Sunday, January 31, 2010

January Totals

Numbers
- 51.15 miles running :-)
- 5 strength sessions
- 2 lbs lost

Plans

- Train for Unser half marathon
- a few fun runs (5Ks) in Feb
- 3 more lbs lost

Thoughts
- I'm thrilled with my running mileage for January. It was all outside too. This whole race to train thing is working well for me.
- Not doing any races was actually a benefit. It meant replacing 5Ks with longer easy runs. I think the longer easy runs are better as half marathon prep. Having said that, I'm looking at back-to-back Sunday 5KS the next few weeks. Just for fun though.
- Running with the group again. And I *heart* it.
- I need to get more serious about my strength work. It helped with injury rehab and prevention last year. I shouldn't be slacking off in this area.

Saturday 5

Our running group usually breaks into three groups. Speedy-McSpeedsters, Fast-Runners-in-Denial, and the Mid-to-Back-of-the-Packers. Sadly, I was the only Mid-to-Back-of-the Packer who showed up. Disappointed, I was prepared to run solo.

It was a chilly 24 deg when we headed out for our scheduled 5 mile run. I had decided to wear tights, two long sleeve shirts, and a fleece. Plus gloves and a warm hat. I knew within a quarter mile that I had over dressed. By the 1 mile marker, the fleece and gloves came off. At about 1.5 miles, I decided the gloves should go back on. Finally comfortable, I settled into a rhythm.

The group was encouraging when we passed each other on their way back from the turn point. Hoots and hollers and high fives. The positive energy motivated me to kick it up a notch.

Then the oddest thing occurred. One of the Speedy McSpeedsters (a guy who's training for Boston) decided to run out a little longer so he could meet up with me near 2.5 mile turn point and keep me company for the run in.

My run group rocks.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Three things Thursday

Furiture -

The sofa is expected to arrive at the warehouse on Saturday which would make it available for delivery some time next week. Sigh. And why should we beleive you this time?!? I'll feel a lot better when they tell me that they actually have it in stock. Until then, we're being all trendy with a couple of card table chairs making due...

Fasting Blood Work -

Today is my annual "health for life" blood work. Which requires 12 hr fasting. Which means I'm hungry and decaffeinated. And cranky. Very very crankky. I'm thinking of taking coffee with me to the lab...so I can have it immediately after they draw blood. Can you say addict?!

Run Schedule -

I'm supposed to be running 3 times per week. The plan is Sat long run. Sunday recovery run. And a shortish run either Tuesday or Thursday with the group. This week I made it on Tuesday so I can take today off. Which is nice, because another storm came through and it is raining at the moment. Yeah, sure, I'm well aware that many of you run in the rain. I'm a weather adverse desert dweller so you gotta' cut me some slack...

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Early Evening Run

Met up with the Running Group in the early evening for a nice 3 miler. I would have liked to go farther, but we were running against sunset. It will be easier in a few weeks when it stays light later.

There was one new guy who's a friend of my half-marathon training partner. He says he wants to do Unser with us. Woot! That makes three. How exciting is that?!

Anyway, I really enjoyed the run. I may feel differently in a few months, but for now it is nice to be back with the group again. Nice to see everyone again.

I wasn't wearing my Garmin, but someone else was and she said we were doing about a 10:15 pace. That's slow for most of them, but actually a good workout for me.

Honestly, I can't wait to get my half-marathon training plan from Coach. I'm ready to Go.For.It!!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Four unrelated thoughts

Furniture

Because of the problems I've been having with my back, we decided to get a new sofa and loveseat. Found something with good back support at LazyBoy. Yay. Set delivery for Friday. They confirmed said delivery on Thursday.

We had found a family that could use our old sofa/loveseat and were happy to give it to them.

Then, about an hour before the new sofa/loveseat were scheduled to arrive, I got a call. Only the loveseat could be delivered. Sofa is not in stock, but was supposed to arrive by now. Sigh.

So now we have a loveseat and a big empty space waiting for a sofa. Which I *hope* will arrive this week.

It's a discontinued color and we got it on sale, so I'm a bit nervous.

Running Group

Debut was on the schedule for Saturday. However, a storm came through Friday night / Saturday morning. Most of the group bailed in the morning.

A few of us showed up anyway.

I must say, it was something special. Except for a few bridges which were sketchy, the trail was in good shape. The snow along side was beautiful. The weather was nice...32-ish and no wind.

We enjoyed 5 wonderful miles along the Bosque trail. It was spectacular.

Haiti

A young couple from our church had been trying to adopt a little girl from Haiti for the past 2.5 yrs. It's been a frustratingly slow process. She was 6mo old when they started the process; she is 3 yrs old now.

In the midst of the tragedy caused by the earthquake, they got good news. The US embassy was speeding up adoptions already in progress.

They flew to Orlando to pick up their new daughter yesterday morning. Amazing.

Age of Majority

My firstborn, my son, the boy who forever changed my life, turned 18 this past Wednesday.

I'm sad about how quickly time has passed, but I couldn't be more proud of the wonderful young man that he has become.

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Monday morning weigh-in 124.6 lbs

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Update on Goals

Goal #1: Race to Train, not train to race.

Progress - ON TRACK. Big success with this one. Deciding to target the Unser Half Marathon was hugely motivating. I've been running consistently this month with a little cross training sprinkled in. Yay!

Goal #2: Win the Battle of the Bulge.

Progress - ON TRACK. Annette's challenge gave me the kick in the pants that I needed. I lost 1.2 lbs in the first week. Slow, but steady progress. Taking the stairs, portion control, and now increased water consumption are my secret weapons.

Goal #3: Get Organized. House has turned to clutter.

Progress - ON TRACK. As I mentioned before, I'm breaking this down into small managable pieces. Trying to do one organization project per week. What a difference it's making! This past week I focussed on organizing DVDs and CDs from piles in drawers to a cabinet.


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today's workout: upper body strength
monday weigh-in: 125.2

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Weekend Running Recap

My 5.4 mile run on Saturday was so much fun. Two miles with Mark & the dogs up and down a hill (the new dog setup is wayyyy better). Quick stop to drop the dogs back at home, then 3 miles easy out and back on the ditch bank. Approaching home, picked it up for 0.4 miles at 5K race pace. What a blast!

Which reminds me, there was a description in a recent Runners World of a dog run workout. Anyone else remember it? It totally cracked me up. I don't remember eactly, but it was along the lines of "run fast, stop to pee, dart left to chase a rabbit, etc." LOL

Today I went out again on the ditch bank for 3.2 miles easy. I took it nice and slow, a really peaceful experience. My favorite type of running...

Congrats to all the Rock & Rollers and anyone else who raced this weeked!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Three things Thursday

1) I'm on a quest to lose weight and have joined Annette's 5 in 5 challenge (5 lbs in 5 weeks). This week I committed to do two things differently than in the past weeks: take the stairs at work every time, and really focus on portion control. People at work can't seem to understand why I would choose to walk up and down two flights of stairs. It seems to boggle their minds when I tell them "I'm taking the stairs, I'll meet you up there." However I think this is one of smartest decisions I've made wrt losing weight. In addition to providing an easy way to burn some extra calories, every time I take the stairs, it reminds me of my goal. And those extra reminders make it easier somehow to stay focussed on portion control.

2) This week I'm in a face-to-face at work which essentially means I'm trapped in a conference room all day for three days to hash things out amongst my work group. It's mentally exhausting. Hopefully I'll catch up on blog reading tomorrow. During one of the breaks, I discovered that one of the folks that came in from AZ for the meeting is running his first half marathon (R&R) this weekend. Yay for him!

3) I think I talked (twisted arm) one of my running group friends into joining me in training for the Unser half marathon. Yippppppppeeeeeeee!! Everything is better with a buddy, don't you agree?!? Our running group officially kicks off next week. In my final weekend of solo training, I think I'll head out for 5 miles easy. I'm ready to make this happen!

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Thu weigh in: 125.6 lbs

Monday, January 11, 2010

Game ON!

Even before all of your comments expressed support, I think I committed to myself to train for this spring half-marathon. And with your support, I knew it was the right decision.

I'll train for it and let my body tell me if the race is the right thing to do or not.

Sent a message to Coach today telling him of my intentions. And I made this clear: My goal is simply to do what I failed to do last time - finish feeling strong!

Finish time truly isn't the goal for this one. Just finishing strong and feeling good. Sure, I would like to obtain a half-marathon personal best, but I'll save that particular goal for later in the fall...

To finish feeling strong, I must, MUST, MUST train more on pavement. Really. I.MUST.

I would also like to have at least three runs over 10 miles before the race.

Fair enough? I think so.

Game ON!

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Recent Workouts: Sun - 4.25 mi easy, Mon - rest
Mon weigh-in : 126.4

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Making Plans

So many of you already have plenty of plans for 2010. I still haven't decided what I want to focus on this year. Running? Triathlon? Cycling? Swimming?

Running seems to make me happiest, so I think for the part of the year, that is what I would like to keep my sights on. After that, I may change focus to triathlon. Or not. I'll decide later.

So with running as my short term focus, I figured I should sign up for local mid Jan race that I mentioned that I was interested in, right?

That is what I set out to do this morning when I found this message on their website:

"THE FULL CIRCLE ROUNDUP HAS BEEN POSTPONED AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED FOR A LATER DATE IN SPRING/SUMMER OF 2010."

*sigh*

I guess I'll just consider that one more race fee saved and move on to trying to find some events over the next few months.

In Feb, a few options are a Superbowl Run on the 7th (that raises money for the homeless) or the Sweetheart Run on the 14th. Either of those would be fun. The superbowl run starts at 11am, which means it should be warmer. That might be the deciding factor. No need to sign up for either for a few weeks, so I can decide later.

In March, there is a 10 mile run that really looks appealling. However, it is on a weekend that I'll probably be away on vacation. And quite frankly, I'd rather go on vacation. I'm silly like that.

Then in April, on the 17th, there is a local half-marathon. Realistically, this is probably not a good idea. The last half-marathon really took a toll on my body. Yet somehow the idea of getting myself in shape for a spring half-marathon is rather appealling to me. I can't get it out of my head that this is the event I want to target for the first part of the year.

What do you think? Good idea? or evidence that I have short term memory?

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recent workouts:

Friday - 3mi easy
Saturday - 4.1 miles easy

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Three for Thursday.

1) Had to rescue Husband after his bike pannier rack broke while coming home from work. He took a tumble into the street, but no cars were in the vacinity (he was being smart and took a safer route) and he ended up with just some scratches and bruises. Thank Heavens it was mostly a scare!

2) Did upper body weights yesterday morning followed by a short 1.5 mile run after work. Yay me! Hemmed and hawwed too much this morning and did nothing, so the kudos are short lived. D'oh!

3) Watched "Up" with Son & Husband last night and rather enjoyed it. If you haven't seen it already, I recommend it!

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Thur weigh-in 126.0

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

PowerSwitch Dumbbells Review

I've decided to make better use of my time and money and NOT sign up for a gym membership except for those months when I'm purposely swim training.

However, since I don't want to forgo weight training, this requires a small investment in some additional home fitness equipment. Most of my weight training can be done with light weights (5lb, 8lb, 10lb) so I was very interested when I found this product: Weider PowerSwitch Dumbells

Product Description - Put an entire set of weights at your fingertips without investing in several different pairs of dumbbells with the Weider Speed Pac hand weights. The Speed Pac weights work like a weight stack at the gym. When you want to change weights, simply move the selector pin to the desired weight range--the storage tray includes a color-coded weight guide--and you're set. Each Speed Pac weight varies from 2 to 12.5 pounds (in 2.5-pound increments) and includes a cushioned hand grip

First Impression - Score! A practical addition to my home fitness equipment.

It is very easy to switch between weights and the set doesn't take up much space. The weight options for this set are perfect for me and I like the fact that a 12.5lb option is available - they don't have those at the gym.

Note - They make a heavier set that varies from 10-50lbs each which would probably be better for men, but these weights are perfect for me.

I'd definately recommend this set to someone who wants to train at home with light dumbbells.

Today's workout - lower body strength

Monday, January 4, 2010

Two Dog Run

Husband & I intended on going for a two dog run yesterday afternoon for the first time. Bandit has routinely joined him for two miles (up and down a hill), then is returned to home while he heads out for another two miles. Stymie has stayed home, because excessive running isn't good for growing puppies' joints.

Stymie is nearly 9 mo old now, is bigger and faster than Bandit, and we figured that at my pace, it would be more like walking briskly for him.

Sounded like a plan. Got Bandit hooked up via the handsfree leash to Husband. Stymie hooked up to me.

I took off first. Stymie definately thought this was fun, but had no idea how to run along side. He was in front, to the left, to the right, turned around looking behind. I managed not to trip over him as he tried to figure it out.

Then Husband and Bandit caught up to us. Stymie dashed over to Bandit, wanting to prance along side of him.

Then Husband and Bandit passed me.

Aye Carumba. Stymie (maybe 80lbs now) started pulling, and he wanted to RUN to catch up to Bandit. And trust me this dog RUNs much faster than me.

I called out to Husband. STOP! I can't do this!

He stopped. We regrouped.

We decided to attach both dogs to Husband. The dogs were happier that way. It was easier for me. But it still wasn't the pleasant running experience we were hoping for. Occasionally one dog would go left, the other dog would go right, husband trying to go straight.

At the end of those two miles, we brought the dogs in and called it a day. Somehow, what seemed like such a good idea at the beginning turned out to be not such a good idea after all.

Afterwards, we stopped at the pet store and bought something else to try running the dogs next time. It's a Y attachment that goes to one leash and connects it to two dogs.

I tried it out on a short walk with the dogs, and it seemed better. If the dogs go in opposite directions, they work against each other instead of us. Also, it doesn't allow them to get that far apart from each other...less of a trip hazard.

Maybe, just maybe, next week's Two Dog Run will be more successful.

Monday weigh in - 126.4lbs

Friday, January 1, 2010

New Beginnings

"Every day is a new beginning. Treat it that way. Stay away from what might have been, and look at what can be." - author unknown

Many of you have reflected on the past year or past decade. I'm not going to do that. Instead, I am only looking forward. I'm also not going to set annual goals. But I am focussed on three short term goals at the moment.

Goal #1: Race to Train, not train to race. I'm using events to keep me motivated, but the main goal is to establish a lifestyle of consistent exercise.

Progress -ON TRACK. Have my eyes on a 5K in mid-Jan and it motivated me to run 9.4 miles in the past 3 days.

Goal #2: Weigh in just under 120 lbs (118 is the goal, because it gives a little wiggle room).

Progress - BEHIND. I got down to 122, but am now back up to 127. However, I've tossed out most of the holiday junk food, and am re-establishing healthy eating habits, so I'm hopeful to be back on track soon.

Goal #3: Get Organized. House has turned to clutter. Find and implement solutions to get the clutter under control

Progress - ON TRACK. I'm breaking this down into small managable pieces. This week, worked on three problem areas and am happy with the results. Just need to keep it up and take care of a small problem area every week or so.