Womens Running

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Toasty Tuesday (Over 40) (Read 23 times)

    As in the bread product.  Raining and about to switch over to snow here.  Opting for gym membership vs 33/rain.

     

    Marjorie-that is a lot of miles!

     

    Ginny-so know you are working up to branch arms? good job.

     

    Karen-did the nap extend all night? who got kicked off of biggest loser? I didn't make it to the end.

     

    Tessa-2 sisters, 2 brothers. 1 sis in Sonoma, 1 sis in Wilmington, NC.  This year I will see both in the month of June! Fun~ 16/17 and 17/18 year age gaps between us. But we get along great!

     

    Ginny-sun is now gone again. oh well.

     

    Laura-nice event for Karnel.

     

    Linda-nice long run for you too.

     

    Damaris-the m word. jealous.

     

    Julie-file that great run away.  the feeling, the joy.  love those runs.  don't always get them, but do love them.

     

    Gatsby-thank you for translating although at first I thought you were saying the same thing.

    Lisa

     

    judyruns


    Mighty Mouse

      Monday was a 55 minute track run, then 40 of cardio DVD when I got home.

      Today is hair cut & color... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  Big grin

      Track run after that if the weather is not causing icy roads. TM if icy.  Cardio after that.

      Happy runs, All!   :::HUGS:::

      Where is the "any" key?   

       

       judyruns

      ginnyb


        Rain and gusty winds here this morning.  Will do my weight tonight, at least that is the plan at 6a.m. in the morning!

         

        My gym membership ran out yesterday.  Pondering whether to re-up or not.  You have to join for a year and I use it maybe 3 months....seems like a waste.  All the gyms around here are the same.....wish you could just join month to month or 3 months or something like that.

         

        Sheesh I just hate going back to work this morning, had such a nice day off yesterday.

         

        Tessa...yes I guess 21 is like 5 to others.  You know it is hard to find information on older runners , over 6o, like what to expect, why you are slowing down.  How much you should be running, etc etc.....maybe I shoudl start my own blog.  I have thought about it.  Runners world has a forum for over 60, but those people are way advanced for me....they still out run, out distance me by a lot.  I know it is the winter that is discouraging me.

         

        Karen.....that sounds rugged, we will all be anxious to hear this RR!!!

         

        Gotta go think about getting ready for work, just made dinner.

         

        Ginny

        http://ginnybess.blogspot.com/

         

        6/8 Hatfield/McCoy Half, 8/18 lake Erie Shores and Islands Half, 9/21 Mighty Niagara Half Lewiston, NY, 10/7 Cleveland Rock & Roll Half 10/6 or Detroit Free Press 10/20, A Christmas Story 5 or 10K Cleveland 12/7, Santa Hustle Half Cedar Point 12/15

        Bikerchick1


          Morning ladies,

           

          Not much to report there....took a SRD yesterday to do errands, etc.  Signed up for a swim Tri class that starts next Monday.  Figured that will force me to get to the pool weekly.  I don't know why I procrastinate so much about going to pool, I enjoy swimming.....oh well.  Will do my TM/Bike/weight etc., after work tonight.

           

          Lisa - Rain/dark here too, don't blame ya on the Gym.

          Judy - Yippeee on the hair apt...always fun!  Great w/o yesterday.

          Ginny - Great idea about the blog for "older runners".....There seems to be such an increase in runners over 50 I'm sure there would be an interest!

          Damarias - Read your RR - great job!  How scarey re: your father....so glad he wasn't hurt.

           

          Off to work...

           

          Carol

          LC Runs


            Good Morning!

             

            Icy here, school cancelled again and our road is a mess, hopefully I will be able to get to the main road for work.  Supposed to get snow on top of this so this afternoon should be easier.

             

            5 TM miles this morning, dealing with some left knee pain/stiffness.  Hmmmmm.

             

            Lisa - gym is a good plan!

             

            Judy - nasty weather all around it sounds like.  Enjoy the hair treatment!

             

            Ginny - If the gym membership isn't too pricey, I say you should renew, it's nice to have options, especially with this crap weather.

             

            Carol - that is great about the swimming, I like swimming too but the open swim is at 6 am and I just can't muster the energy to get up early, drive and deal with cold water....

            MarjorieAnn3137


            Run to live; live to run

              10.3 for me.  Now to meetings.  I'll be back later for personals.

              Marjorie

              MarjorieAnn3137


              Run to live; live to run

                Haha  got a few moments

                 

                Lisa it is warm here but I'm in Florida so that was nice.  It was pouring rain when I went to run though so I got soaked.  Good thing there is a free paper at the hotel as I used it to dry the shoes.  Have repacked them 3 times already to dry them out.  Was appropriate that I had on running socks with rubber ducks on them as I did spalsh through a bunch of puddles.

                 

                Ginny shame they won't let you do month to month.  Too bad you don't have a planet fitness etc.

                 

                Judy hope the cut color go well.

                 

                Carol hi there.

                 

                Laura hope the knee is okay.

                 

                Now to the meeting since we started late

                Marjorie


                Linda

                  To gym or not to gym--that is the question.  No one likes to waste money, but there are times when you just would like to be able to go to the gym.  Gym memberships are so expensive, now.

                   

                  Recovery 3 for me.  I got it done and I'm off to work.

                  IG profile @lindasig_runs

                  Headsweats Ambassador Discount Code  "LINDASIGRUNS"

                  Over 45 PR's:  5K - 21:21, Half - 1:39:49, Full - 3:33.47

                   

                  Docket_Rocket


                    Morning!  Legs feel fine so I'll be doing some miles tonight.  My dad reported he slept and eat well so all is getting better!

                     

                    Lisa, hope your run happened (inside).

                     

                    judyruns, go get that haircut and color.

                     

                    Ginny, I agree.  They should be month or to month, or at least 3 month memberships.

                    Carol, enjoy the tri classes.

                     

                    LCRuns, hope the pain and stiffness goes away soon.

                     

                    Marjorie, nice 10.

                     

                    Have a nice day, all.  Off to Court.

                    Damaris

                     

                    As part of the 2024 London Marathon, I am fundraising for VICTA, a charity that helps blind and visually impaired children. My mentor while in law school, Jim K (a blind attorney), has been a huge inspiration and an example of courage and perseverance. Please consider donating.

                    Fundraising Page

                    Docket_Rocket


                      Linda, nice 3.  Enjoy work.

                      Damaris

                       

                      As part of the 2024 London Marathon, I am fundraising for VICTA, a charity that helps blind and visually impaired children. My mentor while in law school, Jim K (a blind attorney), has been a huge inspiration and an example of courage and perseverance. Please consider donating.

                      Fundraising Page

                      Arimathea


                      Tessa

                        Ginny, how much does the gym cost per year? Would you use it in the summer sometimes for hill training?

                         

                        Lisa, my mum is 10 years younger than one sister and 8 years older than the other sister and they still get along well -- even the other two sisters who are 18 years apart in all. My older aunt has a daughter only 3 years younger than her youngest sister. Sisters are the best.

                         

                        Judy, hope the haircut and colour do finally happen.

                         

                        Carol, swim class sounds like a good idea. It's easier to get yourself to something if you are committed to being there at a certain time/day of week. You can have my swim time, BTW. I do not enjoy the pool.

                         

                        Laura, ouchy knee? Sorry, hope it feels better. Do you maybe need new shoes?

                         

                        Marjorie, sounds like the best use for USA Today -- drying shoes! (Not a big fan of that paper.) Hope you didn't get wet going to the meetings.

                         

                        Linda, some gyms will let you pay on a per visit basis, but it's a lot more expensive -- and in my experience you are constantly hounded to join if you are a drop-in!

                         

                        Damaris, glad your dad is feeling better.

                         

                        4 this morning with running neighbour. Cloudy but not too cold. Supposed to rain later, though.

                         

                        Happy runs! (Now posting and checking to see if I have paragraphs...)

                        ginnyb


                          Kind of a different question at the reference desk this morning...someone called and wanted to know how to spell "mrs. Davis".  One of the stranger requests we have had in a while.

                           

                          Ginny

                          http://ginnybess.blogspot.com/

                           

                          6/8 Hatfield/McCoy Half, 8/18 lake Erie Shores and Islands Half, 9/21 Mighty Niagara Half Lewiston, NY, 10/7 Cleveland Rock & Roll Half 10/6 or Detroit Free Press 10/20, A Christmas Story 5 or 10K Cleveland 12/7, Santa Hustle Half Cedar Point 12/15

                          Arimathea


                          Tessa

                            OK, I have paragraphs! Race report!

                            San Miguel 2013

                             

                            I like small marathons. I like marathons where the race director and volunteers seem genuinely glad to have us there. And I particularly like marathons whose courses take us into locations that I’d either never have discovered on my own or that I wouldn’t be allowed to venture into without permission. Buzz Marathon in San Miguel fulfills all three of these preferences. It’s small, with perhaps 75 full marathoners and as many again in the half; the RD and volunteers were welcoming and pleased to see runners; and it’s on an old Army base that’s now a training ground for the reserves and National Guard and is not usually open to the public.

                             

                            I’d known about this race for a while but hadn’t put it on my dance card before, partly because of timing (in the five weeks between Calico and Diamond Valley Lake, two other races that meet my “like” criteria) and partly because of the distance – it’s 225 miles from my home and my budget is tight enough that one or two nights in a hotel make me think long and hard about signing up for the event. But over the last few years I’ve been getting better at leaving very early the morning of the race and driving up to Paso Robles or San Luis Obispo or Fish Camp, or crossing the finish line and heading straight to my car for the long drive home, or both. And I did both for San Miguel.

                             

                            San Miguel is not far north of Paso Robles, one of the wine regions of the central coast. I left at 3 AM for an 8:30 race and got to Camp Roberts, the Army National Guard installation just off Highway 101 on which the race takes place, soon after 7 AM. After a short wait to be approved – people, when the race information tells you to bring your photo ID and proof of current car registration and auto insurance, you can be reasonably sure that the guard at the camp’s front gate isn’t going to wave you through if you forgot this documentation – I was parking and picking up my packet.

                             

                            This is a small race that’s a fund raiser for the local K-8 school. Most of the volunteers were either parents, students, or alumni.

                             

                            A little bit of delay because the shirts were in mislabeled boxes so they were having trouble finding shirts in any sizes other than “Petite Primary Schooler” and “Add Poles and the Circus Will Start Setting Up Under It”, but eventually they found some shirts that might actually fit adult runners and distributed them. They also handed out course maps. I took one and put it in my pocket and it came in useful later! I searched my car trunk and realized that I did not have any sunscreen, and nobody in sight was applying any so I couldn’t beg a dollop. Oh well. Too late now. Hung around in the gym where they were doing check in, since it was warmer there than outside, and chatted to various other runners. Then one staffer came through and said “three minutes until the start!” Out we all headed. A few last minute reminders and we were off.

                             

                            The first mile and a bit is a loop around some of the camp, including disused World War II-era barracks. Apparently they’re demolishing the buildings slowly because there’s a lot of asbestos in them and funding for cleanup is hard to come by. This is a large camp and most of it isn’t visible from 101, I knew it was there but hadn’t realized it was still in use. The Army Reserve and National Guard use it as a training center.

                             

                             

                            Once past the gym again, out on a street to the east garrison gate, per the map. I ran the first portion of the race with a runner named Peter from Orange County, who is an almost 50 stater (since fatass races don’t count, nor do three-day events without a marathon distance on any day, nor do events where you are both the winner and DFL, i.e. the only contestant). He was going faster than I’d like but I kept up, then he decided to walk and I kept going. Sigh. Why is it that men like to sprint then walk, sprint then walk, while most women prefer to keep going at a steady pace? Missed the second mile marker completely but at Mile 3 I was just under a 10 mpm pace.

                             

                            At the gate, there was some confusion. There were no signs and there was no marshal to point the way. A number of runners had continued straight ahead on a dirt road and eventually turned left, while the map indicated that we should turn left at the gate and go down a hill to the start of the out and back. The runners there at that time and afterwards turned left, but the front of the pack had added about ½ mile to their race because of this mistake. Sorry guys.

                             

                            Down the hill and a right turn on Nacimiento Road, which is the out and back. Paved road towards the range, various training grounds, and the NacimientoRiver which flows northeast into the SalinasRiver rather than south to the Pacific as you might expect. There’s a range of hills between the SalinasValley and the coast. At this point we passed the 5 mile mark for the way out shortly after the 25 mile mark for the way back, so using basic math it was not difficult to figure out that the turnaround would be just before the 15 mile marker. The course is shaped rather like a backwards letter J with an elaborate crossbar at the top.

                             

                             

                            We headed southwest at this point, past the tank training grounds and the shooting range. I was trying to hold a 10 minute pace at this point and so far so good. Chatted with a pair of women who were using this race as a training run and planned to turn around at the 12 mile marker to give themselves a 20 miler for the day – heading straight for the finish rather than retracing steps the first 5 miles. We ran along the river for a while, past many coastal live oaks, some of which were rumoured to have bald eagles nesting in them. I don’t know about the bald eagles, I didn’t see any (and I was looking!) but there were certainly a number of hawks in the trees. And this is the first time I’ve ever seen both Spanish moss and mistletoe growing on the same tree. Many of the trees were adorned with both. Actually I think this is the first time I’ve seen Spanish moss growing in California, but then there’s a lot of California I haven’t seen. Presumably the coastal fog provides enough humidity for it to survive.

                             

                            Past an old ranch house which looked as if it had been built when this was still a ranch and predated the Army camp, which was established in 1942 to train the GIs enlisting (or being drafted) in WWII. Started to see the front runners for the half marathon coming back. Applause and encouragement from the outgoing full marathoners, which is always nice to see and one of the advantages of an out and back course. We continued along the road, past the second aid station – this is a little more than the advertised 2 miles, more like just over 3 miles from the aid station at Mile 5, so that the aid station could serve also as the turnaround point for the half marathon. Personally I’d have had someone there checking off numbers to make sure nobody was cutting the course, but I’m a bit more cynical about runners’ proclivities than the RD apparently is.

                             

                            Aid stations also have trailer portajohns, with spray painted “DOL” on the road where the sanitary facilities are situated. Hmm. To me DOL stands for Department of Labor, but I’m guessing that’s not what the acronym means in this case. Department of Loos? Dump One’s Load?

                             

                            Past the turnaround station, noting the oranges stacked on the table for future reference, and along the river to a fork in the road. We go left, away from the river and down into a valley that presumably has a seasonal creek. No water visible right now. Road is called, imaginatively, West Perimeter Road. Pretty part of the course, through the valley, lots of trees, grass short cropped underneath the oaks, with slopes going up gently on both sides. The pre-race briefing had said “watch for tule elk” which I hoped to see, but apparently the elk aren’t stupid and upon hearing the thundering herd of runners approaching they had decided to browse elsewhere.

                             

                            I was picking off runners from time to time, didn’t get passed at all after the first three miles, and this pattern persisted throughout the race. I followed one woman with a big bouncy pony tail for several miles, we were doing almost exactly the same pace, then she slowed going up a hill and I managed to pass her, then the man a short distance in front of her. Saw a few runners returning who apparently had opted for the early start because the paces they were doing were in no way consistent with being in the lead, then the actual leaders. No spectators, we were well past the “No Civilian Vehicles” sign before the rifle range, the only onlookers we saw the whole time other than the aid station volunteers were two young boys on bicycles and one man on a bike tailing his wife, who was running, and pulling his twin daughters in a bike trailer. (By the end the kids were not happy campers at all. Mom came in in just under 5 hours and that was a long time for them to be in the trailer.)

                             

                            And here comes the bravest runner on the course. An early starter in full firefighting gear. Wow. He must be sweltering inside that!

                             

                            And here came the bravest runner on the course. An early starter in full firefighting gear. Wow. He must've been sweltering inside that! Past another aid station at mile 11, then out of the valley and onto a flattish plain with an airstrip near the road. By now the road was very hard, all aggregate with no evidence that the Army had ever bothered to put tarmac over the subasphalt surface. Either that or it had washed away over the years and never been repaved. I felt sorry for anyone wearing minimalist shoes or, worse, barefooting it. This was harder than concrete! I think we might have heard traffic on Highway One towards Cambria, but am not sure about that. We then began climbing the last hill. Up into a pass, recognizing runners passing us so we knew we were not far short of the turnaround. Around a bend and there it was! Water, yes, Gatorade, no thanks, fruit and M&Ms and chips and gels. They did a nice job on aid station stocking. I had my own tangerines so all I wanted was water, but it was good that fuel was on offer because there was definitely no chance of acquiring it along the course. Turned around, noting I’d done the 15 miles in 2:35, and headed back the way we’d come.

                             

                            I’m not a great fan of out and back courses, especially multiple out and backs, but this one wasn’t so bad. You do notice different things when you’re viewing the course from the other direction. Back down the hill, passing plenty of people panting up it, and back along the road past the airstrip. Then through the valley. I ran with two other people for a while, one male Maniac who was running with a female friend who had done Surf City two weeks ago and was going for her Maniac qualification. They were not too happy about the extra mileage because of the wrong turn at Mile 4.
                            I pointed out that since that had added an extra half mile, she was technically running her first ultra. For some reason that did not delight her. (OK, at mile 17 you probably don’t want to hear that comment.) She decided to walk a while and he stayed with her, I kept running. Back through the parklike swath of oak savannah and then through a small pass where two military trucks were unloading a number of troops apparently getting ready for a training exercise. I waved and called “thank you for letting us run through here, this is gorgeous!” Big smiles and waves back and a few “thank you, ma’am”s. I’m sure some of them weren’t too pleased to hear that the camp was hosting a race, but they were polite about it. Encountered the last outbound walker around this point, I’m not sure how long she took to finish but it takes guts to walk for that much time.

                             

                            Past the guy with the bike trailer, who had stopped to let his daughters stretch their legs. Then up a short slope and back to the river. Rolling territory. The pavement had improved slightly but it was still hard and rutted, with several places where there was no road because the military had paraded tanks across it. But still better footing than the fire roads or single track trails I’ve run on recently! Slow retracing of steps. It was getting warmer and the cloud cover had dissipated, I could feel myself slowing down. Past the turnaround point and I was passing some of the early starters and some people who had gone out faster than they should have done. Focused on a guy in a white shirt some way ahead. I wanted to pass him. Past the ranch house and range control, mile 24, “God Save The Queen!” which may be one of the few times they have heard that comment on an United States military installation. Slowly caught up to the white shirt and just past mile 25 we turned up a nasty little hill and I passed him on the uphill. He was walking, I was jogging. Crested the hill and onto the flat road for the last ¾ mile.

                             

                            I could hear White Shirt close behind me but managed to stay ahead. Not long before the finish line the biggest jackrabbit I have ever seen hopped across the road then stopped to look at us, nervous and curious at the same time. No time to stop and look at the wildlife. I was not quite going to make 4:30 but it was close. Veer right and I’m back to the finish line. No clock. Dammit! I think my time was 4:33 but I’m waiting for the results to be posted.

                             

                            Checked in with the finish line staff and they told me I was second in my age group. I didn’t ask how many there were in said age group! Pleased to hear it, though on checking the final results I was third. The local fire department had set up a barbecue and were providing free hot dogs, chips, and soda for the finishers. No thanks on the hot dog, but that diet Coke tasted wonderful. And another nice touch: the Paso Robles area is wine country and the race organizers had managed to persuade a number of the local wineries to donate or otherwise provide enough bottles of wine for every full marathon finisher to choose a bottle to take home. Yum! Tough decision but I chose one (a rose from J&J Winery) and picked up some literature from the various wineries. I may well be over here again at some point, given that there are at least two other marathons in the area now, and it’s nice to have some suggestions for destinations.

                             

                            I considered staying for the awards, decide I would rather not hang around a couple more hours when it’s a 4 hour drive home, and headed for my car. I had gassed up in San Luis Obispo on the way up so didn’t need to stop for gas, which was nice; I filled the tankard at San Miguel’s one Chevron station and made a short stop at the mission of San Miguel Arcangel in hopes of seeing the original frescoes about which Smithsonian magazine rhapsodized a few years ago. Nope, not happening, there’s a wedding going on in the church. Oh well. I bought a couple of postcards in the gift shop, called DH to let him know I was on my way, and headed back home.

                             

                            I think this race is a keeper and I would like to do it again at some point, I just wish it wasn’t so far a drive. If I was in the area I would likely make this an annual point on my calendar. Nice little low key event.

                            MarjorieAnn3137


                            Run to live; live to run

                              wow what a report Tessa.

                               

                              I'm not a fan of USA paper either but it was nice to have it today to dry the shoes.  I'll probably have to grab one at the hotel tonight if they are not completely dry by then.  A lot of the Hamptons are now just giving you on line access versus the actual paper and just a few copies in the breakfast area. The one last night still gave it out door to door so that was a good thing today.

                               

                              Ginny oh my what a question!

                               

                              Damaris court is waiting I'm sure

                              Marjorie

                                Still here---just swamped!!  Was great to run with Tessa last Monday when I was in California for work last week.

                                 

                                Got home Thursday and left Saturday for Louisiana for the q50 night trail race at Fountainbleau State Park in Louisiana--near Mandeville on the northern coast of Lake Ponchartrain.  The race ....... mmmm... I don't think I will do another one.  Race bag sucked.  No t-shirt, just a crappy plastic water bottle, visor (not a good one) and a sample bag of their coffee.  Last time at least they had a good tech shirt.  The race was 1.5 miles out and back for you to do two loops.  It had been pouring rain and was very muddy.  Flat.  Through the swamps.  Blech.  200 yards to the finish line and I stepped in a big mud hole and lost my shoe.  Had to go back and look for it.  Too icky to put it back on.  Ran in sockfooted.  Running friends and I decided we didn't want to do another loop.  Lame course.  After party food was decent, all finishers took home a rootbound begonia.  One of the gals in our group ran the second loop and was second over all.  She got a large blueberry bush as her medal.  No age group awards, the finish line crew had no idea what they were doing.  At the awards ceremony the RD just said "you know who you are" to the top three runners and gave them a bush.  The RD didn't even know who the winners were till they came up to claim prizes.

                                 

                                We did have fun camping and rode the St Tammany Trace to Abita Springs Brew Pub for lunch (11 miles of paved trail).  Rode back to the park and headed for home.

                                 

                                Gotta get back to it!  Later!!

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