, I walked 2.17 miles in 40:04 minutes on the treadmill, and followed with some upper body dumbbell work, as well as some ab crunches and stretching.

Meanwhile, I'm pondering a phone conversation I had with my running coach last night, where we talked about the possibility of my backing off of running much of any distance for a few months, while I wait to order custom orthotics and my foot has a little R & R time. It makes the Outer Banks Half Marathon seem a little dimmer, but I'm not quite ready to give up hope of walking it, especially if I continue to work on my fitness level and weight loss.

Saturday's Walk

I fell short of my 10 mile goal today due to my fussy foot, deciding to stop at 6.52 miles. I'm discouraged about not being able to get the distance in,  but I was pretty pleased with my overall average pace per mile of 19:29, especially considering the foot discomfort. It was a pretty morning out on the Crabtree Creek Trail, but started getting warm. I was thankful for plenty of water.

Still undecided about what to do about my half marathon in November. *sigh* One week at a time.

1) 19:53

2) 19:19
3) 19:04
4) 19:10
5) 20:00
6) 19:22
0.52) 10:10

What Do You Listen To?

This morning I hit the treadmill again, and had a decent workout, despite the pesky foot pain in Mile 3.

Walked 0.51 mi in 10 min
Ran 1.55 mi in 24 min
Pit stop here
Ran 1.03 mi in 16:00

Part way through, I decided to steer away from my workout music and return to an audiobook I've been listening to in bits and pieces, a book called Think and Grow Rich, by Napolean Hill. I'm finding the audiobook a nice change of pace from the quick-paced music that encourages me to keep going when the pain in my foot tells me to rest it. Although the book has some Christian overtones that some might disagree with, I'm intrigued by what the power of personal belief can do. Part of running is mental, so it certainly applies in this area of my life! I'm also listening to this book with my work ears as well, especially as I work on my graduate school application. Having something to think about (besides my foot) as I run has been refreshing!

What do you like to listen to when you run? How does it help motivate or refresh you?

This Week's Progress

Rather than the usual Tuesday speed workout, I had an easy assignment yesterday, since I did the Mag Mile on Sunday. I walked a mile to warm up (1.05 mi in 20 min), then ran/walked 2 miles easy (2.01 mi in 34:00). My legs told me this WAS an easy workout, but my right foot started bothering me in Mile 3. *sigh*

Today's assignment was a 50 minute bike workout; I ended up cutting it a little short due to time constraints, but I felt strong doing it. I finished 8:05 miles in 46:18, and average of 5:37 min/mile. That's pretty fast for me, especially over 45 minutes.

I'm scheduled to run again tomorrow, so I'll see how that goes. Saturday's a 10-miler. I haven't hit 10 miles this year due to my foot. Right now my plan is a walk it at a good clip and see how my foot holds up. My coach is very conservative about injuries, so we'll be talking after the walk.

Race Report: 2010 Magnificent Mile

This afternoon was the long awaited (for me) Magnificent Mile Race in Raleigh! It was a clear, warm late summer afternoon, and as usual, I enjoyed seeing several running friends before (as well as after) the race. I just love race days, with the comraderie and anticipation in the air. I also love this race, because they divide the race into three heats: the men's and women's competitive, and the recreational. It's amazing to watch the men's heat, because the frontrunners are so fast, and in the races I typically run, I never get to see the elites at their best. Last year's winner (who was back this year) finished the 2009 race in 4:10. On the road.

Toward the end of the men's heat, the women started lining up, and it was fun to catch up with a couple of runners, Barbara and Ruby, who were nearby. The "gun" went off, and the race started--uphill! This course goes up Hillsborough St., around the State Capitol Complex, and back down Hillsborough St., so luckily, it ends going downhill! Sweet! My goal was to beat last year's time of 13:37. It wasn't until the last stretch, when I was close enough to hear some finish times being called out, that I realized I could come in under 13:00 if I pushed! I dug deep and pushed for the finish line, stopping my Garmin just past the line at 12:58! Yes! I'm still waiting for the official results to make sure they jive with my sub-13:00 on the road.

This evening, I'm feeling suffiently "good and tired," so I feel like I left a lot on the course. I'm also glad to report that my foot was a non-issue at this short distance. I'll update with my official finish time/place when it gets posted.

UPDATE: My official time was 12:58, 180th out of 183 women, and 21/21 in my age group.

Light Week

I just realized I haven't posted since Tuesday! It's been a pretty light training week, which has been a relief in several ways. It's given my right foot a chance to rest, plus I've been uber busy at work. This morning I'll do an easy 30 minutes on the bike at the gym, then come home and get ready to head to campus for the Alabama-Duke football game. I'm excited to be seeing Alabama play football, even if they're probably going to do a number on my Blue Devils. If I can make it afterward, I'll join George's family for Yom Kippur dinner this evening after the game.

Tomorrow's the Magnificent Mile, a 1 mile race in Raleigh. This will be my 3rd year in a row of running this race, and it's one of my favorites. It's a distance my foot can handle, for sure, and I think all that my speed training will show itself for tomorrow's race. My main concern is feeling rested after the busy week at work plus today's activities.

Speed Work-It's Feeling Easier

One thing I noticed about today's speedwork is that it's feeling a little easier in the midst of it, and I'm not feeling as wiped out afterward. It's nice to feel some progress. It has me looking forward to Sunday's Magnificent Mile!

Biked 1.36 mi in 10 min (warm up--biked the warm up because all 5 treadmills were taken)
Ran .25 mi in 3:02
Ran .25 mi in 3:01
Ran .25 mi in 3:01
Ran .25 mi in 3:02
Ran .25 mi in 3:02
Ran .25 mi in 2:59
Walked .10 in 2:00 to cool down

A New Workout Week, and Maybe a New Attitude

This morning's workout assignment was an easy 30 minutes (2.12 mi) on the elliptical machine, so I followed it with some ab crunches (75 today!) and obliques (3 sets on each side instead of 2), plus some upper body strength training with dumbbells.

While I'm feeling a bit in limbo with my running, I have this gut feeling that I can work on getting stronger without using my right foot, right?! There are many things I CAN actually do to become a better athlete, while I rest and ice the toes and see if the orthotics will eventually help. One of the things I continue to work on is my weight loss, and that'll help too, I know.

Race Report: 2010 Mebane on the Move 5K

George and Bert

This morning I did the Mebane on the Move 5K in Mebane, NC. George and I got there about 7 AM, and soon saw our friend Bert from the Raleigh Galloway Training Group. Bert was running his first 10K, and George was shooting for a 10K PR this morning. It was a slightly cool, overcast morning, pretty darn perfect race weather.

The three of us were busy chatting through the race announcements, so we were surprised to see the runners surging forward! I also missed the fact that there wasn't a timing mat at the front. I wish I'd scoped this out ahead of time, as I would've positioned myself a little better.

The running crowd thinned out pretty quickly, but Bert and I were run/walking in the same area for quite a while. I was a little tense in the first mile, but started to relax at the beginning of Mile 2. Unfortunately, my right toes started hurting so after, around my Garmin's 1.1 mile mark. I started taking walk breaks more frequently in hopes that it would help, but the pain was persistant throughout the rest of the race. Needless to say, I'm pretty discouraged by this!

Highlights of the race were seeing a college classmate volunteering on the course, a finished runner in a polka dotted headband hopping out of the crowd to run the last part of the race with me--just for encouragement, and then doing the same for our friend Bert (along with George).

Afterward, George, Bert, and I drove to Panera Bread in Durham and enjoyed a post-race meal. Their Greek salad is my usual post-Saturday-run meal, and it (and the company) lifted my spirits a bit.

I am surprised that my toes continue to give me this much pain, in what seems like shorter and shorter distances. I iced and ibuprofened both last night and this morning before the race, and even soaked my feet in epsom saltwater last night. I may have to wait until I can get the custom orthotics before seeing some improvement.

I'm still waiting on the official (gun only) time, but my Garmin (started at the start line, not when the runners started) says 49:48 for 3:12 miles.

1) 15:58
2) 16:03
3) 16:13
.12) 1:33

I would definitely recommend this race, especially if you like small local races. Mebane is a cute little town, really, and the volunteers were very friendly and helpful.  (The course had a number of turns through neighborhoods, but there were plenty of course monitors to keep me going in the right  direction.) The race director was very gracious is changing my registration from the 10K to the 5K earlier this week, which turned out to be a lifesaver for me today.

UPDATE: Apparently there WAS start line timing, just didn't see it. Results are in: chip time was 49:45, gun time was 50:30. I finished 156th out of 160 runners overall, and 17/17 in the women's 40-49 age group.

Tomorrow Morning's 5K

Well, here I am, on the eve of another race, the Mebane on the Move 5K. It's been several months since I've done a race, but given the number of road races I've done over the years, I'm surprisingly excited about this one. My speed training has been going pretty well, and I got a pretty good night's sleep last night. (I need to follow it with another one tonight!)

My right toes are feeling okay, perhaps a slight, dull ache this morning, so I will do ibuprofen today, and ice this evening and again tomorrow morning.

I'm hoping to beat my Run for the Oaks 5K chip time of 46:53. Can I hit or break a 15:00 average for 3 miles on the road? I'll let you know tomorrow!

Back to Basics

I had a 40-minute, high cadence ride on the stationary bike today, and it felt surprisingly good! I completed 7.2 miles, which turns out to be a pretty zippy pace for me, especially over 40 minutes. Afterward, I took the time to stretch, and for the second time this week, did some upper body strength training with the dumbbells at the gym. I can tell I'm getting close to needing more reps and/or higher weights. I just need to be more consistent about doing the strength training.

Meanwhile, I got permission to transfer my weekend race registration from the 10K to the accompanying 5K. I'm feeling a mix of relief and disappointment in this. Since I did the 10K on this course last year, I've been really looking forward to going for a PR, but with the foot pain I've been experiencing, I've been dreading the distance this weekend! So, when I think about doing the 5K (everything else aside), I feel relieved, and have been looking at my most recent 5K times with a hope that I can have a 5K PR for this year, at least!

I feel, in some ways, like my training is going backwards, at least in terms of distance. So, I'm looking at how I can work my attitude, as well as some crosstraining, like the upper body weight training I've done this week. Another thing I'm mulling over is taking up a martial art. I wonder if any particular martial arts are a good match with running. Anyone know?

Getting My Mojo Back

Today was a work holiday for me, so I enjoyed sleeping in a bit and puttering around our apartment before I went to the gym. Today's 30-minute elliptical assignment turned into 35:03 minutes (2.54 miles), followed by some good stretching and, for the first time in a while, so upper body strength work. It felt really good to not feel rushed, and to be able to get to everything I wanted to. I also picked a diferent playlist on my iPod, and it was refreshing to be able to listen to some different music for a change. So many songs on my workout playlist mention running, or are songs I associate with running, so it was just nice to take a break from that. Don't worry, I'm not giving up on running! I'm just getting recharged! :)

Another Short Long Run

Today's 10 miler was, well, a 4 miler in the end. I did get off the treadmill and onto the trails, this morning on the Crabtree Creek Greenway. It was a beautiful morning, the prettiest (=coolest) I can remember for a while. I tried a 1:1 run/walk ratio to see if that would help the foot pain, but no. Ahhh. I reluctantly decided to call it quits at 4 miles. Glad I got outside, but continue to be bummed by the foot.

4 miles in 1:15:01
1) 19:15
2) 18:39
3) 18:24
4) 18:42

Afterward, I went to the gym and spent 40 minutes on the elliptical machine (2.8 miles). *sigh*

Next weekend, I have a 10K race scheduled. I've emailed the race director to see if I can switch to the 5K. I am getting tired of hitting pain on every run over three miles, and am looking to put some fun back in the process. I really enjoy race days, despite my slowness, and 5Ks are (relatively) quick and (mostly) painless for me. My foot and my mental game could use a respite, I think.

Pretty Good Run

On the treadmill...

Walked 0.51 mi. in 15:47 to warm up
Ran 1 mi. in 15:47, had to stop here for a pit stop (rats!)
Ran 1.5 mi in 23:39

My foot didn't start hurting until the last half a mile, and the pace (the assignment was to stay around 16:00) felt pretty easy.

I have another 10 miler on tap for Saturday. Hope I can pull this one off!

Minor Victory: Workout Complete!

I was determined to finished today's speed workout, since I had to cut the last two run/walk workouts short. It feels pretty darn good mentally to have a complete workout under my belt, though my foot did hurt today! I kinda feel like I beat the pain, at least for today!

Before I left for the gym, I iced my foot and took some aspirin. The ice felt good at the time, but I'm not sure it helped.
-Walked 0.53 mi in 10:07
-Ran 0.51 mi in 8:05
-Ran/walked 2.42 mi in 33 min. (4*0.50 mi in 6:30ish, with a 2 min. walk between each interval)-my right toe bridge started hurting in the 1st mile here.
-Walked 0.27 mi to cool down

Long Run Was a Bust

Yesterday's long run/walk on the American Tobacco Trail was supposed to be a 10 miler, but the pain in my right toe bridge starting coming on in the first mile. Yikes! I tried more walking, but once I started running again, the pain eventually became pretty sharp. I stopped at 5.31 miles (1:47:24), and drove to the gym, in hopes of giving my foot a rest, with a plan of getting more miles in. I walked 1.42 miles in 25 minutes, and decided to give my foot a rest and call it a day, exercise-wise.

So, I met up with some Raleigh Galloway friends at Panera. We often meet at the nearest Panera after a run. While they are known for the bready things, it's a place that pleases everyone. I often get the Greek Salad; yesterday's had some grilled chicken atop. Yum!