The Athlete Within

I think I've mentioned before that I've spent most of my life not being an athlete.  I had an athletic spurt in 5th and 6th grades when I played softball.  But I played catcher, so the most running I would have to do would be potentially running the bases when batting (not necessarily a common occurrence).  I considered doing field hockey in high school when they were just starting a team, but decided against all of the running.  For my two required P.E. classes in college, I took fencing and gymnastics.  I enjoyed them both while still avoiding having to run around too much.  (What I really wanted to take was horseback riding, but that's another story for another day.)

Now my inner athlete has chosen this year to emerge.  And it's not been happy to limit itself to just one activity.  How far have I come in seven months?  (Glad you asked)

I run.  My longest run to date has been seven miles, set two weeks ago.  And I'm planning to run a half-marathon in February.  Up next is a Thanksgiving day 5K.  I'm actually seeking out things to do.

I bike.  I did over 60 miles over 2 days in September (on my almost 20 year old mountain bike).  I really enjoy being on my bike.  I'm now the proud owner of a proper road bike.  I'm already signed up to the MS Bike ride next year.  I may do the 60 mile ride first day.

I condition.  I'm taking a fit class so I can get some all-over strength training.  The biking and running don't really lend themselves to upper-body improvement.

I swim?  If you recall from my Tin Man Triathlon experience, the swim was my weakest leg.  While I can keep afloat and move about in a pool, I don't have a proper stroke.  And I can't coordinate my breathing and swimming.  Or, I should say, I couldn't.  I got a co-worker who does triathlons to give me a swimming lesson.  While I still don't have anything pretty, I at least feel like I could get from one side of the pool to the other with something resembling a stroke without gasping for breath or feeling completely worn out by the time I got to the other side.  Now what I need is practice.  And for that, I need to find a pool.  There's no community pool in the county I live in.  The pool used for the lesson is not particularly convenient.  I'll figure something out.

Where this inner athlete has been hiding all my life up to this point, I don't know.  But I like her.  And I hope she sticks around for a while.  I'm doing my best to keep her here.

Brrr...

The weather has been a bit schizophrenic the past couple of weeks.  Hot one day, cold the next, nice the next.  I've run in the rain and I've biked in the windy cold.  So I'm having to put together my cold-weather gear.  But it's actually pretty nice doing my workouts in the cooler weather.  I don't get as sweaty.  And I feel I can go faster.

To that end, I'm also working on increasing my running pace.  My during the week workouts are going to be intervals where I alternate running and walking.  For the running segments I will be trying to run harder and faster than my usual pace.  I've done it once so far and I was able to achieve the goal of running faster for short segments.

The weekends I'm going to try to start alternating long runs and long bikes.  I want to join in with the group rides from my local Trek shop.

Need for speed

I know that I titled my blog "Run when chased..." but my fits of athleticism has expanded into cycling.  I am also being encouraged by others to expand into triathlons.  Despite my participation in the Tin Man Triathlon, my lack of swimming skills will keep me from jumping into that arena for now.
Backing up a little, two weeks ago I had to travel for professional reasons.  Between the MS Bike ride and that trip, I didn't do any biking.  I gave myself a rest.  I still ran, though.  During my trip, I did get up on a stationary bike once, availed myself of the treadmill a couple of times, and ran outside once.  I felt really good about keeping up my fitness goals while travelling and running a meeting (which was completely stressful for me).

And now to this weekend's main event.  About mid-week I decided to sign up for a Brest Cancer Awareness ride which was being hosted by the local Trek Bicycle stores yesterday.  I did a 25 mile ride from the Peachtree City store.  It was fun and a good opportunity for a nice long ride (compared to the 5 miles I usually accomplish during the week).  And it reinforced my desire for a road bike.

So...meet my new gear:

It's my new road bike!  It's so light!  I've got new pedals and shoes to go with it!  I will be Speedy Gonzalez!  And I will not hurt so bad on the hills!  Now I just have to get better at getting into my pedals and shifting (it's a completely different system than my mountain bike).

I plan on occasionally joining the group rides out of my local Trek shop so I can continue getting in some long rides.  And I'm still running and preparing for my half-marathon in February.

Athlete?

First off, I'm not going to be doing weekly workout reviews.  Rest assured, I'm still keeping up with everything.  Just nothing new or exciting is going on with the workouts.  If there's something new to report on that front, I will.  The next big event I have on the schedule will be in February.

In the mean time, I will try to put up some thoughts on my efforts, in general.  To that end...

Last week, I got called an athlete.  Me and athlete have never been put together in the same breath before.  My previous athletic endeavors have been limited to playing softball in fifth and sixth grades.  And I played catcher, so it wasn't like I had to run around the field a lot.  For my two PE requirements in college, I took fencing and gymnastics.  So while I still consider myself a novice in my athletic endeavors, I can see how far I've come in five months.

I can run continuously for over an hour.  I've done a triathlon (it wasn't pretty, but I did it).  I've run faster than I ever have before (or since) in a 5K.  I rode my bike 66 miles over two days (at a decent pace, too).

There hasn't been any big trick to it.  I had a plan and I had a gradual build-up to my goal (which was originally just the running).  And I definitely see results.  I couldn't have done as well with the biking this weekend without the conditioning I got with the running.

So, yeah.  I guess I'm an athlete.

I like to ride my bicycle...

This weekend was the big MS: Bike Cox Atlanta ride at Callaway Gardens.  We had a great time.  The first day was 34 miles, which involved approximately 2 hours, 45 minutes of ride time but took longer due to two break points.  There were some killer hills, especially in the last 12 miles.  Some members of the team did 60 miles and some did 102 miles, but we all finished and did well.  The rest of the day after finishing my ride was spent cheering the other groups as they finished.

The second day involved a 32 mile ride.  Everyone on the team who didn't do the 102 mile ride on Saturday, with the exception of two, did the 32 mile ride.  Two people just did the Saturday ride.  I was sore from the day before, but felt good once I got moving.  This time, the ride took approximately 2 hours, 30 minutes.  Again, there were two break points and then we waited at the end for the whole 32-mile group to gather and ride into the finish as one.  Then we waited to cheer in the 64-mile team mates (same guys who did the 102 miles on Saturday).

We got cool medals at the end.  I'm sore today, but feel accomplished.  I've already signed up for next year's ride.  My goal is to save up for a road bike so I don't have to haul my mountain bike (which is heavier) up those hills again. (If anyone is interested in helping me with this goal, feel free to contribute :-) ).

The week leading up to the ride was my typical alternating bike and run days with Xfit class on Tuesday and Thursday.  I didn't do anything on Friday as I wanted to rest up.  And I needed to pack and travel.  Today has been a well-deserved rest day.  I'll start back up with a gentle run tomorrow.

Whew!

It sure has been a busy couple of weeks.  I fully intended to do an update last week.  But business and tiredness conspired against it.  So there's lots to report.

Labor Day weekend involved the whole family attending Dragon*Con.  I took my workout clothes with me in case I got a wild hair to use the hotel gym, but that was not to be.  So I went four days without doing any exercising unless you count the endless walking we did.  Which I don't, really, since I could feel the effects of not exercising for four days when I started back up again.  I really need to avoid repeating that in the future.

This weekend I did a training run with my MS Bike team, 'Cause of Carol.  It was my longest bike ride to date.  It didn't feel too bad.  I did have to walk the bike up two hills, one at the beginning and one at the end.  I had a feeling I wouldn't be able to do my long run today.  While I haven't felt overly sore, I was definitely tired in my legs.  The most I could manage today was about 5K of mixed running and walking.  But I was expecting that.

Here's the breakdown:
Monday, August 29: Biking, ~5.2 miles, 22 minutes
Tuesday, August 30: Running, ~2.5 miles, 30 minutes.  Also, ATA Fit Class.
Wednesday, August 31: Biking, ~5.6 miles, 24 minutes
Thursday, September 1: Running (treadmill at hotel), ~3.4 miles, ~37 minutes
And then...Dragon*Con
Tuesday, September 6: Biking, ~5.2 miles, 24 minutes.  Ugh, remnants of Tropical Storm Lee made it drizzly and windy.  I was fighting some headwind.  That coupled with the lack of activity the previous four days equaled a tough workout.  Also, ATA Fit Class
Wednesday, September 7: Running, ~2.5 miles, 30 minutes.  BEAUTIFUL weather.  Cool.  Loved it!
Thursday, September 8: No running or biking.  Work lunch.  But did ATA Fit Class.
Friday, September 9: Running, ~2.6 miles, 31 minutes.  Beautiful, cool weather again.  I can tell the difference with my runs.
Saturday, September 10: Biking.  'Cause of Carol training ride.  We split into two groups.  One group (my group) did a shorter distance.  The other group did about twice as much.  My ride was ~26 miles in ~2 hours, 10 minutes.
Sunday, September 11:  Rebellion of the legs.  Running, ~3 miles, ~42 miles.

This week will be mostly normal during the week.  Friday I will not be doing anything leading up to the weekend and the MS Ride.

To the pain...

If you can name that movie, brownie points to you.

I come to you today in some pain.  The building up of running since April/May meant my legs were never really sore throughout the process.  I've only really had sore muscles since starting Warrior Xfit class.  At least different muscles are used each class.  Well, Saturday's class had a lot more leg work.  I wasn't feeling too bad this morning.  A little sore.  And then I went running.  And now I hurt.  I was fine all during the run.  As soon as I slowed to a walk to cool down, I knew I would be having some pain today.  And so I have.  It's all to to the good.

Also this week, my running has been a little faster.  Tuesday was so nice, weather-wise, that I wasn't sure if it was because of the cooler temperature or that I was using music instead of audiobook to run to.  Thursday was warmer again, but I still was faster.  So, I'm attributing it to the music.

Here's the week:
Monday: Biking, 5.21 miles, ~23 minutes

Tuesday: Running, 2.68 miles, ~30 minutes.  Noticeably cooler.  It will be nice when fall arrives.  Warrior Xfit class, also.

Wednesday: Biking, 5.25 miles, ~23 minutes

Thursday: Running, ~2.6 miles, ~30 minutes.  Hmmm, Runkeeper failed.  Estimate from Nike+.  Warrior Xfit class, also.

Friday: Biking, 5.21 miles, ~23 minutes

Saturday: Warrior Xfit class.  Lots of leg work.

Sunday: Running, 6.54 miles, ~1 hour, 15 minutes.  Another personal best.  ~Half way to a half marathon.

This week will be challenging to get all my workouts in.  Expect delayed reporting.

Striking a Warrior Pose

Lots of exciting (to me) stuff to catch up on.

First off, I got my bike back, yea!  Now I have some brand spanking-new road tires, new pedal cranks, new front gears, new front deraileurs (I so don't know how to spell that), and new brakes.  One bike ride later, I no longer feel like I'm sticking to the road.  And I'm a little bit faster.  So, I'm just about ready for the MS Ride in just under a month.  Have you contributed yet?  Go here: www.causeofcarol.com and clink on through to my page.  If you donate, I'll put your name on my bike helmet.  Donate a lot, and I'll put what you want (within reason) on my helmet.  Go do it!  Additionally, I went and got my bike inspected so that I can have free mechanics help on the ride.

Next new stuff.  I started a new exercise program this week to get some strength training.  My son's Tae Kwan Do school has a fitness class called ATA Fit or Warrior X-Fit.  My muscles are a-hurting.  If you want to check it out, go here: warriorxfit.com.  You can do it from home for free.  I like the motivation of the class.

So here's how the week went:

Monday: Running, 2.49 miles, ~30 minutes.  Awesome weather.  Noticeably cooler.  Made me look forward to fall.

Tuesday: Running, ~2.5 miles, ~30 minutes.  Still pretty awesome weather.  First Warrior X-Fit class.  Soreness kicks in ~24 hours class.

Wednesday: Running, 2.46 miles, ~30 minutes.  Warmer.

Thursday: The bike is back!  5.25 miles, ~24 minutes (about 3-4 minutes quicker than with the mountain tires).  Second Warrior X-Fit class.

Friday: Running, 2.46 miles.  Hotter

Saturday: Normally a rest day.  Warrior X-Fit class happening, but I had a haircut already scheduled.  I took advantage of the at-home option. Because each day is a different workout targeting different muscles, soreness just moves around the body.

Sunday: Long run day.  It's my longest run to date: 6.42 miles, ~1 hour, 14 minutes.  I have now run more than a 10K.  I'm just under halfway for the half marathon.

Pounding the pavement

This week was devoted exclusively to running.  My bike is still at the shop getting new tires and getting a new drive train courtesy of a recall.  Hopefully, I'll be getting it back tomorrow.  Then we'll see if I get a speed improvement with the new road tires.

A couple of days this week were actually not quite as humid.  I could feel the difference, but it wasn't enough to make a large difference.  I'll be glad when it gets cooler.

Monday: 2.33 miles, ~30 minutes
Tuesday: 2.57 miles, ~30 minutes (one of those less humid, marginally cooler days)
Wednesday: 2.44 miles, ~31 minutes
Thursday: 2.45 miles, ~30 minutes
Friday: 2.52 miles, ~30 minutes
Saturday: rest
Sunday: 5.47 miles, ~1 hour, 5 minutes - This is the farthest I've run to date.

Stay safe, kids

I hope no one has melted from the heat across much of the country recently.  It's been pretty blazing hot around here, so I thought I'd share my strategies for avoiding heat stroke.  Because heat stroke is no joke.

If at all possible, I'd advise trying to exercise indoors or during cool parts of the day.  Unfortunately for me, neither of those options are possible.  I don't own a treadmill (and wouldn't have room for one, anyway) and I don't have a gym membership.  Given that I get up at 5 am on the weekdays as it is, getting up earlier to go run or bike is not happening.  And that pretty much takes care of the cool part of the day.

So what else can I do?  First off, hydration is very important.  And I'm not talking just water.  Electrolytes are important.  So I take water spiked with electrolytes courtesy of Nuun tablets while I run or bike.  So I'm hydrating as I go.  When I finish running/biking I down some Gatorade Fit.  And I chase it down with some coconut water.  And I make sure that I take in plenty of fluids (mostly water) for the rest of the day.

What else?  On the especially hot days, I adjust the intensity of my workouts based on the weather.  I try not to push it too hard.  I listen to my body and vary the intensity, accordingly.

After saying all that, I have to say that there were a couple of days this week that were not too bad.  Completely due to cloud cover keeping the heat down.  But it was still really humid.  So lots of sweating going on.

And I guess I jinxed myself by saying that I was going to run or bike 6 days this past week.  I only got in 5 days due to a late-night clean-up job created by my washing machine dumping water everywhere.  I took the next day off from work.  But a nap was on order.  Sleep is important, too.

This week is an all running week.  I took my bike in to the shop to get new road tires and new chain only to find out there was a really old recall on the pedal cranks.  So now I'm getting a whole new drive train on my bike for free.  But I won't get it back for a week.  But I'm not complaining.

Last week's recap:

Monday: Biking, 5.21 miles, ~25 minutes

Tuesday: Post-flood day.  Nap.

Wednesday: Running, 2.28 miles, 30 minutes

Thursday: Biking, 5.31 miles, ~28 minutes

Friday: Running, 2.33 miles, 30 minutes

Saturday: Pre-programmed rest day.  Running around of a different type.

Sunday: Long run, 4.8 miles, 1 hour

Running on all cylinders

This week, I got to get in all my intended workouts unimpeded.  So I got back up to my goal of working out 6 days last week.  I already covered last Sunday in my last post, so here's how the rest of the week looked:

Monday: Biking, 5.28 miles, ~30 minutes
I don't remember if it was Monday or Wednesday, but I saw papa turkey last week.  He looked a bit confused as to whether he wanted to cross the road or not.  He stayed on one side of the road as I passed by on my bike.  Those turklets/turklings had to come from somewhere ;-)

Tuesday: Running, 2.48 miles, 30 minutes
So I decided to go to running for 30 minutes on the weekdays.  Running for 40 minutes plus the time it took me to change clothes then change back left very little time for eating my lunch.  Plus, it's still been pretty hot, so I didn't want to overdo it.

Wednesday: Biking, 5.31 miles, ~30 minutes
Feeling a little worn out this day, but I pushed through.  I do enjoy the sense of accomplishment once I'm done.

Thursday: Running, 2.51 miles, 30 minutes
I'm trying to better my pace.  So I did some intervals in the beginning of my run where I would run harder for one minute then at a easier pace for two minutes.  I didn't carry it out throughout the whole workout as the hills were not being helpful.  I think I might shorten the intervals a little bit, like my former 30 second run/1 minute walk intervals of yore.

Friday: Biking, 5.28 miles, ~30 minutes
I wouldn't mind bettering my biking pace, also.  I'm trying to keep up a steady cadence as I ride.  I don't want to take all day on the MS ride for the 35 and 25 miles.  But I'm also not going to push it hard either.  I'm going to try to strike a balance between keeping a decent pace and having an enjoyable ride.

Saturday: Rest day
Saturday was my pre-determined rest day.

Sunday: Long run, 4.78 miles, 1 hour
It was decently cool (comparatively) this morning for my run.  Still humid.  But it didn't feel oppressive.  So I felt pretty good for my run.

This week should be another uninterrupted week.

A week in review

Time for catching up!  Another hot week here in the south.  And more challenging business.  Let's get started:

Monday: Biking, 5.24 miles, ~30 minutes

Tuesday: Nothing.  C had a dentist appointment in the middle of the day then I wasn't able to do anything after work.  So it was deemed a rest day.

Wednesday: Running, 2.71 miles, ~30 minutes.  It was another hot and humid day.  I didn't feel as defeated by the weather as I did the previous week.  I made sure not to overtax myself and have a sports drink with me as I ran.  I knew it was going to be hot, so I set my goal from the outset as 30 minutes.

Thursday: Biking, 5.26 miles, ~30 minutes.  I tried to up the pace some on this run.  It's a goal I'm going to be working on until the MS ride.

Friday: Running, 2.61 miles, ~30 minutes.  See Wednesday.

Saturday: We had company and L had a Tae Kwan Do tournament, so another rest day.

Today: Running, 4.82 miles, 1 hour.  The long run is definitely a mental game.  Yes, I want to keep running.  Yes, I can do it.  And I do.  Not that the weather is a great motivator.  Or hills.

This week, as it looks right now, doesn't appear to have as many challenges to getting out.  Saturday is the pre-determined rest day.

Weekend work

A busy weekend including travel.  How did I fit it all in?  Not too shabby.  My regular weekly goal is to exercise 6 days a week.  And the majority of weeks, I've been able to meet that goal.  But I don't beat myself up if I can't get there.  Last week, I made it to 5 days.  What happened?  I had company at work one day that prevented me from going out for my regular lunchtime workout.  Saturday was birthday party day for C, so I sacrificed the run.

Here's what I DID do:

Thursday: Biking, ~30 minutes, ~5.2 miles
It was a tad bit cooler on Thursday than it was Wednesday.  And biking feels cooler, too, since I'm creating my own breeze.

Friday: Running, 40 minutes, ~3.2 miles
Cooler still.  I left work early on Friday, so I did my running once I got home.  It was nice to know that it really was the heat that was such a major factor on Wednesday.

Saturday: party!

Sunday: Long run, 1 hour, ~5.2 miles
Cooler still.  I felt really good on this run.  Especially on the second half.  I don't know if I would call it "runner's high."  But I did feel like I could have gone longer.

I want to mention something new I've been trying out.  For my longer runs, I'm taking a sports drink out with me.  (I did try this on the oh-so-hot Wednesday, but it didn't help.)  Straight up Gatorade is way to sweet to me.  They have a new product out, G Fit, which I've mentioned.  It's meant to be more like a lightly flavored water.  And I do like it a lot better than traditional Gatorade.  Last week I also picked up a product called Nuun.  It's a tablet that turns water into an electrolyte drink.  It comes in lots of different flavors.  The flavor is very light.  I made a test batch to try out the taste.  It was a little weird.  But not awful.  Today, I chilled the water first, added the tablet, then some ice.  The flavor was MUCH better upon chilling.  The thing I really like about Nuun is that I can carry them in my purse for when I can't carry around a bottle of G Fit.  It's also great for traveling (again, when I carry G Fit with me).  I'm going to try out some other flavors, too.  I've had the berry and also have some ginger orange, which I haven't tried yet.

Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em

Know when to walk away, know when to (not) run.  Let me tell you, it was *bleeping** hot and humid today.  I fully intended to do my regular 5 walk/30 run/5 walk today.  It was not to be.  You've got to know when the elements are against you.  And today, it certainly was.  We had a heat advisory today.  And it was no joke.  I started out ok.  I got through the first 15 minutes.  I even took some Gatorade Fit with me.  And then it all went south.  I took it down to a walk for a while.  Tried to elevate it back up to a run.  Had to take it back down to a walk.  Then concede the whole effort at 30 minutes.  I can't tell you how much running I did, total.  A little disheartening?  Yes.  Do I feel bad about it?  Not really.  Like I said, the weather was absolutely miserable today.  And I went out two hours later than normal, which just meant it was even hotter.  It's supposed to start cooling down a *little*.  We'll see.

On another note, I'm backing off on the blogging a little bit.  I don't think you necessarily need posts just tell you "I biked" or "I ran" today.  If I have something extra to say, like today, I'll write and catch up the workouts since then.  Even if nothing interesting has happened, I will to an update a couple of days a week.

Monday: Biking, ~30 minutes, ~5 miles
Tuesday: Rest
Today: Running/Walking (unknown combination), ~30 minutes, ~2.3 miles

Playing catch-up

Phew.  I guess it's been a while since I posted.  Last week was pretty busy.  Including traveling out of town for work.  Then going to the in-law's house to drop off L for the week.

Tuesday was a planned off day.  I had a doctor's appointment during lunchtime and I didn't have any time after I got home from work to fit in a run or a bike.  Then I left for San Antonio on Wednesday for my work trip.  A couple of factors work against me, posting-wise, not workout-wise.  First, I had to take a work laptop with me, not my personal netbook.  So I couldn't sync my iPod Nike+ data.  Second, the internet would have cost ~$10 a day to access from the hotel.  It irks me that I can get free internet at lower priced hotels but the nicer hotels I've stayed at charge for the internet.  So, aside from what I could access from my phone, no internet for me.  But the hotel was nice and and a REALLY NICE exercise room.  It had a dozen treadmills, six ellipticals, two recumbent bikes, three or four stationary bikes, weight training stations, yoga room, and lap pool.  It was as good as a regular health club.

Wednesday: stationary bike, 30 minutes, 6.4 miles.
I went to exercise right after checking into the hotel and unpacking.  Then I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the Riverwalk area.  Way too hot to be exercising outside.

Thursday: treadmill, 40 minutes, 3.1 miles.
I got up early before the meeting started to go exercise.  I knew I wouldn't be in the mood after the meeting got over for the day at 5 pm to go workout.  And I found out after checking in to the meeting that there was a reception that evening starting at 5:30.  And then I was out late after that getting dinner.  Pretty darn tired at the end of the day.

Friday: stationary bike, 1 hour, 12.45 miles.
I had a chunk of free time mid-morning between when the first meeting was finished and before I had to be back for an afternoon workshop.  While I was chugging along on the bike, the Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off for both its final time and for the Space Shuttle program's final time.  I was pretty emotional.  I've always loved the space program.  And Atlantis is my particular favorite from my Space Camp counselor days.  So I was the crying girl on the bike.

Saturday: treadmill, 30 minutes, 2.3 miles.
Travel day.  Got up early again.  Had to get ready to fly home.  Knowing that I'd be hopping right in the car to go to Alabama as soon as I got home, I wanted to get a small run in.  Then on a plane.  Then in a car.  Lots of traveling.

Today: running outside, 1 hour, ~5 miles.
I'm trying to do longer distances/times on the weekends.  I went out while at the in-laws and got in my run.  Today was a day of mental obstacles.  It was hot and VERY humid this morning at 8 am.  I had to convince myself to keep going toward my one hour goal and not quit earlier.  I pushed through and made it.  I was a sweaty mess at the end, though.

This past week was the biggest test of my exercise resolve with the amount of traveling I did.  But I am happy to report that it was a success!

In need of calibration

Happy 4th of July, everyone!  I hope everyone had a good day.  I've been able to get a lot done today.  A lot of area residents started out the day by running a nice, relaxing 10K.  I did not participate in the Peachtree Road Race this year.  But I will go for my number next year.  In the meantime, I've decided to increase my distances on the weekends (or holiday, as it was today).  Instead of going for time today, I went for distance.  My chosen distance today was 5 miles.  Not quite a 10K, but my prior farthest distances hovered in the 5K range.  The way I keep track of my runs, primarily, has been my Nike+ sensor with my iPod.  Recently, I've also been tracking it with Runkeeper and the GPS on my phone.  I haven't had a chance since getting the Nike+ sensor to do a proper calibration.  That requires a known distance, like on a track.  So, on a day like today, the Nike+ sensor tells me that I went ~5.3 miles while the Runkeeper/GPS tells me that I went ~4.8 miles.  I'm going to go somewhere in the middle, for the time being, and say I went ~5 miles today.  One day I will get around to calibrating the Nike+ sensor and see if the two tracking methods get closer.

I was feeling pretty good at the end of my 5-ish miles.  I think I could have done 10K.

Today's workout: running
Distance: ~5 miles (~5 minutes walk then running until iPod said 5 miles, then ~5 minute walk)
Time: just under 1 hour

Keeping busy

So even though I haven't updated in a few days, don't think I've slacked off.  I just had a complete battery shutdown on Friday night, falling asleep on the couch after getting C to sleep.  Yesterday, I was busy with a project, so didn't get on my computer.  But, never fear, I kept up with my workouts the whole time.  I don't have much else interesting to say tonight.  Except, good luck to everyone running the Peachtree Road Race tomorrow!  I might do it next year.

Friday's workout: Bicycling
Distance: ~5.1 miles
Time: ~30 minutes

Saturday's workout: Running
Distance: ~3.2 miles
Time: 40 minutes

Today's workout: Bicycling
Distance: ~5.1 miles
Time: ~30 minutes

Soldiering on

I wasn't feeling the absolute best today.  Mentally, I wanted to go for a run.  Between the biking and taking Tuesday off, I haven't run since Sunday.  I was feeling somewhat meh but didn't think it would stop me.  Then I realized that I left my iPod at home.  At first, I only thought about how I would miss it while doing so exams at work.  Then I realized that it was a running day and I DIDN'T HAVE MY iPOD!  No music/podcast/audiobook to listen to while running.  No keeping track of my run with Nike+.  Ack!  If I had forgot it Monday or Wednesday, it wouldn't have matter as those were biking days.  Which is about the only thing that bothers me about the biking, not being able to listen to anything.  I did keep track of the distance using Runkeeper on my phone.  But it sure didn't help my mood during the run.  But I did it.

Today's workout:
5W/30R/5W
distance: ~3.1 miles

Wildlife

I designated yesterday as this week's rest day.  Mostly because I wanted barbecue for lunch.  But, on with the show.

I have seen various wildlife around work.  I used to see bunnies grazing in the grass along the side of the road as I arrived at work in the morning.  And I've seen deer occasionally.  Just within the last two weeks, I saw a deer during a run.  (We won't discuss the squished turtle I saw while running last week).  Today: wild turkeys.

Let me back up and tell you a little story.  My in-laws live in a new development in an area that hasn't been built up too much yet.  As a result, they see a lot of wildlife.  Deer, raccoons, wild turkeys, etc.  We've seen the deer.  And I like to tease that I don't believe they really have wild turkeys because we've never witnessed them.  To top that off, while on a work trip to New York City, my husband and I found a turkey in a park near where you would take the ferry to Ellis Island.  So we say we found a turkey in NYC, but not in the woods of Alabama.

Back to today.  As I was biking, I saw some cars from the opposite direction stopping. And then I saw a wild turkey cross the road.  At first I thought it was maybe a goose because we have a lot of them around work.  But no, a turkey.  And then, five little baby (closer to juvenile) turkeys following close behind.  As I got close to them, they were in some trees to my right and I was able to confirm that they were turkeys.

Makes looking forward to a workout easier.  What wildlife will I see next?

Today's workout: Cycling
Distance: 5.25 miles
Time: ~25 minutes
Weather: Sunny, hot

Spinning my wheels

So now what?  In a little less than 3 months, I'm doing the MS Cox Atlanta ride (you want to contribute...go to www.causeofcarol.com).  The most I've been on my bike in years and years was when doing the triathlon.  So you could say that I need to do some cycling training.  The ride is 35 miles on the first day then 25 miles on the second day.  Now that I've accomplished my first goal to get running, I'm alternating running and cycling days.  Today was the first day of cycling.  I felt pretty good.  My upper legs were a little shaky when I got done.  But it didn't last too long.  Overall, I felt pretty good.

Today's workout: Cycling
Distance/time: ~5.2 miles/~25 minutes

GOOOOOOALLLL!

Today marked a major milestone.  I finished the 12 weeks of the Nike Plus Walk to Run program.  Can I run?  Yes, I can!  So here's a little wrap-up on what I've achieved:

At the beginning of the 12 weeks, my regular workouts involved walking around the interior hallways at work at lunchtime.  The goal was 3 days a week.  Some weeks it was a stretch to get in 2 days of walking.  Now?  Across the past 12 weeks, I worked out all but 13 days.  That's almost 6 days a week, on average.  And the program had one day of rest each week built into it.  I'm really proud of my commitment to the program.  And that time period included trips out of town, unforeseen weather or other challenges, working out on weekends, etc.  What changed?  I went to run/walk before eating my lunch.  Before, I would eat first, then walk.  Which would lend itself to inertia keeping me in my chair.  So for motivation and not getting sick by eating then exercising, I exercise first, then eat.  Any now I actually want to go and get the run in.  What's happened to me? :-)

I've done a triathlon and a 5K.  The triathlon wasn't pretty.  But I was happy to finish.  Even if I was walking at the end.  And while I run 5K or more on my full running days now, it still felt good to participate in an actual 5K event.

Random things:
Gatorade is really sweet.  As I was doing the triathlon, I was really not digging the Gatorade.  They have a new product now G Fit that is supposed to be lightly flavored enhanced water.  We'll see.  I tried some today.  It was fine for an after workout drink.  I'm not sure how I'll feel about it for during workout hydration.  But I need to find something for the longer workouts that I'll like.
My other go-to post-workout drink is coconut water.  It has electrolytes in it.  And I like the flavor.
I'm loving my Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad for cooling me off after the workout.
It's hot.  And humid.  I'm hoping that training midday will be helpful for the times when it's not so hot and humid.
I picked up some new sunglasses yesterday.  I was using some inexpensive Foster Grants.  But I didn't like how they would move around on my face as I ran.  So I scoped out some Oakleys.  And I hunted them down.  Tried them on.  Loved them.  Took them out for a test run today.  Still loving them.  I'm calling them a reward for completing the 12 week Walk to Run.  But I didn't think of that until I had already bought them :-) (If you're interested, they're the Half Jacket style with black iridium lenses).

Today's workout:
5W/30R/5W
weather: already hot and humid at 8:30 am
distance: ~3.5 miles

What's next?  Stay tuned tomorrow!  This is not the end!

Keeping cool

Today was definitely a little bit cooler than it has been.  I'm under no illusion that it will stay that way.  It's only the end of June.  There's lots more summer to go.  There's not much I can do about it while I'm out running.  But I've got something I've been using the past week or so that's been helping out once I finish.  I got a Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad.  It helps me get dried off.  And draping it around my neck gets me cooled down quickly.  Just drying off with a towel wasn't doing much for stopping the sweating.  But the cool down with the Chilly Pad has really helped on that front.

Today's Workout:
5W/30R/5W
weather: partly cloudy, occasional breeze, an eensy bit cooler (but still hot)
distance: ~3.6 miles (BTW, I really need to calibrate my foot pod sometime...)

Nearly thwarted

When I was ready for my run today at lunchtime I encountered some road blocks.  First, it was raining.  It wasn't raining extremely hard so I figured I'd still go for it.  Then I went to go change.  And the bathroom I use for changing was being worked on by maintenance.  And I didn't feel like wandering halfway around the building to go to another one.  It would just add overall time to the whole process.  So, no workout.

When I got home, it wasn't raining.  So, I decided to go then.  And it ended up being a good time to go.  Today was much cooler.  It was overcast and threatening to rain again.  There was a nice breeze.  I can't do it on a regular basis at this time because of time considerations with dinner.  But today I was heating some soup previously cooked, so dinner prep was quick.  So I feel better for being able to get in the workout.

Today's workout:
(1W/30 sec R)x17, 4W
weather: mostly cloudy, cooler, breezy
distance: ~2.4 miles

Rain, rain

But not on me.  It was drizzly when I got to work.  And it was raining buckets when I left work.  But in the middle of the day it was partly cloudy.  And it was allegedly cooler today.  I don't know that I could really tell.  I was still very sweaty in the end.

And why hasn't anyone told me how to properly spell triathlon?!  I've been spelling it wrong this whole time.  Which I knew from the red squiggly line under triathalon every time I put it in the blog.  But I couldn't think how it should be spelled.  Know I've got it figured out.  No help from you :-)

Today's workout:
5W/30R/5W
weather: partly cloudy and hot
distance: ~3.5 miles

Brain Fry

I am feeling completely brain fried this evening.  So you just get today's facts:

(1W/30 sec R)x17, 4W
weather: still hot
distance: ~2.4 miles

In the home stretch

I'm in the last week of the Nike+ Walk to Run program.  I can definitely see how far I've come.  Barely running to being able to run from 30 minutes continuously.  And now I've got all kinds of crazy ideas for feats of athleticism.  Including the already completed triathalon and 5K.  And the future goal of the MS Bike ride (you can still contribute!  www.causeofcarol.com).

Today was still really hot!  But I don't know if it's because I've been running in the heat, but it didn't seem too terrible.  Part of my route was shaded, there was some cloud cover, and there was a breeze.  But I suppose my sweat testifies to the fact that was very hot.

Today's workout:
5W/30R/5W
weather: Hot!
distance: ~3.4 miles

Two for Saturday

Sorry for the lack of updates the past couple of days.  You didn't think I had fallen off the weekend, did you?  Of course not!  Thursday was a planned rest day (I do get those!).  Yesterday, I was just so tired, being a Friday and having run a 5K yesterday morning and actually working a full week at work for the first time in a few weeks, I just didn't have it in me to get on the computer.  I fell asleep on the couch.

What did I do yesterday?  I went and ran a 5K at our sister base in the morning.  While I may have reached that distance this week during my regular workouts, this was the first 5K race that I've done.  I've walked 5K events in the past.  But this was the first time I've run one.  Luckily, it was overcast, so it wasn't too overtly hot.  But it was humid and I was pretty darn sweaty by the end of it.  It wasn't too bad a run.  It wasn't extremely hilly, but hilly enough.  Especially since the end of the run was mostly uphill.  Blech.  But I did it with a time of 31 minutes.

And today?  I took it "easy," comparatively.  Today was an interval day.  I thought I was moving pretty slow, but seemed to do about the same distance as I usually do for this workout.  It was overcast again this morning, but still humid.

I'm mulling over what day next week I want to designate as the rest day.  It might be tomorrow.  I've got a lot to do.  And the weekend is short.

Workouts:
Friday:
All running for 5K (~3.1 miles)
weather: overcast, hot and muggy

Saturday:
(1W/30 sec R)x17, 5W
weather: overcast, hot and muggy
distance: ~2.3 miles

Change of plans

Today was supposed to be my off day for the week.  I planned it that way due to happenings at work.  Then said happenings changed.  But I wisely took my gear to work with me in case there were any changes.  Good planning on my part.  And I had been concerned about whether I would be able to get in my workout tomorrow.  Now it doesn't matter.  Tomorrow can be the off day.  But I'll still take my gear in case stuff changes again.

Today's workout:
(1W/30 sec R)x17, 4.5 W
weather: sunny. hot - but it hasn't seem quite as hot this week.  It's only been a couple of degrees cooler (maybe) this week.  So I don't know if it's that or if I'm just getting used to running in the heat
distance: ~2.3 miles

That's 5K

Full running day today.  And I reached ~3.1 miles.  Which is ~5K..  Whoop!

Today's workout:
5W/25R/5W
weather: still sunny.  still hot
distance: ~3.1 miles

Adding in the hills

The past week or so I've been working in some hill work when running at work.  The runway has been way too boring.  And in direct sunshine.  The hills have some shade to them.  And the hills are do-able (way better than those hill from the triathalon).

Today's workout:
(1W/30 sec R)x17, 4.5W
weather: sunny and hot
distance: ~2.2 miles

Decisions, decisions

How am I feeling today?  Thanks for asking!  I little sore.  Mostly my neck and shoulders caused by the swimming.  A little bit sore in the legs.  And barely saddle sore.  Yea for bike shorts!

So I had a decision to make.  Did I want to take it super easy today and just walk?  Which would be the choice if I was following the program and ran 25 minutes yesterday.  Or did I want to do the 25 minutes of running?  Because I didn't actually run 25 minutes yesterday.  And I feel let down that I didn't meet that time goal.  But my legs and the hills were having non of the running.

And I ran.  And I felt good for doing it.  What has become of me? :-)  And I reached a personal running milestone today.  For the first time, I did a total of 3 miles!

Today's workout:
5W/25R/5W
weather: sunny.  quite nice in the morning, but I was still quite sweaty at the end
distance: ~3 miles

Achievement Unlocked!

If I had a bucket list (which I don't) I don't really think a triathalon of any distance would have been on it.  It's probably safe to say nothing particularly physical would have been on it.  And yet, today I found myself doing a super sprint triathalon organized by a co-worker.

The course: 300 yard swim, ~8 mile bike, ~2 mile run.

As we drove into the neighborhood, part of which the bike and run would cover, I mentally and verbally cursed the hills on which we drove.

The contestants: Mostly co-workers, of varying athletic ability.  Three did the event as a relay with the runner being the wife of a co-worker.  The non-coworkers in the group consisted of spouses of co-workers and kids of co-workers.  By the way, one of the spouses is a big runner and has even competed in a full-length Ironman Triathalon.  His wife (my co-worker) also does a lot of running and biking and does shorter triathalons.

As predicted, the swim was my weakest event.  I don't have a stroke.  At all.  I ended up resorting to a modified backstroke.  I was out of the pool last.  By a lot.  At least I didn't drown :-)

Now the bike.  My legs were shaky coming out of the pool.  By the time I got on the bike, the shaking had stopped.  And off I went.  And as anticipated, the hills sucked.  Big time.  At some point as I was on my bike, I saw tri-guy running on the back half of the run.  No big shocker.  I managed to stay on my bike almost all the way through the course.  I did have to get off my bike and push it on the last big hill.  But I got back on and rode it in.  I think everyone was done by that point (boy the swim killed me), but I still had the run to go.

More jelly legs.  Now, if all I had to do today was run, it would have been NO problem.  Today, I had to run following the large, un-trained challenges of swimming and running.  So I walked the first half of the race course.  On the way back, I mostly ran slowly aside from a couple of hills, which I walked.  But I ran it in from the last turn until the end.

I did it!  Dead last!  (By the way, the kids in the race did not do the full distances, so I don't feel bad losing to them.)  But I knew before I started I wasn't going to win it.  Or come in second.  Or third.  I'm going to hurt tomorrow, but I already have a massage scheduled.  And I'm going to try to go out and do a light walk/run tomorrow to work out the kinks and set my self up properly for the week.

After a fabulous cookout and awards ceremony (I won the 33 yo division!  And I'm not even 33 yo! (Everyone had a division of one :-))), we all went for a dip in the pool.

What are the stats?  I think I finished in a little over 2 hours.  I don't remember the exact time, which wasn't really the point. Finishing was.  The run took me 30 minutes and a distance of ~2.3 miles.  The temperature was tolerable.

What have I learned?  If I ever want to do a triathalon again (especially something other than the Tin Man), I should probably do some swimming lessons.  And I need to do some more biking, but that's already on the list.  Gatorade is terrible.  It is just too sweet, full-sugar or artificial sweetener.

What's next?  I still have two more weeks of my running program left.  After that, I'm going to start alternating running days with biking days.  I need to get my biking legs for the MS Cox Atlanta ride at Callaway Gardens in September.  You can still donate here: www.causeofcarol.com.  Click through to the Callaway Gardens team and click my name there.  We've got a great team.

After that?  I have some thoughts.  Nothing solid   But I like having goals.  Good motivation.

Thank you so much to my family for all of their support!  Both in my general running plan and for the Tin Man.  It means a lot to me.

And thank you to all those who have given my positive feedback, both in person and written.  I don't necessarily think what I'm doing is inspiration-worthy and that certainly isn't why I do it.  I feel I've come a long way since I started.  And while I hoped to do better today, I realize that I didn't do anything to prepare for the swim or the bike.  Ten weeks ago, I know I wouldn't have been able to run for 20 minutes straight and wouldn't have even contemplated doing a triathalon.  And now I can run for 20 minutes and have done a triathalon.  So I know I'll be able to do the Callaway Gardens ride in September because I'm going to start training for that in a couple of weeks.

Onward and upward!

Let's Get Ready to Rumble!

I arranged this training week so that the easier part of the workout was placed today.  Because tomorrow is the Tin Man triathalon.  This triathalon is just an informal fun thing with a bunch of co-workers.  So wish me luck tomorrow, because I haven't done any swimming or biking training.

Today's workout:
(1W/30 sec R)x10, 5W
weather: sunny and hot
distance: ~2.2 miles

Did you miss me?

I took my planned off day yesterday, so it was back to races today.  I can definitely see improvement from when I did my first 20 minute stretch last week to my 20 minutes today.  Even though it was still hot today and I even went up and down some hills, I didn't feel like I was suffering in the last 5 minutes of the run portion like I did during the first time I did it (and that was all flat).  So I'm going into this weekend's triathalon feeling good about the run portion.  The challenges will be the swim and bike portions (haven't done any training on those) then having to run after already doing all that.  It's all going to come down to pacing. Don't burn out too quickly.  Tomorrow is a light running/walking day.

Today's workout:
5W/20R/5W
weather: sunny and hot (got some rain this evening, though)
distance: ~2.5 miles

Taking it easy

Relatively speaking.  At this point in the training program, I'm supposed to alternate just running days (with short walking warm up and cool down) with just walking days.  And the walking days are for just 15 minutes.  I can't do just 15 minutes of walking.  At a minimum, I want to do 30 minutes of walking but that doesn't seem like enough.  So I'm doing a little bit more than just walking.



Today's workout:
(1W/30 sec R)x10, 15W
weather: sunny and hot, but not too bad
distance: ~2.2 miles

I've gone off the deep end

In planning my week, I have a couple of obstacles.  First, I had to go out of town last night, returning this evening.  Second, I have to take L to the eye doctor on Wednesday, potentially interfering with my exercise time.  I had to decide whether to risk not having the doctor's appointment interfere or get up early this morning to run.  Thus, the deep end.  I got up at 5:30 this morning to run.  Now, that is the absolute earliest I am willing to get up to run (note: I normally get up at 5 each morning to get ready for work.  Thus, I will not be running on a normal work day).  In another new move, I did the running on a treadmill.  It was great in that it was completely level, not hot (though I did work up a sweat), and I felt I could have run longer.  I don't think I could run on a treadmill on a regular basis, though.  It would be boring.  But for today, it was great.  So now I've established Wednesday as my off day for this week.  And I'm setting myself up for the big event this weekend: TIN MAN!

Today's workout:
5W/20R/5W
weather: inside and nice
distance: ~2.4 miles

Round and round

On the weekends, I just walk/run around my neighborhood.  Because I live in a fairly small neighborhood, that basically means I'm circling the block 3-4 times.  It does give me some elevation work, but there aren't any bad hills.  It's pretty gentle.

Today's workout:
(1W/30 sec R)x20, 5W
weather: sunny.  not to hot, yet
distance: ~2.8 miles

Well, that's annoying

I thought I was in week 10 of 12.  As it turns out, I'm in week 9 of 12.  It's not bothering me, mentally.  Just a little annoying.

The twenty minute run was not as terrible today.  Then again, I went out at 8:30 am as opposed to 11 am, which made a big difference in temperature.  I would have to say, at no point the in the process have my muscles been more than just a little sore.  So I'm pleased with the build-up of the program.  Slow and steady has been great.

Today's workout:
5W/20R/5W
weather: sunny, not as hot during the workout
distance: ~2.7 miles

And the beat keeps running, running...

I'm very proud to have progressed as far as I have in the almost 10 weeks I've been doing the walk to run plan.  And as the end of this training program is now much nearer than not, I have no plans on stopping.  And I have loftier goals on the horizon (like the MS Bike ride in the fall.  Care to contribute?).  Carrying on...

No workout tomorrow.  But I purposefully planned my week to account for it.  No worries ;-)

Today's workout:
(1W/30 sec R) x20, 5W
weather: still HOT
distance: ~2.8 miles

Sweating my butt off

And I don't mean in the weight loss sense.  I mean it was HOT today.  And I still went out there.  Today, the run was kicked up a notch to 20 minutes of continuous running bookended by 5 minutes to start and end.  And at the end, I was sweaty from head to toe.  Running in 90 degree weather will do that to you.  And I tell you what, the last five minutes I had to dig deep.  Phew, and it's supposed to be hot for the rest of the week.

Today's workout:
5W/20R/5W
weather: HOT!
distance: ~2.6 miles

Running consistently hasn't been the only achievement

The fact that I've run at least 6 days a week for the past 9 weeks isn't the only thing I've managed to accomplish.  Updating this blog near daily has also been an accomplishment.  Usually, I would keep it up for a little bit then let it slack off.  I hope I haven't been boring you.

Today's workout:
(1W/30sec R)x20, 5W
weather: HOT
distance: ~2.8 miles

Thank you to all who have served

I'd like to take this moment to thank all the men and women who have served our country.

I'd also like to take this moment to thank all who have donated to my MS Ride.  Thanks to one anonymous donor, I reached the minimum fundraising requirement of $250.  Now, thanks to the generosity of more wonderful people, I reached my second fundraising goal of over $500.  I'm not raising my goal, but I would be most appreciative if you would consider donating to me and my team.  If you'd like to do so, please go here.

Today was a restful day in the program.  Normally, I still do a little running even if the program calls for just walking.  Today, I decided to just walk.  This week is going to be killer as it is.

Today's workout:
30W
weather: sunny, hot
distance: ~2 miles

Moving right along

Reached an interesting goal: since beginning, I have walked/run over 100 miles now.  Phew!  I'm tired :-)

Adjusting my day off this week since I know I won't be able to fit in my run/walk on Friday.  The whole week is accordingly moved.

Today's workout:
(2W/1R)x10, 5W
weather: sunny, hot (even in the morning)
distance: ~2.8 miles

Morning is a nice time to run

The past two days, I've run shortly after getting up in the morning.  It's been nice and cool, though still humid.  So I'm still working up a good sweat.  As nice as it is, I still wouldn't do it on a workday.  Since I haven't been to work the past couple of days (took a vacation day and weekend), the time I've been running would be when I would normally been at work.  And since I normally get up to get ready for work around 5 am, there's absolutely no way I would go running before work.  But it's not so bad when I don't have to get up so early.

Today's workout:
5W/15R/5W
weather: cool, mostly cloudy, foggy
distance: ~2.2 miles

Gearing up

So, I think I'm ready for the Tin Man triathalon in two weeks, gear-wise.  I got some biking shorts (which I think will be more important for the MS ride in September), biking gloves, toe clips, water bottle holder and water bottle.  I'm ready, right :-)

Didn't do an update last night because we lost power and it didn't come back on until the middle of the night.  So, you get a double update tonight:

Thursday:
5W/15R/5W
weather: cloudy
distance: ~2.2 miles

Today:
(2W/1R)x10, 5W
weather: mostly cloudy
distance: ~2.8 miles

Kicking it up a notch

Each week from now on, 5 minutes get added to the length of the runs.  Tomorrow, 15 minutes straight.

Today's workout:
(2W/1R)x10, 5W
weather: sunny and hot
distance: ~2.8 miles (longest yet!)

Just the facts, ma'am

Nothing exciting to report today.  Just today's stats:

5W/10R/5W
weather: sunny and hot
distance: ~2.3 miles

I change my view about visors

I never used to like visors.  I figured if I needed something with a brim, I'd just wear a hat like a baseball cap.  But now I really like my visor.  I really like the fact that it keeps the sun off my face when I'm running mid-day.  And my head doesn't get too hot since it isn't covered up.  So, I'd like to apologize to the visor.  You are fantastic.

And by the way, it was hawt today.  It seemed OK when I first started out.  My I was soaked by the time I was done.

It's just going to get worse.

Today's workout:
(4W/6R)x2, 5W
weather: sunny, hot
distance: ~2.1 miles

My main criticism...

of the Nike+ iPod is that the coaching program on the Nike+ website doesn't program the iPod.  Meaning, if I'm supposed to do some program of walking and running one day, it doesn't program cues to tell me when I should be transitioning between the two.  If the intervals are anything other than a multiple of five minutes, I have to keep track on my watch.  Given that the system only goes with each other, you would think that this would be a functionality they would want to program into it.  Otherwise, I really enjoy using it for tracking my progress.

Oh, and I think my knee is nearly 100%.  I'm still using the knee strap during my workouts and for a while after I'm done.  But I'm pain-free.  Whoo-hoo!

Tomorrow is an off-day, so I'll report back Monday.

Friday:
(4W/6R)x2, 5W
weather: sunny
distance: ~2.1 miles

Saturday:
10W/10R/10W
weather: hot (and it was only 8:30am)
distance: ~2.3 miles

A little treat on my run

I varied my route today and found this little gem:

It made me giggle.  And it gave me some motivation as I wanted to take the picture on my back end of my workout.  How did the 10 minutes of straight running go?  Not too shabby.  I felt pretty good at the end of it.  Not winded.  My endurance is definitely better than at the beginning  of the program.  As well it should be.  The main problem is some boredom along the route.  But at least I had the port-a-potty to think of :-)

Today's workout:
10W/10R/10W
weather: mostly sunny
distance: ~2.3 miles

Technology restored

After I wrote yesterday's post, I did some digging online.  Nothing on the Apple website forums was helpful.  But the Nike+ forums were very helpful.  Insomuch as I found out other people were having the same issues.  It was a Nike server issue.  At least it made me feel better that it wasn't something from my end.  And today it's fixed.  So I'm back to being current with my Nike+ website stuff.  Yay.

Today's workout:
(4W/6R)x2, 5W
weather: Mostly sunny
distance: ~2.1 miles

Tomorrow, the longest running interval yet: 10 minutes straight!

Technology is annoying me

I am having trouble getting my iPod data to sync to the Nike+ server/website.  So while I can track what type of workout I need to be doing on any given day, my Nike+ account doesn't recognize that I'm doing anything.  Not a deal breaker or anything, but it's annoying the heck out of me.

I tried a different route today since I knew I wouldn't be doing a lot of running.  This route was much hillier.  And the hills were big.  Nothing I feel ready to be running up and down, yet.

So, anyway, here's today's report:
5W, (1R.4W)x5
weather: partly cloudy
distance: ~2.3 miles

Raindrops keep falling on my head

So, for the first time in six weeks, the weather failed me.  But not so much that I couldn't get the workout in.  It was unseasonably cool today, only in the 60's.  And there was rain today.  Luckily, at lunchtime, the rain limited itself to a hard drizzle.  It wasn't actually too bad.

Today's workout:
(4W/6R)x2, 5W
Weather: cool and drizzly
Distance: ~2.1 miles

Yay me!

Did you miss me?  I spent the last week at Amelia Island for a work conference.  Usually, when I travel, getting workouts in can be a challenge.  This trip was the first one I had to take since beginning the Nike+ program.  So how'd I do? Fantastic!  Amelia Island was beautiful!  And so much better for running around than the airstrip at work.  Beautiful paths with lush foliage.  Walking on the beach.  It wasn't level, but the hills were manageable.  I left on Sunday and returned today (Saturday).  Everyday was beautiful and sunny.  Here's how it broke down:

Sunday: Mother's day.  Travel day.  No workout.

Monday: I had a workshop in the afternoon.  In the morning, our group tried to go kayaking.  They kayak people did not show up to open the facilities on time, so we left after waiting a while.  So we went back to the resort.  And I exercised instead.  And Pat came with me!  He jumped right in, joining me for a run of (4W/6R)x2/5W even though he doesn't do cardio.  Distance: ~2 miles

Tuesday: Free day.  Slept in.  Went for a 30 minute walk (~2 miles), with the last 10 minutes or so along the beach.  Pat came with.  Nice day.

Wednesday: In the conference all day.  Luckily, the presentations went faster than scheduled.  So I was able to fit in a run [(4W/6R)x2/5W, ~2 miles] between the conference and that evening's banquet.  Pat declined to run with me again since his calves were sore from Monday.  Lovely banquet along the intercoastal waterway.

Thursday: Conference all day again.  This time, we did not get done early.  So that, combined with the fact that it was my 10th wedding anniversary, lead to no workout in favor of heading out to dinner with Pat.  But I didn't feel bad since it was a walk day.

Friday: Workshop in the morning.  But I decided to get up early beforehand and go run [(4W/6R)x2/5W, ~2 miles]. Still no Pat on this run. This will never happen when I'm at home.  Given that I already get up at 5am to get ready for work, I am completely unwilling to get up any earlier.  When I get to get up later, not so hard.  Rest of the day after the workshop sent on the beach and by and in the pool.

Saturday: Returned home today.  But I do get up early enough to go for a 30 minute walk (~2 miles).  Pat joins me.  Then we get to spend 5 hours in the car to return home.  Back home to our kids who we missed very much.

I'm very pleased that I was able to wrap up week six of the walk to run program by keeping up with it while I was gone.  Being able to work out in such pretty surroundings made me even less satisfied with the boring-ness of my normal route.  I need to come up with a new route at work.
 

Busy day

Yes! I managed to work in my workout today despite having a very busy day.  We'll see how it goes for the next week...

Today's workout:
5W/(1R/4W)x4/5W
Distance: 2.2 miles
Weather: Sunny.  Very nice

Willpower

So even though I didn't post yesterday, I did do my workout:

5W/(1R,4W)x5/5W
Distance: 2.6 miles
Weather: Chilly!

And I did my workout today:
(5W,5R)x5, 5W
Distance: 2.8 miles
Weather: warmer

So why am I in the need of willpower?  I am going to a conference to work next week.  Traveling always presents a challenge to keeping up with exercising.  And a challenge to eating healthily.  There may some alternate forms of exercising (kayaking, anyone?).  Wish me luck!

On the road again...

Today I put the knee strap through its paces.  I will say that I wasn't completely pain free.  But it was a huge improvement.  I wasn't in nearly as much pain at the end of the run.  And the recovery was much quicker since I continued to wear the strap for the rest of the afternoon.  So onwards.

Today's workout:
(5W/5R)x3, 5W
Distance: ~2.7 miles
Weather: A little chilly, especially for May (oh, and May the fourth be with you!)

Cleared for take-off

Instead of doing my workout at lunch today, I went to the doctor to see about my knee.  For over a week now, I've had pain on the lower inside of my left knee.  And the odd thing is that it hurt less when running than when walking.  It didn't hurt when weight bearing.  It hurt when I picked up my foot from the ground.  I wanted to get it checked out to make sure I didn't have some sort of major damage and see what I could do since I could already tell that the pain was altering my gait.  I don't want to do any more/different damage due to pain in my left knee.

Very helpfully, the PA I saw at my doctor's office has gone through a similar circumstance.  And the knee is not really made for running.  And injuring a knee can take a while to heal.  She had knee pain and she was able to work through it.  And she was optimistic I would have the same experience.  So, with a brace and some anti-imflammatories, I am cleared to continue on with my training program.  If it doesn't clear up in about a month, or gets worse, then I'll go back to the doctor.

On my way back to work, I picked up a brace.  It was OK, but didn't seem like it would be the best during working out.  Stopped at Dick's Sporting Goods on the way home and picked up a knee strap.  I can already tell a fantastic difference with the strap.  So we'll see how it goes when I run/walk tomorrow.

Catching up

Don't take my lack of posting for lack of activity.  I've just been busy.  Went to Savannah with the family so L could compete in a Taekwando tournament.  He got 2nd in weapons and 3rd in forms.  Then we spent some time at Tybee Island and had dinner at The Lady and Sons (Paula Deen's restaurant).  That was followed up by a trip to Savannah Candy Kitchen on River Street.  So we had a full weekend.

I got my walk/run in on Friday after getting up ultra-early to watch the Royal Wedding.  Because I'm a sucker for that kind of thing.  But I went out after that for (3W/2R)x5/5W, ~2.4 miles.  Because I was running around my neighborhood, it was much hillier than my usual work runs.

Then we were gone for the weekend.  I decided not to work out.  Both to enjoy the weekend away.  And because my knee has been hurting.  I wanted to have a little break and rest the knee.

Then back into it today.  It was an escalation of run time.  Today's workout was (5W/5R)x3/5W, ~2.8 miles.  And the knee still hurt.  And I could feel my right leg compensating.  So I'm going to go get it checked out.  I've had other aches and pains.  But they've all resolved themselves.  The knee hasn't.  So I'm going to stop being a hero about it.

I probably won't get the workout in tomorrow.  Especially depending on what the doctor says.  Stay tuned...

Diversification

It was late last night before I had an opportunity to write, so I left it to this morning.  Because I'm voluntarily up very early.  Because I'm crazy. But it has nothing to do with exercising.  I still have absolutely no desire to get up any earlier than I have to in order to go exercise.

It's hard to say what's come over me.  The running is coming along nicely.  As I increase my activity/fitness level, consideration of other activities has entered my mind. 

I finally got my bike fixed.  It had been in a state of disrepair for years, ever since I discovered the gear shifters no longer worked and I attempted to fix it myself.  What I learned - I'm not a bike mechanic.  So I broke down and got a bike rack for my car so I could both get my bike to the bike shop and be able to transport my bike various places.  At the same time, I took L's bike to get fixed also.  He received the bike a couple of years ago and I could never get the handlebars secured properly.  It's no good to aim the handlebars one direction and have the tires pointing in a different direction.  So, off to the shop with his bike, too. So now we have two working bikes.  And L is very excited to ride his bike.  I've even bought a little trailer for C to ride in as I tow her around.  Now we need to find good places to go riding.  And for my husband to get a bike.

Why the interest in my bike all of a sudden?  Branching out.  A co-worker is hosting a mini-triathalon he's dubbed the Tin Man.  It will be sprint and super sprint distances.  And I've decided to do the super sprint distance.  Even though I don't really swim.  I enjoy being in the pool, but I don't know any proper strokes.  So don't look at me while I do the swim leg.  And I need to build up some time on my bike.  The Tin Man will be in mid-June.  I'm hopeful that I will be at the point in my running that I can run the entire distance.

And I am considering another long bike ride for the fall.  More on that later.

Yesterday's workout:
5W/2R/8W/8R/7W/1R/4W
Distance: 2.3 miles
Weather: Sunny

Just the facts, Ma'am

Ok, I'm tired and I have other things to do, so I'm just going to put up today's workout stats:

(3W/2R) x 5, 5W
Distance: 2.5 miles
Weather: Mostly cloudy

Thank the Saints

I'm not Catholic, but I'd like to take this chance to thank Saint Medard of Noyon, who it both patron saint for good weather and patron saint against bad weather.  One of the stories associated with him is that he was once sheltered from the rain by a hovering eagle.  I have been extremely fortunate in that during the three full weeks since I began working out, it hasn't rained during my chosen exercise time.  Knock on wood.  Be with me Saint Medard.  It's not to say that it hasn't rained at all.  In fact, the area has had some nasty storms (not as nasty as others and even less so where I am).  And there may be some severe weather in the next couple of days.  As long as it isn't raining during my designated workout time (generally, between 11 am and noon, or so), I'm a happy camper.  So, Saint Medard be with me!

Today's workout:
5W, (1R/4W)x5
Distance: 2.3 miles
Weather: Sunny

Accessories make the outfit

Yesterday was my off day.  Had a fun day with the family at the aquarium and hunting Easter eggs.

Besides my iPod and Nike+ sensor, I have some other essentials for my workouts.  My favorite thing is my Jupiter Freedom bag.  It's a little pouch that can hold my cell phone, my ID, and a key (probably a little more, too).  It straps via an adjustable elastic strap to my upper arm.  It can also be worn on a narrow belt or on your upper thigh.  I had been carrying my phone before I got the case, running the risk of dropping it.  Which I did once.  Luckily, no damage.  It would also be handy at the park so you don't have to keep track of a purse or other bag.

I also got some new running clothes.  Not by particular design, I'm now outfitted nearly head to toe in Nike gear.  Given that I live in the South, and it's only going to get hotter, I wanted some clothing that would wick away the sweat and dry quickly.  I also got a visor.  I was already using sunglasses, but I wanted something to help when the angle of the sun is such that it's getting past the sunglasses.

And perhaps the most important accessory is the sunscreen.  Even though I'm only outside for ~30 minutes, it's in the middle of the day and I've already had pre-cancerous moles removed.  I don't want to encourage any to go cancerous.  To speed up application time, I've been using sunscreen wipes.  Wipe, wipe and I'm done.  The ones I've been using have been Supergoop! wipes.  They're a bit pricey, but very handy and easy to use.  Also excellent for getting sunscreen on kids' faces!  I'm not married to this brand.  I've got another on the way to try that's less expensive.

Today's workout:
(3W/2R)x5, 5W
Distance: 3.5 miles (farthest to date!  Over 37 miles since I started three weeks ago)
Weather: sunny 

Even on Saturday

I'm going to make this quick, as the new Doctor Who is on!

Despite having L's Taekwando belt testing and helping with the little kid's belt testing take almost all day, I managed to fit in a workout.

Today's workout:
6W/4R/6W/4R/5W/1R/4W
Distance: 2.3 miles
Weather: Sunny

It has a good beat and you can run to it

Today, I'm going to share my playlist with you.  Today was the first day for this particular playlist.  I was using a generally upbeat playlist, but wasn't entirely happy with it for my workout.  So I put together a new one.  I already had most of the songs, but had to buy three of them (I'm not going to tell you which is which).

Submitted for your pleasure:
Elevation - U2 (something to get moving to)
Starry Eyed Surprise - Oakenfold (if you don't know this song, it was used in a Diet Coke commercial a while back)
Pump It - Black Eyed Peas
Let It Rock - Kevin Rudolf and Lil Wayne
Here It Goes Again - OK Go (I always picture them on their treadmills)
Rock the Casbah - The Clash
Raise Your Glass - P!ink
Uprising - Muse (this is the song they did at the Grammys, though I've like them from before.  Saw them when they opened for U2)
All I Do Is Win - DJ Khaled (feat. T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, and Rick Ross)

All together, the playlist runs just under 34 minutes.  So it covers my 30 minute workout time frame plus a little extra.  I quite enjoyed it.

Today's workout:
W5, R1, W4, R1, W4, R1, W4, R1, W4, R1, W4
Distance: 2.3 miles
Weather: Cloudy and cool

We have the technology

As I mentioned before, my previous exercise routine consisted of walking for 30 minutes inside around the hallways at work.  Not a good venue for running.  And now that the weather has been fairly nice, I wanted to get outside.  Before, I was eating my lunch then going for my walks.  Not the best for motivation.  Especially if I got to talking to someone or reading something or just letting inertia take over.  Directly leading to very frequently not achieving my goal of 3 walks a week.  In a mental shift that has helped tremendously, I now got workout before I eat.

I work on a military base.  Very close to my building is an unused airstrip.  So this has become my venue of choice for my workouts.  A great feature of the airstrip is that it's mostly level.  As working up to a run is daunting enough as it is, I didn't want to have to contend with hills also.  Once I've achieved running, I'll start adding in some hillier terrain.

I had to go out and get some new shoes.  I had some old, worn-out sneakers.  And some made for walking.  So I wanted some geared for running.  I was interested in the Nike+ shoes which have a place to put a sensor in the shoe that syncs with my iPod Nano.*  Then, when I sync my iPod, the data gets uploaded to the Nike+ website where my sessions are tracked.  I can set up goals, track my runs, and establish a coaching program.  Conveniently, one of the coaching programs is a Walk to Run program.  That is the coaching program I am following, with some modifications.  The right now, the workouts call for less than 30 minutes, so I modify them to fill 30 minutes.  The coaching program runs 6 days a week.  I've been able to achieve that so far, but weekends can be a bit crazy for trying to fit in the workout.  In fact, in the 17 days I've been doing the training program, I've been able to do a workout for 15 of the days (yea me!).

* All products mentioned are completely unsponsored.  I have to buy it myself.

Today's stats:
Workout: 6 minutes walking (W)/4 minutes running (R)/6 W/4 R/5 W/1 R/4 W
Distance: 2.3 miles
Weather: Cloudy

O, hai! I can haz running

Well, I know this type of blog is not a new one, just judging by the difficulty I had in selecting a name/website address for my blog.  But it's my journey and you can help me stay motivated.  What is my journey?  So glad you asked!

I am a 34-year-old female in reasonably good shape.  My main mode of exercise up until about two and a half weeks ago was to walk for 30 minutes around 2-3 times per week.  And that was a good week.  But then, I decided I wanted to do more.  I would have to say that my co-workers have had at least some influence on me.  A lot of the people I work with are active types.  They run.  They do triathalons.  They play tennis.  They cycle.  Whew.  It's all very tiring.

So let me say at the start, I do not have a goal at this point in time to run a marathon.  The thought of hours of running does not appeal to me in any way, shape, or form.  That I even want to take up running is unusual for me.

What are my goals?  Why did I decide to start running when my general attitude up until this point has been run when chased?

Well, I want to be in better shape.  I would be lying if I said I wouldn't like to shed the last 10 pounds or so of baby weight that I've been carrying around (even if it's not like I NEED to lose any weight).  I would simply like to be more tone and not have any muffin top.  And it's good to have goals.  Right now the main goal is to be able to run for 30 minutes.  With some other minor goals associated with it.

I've already started my quest.  And I'm going to try to log my progress each day with some side commentary for flavor.  I need to get caught up, so for the first couple of weeks or so, I'll record my daily progress along with some catch-up from the beginning my my journey.  Some things to look forward to:

Gearing up and setting the scene
The TinMan and the bike rack
Why I'm so excited my Jupiter Freedom bag came today
Making of a play list
So far, the weather gods are on my side
The aches and pains

Briefly, I'm using Nike + iPod to track my workouts and the Nike Plus website for training assistance.  More about that tomorrow.

Today's stats:
Today workout consisted of walking for five minutes then running for a minute each five minutes for 30 minutes total
Approximate distance: 2.2 miles
Weather: cloudy