Rich - good news on the leg!!!  Keep up the slow come-back ....

4.15 miles for me at lunch time around the parking lots & sidewalks near work .... misty drizzle but that made it relatively cooler in the humid air.

Chantilly - Some nice runs there.  Yeah, my heart rate monitor took about a mile to really sync in and be accurate.  You could tell by the consistency of the readings.

Rich - Be careful with the leg.  Just be honest with yourself about the pain.  In the long run, an extra week off won't hurt.  If it isn't getting worse, that's good.  If it feels better, that's even gooder 

MK - good that you're getting in some good work outs and runs!  keep it up.

Dan - Good vacation!  Which BMW do you have?  High school friend's dad had r65 and r85.  Time to get to work on the HM?

adkkev - You're getting a lot of runs in these days!  That's gotta feel good.

Debra - Migraines - sounds like you had it tough.  I know what a really bad one can do and even the lesser ones can be pretty debilitating.  Coffee and autumn used to be big triggers for me.

WDRich - Take care of the strain.  You'll be back at it before you know it.

Tuesday, night run 8.1 in 1:08:12 - last 2 full miles were at very fast pace and felt easier then the slower paced miles.  Too dark to go really fast, but wasn't too bad.

Wednesday, nice slow recovery like run - 8.5 in 1:16:19.

Thursday, warmed up a bit and ran a quicker 8.6 in 1:09:42 - temp was 86F

Friday, still a bit tired from Thursday and DS1 off to China, 10.4 miles in 1:29:02 and only 84F...

Hi everyone! Been a few days since my last post. Let's see .......ran 6.1 miles last Sunday with trail running friend on mtn bike trail; sporadic downpour on Monday, was dressed to run but after a couple of tries, I just called it a rest day.  Got call from DH's family that DH's father (my FIL) had another heart attack.    Deep long history of heart problems on both sides of his family, poor health, self-induced problems, etc. DH called hospital, 5 stents replaced, he's recovering.  So we decided to leave Tuesday morning.  I got up EARLY and ran 8.2 miles.  I have NOT run since!!    We drove for 6 hours to North Dakota, visited with FIL at hospital, and drove another 2 hrs to stay with family friend.  DH and FIL's GF do not get along. No safe place to run and it rained a couple of days.  Since my brother and his GF were flying into Fargo on Fri, we stayed in ND until Fri and drove to Fargo instead before driving home to MN.  They will be visiting till end of month.  YAY!!  So good to have family!!  That's the good news.  Sad News:  our dog, Odie, has been having problems since last winter and I've shared with you his antibiotic treatment that his Vet gave for Lyme Disease re-occurrence but DH kept telling them it must be something else.  Radiograph showed 'something,' possible tumors ....... but an ultrasound would be better and Fargo vet had them.  We have been discussing the worst scenario lately and what we want done.  So while waiting for brother/GF flight to arrive, we took Odie to Vet.  The ultrasound showed large growing cancerous nodules on spleen and liver.    We are  heartbroken but we suspected it.  So for now, just keeping Odie as comfortable as possible; not definite on how much time he has left but it doesn't sound very long.  Odie doesn't 'look' or 'sound' like he's in pain and Vet says it varies but the worst may yet to happen ......but he could also just go in his sleep anytime.  Just sad news.  Just the most amazing dog we ever had.  He's about 14 yrs old.  Yep, he lived a long and spoiled life .

NHRich~Mr. Dillydallydog is just trying to keep you from pushing too much!   Re: Thanks for the reminder about biking, I really need to implement it more. I used to ride a lot more, but running has taken over!

Dan~Boulder Jct. is a beautiful part of our state.   Hope you and DS enjoyed the Cheesehead. I’ve heard it is a fun race.

mKayC~Look at the big improvement you’ve made! Congrats on the 10k and the strong 5k run. You’ve persevered through so much the past year. I believe you've turned the corner. Keep on, keepin’ on! Have you noticed any effects from the thyroid medication?

adkkev~You’re on a lunch-time running roll!

Chantilly~Awesome 12 miles + biking! You had some great music motivation with Ozzie, Fab 4 and BOC - more cow bell! 

Ray~Strong running, and in those temps, too!  How long is DS1 staying in China?

AZ~So sorry to hear about FIL, hope his recovery is going well. And Odie … so sad. Our furry pals have a hold on our hearts, and those hearts break as we have to say good bye. Give him a soft pat on the belly from me.   I’m so glad I got to meet and spend time with him during the relay in April. (((hugs))) to you and DH.

Ran running club’s half marathon this morning to get my 13 mile (Garmin says 13:23) training run in. Course was 1 loop (4 miles) around the park, then 9 miles out and back on a bike path. Race included 8 water/Gatorade stations, SS tech t-shirt, BIG finisher’s medal, post race breakfast/goodies, hipster polka band and beer.  All held at one of the two new Munich-inspired beer gardens located in our county park system. All for only $25 for club members -  not too shabby for a fully supported training run with perks!  Weather was 73F with 86% humidity, 67DP and dense fog. Has to be what the Amazon rainforest feels like!  Thankfully, the cloud cover never lifted or the rising temps could have been awful. Forced myself to maintain 11:00 – 11:15 pace which is a challenge when others are racing. Took 3 extended walk breaks for Gatorade/water at 4.5, 8 and 10 miles. Picked it up the last 3 miles to hmp.  This was the hilly section of the course!  Finished in 2:29 - have to keep reminding myself,  it was a training run!

Run strong, friends!

.Hello All!

Ray - I looked at the Hanson books online at Amazon, as some of the comments there say it is a advanced training plan for a dedicated runner. I just don't have the time to run everyday or make my short runs be 80% of my weekly total. I am not sure about not having a rest day or no alternate training, but you can't argue with success and you are doing consistent moderately long runs of 8 miles or so with good paces.

Debra - some nice runs you had along the paved bike path with some cool temperatures. It is fun to see things emerge from a fog. Good luck with all those races and have fun with the training HM.

Mary Kay - Small increases in my distance that are hardly noticeable are how I want to train. Glad to hear that you are improving, despite the thyroid problems. To work through difficulties makes you a stronger person.

WDWRich - You should have just wore a little piece of a costume, like a cape or some face paint, just for the fun of it! I hope your strain gets better quickly.

AZ - Glad that you FIL is recovering from his heart attack and I wish your dog has some quality time with you before he passes, 14 dog years is a long time! It is hard running in the heat and humidity, but sweating helps get rid of toxins and maybe it helps fight off the remenents of your cold! And I am now glad to have some hills, I lived on the south shore of Long Island NY up until 2003 and it was all flat so doing hills was new to me. I do however miss running on the boardwalks next to the ocean, seeing all the different people walking along and looking out at the waves.

adkkev - Nice to be able to run during your lunch hour, don't you get sweaty? We also have some canal locks near here up in Rochester NY and there is a nice trail along the canal, but I have not yet run along it and mostly do runs starting from my house.

Chantilly - I hope that back feels better, you seem to know what you need to do. At least you are able to keep running. I think I have problems with my upper back between my shoulder blades, it makes cracking noises when I twist it and sometimes my hands feel tingly or numb, mostly if I lie down on one side for too long but also sometimes when I'm running. My doctor had me go for nerve tests where they stuck needles into my arm and hands and sent electric shocks into me! They said I have carpel tunnel in my wrists, but I still think the problem is in my back!

Dan - Hope you and DS had fun in your Cheesehead run! I don't think you lost a lot in having a break from running for a few days. Sounds like you had a nice time on your trip.

Rich - You are making a good recovery and it is best to take it slow. Nice to have a canine partner on your runs, I used to take my friends dogs out for runs. They do insist on stopping for sniffing or going to the bathroom!

I took a rest day Wednesday the 13th after my long run. Thursday the 15th it was sunny, but cool and breezy, I did 3.87. Saw an airplane doing some stunts! Friday increased a little to a 6 mile run. Saturday I was going to run but some trees had fallen in my yard in the wet, windy weather and I worked with my neighbor to cut them up and clean up debris. The big one he has a friend with a big chainsaw who will come to cut it up, soon I hope! Sunday another 3.87 miles and 4.15 Monday. Tuesday was a day off work for me and I left early afternoon for my long run of the week, I planned to do a bit over 13 miles. A sunny day, about 82 degrees at start. I saw a blimp low on the horizon, I had to look twice to be sure it wasn't just a dark cloud. I soon lost my view of it behind a line of trees. From mile 2 to mile 4 1/2 the course climbs about 150 feet. Now I was out in farm country and heard some frogs jumps into the drainage ditch as I ran along the road. The next mile was very scenic with some nice distant views of the valley. Heard the cry of what must have been a hawk flying into the woods and saw a group of turkey vultures circling over the field. The next mile dropped off about 50 feet in height. Now was the hard part, the next mile and a half goes uphill a bit less than 300 feet and the start of this is very steep! My pace slowed to a tiny shuffle, but I continued on without taking a rest stop like I usually do, I thought it would be good training for my HM on the 31st. I made it to the high point of my run at the 7 mile mark, mostly downhill from here! I saw another runner going the other direction and stopped for a minute to talk with him. He also was doing a 13 mile run that day, his route being closer to the lake area, but passing me at this point. We wished each other a good run and I continued, now feeling a bit fatigued. I don't know if it was brain fog or what, but I became confused as to where my next road was. This course is convoluted and I had a little hand-drawn map to help me, but the road when I got to it was unmarked. Unsure, I ran up it a sort ways and it did not seem familiar so I turned back to the road I was on before and continued. I was thinking my turn was further along. I soon realized I had made a mistake, but it was too late to retrace my route again. I ended up like cutting off a corner of my course and instead running a diagonal line back to my house. I was disappointed that I had made a mistake and cut about a mile off my intended run. But maybe my subconscious was telling me something because I ran out of steam by my last mile and it was a struggle not to slow down and walk, I just managed to shuffle along like I was doing on that steep hill. I was hot and tired when I finished. It was now about 85 degrees. I took a dip in my pool and relaxed. Anyway, I had made a new course for myself of 12.11 miles! I was very unhappy with my pace, it took 2 hours 51 minutes, a 14:08 pace. The week before I did a similar distance in a 12:18 pace. What went wrong? Well, I climbed about an additional 100 feet or more of hills on this run, one being rather steep. It was also hot and a bit humid with little shade on a very sunny day. I just had 2 mugs of tea before my run, should have drank a glass of water or taken some beverage with me on the run. Heat and dehydration can definitely work to slow you down. I also would have done better if I had more long training runs and more time to gradually increase my millage on the long run. Legs sore, rested Wednesday, then did a 3.87 on Thursday at a 12:05 pace and my legs were still very sore so I took another rest Friday and then did a 4 mile run today. I felt much better and stronger and finished in 42 minutes 4 seconds, like a 10:31 pace which is not bad for me right now. Perhaps My difficult run did me some good in my training. I have no time to try a 13 mile run now before the HM and I think it best to taper down to some short runs, maybe a 7 mile run next Tuesday.

dammit ..........lost a really nice post!! ugh!!   Will respond later .........

Cloudy with sporadic light rain this morning ........my brother (DB) and his GF rode our mtn bikes while I ran.  GF cycles more than she runs.  She finished a 50 mile ride a couple of weeks ago from CO to NM with my other brother and his wife, IMPRESSIVE!!  Anyway, my DB took a different route to go longer while GF stayed with me to get familiar with my running route near home so they will know if they go by themselves.  Pretty muddy areas from the rain the last few days on the dirt road to the nearby lake.  The cool breeze in the shade was NICE ......good steady run for an hour, finished 6.5 miles, YAY!!