Final Run of 2008

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

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

Running Highlights of 2008

1) My mileage goal for the year was 1000 miles. I won't break that goal, but will finish with a little over 800 miles for the year. I'll shoot for 1000 miles again in 2009.

2) My highest monthly running mileage total was back in January, when I ran 114.3 miles. Looking back, this was a surprise to me, but not really, considering I had a groin strain in early February, probably from overtraining. In early March, I broke my nose (and fell on my right knee as well during that tumble), which put me out of commision for a couple of weeks. Building the mileage back up after those injuries was long and a bit tedious.

3) I signed up for the Raleigh Galloway Marathon Training Program in May, and decided mid-way to train for a half marathon instead. I finished the City of Oaks Half Marathon, my first one, on November 2 in Raleigh. I met a lot of fellow runners through the Galloway program, which was a big plus! I haven't met so many people at one short time frame since I first joined the Junior League, and college before that. I learned a lot from those runners, and appreciated their support through training and the half marathon race.

4) I ran a 5K PR in February at the Run for the Roses 5K in Raleigh. I first detected the groin strain during this race, which slowed me down afterward.

5) I logged new road race distances in the 1-mile and 4-mile. That means automatic PRs, right?!

6) I discovered several new running trails in the area, mainly with the Galloway group, but some on my own. I enjoyed outdoor training runs this year with the Garmin Forerunner I got for Christmas from my sister last year.

Today's Workout

I slept in a bit today, then puttered around and read for a while, so I had a late morning workout today. I ran for 40 minutes (3.32 miles) on the treadmill, then rode 17:02 minutes (3.33 miles) on the recumbent bike. No big deal. Wasn't in the mood to workout today, but not I'm glad I did.

December Running Goal Complete!

This morning I did 2.03 miles in 25 minutes on the treadmill, then 4.07 miles on the recumbent bike. With this morning's run, I broke 100 miles for the month of December! Yahoo!

I weighed this morning for the first time in a few days, and I was disappointed, but not surprised, that I've put on a little weight, so I probably won't succeed in my December weight loss goal. I'm getting back on track TODAY anyway!

Variety

This morning, my legs were still a bit tired from yesterday's long run, so I started on the recumbent bike, going 6.02 miles in 32 minutes. From there, I got on the treadmill and ran a short 2.11 miles in 25 minutes, then walked 10 minutes (0.61 miles) to cool down.

I'm only a couple of miles from hitting 100 miles for the month of December, and I'm excited about that! :)

Weekend Long Run

This morning I made it back to the American Tobacco Trail for my long run. At first, my goal was to hit 6 miles, but I decided to stretch a little further. Eventually, I'd like for weekly 10 mile runs to be a piece of cake for me, and I'm eager to get back up to that level, especially with the races I've got on tap for the winter. So, I stretched the distance a bit and ended up run/walking 7.15 miles in two hours, slower than the past couple of runs, but still not bad considering it included some walk breaks.

It was overcast again this morning, but still warm enough to wear shorts and a short sleeve t-shirt. Nice!

Back to the Gym

I returned to the gym this morning after a couple of nice runs outside. I ran for 40:03 minutes (3.33 miles) on the treadmill, walked for 5:07 minutes (0.30 miles), and then rode the recumbent bike for 20:01 minutes (4.52 miles). While I was riding the bike, the person on the bike next to me had a Self Magazine open to a 2-page ad, with several people I didn't recognize on the left, and a big yellow page with "100%" on the right. My eyesight wasn't good enough to figure out that the ad was for, but I got some inspiration from seeing "100%" over on the next bike. It reminded me that I should give 100% each time I work out or run outside.

Back on the American Tobacco Trail

I went to the American Tobacco Trail to run this morning, totally on a whim! It turned out to be just what I needed, though! I ended up running 4.18 miles in an hour flat, even faster than yesterday's run (and a little longer, to boot!). This was one of those mornings when the run just clicked, a nice Christmas present to myself. :)

Outdoor Run

This morning, still on vacation, I decided I wasn't in the mood for the gym and the treadmill, so I decided to run around the neighborhood near my gym. The weather was nice, partly cloudy and around 50 degrees. I parked in front of my gym, strapped on my Garmin, and took off. Final run/walk tally was 3.32 miles in 50 minutes. The 15:39 pace is faster than recent non-race outdoor runs, even some that were flatter, so I'm glad to be picking up the pace a bit outdoors, which is a little harder for me to do than on the treadmill.

After the run, I rode on the recumbent bike in the gym for 20 minutes (3.7 miles).

Morning Workout

I was relieved and pleased to get to the gym already this morning! I started with 42 minutes (3.45 miles) of running on the treadmill, followed by a 5:05 minute (0.3 mile) walk. I rode the recumbent bike for 15 minutes and 3.16 miles. Workout finished--yay!

Late Workouts

I'm getting behind on my workouts and in my blogging! I have worked out the past couple of days, but they've been later in the day than usual. Although I've been recording them in my various paper and online logs, blogging has gotten away from me.

Yesterday morning I was the worship associate at church (a lay position that rotates among a number of us, who help the minister(s) on an assigned Sunday for both services), so I didn't work out beforehand. After church, George and both our mothers went out to lunch, and afterward I took a big ole nap! So, I didn't get to the gym until about 8:00 last night. It was hard to go, but I knew I'd be sorry if I skipped. I ended up biking for 25 minutes (5.14 miles) and running on the treadmill for 25 minutes (2.16 miles). It didn't feel all that good, but I pushed through.

Today is a vacation day for me, so I slept in and puttered around all morning. After lunch, I ran by the library, droppped some drycleaning off, and finally got to the gym mid-afternoon. I ran 4.05 miles (47:05 minutes) on the treadmill, walked 1.05 miles (17:01 minutes), then rode the recumbent bike for 2.13 miles (10 minutes). Again, not a great workout, but I pushed through it again.

I think I miss working out early in the morning. It's my routine, and I love the feeling of accomplishment when I've checked the workout off my list. A change in routine is well and good, but there's nothing like an early morning workout to get my blood pumping!

Shelley Lake Long Run

I slept in until 9 AM this morning, which is really unusual for me! I was quite surprised, really. After puttering around for a bit, then running by the library to pick up some books, I decided to run at nearby Shelley Lake, rather than going to the gym or to the American Tobacco Trail, one of my favorite long-run haunts of late. Earlier this week, I'd thought I'd try to run 6-7 miles today, but since I've got a lot to do this afternoon, I decided just to try to beat last week's long run. I ended up running 5.41 miles in 1 hour, 33 minutes, besting last week's long run by less than a 10th of a mile! Woohoo!

It was a nice day to be running out in the middle of the day. The sky was overcast, and temperatures were in the mid-50s, perfect for shorts and a shortsleeve tee-shirt. I really enjoyed it!

1) Rode bike 20 min. (3.61 miles)
2) Elliptical machine 11:06 min. (0.90 mile)
3) Bike again 1o min. (2.06 miles)
4) Treadmill finally available 25 min. (2.1 miles)

All-over-the-place workout. But I got it done!

Catching Up

I did exercise yesterday, just forgot to post. I ran 42 minutes (3.48 miles) on the treadmill, and then rode 3.13 miles (16 minutes) on the recumbent bike.

Today I mixed things up a little by starting on the recumbent bike. I rode for 17 minutes (3.28 miles), then got on the elliptical machine for 10:11 minutes (0.85 miles). Then I ran for 40 minutes (3.3 miles) on the treadmill. My total running mileage for the running week so far is 13.13 miles. Good thing I'm not superstitious!

Short Workout

This morning I ran 3.27 miles in 40:04 minutes on the treadmill. That was it. I was tired this morning, so I slept in a bit. I wanted to work out more, but I think my legs-and the rest of my body too, are thanking me for the rest.

New Running Week

Last night, George and I went to the Raleigh Galloway training group's end-of-year party, and had a fun time! We had dinner and there were some awards handed out. George said at one point that he may even sign up for next year, which would be great!

Because we didn't get home until about 9:30 last night, and we're preparing for a church group to come to our house tonight, we didn't get to bed until after midnight! Soooo, it was hard to get up and work out this morning, but I made it to the gym anyway. I ran 31 minutes (2.52 miles) on the treadmill, then walked 12:04 minutes (0.70 miles). I decided to run another 7 minutes (0.56 miles), then got off the treadmill and rode the recumbent bike for 10 minutes (2.23 miles). When I wrapped things up, I was surprised to see that I'd hit an hour of exercise. Didn't think I had it in me when I started!

Lighter Workout

My legs are a bit sore today after yesterday's long workout, plus a visiting to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences (fascinating, but a couple of hours on my feet!). So, I took it a little easy in the gym this morning. I started with 31 minutes (2.56 miles) on the treadmill, then walked to cool down for 12 minutes (0.71 miles). After that, I rode the recumbent bike for 10 minutes (2.04 miles).

I noticed last night that registration for the Raleigh Rocks Half Marathon on March 28 is open! Woohoo! I think I'll be signing up for that one soon!

No Race Today

George and I were up late last night after a fun dinner out with George's family at Lucky 32's, so I decided to ditch plans to run in a 5K this morning and just do a long run. Funny how the motivation wasn't as strong for me since I hadn't pre-registered for a race. I thought about it, though, and decided I just wasn't in the mood to compete this morning, eventhough the competition is normally with myself in these races (myself and the person in front of me who I'm trying to pass!). Part of it was that I had a busy day yesterday, and just wanted to workout and relax this morning. Part of it is that I just ran a 5K last weekend, and eventhough I pushed my mileage a little higher so far this running week, I don't know that I'd see an improvement in my 5K time in just one week. With the holiday gift-buying season here, I decided not to pay for a race just for the sake of running a race today. One of the races I was considering was the last race of the Second Empire Grand Prix Race Series, but I'm not in contention for a prize (no surprise there), and I've already missed enough races in the series so I can't get an automatic bid to the Series-end luncheon. Soooo, I just did my own thing this morning!

I was determined to do a long run today, even if it was on the treadmill. I ended up going 5.33 miles in 1 hour and 5 minutes, a pretty decent long-run pace for me! (The treadmill helped with that, no?!) Then I walked on the treadmill to cool down for 10 minutes (0.57 miles), and followed it with a recumbent bike ride for 5:01 minutes and 1.06 miles. Not a bad day's exercise!

I did have a workout yesterday, but just ran out of time to blog. Yesterday I ran 3.36 miles in 40 minutes on the treadmill, then rode 3.35 miles in 15 minutes on the recumbent bike.

And More Crosstraining

This morning I ran 3.02 miles on the treadmill (36 minutes), followed it up with 15 minutes and 3 miles on the recumbent bike, then decided to return to the treadmill to walk for 10 minutes and 0.57 miles. I've gotten back into the habit of taking walk breaks at work, but I knew today would be rainy (forcast for rain was 100% today, and it has indeed been raining big fat drops almost all day). Another 61 minutes in the gym, though!

Crosstraining Day

My legs are feeling a little tired this morning from the week's running, so I cut back on the treadmill a bit. I ran 2.46 miles in 30 minutes with a 0.5% incline. Next I rode on the recumbent bike for 15 minutes and 3.01 miles. The elliptical machine got some action today for a mere 6 minutes and 0.51 miles. I capped the workout off with another stint on the treadmill, this time walking for 10 minutes and 0.55 miles. Total workout time was 61 minutes.