gito57 Congratulations on your race! Do you do a lot of gardening?
az2mntrail Nice outdoor run. The second photo looks better, but it should show that the snow is all gone!
Fletch_NC 5/1 is a nice plan for 10 miles. Have a good race!
rmcj001 congratulations on your 60 MPW!
NH Runner Good to hear that you dodged the storm. Cutting a few weeks off the HM plan shouldn't be too much for you, if the achilles doesn't act up.
adkkev I imagine you are glad to be out under the stars again.... That wind would be wicked, however.
justrundan cold, dark and windy runs...not the spring you were hoping for, yet. How's the new office?
A few days off due to extra shifts at work and the painter is here now. He's doing a hallway and stairs as well as the kitchen.
6 miles on the track.
"dancing on the path and singing, now you got away,
you can reach the goals you set from now on, every day"
Sonata Arctica
Crazy Diamond
Fletch~The race this Saturday should be a blast. Enjoy multi-tasking and have a great run!
Rich~You've had some really good running. I can only dream of running your paces! How is the adjustment on your form working out? Hope you don't hear a peep from the achilles during/after you 12 miler.
Chantilly~Nice work on the track. Lots of possibilities with a freshly painted room. Both sets of grandparents were farmers. Grew up on a smaller scale operation, but every year we had a huge garden including heirloom pear and apple trees. Dad is 90, mom is 86 and in good health. I do believe years of eating food close to the source has had something to do with their longevity. I live in the city now and garden wherever I can finds some tillable soil. Lots of clay here.
Today - Only enough time before dark for 2 easy miles. Rainy, cold, yuck. Tomorrow, son and I driving to a nearby state park to do some hiking.
Quo Vadis?
justrundan
Deb- I hear you on the difficulty working with clay! Our land is all that. Slowly trying to improve a small plot with compost, etc. We grow a few tomatoes and peppers every year, and usually try to throw in something else on a whim! Have fun with the hike.
Chantilly- great track miles. How long before you get outside?
Fletch- enjoy the race tomorrow. Hopefully the 'job' part of the day will be OK too.
Rich- good luck with the long run; take care of that achilles!
The 2 rest days turned into 3, really. Yesterday morning was dark, windy, cold and threatening rain. So I warmed up on the elliptical for 20 minutes and worked with the 'torture tube', aka foam roller to loosen up. Today I got out for 7 miles, first 6 progressive then 1 mile cool down job/walk. Felt good after that. Ran 11:52, 11:07, 10:15, 9:59, 9:51 & 9:18.
Plan to attempt 2 runs tomorrow to mimic the relay coming up in 4 weeks.
Have a great weekend.
Dan
HAPPY FRIDAY everyone!! Last run was Sunday, then rest day on Monday turned into second rest day on Tues which turned into third rest day on Wed; just too darn cold and windy and cloudy and okay .........just didn't want to tough out the crappy days. I'm feeling rather crabby, the winter blahs are getting to me, so tired of putting on all the layers and trudging through the snow/slush/mud in/against the darn wind so I just did some light workouts at home. Trying to hang on though ......... got my butt out the door yesterday, finished 5.1 miles, it was depressingly overcast, about 22 degrees, felt like 12 with w/c, headwind made it tough but I made it under 55 minutes. Today, I forced myself to go for another run today b/c of the gorgeous sunshine!! Thought it would make me feel better. Finished 6.1 miles. It was a little 'warmer', about 25 degrees, felt like 15 with w/c but ran opposite direction than yesterday and boy, the wind felt like ice. Vanity won over, changed into my thicker balaclava. Don't want to have my face look like worn-in leather biker seats . Gosh, both days felt like I was dragging my feet through cement. And trying to tell myself to make these 'quality runs' rather than just piling on mileage. Stomach hasn't been feeling normal either since Sunday. Have to make myself eat, kinda feel like I need to throw up after, yucky!! Does this have anything to do with the change in season?!? No fever, no chills, no aches. Been keeping track of what I eat/drink but no drastic change that I see ...........If anything, I don't seem to have much of an appetite. Maybe I'm 'homesick.' It's been such a long, hard winter; keep thinking of the movie, "The Shining" with Jack Nicholson ......
Fletch: GOOD LUCK on your race tomorrow!!
Rich: Listen to your achilles. I still stretch them during my walk breaks on long runs, it helps especially during recovery.
adkkev: I think you and Rich are in the path of another storm this weekend?!? Safe running!
Deb: My neighbor offered her fenced in garden plot for us to use since we moved here. She doesn't use it anymore and was thinking of tearing it down but I took up her offer and I don't know anything about gardening!! LOL!! But I hope to make some attempts at it this summer. I WILL need you and Fletch (and anyone else) for suggestions!! Happy Hiking with DS!! You are a great mom!!
Chantilly: still going strong!!
Dan: I'll be going for double runs in April ..........
Friday, 3/28... 1 mile easy on the treadmill followed by 4 miles of xc skate skiing on the railtrail. This may be the last time I get to ski this year and with temps in the 40's and 50's forecast right thru next Wednesday, it's about time! lol
Chantilly... that's the worry, whether my achilles will behave while I ramp up the training, I'll know a lot after tomorrow. With the painter in the house, your make-over must be coming along nicely. Good for you...
gito... the form change I made is working ok, but I may have to do something different to stay out of trouble while running faster. Either that, or train at a slower pace for now and see where I am in a month. And don't worry about your pace, you do just fine! And make a great mother, enjoy the time with your son tomorrow.
dan... nice progression run, your training's going really well!
az... you get the award for "Most Persistant," you just keep plugging away! It's not easy dealing with your weather, but you got in a couple of nice runs. And yeah, we've got wet weather moving through this weekend, but it should be all rain.
Rich - Like the work you're getting in. Good luck on you long run.
Dan - Nice job on the progression! It's really hard to do those when you're outside. Good luck on the double tomorrow!
Az - Your weather has been tough this year! Good job getting your runs in! Good luck with the new garden!
Debra - 2 miles counts in my book! I know it wasn't as long as you probably wanted, but great that you got it in! Hope the hike with DS went well. Clay soil can be tough, sandstone can be worse - Sister put in soil and stuff on my parents hill and we though she had this really great carrot growing. Went down about 3 inches then hit sandstone and turned up - 2 inches thick and 3 inches long ...
Chantilly - nice track work. Hope the paint is drying...
Fletch - Nice runs lately. Good luck tomorrow!
Thursday, 3/27, 7.5 miles in 1:00:13. We'll call it a tempo run (it would have been a progressive but mile 3 was 8:01 and mile 4 was 8:04. Young women passed me during mile 5, apparently doing mile or 2 mile repeats, at mile 5 she stopped. She caught up just before mile 7 and stopped again.
Friday, 3/28/ 5.5 miles in 49:37 then walked another 1.75 miles. These days this is my equivalent to a rest day.
Ray
Saturday, 3/29... 12 mile road run. Pace was slow, but I'm happy. I'm not fit enough to go hard for 12 miles and my achilles isn't up to it yet either, but with 10 weeks to go 'til my half, there's still time to get ready.
ray... nice run on the 27th and not much of a rest day on the 28th...
Rich- nice 12 miles! It seems you've rehabbed the Achilles well, now to ease into the harder training. Good luck.
Ray- that's a rest day? You need some lessons; I'm good at teaching rest days.
AZ- As I've said, I know you will be fine for the relay! You are solid!
After the progression run yesterday DW came home in a funk, really bad day @ her school with IT problems. So we went for a 3 mile walk, which included some hills. My legs were REALLY feeling it going up the hill that is our driveway. Got the double done today, but the last 2 miles this afternoon were not pretty. I did about 5.5 this morning on the roads near our home and another 5.5 this afternoon on the riverwalk in town. Funny thing happened on the morning run; my garmin said low battery as I was getting ready to go (despite charging it yesteray) so I used the map my run on phone. I had it in the sleeve on my arm,and thought it was working fine, but when I got to the top of the big hill on the run I stopped to check it; it had the distance correct, but said I'd done 1.25 mi in 4:25 min! BWAHAHAHA! Wow, shades of Jim Ryun, my high school hero! Unfortunately, when I kept it in my hand the rest of the run my min/mile got progressively slower! Imagine that! So 21 miles last 2 days. Yes, rest day tomorrow, or maybe a walk with DW; she got some Asic Gel-Kayano's today and is hankering to try them out.
Rest up Ray.
Fletch
Rich - Nice 12 miler. Keep listening to that Achilles. You'll be in great shape for the HM!
Chantilly - Nice track work. I know you're ready for some outdoor running! Sounds like the house work is coming along.
Deb - Hope you had a good hike with the son. RE: garden - our problem here is sand (thus the area's nickname "the sandhills"). Our garden is a small raised bed. Big enough for lettuce, spinach and potatoes now. We'll plant tomatoes and peppers later.
Dan - 1.25 miles in 4.25 minutes! Sounds like some of the 12 year olds in my races! LOL 21 miles in 2 days - great work!
Ray - Nice work. I'm with Dan and Rich - 5.5 on a rest day?
Az - Way to stick with it! Your dedication is inspiring. Hang in there!
Discovery Place Kids 5k Fun Run Race Report - First year for this event. Forecast was for rain, with possible thunderstorms. The storms held off, but we did get WET. I was there working with the radio station, but managed to get in a quick warmup jog around the block before the start. First couple hundred yards was flat, then a block of downhill, then a steep climb for 2 blocks. I ran without the GPS again. Started out pretty quick. I figured there were about 15 in front of me. When I slowed a little after the first mile, a couple guys passed me, but looking over my shoulder, I saw a big gap back to the next group. Settled into a comfortable pace as we left the road and hit about 3/4 mile on a trail. When we came off the trail, Iooked over my shoulder and saw the closest runner to me was a woman, looked to be in her 30's, pushing a DOUBLE stroller, with two kids riding! Nothing against you ladies...I'd feel the same way if it was a dad...but I thought "I can't let someone pushing two kids in a stroller pass me!" I know I probably shouldn't feel that way...she's obviously in better shape than me. But it gave me some good motivation for the rest of the race. When I slowed, I would pick the pace back up when I heard the wheels behind me. Kept in front of her all the way to the finish. Crossed in 26:54. If that number sounds familiar, it's because it is the EXACT same time I set as a PR in the Shamrock and Roll Race two weeks ago. Just couldn't quite squeeze that extra second out of it. However, this was a much tougher course, part of it on a trail. Winning time was 19 flat. My time was good enough for 18th place overall, out of 105 timed runners. So I'm counting it as an improvement...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Finished out the day manning the radio station booth at the expo, although that was shortened a little due to the weather. All in all, it was a good day. And yes, Rich, it is cool to get paid to race. Hey...does that make me a professional athlete? Maybe some endorsements come next? Nike....UnderArmour....Adidas..........anybody????
Safe running, everyone.
Some fine running by everyone over the past few days!! Very very nice!!
No run on Thursday or Friday (concert Thursday night, movies with DW Friday night) ... managed to squeeze in 7.5 miles late this afternoon while it was still decent outside. Cloudy, a little breezy, but "warm" (mid 40s) ... all sorts of weather is predicted for the overnight hours & into tomorrow ... heavy rain, wind, snow (that wet heavy stuff) ... flood watches and winter weather advisories abound! We're on edge of the heavy wet snow/heavy rain line so we'll just have to wait & see what happens.
adkkev - way to get the run in before the weather hits. Hoping the weather isn't too bad for you.
Dan - Nice double! Way to walk with DW. I'm working on a couple of streaks right now and am not quite ready to take a "real" rest day, so my recovery runs are my rest days. It's all good, building strength for something...
Rich - A good 12 miler! Definitely good to see you get the longer runs in, just make sure your conversations with your achilles are honest.
Fletch - You can't judge a run w/o judging the course. If the course is tougher, it is and judging your performance has to take that into account. Same time for a more difficult course is a PR in my book. It is certainly a better effort - no matter where you find your inspiration. Nicely done!
Brazen's Lagoon Valley 5K - Lagoon Valley is located just outside Vacaville, my home town and this is the 2nd year I've run it. Weather reports were that most of the rain would be through by 9am and the 5K was to start at 8:40 - sounded good. Woke up at 5:30 checked the weather and the rain hasn't hit yet - uh, oh. We left the house at 6:15 and arrived at 7:30 and it is still dry. DW and I grab our numbers and then wait for the 1/2 to start at 8AM. At 7:59AM the rain starts to fall I watch as DW heads out and I head back to the car to prepare for my race. After a bit of warm up I sit in the car and start to remove my sweats as the rain really starts to come down. At 8:32 I finally realize the rains not going to get any better and head back to the start. As I'm jogging back, I notice that the soil is mostly clay and when it's wet, it's like walking on ice - oh, great! When I get back to the start everyone is under the trees or tents and no one is near the start. 2 minutes before the start everyone moves in and I move up to the 2nd or 3rd tier. They sound the horn and we're off. There's the usual kids at the front running like this is a 400m race and not a 5k, so first 1/4 mile is catching the smaller kids as they slow down and then we hit the pavement and start to pick off some the HS kids that are slowing. About a 1/2 mile in a guy and girl (father and daughter) pass me up and I decide they're moving at good clip and I should just try and stay close. I'm figuring that when we hit the hill they'll either pull away or I'll pass them. I don't think I'm faster, but that I'm better trained and that I know how to run hills a bit better then most. So, for the next 1.75 miles I'm just pacing off them about 50-75 feet behind. At about 2.25 we hit the hill and the guy directly in front of hits a slick patch and goes down. Father and daughter have slowed down a bit and everyone starts walking up the hill trying to stay on the grass to keep traction. We've caught the slow 10kers and several of them are falling. The the daughter slips. We get to the top of the hill and daughter is a bit cautious at this point and I'm able to pass her, but dad is still ahead and then whoop, he goes down and I pass him. We hit the descent and every third step is a slide and the trail is turning sharply and often. About 1/2 way down I lose my footing and can't quite catch myself and go down. Quickly I bounce back up and get to the bottom. We hit asphalt again and there is a slight rise and I'm trying to push it, but there is no power in the legs or the hill is steeper then it looks, and I'm sucking wind like you wouldn't believe. Finally crest and try to relax while speeding up as we make 2nd to last turn. It last turn and it's now slightly downhill to the finish and I'm accelerating nicely, but I feel a presence and start to ratchet it up. About 20 yards I can hear the announcer saying these two are competing for 9th and 10th, so I know someone is there and accelerate a bit more. Just before the finish the guy who slipped at the start of the hill passes me and I realize there just enough room to stay with him and let him go. So, finished 10th in 24:20 1 second behind the 9th place guy.
His son, 12, finishes about 15 seconds behind us followed by the father and daughter, who is first female!
I went and grabbed some water and a banana then stood around watching some finishers. Finally started heading back to car to change and grab an umbrella and see DW as she finishes first loop of her 1/2. Put on some sweats, changed shoes and headed back. It is pouring the whole time! Some people are trying to leave and you can hear wheels spinning and see the cars sliding towards the exits.
Standing at the finish, seem like every 15-20 runners one tries to stop too quickly at the finish and their legs go swish and they're in the mud. DW finally comes back at 2:42:+ change, good for 2nd in AG. I was worried she'd be upset about all the rain, but she enjoyed it!
Rain turned out to be part of the fun - who knows, I might be able to get her to do a mud-run yet!
Was supposed to have lunch with Dad and sister, but they decided to bag it because of the rain. Ended up having lunch with other sister and her husband. Finally headed for home around 3:30PM. Long day, but fun!
Quick stats: Mile 1 - 7:14, mile 2 - 7:10, mile 3 - 9:38, .1 mile @ 5:35mpm. 10th overall and 1st in 55-59AG.
Sunday, 3/30... easy 2 mile recovery run on the treadmill today.
dan... well done with the double! I can see you doing a double take after glancing at the Garmin, we can only wish, eh? lol
Fletch... I admire people who race pushing a stroller, but do they have to be so FAST? lol Loved the race report, congrats on another good race. You DO realize those 5K's are a great workout, right? You're running really well...
adkkev... congrats on the 7.5 miler. We've got similar weather today, lot's of melting snow, rain and flood warnings.
ray... what a crazy race report! And here I thought people in snow country were the only ones who run in slippery conditions! lol Congrats to you for 1st in age group and to your wife for getting back out there after an injury!
Ray- That's quite the race report. Great time given those conditions. I've only been rained on once during a race, and was only the last mile. It was a downpour though! Can't imagine running on wet clay! Hope no one was injured.
Fletch- running with a DOUBLE stroller? Now that's just showing off! That must really strengthen if you train that way.
Original plan for today was a walk with DW @ Devils Lake, but a friend recently bought an older condo that she is doing major overhaul on, so we spent 5 hours working on the floors, including scraping up stuck on pad from the cement basement floor. My arms/shoulders/back will speak to me tomorrow!
Have a great week friends.
Fletch: YAY!! Way to go on the strong finish!! No need to apologize for the stroller runner. It's our competitive spirit and if I was pushing a stroller, I wouldn't want other runners to LET me pass them, how else would you gauge yourself to train harder? To each our own to find our motivator for a strong finish!! You did awesome!! You have come a long way, very impressive!!
Ray: CONGRATS!! Another top finish!! And a great story to share! A couple of years ago, I ran a 10k hilly trail race through the national forest in northern AZ in a rainstorm!! Niece ran the 5k. It was one of the most fun races ever! Every runner was smiling ear to ear at the finish line, covered with mud and drenched, WOOHOO!! Glad you and DW (and others) were okay despite the falls.
Dan: Rest days can get make those quality runs instead of junk miles, keep it up!!
Rich: 12 miler, slow and easy is good, getting the achilles ready for harder runs.
Adkkev: Sounds like you all are getting the brunt of the storm, good timing on getting a 7.5 miler in before then.
Took rest day Sat; it was tempting though, sunny and warmer in the high 30s, low 40s.
OH MY GOODNESS, it was pretty warm today, sunny and in the 40s, felt like mid 30s with w/c!! Finished 8 miles, it got really warm and I was soaked. Couples walking, enjoying the gorgeous weather. It felt so good!! DH decided to ride his harley after my run but I still had some post-run exercises to do while catching up on the NCAA games.
I will be flying back to AZ for a few days. Got an early call this morning that my cousin passed away, he was around 60 yrs old. My mother's older sister, who had 9 children just like my mom, he was the oldest. We were raised like brothers and sisters. It's sad. My run today was mostly spent reflecting on family.
adkkev - that's a good 3-day stretch - concert, movie date-night with DW, then a 7.5 mile run OUTSIDE! Hope your weather didn't turn too nasty, and if it did, I hope it improves soon.
Ray - Thanks. Great race report! Under those conditions, you've got to feel good about a time of 24:20. Congrats on the 1st in AG. Sounds like DW had a great time, too.
Rich - Thanks. I'm enjoying the races, and you're right, it's a good workout. How's your Achilles after the 12 miler?
Dan - Sounds like a good "renovation workout." I would imagine 5 hours of working those muscles that may not get a frequent workout will cause some aches and pains.
Az - Thanks. Nice 8 miles. Glad you're getting some good weather. So sorry about your cousin. Thoughts and prayers to you and your family. Have a safe trip.
Sunday - temps in the 50's, but 20-25 mph wind most of the day. DW and I went to her brother's house to visit. She drove back...I took the long way, on foot, for my weekly LSD. 12 miles, through the Village of Pinehurst, around the golf courses, through the horse farms and around the harness track. Did the run/walk thing again, but bumped it up to a 6 minute / 1 minute ratio. Isn't it funny how you can drive the same stretch of road every day, and not notice the incline...until you have to run it! This is a 1 mile stretch...not a steep hill, but steep enough to hurt...when it comes in mile 10 of a 12 mile run! After the run, DW and I took the dogs out for 1.5 miles walking around town...good cool-down for me. Then back to the house and replaced some of the calories with a big helping of homemade chicken pot pie!
Rest day today. Hope everyone has a great safe week, and nice weather.