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!