Hi Maine!! Nice run last night and it is nice to see you starting us off. Speaking of starting us off .... where is ROY?? Sorry to say that I never made in the treadmill last night. I know, surprise, surprise!! I'm just feeling a bit blah for a few days, stomach cramps and such - so I wrapped presents until I was done. This morning I did get on the blasted thing - but only for 2.25 slow miles, then some of those walking lunges on full incline at 1.0 speed. Those are actually kind of fun! Then 300 crunches, some leg lifts and 30 push ups. So, I'm not a total slacker this morning!! Happy Thursday!

Wow - Perch - that could have been a lot worse. Glad you're okay. When you said "bloody good run" you werent' kidding! Mary - good job this morning. I could use some of your mojo today. I did manage 4.5 on the dreadmill but it was one of those runs where you just want it to be over, and I haven't had many of those lately. I think our weather has something to do with it - no sun for several day. But, at least I can run so I'm dedicating this one to my friend Tim, who can't. We got your back, friend! Have a great day, everyone.

A rest day for me after having run 5 days in a row. A messy storm is headed up our way, and DS is supposed to fly out early tomorrow morning to Virginia. He and some other boys from all over Maine are headed to the national Junior Olympic XC meet (5k race). It's been a cool experience for him - he usually runs against these kids, but now he gets to train WITH them. They came in first in the Maine meet and NYC recional meet (in that race, DS was 4th and his team took the top 6 out of 64 places). From looking at results from the other regional meets, it may be tough for them to win at nationals, but they could easily be in the top 3. Last year, the team (without DS) came in 2nd. I hope everyone gets some great runs in today!

Wow. Glad you're okay Perch. Those tumbles happen all of a sudden and unexpectedly. Maine, running fine as always! Tim, hoping for good news. You're due some ... Teresa, how kewl for your DS! Good luck to him. Today's run was a tough one. I skipped running yesterday because I couldn't drag myself out of bed. And last night's choir practice was longer than usual - getting ready for some Marathon Christmas singing the next several weeks. I was tired this morning but got up anyway. And on top of all that, we're getting a repeat dose of Summer weather - 73F and 84% at 5:00 AM. 9 tired miles at 8:54 pace. With 4 miles in the middle at "tempo" pace - 8:20, 8:09, 8:04, and 8:00 min/mile. That's all I could mester today ... Bill

5 miles all by myself this morning...7:35 pace Teresa-Good Luck to your DS Ribs-Big Dog...HA...actually I kind of resemble a cow...USATF Club X-Country Championships on Saturday...I'm running for Team Brooks in the Masters Division

Good morning all. Tim, Good luck with the next doctor appt. A game plan is always encouraging. {{{Tim}}} I see the doc next week to find out the MRI results so perhaps I will have a game plan too, other than just cross training and ice. Having so little improvement is annoying, to say the least . I did about 60 minutes on the spin bike this morning, it went ok. I am hoping to get to the Y later for something more. Therese, good luck to your DS. I am a coach for a local Junior Olympic girls team and I will attempt to fly from NH down to VA later this afternoon. Could be messy. I coach Youth Girls. Great group of kids and families. We place second in the Regionals, just two points behind a Maine team. They wil have fun regardless and I hope will run well too. Happy running or non-running. Nice to see jdmom posting and CNY too! very lamerunner

Good Morning! {{{Perch}}} Timbo – anytime... PCR – nice run! Lamerunner – I hope your MRI results are good. On yesterday’s topic of how many days to run per week, I did my best season, year before last, running 5 days a week and doing weights and core exercises on the other two days. After qualifying for Boston in Sept., 2007, I spent last winter focusing on higher mileage (not as much as some, but more than I had ever run, and as much as my available time would allow), but no speedwork. As the mileage increased, I was fatigued and I began skimping on my weights and core exercises, all but giving up legwork. I ran 3 marathons last spring, all of them slow (but at least I didn’t get injured). All those extra miles I ran didn’t make me a faster marathoner – the opposite, in fact. But as summer came on I began doing speedwork, and then I added a sixth running day. Then, I got injured – first time ever for me. Personally, I believe part of the reason I got injured is that several months of giving up lower-body weights had caused weaknesses. For women, the importance of weight-bearing exercises to offset bone-density loss is huge, but for runners, I believe that weight-bearing exercises can go a long way toward injury prevention. I won’t skimp on them again. But, like Ribs said, it’s all about what you have time for, with your other life commitments, and what your goals are - a matter of deciding what the best balance is for yourself. And, like Tramps, when I try to do a short run and still do my weights, I run out of time before work. So, for me, I’m back to a 5-day running week, with weights and core work the other two days. Instead of higher mileage this winter, I’m focusing on more quality running, medium intensity speedwork and tempo paces. But I do agree that, if I had more time, I wouldn’t mind doing a gentle 3-miler before my weights. I may yet try to fit in at least 15 minutes on the TM beforehand, just to loosen things up. 5.3 easy-paced miles outside today, followed by this on the TM: (2 min. 7.5 mph [8:00]/1 min. 6.0 mph [10:00]) x 5 7.05 miles total. Oh, and the puppy (Daisy) is adorable. Dexter is quite playfully intrigued by the little bundle of wagging tail.