Wisconsin Half Marathon Preview

This time tomorrow I plan to be finished with what I consider to be my first BIG race of the season: The Wisconsin Half Marathon in Kenosha, WI. I've been training for this thing for 13 weeks and I really hope that it pays off. I'm admittedly nervous (okay, try scared to death) but I'm going to try my hardest not to psych myself out.

Why am I nervous? While I've done two half marathons neither one went as smoothly as I would like. There was more walking than I wanted, I had some mild panic attacks, and I definitely hit some walls. And although all my runs this year have gone great, I didn't do any of my long runs with water or fuel. Which means I'm unsure of how to proceed in terms of both during the race.

Plus, I just have such a hard time understanding how adrenaline and excitement can make up for running all your long runs at a pace almost a minute slower than your race day pace...and for less distance! I suppose I just need to get into the mindset that my training will carry me through regardless.

Or, as a friend on Facebook said, "There is no wall, there is no wall, there is no wall."

As with my previous half marathons, I have a continuum of goals. They are:

Goal A: Finish (that's always goal A)
Goal B: Finish without walking (except for perhaps at some water stops)
Goal C: Get a new PR (under 2:13)
Goal D: Finish under 2:10
Goal E: Finish under 2:00

Admittedly, Goal E is the one I really really really want to do (and the one I'll be aiming for) but race day can bring anything and I don't want to be disappointed with whatever happens. So, as long as I complete goal A I will be pleased.

Now, with that out of the way, onto the more important things. What am I wearing??

Okay, I know the "rule" of running is "nothing new on race day". Yet, when I searched my dresser for something to wear it all seemed so blah. Plus, the weather is going to be 50/50 on whether it's t-shirt or tank-top temperature. Now, of course I could wear something I've worn before, but I have this thing about not repeating something I've already worn to a race. So last night I went to Kohl's and found a tank top on the clearance rack for $4.80! As of right now I'm planning on wearing this:



With my black running skirt and my white Adidas visor (which I washed in the sink last night). Hopefully flouting the nothing new on race day rule doesn't come back to bite me in the butt.

So, think of me tomorrow morning as you roll over in your bed at 7AM. Or, if you're in the area, come on out to cheer. And for those of you reading this that are racing somewhere else tomorrow (like my hometown. I just looked at the race course for that race this morning and it goes right past my parents' house!) best of luck to you and may you meet all the goals you set out!

Wind at My Back

Source


I am officially done with running until my half marathon on Saturday. I ran my last almost 4 miles on Tuesday at lunch and lead the pack until the last half mile. I definitely did it faster than the prescribed tempo pace. I admit that when I looked at my Garmin at the mile 1 beep I was shocked to see a time of 8:45. Why was I shocked? Because it was so easy!

We stopped at the half way point so that the people in the group not running a race on Saturday could do some hill work on the sled hill. In our lunch time running group we have three of us running a race on Saturday. One doing the full Illinois Marathon, one doing the full Wisconsin Marathon and me doing the half Wisconsin Marathon. We stood around patiently while the other three guys did 4 hill repeats.

When we turned around to run the 2 miles back it was like hitting a wall. A wall made of wind. Apparently we'd had the wind at our backs on the way out. I guess we should have known by the way Lake Michigan was spraying up in the air on the other side of the concrete barrier! I pretty much had to keep my head down in order to keep my visor from blowing off my head! Speaking of visors, anyone got a good idea on how to wash a really gross one?

Overall it was a great note on which to end this training cycle. Just one more notch in my confidence belt. However, I plan to do another post before Saturday laying out my actual goals and thoughts and possibly what I'm wearing in case anyone wants to stalk come cheer for me. Stay tuned for that.

Finally, in other news, I received a free copy of The Ultimate Runner from the Tom and Amy over at Runners' Lounge. I plan to read it over the next few days and write up a review. The sooner I can get the review done the sooner I can get in the running for a free copy to give away to one of you! Or, if you just can't wait that long, feel free to order your very own copy!

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Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 592 ft Location: Chicago, IL Elev. Gain: +3 ft Date: 04/27/10 Up/Downhill: [+203/-200] Time: 12:19 PM Difficulty: 2.4 / 5.0   Weather: A Few Clouds   48 F temp; 43% humidity   48 F heat index; winds NE 18 G 23 Performance Distance: 3.99 miles Time: 0:35:12 Speed: 6.8 mph Pace: 8' 49 /mi Calories: 470 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 45 -0' 04 6.8 +0.0 +4 ft 2 8' 34 -0' 15 7.0 +0.2 -19 ft 3 9' 10 +0' 21 6.5 -0.3 +6 ft end 8' 53 +0' 04 6.8 -0.1 +13 ft Versus average of 8' 49 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

Good Will Running

You know, sometimes a run is not about speed. It's not about the distance. It's not about whatever your training schedule says. Sometimes it's about being a good person and enjoying yourself regardless of the circumstances.

Last night the original plan was to do my last tempo run of my half marathon training. 1 mile warm-up, 3 miles at 9:07, and then a 1.5 mile cool-down. But when I arrived at running group we had a new gal join us who didn't know the route. She was told to find me since she thought her pace was similar to mine (i.e. between 9 and 9:30). Okay, that's cool. I'll show her the ropes.

Except, her pace was closer to between 10:30 and 11. And she thought we were running a 5K and not 5.5 miles. Oops!!

She managed to hang with me at 9:23 for the first mile but quickly began to fade. Of course she told me that if I needed to go ahead she had her iPhone and could figure out her way home. But that's no way to treat a newbie! So, I slowed down and stuck with her for as long as I could. Then, when I was literally turning around to run backwards so that I could check on her, I decided that as long as she could see me she'd know where to go. But every time I came to a major intersection I would stop and wait for her to catch up just to make sure.

Which meant my overall pace last night was a leisurely 10:55. I admit, I haven't run that pace in MONTHS. It felt kind of nice, actually. My legs definitely wanted to go faster but I was enjoying the breeze on my face and just the action of running. Plus, I wasn't even last to the post-run dinner! In fact, I beat almost everyone else there. We'll just ignore the fact that most of them ran 8 miles :-)

And all is not lost in tempo-work land. I'm sure this afternoon's lunch time run will fill the gap quite nicely.

So, yeah, sometimes a run is just a run. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Weekly Workout Wround Up

May Days Training Week 12: April 19th - April 25th

Last full week of training! Aaaaaah! It didn't go quite as planned because, well, you'll see.

Apr 19

The original plan? 8.5 miles total with 6 at tempo speed. Admittedly, my knees were feeling kind of achy after the 11 miles the day before and I considered dropping down to just 5.5 miles instead. However, the universe had other plans for me.

I got home from work to find a large spot of blood on Trinka Deu's bed and a matted, bloody spot on her neck. A quick phone call to the vet and we were on our way to have it checked out.

Turns out she had a polyp of some kind on her neck that the vet thinks she scratched until it bled. And bled. And bled some more. Now she's sporting a shaved spot on her neck and one of these to keep her from scratching it even more:



All that means I spent my window for running taking care of my dog. It's a good thing she's so cute :-)

Apr 20

This week was totally crazy and, as such, I knew I wouldn't be able to run on Thursday. Meaning I knew in advance I would only get in a minimum of 3 runs this week. And, to be honest, I didn't even know if I'd manage to squeeze in a run on Tuesday! But, I did and even though the Garmin flaked out (or possibly we experienced some user error) I did at least 3 miles.

In addition, I was able to get to the gym after work and do some strength training. Thankfully it wasn't super busy so I was able to do all the moves on the list without having to do much waiting.

40 minutes of strength training with Biceps focus:

1-Arm Row (Stability Ball): 15 @ 10 lbs x2
Wide Grip Pulldown: 20 @ 10 lbs x2
Low-Pulley Straight Bar Curl: 12 @ 15 lbs; 8 @ 10 lbs
Seated Arm Curl: 10 @ 20 lbs; 10 @ 15 lbs
Herculean Cable Curl: 15 @ 5 lbs
Push Up (Wide Hand): 15, 12
Seated Back Extension: 15 @ 70 lbs; 20 @ 70 lbs
Seated Rear Deltoid: 20 @ 15 lbs
Free Motion Squat: 20 @ 20 lbs
Seated Leg Press: 20 @ 55 lbs x2
Horizontal Calf Raise: 20 @ 30 lbs
Crunch: 2 sets of 25
Straight Leg Thrust: 20
Straight Leg Lift w/Thrust: 15
Decline Side Oblique Crunch: 15

My knees felt kind of creaky and the squats and leg presses didn't feel particularly great. I'm beginning to think I need to replace my running shoes.

Apr 21

That 8.5 mile run that was supposed to happen on Monday with the running group was moved to this day to do by my lonesome. It turned out okay, though, because I did my 8.5 miles just fine. And, you know, without the running group to chat with before and after the tempo miles I did it with minimal stops.

Apr 22

I was at a conference for one of the professional organizations I'm in from 8:00 AM to 8:30 PM. Yeah, no working out happened on Thursday. Just as well since I'm sure my knees needed a break.

Apr 23

Spent most of the day at that conference again but when I got home Jason and I took Kim and her husband to the archery range by our house. We shot arrows for about an hour. If you do it right it certainly can count as a workout!

Apr 24

Last long run of this training cycle is done. After debating what distance to do I ended up doing 9 miles. Afterward I had all these plans to run errands but I ended up laying on the couch for the rest of the day watching Firefly episodes with my husband. It felt great!

Apr 25

I didn't have anything planned for Sunday and it ended up being a rest day. I got a bunch of errands and chores taken care of and watched my husband race his car around a giant parking lot for a little bit.


Total mileage: 20.6 (approximately)

My training plan originally had this past week listed with a max of 27.5 miles. Yeah, that didn't happen and it was probably for the better. I know that you don't have to taper super long for a half-marathon but I always run better when I'm well rested. Which means this upcoming week I'm planning to take all of Thursday and Friday off. Because the race is Saturday! Ahhhhhhhhh! Right now the weather looks like possible thunderstorms for Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed it clears up by then.

Nine is Fine

Click to see larger

For my last long run before the half marathon on the 1st I had a difficult time deciding what distance to run. The Runner's World plan said 11 miles. The Hal Higdon plan said 12. Last year I did 10 before my first half marathon and 8 before my second one. I was personally thinking between 8 and 9 this time. So, I asked on another online forum and the advice I got was to run for an hour and a half. That's usually about 9 miles for me so I made 9 my goal for Saturday.

I already know a 9 mile route that starts at my front door but I thought that for this run I'd drove over to the bike path and run there instead. I mean, the 9 mile route from my house is the same as the 8.5 mile route (just with an extra loop on the end) that I ran on Wednesday. Variety is the spice of running so why not spice it up?

I also let myself sleep in so I didn't start running until after noon. The air temperature was great but DAMN it was humid. I was dripping sweat because it just wasn't evaporating at all. I began to think I should have just gone running as soon as the dogs woke me up bright and early instead of going back to bed.

Other than some annoying girls at the start of the path (aside: why do some people think it's hilarious to mock runners?) it was lovely. The woods surrounding the path are so lush and green right now and I saw deer both on the way out and on the way back. On the way back I stopped and took the photo above.

I didn't really have a pace goal in mind. Although, after stopping to take the deer photos and almost immediately after having to stop for a traffic light (which is why mile 6 looks so slow) I decided I'd try to run the last miles at near race pace just to see if I could. At one point I settled into a totally awesome groove. I realized that I wasn't even thinking about running, or how much longer I had left, or my form or anything. Instead, I was thinking about plans for some future tattoos :-) Once I realized that, though, it started to feel hard again. Oops.

Sometimes I get to the end of a run and I am glad to be done. After this run, though, I felt like I could have just looped through the parking lot and back onto the path for a few more miles. That's a good sign :-)

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Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 621 ft Location: Brookfield, IL Elev. Gain: +3 ft Date: 04/24/10 Up/Downhill: [+239/-236] Time: 12:18 PM Difficulty: 2.8 / 5.0   Weather: Fog/Mist   58 F temp; 86% humidity   58 F heat index; winds E 7 Performance Distance: 9.01 miles Time: 1:26:52 Speed: 6.2 mph Pace: 9' 38 /mi Calories: 1080 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 10' 01 +0' 23 6.0 -0.2 -7 ft 2 9' 50 +0' 12 6.1 -0.1 +10 ft 3 9' 50 +0' 12 6.1 -0.1 +10 ft 4 9' 43 +0' 05 6.2 -0.1 -17 ft 5 10' 11 +0' 33 5.9 -0.3 -3 ft 6 11' 41 +2' 03 5.1 -1.1 +7 ft 7 9' 12 -0' 26 6.5 +0.3 -7 ft 8 9' 00 -0' 38 6.7 +0.4 -7 ft 9 9' 10 -0' 28 6.5 +0.3 +6 ft end ** ** ** ** ** ft Versus average of 9' 38 min/mile ** Insufficient data to calculate this split

Posted from bimactive.com

The Post I Wanted to Write

So, where were we? Oh yes, I was going to kick ass doing my 6 mile (plus warm up and cool down) tempo run by myself on Wednesday.

I'll be honest, when I got home from work on Wednesday I was tired. I was tempted to skip the run. I've read that nothing you do less than 10 days out from a race can really change anything. I thought about just doing a 6 mile run and not worrying about speed.

But then I thought of all of you and how I didn't want to write that blog post. That I wanted to write the "I kicked ass" post instead.

So, I kicked ass.

Granted, this 8.5 mile run wasn't as fast as when I did it last time with my running group gals, but I was still faster than my goal pace during my tempo miles. I just took it a lot slower on the warm up and cool down :-)

I should have written this post right after the run because now I honestly can't remember much about it. My warm-up mile felt tough. The rest of them, though, felt pretty okay. I ran the same route I would have run on Monday and I didn't even stop for a drink at the park. Just kept pushing through.

I noticed, though, that I was having difficulty settling into one pace. Every time I looked at my Garmin I was either running an 8 minute pace or close to a 10:30 pace. It wasn't until at least mile 3 that I started to find a groove. And even then when the Garmin would beep at each mile I would look down at it, realize I was going faster than the prescribed tempo pace (9:11, FYI) and try to slow down. Didn't work. And mile 2 got all screwed up by having to stop at the world's longest stop light. I hate that light. The Garmin claims I did mile 2 in 9:04 but I was stopped at the light for at least a minute.

I was fairly wiped out when I got home but I still managed to find the energy to make dinner before collapsing into bed. Overall it was a good run and was just one more step to helping me overcome some of my mental hurdles.

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Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 626 ft Location: Forest Park, IL Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 04/21/10 Up/Downhill: [+45/-45] Time: 06:05 PM Difficulty: 2.4 / 5.0   Weather: Partly Cloudy   42 F temp; 76% humidity   42 F heat index; winds NE 15 Performance Distance: 8.50 miles Time: 1:19:04 Speed: 6.5 mph Pace: 9' 18 /mi Calories: 1017 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 55 +0' 37 6.0 -0.4 +3 ft 2 10' 06 +0' 48 5.9 -0.5 +6 ft 3 8' 44 -0' 34 6.9 +0.4 0 ft 4 8' 54 -0' 24 6.7 +0.3 -9 ft 5 8' 58 -0' 20 6.7 +0.2 +10 ft 6 9' 02 -0' 16 6.6 +0.2 0 ft 7 8' 59 -0' 19 6.7 +0.2 +3 ft 8 9' 59 +0' 41 6.0 -0.4 -13 ft end 10' 28 +1' 10 5.7 -0.7 0 ft Versus average of 9' 18 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

Making it Up

So, I missed my run on Monday night (more details on that in the next weekly summary post). The plan is to make it up tonight (Wednesday) but that meant I wanted to get in at least one other run before my last long run. I didn't know if I could squeeze in both a run and cross-training due to my crazy work schedule this week.

See, normally we run at 12:15 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But this Tuesday I was leading a training session at 1:30 and this Thursday I'll be at a conference all day. So, I broke a "rule" of the unofficial lunch time running club and sent out an email saying I was going at 11:30 instead of 12:15 if anyone wanted to join me.

It ended up being awesome because the two other women in the group were the only ones able to go. It was a rocking girl power run! Actually, I have no idea what our final average pace was because the Garmin flaked out on me and didn't turn off when I told it to. Meaning it kept on ticking as we did our cool-down walk and headed back to the locker room. I'm sure it was around 9:15 or something, though. We weren't pushing it super hard since we were discussing books and the crisis that is trying to figure out what you're doing with your life in your early 30s.

We ran into the wind for the first half of the run but thankfully we didn't notice any wind on the way back. The sun was out but the air temperature was nice and cool. If only May 1st could be like that! Keep your fingers crossed.

Overall we did just over 3 miles (probably around 3.2) and while we didn't solve our life's problems we still had some good discussions.

Tonight I'll be attempting my 8 (or so) mile run with 6 miles at near half-marathon pace. By myself. I'm pretty sure I can do it. No, scratch that, I KNOW I can do it. Now, if I could just transfer that confidence over into the rest of my life I'd be set.

Weekly Workout Wround Up

May Days Training Week 11: April 12th - April 18th


April 12

I could have taken the day off after my 5K race but instead I did 8.5 miles total with the middle miles being my tempo run. And, amazingly, I did it just as fast as the last time I did this same thing. Except that last time I hadn't run a 5K PR the day before. Woo hoo!


April 13

I was attending and presenting at a meeting during lunch so I missed my lunch time run. I suppose I could have run after work but I really wanted to get in some strength training. So, off to the gym I went for about 40 minutes of weights. I really wasn't feeling it, though. Amazing what a week off from strength training will do to you. Plus, the focus was triceps, one of my weakest spots. But, I powered through AND made a new recipe when I got home.

Strength Training with Triceps focus:

Stability Ball Bench Press: 15 @ 10 lbs x2
Seated Chest Press: 20 @ 20 lbs x2
Straight Bar Pushdown: 12 @ 20 lbs; 20 @ 15 lbs
Seated Dip: 12 @ 45 lbs; 20 @ 30 lbs
Reverse Grip Pushdown: 20 @ 12.5 lbs x2
Seated Shoulder Press: 20 @ 15 lbs
Free Motion Squat: 20 @ 20 lbs x2
Adductor: 10 @ 60 lbs; 20 @ 110 lbs
Abductor: 20 @ 85 lbs x2
Crunch w/Heel Push: 20
90 Degree Reverse Crunch: 20
Decline Straight Leg Lift w/Thrust: 8
Decline Crunch: 15
Side Oblique Crunch w/Legs Elevated: 20

I was also supposed to do the Seated Back Extension machine but there was always someone on it and I got tired of waiting. And, I'll be honest, those decline straight leg lift things were KILLER. I'm pretty sure I didn't do them right at all. I'll probably skip them in the future unless I can ask a trainer for help.

Apr 14

I managed to make it to the gym with enough time to do a little bit of strength training before my aerobics class. I don't remember everything I did, though. Some crunches on the ball, some roll-outs, some wood chops (regular, reverse, and side) some bicep curls and some shoulder presses. My arms were still a little sore from all the tricep stuff the day before.

Then, of course, I went to Hi/Lo aerobics and kicked some serious butt. Although, sadly, my knees were feeling a little beat up afterward. It's probably a good thing that I won't be doing this class during marathon training.

Apr 15

I was able to run at lunch even though I thought I was going to die while I was out there. As we were saying while running, it's easier to run in the winter because you can always add more clothes to stay warm. You can only remove so much in the summer. Running naked is not looked upon kindly on the Chicago lakefront. Also, ow. Anyway, I managed 4.8 miles and was very glad when it was done.

The weather was beautiful and I felt bad going to the gym after work but I don't really know how to do strength training outside. Any suggestions?

40 minutes of strength training with Triceps focus:

Stability Ball Bench Press: 15 @ 15 lbs x2
Seated Chest Press: 20 @ 20 lbs x2
V-Bar Pushdown: 12 @ 20 lbs; 20 @ 15 lbs
Rope Pushdown: 8 @ 17.5 lbs; 8 @ 12.5 lbs
Seated Tricep Extension: 20 @ 15 lbs; 20 @ 20 lbs
Seated Back Extension: 20 @ 70 lbs
Seated Shoulder Press: 20 @ 10 lbs
Seated Leg Press: 20 @ 55 lbs x2
Wide Stance Leg Press: 20 @ 30 lbs
Abductor: 20 @ 85 lbs x2
Crunch: 25
Knee Raise: 12
Bicycle Maneuver: 2 sets of 15
Ball Crunch: 25

I don't typically sweat when I'm weight lifting...until I start doing crunches. Then I'm practically dripping by the end. Whew!

Apr 16

Those three miles I missed on Tuesday transferred over to Friday night. Granted, I didn't run all 3.2 miles in a row but I still did them. Honestly, I know that part of running is getting used to expending effort over a a certain distance or time and that taking a break in the middle sort of defeats the purpose. But, since I did weight lifting in between I think that should count for something!

Speaking of weight lifting, I managed to get in three days this week with Friday night's session!

40 minutes of strength training with Biceps focus:

1-Arm Row (Stability Ball w/Dumbbell): 15 @ 10 lbs x2
Seated Row: 20 @ 30 lbs x2
Herculean Cable Curl: 7 @ 10 lbs; 10 @ 5 lbs
Low-Pulley Straight Bar Curl: 7 @ 17.5 lbs; 5 @ 12.5 lbs
Seated Arm Curl: 8 @ 20 lbs
Push Up (Wide Hand): 2 sets of 15
Seated Back Extension: 20 @ 70 lbs x2
Seated Rear Deltoid: 20 @ 15 lbs
Free Motion Squat: 20 @ 20 lbs
Seated Leg Press: 20 @ 55 lbs x2
Horizontal Calf Raise: 20 @ 30 lbs
Crunch w/Legs Elevated: 2 sets of 25
Side Oblique Crunch w/Arms Extended: 15
Reverse Crunch: 12
Side Oblique Crunch w/Legs Vertical: 15

My biceps were just not up to the task of so many different types of curls on Friday night! I would have liked some of those reps to be higher but I just couldn't do it without sacrificing form and possibly hurting myself. So, in the single digits they stay.

Also, that Reverse Crunch was supposed to be on the Decline Ab Bench but I kept it on the floor. No need to put that kind of stress on my lower back.

Apr 17

I spent a good chunk of the day with friends at a tea cafe having "high tea" service and I was pretty sleepy by the time I got home. I debated taking a nap but in the end I decided to leash up the dogs and go for a walk. We hoofed it to the public library and back (I had a book to return) for a total of 1.5 miles. If these tongues are any indication, somebody got a good workout:




Apr 18

Sunday morning brought a GREAT eleven mile run followed by breakfast with the running group. I admit I thought about taking a nap when I got home a little after noon but instead I did some dishes, vacuumed the living room, cleaned up the dog detritus in the backyard, made the grocery list, and went to the grocery store. I always feel kind of like super woman when I run double digits and do a bunch of chores all in the same day.

Total Mileage: 27.6

I actually exceeded my goal mileage by 1.1 miles this week. YES! This upcoming week will be a little bit more of a juggle due to work stuff. But I guess technically I should start tapering for the half marathon anyway. Right?

Also, the Boston Marathon is today. There are three people that I know of from my running group who are running. I wish them all the best of luck!

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Isn't that a beautiful sight? Blooming trees, a sunny sky, a path that goes forever?

Normally I do my long runs on Saturday mornings but now that it's spring the running club has started their monthly Sunday trail runs. When I saw that this month's would be on a path I hadn't run before I signed right up! Although I tend to run slower than the rest of the group when I do my long runs I feel better about joining them when we do an out and back route. Hard for me to get lost that way!

I admit I was a little nervous this morning about being the slowpoke and making everyone wait on me to go to breakfast. Turns out I needn't have worried. I had a buddy all the way and we didn't even finish completely last!

When I dragged myself out of bed this morning I was having a difficult time figuring out what to wear. It was chilly at 7AM but I knew that after running for 2 hours it would be warmer. So I opted for capris, a tank top, and a long sleeved top. Although I pushed up the sleeves on the top after a few miles, I was otherwise perfect.

In fact, I would say that this morning was the perfect morning to run. Cool, a slight breeze that only picked up a few times, sunny but on a semi-shady path. I didn't bring water since there were a few water fountains and although I stuffed a package of sports beans in my pocket I never ate them.

I got a rock in my shoe within the first two miles but I just kept running. I barely even noticed it and it didn't cause me any problems. I was enjoying chatting with the woman running beside me, taking in the small towns and then the natural scenery on our rails-to-trails path, and just generally loving running. I did, however, remove the rock when we turned around at mile 5.5.

On the way back our conversation died a little bit but I still felt nice and strong. My hip flexors started talking to me a little bit around mile 9 but otherwise I was in good shape. In fact, I probably could have sped up some but I didn't want to leave my fellow "slowpoke" too far behind.

Overall I did eleven miles with only a few pauses. One to remove the rock from my shoe, one to grab a drink at a fountain, and one for traffic. I never once thought I wouldn't be able to finish and I never once felt like walking. A far, far cry from the last time I ran this distance.

Afterward a big group of us went out to breakfast. I ordered pumpkin pancakes, two eggs, and fruit. And I ate every single thing on my plate. And it was good :-)

I can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday morning.

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Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 701 ft Location: Elmhurst, IL Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 04/18/10 Up/Downhill: [+252/-252] Time: 08:09 AM Difficulty: 2.9 / 5.0   Weather: Fair   48 F temp; 49% humidity   48 F heat index; winds Vrbl 6 Performance Distance: 11.04 miles Time: 1:48:48 Speed: 6.1 mph Pace: 9' 51 /mi Calories: 1313 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 36 -0' 15 6.2 +0.2 +10 ft 2 9' 38 -0' 13 6.2 +0.1 +29 ft 3 9' 40 -0' 11 6.2 +0.1 +4 ft 4 9' 43 -0' 08 6.2 +0.1 -3 ft 5 9' 48 -0' 03 6.1 +0.0 -3 ft 6 9' 51 +0' 00 6.1 -0.0 +13 ft 7 10' 02 +0' 11 6.0 -0.1 -17 ft 8 9' 59 +0' 08 6.0 -0.1 +9 ft 9 10' 04 +0' 13 6.0 -0.1 -3 ft 10 9' 54 +0' 03 6.1 -0.0 -29 ft 11 10' 04 +0' 13 6.0 -0.1 -9 ft end 9' 10 -0' 41 6.5 +0.4 0 ft Versus average of 9' 51 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

Two Birds....

Source


Normally I don't run or workout at all on Friday nights. Instead, Friday nights are reserved for getting home from work and hanging out with my husband. But this Friday night he was out of town so I had the whole evening by myself. Originally I thought I would take advantage of it by laying on the couch and watching tv shows he has no interest in. But the weather was so beautiful yesterday that I didn't want to waste it all indoors.

So, I laced up my running shoes and decided to make it a multi-tasking kind of evening. Since I missed my three mile run on Tuesday I figured I'd get in three miles AND some strength training.

I started at my house and ran to my gym where I did about 40 minutes of strength training and then I ran home. I'm so used to trying to cram runs into a limited amount of time that I had to keep reminding myself that I had all the time in the world. There was no reason I had to run fast. There was no reason I had to rush. Which I think is why my pace graph looks like an EKG. I'd catch myself speeding up and then try and slow down. Over and over again. Maybe some day I'll actually learn how to pace myself.

It took me a bit to actually cool down once I got to the gym. Thank goodness we have free towel access!

While I was running I passed so many restaurants and their outdoor seating. People having a drink or dinner and chatting with friends while enjoying the lovely evening. Now that spring is here (and summer soon enough) I'm sure that will be me on a future evening. But last night I enjoyed my multi-tasking run followed by having dinner while curled up on my couch. I suppose the next time someone asks how I'd spend an evening alone I know my answer.

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Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 623 ft Location: Forest Park, IL Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 04/16/10 Up/Downhill: [+36/-36] Time: 05:52 PM Difficulty: 1.9 / 5.0   Weather: Partly Cloudy   63 F temp; 28% humidity   63 F heat index; winds NW 17 G 26 Performance Distance: 3.20 miles Time: 0:30:30 Speed: 6.3 mph Pace: 9' 32 /mi Calories: 383 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 57 +0' 25 6.0 -0.3 +3 ft 2 9' 33 +0' 01 6.3 -0.0 0 ft 3 10' 30 +0' 58 5.7 -0.6 -7 ft end 9' 02 -0' 30 6.6 +0.3 +3 ft Versus average of 9' 32 min/mile

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