Mimi:  WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HA!

Way to go! Congrats. I love to watch the finish of these races. It is one of the most pure human experiences. To see the mix of emotions as people cross that line and the folks waving and cheering really is a demonstration that runners are a family. It is just amazing. There is a bond that connects all who cross the line no matter what the clock says.   When Bill Rogers was settting records running the marathon, he once said something like: "I have great admiration for all those who finish a marathon no matter the time. I don't think I could ever run for 4 and a half hours."

I don't know if there is a cut off between fast and slow, but I do know that there is a big gap between runners and potatoes, no matter the speed of the former or the size of the couch of the latter!

Good running

Jack

BTW, I have had numerous problems posting. Usually it is an error message telling me that I can't post a blank message after I have spent the better part of 20 minutes of more trying to get my thoughts down on paper.  Now I try and remember to save the text of my posts before hitting the Post Message button.

This is one of those things that really annoys me. Walking and running are determined buy gait. How fast do you think Olympic walkers walk??????

@OneTrixie - You mean I've spent all last year just walking?  Even my best 5K PR (10:35 miles) was still just a casual stroll, I guess!    Funny, it felt so much harder than that!   Thanks for laughing at that guy for all us penguins!

Hi Gang! Hope everyone is well today!

MamaBear! Good job on the 9 miler! Doesn't it feel strange when  you get to the point that you say..I ONLY have 4 miles today or 5 miles today! Before I started training for a HM, 4 or 5 miles WAS  my long run!

Jack - Amen to that! People who do NOT run or do any form of exercise for that matter have no idea how hard it is and how much discipline it takes to run. I have had people that do nothing physically ask me what the 13.1 sticker on my car means and I tell them that is how many miles I ran in my HM. They say...oh..I could run, but my muscles are weak! Well, I bet they are since you do nothing but sit on your butt all day. Then I have also had people to tell me how crazy I am that I run and ask me why I would want to do that. I tell them that I do it because at 58 years old..I CAN!!! Then I ask them if they CAN?

Dearn it.....sure hope coolrunning gets this site fixed soon. Hate, hate, hate these disappearing posts.

Mimi & Onetrixie, had a good laugh at your devilish comebacks. My 32 year old daughter & I agreed that our foray on the pavement this morning definately had elements of running, even if we did excede the 10 min. pace. Heck, at my age, I may never meet his qualifications of running, but that isn't going to stop me from moving my bootie as fast as I can over whatever distance that I can.

Had a nice 3.1 mile run this am followed by yoga. I've been a funk this week, so really dreadred getting out, but,  it was fine once I got started.

Have a great day fellow penguins.

Marie

Jack,
That is so right on, and it seems to apply to most self-improvement areas.  I find with weight loss some people do not want to support it because they feel that it is a reflection on themselves of what they are not doing.  Like as simple as if I politely say "no thank you" to some supermarket birthday cake at the office, it somehow becomes about my inflexibility.  But when in fact, I leave room in my diet for deserts, I just make sure they are worth the calories.  It seems similar to you - I'm sure you don't run non-stop, but you also are unwilling to waste a beautiful day as I am unwilling to waste calories.

I find it is easier to keep my excitement at the possibilities of life to myself when I am around certain types of people that aren't into self improvement, but then I do tend to probably talk a bit too much when around people who are!  As an example, I'm loving these message boards and the people that are on them!

Best,

Laura

....I'm very new to long distance running,  I've been training for longer (5+ miles) for about a year, and running on a semi-regular basis for at least 2 now.  I really don't know that much about how to properly organize a training regime, and for the most part of this past year, every time I ran, I pushed.  This didn't seem condusive to getting myself to go running the next time it was on the daily schedule, AND I recently signed up for my first 1/2 Marathon.  I found a 4 month training schedule on-line, and I've been sticking to it, but I jsut had some random questions, and I didn't really know where else to turn, so I apologize if this is annoying, BUT! if you happen to know the answers, please chime in...OR if you know of a good resource where I can find a lot of my problems addressed, that would be fantastic too.

...I recently stumbled across the notion of heart-rate training (and I got a heart rate monitor for Christmas, which I LOVE) I have been trying to locate my heart rate training "zones" which requires a calculation of my max heart rate.  The formula I found on line uses age.  Despite my slow running pace, apparently over the past year, pushing myself has greatly lowered my resting heart rate and I was wondering if this factors into my max heart rate calculation at all.  I feel like it should, but I'm not very sciency, so who knows.  I also found some physical tests I could try, but I am hesitant to do so...(I've already fallen off the treadmill at the gym once! :)) but are those tests more accurate?

...also, based on my running schedule, I'm running one long day followed by a very brief recovery run the next day, and then three days of middle, short, middle distances.  Which of these runs should be my "hard" run, and how many of them should be in the "easy" category?  I am interested in building speed, but from what I understand there should only be speedwork done in brief periods leading up to a race? and should not be part of my weekly workout year round?  To sustain my "easy" heart rate I feel like I'm barely moving....but at the same time I do run farther.  Should both of my short runs be hard runs?

...also I try to go to the gym 3 times a week too....I'm only in there for like 15 minuets, but with all the runnning, should I lower the amount of weight training? I am also a student and I don't get too much sleep during the semester, which plays into how dead my legs feel too.  towards the end of the week sometimes, after I've been sitting down for a long time at my job or school, my calfs get a wierd swollen feeling?!!? am I doing something wrong? or are they just fatigued? haha maybe I should do more stretching.

your thoughts?!?!?! thank you for wading through all of that, I apologize if these questions are silly!