4.5 miles, 48 minutes, up and down South Table Mountain.

Seems like I get two pages of posts behind every time I look on here; sorry I can't respond to everyone, it'd take me a half hour just to make notes of everything I want to say.

OC good luck on the job hunt.

Melody congrats on the magazine article!

Snerb  my Jingle Bell is this coming Saturday too, enjoy!  I'm planning on making a lot of noise, I pin bells to myself all over the place.  I'm not looking forward to winter running either, glad I haven't had to start dealing with snow and ice just yet.  I do a lot more TM time in winter, only running outside on the weekends. 

This past weekend was a nice 5.5 mile run in a tee shirt and capri's, no tights no mittens etc.  Unheard of in Wisconsin in December!!  I planned to do 7 but had to cut it a little short due to sore legs from Wednesday's Cardio Fusion class...I was too enthusiastic in class yet again.  I did a very slow 2 mi (TM) on Thurs just to warm up the muscles so I could do 15 min of stretching to try to loosen everything up.  Need to remember to take it a little easier this week .

Hi All -

13.3 miles at 10:45 pace. Horrible pace. Great new distance. I decided to try that new route (thanks for the advice OldCoyote but I got it too late). I have not been running with any food/drink for about a month now, and Ive been loving it. Today, I think I pushed that luck a little too hard. Started off near 44 degrees, but quickly got to 38 and I was much wetter than I realized as the wind whipped through me. That new trail ended up bringing me for 2-3 miles up a hill. My legs havent been trained enough for them, but I made it. Explains the pace. I wanted to get that 1/2 in 2012, and now thats done. Im probably going to cut back the milage and work on speedwork some more. 10K race on 01/01. Its nice to know I can do the 13.1, but dont need to push that for now. I'll sign up soon for the 26.2 - The Memorial Day run that Im signing up for put out a picture on FB. Im not sure what makes it the toughest, there are some hills on the route, but guess I'll find out. Its both inspirational and scarey at the same time.

mkayc - you were right, I could do a 13.1 - I didnt get your note until just now. What is a 'cutback' ? "Take a weeks cutback and go for it" - Im still very neewbeeish.

OC- Not sure how much you were joking about the "bring drink and food". What food does anyone carry on a run? I am often worried that I'll be hit by a car and left in the woods overnight. I did have a good app on my iPhone called "Find Friends" it worked great. My wife could see me on the iPad. Now, I have a Droid phone and cant find any good tracking apps.

snerb- I like your idea to do P90X on the cold days.

After today's run, I coughed a little, one was strong enough to almost make me vomit. Im thinking dehydration, but since Im new, I know nothing. I did some static stretching after the run, but a few minutes later my legs were in really bad pain. Took a hot shower and had some fluids. They got better. As I said, I also did some hills today, so maybe thats all it was. I dont know what dehydration looks/feels like.

Old Coyote After reviewing the ingredients, yes there were some additives. On the other hand, I only had a few ounces.  Try everything once.  Anyway, I also had the fresh squeezed orange juice that same day.

I shop at Whole Paycheck once in a while.  They sell a sunblock that is well rated.

"The constant jogging of a runner's digestive tract can add a certain delicacy to the fueling process, but with practice you can figure it out."

Good one!  I make sure I wait at least 90 minutes after eating oat meal, or bread with orangge marmalde on it before running.

One thing that made me go "Huh?" was before  the Chicago's Perfect 10 race.  I saw peoople eating bananas.  Sorry, no one can digest THAT fast.  A GU gel pac? Yes.  But bananas?

Oh yes, and good liuck on job searching.

Hey guys! I'm taking time off, but wanted to stop by and read what you all have been up to.

Snerb: Awesome come back run after 4 weeks off. Welcome back! Good luck on your 5k this weekend.

Mary Kay: I'm so glad you're allowing yourself to rest. Best wishes for a full recovery. :-)

dilljeffrey: Congrats on 13.3 miles! You've run a half marathon. Now you need a medal. Sign up for a race and get some bling. And yea, the World's Toughest Marathon sounds pretty darn scary, but I'm sure you will rock it. I'm no expert, but I think your coughing could be attributed to the weather and whether you were inhaling through your mouth during your run. I usually don't inhale through my mouth, but I noticed myself coughing at the end of Chicago and had a weird feeling in my chest. I know I started inhaling through my mouth at the end of that run because breathing through the nose just wasn't working for me. Regarding nutrition, just see test and see what works. I can run on empty up to a 10k, but I wouldn't go any further without having something in my system. But, everyone is different, so it's about figuring out what works for you. By the way, you're making amazing progress for a newbie.

Melody: Great job on getting that 3 miles in, even though it was tough.

FrancessMom and Jmsab23:  Sounds like you're enjoying unseasonably warm weather like us here in Atlanta. Pretty cool to be running in spring like temps in Dec, huh?

Good luck on your races/runs this weekend, guys. I'll be back to read about it. Run happy, run strong.

Degreg - yes, bananas. They give you a shot of fructose and potassium and um, slow things up down there.  I know, TMI. Fortunately Whole Paycheck has competition in Denver, so we have access to some good foods for a cowtown. And thanks!

NHLA - steady as a rock

NRDgirl - don't stay gone too long!

jmsab - My next goal, speedwise, is a 7 minute mile which is 8.5 mph. Pretty sure I have it in me now; just need discipline. Or a TM to pace me.

7.2 miles, 70 minutes up and across South Table Mountain in a night run with a group. I usually chase a faster sub-group with these guys, and I did tonight again. Real good workout, and a beautiful view of Golden from the Castle, a prominence at the west end of the mesa. Lots of Christmas lights below us.

Registered today for the 2013 Quicker Quaker 5K on January 12. It's a fairly large event - over 1000 people in a bad weather year, 1350 last year. Hoping for sub-24 minutes, but weather can be a big factor. This was my first 5K - 33:30 in 2006

Nice runs everyone.  I have been following the discussions and agree about fueling on longer runs.  Any run over 5 miles I bring water unless it is hot out.  I use Gu if run is longer than 8 miles.  When I run I have 3 areas of concern: muscles, breathing and stomach.  Stomach issues are usually my biggest monkey wrench.  I usually save the banana for afterwards.  Signs of dehydaration include thirst, headache, dizziness, flushed skin, fatigue, dry mouth and dark colored urine.  Dehydration can happen in the winter!  Be careful!

My 7 y/o son is home sick Day 2!  No run yesterday and it looks doubtful for today. This morning he was sick in the bathroom sink, then he broke a glass on the kitchen counter and there were shards of glass everywhere  - even in my hand!  I am running with you all in spirit! Stay healthy!