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Re: My last run was...how was yours?

guest — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 02:33:37 GMT

2.5 miles at 9:30 pace in sunny San Juan on Wed afternoon. Then 5 miles again in San Juan on Thur at a sightseeing pace of 11:00b Both days it was about 80 degrees! If you all haven't been to Old San Juan, it is very cool, with lots of history and a beautiful section of town with great hotels, nice restaurants and shops.

Then met up with coyote this morning for the local 5k and it was 8 degrees. Lots of layers. Been running slower of late so had no expectations, except finishing behind both coyote and my neighbor. Both of those expectations were fulfilled as I finished in 28:58, or 9:18 pace.

So I insured that the course record stayed intact, but really it was a good race for me, with splits of 14:53 and 14:05. Overall felt good, and while I had the Garmin watch and HRM on, I never looked at it between the start and finish lines, instead running totally by feel. When I looked back at results, the effort was even throughout, and for the first time in any race since high school, I did not have to stop to walk from going out too fast. Who knows, maybe my pace demons can be conquered.

Great event, and even better meal after. Enjoyed the time with coyote and look forward to finding time to run together again soon. While I did not stop at the health fair, I am absolutely positive that they would not have found my body fat to be 10.2%!

This race is what I needed to get refocused. Gonna lose the 10 lbs I have gained since Sept and start getting serious again with some structured training.

az: Glad to hear hubby is OK, but what a scare that must have been. I am only a couple years younger than him and think about that kind of thing happening to me.

Everyone else: Keep up the great work. Will come back on line tomorrow when I have more time to respond to you individually.

Run fearless!

My last run was...how was yours?

guest — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 22:43:18 GMT

nrdgirl: nice collection of medals! Were they all from last year?

francessmom: good that you could all be together with your mom today. my wife and i are very fortunate to still have all of our parents living but they are now in their 70's so probably won't be long.

debm: ouch...but way to laugh it off. After all if we can't laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at?

Met up with my neighbor who is 57 but has been running for over 30 years. He is about a minute/mile faster than me so was curious if I could hold up. Ran 2 miles to the HS track, with a break to do some form drills and strides. At the "oval" we did 4x300M repeats at 7:30 pace. Then 2 miles back home at 9:30 pace with 2 short walk breaks. I succeeded in keeping up although I was breathing harder than him at most points. Was good for me to actually to do a mixed up run like this and not just out and log miles.

We are both going to meet coyote next week at the Quicker Quaker so they can both show me up. Also committed to doing more training together so will be good to have a running partner...especially one who is a little faster to push me harder.

Off to Puerto Rico tomorrow so hope to get in some runs along the Caribbean. Have a good running week, all!

Re: My last run was...how was yours?

guest — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 01:52:19 GMT

jmsab: grats on the great race! 3rd male is a place I will never be unless there are 4 or fewer runners! Know what you mean about yoga, and actually thought that until I tried it. 60 minutes goes by incredibly fast and it is a much harder workout than it sounds. I was sore for most of the week from the two I did last weekend, and I regularly lift, stretch and do core work. A good yoga class can be very intense and rewarding.

debm: thanks for the words of encouragement. Think you're right about winter, plus work sucks right now, etc. Good news is oldest daughter graduated college three weeks ago and starts her first full time job in 8 short days. I love her dearly but will be glad to see her go! Great work with the Scouts!

coyote: AWESOME time, and grats on the blowout PR! A good start to the New Year. Good news on the job...hope it works out. Will be there next week for the QQ...not sure if I will run or just cheer you on. Talk later this week about meeting before the race either way.

degregorious: nice work on the 12 miles! Can't wait to get back there where 12 miles is a regular run myself.

az: congrats on the being a grand parent! Hope mom and baby are doing great!

melodylea: I shiver every time I read one of your posts! Way to go on pushing through the elements!

tim: welcome to this great group! Looks like you are pretty fast for a new runner...keep it up!

francessmom: met a guy at the gym today here in CO with a North Penn shirt on so yacked it up about Philly. He is a real runner though and much younger than me but was good to talk about the old stomping grounds!

mkayc: glad you are feeling better. Too bad about our Bengals, or should I call them our Bungles? Maybe next year? Looks like Reds traded up and finally have a lead off hitter so lots to look forward to in a couple months.

jeffct: Nice skeleton outfit! You going to do the plunge, or not?

NHLA: I am happy to get one sunset per day, and we have some gorgeous ones here in CO. But three in one day, that is special!

justrundan: ncie job on the NY 8k! Brrrrr!

oshcat: looks like you layered up nicely! Nice job on the color race, and thanks for the tips for future.

snerb: good to hear from you and glad your winter regimen is working out. Best of luck this year!

Run free and strong, friends!

And go Notre Dame!

My last run was...how was yours?

guest — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:21:47 GMT

New Year's Day got in 6 miles plus an hour of yoga. Not so good since then with only 4.5 miles on the 'mill while in Austin, then an hour lifting this morning.

A neighbor stopped by today and asked if I wanted to go for a run...so we are heading out tomorrow at 11 AM. Know he is faster than me so maybe this can help break me out of the funk I have been in.

Been reading all your posts but tough to respond while I was out of town. Great off season work by everyone. NHLA, good race today!

Have you all decided where to take this thread? I am happy to move as long as we can keep the group together.

Keep up the great work, and be fearless!

Re: My last run was...how was yours?

guest — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:41:27 GMT

melodylea: You are braver than me...no way am I running outdoors if it's 7 degrees no matter how many layers I have on! I admire your commitment!

nrdgirl: good to hear from you...and way to be there for your sis!

francessmom: ouch! Hope you feel better soon.

nhla: see my comment to melody above...no way am I running in 8" of snow no matter what kind of gear I have!

mkayc: 700 miles for the year...very impressive especially considering some of the down time you have had this year. Lucky or not, it's good to have the Bengals in the post season again. Now if they can only win a postseason game...

coyote: you are more clever than me with the idiot on the ice...wonder if he made it home or not? Sounds like a good day at the gym yesterday. Have a great run tonight. Think it is a full moon, or close to it so should be very cool!

debm: I think shoveling snow can be a better workout overall than running sometimes...as long as you don't get hurt.

90 minute massage on Saturday was awesome! Think I will do that more often. Went out for a short run yesterday morning but had no plan. Given how badly my planned "slow" run went on Saturday, I decided to run fast - not nhla fast, or jmsab fast, or francessmom fast, but fast for me. Ran 2 miles at 10k effort in a little over 18 minutes. Then went to corepower yoga with DW and got a really good workout. Was only my second time doing yoga, but I plan to make it a regular part of my routine in 2013.

Rest day today. Happy New Years, all!

My last run was...how was yours?

guest — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 18:03:13 GMT

francessmom: I use a Garmin watch with HRM that I bought at Costco. They have a similar one on their website www.costco.com for $159 including HRM. Wirelessly downloads all the data from your run to their website and then you can analyze all the data you could ever imagine. At first it is daunting because their is so much info but you can quickly figure out what you want to see. They also have an app for your phone that synchronizes with your account.

My last run was...how was yours?

guest — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 21:40:53 GMT

melodylea: nice job on the weekly mileage! Hope you got some rest after the long trip too.

nhla: thanks for the clarification about "Parsons Table"...didn't catch that your original reference was in response to jmsab's upcoming trip.

debm: will definitely give "hugs" to John and Vicki as soon as they get back from Hawaii. Think I have talked myself into the Boulder HM on Apr 7...need a goal to get training back on track.

Went for a very slow 8 miles today trying to get my HR down. Don't think I could run any slower than I did, but did not succeed keeping HR below 150 bpm. Good news is the 1275 calories burned and a lot of time to get some thinking done. Even though it was 26 degrees, with no sun again, it felt much colder.

Decided to get myself a 90 minute massage for XMas and to celebrate 1184 miles for the year. I signed up for the kind that will probably hurt, but thinking that can get some of the kinks worked out. Then DW and I are going to yoga tomorrow. Never had to do all this therapy 20 years ago!

Run safe, stay warm and be fearless. Happy New Year's to all.

My last run was...how was yours?

guest — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 06:03:33 GMT

debm: any more runs over the holidays? You did great this year. Do you have a target race for 2013?

ogr: did you enjoy the time in CO? The altitude definitley takes some getting used to, but once you do, you would not want to leave. The extra heat from the sun, and the lack of humidity far offset the drain from sweating incessantly at sea level. Let me know if you get back out this way, as I only live 20 minutes from Boulder and we can get out for a run.

cklindsay: good to hear from you. Don't know how you do it, running on a ship, or in port, but don't give up. You are a runner!

chell: what a great story you have to tell over the last year! Phenomenal commitment and improvement. Keep it up and go get 'em in 2013!

maureen: good for you! Keep working hard and you will continue to be amazed at the difference that running can make in your life!

degregorious: stay warm out there in Chicago! I enjoyed Chicago in August but don't know if I could handle the cold, humid wind in the Winter.

My last run was...how was yours?

guest — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 05:46:40 GMT

coyote: wish I was closer to a running group. Sounds like a good way to train, especially in conditions that are not that conducive to getting out the door. And wish my clothes did not stink when they get wet but after a long run the wife usually wants to kick me out of the house! I will sign up for the QQ and then we can find a way to meet before/after. And with new shoes and back pack, no excuses!

jmsab: great job with the offseason rigor...and always good to get a good report from the doc!

nhla: sorry, but I lost my secret decoder ring for "Eat at the Parsons Table". Please decipher...

az2mn: thanks, it's good to be back with the group. Please send some of your AZ weather up here to CO!

julieann: jealous of your weather...and your 8 m/m!

melodylea: what a training machine you have become! Hope your drive was uneventful and the memorial peaceful for all.

justrundan: layers can be very complicated as it is hard to estimate how much your body will heat up during the run. And I hear you with the need to cover the bald head!

mkayc: how's it going with the family? Who dey?

francessmom: thanks for the race feedback. Sounds like a definite for me for next year, especially with all my family and friends back there.

oshcat, snerb, nrdgirl, webpro: haven't heard from you all, so hope you are doing well. Say hey when you get a chance.

18 degrees, no sun, high humidity, medium breeze today made 5.5 miles feel like a HM. Note to self: do not eat tuna for lunch before an afternoon run...tastes good the first time, but not the second, third, etc...

Starting to get back into a groove but need a goal so will pick that in next week or so.

Run strong, and be fearless!

My last run was...how was yours?

guest — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 01:22:27 GMT

16 degrees, bright sunshine, no wind, snow covered streets, 4.85 miles.

coyote: gorgeous photos, thanks for sharing. And good luck with the job search.

nhla: hope you enjoyed the eats...

francessmom: just realized you are from my old stomping grounds. Been thinking about the RNR HM in Philly next year. How was the course? I did the Runner's World HM in Bethlehem in Oct and it was very hilly so looking for something flatter and friendlier.