5.75 miles on the treadmill & .25 mile cool down this evening.
Light snow in our forecast for Saturday. I'm envious of Rich's xc skiing ... most of our snow has disappeared & most trails are covered in ice and very hard snow. I suppose we could head north and find some decent snow although many of the hiking reports for the high peaks area in the Adirondacks say that the trails are very icy.
During my long trail runs, including my 50k, the thing I craved the most was Oreo cookies. Not sure why ... but they sure did taste pretty good at those aid stations!! Oreos, potato chips, coke/pepsi (& I usually never drink soda), M&Ms ... all tasted great.
Crazy Diamond
Rich-Winter flies by faster when you make the best of it, and you certainly are!
AZ-Love hearing about all your trail runs. Have a great trail race tomorrow!
Fletch-DS1 and I are running an indoor marathon relay, 48.2 laps each. His laps will take much less time than mine.
btw- I never missed Capt. Kangaroo & Mr. Green Jeans!
Dan-3 layers! Just getting ready to run is a workout.
Chantilly-Your mileage on Thursday was incredible! You'll be so strong for the FANS race.
Ray- Run strong at your 10k this weekend. Hope the foam roller helped.
adkkev-Snow in our area is so crusty, too. Whatever snow falls, just blows away. Oreos - perfect!
Took a mile walk today to keep the legs moving. Picked up our race packet this evening. Info table for a new Labor Day weekend trail race utilizing the bike paths, sand beach, ravine paths in heavily wooded area along Lake Michigan. Maybe?
Quo Vadis?
justrundan
debra, az, ray- hope your races went well today.
Chantilly- that is quite a menu ffor your 24 hour run! Besides the usual, I like fig newton cookies!
Ray- you have a good memory. Last winter my January was fairly consistent, but the 2+ months after my October marathon were VERY inconsistent. I had registered for Door County marathon, so I kicked it in gear in January. Most of this winter has been fairly good, even without the TM at home. Once I get outside with some regularity will see if it helped my speed.
3.4 yesterday, 6.3 today, both on work TM. Not horribly cold, but winds 20-30 mph made wind chill just miserable. And with the forecast, I don't see getting outside anytime soon. Both days I played with the TM more, varying the speed and incline and time at each level. Helped that I brought music with me today.
Stay warm friends!
Dan
4.5 on the t'milll at the Y this afternoon ... we spent the rest of the day babysitting our granddaughter so our DS & DIL could go out to dinner & a movie. we, of course, had a blast.
Fletch
For those of you racing today...I hope it went well, and look forward to the reports. For those of you on regular workouts...I look forward to those reports as well. You ALL inspire me!
Wanted to get a run in today, but knew it would have to be early. Promised DW I'd take care of a few things on the "honey-do" list. Since it was 21 degrees, with wind chill of 9 degrees, (and since I'm a weather-wimpy southern boy) I decided to take advantage of a complimentary temporary pass I have at the Gold's Gym a few blocks from the house. 5.25 miles on the treadmill. Now I understand what you all have been saying...that was not much fun! Luckily, I won't have to do that very often. Makes me admire you "regular treadmillers" even more.
Got up at 7:15AM and dressed for run. Rolled out calves and had some cookies for breakfast. Grabbed bag to put gear in and Vibrams for racing. The run was at Coyote Hills county park and there was limited parking so race arranged for parking at DeVry Institute campus and were running shuttles back and forth. The pre-race email said to arrive an hour early to insure arriving on time. We did so (wife was doing 1/2 marathon). Parking lot was filling up, but the shuttles were running continuously and the wait was 1-2 minutes. We arrived at race site by 8:15AM. Grabbed a cup of coffee and walked around. At 8:50 they called for the 1/2 runners to the gate. There was still a line to check bags so wife left hers with me and made he way to the gate. Changed in to my 5 fingers and loaded my bag. As I waited in line the 1/2 started. They called the 10K runners to the gate and I made my way to the front of the line. Figured with single track trails it would be better to be at the front to avoid the crowds. Race started and I took off quickly. Didn't want to hold anybody up and was just keeping up. Course crosses over a pond and you're running on a boardwalk for a bit. This year the pond is empty (see picture). A couple of people passed me and I let them go figuring I would catch them soon. Hit mile 1 marker and looked at watch (6:20 something) and thought hasn't registered a mile yet. We passed first aid station around 1..5 miles and gentleman passed me and asked if the mile marker was early, I said I thought so as he took off. Caught the woman who had passed me and soon hit the mile 2 marker (sub 14) but watch wasn't there yet. Young woman passed me saying I was looking good, I said wasn't so and she smiled. Mile 3 marker came near the 5K (actually 3.5 miles) turn-off and watch was sub-21 (and still behind). Next mile was on an incline and I was thinking just finish strong, slow down a little but not too much. Hit mile 4 marker and I'm thinking maybe I can hit 45. At mile 4.5 miles my right calf started acting up. I tried to slow up a bit, but it didn't really help. Every landing was painful, so tried to adjust my stride to lessen the pain. 45 was out the window and I stopped looking at my watch. We had caught up with most of the 1/2 marathoners and much of my energy was devoted to passing slower runners and avoiding the ones coming the other way. Hit the turn around. The runners were pretty thick through this section and it gave me something to think about besides my sore calf. Saw wife on way back, she suggested I do the second half of her half with her - didn't have time to tell her that my calf wasn't working so well. Hit the 5k turn-off and headed for finish and mile 6 marker almost at the same time. 5Kers were added to the mix and I'm trying to pick up my pace. Fortunately we're back on pavement 'cuz the rocky trails have done a number on my left heel. Make the final turn for the finish and try to kick the last 100 yards. No one to really close enough to really catch and no one to really push me either. Cross the finish and hit the button on my watch at 46:30.
Official distance is 6.29 miles and official time is 46:29 - good for 15th overall, 12th male and 2nd in age group (55-59).
Ray
rmcj001 'way to hang in there with the calf pain. 2nd AG. Good race!
That pond is beyond dry..hope you get rain soon.
Fletch_NC Treadmills are good for making sure you stay on pace… or the incline adjustment can help with hill training.
justrundan nice variety on the TM. Makes it more interesting.
2 marathon training groups on the track today. It is very windy here, so I guess no one wanted to go outside for their long runs.
10 miles.
"dancing on the path and singing, now you got away,
you can reach the goals you set from now on, every day"
Sonata Arctica
Yesterday was a day off...
Sunday, 1/26... 4 miles of xc skate skiing on the railtrail. Temp was 13, windchill brought it to -4. No-one else was on the trail today, kind of surprised me being the weekend.
Ray... nice race! I was worried your calf muscle was going to shut you down, but you held on nicely! WTG! Good luck with your weather, dry doesn't really describe that pond!
Chantilly... the N.E. Challenge marathon and half marathon race series looks interesting. I wish the marathon courses were certified, the one in Nashua, NH would be tempting. Nice work in the crowded gym!
adkkev & dan... rock solid on the treadmills again. I've been tempted to name mine, but it wouldn't be something suitable to share here...
Fletch... be thankful you live where it's warm most ot the time. Nice work on the treadmill too.
Ray- Wow, that picture is really worth a thousand words in describing your drought! Very nice race, especially considering your calf didn't want to cooperate.
chantilly- nice 10 on a busy track; you really rack up the miles.
Rich- cross country skiing using the skating method sounds like a great work out! Make good use of that snow and cold!
Fletch, adkkev- nice job getting the miles in on the TM. Ya gotta do what you gotta do!
The bitter cold has not swept in quite yet, so DW & I did 5 miles on the Riverwalk late this afternoon. Good thing we had wind protection most of the time, when we didn't it really stung exposed skin on the face; we kept that to a minimum. When we were out of the wind, though, we actually got hot and took off our gloves to help cool down. Again, it was VERY slow due to snow/ice/big boots, etc, but we could feel it by the end.
Stay safe everyone!
Ray - Awesome race report! I love hearing all the details of the day. Great job pushing through the calf pain and locking up a good finish.
Chantilly - Nice 10 miles on the track. Sounds like it was crowded. Does that help or hurt you with your run? I could see how more people could help alleviate the boredom, but 10 miles in a crowd seems tedious.
Rich - Nice day of skiing. And even though mine was only one day on the treadmill, I had some pretty choice words for it, too!
Dan - Nice run on the Riverwalk. Sounds cold, though.
Beautiful day here Sunday. Sunny, with temps around 50. Took the dogs for a romp in the woods at the off-leash park. It's about a one mile loop around the park, so it was a good warm-up walk for me. Let them rest at the house while I got in a 3.5 mile run around the neighborhoods, and into the downtown area. Rest day today. Keeping an eye on the weather for the remainder of the week. We're right on the edge of the system moving in. If it shifts a little to the west, we could get 5-8 inches of show. If it shifts a little to the east, we could get nothing. So please, all of you west of here...BLOW!
Another 3 miles this morning around the neighborhood. Weather was cool but cloudy some.
Saturday did the Cubs ball park and the City of Mesa Riverview Park dedication celebration with two of the grandkids. They are not into baseball much so they weren't that impressed with the ball park. They are football and soccer fans. The ball park was nice and the facilities were top notch. Can't wait to attend a game there.
The grandkids were really thrilled with the new Riverview Park. Besides the usual swings, etc. this park added a small zip line, a long rope climbing set that twisted, turned and dipped, a 3 story tall rope climbing spire, a small water park area with different types of water jets, a much larger fishing lake and lots of grassy areas to run around in. As Jason said going from one thing to another, "Now this is a park!"
After the park went and checked out all the other attractions there. plenty of bouncy rides, baseball throwing, slides, etc. Waited in line for a couple but after not enjoying them that much the kids were not interested in waiting for any others. Got a lot of walking in checking out the whole area.
adkkev - I have never done anything longer than a half so the science of eating the snacks they have at those events sounds interesting. But I would want a Mt. Dew.
Ray - Nice race report and good job on placement. Hope the calf is feeling better. I know what you mean by dry and drought.
For those with the cold weather, I remember a lot of us complaining about the heat. So cheer up. Pretty soon we can all start complaining about something else.
Art in AZ
Mesa, AZ
AZ-Hope your race was sweet!
adkkev-So much fun at g-ma & g-pa's house! Sounds like a great time.
Fletch-Nice TM run! If I had access to one I'd sure be using it this winter!
Ray-Oh, I feel your pain! Great race and RR. Bravo to you for toughing it out.
Chantilly-My dear, you are the mileage queen! Nice 10 mile run.
Rich-No one on the trail? You'd think everyone would be adapting to the cold by now.
Dan-Nice walk with DW. Bundle up, here comes Arctic Polar Vortex, part deux!
Art-Hope you are enjoying running in the milder weather. Sounds like a nice day with the g-kids!
Saturday morning woke up to intense pain in right big toe joint, and it looked like the skin over the join was sunburned! *swear word* GOUT. DS1 and I considered options for the marathon relay. Training has been inconsistent for each of us, dealing w/ bronchitis and assrt. viruses the last 6 weeks, crazy work schedules, cold, ect. We could've rationalized more, but FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION! Although we had trained to each run a HM for the relay, we decided to run 4 legs of 23+ laps each (approx. 6.7 miles) instead. Warm foot bath for me before we leave for the indoor track.
Here's the RR. Icebreaker race weekend began w/ 5k on Friday, 2 HM on Saturday am, FM relay in the pm and FM on Sunday. About 100 people participate in the Gold Challenge, Saturday HM and Sunday FM -- My hat is off to them! 103 teams of 2-4 runners for the relay on 3-lane track 440+ meter track. Temp inside is about 50 degrees, so wear capris, S/S t-shirt and stretch knit wool gloves. Big screen along side the track updates lap counts from ankle strap w/ chip, but we also used our Garmins. No headphones allowed, but during registration they took requests for music. For us, AC/DC's "Long Way to the Top" of course! Lots of great music, enthusiastic teams, costumes and funny signs.
DS1 first leg is slow for him, 49:08. My first leg was interesting. First 2 laps, my toe was killing me! Adjusted to more of a mid-foot to heel strike, which felt so weird for me. It did help somewhat, but made me supinate more that normal. Developed a pain on the outside of right calf. (See Ray, I do feel your pain!) Finished in 1:06. DS1 picks up at leg #3 and says in passing he can't get into a groove, comes in
at 51:57. The final leg is mine and the first 14 laps go as the previous leg, but as I run the final 10 laps, my toe is throbbing. DS1 (bless his heart) asks if he can take over. Stubborn is my middle name, tell him I'll hang in. Every lap, son encourages me (love this kid!) and I keep it going, wouldn't call it a jog, sort of a shuffle, really it is a slog. Finished. My last leg was a little longer that 6.7 miles, we must have missed a lap count somewhere. Forgot to hit the Garmin at the finish, but my second leg must've been about *gulp* 1:15. Official overall time for us was 4:09, ave. 9:30 pace. Our original goal was 3:55, there's always next year! Trip to the post race tables for banana, chocolate milk and a yummy, homemade, USA-shaped sugar cookie baked by the owner of Running in the USA website. Son pre-orders our favorite pizza, and DH has it ready for us when we get home. Foam rolled the ITB, and foot bath for the aching toe. Pain is subsiding, slowly. Not sure if I did any damage to the toe joint (Dan?), doing webMD research and see my Dr. next month and will inquire.
I'd run this race again. Well organized, and it is great to have an opportunity to run this distance during the winter.
Monday, 1/27... I wanted to run the highway today, we actually warmed to 35 degrees. The problem was the 15 to 20 mph winds that came with the warmer temps. Anyway, a buddy called and wanted to go xc skiing, so that's what we did. This guy loves to take off and try to leave you in the dust, so I wasn't surprised when he took off like a man possessed. I managed to stay with him for the 4 miles though and got a decent workout in the process.
Fletch... you're hoping for a LOT aren't you? lol Now, if you could get the crew in Washington who're supposed to be running the country to send some of their hot air your way, you'd have a heatwave...lol Nice run...
art...sounds like a good time with the grandkids. Have you seen the show on tv about tree houses? Between that show and zip lines, people seem to want to be in the trees lately... Anyway, 3 miles is a good run, good for you...
deb... just saw your race report, you did really well to finish. For your son to volunteer to take over for you says a lot about heart. His for wanting to finish for you and yours for wanting to tough it out to the end. My hat's off to you both, a couple of tough runners. Good luck with that toe!
justrundan good workout, even better with the snow,extra clothes, boots, etc. Must have warmed up quite a bit.
Fletch_NC hope you keep your nice weather.
The more people on the track, the merrier…. I can pretend they are my running partners and probably end up running an extra mile or two.
Art in AZ The ball parks in the Phoenix area are very nice. Been to a few D'Back games on holiday.. The kids' park sounds like quite the attraction.
gito57 oh, your poor toe…that would be painful. What a trooper to hang in there. NIce of your son to volunteer to finish for you, though. If it is gout, you probably need some medication for it. Another warm foot bath with Epsom salts would probably be helpful.
NH Runner don't you just love it when your exercise partners ask you out, then they take off and leave you in the dust? *@!*_# show-offs.
The Brick workouts are over, so I will try to do some on my own. Ran 6 miles, then cycled fairly hard for 10 minutes, ran 1/2 mile.
Now, if you could get the crew in Washington who're supposed to be running the country to send some of their hot air your way, you'd have a heatwave...lol
Rich - You may be onto something here. I looked at the forecast map again, and the system is coming from the southwest, scheduled to hit here Tuesday night. I figure all the hot air from the State of the Union address, AND from the other side's response, should be enough to push the system far enough south to miss us! I should be good for a Wednesday morning run after all.