6 full months!

So, today is December 31st. We started this "mile a day" challenge officially on July 1st, so it has now officially been six full months. I actually ran every, single day for six full months. I really do find that amazing. I can't believe I stuck with it, but I did. Partly out of personal competition, just to see if I could do it.

Earlier this month I decided that I was mentally getting done with the 'mile a day', but really had no reason to stop. Then I figured to go through at least the end of the year, so I could say I did it for six months....for a full 1/2 of a year! I did it!

I told Bill that I wanted to run this last mile of the year with him. Couldn't get going this morning as I had to work. Left work early today, so we ran our mile together in the early evening. Just did the normal mile around the neighborhood.....but it was really nice to do it together to finish off the challenge and the year running together. Love you honey!

Ran 1.02 in 8:58 (8:49/mile pace)

Sunday, no Y

Bill & I had afternoon plans to see a Cirque show in Chicago with Ron, Mauricio, Linda, & Kevin. Therefore there was no time to go to the Y today.

Just did our mile in 9:05 (8:54/mile pace)

Treadmill crazy

Today I just didn't really want to run outside, so I had sort of chosen to go to the YMCA. Then, when I got up late and wouldn't make the run by 7am, it was decided.

When I got there, I thought I'd probably just do my mile, and maybe some elliptical and bike, maybe doing another mile inbetween like I did a few weeks ago so I would get some good cardio. As I ran the first mile, I felt pretty good so I thought I'd do 2 right away. Then I just kept going. I'm definitely a morning runner. When I was coming up on 2.5 miles, I did a little rationalization. I thought that if I did 5 miles on the treadmill, then I'd only have to do about 15 minutes on the bike and that would give me an hour of cardio as well as a good run. So, I went ahead and did 5 miles on the treadmill. Overall it wasn't that bad. Just before 4 miles I started getting a little bored and tired, but a nice gentlemen came on the treadmill next to me and we had a little chat. That got me through about .3-.4 mile and was just enough to push me through to the 5 miles. Did those in just over 45 minutes and walked for 2 miles. I finished with 14 minutes on the bike and then went off to join the group for coffee.

Morning together

I had off today and we had planned to go to Illinois to visit Jeff and his new wife. Unfortunately they are predicting alot of snow later, so we probably won't be going.

Slept in with Bill, but wanted to get the run in. As we were getting ourself going around 8:30am, we noticed it had already started snowing. Got out there to do the mile and it was snowing and quite windy--making running in certain directions a little rough being slapped in the face with very wet snow.

Ran 1.01 mile in 9:04 (8:58/mile pace)

Another morning alone

Bill ran very late last night (11pm) so he wasn't up to get up with me today. Since we are supposed to have dinner plans, I knew I had to run in the morning.

It rained last night, while Bill ran (hehehe), but then it snowed a bit. Therefore the roads were VERY icy this morning and it was a tough run. I stayed on the snowier parts as those had a little more grip and I slid less. I felt I had to run a bit slower just to be safer and surer footed.

Ran 1.03 in 9:26 (9:12/mile pace)

Morning run alone

Bill's off all this week for shutdown, but I had to work. I was supposed to meet with Anna tonight, but wasn't sure if that was going to happen or not due to other possible committments. Therefore I got up and ran my mile before work.

Ran 1.02 mile in 9:06 (8:55/mile pace).

Merry Christmas!

We slept in this morning a bit and had breakfast plans with my Mom and Kris & Sara. When we got home, we know that both Mike and Mary were going to come over at some point in the afternoon, but we didn't know when. Therefore we hung around until they both came...but by then it was into the evening and we had already eaten dinner.

Therefore we only wanted to get the mile in. Ran 1.04 in 9:18 (8:54/mile pace)

Christmas Eve

Bill met with some of the Goofy runners for a morning run of 6-9 this morning. I thought I may go with them, but the winds were still pretty strong (although better than yesterday). Therefore I decided to go to the Y again, as they are open until about 2pm.

Did my mile on the treadmill, then 20 minutes on the elliptical (hill workout) with 2 minutes in the middle going backward on the machine. I should probably do more, but it's a holiday and that gave me 30 minutes of exercise so that's good for today.

Sunday Y routine

It was really crappy weather today with very, very high winds. Bill really wanted to run outside, but the winds were prohibitive. Waited it out a bit and was a little lazy in the morning, but finally headed to the gym later in the afternoon.

I ran my mile on the treadmill, then did about 25 minutes on the bike. Bill still had some running to finish, so I ended the workout with about 10 minutes on the elliptical.

Back with the group

So, I took last week off of the group, but the weather's not too bad today so I decided to meet up and do the group run. We were doing the church run, which I haven't done in months, so it may be a nice change of pace. Should be about 5 miles or so.

As we started off, Mike D. was running with Ken and I. I was glad for this as he runs a bit slower, so it kept us at a nice pace.

When we got done, I forgot to stop the watch, so my time is really quite screwed up.

Ran the first 3.1 miles in 27:31 (8:52/mile pace).
Finished the 5 miles in around 45 minutes or so.

Friday night

We knew we didn't have anything after work, so we both procrastinated getting out of bed this morning.

Ran after work, just the mile, as we know we'll be doing this again in about 12 hours with the Saturday running group.

Ran a little slower tonight--1.03 in 9:23 (9:05/mile pace). Not too much slower, but a bit.

Gotta be the morning

With plans for after work, dinner and Christmas shopping, we knew we had to do the run in the morning.

Was really lagging a bit as I just wasn't quite awake. Ran 1.01 mile in 9:04 (8:58/mile pace)

Gym night

Asked Bill last night which night he wanted to go to the gym, Wed or Thursday, as we had to do Christmas shopping the other night.

He picked Wednesday, so tonight the plan was for the Y. He then decided he didn't want to go and wanted to run outside for 3-4 miles. I told him he should do 5-6, though, as he needed the mileage. He complained and said he'd only do 3-4. [When I got home, he admitted to doing 6.19---hehehehehe, just a little pushing worked!]

Went to the Y and did my mile in about 9 minutes, then did about 20 minutes on the bike, and finished with some weights.

GOP meeting tonight

Since we are supposed to have a GOP meeting tonight (cancelled from last week), Bill and I knew we had to run in the a.m.

Ran 1.03 in 9:13 (8:56/mile pace).

Later run

Had a hair appointment tonight so I had to figure out when to run. Thought I may run at the All Saints gym before the appointment, but was still working and time was cutting too close.

Stopped back at All Saints after my appointment and just did the mile on the treadmill (about 9 min pace), plus about 5 minutes of walking.

Lazy Sunday

Should have gotten up and gone to the Y this morning, but it had snowed all last night and this morning so had to shovel. Did 1/2 of the driveway so I could leave if I wanted to, but then got doing other things (like baking cookies). By noon I decided just to wait as Bill was due home this afternoon and he'd have to run.

He got him mid afternoon and we went for the mile loop around the neighborhood at about 4pm. Did 1.0 mile in 8:57.

No Saturday group run for me

For the first time in about 5 months (except when we were in Park City) I didn't run with the Saturday morning running group. The walkways around the city are still pretty icy, plus it's blustery out. I just wasn't in the mood to do a long run, much less do it with unsure footing and cold, windy weather.

Slept in a bit, then got up to go to the gym. As I was leaving the house, it was snowing....don't know how long it's been snowing as it really wasn't sticking. Another reason I was happy to not have gone running outside.

Once at the gym I still wanted to make sure I got a long, aerobic workout in to make up for not doing a long run. Therefore I did:

one mile on the treadmill in about 8:45;
15 minutes on the elliptical, with the 2 middle minutes being backwards;
one mile on the treadmill in about 8:45;
30 minutes on the bike in a double-hill workout, level 6 plus 5 cooldown minutes;
one mile on the treadmill in 9:05 minutes

That workout was tough, especially trying to run after the elliptical and especially the bike. The legs were wobbly and definitely different muscles got used. Good cross-training type of workout and still got 3 miles of running in.

Morning outside

Didn't know if I would go to the HR holiday party after work tonight or not, so I thought I better get up and run outside. It was cold, but not too bad actually. Wind was a little brisk from two directions, but not terribly bad.

Ran just the 1.0 mile in 8:53.

Chilllllllly

It's still just too cold to run outside, so I planned to go to either the Y or All Saints gym tonight. Was leaving work early to help mom and do some shopping.

Done with shopping around 7pm, so headed to the Y to workout. Did my mile on the treadmill (about 9 minutes), then did 35 minutes on the bike in a new hill workout, level 6. Don't want to do any weights as I'm a little sore from last night. That's all for today.

Anna tonight

Made sure I rushed up to Oak Creek tonight so I could get my mile in before the workout, as I know that running after is just too hard. Did my mile in about 9 minutes and cooled down a bit and changed before working out with Anna.

We did a good varied workout with quads (I'll be feeling those), calves, sides of legs, core, calves, dead lift, squats. Good all-around weight/strength workout.

Snow Day---literally

Today was a day of sleeting rain on and off all day, with snow to the north. Because of the weather they closed schools today. On the drive to work it was mostly just slushy, not really slippery, but they are predicting more sleet later in the day.

The GOP ended up getting cancelled again tonight due to weather. Figured I'd take advantage of the time and work late. Left work about 6:45 and just drove up the hill to the All Saints gym.

Did the mile on the treadmill in about 9:00 minute pace. That's about all for tonight.

202020 again

I really enjoyed the 20-20-20 class last week, so I thought I'd try it again. A whole different type of class, but still really good. I still have a ways to go on my coordination during the aerobic times.... :)

After class, I couldn't decide if I should stop back at work to run on the treadmill or run outside. As I was driving around, I noticed the roads were pretty de-iced, just very icy on the edges. Temp was chilly, but not too bad tonight (very light winds) so I thought I should run outside. Got home and put warmer close on before venturing right out for the neighborhood mile.

Ran 1.04 mile in 8:35 (8:17/mile pace)

Sunday Y

Bill was going to run about 18 today so I headed to the YMCA. Did my mile plus a bit on the treadmill, then did about 15 minutes + on the elliptical (with 2 minutes mid cycle going backwards), finished with a bit on the bike.

Was going to do some weights, but wasn't really in the mood. Therefore I just did 3 machines and ended for the morning.

Jingle Bell Run 2007

Today's the Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell Run 5K. I find out just before the race that it's a new route, which is probably good because of the every-other-day snows we've been getting. They shoveled pretty good, but there is still icy patches and snow/ice chunks all over the route.

Ken paired up with me and we took off........literally. At the one mile point, they announced 7:55! What! That's the fastest mile I've EVER run, by alot. At mile two I was starting to struggle, but they announced 16 minutes flat. Slowed a bit, but still quite fast. Ken stayed ahead of me just a bit for this two miles and was my rabbit. Unfortunately right after that point was a big hill that I tried to run up (not walk a bit). I did it, but struggled, and therefore got a bad side stitch coming down the hill. I kept going, but had to slow quite a bit to get my breathing under control. Ken kept going and even Bill passed me (he had been just about 10 seconds behind us the whole time). Finally at about 2.55 miles I started feeling better and picked the pace back up. At about 2.7 we were turning toward the school and I wondered how we were going to get another .4 in. Well, it turns out the course was short and my watch said about 2.82 at the finish line.

After gathering with the group, we decided we needed to finish the 5k, so we ran around the neighborhood a bit to finish the distance.

According to my Garmin, I ran 3.16 miles in 26:45.
For the 5k, I ran it in 26:09! I beat the 27 minute mark, even with slowing down quite a bit that last .75 mile. That's a 8:26/mile pace.

Now to keep working on it so I can maybe do the 8:30-8:45 pace for the full 10k.

TGIF!

It's Friday and neither of us got up to run. During the day I chatted with Bill and he said the roads were clearing up a bit so we decided to run outside tonight.

Ran 1.03 in 9:14 (8:55/mile pace)

Hard to move

It's still so hard to move into running in the morning when it's cold and the roads are still snowy and icy. Luckily I don't have much after work, so I'll just go to the All Saints gym.

Did my mile while watching Jeopardy (I was the only one in the gym tonight) and the time flew by pretty quickly. Finished it in about 9:15 or so, then did anothe two minutes walking backwards on the treadmill again. Was going to do some weights as I hadn't last night, but didn't really feel like it so did another 17 minutes or so on the bike in another hill workout.

Snowy day

Woke up this morning and realized it had continued to snow even after we shoveled last night. Plows hadn't been through so there was a good couple of inches in the neighborhood. As much as Bill hates to run on a treadmill, he agreed that it would be difficult to run this morning and we'd go to the Y tonight.

Ran my mile on the treadmill in about 9:30 or so, then did about 2 minutes walking backwards on the treadmill in an attempt to stretch the hamstrings. Then did about 17-18 minutes on the bike in a level 6 hill workout. Did just some tricep dips and stretched as Bill was ready to go.

Winter running

It was cold this morning, so I really didn't want to get up. Told Bill we could just run tonight at the gym.....then he remembered we had a meeting tonight! Phooey! So we dragged our butts out of bed and did our run at a nice easy pace.

Ran 1.03 mile in 9:39 (9:27/mile pace).

It started snowing midday and our meeting ended up being cancelled due to that. Oh well.

20/20/20

Still really windy this morning, so no running for me. I planned to try the new 20/20/20 class at Synchronicity. It's 20 minutes of low-impact cardio, 20 minutes of strength, and 20 minutes of flexibility. It's a pretty good class. The cardio was just enough to get the heartrate up and start to sweat. Lots of coordination, though, much like regular aerobics. Glad I've gotten a little more coordinated in my age. Then for the strength part she told us to use light weights, 2-3 lbs, as we were going to do things on the floor. Figuring I've built up some strength from training, I went with the 3 lbs. Wow, some of the exercises were hard as there were lots of reps. Good workout!

Stopped at the All Saints gym after as I still needed to do my mile. Did a quick mile on the treadmill in about 9:30.

Sunday later day

Was a little lazy this morning as there was a lot of snow on the ground and it was still sleaty and windy. Headed out midday to do some Christmas shopping and figured I'd go to the Y after.

Did my mile on the treadmill at the Y, then did just over 20 minutes of a hill workout, level 6, on the bike. Finished with 3 sets of 12 reps on 5 of the machines--the two lat presses and three quad/add/abductor machines. Y closes at 4pm, so that's all for today.

Southside Saturday

We're running the southside bike path today. Since Ken lives nearby, I wondered if he'd be back as he wasn't with the group last week. Well, I was right and he ran to the meeting point and we took off at the head of the pack together.

It was really cold this morning, about 17 degrees (9 degree windchill), but I dressed in layers and hoped I'd be ok. From beginning to end, I was actually pretty comfortable so I guess I did good with the clothing choices.

As usual, started out cruising right along. About 2 miles into it, Ken asked how fast we were going. About 8:30 pace! He then said he thought we were going a little fast......then why are we? I was keeping up with him!

Turned around at 2.75 as I knew this pace was a little harder and thought I'd start to tire out soon. Ken said goodbye at Chicory and I kept going to the end. Slowed a bit that last mile, but still tried to keep it at least a 9:30 pace.

Ran 5.50 miles exactly in 48:32 (8:49/mile pace overall).
Ran the first 3.1 miles in 26:36 (8:35/mile pace). Wow, that is fast!
Ran the last 2.4 miles in 21:55 (9:07/mile pace). Slower, but still pretty good.

Next week is the Arthritis Foundation's Jingle Bell Run 5K. Since I ran 26:36 for a 5K this week, I'll have to think about what goal I make for next week. The crowd will hamper the start a bit, but I may be able to break 27 minutes.

Usually....

Usually I like to run in the morning on Fridays so I get a full 24 hours of rest before a Saturday run. With the weather getting colder and still being so windy, I just am having a hard time getting up in the morning to run.

Decided to run right after work. Ran just the neighborhood mile. Ran 1.03 in 9:22 (9:05/mile pace)

Later run

Had a haircut at 7:15pm tonight, so I waited to run until I got home to take a nice easy run. Bill and I went out there, and again thought we'd take it easy (but didn't).

Ran 1.03 miles in 9:05 (8:47/mile pace).

Run before Anna

The last few times I've met with Anna, I waited to do my mile until after working out with her (either there on the treadmill or outside at home). All those times were really hard as the workout strained me so the run was unusually tough. I decided that I didn't want to do that today, and I had an easier afternoon at work and thought I could get out right on time so I could run before.

Actually left work a few minutes before 5pm and went straight up there. Ran my mile on their treadmill and then could even cool down a bit before Anna was ready for me. Weighed and measured again--I gained 2 lbs, but my measurements were still pretty good. Lost a bit here and there, gained a bit here and there, but overall still not too bad.

She did a well-rounded workout tonight starting with shoulders and upper arms, going to leg presses focusing on inner thighs, did some other tricep and shoulder workouts, pushups, and calf workouts. Nearly everything tonight was super-setted, so I'll feel it tomorrow.

Y again

Bill and I talked about going to the Y tonight. He wasn't too excited about that, but it was windy and blustery again, so I told him at least I was going (he did go too).

To take it easy on my sore leg, just did a very easy mile on the treadmill. Then did about 20+ minutes, hill workout, on the bike. Some nice pressure on the thighs, but less impact. No weights either as I really want to rest the leg a bit and I'm meeting with Anna tomorrow. Gave it a good stretching too.

Monday morning

Got up with Bill to do just our one mile around the neighborhood. While running, I realized that my knee and hamstring were really straining. Glad we were just doing the one mile.

Ran 1.03 miles in 9:06 (8:52/mile pace). Thought we were taking it a bit easier, guess not.

TodaY

Back to the YMCA today. Since I had longer runs both Thursday and Saturday, I was starting to feel my legs were a little drained. Also having some knee pain and hamstring strain, so wanted to take it easy. Did my mile on the treadmill, then did about 35 minutes on the bike (hill workout), then ended with about 20 minutes on the elliptical. While on the elliptical, I did three "intervals" going backward for 2 minutes--with the 2nd minute of each rep sitting back more and doing more work with the thighs. Oooooh, that worked those thighs alot.

Therefore I did about 60 minutes of cardio. Was going to do some weights, but didn't feel like it after doing all this, so left it at that.

Northside route

I kind of like it when we do the northside route, it's less than 5 minutes from the house so I can get up a bit later and leave later. Unfortunately Bill got up early to run a bit before I just stayed up today and didn't go back to sleep.

Ran the first 2.5 with Bill and Susan, but only really wanted to do 5 miles or so. Turned around at 2.5 and ran just a few hundred feet and another group was coming. John said he was about to turn around so he asked me to wait for him. Did that and ran back the last 2.5 or so with him. He runs a bit slower than me (that just sounds weird to say as I used to run way behind him), so I just hung out with him and ran at this slightly easier pace. Good thing at times, though, as it's still pretty windy and there were spots along the path where the wind really hit us strong.

Ran 5.12 in 48:48 (9:31/mile pace overall).

The other day Bill programmed my Garmin to do 3.1 mile splits, so now I can see how I do first part of a run vs the last. For today I ran the first 3.1 in 28:44 (9:16/mile pace) and the last 2.02 in 20:03 (9:55/mile pace). Legs are a little tired, particularly the knees, from two long runs in three days, but actually I feel really good overall.

I really didn't struggle at all during today's run and feel good after............what's going on!?!?!?!

Black Friday

Today's the Friday after Thanksgiving and I'm staying away from the stores. Luckily I have to work today. Didn't really want to get up to run, but don't expect to work late so I figured I'd run later. Bill has off today, so we'll just run when I get home.

Got home before 5pm and headed right out. Ran 1.02 in 9:01 (8:51/mile pace).

Turkey Day, Turkey Trot

So, today's the Kenosha Turkey Trot. Over the last two months I've been building up speed and trying to re-gain my distance in attempt to do well in this race. I really want to beat 58 minutes, maybe even push to beat 55 minutes.

Got up this morning to hear the wind blowing and seeing it snow. Not alot of accumulation, but big flakes....or "packets" of flakes as Bill called them. It was in the 20s, with a wind chill in the teens. The wind was from the northwest, therefore the first 3+ miles would be into the wind....yippee, my favorite.

Got going running with Bill and had a pretty good pace. There were a few places I struggled a bit, but was able to maintain a pretty good rate. At 5 miles I realized I was doing really good and I could have a good time. Then we turned west for the last .75 mile into the wind, and I got a side stitch. I was really disappointed and wanted to just keep going. Luckily it didn't get too bad and I was able to push through it.

Finished in an official time of 56:47! Woo hoo! I'm really excited as that is great for me, especially in the cold and windy conditions. Ran the first half of the race just slighly slower than the 2nd, by less than a minute, but still it's a negative split.

I'm really proud of myself and feel really good about this!

Now to meet up with the other Racine runners and head to the bar for the 2nd part of the race....bloody marys!

Still icky

Woke up this morning to hearing crappy weather and wind outside. Nope, not running this morning. I'll take stuff to work and run at the gym tonight.

Since the Turkey Trot is tomorrow, really need to take it easy. I walked for about 2 minutes on the treadmill, then ran my mile in about 9:15 or so, then walked to cool down a bit. Felt good and could have done some biking or weights, but didn't want to strain myself.

Just me.....

This morning was just me as someone was sound asleep and didn't even move when I got up or got dressed. When I was laying in bed, I heard the weather report say the wind was going to pick up and it was going to start precipitating later in the day. Although it was cold and slightly windy in the morning, the thought of running later in stronger wind and sleet/rain/snow was not an appealing thought.

Ran 1.01 in 9:10 (9:06/mile pace)

Bill had to run at night, and sure enough it was windy and sleety. Heard the sleet hitting the windows. Poor Bill..........he should have woken up and I would've warned him. ;)

Monday morning

Ok, so it's Thanksgiving week, meaning the Turkey Trot is Thursday. Just want to do only the mile for a few days so I'm ready for Thursday.

Ran 1.02 mile in 9:13 (9:02/mile pace)

Back to the Y

It's been a bit since I've been to the Y, so I figured I'd go this morning. Bill met the Goofy challenge runners early to start the weekends of running two long runs in a weekend.

Went to the Y and did my mile on the treadmill in about 9:20 or so. Started off too fast, so had to slow down quite a bit and work it back up. Then I did about 32 minutes on the bike doing a level 5 hill workout. Thought about doing some weights or elliptical, but I think I'm done for now.

Windy weather

I'm figuring out that as we go into the winter, I'm really going to struggle to keep up this running. We met at the Towers today and it was chilly, but not really that bad. Thought it would be a great morning run. Then we got going and realized the wind was from the east and fairly strong. We had been shielded by the Towers and I got a false sense of comfort.

As usual, I struggled running with the wind. Running north along the beach and up to Michigan Blvd, much of the east is wide open so the wind was somewhat blustery and pushing on me pretty hard. Unfortunately even when we turned around, the wind was still there....just blowing across me the other way. I kept going, but when we approached the beach again, I decided to stay on Michigan and run along the street. Shortened the route, but a little more pleasurable.

Ran 5.5 miles in 51:24 (a 9:21/mile pace). That really surprises me as I walked 4-5 times (just for 30-60 seconds) to catch my breath. Therefore, even with these walks, I must have really been running at a good clip to make up for it.

Just gotta get it done

Had the day off today and thought I may go to the gym sometime. After getting pics taken and doing some errands, I went home but didn't feel like working out. When Bill got home, we decided just to do the quick mile and get it done.

Ran 1.01 mile in 9:20 (9:13/mile pace)

Busy day for both of us

Still windy and blustery this morning. Bill had meetings after work tonight, so I figured I'd go to the All Saints gym or the Y after work and run. I thought about going to yoga also, but ended up going back to work after an afternoon job fair and worked late.

Got the the All Saints gym around 7pm and lights were off and noone was home. Kind of nice to be able to be by myself. Turned on the TV, figured out how to get captioning, and found Survivor. Got on the treadmill with the goal of doing my mile. When I was at about .7 mile, I was cruising right along and enjoying the distraction of the show. Therefore I went for 2 miles.

Did 2 miles in about 18 minutes, plus 2 minutes of walking.

Back to training

Today's another training day with Anna. Figured I could always run after training, so didn't get up this morning. Heard the wind picking up, so that really sealed the deal to not get up and run.

Anna really put me through the push-up paces tonight. Lots of exercises requiring me to hold the core tight and keep myself up with my arms and shoulders. I'm definitely going to feel that. Lost another 2lbs since last time meeting with her, so that's good. Have to keep it up.

Since is still is chilly and windy, decided to do my mile on the treadmill at the club. I really have to stop doing this as I don't like their treadmills and it's really hard to do the run after doing about 45 minutes of weight training. Had to really keep it slow and did the mile in just under 10 minutes.

Bill's back, and pushing me ahead

We were slow to get up this morning, but still got out there to run. As we approached the 1/2 mile mark, Bill said he was going to do 2 miles. I didn't really want to, but since I was back to eating more with him home, and didn't go to the gym on Sunday, I really needed to do the full 2 miles.

Ran 2.06 miles in 18:09 (8:48/mile pace). Not too bad.

Morning run again

In the past few weeks, many days have been just too windy to run. Also, with Bill gone, I always knew I could run in the evening, so I found myself not running much in the morning.

Bill and I got out there this morning and just did the mile. 1.01 mile in 8:36 (8:30/mile pace). Pretty swift.

So it's Sunday...

....and Bill got to really sleep to catch up. We both spent about 11 hours in bed, just being lazy. Although I woke up hours earlier, just didn't want to get up.

I talked about going to the Y, but Bill was catching up on DVRd shows and I found myself just watching with him. Then I said I'd go later, and later never came. Had to go to the showing for Jodie's sister at 4pm, so I never quite made it to the gym.

There were tons of people at the showing, so it took 2 hours to get through. Bill and I decided to do dinner while we were out, and run later. Therefore we didn't get out until after 8pm and just did the mile. There really was no excuse for me not doing more exercise today, just lazyness. I'll have to be careful to not let this happen too much.

Ran 1.00 mile in 9:21.

Parkside pain

This was the firsts time in a very long time that the Saturday run was at Parkside's cross-country course. The times during the summer we ran down there, I ran the streets.

Small group today and off we went up that awful first hill. Tried to keep you with Bill and Ken, but didn't even stay with them for .75 mile and had to drop back a bit. Did most of the course, and when it came back out near the beginning and you were supposed to run back up the hill again, I decided I wasn't up to that. Had run about 3.75 at this point and jogged out of the course and decided to run the streets. Didn't know how far I would go, maybe just 5 or so. Walked a bit at the turnaround, but kept going Then as I as running, I figured I would try to do the full 6.2, finishing all on the roads. As I got back near the car, I had done about 5.6, so I just kept going and ran around in circles (kind of literally) trying to finish up. Got a little kick in my step around 5.9 to finish hard so I'd make the finish in under an hour.

Barely made it, but did it. Ran 6.22 miles in 59:29 (9:34/mile pace). This is the longest I've run distance-wise in months and months....maybe since last Turkey Trot. Although I've run longer time-wise, I didn't cover the distance. Getting stronger!

Running with Bill!

So I woke up this morning thinking I should run. Bill's supposed to be home tonight (hopefully) around 4:30pm. I haven't received a call of problems, so I'm assuming he's coming this time. Check the United.com website and find the flight is en route. These are all good signs. I really didn't feel like running, so I went back to bed for a bit and figured I would run later with Bill.

We got home just before 7pm and Bill unpacked and I started dinner. Went for our mile while dinner was cooking. It was nice to run with him again. Made the same-ole mile go a little faster.

Ran 1.04 mile in 8:56 (8:36/mile pace)

Run of frustration

Ok, so Bill's due home tonight. Yippeeee! I decided to get up early and do my mile, then I could run late with him later. As I'm getting dressed, the phone rings (at 6:30am)???? Oh no, Bill's still in Sydney. There were plane troubles and they couldn't take off. Therefore they put them up in a hotel and maybe they'll get to take off tomorrow. Boy this disappointment me and I had a little emotional breakdown.

I decided I might as well run anyway and just go into work a little bit later. Ran 1.01 in 8:58 (8:50/mile pace).

Finally, a little more time

Didn't have anything specific to do after work tonight, so I planned to go to the Y.

Decided to switch things up a bit as it was very busy at the gym. Did 20 minutes of a hill workout (level 4) on the bike first, plus a one minute cooldown......then went to the treadmill. With the legs a little warmed up, and slightly fatigued, figured that would change up the mile a bit.

Did the mile on the treadmill with intervals (8.5 pace). Did three intervals, two 30-second and one 45-second. Therefore the mile was in about 8:35 pace overall.

Did a few machines--two legs, sitting press, lat pull down, and lower back. Could do a little more, but I'm tired and just want a little time to relax tonight.

Long day

Today was my RN ED Hiring event, so I was up and at work by 6:30am and worked until 8pm. That's a very long day, but still have to run........sometime.

It's still cold and windy, so I brought clothes with me to work and figure I could always use the ASH gym right after the event. And so I did.

I was exhausted, so I just did the mmile in about 8:45 on the treadmill. Stretched a bit and that was all for tonight.

Wind Advisory

So I woke up this morning to hear on the weather that for today and tomorrow we are under a wind advisory due to the 20-30 mph winds with gusts up to 50 mph. The advisory was to start at 6am, so I lay there at 5:30am trying to hear if it's already windy or not. Didn't sound like it. Got up and looked out the window to see the trees and bushes really blowing in the wind. Nope, no morning run. I can just run at the gym tonight.

Ran for my mile on the treadmill in about 9 minutes, did 1 minute walking cooldown, then did 20 minutes on the bike with a good resistence so it was tough on & off during the ride.

Last Sunday

This is the last Sunday that Bill's gone and I'm on my own. Got up early (as I went to bed early) and was ready to go. Decided to get to the Y right away and get a good workout in.

Ran 1 mile on the treadmill in 9 minutes, plus one minute cool down
Rode 30 minutes on the bike in a hill workout-level 6, with 5 minute cool down
Did 15 minutes on the elliptical, with 2-2 minute intervals of going backwards.

A nice hour of cardio. For some reason I wasn't really in the mood to do weights today, so I decided to skip those. Another day!

Running a pint low

Literally. Yesterday was the blood drive at work and I haven't donated in a while, so I did this time. They say you should not do strenuous exercise for about 48 hours after donating, so I guess running with Ken about 19 hours after donating is breaking the rules. As I mentioned that I gave blood a few people were surprised that I was out running and running at a good pace. Many, including Ken, say they usually take a day or two off before running again after giving blood. As I was going along, I realized that I was a little weaker than normal. It's always tough running with Ken, and Mike-the other fast guy- was with us, but at about 2 miles I realized I wasn't going to make it the full 6 miles. Even if I pushed it, I thought I probably shouldn't as who knows how I'd feel. I didn't want to embarrass myself by becoming dizzy or something. I decided to turn around at 2.33 and head back. I walked a bit, then ran, then walked a bit more. Ken and Mike caught back up with me and I ran all the way back. I had to slow quite a bit as I was feeling a little weak in the legs---I think park of it was the giving blood, coupled with the strain of the leg workout on Wednesday. I told Ken I needed to slow, and he stuck with me all the way to the end.

Each stretch I walked, I stopped the Garmin. Since I turned around at 2.33, the run should have been about 4.66 or just a bit more. I thought I walked more, but luckily I didn't, as I ended up with:

Ran 4.5 miles in 41:25 (9:12/mile pace). Still not too bad overall.

Frosty Friday

Got up this morning and realized the ground was a bit frosty. Oh boy, winter is coming. I'm a little sore from the workout Wednesday, so definitely only want to do the one mile.

Did 1.04 mile in 9:14 (8:53/mile pace)

November 1st

So it's November 1st, the first day of the fourth month of running at least one mile every, single day. Wow. I certainly never thought I'd be doing this. Now, I can't imagine not. Not necessarily because it's an easy, healthy thing to do. But because I'm stubborn and I don't want to break the streak!

I have a hair appt late tonight, so I knew I should run in the morning. Boy it's getting colder and even wearing a jacket was barely enough when you're running into the wind.

Ran 1.02 in 9:06 (8:55/mile pace). Not a great pace, still fatigued and feeling a bit sore.

Happy Halloween!

So it's the end of October and the weather has finally turned to feeling like it should. For a few days now it's been chilly and quite windy. Woke up this morning wanting to run, as I actually woke up before the alarm. Unfortunately all I could think about was work and stuff I needed to do. I'm meeting with Anna tonight, and she was booked at 6pm so my appt is at 5pm. Because of that, I know I'll have to leave work early, so I decided to get up and just go into work early to get some work done. With the early appt with Anna, I knew I had plenty of evening time to do my run later.

Worked out with Anna and found that I've lost more weight and inches. Really doing pretty good at this! She actually did one exercise with me tonight, the first time ever she's done that in over a year of working with her. We did partner pushups, you know the ones where you both face each other, do a push up and slap hands. Then we did alot of leg stuff today, so I know I'm going to feel that tomorrow.

It's still sunny at 6pm and it was in the low 50s, so I decided to drive home and run outside. Unfortunately this was the worst 1 mile run in many, many weeks. I was just drained and got a side stitch only about .3 into the run, and it never went away. I was panting terribly and kept feeling like I had to slow down. I tried everything to get rid of the stitch--one arm up overhead, two arms, stand up straighter, exhale on the left foot, inhale on the left foot, nothing was working. I just wanted to stop, but figured I was already .5, .6, .7 into it, I better just plow through, otherwise I'd have to go back out later and try for a mile again.

The final as 1.00 mile in 9:22 pace. Not really all that bad statistically, but it felt terrible.

Another nice day

Had to get up at 4am (yes AM) today because I had a conference/career fair in Oconomowoc at 6am. Obviously there was no running there. I have no idea how late the fair is to run, but I know I'll have to fit in at least the mile.

As I left the fair earlier than I thought I would, I was driving home about 5pm and heard on the radio that it was 65 degrees. It was a bright sunny day and quite nice. As I drove home, I contemplated going to the gym or running outside. There are probably so few nice days left, so I opted for the run.

Since it was early in the evening, and I'm really tired from such an early start this morning, I thought it would be good to at least try for 2 miles. I ran south out the neighborhood and figured I could always walk part-way back if I wanted. There was a very brisk wind, 16-20mph from the south. Therefore the first mile was the toughest, and it got easier for the way home.

Ran 2.04 miles in 18:21 (9:00/mile pace). Still a pretty nice pace in the wind, enjoying every minute of the sunny, crisp weather I can.

Monday, Monday, na na, na na na

That was bad, but just have that song stuck in my head.

Got up ready to run this morning. It was a fairly nice crisp morning, so I decided to try to run a bit farther than the mile. Wasn't sure if I could/would or not, so stayed in the neighborhood and just did an S pattern, with all the little outshoots that are around the neighborhood. Finally circled on around and ended up back at the house.

Ran 2.25 miles in 20 minutes (8:53/mile pace). Nice way to start the week.

No Y in toda_

Sunday is normally the Y day. I was all prepared to go and do some cardio and weights. While laying in bed this morning, relaxing and listening to the weather, I heard it was actually a pretty nice day. The were figuring it would be in the mid- to high- 40s by late morning, with very light winds (under 10mph). It was sunny also. I thought about it and realized that very, very soon, there will not be any nice days like this left. Therefore I decided not to go to the Y, but go for a run.

Thought I may do 3+ miles, but once I got going, I really didn't want to. Thought I could always do more later if I wanted. Therefore I re-routed and thought I'd do the 2+ mile loop out of the neighborhood south and back in. Ran 2.1 miles in 18:34 (8:50/mile pace). Considering I struggled a bit at points, still had a pretty good time.

Week of PRs

Looking back on this week, I remember two very specific things--I was exhausted most of the week due to the stress and long hours at work, and I had a great week of exercise. They say that exercise helps to combat stress and give you energy. I hope that is so, otherwise I'm not sure how I made it through this week. Or, maybe exercise is needed to wear off the stress--that's probably closer to this truth when you think about my week.

Started Sunday with lots of cardio, plus weights.
Tuesday evening after work, I had another PR for a mile (plus a bit) with an 8:16 mile
Thursday I reached a lower weight (138) that I haven't seen in many, many, many years
And today..............

Today was the zoo-south run, a newer run that I actually really enjoy. Lots of turns and different types of sights. Also, since it's newer, I'm not bored with it and it seems to go really fast. Ken was there this week and we took off together at the head of the group. And we stayed at the head the entire time--even Amy and Dan never passed us!

It was chilly (about 50 degrees) with 10-20mph WNW winds. We all know how much I love the winds. And at times it was head on and strong (especially heading west from Chancery toward the bridge!!!!), that was rough.

Got back to the end and got 5.5 miles right before the zoo. That was enough. I had run hard with Ken and knew I was tired. Looked down and saw that we only ran for 49:04. That seemed a little short. Looked at the pace: .............

8:53/mile pace average for 5.5 miles

Wow! That's another PR. That's a 9 second best per mile on my fastest ever which was only 5 weeks ago (on 9/22). Then, to top it all off, after coffee I went to the Y and did some weights.

What a week! Major highlights for the 1 mile, for my weight, and for over 5 miles! Can't beat that!

Finally Friday

It's been a really long, busy workweek and I'm so glad it's Friday. I'm going out to dinner with Mom tonight, plus I hope to talk to Bill sometime tonight, therefore I knew I shoudl run in the morning as I wouldn't want to run later. Plus with the long run on Saturday, I should make sure my legs have at least the 24 hours to relax.

Went out and realized I really didn't feel like hurrying and could just run a nice, steady pace. Ran 1.01 in 9:10 (9:03/mile pace). Slower than most runs this week, but still quite respectable.

The streak of at least 1 mile a day is still going.

Cozy bed

I woke up this morning earlier than I needed to (had to pee), so I thought for sure I'd run in the morning. Then I crawled back into bed and Breezy came up to snuggle. Well, that was it. I got warm and cozy again and really didn't want to get back up.

Had yoga this evening and we did some new stretches and a little strength training with these little frisbee-like discs. That was different.

Got home and new I had to run still. Went out a little fast as I just wanted to get it done. Lengthened my stride on the back end to try to slow a bit. Still ended up fast!

Ran 1.04 in 8:45 (8:23/mile pace).

Gotta run early

I have to work late tonight at a job fair, so running in the morning was the best option. It's really starting to get chilly in the mornings now. Didn't have alot of time, so just did the normal mile.

Ran 1.03 mile in 8:41 (8:26/mile pace)

Needing a change

Set out to go for the neighborhood run. Couldn't decide whether or not to run 1 or 2 miles. As I set out, I didn't feel like running the normal route(s). I thought I'd just run the neighborhood, but do a different route. I went around the loop, but added every outshot....down the circle, down the normal short road, then out to GB Road. That added a little to the normal route.

Ran 1.34 miles in 11:06 (8:16/mile pace). THAT'S THE FASTEST EVER!

Rainy day

Couldn't get up this morning to run in the morning. Probably should have, as it was drizzling when I came out of work. Luckily I've been really good to make sure that I bring my gym bag each day to have with me to go to the gym if I need to.

Ran my mile on the treadmill in about 9:15 pace. Walked a bit to cool down, then did 20 minutes on the bike on a hill workout. Got another 30 minutes of moderate cardio in.

Kickin' with Cardio

Had a late night last night at the Halloween party, with an early rise morning to meet Team Synergy for breakfast. This led to me draggin by 10:30am and needing a nap. Relaxed a bit knowing that the Y is now open to 4pm on Sundays. Decided to go to the gym around 2pm and figured I had no reason to hurry home, so I might as well spend some good time at the gym.

Ran 20 minutes for 2.2 miles
Biked with the hill terrain at level 5 for 20 minutes
Then did the elliptical at level 3 hill workout for 20 minutes, with intervals of going backwards

A good 60 minutes of cardio. That felt good. I then did my standard 5 weight machines (3 legs, 2 shoulder press), plus the lower back machine.

That's enough for today.

Guilt trip

So, this is the first week that Bill was gone for the Saturday run. He had told everyone to make sure I show up for the runs on Saturdays and to bug me if I didn't show. I was running a little late this morning and showed up at running at about 7:01am. As I get out of the car, one group teased me and said they were wondering if they'd have to call. Then Kristin walks up with her cell phone and says "we had the phone tree all ready to go". No pressure. Guess it's good, though, that they were thinking of me.

Pretty big group today. Ran with Susan and Dan, and Sandy this week. Not quite as fast as other weeks, but still respectable. Had a really nice chat with Susan for most of the run and that was nice.

Ran 5.8 miles in 56 minutes (9:39/mile pace)

TGIF

It was a busy work week and I'm just exhausted. It's been 6 days since Bill left, and I'm dealing OK, but still a little lonely. Thought I'd run this morning, but as I lay in bed waking up I hear the wind rattling the windows. No rain this morning, but boy that wind sounded strong. No running for me this morning.

Took clothes with to work today and figured if it was still rough later in the day, I'd just go to the All Saints gym. Heard it rained during the day, and sure enough it was still quite windy when I was leaving work. Moved the car and went to the All Saints gym. I've never gone on a Friday before, so I wasn't prepared for everything being closed. Thank goodness I took my ID badge in as that was the only way I was going to get into the locker room and gym itself.

Ran 1 mile on the treadmill in about 9:45 or so. Then did another 8 minutes on the bike in a hill workout. Should have probably done a little more, but knew I was doing a long run Saturday so that was enough to sweat and feel like I got some exercise in.

Rain and wind

Woke up to hearing lots of rain and wind outside. I really wanted to run this morning as I have yoga tonight, but hearing this I wasn't really interested.

Took clothes with to work, just in case I got done with work at 5pm and could run in the All Saints gym before yoga. Well, that didn't work and I was still working at 5:40pm, so I just kept working. Stopped for an errand, then went to yoga with Sara. The first instructor was back so it was a very slow, relaxing hour of yoga. Some of the poses (i.e. Warrior II) hurt a bit due to the strain Anna put on my thighs the night before, but it was OK.

Got home from yoga and had to do my run. Went out for the standard loop. It was a beautiful night, low 60s and a perfectly clear sky with lots of stars. Definitely better than the morning. After the run, I just laid on the driveway for a few minutes as I know within days or weeks, it will turn towards winter and be too cold to enjoy these types of evenings.

Ran 1.02 in 9:00 minutes (8:50/mile pace)

Anna Banana

OK, so it's another night with Anna tonight. Woke up to run early, but it was raining, so I figure I'd go after working out with Anna.

Lost another 1.5 lbs, so that started off my session well. Then Anna got all excited. A friend of hers went to an exercise workshop and learned a number of new exercises, that she showed Anna. She was so excited to have me try some and said one was a particularly good, but hard, one. I've since figured something out....there is a direct correlation between Anna's excitement for an exercise and my pain level doing and after the exercise. More excitement, more pain! The first one incorporated balance, core, twist, pushup, dip. Too much and I kept falling over. Even Anna fell over trying to show me (never a good thing when the trainer struggles to show an exercise---she said she just hadn't practiced it enough, yet I was supposed to do it!?!?!?). We modified it a bit, but it was really, really tough. I'll definitely feel that one tomorrow. Lots of other exercises to go, with a few new ones. After, I noticed it was somewhat nice outside and I really didn't want to run on those new treadmills they have.

Went home and it was starting to rain for part of my drive. Got home, grabbed the Garmin and went right out hoping to beat the rain. It started to really drizzle hard during the run, so that was a little chilly and cold.

Ran 1.02 miles in 9:02 (8:50/mile pace).

Two-a-day

Got up and thought I could do a run in the morning, plus go to the gym after. I have some time tonight, so might as well take advantage of it.

Ran the normal mile route around the neighborhood. Ran 1.03 in 8:42 (8:29/mile pace).

Then went to the All Saints gym after work. Ran another mile on the treadmill in about 8:42 pace. Kept going for a bit and did the full 10 minutes of running. Moved over to the bike to read a bit and did a 20 minute ride, hill workout on level 5. At times it was way too easy, but at times it was a really push. Good leg workout today. Didn't want to do any weights today as I'm meeting with Anna tomorrow.

Up and early

Went to bed right on time, so I got up right when the TV went off. Yesterday I thought I may not run early as I thought I'd go to the gym after work, but then I got called by Judy to go to dinner with the family to meet Jennifer---now that meant no evening workout. Therefore I definitely had to run early.

As I was leaving the house, I was debating running 2 miles. Not sure, though, I just decided to run around the neighborhood, but do an S route. This way I could add an extra loop if I wanted, or just cut it off if I wanted.

I ended up running 1.26 miles in 10:40 (8:29/mile pace). That's a pretty good way to start the week.

Quiet Sunday

So, today's was the first day waking up alone, the first of many days ahead. With no plans until the afternoon, there is really no reason not to go to the YMCA. Took my time getting ready, but headed off.

Ran intervals on the treadmill. Did the mile in about 8:24, but kept going a bit to run 1.25 miles total. Then went over to the bike and did 25 minutes of a varied hill workout on the bike. Put it at level 5, so it was a little tough at times. Then did a few machines, but not many--just did the adductor & abductors, plus the sitting press and lat pushout one. That's all for today.

Sappy Sat

So, today's the day Bill leaves for Australia for 26 days. I'm just sad about that and whiny. I really didn't want to run, but figured I should. Went with Bill to the group run on the southside bike path. Bill and I ran together with Kristin and Ken. Being with Ken, and Kristin especially, I knew this was going to be a fast run. Did the first mile in about 8:30. As we approached mile 2, I noticed we were still going at about 8:30 pace. This is killing me, and I was still just not in a great mood. I decided that I really didn't want to keep going and would only do the 4 miles, so I was turning around at 2 miles. Ken and Kristin had pulled ahead a bit, but waited up at 2 miles. Then when I went to turn around, Ken was a bit disappointed as he's really trying to train me. Oh well, another day! Bill kept going with them and ran a great run--about 6 miles in about 53 minutes. Ken and Kristin really kept him going.

I ended up running 4.13 miles in 37:36 (9:05/mile pace). Although I slowed down a bit for the 2nd 2 miles running alone, that was still a great pace.

Early morning, so no go

I was still in LaCrosse for my conference, and had an early morning session starting at 6:45am. With having to pack up and check out, then drive 20 min to get to the conference, I knew an early morning run was out of the question.

Drove home from the conference in the afternoon and waiting for Bill to come home so we could run. Just ran the standard mile in 9:06.

LaCrosse mile

While still at the SHRM conference, I knew I wanted to keep the streak going. Luckily one of the treadmills in the workout room works pretty good, so I got up early enough to do the mile before the conference. Ran it in about 9:35 or so.

After a day at the conference, a long day sitting and listening, I wanted to do a little more. Went down to walk for about 22 minutes on the treadmill while watching Survivor. Eating at the conference, all the prepared hotel-type food, I really needed to do some exercise. I then went back up to the room and enjoyed a quick whirlpool tub. Boy that was a nice way to relax!!

10-10

I'm leaving this afternoon for a conference in LaCrosse, therefore I knew I better get up and run early. There is a reception at the conference this evening for check-in, and who knows how long I will stay there and I don't want to risk missing the mile.

Another cool morning--I guess this is going to become the norm. Soon it will turn to be more cold mornings. :(

Ran 1.01 in 9:04 (8:59/mile pace).

After driving to LaCrosse and going to the check-in and reception, I got back to the hotel just before 8pm. Decided to check out the workout room to see what they have. A bike and two treadmills. Grabbed a magazine and thought I'd just ride the bike a bit. Unfortunately the seat wouldn't hold a position, so it just kept sliding. Then went on the one treadmill for a nice walk while watching TV. The treadmill's calibration was all off. I had it at 6.0 (10 min/mile) pace, but I only was doing a swifter walk. Did that for about 20-22 minutes. It felt good just to do a nice walk.

Cool, crisp morning

OK, it was mid-70s at 7am Sunday, but today, just two days later, it's 25 degrees cooler. It's actually quite crisp this early morning. Guess I must be chilly as I ran a little fast.

Ran 1.03 miles in 8:42 (8:28/mile pace). Only 2 seconds slower than my record time!

Day after the marathon

Since Bill did do alot of miles yesterday, we weren't going to run early. After work we came home and decided to do a nice easy one mile run around the neighborhood.

Ran 1.02 in 9:41 (9:31/mile pace).

Chicago Marathon Day

Ok, so today's the Chicago marathon. They are predicting mid-80s, and unfortunately the weatherman were right on this one. By 7am, it was already over 70 degrees. Kristin, Jodie, Mike D., and Bill were all going to run so we met at 4:45am and drove down together. The race began and off they went, with 44,996 of their closest friends. Melissa and I set off to Mile 2 to see them. Saw Jodie and Kristin, but missed Mike and Bill. Off to mile 13.1, where Rich got off the train and met us. Saw Jodie go by, and she looked strong. Kristin next who was still running good. Missed Mike again. Where's Bill? Melissa and Rich headed to 17 to see the rest, I waited for Bill. Finally Bill came and he was stuggling. It was now over 80 and a scorcher. It was humid and the sun was beating down. He wanted to quit, but I told him to just walk a bit and I'd join him. We walked to 14 and the aid station was out of water and gatorade. Bill really was feeling weak, so I swiped his sweat with a finger and licked (yes, I did) it to see if it was salty. Nope, no salt. He needed electrolytes and now! There was a White Hen about 2 blocks ahead, so I ran ahead to buy him some Gatorade. He kept going, therefore I had to run about a 1/2 mile with my bag to catch up. Just that 1/2 mile and I was done---it's hot and sweltering today. We just kept walking together and I tried to keep him walking at a good pace. Finally at about mile 16 we saw people coming from other side streets--what's going on? Then we heard--they were cancelling the rest of the marathon due to heat and concerns about medical staff. Although Bill was starting to feel better and thought he could continue, they weren't letting people and just redirected everyone straight back to Grant Park. All the firehydrants were open and spraying and everyone was yelling at all the participants to walk, not run.

I then just walked with Bill back towards the finish where they gave him a medal, but he wouldn't wear it. He didn't complete the race, the medal doesn't mean as much. Luckily all of the rest of the group was allowed to complete, although Mike was told at about mile 20 to walk also. Jodie finished in about 4:33, Kristin in about 4:57, and Mike in about 5:46--unfortunately none are official times as they stopped the race after about 3:30.

Come to find out later, one person died and about 400 were hospitalized. We also saw many, many people getting aid that probably didn't go to the hospital. It was just a rough day.

After getting home in the evening, I still had to do my mile. It was still quite warm, so I just did the normal loop. Ran 1.02 mile in 9:06 pace (9:02/mile pace).

What a disappointing day for Bill. His first DNF, and not of his own choice. It was probably for the best as he was stuggling and may not have been able to finish the whole thing anyway with the heat, but it's still a big letdown. Luckily Illinois is close and this marathon didn't require airfare and hotel, so he'll just have to add it to another year.

Another new route

Today we are doing another old/new route which is exciting. We started at Jud's house, ran north to 4 Mile, east around the point, west on 3 Mile, and back down Main to Jud's house. Ran with Ken again today, as well as with Andy and Greg for some of the run. Started out for 2 miles as all 4 of us, then Ken and I together for about 3, then Greg caught back up for the last mile. It's a little hilly on this route, some rolling hills on 4 mile and the loop. Also, as we neared the lake the breeze picked up, which I love so much. It was a warm day, so it felt OK, but I hate running into the wind!

Ran 5.9 miles in 55:02 (9:19/mile pace). Still are darn good pace and overall it was a pretty good run.

1/2 day Friday

We're going to only work a short day today as we are meeting the group at 1pm to go down to Chicago for the marathon packet-pickup and Expo. Don't know when we'll get home, so we have to run in the morning.

With the marathon so close, we wanted to really try to take it easy to not strain anything. Ran exactly 1.00 mile in 9:36 pace.

2 times

Got up this morning to do my mile, knowing I also had my new Yoga Mix class tonight. Got out there and realized I'm definitely going to be sore after Anna's workout last night. Mostly core and stomach, not too much else.

Did 1.02 mile in 8:59 (8:50/mile pace).

Sleeping in

I know I'm meeting with Anna tonight, so why not take the opportunity to sleep in a bit. Had a good workout with Anna. Still losing weight and inches (slowly, but it is happening). Then she started me out tonight with a new exercise, a tough one--in push up position, have hands on 8lb free weights, do a push up on the weights, then lift one arm back and up in 90 degree angle, then the other one, all while keeping torso level and facing down. Do this 8 times for 3 sets. Wow, that was really hard and hurt lots of core, stomach, and back muscles. A good overall exercise. Then did another new one--lunges with a kickboxing style front kick. Then a variety of other weights.

Since I new Bill was socializing tonight, I figured I'd use the gym a bit after the workout. Did my mile on their new treadmills (about 9:12 pace)--I'm not sure I really like them, their a bit rough on the feet. Then did 20 minutes on the recumbant bike so I could get my 30 minutes of exercise for the Fitness Challenge.

Tuesday 2

Got a busy week this week, so this will be the first of many morning runs this week. Actually got up a bit early today and thought I'd maybe do 2 miles, but once I got out there, I wasn't feeling it.

Ran 1.01 in 9:08 (9:03/mile pace).

October Activity

Woke up this morning to some rain, and since it was Monday, I really wasn't going to get out there and run early. Plus this is the only evening this week I don't have something going on, therefore I can run in the evening.

Just did the loop around the neighborhood: 1.02 miles in 9:21 (9:12/mile pace).

Last day of September

So, it's September 30th. You know what that means--it's been 3 full months of running at least 1 mile every single day. That's 92 days in total. Wow! Never in my life did I think I'd ever be so into running.

Today was Sunday, so we went to the YMCA. When I first got on the treadmill, I couldn't decide whether to do intervals or not. I decided against it and thought I'd just run and try to do a fast pace on the treadmill. I started at about a 6.7 pace on the treadmill and kept gradually increasing it to 7.0 (8:34 pace) over the course of the first mile. I also increased the incline to 0.5 so it was a little tougher. As I neared one mile, I felt OK so I thought it best to do 2 miles. Kept running at this good pace til about 1.5 miles, then gradually decreased the speed and incline. For the last 0.1 mile, I kicked the speed back up again til the end. Ran the 2 miles in 18:06. Good run.

Then went and did 12 minutes on the recumbant bike with rolling hills at level 6. That was a little tough hill workout.

Went on to the machines, but thought it best to give the legs a little break. Did the sitting press and the lat pull down. Then did the tricep pull down, 8lb bicep curls, and 8lb side shoulder raises. Finished with lunges with 8lb weights. That was enough for today. On to breakfast/brunch!

Saturday, close to home

It's been a while since we've run on the northside. Bill only had to run 8 today as this was the lowest part of the taper before next week's marathon. We were running the north bike trail, starting at 3 Mile and Douglas, so it was nice to get up a bit later and leave the house at only 8 minutes to 7am.

As I got started running today, I knew it wasn't going to be a breakneck pace. I just really felt it was going to be a steady run, but not an overly fast run, nor a really far run. Ran with Bill for about a mile, then he said that Mike D. and I were going too fast. Mike and I continued and ran north 2.5 so that we'd get a nice 5 miles in.

Ran 5.13 miles in 48:16 (9:24/mile pace). For not thinking I was going too fast, it still turned out to be a pretty decent run.

Up a bit early

Got up pretty quickly this morning and went for our run. While running I noticed I wasn't really that sore at all, not as sore as I typically am two days after weight lifting. Maybe my body is getting more used to the lifting, maybe the yoga stretching last night helped. Either way I felt pretty good.

Ran 1.02 mile in 8:45 (8:35/mile pace)

Something new

Got up this morning and went for our morning run. It's really getting chilly in the mornings now.

Ran 1.02 mile in 8:59 (8:51/mile pace--again).

Then tried something new. Sara and I signed up for some studio classes with Synchronicity. Tonight was the class we talked about going to-- a Yoga Mix class. It's supposedly a basic yoga class with a little extra (some free weights and other accessories). I've never done yoga so it was a little different and I didn't know what to expect. It was a good relaxing session with some great stretching. I think going to yoga the note on the night after a weight session is a great idea. Since I'm typically starting to get sore about 24 hours after lifting, doing yoga stretching right then was tough, but felt so good.

Full of fitness

Didn't really feel like getting up this morning, but knew that Bill had an evening meeting and I could go to the gym or run later if I wanted.

On the way home from a Milwaukee meeting, I decided to go to the YMCA to get some good exercise in. I did my 1 mile (with intervals--raising the jog pace up a bit as a challenge, also a little incline) run, then did 20 minutes on the recumbant bike with a hill workout at level 5. Then I did some weights--did the 3 leg machines I always do, plus the three chest/shoulder/back ones I always do. Then I did a few reps on the Roman chair and some bicep curls with free weights.

On the way home I chatted with Bill and he hadn't run yet. I felt pretty good so I decided to run with him again. Ran another mile around the neighborhood---did 1.01 in 8:57 (8:51/mile pace).

Wow, morning glory!

Got up this morning and thought I may run 2 miles. Bill just wasn't waking up so I let him sleep. As I was getting my shoes on, he got up and I told him he didn't have to go with me. He told me to be on my way and just go.

As I got going, about .25 in, I realized I didn't think I was going to do 2 miles. I started out fast and just wanted to keep going. Still fighting the scratchy throat, so I also didn't want to overdo. Although I tired about 0.5 mile in, I kept going pretty fast. About .75 into the run counterclockwise around the neighborhood, I passed Bill going the other direction.

Ran 1.02 in 8:35 (8:26/mile pace). I think that's the fastest I've ever run a mile! Less than an 8:30 min/mile! Wow!

Late Monday run

We decided we run later today, but then when we got home from work, neither of us could decide whether to eat first or run first. I was really hungry, so we decided to eat first and run later.

Mistake!!

For some reason, although we ran over an hour after eating, the food (just cereal) weighed on us. Additionally, I'm fighting off a scratch throat, so I'm just not feeling at my peak.

Tried to run slower, but in a way, I just wanted to finish. Ran 1.03 mile in 9:55 (9:38/mile pace). Definitely slower, but not overly bad.

Lazy Sunday

We just had a really lazy day today, not even running til 6pm.

Started out relaxing and slower, but we really picked up the pace as we moved along. The little graph was bumpy, but kept going down, down, down.

Ran 1.02 mile in 8:50 (8:42/mile pace). Good time for starting out so slow and running such a good run yesterday.

Another record Saturday

OK, so last week I ran with Ken and he really pushed me. We ran about 5.65 miles and I maintained an average 9:18/mile pace. That was a big push for me, but good.

This week was Colonial run, one of my least favorites. I just think it's a bit boring as we run it so often (about every 5 weeks). But I also noticed today just how hilly it is. Not big hills, but lots of little ones---so many little road overpasses and underpasses and river bridges. As we were getting started, Ken was there again and he hung back and we started off together. We started strong and passed the rest of the group before the first big bridge out of the trees. As we were winding through Lincoln Park, we caught up with Mike, an occasional runner with the group. Mike is tall and runs at a fairly good clip. He slowed a bit and the three of us ran the route together.

They really do run faster than my comfort level, but again this is a good thing. It keeps me going and pushing myself. At one point I was really struggling to keep up and told the two guys to go ahead. They said no, that wasn't what it was about, and agreed to slow a bit for me. Well, they did....for a bit, then I think we were right back up there.

As we were nearing back to Colonial, I realized that we hadn't been passed. Although we didn't run up the final hill at the 3 mile mark, we had run nearly the whole route and not even the faster runners had passed us. This is a unique thing for me as the faster runners always pass by me at some point. We pushed it all the way to the end.

We ran 5.63 miles in 50:56 minutes. I knew that was a pretty good time, but couldn't do the math to figure out my pace. I just knew I felt exhausted. As we chatted, a few members of the group commented on how fast I was running and how strong I looked (well, at least I looked strong on the outside...amazing how looks can be so deceiving!). Melissa asked my pace and I just showed her the time and told her I didn't know the pace. With the click of a button (I still haven't played enough with the new Forerunner to figure out the features), she showed me my pace screen.

9:02/mile pace!!!!!!!!!!! What!!!???!?!?!?!?! That can't be right. Oh my God. I ran a 9:02 mile average pace for over 5.5 miles. That's amazing. Then, of course, my natural competitive spirit came out and I was upset that I didn't run a hair faster so that my pace was under 9:00/mile. Funny how I was just exhausted and knew I had run "too fast", then once I knew the number, I felt I should have run faster. This Forerunner really helps my competitive spirit as I'm now able to track it all.

It was really neat to have people like Jodie and Melissa commenting on how fast I was running and how solid my run looked. Maybe someday I can catch up to them and actually join them on a run!

So, the end all was 5.63 mile in 50:56 (9:02/mile pace). What a run!

Humid morning

It was unusually humid this morning, a humidity we haven't felt in a few weeks. I just couldn't really get going today and Bill just had a kick to his step and pulled away from me, finishing a good couple of house lengths ahead of me.

Ran 1.03 in 9:20 (9:05/mile pace). A good pace, but obviously Bill wanted to run faster.

Froggy

Boy was it foggy tonight. It was foggy in the morning as well, so it didn't really matter when we ran.

I had met Sara at Synchronicity this evening to see if we might want to do some yoga or other exercise classes. We thought it looked like fun, so we signed up for 10 sessions. We'll start with the yoga mix, but may try the 20/20/20 class as well. As I drove home, knowing we were going for our mile run, I noticed the fog was rolling in pretty heavy.

As we were running we noticed how wet we were getting. It was weird as it was just fog, but it was such a heavy fog it was almost like it was misting.

Ran 1.01 in 9:31 (9:26/mile pace).

Nice crisp morning

Decided I should get up and run in the morning today as I woke up in plenty of time and it felt like it was a nice morning. Although I typically run better in the mornings, today was good, but not great.

Ran 1.03 mile in 9:33 (9:18/mile pace).

Tuesday Training

Tonight was a rare Tuesday night session with Anna as she was busy on Wednesday this week. She did weight (not great, but steady) and measurements (a few little partial inches down here and there) tonight. After a quick warmup, we did alot of different types of quad/hamstring exercises, as well as some core and back, plus shoulder.

I wasn't sure if I was going to run at the club or after back at home, until after the workout. It was a beautiful day today and I know that soon enough that nice weather will be gone and I'll be wanting to do more on the treadmill. Therefore I drove home and ran outside. Bill had waited to run, so we went out together right away when I got home.

Ran exactly the 1.0 mile in 9:36 pace. Not the fastest, but hard to run after a tough workout with cooldown.

Morning....nope

I woke up this morning and couldn't decide if I wanted to run or not. Since I knew we didn't have anything going on after work, I asked him if he'd rather run in the morning or not. That was a stupid question as Bill just isn't a morning person.

After work I was starving, so we decided to get dinner right away and run later. Ran a fast little run around the neighborhood.

Ran 1.01 in 8:57 (8:53/mile pace).

YMCA today

It's Sunday and we really had no excuse not to go to the Y today. With Bill running 20 yesterday, he just wanted to do his mile, then maybe a few machines and swimming. I didn't really want to swim, but wanted to get some machines in as it's been a while.

Got there and decided to do intervals as this is the only place with the good treadmill with the interval training. Set my jog pace a little faster (6.0) and my run at a normal run pace (8.2). Then as I got going, the run pace felt pretty good, so I did a full minute at the run pace (rather than 30 or 45 seconds as I had been doing). Did 2 min job, 1 min run, 2 jog, 1 run, 1.5 jog, 1 run and a sprint of 8.8 pace until the end of the mile. Nice little push for the mile today. I then went on to do a hill rotation on the bike for 20 minutes.

Then did a few machines--sitting press, adductors, abductors, lat pull down, situps on the ball, hamstring lifts on the ball, circle situps on the ball, and finish with plank and stretching. A nice balanced workout today.

Saturday on the southside

Today's route came from thinking about the Culver's run, but knowing most people don't like the hills on the westerly portion (which is on the end of the route with the normal Culver's routine). Therefore this time we're starting at the south end, at Durand and West Blvd. Then people can run north to Time Warner (doing the hills in the middle of the route) or people can run south to KR or A and back (a nice flat route). I figure I'd decide in the morning which route I'd want to do.

As I was driving there, I realized how sunny it was and figured the Culver's route would be hilly in the middle, then sunny on part of the routine........not so much fun. Therefore as we all stood there deciding, I decided for the longer, but flatter north-south route on the bikepath. Ken was back joining us again and he and I ran together for the route. He runs just a bit faster than I'm comfortable doing, but it's a good thing as it pushes me. Plus we have great conversation so it makes it easier to be distracted as I'm pushing myself. He and I ran doing to the country club and back up. He lives west of Dr. Jones' school so he turned off at Chicory and I continued alone. As he branched off, he asked for the time of our run--41 minutes for 4.5 miles. Wow, that is a bit fast. I thought I'd ease up a bit (which I did), but then realized I should try to keep the pace as best as possible, so I tried to speed back up.

Ran all the way to Durand, then realized I should do just a bit more. Crossed Durand and ran to the funky corner (Taylor/West Blvd), with that last bit being a sprint with Chuck, who joined me as I passed him and Ralph about .3 miles south of Durand.

Finished with 5.65 miles in 52:31 (9:18/mile pace). That's great for me. I did 9:18 for just one mile yesterday and essentially kept that same pace for 5.65 miles today. Wow, that's the fastest run I've had running this long. That would be just over 58 minutes for a 10k!

Another morning = 4

This was the 4th morning in a row, but this one didn't start so chipper as the others. For some reason, I just couldn't get going this morning and I was sleeping for a 1/4 of the run. No energy at all. We had to run in the morning though as I'm going to Jess's tonight and Bill's running 20 tomorrow.

Ran 1.02 in 9:32 (9:19/mile). Not really that bad, but not as great as the other morning runs.

Happy Birthday Daddy! ;)

Three in a row!

This is the third morning in a row for a run. For the last few mornings I've been waking up between 5 and 5:45am and am essentially awake. So there's been go excuse (other than the cozy-ness of the warm bed) not to get up. I actually got out of bed a little earlier today, so I thought I should maybe try for a two mile run.

As I was getting ready, Bill rolled over and said I was on my own. He had mentioned last night that he might not get up and run in the morning. Now, he just said he "warned me." So off I went by myself. As I got into the run, I couldn't decide whether or not to do the mile or two. At the decision point, the .5 mile, I decided that there was really no reason not to do the two. Also, today was the day the girls at work decided to go to Old Dutch at lunch. Knowing I was going to have frozen custard, I definitely needed to run the 2 miles.

Ran 2.03 miles in 19:44 (average 9:42/mile pace).

Another morning

Got up again this morning and thought it would be good to run in the morning. I do feel more awake for the first few hours of work when I run, so it's good to get the blood flowing. Another chilly run!

Unfortunately as I finished the run, I must have not hit the Stop button hard enough, or I hit it twice. As I was stretching, I noticed the clock was still ticking! Oh no. Luckily I do remember what it said when I stopped.

Ran 1.06 miles in 9:13 minutes. Just a few seconds slower than yesterday!

Up and at 'em

Woke up this morning and felt it should be a morning run. Boy it's getting cold. These morning runs are going to be a little tough and I'm going to have to pull the gloves out.

Ran 1.06 miles in 9:06 (8:38/mile pace). Wow! That's my fastest mile since I've been recording, and it's probably my fastest "one mile" ever. That's exciting!

Should have run in the morning

Woke up this morning to a drizzling sound on the window. Thought about getting up.........., then no, staying in bed. I knew I had nothing in the evening, so I can always run then.

MISTAKE! Got out of work and it was raining a pretty steady, hard rain. Looked up the weather when I got home, hoping it would clear up. Unfortunately it looked like it was going to rain for hours. Can't break the streak! Can't break the streak! It's been 71 days, can't stop now because of some rain. Unfortunately it also got chilly, so it would be a cold, rainy run.

Got out there and did the mile! Ran 1.01 mile in 8:49 (8:43/mile pace). That's a pretty swift pace, you can tell I was in a hurry to get it done! :)

Art Fair Sunday

Today is the annual Starving Artist's Fair at Mt. Mary where nothing is over $100. Awesome, huge fair and great prices. Therefore that takes up the morning and early afternoon (always have to go to brunch after the fair).

Therefore running would have to wait until later in the day. Went out just after5pm for a nice little mile run.

Ran 1.0 mile in 9:27.

New Saturday morning run

This morning we are doing a new route, well.....new for the running group. Bill and I did a version of this last summer once. Starting just south of the zoo at Lakeview Park, we ran south on the new path, around the back of the condos and Festival Hall, and down the path all the way to the beach behind Gateway. It was nice to have a different route as the regulars are getting a little too regular.

Bill said the route was about 5.5 miles, so I planned to try for it. This would be the longest run for me since last fall (probably November).

The run could have been about 20-30 seconds faster as I stopped completely twice with Carol (once for the dogs, once to look at something). Otherwise it was a pretty good run.

Ran 5.51 miles in 56:05 (10:11/mile pace). That's a pretty good pace for this length for me!

Now to just get another mile or so on this length and try to get the pace down to about 9:30.

Morning rain

We forgot to reset the alarm this morning so it went off early as I had needed it to the day prior. As I lay there awake, earlier than I needed to be, I realized it was raining. I really didn't want to run in the rain today. Therefore it will be another evening run.

We went out for dinner after work right away so it would settle a bit before running. Went out at about 7:30pm, the same time as Wednesday, and raced against the mosquitoes.

Ran 1.0 mile in 9:18 minute pace.

Early work day

Today I had to be out the door by 7am for an early interview, so a morning run just wasn't happening. Unfortunately I also have a hair appointment right after work and I have to drop something off at Mom's after that, so the run is going to be another later one.

With all the mosquitoes around, last night was rough running with the mosquitoes swarming and the sweating making the previous bites I had itch even more. Luckily I got out about a half hour earlier than last night so it was just before dusk and they weren't so bad.

Ran 1.01 mile in 9:19 (9:14/mile pace).

Midweek workout with Anna

Today was another training evening with Anna. Haven't seen her in 2 weeks, and haven't seen her since before Bill's marathon. Had to admit to her that I've only run the 1 mile only each day for the past two weeks (as I even only ran 1 mile in Park City). At least I did run 4.4 miles on Saturday and we did the Y on Sunday, so there was a little something else.

Worked out well with her, some fly-supersets, back pull downs and other back exercises, some core, some backwards lunges with weights. She "pinched" me today and I've lost some body fat so that's a good thing. My BMI was about 25.6, much better than it's been in a while!

Didn't feel like running my mile at the gym as it was a little warm there and there was alot of people there tonight. Came home and Bill had just finished his 6.5 mile run, so I was off right away to do my neighborhood mile. Unfortunately I got a side stitch at about 0.2 into the run and it just wouldn't go away through the whole run.

Did exactly 1.0 mile in 9:40 pace.

Bright and early

It's Tuesday, but it's a Monday. Gotta love short weeks.

Got up bright and early today and we did the run before work. It's been a while (nearly 2 weeks) since we've done this. Felt really good today...fairly nice weather and feeling fresh and ready to go.

Did 1.02 miles in 9:08 (8:56/mile pace).

Labor Day

It's a holiday, so I decided I should do a little longer run. At first I thought the 3.5 mile loop out the neighborhood and up the bike path. But as the morning moved on, I didn't really want to go that far. I was a little sore from lifting at the YMCA, so I thought we'd just do the 2 mile loop.

Well, we got outside at around 9am and it seemed really muggy. About .25 mile into the run, I realized 2 miles just wasn't going to happen. Although Bill wanted to do the 2, I just wasn't feeling it.

Just did the 1.05 mile in 10:04 minutes (9:36/mile pace).

YMCA finally

Ok, so it's Sunday and there was no excuse for us not to get back into the routine of going to the YMCA. We were so good in July of going every Sunday, then kind of fell off the wagon.

Also, this is the only place that has the good treadmills that have an interval mode setting. Therefore I figured I'd better take advantage as it has been a while since I've done intervals. Did my mile with 5.9 jog pace & 8.2 run pace for the intervals. Did three 40-second intervals at the faster pace, about every two minutes in the run. Ended up the mile in about 9:20-9:25 minute pace.

Then did 20 minutes on the bike so I could read a bit, but also do some different leg exercises. Did a random routine at level 3.

Ended the workout with 6 weight machines. Did 3 sets of 12 on each of the machines: upper body--sitting bench, front press, lat pull-down; and lower body--adductor, abductor, and sitting leg press. Finished, as always, with some stretching.

Mid-afternoon, Bill and I decided to play a little tennis. Haven't done this in a few years. Hit the balls around for a bit, then played a set out. It was a beautiful day with a light breeze and strong, hot sun. Another nice little workout that was alot of fun doing together!

Panera II

Today the running group is doing the Panera II route, the route that goes west on Hwy 20, back behind our old apartment, to the paved loop trail back there. Nice little run, all paved, with little reason to have to break/stop (except one major intersection to cross).

We had two new people at running today--Ken and Julie. Julie is a friend of John Becker. Ken just seemed to know a few people.

As we run, I ran pretty much by myself. Still not fast enough for the faster runners, but faster than the slow group. Luckily I remembered to bring my music this week, so it wasn't so bad. Also, since I've only run this route twice before, it's still kind of "new" scenery.

At about 2.8 miles and rounding to head back, Ken came up behind me and joined me. He's a much faster runner so after a few minutes of chatting, I encouraged him to go on ahead. He said my pace was OK and he'd stay with me. At first I dreaded it as I was getting a bit winded, but it was good as he kept me going at this nice, faster clip. We had a nice chat. He met Jud years ago and previously worked with Ralph. He also knew Melissa from SCJ. I also learned that he was the father of the bride that was featured in the newspaper a few weeks back as running on her wedding day with her wedding party and about 40 guests. It was a nice story when I read it then, and it was neat to meet the guy. As we were chatting, I learned his daughter was in school for Med Tech. Of course I went into recruiter mode and shared the high need we have for Med Techs and encouraged him to tell his daughter to start looking around Feb for next summer jobs.

When I shared about Bill's recent marathon, and his 50 in 50 by 50 goal, he was really fascinated by that. Then he shared his own goal--to run the distance of the circumference of the world by age 50! That's a neat goal and he already accomplished it and is still running. I wouldn't be diligent enough to track every mile to do that, but he did. He's run in 7 countries, 30+ states, and 44 cities. Wow. This chit-chat was nice to have on the last part of the run.

I had cut the mid-point of the run a little short by not running all the way to Old Spring Street (they have now paved the back part of the path across so you can just connect before the roads). This then gave me a 4.42 mile run in 42:43 minutes (9:40/mile pace). Although a little shorter than the 5 mile run I did two weeks ago, it was at :35/mile faster pace! Probably would have been about 2-3 minutes faster overall also, but I was stuck behind the slow group initially and had to work around them to get going.

Nice run with nice company (for part of the run) today!

Just one lazy week

Well, it's Friday and again I just didn't want to get out of bed. I was awake in plenty of time, but just didn't want to get up! Since Bill has a little longer run planned for Saturday morning, we decided that we'd run right away after work today.

Got out just after 5pm today. It's a nice day, but I find that I really stuggle running right after work. I don't know if it's from sitting most of the day, or wearing heels for the day, but the legs struggle to get into a groove.

Looking back, this was a bad week. Ran only the 1 mile every day, no gym, no longer runs, no intervals. Kind of a lazy week. Last week was the same, except that I did see Anna one day so I had some weights in there. Need to get a little more on track now!

Tonight I ran 1.02 in 9:46 (9:36/mile).

Y...no Y

Tonight we had decided to go to the YMCA after work. Well, Bill found a place to take the lawnmower for repair, therefore we came home after work to load the mower into the truck and take one vehicle. Although he was ready to still go work out, I wasn't. :(

Therefore we just decided to do the errands, get dinner and run later. Ran late again. Ran 1.01 mile in 9:30 for a 9:23/mile pace.

Mornings just aren't happening

I just can't seem to get up to run in the morning this week. The bed is just too comfy! Therefore I decided to go to the All Saints gym or the YMCA after work instead. When I was leaving work, though, I just wasn't in the mood.

Bill had trap tonight and he ran right after work before he went to trap. I hung around the house for the evening as Bill said he might run with me when he got home. By the time he got home, he had alot on his mind and I was ready to run, so I ran by myself.

Although alone, I just couldn't keep a good pace. Started too fast and had to slow. Ran 1.02 mile in 9:18 for a 9:08/mile pace.

Another later run

Another night of trying to get the lawn mowed. This time Bill actually got it to run a bit and he was able to cut most of the front.......but not all. We don't look like complete hicks, but still we have a really long lawn in most of the yard. The lawnmower definitely needs repair.

Sun has set and it's time to run late again. This time we ended up running together for the entire run. Unfortunately we somehow "cheated" a bit as the run ended up only being 0.99 mile! Arrrrgh! Just short of our mile. Oh well!

Ran the 0.99 in 9:24.

I'm the rabbit

Tonight Bill wanted to try to cut the amazon lawn we now have after all the rain and a nice weekend. Unfortunately the lawn mower wasn't cooperating. After several hours, and darkness falling, it was time to stop that and go for a run.

We started out slow as Bill's still recovering. About halfway through, I felt good and pulled away. I got in a good rhythm and just kept running. Bill stayed a nice even distance behind me....then yelled at me. He said I acted as his "rabbit" and he found himself chasing me. I'm not quite sure how that's my fault, but it's OK as it kept him running.

Ran 1.0 miles in 8:32.

Travel day back to WI

We had an early flight out of Salt Lake City this morning, so that made for a busy day. After travelling, driving home, late lunch, unpacking, and starting laundry it was already 5pm. Bill was pretty wiped as he didn't sleep well during our trip (and there was the little matter of running 26.2 miles also) so we decided to take a little nap. Woke him up about 6:25pm so we could do our run. I need to do my mile and Bill said he would too.

We started around the neighborhood together, but I picked up the pace around .4. I must have really been running slow for the first .5 mile as much of the second .5 was at a 8:10 pace.

Did the mile in 9:13.

Bill's marathon day!!!

Today's Bill's marathon in Park City, Utah. Got up with him this morning and took him down towards the starting line. As always, I have a plan to meet up with him at various points on the run, therefore I don't have tons of time. Yet I have to do my mile. I really didn't want to deal wtih the air and hills again, so I chose to run on the hotel treadmill.

Boy, was this treadmill old. I got nervous that it may overheat or something going at a fast pace. The air is still a little tough for me, so I tried to start out at a normal pace, but had to slow it down. Did the mile in about 10:30.

Then I had to shower and pack to get us out of the hotel in time. Met up with Bill at mile 10.5, 15, 17, and the finish. It turned out to be a beautiful day...a little warm, but not too bad. He did really well until about 18, then struggled. But he still finished, and in 5 hours 46 minutes. Not great, but not too bad since they even advertise that this is a hard course and "you will not make a personal record on this course." This was marathon #8 for him..........only 42 more to go!

Park City, Utah

We're in Park City, Utah for Bill's 8th marathon (tomorrow). Still have to do our mile a day! We found a neighborhood up the street from the hotel with a little park area. It was a hilly area, but this whole area is hilly. With the thinner air and hills, I knew right away this was going to be a slow run. In the flat areas or downhills, it wasn't too bad.......but the uphills were killing me.

Did just the 1 mile in 11:46.

WET n WILD.....well, maybe just wet!

Because we are leaving this afternoon for Salt Lake City, we knew that we had to run this morning, as I definitely wouldn't want to run after 8pm after several hours of travel. Bill was a little slow getting up so we got going just a few minutes later than normal, and today that wasn't a really good thing. Left the house and we didn't even get to the east end of the block and it started raining. Then it got a little harder, then even harder. Before we even got to .5 mile, it was pouring! I have NEVER ran when it rained this hard, water running into my eyes, clothes ddrenched, feet soaked. Luckily, since we were .5 mile out, I had no choice but to finish.

Ran 1.02 miles in 9:09.

Trainer Day

Raining again!!! But tonight is an appointment with Anna, therefore no matter if it's raining tonight I can just run at that gym.

Did a weigh-&-measure with Anna and I'm losing a little in inches! Yeah! Did 5 minutes on the elliptical as a warm up, then various weights and other exercises with Anna. Focused a little more on core today. Then finished up the session with my mile on the treadmill in about 9:45. Running after working out is a little more difficult as the muscles are tired!

Moody Tuesday

This rainy weather is really getting to me. Woke up this morning to hearing it drizzle outside. Thought about it for a minute and realized I didn't have anything to do tonight, therefore we aren't running this morning. ;)

Bill has trap tonight, so we planned to meet right after work and do our mile. Luckily it cooled off a bit today, but it's still really humid.

Ran right after work. Ran 1.02 miles in 9:01 total time (8:50 min/mile pace).

Happy Monday!

Woke up this dreary Monday morning and thought about skipping the morning run. Since Bill was busy after work, I already planned on going to the All Saints gym to work out.........I could just do my mile there. As I lay there for 5, 10, 15 minutes, awake but just not wanting to get up, I decided that if I did get up I could exercise twice today and do a little more. So, I did.

In the morning I ran 1.02 miles in 9:02 minutes (8:53 min/mile).

Then after work went to the gym and ran another mile on the treadmill at about a 9 minute pace, plus another 2 minutes of walking. Then did a few weight machines--chest press, chest pull back, deltoid pull-down, and leg press.

That's enough for today!

Lazy, Rainy Sunday

We decided today would be a YMCA day. But, when we got up and heard/saw the rain, we decided that we didn't really want to go! Lazy, lazy we are! We decided we'd just go for a run later.

Unfortunately it rained, and rained, and rained nearly all day--with only a few minutes here and there with no rain during the day. By 8pm, it was still raining but we had to go. Just the one mile---it won't be so bad. Yuck, it was a nice steady drizzly rain. Started out a little fast and had to slow it up a bit. Ran 1.01 total for 9:23 minutes--at a 9:15/mile pace.

Just 2 months ago, the rain was just the excuse I needed to not run. I never ran when it rained! But now that I'm 50 days into this "one mile, every day" thing, my stubbornness won't let me use a little rain as an excuse! I don't know how long this streak will go, but it didn't end tonight.

Saturday morning run

Today we were doing the cemetary run. A pretty simple run with lots of places to shorten or lengthen the run without ever being too far from the car.

I decided that I wanted to try to run at least the 4 miles without walking in-between at all. I haven't done that in months, at least since before March. Although a few weeks ago I ran over 4 miles total, there was some walking in between. Bill had only a short run today as his marathon is next week, so I told him we'd run a nice easy pace together. I figured if I didn't go out too fast, which I usually do, I could endure longer. After about 4.2, I was feeling pretty good and Bill still had just under a mile to go to finish his 8 miles. I ran with him and stopped right at the 5 mile mark! --- I like having this Forerunner so I can know exactly where I'm at at any point in the run, and know exactly when I want to stop.

5 miles in 51:15--exactly 10:15 minute miles. A little slower, but not too bad. And this was the furthest I ran continuously in at least 5 months--maybe longer!

Finally a morning run

We got up this morning and did the run in the morning. Just the mile around the neighborhood to get moving. In fact, with my new Forerunner, I could make sure I ran just the 1 mile. One mile in 9:16 pace.

More than just a run!

It's been a while since we've gone to the YMCA, so we decided tonight we had time and thought we should do it. Bill remembered that only some of the treadmills have the "interval" function and he picked the treadmills in that area. It's been a while so tonight I needed to do intervals. Set the machine for 10:30 minutes, with the job interval at 6.0 pace and the run interval at 8.3 pace. Ran for 2 minutes, did 30 seconds at run pace, and continued at about that same repeat until I did my mile. Cooled down for a bit, then hit the weights.

Did the 2 machines for the shoulders and pecs (3 sets of each, of course), plus the leg machines--adductors, abductors, and press. Finished with 10lb dumbbells in each arm and did a superset of bicep curls and shoulder presses (up towards the ceiling). That's about all for tonight!

Another night run!

We woke up this morning and neither of us really wanted to run again. It was raining, and therefore we really felt lazy. Therefore tonight we felt we really had no excuse not to run a little longer and do a 2 mile run. We ran out the neighborhood to Green Bay, back in the neighborhood to the south, to 3 Mile Rd., and up Goleys Rd into the neighborhood.

About 0.6 mile into the run, I said to Bill that we were going really fast. He agreed and we slowed it up a bit, but we still kept a pretty good pace. Coming back into the neighborhood at the north end of Goleys, about 1.5 miles into it, I just couldn't keep up the pace. I told Bill to go ahead and I slowed a bit. Just about 20 paces later I was feeling stronger and kept exactly that space between Bill and I until the end of the route.

Home again, I saw that we ran 2.05 miles for 18:14 run (8:54 pace/mile). Wow, still pretty fast...and for 2 miles!