OK, I really had no excuse not to exercise today. I could've gotten up this morning....but didn't. Then I had plenty of time tonight to do a DVD or go for a run or walk, but just couldn't get mentally motivated. This is a problem!

I'm going to have to just try to get myself up at least a few times a week in the morning and do the DVDs. They are short and are good motivation for the day, so if I do that a few times a week I'm doing OK.

A nice leisurely Sunday today. We took our time getitng going this morning, but we volunteered to help with the Racine Spirit of Racine Triathalon today. Spent about 3 hours at the finish line directing runners to medical or food (and keeping families and others from walking into the running area). It was a nice day, sunny though, therefore I know I'm sunburn!

No exercise today other than a little walking.

It was raining this morning and I really didn't want to run in the rain. It was the Cemetary run, so I just got up wtih Bill and dropped him off at the run and went over to All Saints to work out.

Walked for .25 mile, ran for a mile. Then walked again for .25 mile, then ran for .5 mile. Finished by walking for .5 mile. Then walked backwards for about 2 minutes and finished with 3 minutes on the bike. Stretched and that was good enough. The butt cheek is still not quite right...I don't understand why it's not getting better as it's been over a month and I'm treating it lightly. :*(

Just went out for a leisurely walk together tonight around the neighborhood. Walked about 15 minutes or so, probably just short of a mile. Just a nice walk together....holding hands much of the time and just talking! :)

Geeting back to tennis tonight with Mary Jo and crew. Unfortunately Paula was ill, therefore there was just three of us. We played doubles on singles and just rotated every 8 games who was the single....I did the last 8. Therefore 24 games total with a good harder workout at the end when I was covering the court by myself.

It really is fun playing again, even though I'm really inconsistent and my forehand stunk tonight!

Had our appointment with Anna tonight. We got there a few minutes early so we got a good 8 minutes of cardio in--I did the elliptical. Then we did a good well-rounded weight-training of core, back, shoulders, arms, and legs. Not nearly as painful as last week, but worked a little of lots of areas.

Got up early again and thought I'd do the 20-min Turbo Jam again. Since yesterday was the first time in a while, I missed a few exercises as I was just trying to learn the routine. I was a bit better today as I'm getting used to it. It's a good, short workout.

I decided to get a little more active today as I've been just sitting around and pretty bored alot. I got up early and did the 20-min Turbo Jam DVD. Haven't done this in a while, but it really worked me out good and I broke a good sweat.

Then in the evening I did some good crunches of various types on the Bosu.

Another lazy day going out for breakfast in the morning, then just bumming all day. No exercise.

It's rainy this morning and I'm still sore, but better, therefore I don't really want to run. I decided to do my new Bosu DVD. That was about 30 minutes of various Bosu exercises, so it's a good mix of cardio and toning/strengthening (particulary core).

Decided that although I'm still really sore (boy this time is bad), I should run to stetch it all out a bit. Therefore I decided to just do the mile run around the neighborhood.

Ran 1.03 in 9:41 (9:21/mile pace). A little slow, but not too bad for how heavy and stiff my legs are.

I'm pretty darn sore after the workout last night---my thighs are the worst. Therefore I don't feel like running or doing anything as it's just difficult to walk. So, nothing today.

My hives are better again, and actually might be gone.....no breakouts after exercising last night. Therefore we are definitely going to workout with Anna tonight. I can't wait to get some physicality again.

I told Anna that we probably should lay off the cardio so I don't sweat too much, and focus more on weights. Well, she took that to heart. We started in leg-presses on the sled, doing pyramind reps/weights--starting with 90lbs fo 14 reps, then add more weight and do less reps, and again, and again till we had lots of weights and I was only doing about 6-8 reps. Then we gradually reverse it and remove the weights and increase the reps. That was a doosy! Then we did other weights of various types. I'm definitely going to feel these leg exercises over the next few days.

Face is a little funky this am, and hives are still here but not too bad. Decided to take last night's dose of steriod this morning, but no Benadryl. We'll see how this goes.

Still periods of dizzyness today, but not as bad as yesterday. We have our weekly appt with Anna tomorrow and I'd really like to go. Therefore I'm going to try to do some cardio tonight and see what happens.

Did about 14-15 minutes of cardio--steps on the Bosu, and about 10 trips or so up and down the stairs. Feels good to get the blood pumping.....hopefully it won't start anything as the hives are almost gone (only in a few places coming and going now).

Went to work today and the hives were better again, but still in parts. As the day went on I noticed they were seeming to get better. Also as the day went on, my head got fuzzy, arms got tingly, and got dizzy. It wasn't getting better so I thought my blood pressure may be out of whack. Went to Assoc Health and Wellness and sure enough, it was really high--142/90. That's not good.

Called my doctor and got myself seen right then. There it was 140/80--better, but still high. Apparently the steriods I'm on, and the Benadryl, can cause high blood pressure and whacky blood sugar. They recommended I don't take the drugs anymore, even though I have 2 doses of steriod left.

Went to dinner out with Bill and lower lip swelled a bit before bed. Decided to take the Benadryl only, no steroid and see what happens.

No exercise again.

Hives are a bit better today, but still not great. Therefore another quiet day around the house, no exercising.

Got up this morning and the rash is still bad. Decided not to meet the group and run as I don't want me sweating to make it worse. Went to coffee with the group, though, and sat outside at Panera with them (in the sun).

Got home and realized the rash was still bad. Getting annoyed now, and my face is swollen a bit under my eyes. Both of us got on the internet to see if we could figure it out. It seems I have hives, a normal part of an allergic reaction---and they get worse with heat, sun, sweat, and physical activity. Makes sense now...why they are worse in the morning after being snuggly in bed all night, and why they are so prominent my backside and back of my legs--I'm sitting on those areas so they are always hot.

Therefore now I know I must stay out of the sun, stay cool (we have the air conditioning on now), and definitely NO EXERCISING.

Bummer as it's still beautiful outside! :(

Happy 4th!

So the swelling is mostly gone, but rash is worse. It's spread to alot more areas. Took it real easy today and stayed inside most of the day. For dinner, we ate outside on the deck as it's soooo beautiful today. Then after dinner we took a walk around the neighborhood as I just needed to get out. Then later we took a drive around and ended up catching part of the Racine fireworks from the car.

Nothing much as the rash stayed bad all day, infact even got worse after a brief afternoon nap--seems to get worse when I get hot or sweaty--really shows up in the sweaty areas. Taking Benadryl now, so maybe that will help also.

Ok, so last night we went out for dinner after working out and then just watched TV till bed. Right before bed I felt my lip was funny--it had swelled up quite a bit. I thought it was because of the cold I have so I tried not to worry about it.

Well, I woke up this morning and both my lips and eyes were swollen, my hands itched, wrists had a rash and swollen, and a rash across my belly and hips. Off to walk-in care as I'm obviously having an allergic reaction to something. Who knows what?

They gave me a benadryl shot and one of a steroid, then a prescription for the steroids to take. It took till nearly 5pm for my face to go down alot and the rash to disappear. Therefore decided to take it easy and not exercise.

Tonight we had an appointment with Anna. With no pending races, we thought we'd crank it up a bit. She wanted a good well-rounded workout with different muscle groups. I was going to ask that we put spurts of aerobic exercise inbetween the weights, then she said that we were going to do that anyway. Did alot of weights and between machines we did running, elliptical, bike, etc. A very good workout.

Bill had a mandatory trap meeting tonight and it was a team picnic so we had to get out there this evening. It was a nice time and we didn't get home til nearly 9pm. This is Bill's first day of not running and he was a little sad, but also relieved to not have to do it. I had taken my tennis shoes to work today to maybe walk for lunch, but I was busy and didn't get out to do it. Therefore nothing today.

Today's is June 30th, the last day of the 1-year challenge of Bill's to run 1 mile every single day. Although we also ran on 6/30 last year, and it's a leap year this year, he really started the challenge on 7/1 and wanted to run through 6/30 to be able to say he did the full year. I wanted to do this mile with him as I started with him and did the first 6 months of this challenge.

Did our mile around the neighborhood: 1.01 in 9:21 (9:16/mile pace).

Now Bill can take a break from the "every single day" routine which I know he is welcoming. But I am proud of him for sticking with this and running EVERY SINGLE DAY. He kept going and finished this challenge. Sometimes finishing things is a problem for him, and this was a long sustaining challenge and he did it. I'm very proud of him!

While Bill got ready to run, I decided to just do some stuff at home. We bought a Bosu, so I wanted to do a bit with that, plus some other aerobic stuff. Tried to find some routines on ExerciseTV....did the first 2 minutes of 3 different routines before settling on one I already did before with Jillian from The Biggest Loser. Did most of that one, then some of my own exercises on the Bosu.

Therefore ended up with about 20-25 of aerobic and weight stuff.

This was the first time I was to run since last weekend's Lighthouse Run. Tried taking the week off to heel my butt muscle.

Got going and could tell I vacationed this week and didn't run. Then as I went along I could feel a twinge in the cheek. Therefore I thought I'd just run about 2 miles or so, then walk back.

Ran 2.27 miles in 21:17 (9:23/mile pace), then walked back for 2.75 miles in 41:23 (a 15:01/mile pace). Got the full 5 miles in and it felt good to just be out and doing something.

So we flew in and landed in the early morning hours, getting home about 3am or so, so we slept in and got ready slowly today. Just bummed around all day. Unfortunately I'm logging this several days later and I don't remember if I actually exercised or not all day. I know I didn't run, but I can't remember doing anything else either. Therefore I'm going to say it was a 'nothing' day.

Last day of vacation so we wanted to get the workout in early as we will be travelling for over 12 hours later. Went to the gym and did about 12 minutes on the recumbant bike. Did my stretches and called it a day. This was great to have this gym here as it allowed me to do at least a little exercise (without dealing with the extreme humidity here in Punta Cana).

I was set up for a 50-minute massage today at 9am, so I decided to get up early and get to the gym early. Why workout and work the muscles all up after the massage, so get it down before.

Rode the recumbant bike for 20 minutes, then did some weights again--free weights and some abs.

Today we had done an excursion--a zipline tour in the mountains. 11 short ziplines zig-zagging back and forth. It was so much fun!!! We were the only two on this excursion so we got the instructors and course all to ourselves (there was a large group that must have had a time about 2 hours before us as they were leaving when we arrived--it was a large group therefore I'm sure they didn't get the personal attention we got). Unfortunately on the way back to the resort, the bus broke down. Luckily they called the zipline people and the leader came down in the excursion's truck and gave us a personal ride back (another great thing that it was only the 2 of us so we fit easily into a truck). Got back a little later than planned, but it was OK and a great experience overall. The leader, Ezekiel, was awesome, spoke english beautifully, and made the whole experience, even the downed bus, a great memory.

Bill still needs to do his mile-a-day, but I just wasn't in the mood to exercise after all of that. I decided to take a day off.

On vacation for the next few days (today's our anniversary!!!), and still not wanting to run, decided to try one of the new machines at the resort gym. There's this machine that looks like an elliptical, but when I got on and moving on it, it simulated cross-country skiing-type moves. It was really intersting. Did that for 10 minutes, then walked on the treadmill for another 3 or so minutes. That's it for today.

Flew out to Punta Cana for vacation early this morning!!!! Excited to be away on vaca!

Got to the resort and walked around checking it all out. They have a fabulous gym here, lots of machines and weights, exercise balls, and mats, plus great music. It's a great, great gym.

We got ready to go down to the gym to get our workout in. I started to run and realized my right butt really was sore after the Lighthouse yesterday. Stopped right away and decided to just take it easy. Walked for 10 minutes, then decided to do a little strengthening. Did some free weight work, crunches on the ball, and hamstring curls on the ball (trying to loosen up that muscle a bit). Nice little workout after a day of travel.

Today’s the day of my first 10 mile Lighthouse Run. I’ve walked 2 (I think) and ran the 4 mile two years ago, but never even thought I could do the 10. Now here I am, and I did a ½ marathon just last month.

I've been nursing the pain in my right lower cheek, but overall it doesn’t hurt too bad when I’m running. Jeff, Tina, Justin, & Madelaine came up for the weekend and Tina and Justin are going to attempt the 10 mile, while Jeff and Madelaine are going to do the fun walk with Mom and Jeanne and Larry Rickman.

Got down to the starting line and there a lot of our running group doing the race. As we lined up, I was with Ken and Megan, but it became clear that Ken was going to run his race, a much faster pace than I can do. Then I saw Jim, a new member of our running group, that I ran with a few weeks ago for about 6 miles on a Panera run. He’s a nice guy and mentioned coaching high school athletics. He’s good to run with as he doesn’t talk a lot, but enough---talks just once in a while and provides good distractions. I waved him over and we started the race with him. That turned out to be the best move for me as he was very encouraging and kept me moving.

We’re off and running. I had to walk around miles 3.5 or so for a short bit to get water. Then I gradually ran a little faster than pace to catch back up with Megan and Jim (Ken had left us right from the start). As we came around by Shoop, the clouds opened and it started to rain. That actually felt pretty good, but then a strong wind came west to east. I really didn’t need that, especially as we were about to turn west on 3 Mile. As we approached the corner of 3 Mile and Main, it was about 7 miles in, and I needed to walk a bit again while I drank some water. Unfortunately I had to walk for about 1/8 of a mile and got behind Megan and Jim. I got running again, but was definitely getting tired. I knew it would be hard to catch back up with them. I just had to focus on running, even if it was a 10 min mile pace. I had to walk a bit around 8 and 9 miles, but tried to keep the walks short and keep moving. After mile 9, I didn’t allow myself to walk again, even up the bridge and then up the hill at 3rd/4th street. That’s a killer little hill at 9.7 miles! As I approached the finish, I looked at my GPS and saw I was going to be really close to 1:30, my stretch goal. I just kept going and pushed as much as I could. As I crossed the finish, I hit my stop button and it read 1:29:56! I know that’s not the official time, but it made me feel really good. I had run as good of a race as I could, taking breaks when I needed to but making sure not every time I wanted to (which would have been a lot more often!). Running with Jim and Megan was great as it really kept me moving and Jim was very encouraging, watching out for me when I fell a bit behind and offer words of encouragement often throughout the race. Since I’m still not really running a lot of distance, this was as good of a race as I could’ve done. I’m really proud of myself! Now I can go on vacation with a good sense of accomplishment and can relax and enjoy it.

The official time for the race was 1:30:32.9—a 9:03/mile pace. Although not quite my 1:30, it’s a 1:30 as far as Boston Marathon-type time keeping!

Jeff, Tina, and the kids came in tonight for the Lighthouse Run tomorrow so we did dinner with them. Although Bill ran his mile later after we got home, I really didn't want to. I've been nursing this sore muscle in my right gluteal area all week (don't have any idea when/how I strained it) and with the Lighthouse in the morning, I just wasn't in the mood to run on a full stomach less than 12 hours before that long run.

Had my first tennis get-together tonight with Mary Jo and her two playing partners. We played about 1.5 hours of doubles tennis. Nothing too strenuous for me overall, but it was fun to hit the ball around and work on coordination and control with ball. It was fun getting back into playing tennis again.

We had Anna tonight at 7pm. Since it was a later appointment, I convinced Bill to do our mile right when we got home so he didn't have to worry about it after Anna and dinner.

Did 1.01 in 8:54 (8:47/mile pace).

Then went to our appointment with Anna. Did measurements first, then worked out. Since the Lighthouse Run is Saturday, we did only a little with legs, and focused more on arms (lots of free weight exercises) and shoulders, core, and back.

Did alot of GOP computer work tonight, from the time I got home til when Bill was coming home from trap. When he got home, we went out together to get our mile in.

Ran 1.03 in 8:38 (8:23/mile pace)

Wanted to do something a little different today, so went to the All Saints gym. Did 10 minutes on the elliptical, then 20 minutes on the bike so that I got the 30 minutes of cardio in. Then did a few strength exercises.

Wanted to do a little longer run today, but just couldn't get motivated. Did the neighborhood mile.

Ran 1.01 in 9:30 (9:23/mile pace)

With the Lighthouse Run next weekend, I didn't want to do alot this week. Thought I'd do the normal 5-6 or so, so I didn't go early and just wanted to meet the group at 7am. It's the Relay for Life, so we met at Panera and ran to Case HS for the relay. Did 4 laps there for 1 mile. I thought I'd then run another route to get extra miles in. As we left Case, I heard that everyone was just running back to Panera as they had all run before 7am and had miles in already. I ran with Kristin, so we kept a good pace, but I ended with only about 4 miles. Not great, should have done more, but at least it was something.

Ran 4.01 in 35:59 (8:58/mile pace).

Mary Jo asked me if I wanted to play tennis with her doubles friends this summer. Sounds like fun, but I haven't played except for a few times with Bill in the last 5 years. Therefore she agreed to go out and hit with me tonight just to see how I did, especially compared to her and her friends. We hit around for about an hour or a little more, nothing too strenuous. Hit lots of forehands, backhands, came to the net a few times, and served a good number of serves. Didn't break much of a sweat, but it was a different type of exercise than I've done in a while.

Tonight's another workout for both of us with Anna. Since it was supposed to also rain tonight, I woke Bill up and we went for a mile run in the morning so it was out of the way. Ran 1.01 in 8:47 (8:43/mile pace)

With Anna, we started with a few minutes of jumping jacks, then did hamstrings, quads, pushups, lunges with the big bar on our neck, standing rows, and some core. Bill's still struggling with a few things, but this workout wasn't too bad for me. I may have to increase my weights or reps on a few things so I feel it more.

Today was Bill's last day going to Chicago early and once he got going I was awake. Since I didn't really do anything yesterday, and it was beautiful this morning, I thought I should get out for a run and maybe even do 2 miles.

I ended up doing the 2 mile loop. Did 2.05 in 18:04 (8:47/mile pace). Pretty good pace!

Got home from work and knew Bill wouldn't be home for a bit from his Chicago workshop. With all the rain this past weekend, the grass grew alot, but it was sunny enough today to dry a bit. Got out and cut the lawn and string-trimmed it all before Bill got home. He had brought running clothes with him to the trainstation so he could run there (new scenery), so he had already run. We went to dinner, then drove around Racine looking at all the river flooding. By the time we got home, I didn't really want to do any more. Guess the lawnmowing will have to be all the physical activity I'll get today.

Haven't been to the Y in a long time, so I decided to go after work today. Did 25 minutes of a hill workout on the elliptical, then 12 minutes of a hill workout on the recumbant bike. Should have done some weights, but I was done with this. It was pretty busy and pretty hot there, so that's enough for today.

Bill had found this Beer Run up in the Riverwest neighborhood in Milwaukee to do today. It was a 1.8 mile run with 4 mandatory beer stops. He really wanted to do it, I wasn't too excited but I thought I'd go with anyway. It stormed much of yesterday afternoon and all night, but cleared a bit this morning. Unfortunately more storms were on their way and it started raining right when we got up to Milwaukee. Bill still really wanted to do it, even thought there were thunderstorm warnings and we saw lightning. I didn't really want to do this anyway and Bill felt bad so he almost didn't do it. I told him I was fine waiting in the car and so then he went and did it. About 5 minutes before the race it just downpoured and I was so glad I was in the car rather than standing on the street. He ran it and came back saying it was alot of fun. Everyone was just playing in the rain and he said it was something he'll do again.

It had stopped raining by the afternoon so I just went out and did my mile. Ran 1.0 in 8:45. Then came in and did a 5-minute ExerciseTV bikini-butt routine. That was a tough one and really worked that glute area! Then later in the evening, Bill and I went for a leisurely walk around the neighborhood, probably about 1.5 miles or so.

Really wanted to get in one more long run this Saturday as the Lighthouse is in two weeks. Went at 6am to meet some of the early runners. It's in the 60s and really humid today, so it's going to be a new experience to run in these conditions afte rmonths of running in winter/spring conditions. Got started with Kim, Yemi, and a new guy Jim. Ran the first 3 miles with all three, but then hit the Hwy 38 hill was a struggle. Jim and I dropped back from the other two a bit, but kept a pretty good pace, not losing much more ground on the other two for the whole rest of the 5.8 miles or so. We kept a really good pace, sub 9-minute miles.

Met the group and got some water and G2--needed that as that heat and humidity were draining me. Took off with the group and decided I wanted to run to get myself to at least 8 miles, then I could walk a bit if I wanted to. I ran to just past 8, then walked a bit and noticed Bill walking not too far behind me. Turned around and met up with him. Hit the lap button on my watch so I could see the pace for this last few miles. We walked/ran the last 2+ miles back to the cars.

The first 6.2 miles were 56:15 (the first 5.8 were with Jim, then the brief break at the car), so that was a great sub-9 pace. The next 1.84 was in 17:04 (a 9:16/mile pace). Therefore the first 8 miles were in 1:13:19. If I could do this, plus 10 minute miles for the final 2 miles on Lighthouse day, I'd be at just over 1:33 which I'd be happy with. For the final 2.2 with Bill today we walked quite a bit and ran probably half or less than half of it, therefore it took 27:45 (12:35/mile pace). Today ended up being 10.24 miles in 1:40:05 total. Good to get one more long run in as I'll probably just do 6-8 in next week to ease up a bit before the race.

Bill and I got home from work and decided to get in our run right away, then get dinner, so we headed right out.

Did 1.03 in 9:30 (9:15/mile pace).

Haven't run since Monday so I thought it would be good to go out. Bill was out tonight at Pints & Politics so I waited for him to get home then we did the quick mile.

Ran 1.05 in 8:52 (8:36/mile pace). Turned out to definitely be quick. :)

Tonight's our second night with partner training with Anna. We didn't want to do measurements so we hopped right on the ellipticals and did about 8 minutes or so to warm up. Then did a good 55 minutes or so with Anna--pullups, lots of variations of pushups (some with feet on the Bosue), some tossing/core things with the medicine ball, hamstrings, and biceps with squats. A good workout and it's still a bit fun to see Bill struggle so much with some of them that I'm OK with. I like seeing him work to get stronger and it's nice to have him see how strong I have gotten too.

Really didn't feel like running tonight, so I decided to workout at home. Searched the ExerciseTV channel for something to do. Wanted some cardio. Found a cardio workout with Bob from Biggest Loser and did that. It was a tough 20 minute workout, really getting the heartrate up and doing some toning and weights as well. Really broke a sweat, worse than I do on some runs.

Got up and decided to get a run in this morning as I had such a big dinner and dessert yesterday at the fundraiser. Did the neighborhood mile--1.02 in 8:49 (8:38/mile pace).

Then also went to do a 20/20/20 class tonight. Since my leftover sessions expired on 5/31/08, I was stretching it a bit and hoped they would let me workout tonight and not say anything. I changed at work and didn't get there till right at 6pm so I could workout as this will probably be my last.

We have Evan's school's golf fundraiser later today, with dinner after, so we knew we had to get our run in early. Got up and did our neighborhood mile right away this morning.

Legs were a bit stiff, but it felt good to get out. Ran 1.01 in 9:15 (9:11/mile pace)--pretty good for being a bit sore.

Parkside run today so that course is going to be a bit rough. Went at 6am with Bill to get some miles in before as Lighthouse is in just 3 weeks and I want to do some longer runs to prepare. There were actually alot of us at 6am this week as it was a great day and people are training for Lighthouse. Ran the roads for the first hour and got in 5.8 miles.

Then joined the group and ran the course. It rained yesterday so the grass was pretty wet and there were puddles in the low parts of the trails. Ran with Andy and Lorma (a new girl) for the first 3 or so, until you end up back in the open field again. I really didn't want to do that bill hill again, so I deviated off onto the roads and ran the outer loop towards Wood Rd. Started to get really tired and had to walk a bit at about 9 miles. Then walked/ran for the last mile or so just to get the 10 miles in.

Did the 10 miles in 1:43:21, not a great time at all. 3.1 mile splits were 32:34 (10:30 pace)[had a potty break at the first 0.5 mile and didn't stop the watch so that affected this time a bit]; 31:36 (10:11 pace); 32:09 (10:22 pace); and the last 0.70 mile was 7 minutes (10:02 pace). Overall probably pretty consistent in the 10:10-10:25 pace for each mile. Not great, but still working on the endurance.

Haven't run all week as I've been doing other stuff. Should get out and run as I want to run a long run tomorrow. We went to dinner right after work, so we went out for a late run.

Ran 1.02 in 9:55 (9:45/mile pace).

I should have got up this morning to run as I knew I wouldn't at night, but just couldn't get going. So I took my tennis shoes to work and thought I may do at least a 15 minute walk during the day as it looked like it would be a nice day. Mid-afternoon it started to sprinkle and never stopped. Therefore I didn't get out for a walk, then had drinks with Jackie in Milwaukee after work. Got home about 8:40pm or so and didn't want to do anything then. Another day of nothing. This is the 3rd day in 7, that's bad!

Since my sessions are about to expire at Synchronicity, I thought I'd go there tonight for Core-on-the floor. Haven't done that in a while, so it was a good session.

Didn't really feel like running tonight and I really needed to do some weights. Went to the All Saints gym and did 15 minutes of biking to warm up, then a few of the machines and some free weights.

Today's Memorial Day and we really didn't have any plans for the day. Just sat around lazy all day and watched TV. We had dinner at Mom's. At around 8pm Bill started to get ready to run and I thought I'd probably go with. We were watching a show, though, so he just sat ready, but watching. All of a sudden, the winds picked up dramatically and it got stormy dark. We watched the trees blowing around, very blustery-like. They didn't die down and it didn't look like it was going to. I wasn't going out in that, but Bill did. When he got back, he said it was really bad running in that wind so I was glad I didn't try.

Unfortunately that meant nothing for me today.

After doing lots of gardening yesterday, trimming all the bushes, digging up two of them and moving them, my back is really sore. At one point while doing a little car shopping today, we had to jog across the street to beat traffic and I barely could lift my legs to run. My back is really sore.

Therefore when Bill went out for his run, I decided to just do a walk. Did the neighborhood mile at a moderate-fast pace, then when I got back to the house, Bill and I went for a leisurely walk around the short loop of the neighbhorhood.

Saturday morning with the group doing the southside bike path. Started out with Kristin and Vova and doing a good pace. Had to walk a bit at one point as Tucker needed to relieve herself. Ran with them for about 2.5, then caught up with Bill and Amy. Bill then backed off and I was left with the speedy Amy. Ran with her for the rest of the run, but she's fast. Had to walk twice, but she stuck with me and just kept me going.

Ran 5.5 miles in 49:58, a 9:05 pace overall. The first 3.1 were in 27.18, a 8:48/mile pace. Considering we walked for a minute or two while Tucker relieved herself, that's really fast. No matter it was harder to finish strong. The last 2.4 were at a 9:26 pace, which had two little walk spots in there.

Bill wanted to go to Jose's for dinner, so we headed out right away so we could beat the rush. Later Bill went for his mile run, but I really didn't want to. Decided to take the day off completely.

I'm having dinner/drinks with the PHR/SPHR group tonight so I knew I wouldn't run later. Got up and did the mile around the neighborhood.

Ran 1.01 in 8:46 (8:41/mile pace).

A few weeks ago I was chatting with Bill about my sessions with Anna soon expiring and how they do partner training now. Bill actually was interested and said he was interested in working out with Anna.

Therefore it worked out that my sessions ended 2 weeks ago and we could start a new 12 week partner block after his marathon, when he doesn't have another one to train for for a while, and he's actually home for the next 2.5 months with no work travel planned.

Tonight was the first night, so we spend nearly 30 minutes just talking with Anna and doing measurements. Then we started working out. This is going to be fun as Bill did eveyrthing but did struggle. He couldn't finish all reps of everything and rally broke out in a sweat. Did jumping jacks to warm up, then chin ups at an angle, hamstring supersets, pushups with side plank reach and shoulder press supersets, walking squats with a weighted ball circling the legs, and the sitting (back at 45 degree angle) core twist/stretch with the ball. A good, short workout.

Fun to see Bill struggle, but this will be a good workout for him.

I will take a running break today and go to the 20/20/20 class. That was good to do some light cardio with upper body weights and stretching.

Don't know why, but didn't run right after work tonight. Bill got home from trap and we did the quick neighborhood loop.

Ran 1.03 miles in 8:58 (8:38/mile pace). Back to a pretty good clip.

My hamstring didn't really bother me during the race ysterday and it was only a little tight today. I had said to Bill earlier in the week that I might take a running break after the race just to recover, both physically and mentally. But now we just drove home from Fargo and spent all that time in the car and I was a little stiff. Wanted to do a little run just go get the energy going and stretch out.

Set out with Bill to do the neighborhood run and the first few steps were really hard. Walking was OK, but trying to lift the legs to run and they didn't want to. It was dfeinitely going to be a leisurely run.

Ran 1.o2 mile in 9:52 (9:39/mile pace). At the end I felt better just stretching that all out again.

So, today’s the day of my first half-marathon. Surprisingly I’m not really nervous. I don’t quite understand that….I should be. Especially since I’ve been nursing this hamstring/tendon pull and it’s still not quite 100%. I get ready, eat a granola bar and a few sips of G2, and set off with Bill and the girls (Jodie and Kristin) for the race. They are all doing the full marathon, which luckily has the same start time as the ½. I was hoping to try to run with Kristin and Jodie for the first several miles, but they took off into the crowd and I couldn’t stick with them. I ran with Bill for the first 1.5-1.75 miles, but then he needed to walk. Therefore I was alone in a crowd now. I didn’t bring my MP3, and wish I would have just to have some background noise.

I was going along at a really good pace, maybe too fast. I had gotten way ahead of my virtual running partner by mile 4 or 5and was starting to feel it. By about 6 or so (I really don’t know as I lost track of some of the mile markers and wasn’t sure where I was at times on the race) I had to walk a bit. I just walked through the water stop and a little after and that helped. Set off again, but had to walk again about a mile later. This isn’t good, I’m only ½ done. Then at about 7.5 there was a problem. I started getting this cramping in my right side gut area. Not a breathing cramp, much lower, kind of level parallel with my belly button. I had to walk a bit and thought I could walk through it. It kept getting worse and I kept walking slower. I started to really get discouraged as it wasn’t going away. After walking probably .3-.4, I realized we were about to come up on an aid station and this one had water, Powerade, and GU. I didn’t really feel thirsty as I drank water a bit before, but maybe I needed something more. Although I’ve never had GU for running, I was desperate to try anything. I grabbed the first one I saw, luckily it was a good flavor—Strawberry Banana. I opened it and took a bit. It actually tasted really good—thank God. I wanted to just gulp it down, but was scared that it would hit me heavy. So I walked a bit, then took some more, walked a bit, then took a bit more and threw out the wrapper. Overall I probably ate close to ¾ of it. I kept walking as I still had the pain. Over the next .2 or so the pain started to subside. I guess I really needed the electrolytes. Finally I was able to start running again.

Was able to get running, but mentally I was really struggling. I couldn’t distract myself and just “get into it.” Therefore about every ½ mile or so, I wanted to stop. I started bargaining….run to the next mile marker, and then you can walk a bit. I was trying to keep to that but it wasn’t working that well. Over the last 4 miles or so, I walked a bit nearly every ½ to full mile. Not too long, probably 20-50 steps. Finally when I hit mile 12 I said no more walking….but at about 12.5 I did again. I jogged all the way into the finish and ended up finishing at 2:09:03.

I’m a bit disappointed as I wanted closer to 2:00, but everyone tells me it’s a great time. Looking back, I lost a good 5 minutes at least around 8 miles with all the walking I had to do there. As I went through the finish line, I realized how gritty my face was—all the salt. I really was sweating much more than I think I realized. It was a bit windy (which also didn’t help with the run) and it was very sunny. I think my sweat was evaporating/drying off me quickly and I wasn’t realizing how much I was sweating. The bag pickup was a disaster as they weren’t sorted. As I stood there in a crowd of people I was getting dizzy with the heat and crowd. I just jumped in and started looking for my own bag. They kicked me out once; I waited, and then noticed others doing the same again. Bill had tied our bags in a particular way, so I thought I could quickly glance and try to find it. On this second attempt I was successful. I got it, got a banana and ice cream sandwich and moved on. Had a woman take a picture of me with my medal in the Fargodome, then tried to call Jerrod to catch up with him. Jodie was having a phenomenal race and was already nearly at 21 miles already. Therefore he couldn’t pick me up and I was on my own. I started walking the 1+ miles to try to see Kristin and Bill. I waited there for some time, stretching and relaxing. Then Kristin called to say she had dropped at 14 due to her foot and was back at the finish. Shortly later Jerrod called saying Jodie finished in record time. Turns out it was in 3:50…..over 33 minutes faster than her previous PR! Wow! Bill still hadn’t arrived and I waited and waited. Unfortunately he was way behind and finally showed up walking. I walked with him a bit and he told me he had been ill for a few days and never told me as he didn’t want to put a drag on my first big race. He had mild cold and also was just tired from the marathon 2 weeks ago. He knew he was pretty much going to walk til the end. I met him again at 24 or so and walked to the finish with him. He finished in 5:58 or so.

My first ½ marathon is done and I realized during it that it was much harder than I expected. It was even a lot harder than the 12-miler I had done a few weeks ago. Obviously with only doing 1 12-miler as training and only one 9-miler before that, it wasn’t going to be easy! That was definitely the hardest mental and physical thing I’ve ever done. Although I did look around and see the sights and crowd, having it be so long and in such a foreign place, and all by myself, really taxed me mentally. I just can't do the same thing for 2 hours....that's just too repetitive. I wish I would have had someone to run with and/or my music as that might have given me a little familiarity. Good to realize what I need to do for long runs. Now on to train for the 10-mile Lighthouse Run next month!

Got up early as Jodie and Kristin were due to pick me up around 5:20pm or so this morning to drive to Fargo. After a long 9-hour drive, we arrived, met Bill and went to the Expo then dinner. After all that, I didn't even realize that I didn't exercise until it was late. By that time I didn't want to run as the race is tomorrow. Unfortunately this is the 2nd day of 3 I didn't exercise.....not good.

Didn't have anything specifically to do tonight for the first night in a bit, except pack to leave for Fargo in the morning. Didn't really want to run, but since I didn't do anything last night I knew I should get out and do at least a bit to stretch the legs.

Ran around the neighborhood...1.03 miles in 8:47 (8:34/mile pace)

Was going to run in the morning, but didn't. Then had planned to run at night, but it was the awards banquet at work and didn't get home until after 7:30pm. It was nice outside and I really had no excuse not to run when I got home, but I just didn't feel like it. My leg is still bothering me a bit (hamstring and calf) and I was just tired. Decided to sit with the heating pad a bit and not run tonight.

Had plans to go to Sara's tonight for chinese and to watch a movie (PS I Love You), therefore I knew I should get out early and do a little running.

Ran 1.02 miles around the neighborhood in 8:32 (8:25/mile pace).

Decided to go to 20/20/20 tonight and it was a good workout. We used light weights for about 30 minutes of the workout tonight---lots of toning to all parts of the shoulder and upper arms. Although it was lower weights, it was high reps and you could really feel it.

It's pouring rain and windy today so I'm not really up for running. By early afternoon the rain had stopped, but there were 20-30mph winds. Bill went for a run, but I decided not to. After being lazy all day so far, though, I had to do something. I turned on ExerciseTV and found a 22 minute Cardio Sport workout to do. It was about 20 minutes of cardio with a 2 minute cooldown and stretch. Wasn't a whole lot, but it was something.

Today's the Ice Age 50 race in the Kettle Moraine and Bill volunteered us to help with an aid station. We did this a few year's ago when he learned of it through one of his accounting instructors, Danica. For the past few years we couldn't make it, but this year it worked out. That prevented us from running with the group this morning though as we had to be out near Whitewater by 8am. We brought our stuff with, though, and Bill mapped some trails in the area that we could run after we were done if we wanted.

After standing for a few hours at the aid station, our legs were a bit tired. Then it looked like we were going to have to pay to park where we were going to run so we decided to skip it and do it later.

Took a little nap, then got up and still needed to run. Neither of us really wanted to, though. Earlier I had suggested doing the cemetary run as we could run together on that one and not fight traffic. Bill then agreed and off we set.

Ran it backwards so it was nice to start with the big downhill on 12th street. After we visited with Dad, Bill announced that he didn't want to do the whole run and wanted ice cream. I never turn down ice cream, so we just finished in Mound cemetary and capped off the run in 4 miles.
(then I made him make good on the promise and take me to DQ)!

Ran 4.00 miles in 36:08 (9:02/mile pace). Not a full Saturday run, but a good run nonetheless.

Bill and I didn't have anything planned tonight, so we met after work at home and decided to do the quick mile before going out for a bite to eat.

Ran 1.01 in 8:56 (8:52/mile pace).

Hamstring's a bit better today, but still sore. Luckily it isn't quite as tight so it's healing already and that's a good thing.

Mom has her Aurora awards dinner tonight so I knew I wouldn't run later. Got up early and did the neighborhood mile. Tried to keep it easy just to stretch the legs and not do any damage.

Ran 1.01 in 8:55 (8:48/mile pace). It's a shame that sub-9 is now an "easy" run. ;)

As the day went on today, I noticed there was definitely something wrong with my hamstring. It was really tight and when I did a hamstring curl, I really noticed a knot. Called Anna to see if she still wanted me to come, even though I wanted to lay really easy on this leg so as not to injure further. She said she could still do a workout of upper body, so we went ahead.

Did just a walking warmup, and worked out with Anna. She really did focus on my shoulders, pecs, deltoids, triceps, biceps, and upper back. We did everything sitting so as to reduce the strain on my leg. It still felt like a really productive workout. Only problem is, when she can't spread it out over the entire body, I can really feel the workout that was so focused in just one major area---definitely going to be sore! :)

As I left work today I realized how beautiful it was. I really wanted to do a run outside. As I have been trying to keep a bag of clothes in the car, I realized I had most of what I wanted to run in, so I decided to change in the car and run from the car around the cemetaries. It was high 60s and I had everything except shorts, so I wore my capris. They were a little warm as they are heavier weight and black and the sun was beating down. Didn't have my GPS, but figured I could map it later.

Got running and decided to run to Dad's grave first to say Hi (today's their anniversary). Spent a few minutes with him, then headed back. Figured that was about a mile or so one way, so just headed back and figured 2 miles was good.

Got home the same time as Bill and he was debating running his mile right away before leaving for trap. I told him I'd run with him if he did it right then, so we set off.

Mapped the first run and found it to be 1.95--not too far off from what I thought so that was pretty good.

Then ran 1.02 with Bill in 8:55 (8:43/mile pace).

So, finished the evening with just under 3 miles on this beautiful night. Unfortunately my hamstring's really tight so I'm going to have to watch this now.

Since I didn't run yesterday, I thought I should get up and try to run in the morning and maybe do the 20/20/20 class at night.

Ran the neighborhood mile in the morning--1.02 mile in 8:36 (8:25/mile pace). Wow, that was quick, but it felt good.

Then, I figured I'd work till about 5:30pm, then do 20/20/20 before rushing to the GOP meeting. Work was very quiet and I was basically done with it by 4:50pm. I wasn't going to just hang for 40 minutes so I left, did some grocery shopping and met Bill at home. Never made it to 20/20/20 as we just ate dinner and went to the meeting together. Glad I at least did the run in the morning.

Today was Bill's marathon. I met Melissa and Jen at mile 5 and we planned to spend the morning together chasing Bill, Kim, and Yemi around different points of the race. Although it was chilly (45 degrees) there wasn't a cloud in the sky, the breeze was light, and it was a beautiful day for their race.

We saw them at 5, 10, 14/15 (there was a nice turnaround here so we saw each of them twice), then met them at the finish. Bill was doing really well with his times all along, but at 14 I noticed a problem. His nipple tape had come off one and it was raw and bleeding. He kept trying bandaids from 1st aid, but they kept falling off. This was going to be a problem.

We went to the finish to cheer everyone on. Kim came in right with the 4 hour group, Yemi wasn't far behind at 4:13ish. Bill then came in just over 5 hours. I was a little surprised as the last text I got was at 19.7 and Bill was on track for 4:45-4:50 or so. After the race I learned from him that the nipple really was a problem and slowed him alot after mile 19. Additionally, there had been a fire earlier in the day (delaying the start 15 minutes) and it was at about mile 22--forcing a re-route. Everyone's watches said they ran 26.5-26.7 miles. Sure enough, we learned they added about .25 on to the route. This is a good thing for Kim as she really wanted to break 4 hours and the official time said she was at 4:00:34--but with the recalculation she'll be under 4 hours. Bill ended up at about 5:03 or so with the recalculation which is just about what he had in Atlanta 6 weeks ago so that's good, and about 30-45 faster than the last few marathons before that.

Unfortunately Yemi struggled after the race and needed some medical attention, therefore we got running really late in getting back to the hotel to shower and check out. We couldn't get late check out, but Kim was gracious enough to let us use her hotel so Bill could shower before getting on the road.

We hit the road and drove back to Wisconsin right away, with a stop for dinner at a mexican restaurant (of course). We got home after 8pm and it had been a long day. Unfortunately, except for the walking around the marathon course and back and forth from hotel to start/finish, I didn't get any formal exercise in today.

So, today is 10k race day. As expected, woke up to rain and wind. Got ready and Bill was going to take me to the other girls' hotel to meet them there. We get outside at it's raining pretty steady and there are gusty, cold winds. As we get in the car, I say to Bill--would you think I was a complete wimp if I just didn't do the race? I really hate the wind and then coupled with cold and rain I was really dreading this. He just said, 'it's your money'---so he didn't really give me permission or denial. We drove to the hotel, grabbed the trash bags that we brought for jackets and headed in. Met the group, got our bags on and started heading down to the start line. About 1/2way down, Bill said goodbye and I knew I was going to at least try.

At the starting line, I was chatting with Melissa and her friend Jennifer (that works with them and came down to do this 10k) and learned this was Jen's first race. I asked her what she hoped to run and she said 9-9:15/mile pace. I told her that's what I wanted so I suggested we run together. Then she mentioned that that's much faster than her typical pace and that was her goal. OK, well I'll run with her for a bit and see how it goes.

The race starts and by mile 2 the winds had died down and it stopped raining. Jen and I were still running together and keeping about a 9:20 or so pace. We throughout our trash bags and kept going. At about mile 3 we crossed a bridge over to Kentucky. That was a rough bridge as it was a long incline to get to the top of the curve of the bridge. I stuggled a bit and Jen really struggled. I had said to her earlier that if either of us wants to run ahead of the other, they should just go and she agreed. Yet as we got over this bridge, I was really liking running with someone. I slowed a bit to catch my breath and allow Jen to catch hers and back up with me. As we got to around 4 miles she said she was really struggling. I could see it but she was still doing OK, just slowed up a bit. Right then, I realized that I felt good but it didn't really matter. I saw myself in Jen....the way she was breathing, the struggle she had on that hill, it was all me and my running just a few months ago. I decided I didn't care about my time at this point...what difference does it make if I run a 58 min 10k or a 56 min 10k, I'm not winning so who cares? I thought about how many people, particularly Bill and Ken, have slowed themselves during runs to just stay with me and keep me going. It was now my turn to take that baton and give that to someone else. I think Jen may have wanted me to go on, but I just stayed with her and slowed when she needed it, then gradually picked the pace back up again on flatter portions or downhills. We saw Bill at about 4.5 and that was fun to have that to look forward to and have that nice distraction. After mile 5 there was a short little hill that was a struggle and I just plowed through and then slowed at the top for Jen to catch up. Then at about 5.5 we were crossing another bridge back to Ohio. It wasn't as steep as the first bridge, but still a stuggle. Jen was really waning at this point and I noticed I got a good block or so ahead of her. I saw Gary on the bridge and said Hi, then turned around and ran back to Jen. Let her know she could do it and we were going to finish together.

As we passed the 6 mile sign, we could start to hear the crowd and announcer. At 6.1, I yelled to push it and we sprinted to the finish. She stuck right with me through that sprint. This was her first race and I felt good about how I ran mine.

My GPS says we ran about 6.4 miles in about 59 minutes. After the race, I got 2 text messages with my time, one said 58:25 and one said 59:25. That was odd and I figured the 58.25 was probably right based on my watch. Well, the official time was 59:25, about a 9:34 pace. We still finished in under the hour and it was OK as the start was windy and rainy and Jen got her first 10k done in under an hour--about 7 minutes faster than my first one!

Drove to Cincy today and went to the Expo to get our race stuff. Thought about running this morning before we left, but Bill said we'd probably want to run tonight after being in the car all day. That made sense, so didn't run in the morning--but wish I had as it rained much of our drive and was still raining when we got to the hotel.

I decided to go to their little fitness center while Bill ran outside in the drizzle. I just walked for 15 minutes on the treadmill. Nothing much, but the 10k is in the morning.

Not a whole lot to say again, just did the quick mile around the neighborhood. We're leaving for Cincy in the morning and I don't know when/if I'll get a run in, so just want to do something leisurely before the race.

Ran 1.02 in 9:24 (9:12/mile pace). A little slow tonight.

It's time to do a bit of running again, so just went out to do the quick neighborhood mile tonight.

Ran 1.01 in 8:59 (8:54/mile pace). Nothing exciting, but just wanted to stretch the legs back out again.

Again, still not quite ready to run yet, don't want to strain myself before the 10k this weekend.

Decided to do some of my new TurboJam stuff. Walked up and down the stairs for a few minutes to warm up, then did the 20 minute TurboJam workout, then the other 16 minute Burn workout. Finished with some pushups and plank for 60 seconds.

After the long run yesterday and the pressure on my knee, I didn't want to do a run today. Decided it would be a good day to just do the 20/20/20. We did a good cardio and sweated a bit again.

So I didn't get to run long yesterday and was really bummed as I wanted/needed to get a long run in this weekend. Therefore I thought I should try to do one today. Thought about running the Lighthouse Run route and set off about 8am to do so. Thought this might be a little difficult--to try to run a 10 mile run, for the first time, by myself. Got a little nervous and scared, but thought I'd try.

Got to the parking garage by the towers (after hiding a water bottle on Michigan Blvd), got my MP3 ready and set off. Ran the first 2 miles or so, got some water, then kept going. At about 4 miles I was stuggling a bit and thought this was going to be a problem. Somehow I got distracted for a bit, thinking about work things I think, and the next thing I knew I had run another half mile and was feeling pretty good again. Ran around the lighthouse loop and Bill came and found me at about 6.2. He was just checking up on me, brought G2 and water to make sure I was OK. It was nice to have a 30 second break, and I had been secretly hoping he would come find me somewhere along the way (just to give me something to look forward to). Continued on.....

As I got back towards the Main Street bridge, I hit the 10 mile mark. I was getting tired, but still felt pretty OK. Thought I'd try for a little farther. Thought about heading towards the reverse Colonial route, but changed and just ran east along the backside of M&I and the condos, rounded by Chancery and came back towards Main. Continued south on Main and kept going. As I got to about 10.7, I was starting to get tired and my knee was starting to yell at me. Decided to turn around at GTC and head back on Lake. As I approached the parking garage, I was only at about 11.7 or so, and I thought I better try for a nice even 12. Had to run past the garage to State and back again, but got the full 12 miles in.

This was a big jump from 9.1, my longest run yet. But overall I felt pretty good. I know I slowed quite a bit the last few miles, but overall it wasn't too bad.

Ran 12 miles flat in 1:55:51 (with 2 really short water stops and a G2 stop with Bill, plus a tying shoe stop) equating to an overall pace of 9:39/mile. My 3.1 mile splits were: 28:56 (9:20), 29:26 (9:29), 30:12 (9:44), and the last 2.7 was 27:15 (10:06). Not too bad for my first time and for being alone--so nobody to push me.

Oooooh boy is it windy today. 20-30 mph winds and it's only about 40 degrees or so. Not really feeling like running in this. It's a little frustrating as I needed to get a long run in this weekend. I decided to at least do a little, so I went to All Saints.

Ran 2 miles on the treadmill, did a bit of walking, then 2 minutes walking backwards and a bit more walking. Not a lot, but at least something.

It's Bill's birthday today--he's old--turning 35! We'll be going out for dinner after work, so I thought it best to get up and run this morning. As I was getting ready, I told Bill my rationale and he reluctantly joined me.

Ran 1.03 around the neighborhood in 9:09 (8:52/mile pace).

Had a conference today that meant I head to leave at about 7am so I knew I wouldn't run this morning.

Unfortunately after the conference it started raining and was expected to rain pretty much all night. Therefore I decided to to do the PowerJam DVD again. Started wtih 4-5 minutes of jogging up and down the stairs to warm up, then did the 16 minutes "burn" DVD. Ended that and did some more floor exercises--triceps with the medicine ball, 10 pushups, situps, and then stretched. No running, but an OK workout.

Had an appointment with Anna tonight, and had an appointment with Tom in Glendale this afternoon before. Got done with that early, so had lots of time to kill before working out with Anna.

Got to the club and was going to run on the treadmill, but it was over 70 degrees and beautiful, so I decided to run outside. I ran about a mile in about 9 minutes. Then went inside and did about 5 minutes on the bike and then about 7 minutes on the elliptical.

Ended with my hour with Anna with some core workout, just a few legs, and some biceps/triceps.

So, got these new Power Jam DVDs and thought I'd try them out tonight. Did the "learn" one to learn the moves---it's a standing ab workout with some Tae-Bo like moves. Then did the 16 minute "burn" portion of the first DVD to work them out. After that section, they had some outtakes and intros to people involved so I kept doing some of the moves while watching that just to get a little longer workout. Some of these moves really work the obliques!

Thought this may be all I do, but as I was finishing Bill called (he was at trap) and was on his way home already. He still needed to do his mile, so I went with him. Did the mile around the neighborhood--1.03 miles in 8:23 (8:06/mile pace).

Some good workouts tonight.

Since it's been so nice, I thought I'd get out early this morning to do my run in nicer weather.

Ran 1.03 miles in 8:21 (8:08/mile pace).

Thought I may go to 20/20/20 also tonight, and planned to, but ended up staying at work late so luckily I did do the run this morning.

Back in Racine and had to work a bit earlier. It's about mid-50s temperature-wise and there's a slight wind. Went out for the run together, but Bill said he was only going to do a mile. With all the food and junk I ate this weekend, I thought I'd try for more. It's nice weather, why not?

Got my MP3 ready and took that with, then when Bill turned around at 0.5, I tried to start it up as I ran longer. Unfortunately it was dead--so I ran the rest of the run in silence, with just my own thoughts, and this armband and ear buds that did nothing! ;)

As I was running, shooting for around 4 miles (the Douglas Ave loop), I thought about my total mileage in the last few days. I figured I did 7.0 miles Friday and 1.55 yesterday, so if I ran about 4.6, then I'd get 13.1 in for the weekend--although spread out, it was be a way of upping the mileage to equate to the half-marathon.

Therefore that's what I shot for. As I got back to the neighborhood, I had to do some zig-zags to get the mileage in, but ended up finishing with the 4.6 miles. Ran that in 41:18 (8:59/mile pace). Good pace with winds in my face for about half of it!

After running longer yesterday, I thought maybe we'd still run about 4 or so today. As we drove back towards the park that we ran to yesterday, Bill made a comment about doing only 1 mile. It had rained most of the day before and there were puddles all over, plus it was just chillier than yesterday and still quite humid.

Ran the loop around Fenton Park and it ended up being 1.55 miles. Ran that in 13:59 (9:01/mile pace).

We're down in St. Louis for Madelaine's first communion. Drove down late last night and really have no big plans today, therefore Bill and I decided to do our longer run today. Mapped out a route from the motel towards a park in Fenton. Thought I may try to get close to 10 miles in, but it was drizzly, and it's been a while since I've run long so I didn't think that was going to happen.

Ran about 6 then Bill turned and kept going and I headed back to the hotel. It was nice to run in a new environment with new scenery.

Ran 7.0 miles in 1:07:28 which was an average of 9:38/mile pace. Ran a little slower than normal, maybe it was because of running with Bill, maybe I just wasn't that into it today.

Labelled this today with a Saturday label, although it's really Friday, just because it was the long run of the week.

We're heading off to St. Louis this afternoon, not leaving until 4pm-ish, which will get us in to St. Louis around 11pm or so. Therefore another day where I had to run in the morning.

Bill came with me as we just did the quick mile -- ran 1.06 in 8:40 (8:11/mile pace). A little swift, must really have wanted to get it done. ;)

Have plans to go out with the girls tonight, so I knew I better exercise in the morning.

Got up and just ran the quick mile around the neighborhood. Ran 1.02 in 8:25 (8:14/mile pace)

Had a Rep meeting this morning in Milwaukee, so I really wasn't motivated to get up that early to run. It turned out to be a really nice day today, reaching 60 degrees, but with a pretty strong wind.

Got home and went for the quick mile with Bill around the neighborhood. Ran 1.02 in 8:43 (8:33/mile pace).

Thought I may get up to run this morning, but just couldn't get motivated. Went to the 20/20/20 class tonight and again got a good 20 minutes of cardio. With the sun setting at it's current time, it shines right into the studio and is sunny on me for a good part of the class. That gets the sweat pouring a bit, then we did some good weight work.

No running again, but at least some cardio again.

We had a "date" scheduled today to spend some time together--starting with brunch at Apple Holler, a day at the museum for the Body Worlds exhibit, then a late lunch/early supper in Milwaukee. Knowing all of this, I thought I should get up early to exercise.

It's still pretty windy, so I decided to stay inside and exercise. Bill reminded me of the exercise channel on TV, so I wanted to try some of that.

Did about 20 minutes of a cardio-tone routine (a Jillian Michael's/Biggest Loser) routine, plus 2 minutes of back stretching and strengthening. I thought maybe I'd run later, but this is a good amount for the beginning of the day.

Never got back out to run later, so glad I did the cardio in the morning to at least get something in.

So it was really windy and raining this morning. I wasn't in the mood to feel cold, wet, and miserable while running, so I decided not to go with the group.

Went to the All Saints gym and ran 2 miles on the treadmill, then walked a bit. That's about all for today.

We're going out after work with the HR group tonight, so I knew I wouldn't run later. Therefore up early and got the quick neighborhood mile in.

Ran 1.01 in 8:39 (8:35/mile pace).

It's raining again, or should I stay still. Therefore just went up to the All Saints gym after work to get a bit of a workout in.

Ran a mile on the treadmill and that was a bit tough. Then walked to round out 20 minutes of a workout. Not an overly intense workout, but some good cardio nonetheless.

Woke up early again with all the best intentions of running before work, but again the warm bed and cuddling of the kitties won out.

Had Anna again tonight, even though just went last week. Since Bill's gone, why not get an extra session in. Also wanted to get to the off weeks for my every other so it didn't coincide so directly with my monthly friend. Tonight we talked about what I wanted to do in training for the upcoming races. I said my legs were OK, just good workouts would be fine, but would like to work on upper body and core. Therefore she talked about how we'll work on muscle groups that correspond with the movements my arms make while running (front to back swinging), and really work on some strength that way, vs other arm/shoulder exercises (like flies and out to the side as that won't help the running). Therefore that's what we did--lots of shoulders, biceps, and triceps. Finitely will feel this a bit in a few days.

Had my HRMA Spring Conference today (won a $25 gift certificate so that was cool), then met Mom for dinner. It rained most of the afternoon and was still raining after dinner. Thought of going back to All Saints to workout, but just wasn't interested. It was raining pretty hard in the evening, so I definitely wasn't going to do anything outside.

Therefore today was a nothing day. :(

Woke up early this morning to run before work, but just couldn't get motivated and the bed was so warm and cozy.

Just went to 20/20/20 tonight, and it kicked my butt. We did some kickboxing moves for the 20 minutes of cardio and I really broke a sweat. This is the first time I broke a sweat at one fo these Synchronicity classes. Then we did some good weight work for the next 20 minutes. Left this 60 minute session feeling like I got a good workout.

Bill had to fly out again this afternoon, so we did our quick little mile neighborhood run midday.

Ran just 1.00 in 8:53. Felt like it was a little slower as I was doing it, but I guess it wasn't too bad.

Today's another Saturday and the weather is OK (a little chilly, but not too bad). I got to the Panera parking lot about 6:20am, a few minutes later than I wanted to, so I set up to do about 3 miles before the group was to arrive. Knowing Bill was out there, and thinking he'd finish down Newman, I ran up Emmertsen to Spring first. Right at the corner of Spring and Newman I actually met up with Bill and a new runner, John, with perfect timing. Finished about 3.1 getting back to the parking lot. That was a really hard 3.1 for some reason and my legs are really wobbly. I really thought about just calling that a day.

But as the group started to arrive, I thought I'd set out to do at least a few more. We were running Panera 2 and I set off with Ken and Ben. Told them I would be running as fast as normal as I was stuggling a bit. Ran about 2 or a little more with them, then had to slow up a bit. Got to the back of the trail loop and thought about cutting over on the shortcut, but then thought I should just do the long route and I could just slow down a bit. Then as I continued over the next mile or so, I was getting passed by nearly everyone, but I just kept running.

As I got back to the driveway by Chipotle, I was just passing 8 miles. I was feeling OK, so I thought I'd try to push for a bit more. Some of the girls were just ahead of me and went north on that little road and over towards Emmertsen again. I remember from the first part of my run that from my car to the stop sign behind the grocery story at Emmertsen, it was a 1/2 mile. Therefore I pushed myself to run to that stop sign and back--ending the morning with 9.1 miles--my longest run yet!

Did that 9.1 in 1:22:44, which is a 9:05/mile average pace. The first 3.1 (by myself mostly) was 9:09 average pace, the second 3.1 (some with Ken) was at 8:43 average pace, then the last 2.9 was at 9:23 average pace. Definitely was slower at the end, but not too bad overall.

Bill came home today and I knew he would need to run when he got home. We decided to run relatively right away after getting home and get it done before dinner and relaxing. As we got changed, I really did not want to go. Bill told me I didn't need to as I would be trying to run longer in the morning, but I was already changed and I knew I should go. These 10-15 lbs I want to lose aren't going anywhere if I don't do something about it. Also, a 10 mile or half-marathon isn't going to be easy--just do it!

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

Knew I was having dinner with Mom tonight then a hair appointment, I knew I should get up early and run before work. Luckily it's warming up so getting up and running was in 30+ degree weather.

Ran 1.01 in 8:45 (8:41/mile pace). Pretty good for not having done a "1 mile" neighborhood run in the morning in a while.

Had an appointment with Anna today so I knew that would work me. She did an exercise right from the start that really was tough--push up with feet up on the Bosue. Push up, go 45 degrees to the right, push up, back to center, push up, 45 degrees to the left, push up, back to center, repeat. Wow, that one was really, really tough. Having the feet up that 9 inches or so really put a strain on the core and the lower back/side muscles. Then we did lots of other core and arm exercises, with at least one quad/hamstring one too. Although a few were really tough, it wasn't an overall tough workout---good, but not where I'm going to be too terribly sore this week. That's good for me as I really need to run long this Saturday as I haven't done so in 3 weeks.

I had a job fair in LaCrosse today, so I was driving out and back same day making for a very long day. Because I didn't get to shop at the Outlet Mall yesterday, I wanted to stop at Johnson Creek today. It was already after 6:30pm by the time I got there, but I decided to stop and just limit my time. I got home about 8:30pm but was ancy after driving all day and felt like I really should just hurry to get ready and get a mile in to get out some energy.

I guess I really was in a hurry to get done as I did 1.01 in 8:10 (8:03/mile pace). Wow! I think that's the fastest "1 mile" neighborhood run I've ever done.

Today's the last morning in Atlanta and I wanted to take advantage of the gym one last time. After laying around and cuddling (and fooling around) a bit this morning, I only had a short time to workout. Went down and did 15 fast minutes on the elliptical, enough to break a good sweat. Was supposed to fly out at 11:16am, so maybe thought I could get to 20/20/20 or a run in in the evening also. Unfortunately weather in Chicago delayed my flight about 4 hours, then we had to circle in the air before landing, so I didn't get home until 7:30pm or so. Exhausted from a day of travel and delays, I was not interested in exercising again.

Today's Bill's marathon, so he had to leave the room about 6:30am. I headed right down to the gym to get a workout. Ran 1 mile on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the bike, then did a whole bunch of core and ab workouts, plus some tricep dips. Then finished with 5 quick minutes on the elliptical before rushing up to the room to get cleaned up to go meet Bill. Got to see him at miles 10, 14, 19, and the finish line. For as hilly as this course was (and really cold and windy in Atlanta today), he did great--finishedin 5:02:37! Just missed the 5 hours, but a really great marathon for him!

After having my flight delayed two hours today, my visit with Bill and seeing Atlanta was cut short a bit. We were going to visit the Coca Cola experience, drive the marathon course, and had to get dinner. After all that, we still had to exercise as Bill hadn't done his mile yet. The hotel had an awesome gym with treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, a few machines, medicine balls and exercise balls. Bill and I went down in the late evening to the gym. He did his mile and I tried to--but with just eating dinner and the gym was hot so I didn't get far. Just walked for 10 minutes, then did some of the leg machines and some arm weights.

As I left work today, I realized that I need to get up at 2:30am tomorrow morning to make my flight to visit Bill in Atlanta. Because of that, I'm going to have to go to bed early, therefore I wanted to get home quickly as I had to clean up the house a bit and pack. Because of this, I didn't get any exercise in today. Oh well!

Still sick but starting to finally feel a little better this afternoon. It's snowing again, so went up to the All Saints gym.

As I changed and went into the gym, I just didn't feel like running. Therefore I started out walking and raised the incline to 5% with a 4.0 pace. Did that for about 10 minutes, but really wasn't into it. Decided to grab my magazine and get on the bike. Was hoping for 20 minutes but about 11 minutes in I just wasn't into it either. I'm fatigued and just anxious for the weekend. Although not a great exercise night, at least it was something.

Although it was absolutely beautiful outside tonight, hitting the low 50s, I knew I still had all these classes at Synchronicity to use. Therefore I went to the Core on the Floor class. It's always good to do some toning.

Had dinner with Mom tonight at her place with Aunt Mary and Diane. After dinner, I still wanted to do something and it was actually kind of nice outside. So I got home and quickly changed to do a mile.

Ran 1.00 mile in 8:39.

On the way home from Easter dinner, my throat was really hurting. Uh oh, I think I'm getting sick.

Sure enough woke up Monday sneezing and with sinus pain. After work I still felt like I should do something, though, so I went to the All Saints gym and ran. After a mile, I was feeling OK, so I did 2 miles. Then did a few weights--flies, shoulder presses, and some abs.

Happy Easter! We were lazy this morning, then went to run in the afternoon before showering to go to Easter dinner. Since Bill ran a shorter run yesterday due to the weather, as did I, we thought we should at least run 2 miles.

Ran 2.03 miles in 18:18 (9:01/mile pace)

So, it snowed about 12 inches yesterday and was still snowing into the night. Therefore I knew it would be messy in the morning. Sure enough it was messy, cold, and windy---no running outside with the group for me.

Went to All Saints and ran 2 miles on the treadmill, plus did 1 mile walking at a good incline (5% for some, up to 15% incline).

Another big snowstorm today--the day after the first official day of spring! As the day went on today, they said it's going to rival the biggest snowstorm of the season we had on February 6th with a potential of 10-15 inches of snow. I'm so done with winter weather!

Went to the All Saints gym after work and ran my mile, then did a few minutes of walking at an incline--5% to 15% grade, then did a minute or so at a small incline walking backwards. Finished with about 13 minutes of hill biking so I got in about 30 minutes of cardio.

Bill's coming home tonight and we'll run together then. Again thought I may run in the morning, but I've been sleeping so soundly and comfortably I just couldn't get out of bed again.

Ran just the mile around the neighborhood with Bill--1.04 miles in 8:52 (8:32/mile pace).

Again, thought to get up this morning and run but it didn't happen (again). Had an appt with Anna tonight so I knew I'd get a good workout in.

Got there a bit early so I got a full 10 minutes in on the elliptical by 6pm so I could get a full hour with Anna. She worked my quads, shoulders, and core alot today. Another good workout that I'll feel Thursday and Friday for sure.

Couldn't really get up to run this morning, so went to the All Saints gym after work. Ran on the treadmill for my mile, then did some brisk walking--most of it at a 5% incline for another mile. Not too much, but still a good little workout with a little variety.

Feeling guilty about doing nothing yesterday, thought I'd do two things today. Bill's gone so I got up and ran a mile around the neighborhood this morning. Ran 1.02 in 8:44 (8:32/mile pace).

Then did the 20/20/20 class at night. Did alot of work on the Bosue, so it was a good overall cardio and core workout with weights.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Bill was leaving today and he went for his quick mile run in the afternoon. It was colder and windier so I chose not to go. I packed a bag and figured I'd go to the gym between dropping him at the airport and Mom's for dinner. Unfortunately I didn't realize how late Bill's flight was and there was only about 20 minutes between dropping him off and driving back to town and when I was to be at Mom's. Thought I may go after dinner, but just wasn't motivated then. Therefore nothing today.

So, I didn't do a long run last Saturday and it was supposed to be relatively OK outside so I knew I should try to run a longer run. Got there at 6:30pm to run 2-3 before the group. Jodie and Kristin were there and will getting situated so I didn't feel like I could just take off and go. I waited for them, Melissa arrived, and we all took off between 6:40-6:45. Knew we weren't going to get too much in, but at least some.

Ran 1.75 before 7am, then met the group and ran an additional 5.75 with Ken and his coworker Ben. Wanted to try to get the 8 miles again, so ran back into the first cemetary for a short 0.5 mile loop to finish the 8 miles even.

Ran 8.0 miles in 1:12:38, equating to a 9:04/mile average pace. Ran the first 10K, 6.2 miles in under 56 minutes, but the last 1.8 took just over 17 minutes---there were two hills in this last 2 miles (one at the golf course and one coming up from Park High). Those were killers and slowed me down this late in the run. Still, a great time for 8 miles.

Wanted to go out for dinner after work tonight so that meant later running. Unfortunately I ate a big dinner, so even though we waited until about 8pm to run, I really struggled. Running with a full stomach and I really have trouble breathing.

Ran just 1.0 mile in a slow 9:25.

Bill and I both had evening plans so I figured we should get up and run in the morning. Except for Saturdays, we haven't run in the morning in a long, long time.

Just did the 1.01 in 9:18 (9:10/mile pace)

Couldn't decide if I was going to go to the Core class or run tonight---decided on running at All Saints. Did a mile on the treadmill, then 20 minutes on the bike. Finished with some good weight training--pec flies on an angle bench supersetted with shoulder presses upwards, mixed with some lunges with pushoffs. Finished with the lower back machine and some pushups.

So, I was going to run outside right when I got home, but I decided to wait for Bill to come home. He was going out tonight so I thought I'd at least wait so I got to see him for a few minutes. He came and went, then I couldn't get motivated. Decided to just do a few in-house exercises instead--tricep dips and some lumberjack-type swings & squats using the medicine ball. Not really much at all.

Had a GOP meeting tonight, so we agreed to do our quick run after we got home. It's warming up a bit, so it's bareable to run outside.

Ran 1.04 in 8:54 (8:36/mile pace).

This was a really lazy day today and never did get going to exercise. Really had no excuse not to, other than I just couldn't get motivated.

So it's gotten cold again and windy, and the group is running by the lake. That just isn't appealing to me today, so I think I'm going to the gym.

Got to All Saints to find two treadmills out of order and two women on the other ones. Got onto the elliptical and did 30 minutes frontways, then 5 minutes backwards. Stretched and met the group for coffee.

Went out for dinner with Mom to a fish fry, then figured I'd come back to work and workout after.

Ran 1 mile on the treadmill, then did 12 minutes on the bike. That's enough as tomorrow's Saturday.

OK, so I got behind in my posts so I'm writing this a week later and have no idea what, if anything, I did this day. This is pretty bad--I really need to keep more up to date with this.

Tonight was a night with Anna. We talked for a bit, then got to work. Did a variety of things--but the main focus was shoulders, deltoids, pecs, as well as quads and hamstrings. My shoulders are going to be sore after tonight.

So tonite was supposed to be a GOP meeting, so we went to dinner right after work and to the meeting. No meeting, but waited just to make sure. By the time we got home, I really wasn't in the mood to drive back to All Saints to work out or run outside in the cold. Plus my ankle is a bit sore from the fall, as well as my lower back. I think I'll just relax tonight and take a break.

I thought I should lay off the running for the night, so I decided to do the 20/20/20. As I left work I took a wipe-out on the ice. Didn't really fall too hard, actually kind of slid like I was sliding into third base. Stretched a few things, but not too bad. Glad I'm not going to run tonight as I should probably do something a little less intense as I may get sore later.

Just wanted to do an easy mile today as I'm a little sore from the longer run yesterday. Just 1.01 mile around the neighborhood in 9:09 (9:02/mile pace).

Ok, so it's March 1st. Several weeks ago I said that I'd start to increase my mileage on March 1st as it should be getting nicer by then. Well, this has been a rough winter and it's still not really warming up. At least is was a little warmer this week so the roads weren't bad, but it was still in the 20s this morning with a light westerly wind making it feel like the teens.

I wanted to do more, so I met the pre-group at Kristin's at 6:30am so I could get a little extra mileage. Ran to Panera at 7am, then Bill and I decided to do Panera 2 for a change. When we got to the trail, we realized it was all iced over. That's not going to work. We walked a bit and then ran north on Sunnyslope with a plan to just come back down Emmertsen. Bill slowed down alot as his sock had ripped and his heel was bothering him. As I approached Emmertsen, I was feeling good so I ran back to Bill to give him the clicker and tell him I was going to run farther. Decided to run back to Newman and down to Panera. As I got close to Panera, I realized I needed a bit more so I ran a couple of little diversions so that I would get at least 8 miles.

I ended up 8.06 miles, plus a bit more that I ran when I had the watch stopped. I had walked a few times with Bill (at the trail loop, and when I turned around to meet with him), so my time is a little off.......but I ended up doing the 8.06 in 1:16:22, which averaged a 9:28 pace. But when I look at my splits, my first 3.1 was in an average pace of 9:09, then my second 3.1 was much slower (had the two walks), then the last 1.86 was in a 9:12 pace. So I really probably did a 9:10-9:15 pace average which is pretty good. Also, this was a goo 1.5 miles longer than I've ever run before which is a big jump for me. I felt pretty good after this run so this is a good thing!

After taking last night off, thought I better do something productive tonight. Went up to the All Saints gym after work with the thought of doing a mile or two or maybe a mile and some other cardio. Felt good as I neared the first mile, so just kept going and did two miles. Felt like I could do more, but tomorrow's Saturday and I want to do more then so I don't want to overdo.

Didn't really feel like much tonight as it was still pretty cold out. I guess this will just a night off.

Haven't been to Core on the Floor in a while so I thought that would be good to do. Get there and only Denise, the instructor, and Peg are there. Thought maybe others were just running late. Well, it turns out that was it and Denise taught to just the two of us. Kind of weird to have the class so small.

Knew I was going to go to the All Saints gym tonight, but didn't know exactly what I'd do until I got there. As I was changing, I was hoping to run for about 2 miles or so. Then when I got in the gym, I was able to get on the treadmill that was directly in front of the TV so that made it good. The TV was off, therefore I turned it on and put it to the station I wanted. This set me up for a good run.

As I got started, the gym really picked up and by the time I was nearing 2 miles, all the treadmills, elliptical, and bikes were full. I was feeling pretty good, so I thought I'd push for the 3 miles.

Ran the three miles in under 27 minutes, then finished with some walking and the last minute walking backwards, for a total of 30 minutes cardio. That was a good workout!

Wasn't sure this morning if I was going to 20/20/20 or doing something else. As the day progressed, I was actually in the mood to run. As I was getting ready to leave work, I checked with Bill to see what it was doing outside as they were predicting snow. It was still pretty nice with temps in the 20s and calm winds. Therefore I decided to go home and run with Bill.

Ran a brisk 2.1 miles in 17:50 (8:30/mile pace). Bill kept saying during the run that I was going fast, but didn't really feel like it for most of the run. Looking at the time now, I guess I was going at a pretty good clip. :)

So today was the LDD, therefore we were busy alot of today preparing. We had to leave the house around 2:15pm to get there to set up. We should have run in the morning, but didn't. Luckily since the dinner was at 5pm, we thought we'd be home by 8ish and could run then.

Got home about 8:30pm, changed and went out together to do the mile. Ran 1.04 in 9:19 (8:58/mile pace).

Although it's warmed up a bit, the roads still aren't great--they are pretty full of big sections of ice in many places. The wind is a bit brisk today and the Saturday group is running by the lake. Therefore I decided to run inside. My first thought was to run at the Y as the group may run south behind GTC, but if they don't, there's not alot to look at while running on a treadmill there. So I opted for the All Saints gym where I could watch TV. Got there and there were only 2 other people there (one left within minutes) so it was very different than the last few Saturdays. It was just before 7am, so I figured I could do an hour of stuff and still meet the group for coffee. Got the TV set, fan on, and hopped on the treadmill.

Ran 3 miles with just short breaks at each mile marker for a bit of water. At 3 miles, there was a good story on the TV I wanted to hear, and by this time I was alone in the gym, so I hopped off and cranked up the volume so I could hear it. I walked for a brisk half-mile during the story (a Growing Pains reunion piece on the Today Show), then got back to running. Ran the next 2 miles straight, and finished with a .4 mile walk. Therefore I got about 5 miles in total plus another mile or so walking.

Now off to meet the group for coffee.

I've been good all week and I know I'll do a longer run tomorrow -- either inside or outside -- so I decided to take a break tonight.

Met Bill out for dinner right after work, so knew I was going to run later. It's started to warm up a bit--windchills are staying above 0, so it's getting a little more bareable to run outside.

Just ran the quick mile around the neighborhood.

Ran 1.03 in 9:08 (8:55/mile pace).

First time with Anna in about 4 weeks since the last time got snowed out. Did some weighing and pinching--just kind of holding steady. A little frustrating as I want to lose more, but it's just not happening.

We did a good diverse workout of core, quads, pecs, interspersed with jumping rope. She also showed me some "side step" type of exercise to do on the treadmill to work the thighs and do cardio at the same time.

Again off to the All Saints gym and wanted to get a good workout. It was really busy again so I got on the elliptical. After about 5 minutes, one of the good treadmills freed up so I hopped on. Ran 2.5 miles at a 0.5 incline--taking quick little .05 breaks at both the mile marks for a water break. Therefore did an actual 2.5 miles in about 23 minutes or so. Then did about 5-6 minutes of walking with another minute walking backward. Another 30 minute workout.

Decided to go to the All Saints gym today instead of the 20/20/20 class. Got there and it was packed. Got the bad treadmill, so I just put it at a fast walk pace, 4.2, and an incline of 3.0. Had done nearly 4 minutes and the woman next to me left. Therefore I quickly grabbed her treadmill and started running. Only ran the mile, then did a little more walking on the treadmill. Finished up with about 15 minutes on the bike so I had 30 minutes of cardio total.

With the guilt trip of doing nothing yesterday, when Bill said he was going to do a two mile run I knew I had to join him. Had to get out and get some exercise in.

Ran 2.02 in 18:03 (8:55/mile pace). That's pretty good for not doing a whole lot in the past few days.

OK, so today is a really bad day. Had to get going early as I had to be out by the I and Hwy 20 by 8:15am, so I figured I'd just run later. Well, the day just kept going and I couldn't get motivated to go to the gym. I did have time later in the day, just not motivation.

So today is Saturday and I did nothing. Twice in a week------not good!

Really didn't want to do anything today, but I didn't do anything on Tuesday so I knew I had to do something. Got home and decided just to do the quick mile around the neighborhood. It's the first time in nearly two weeks that I've run outside as it's been so cold. It's still cold, but bareable since it's only one mile.

Ran 1.03 in 9:16 (9:00/mile pace)

Had a hair appointment at 6pm tonight and it is Valentine's Day (so I don't want to exercise after my hair appointment--I want to go home and spend some time with Bill). I didn't want to skip exercising again as I did on Tuesday. Therefore I worked to make sure that I left work a bit early and went up to the gym. I didn't want to get too sweaty as I had to go to the salon, so I thought I'd maybe just walk or do the bike. Then as I was getting on the noisy treadmill, a guy on a better treadmill said he was just about done---in essence offering me his treadmill. Since the one I was getting on is fine for walking, he was kind of insinuating that I could run on his in a few minutes. That kind-of guilted me into running, as he got off about 6 minutes into my walk, so I felt like I should switch over and do a run.

Therefore I did an 8 minute brisk walk with most of it at a 3.0 incline, then I did the mile run at just under 10 minutes (again trying not to get too worked up---but I sweated alot anyway). Then I finished with a 2 minute walk and 10 minutes on the bike so I still got the 30 minutes of cardio.

OK, was feeling a bit guilty and weak after not exercising last night, so I wanted to do more tonight.

Worked late, but went up to the All Saints gym and figured I'd try to do 3-4 miles on the treadmill. Got started just before 7pm and was going along well, then Deal or No Deal came on. I had seen the first half of this "episode" with this contestant last week. Therefore it was kind of cool seeing that and getting to see the continuation. This helped the time pass much quicker than normal. I ran 4 miles, with just some quick water breaks at each mile within. Good 37.5 minute run and it felt good to do a longer run mid-week.

Mom has a dentist appointment tonight and I agreed to chauffeur as she didn't know how she'd react to the anesthetic. Unfortunately it's snowing again therefore I had to leave work early to get home and get my computer (supposed to be a GOP meeting after) and then get straight to her. While at waiting for her, talked to Bill and found out the GOP meeting was cancelled due to the weather.

After dropping Mom back home, I suppose I could have gone to the gym but I just really wasn't in the mood. Therefore no exercise at all tonight.

Since I've been going to the gym alot lately, I thought I'd do the 20/20/20 tonight. This is not a good of a workout as other things, but it's good for variety from treadmills.

Bitter cold today again--negative temperatures with -30 degree windchills. Took the morning to do some house stuff and get inventory and tax stuff done. Around midday, Bill said we should go to the Y to get our exercise in.

Did my mile on the treadmill--starting at a 6.6 pace, gradually increasing at 0.2 intervals to 7.5. Then did 15 minutes on the bike, and finished with some weights on 4 different machines. That's about all today.

Woke up this morning to knowing it snowed just a bit last night, and was still pretty cold and windy. When I drove to the Y last night, I noticed College and Wisconsin Avenue were still pretty messy. I really didn't want to slip and slide around while running with the group, so I told Bill I was going to the gym. We also have a dentist appointment later, so there wouldn't be much socializing time at coffee, so I knew I wouldn't miss much going to the gym (except maybe slipping, falling, and unsure footing).

Went to the All Saints gym as I figured it may not be too busy on a Saturday morning, and I could also watch TV while running (as I wanted to run longer than just a mile--it is Saturday after all). Got to the gym and it was kind of busy. All but one of the functioning treadmills was taken, and the one that was available was the one with a belt that needs rewaxing. As I increased the speed to begin my run, I noticed that the belt was warped a bit in the middle and it was really noisy. At about 1.5 miles, one woman got off one of the other treadmills, therefore I just got to 2 miles and got off that noisy one and went onto hers. Gave me a quick one minute reprieve to clean off my treadmill before starting on the other.

Got 4 miles in at a good 9 minute pace on the treadmills. Kept it at just over the 9 minutes for most of the run to make sure I could do the distance and would feel relaxed and not strained during the run. The more strained I feel while on a treadmill--the worse the distance feels as the boredom factor really goes up if I'm strained. These four miles went pretty smoothly. Just stretched and headed out so I could shower before the dentist.

Not too bad for not running outside with the group.

Wanted to go out for dinner tonight and persuaded Bill to go right after work (as I didn't want to work out, then go to dinner sweaty). Went to Olde Madrid downtown. After dinner, thought I'd just swing over to the Y and get my workout in. It was packed and I couldn't find parking on Lake Avenue. Although I could have parked on a side street, I figured with all these cars the gym was probably pretty busy. Decided to swing back to work and go to the All Saints gym.

Didn't want to overdue it as I figure I had a long run Saturday. The last couple of Fridays I did weights and runs and then was fatigued on Saturday.

Rode 20 minutes on the bike, plus a short cooldown. Then did a good 10 minute brisk walk on the treadmill. Not overly intense, but still 30 minutes of some cardio.

Still pretty cold out and the roads are still pretty messy from the snow the last few days. I'm a little sick of the All Saints gym, so I thought I'd go to the Y today.

Didn't feel like running, so I did 25 minutes on the elliptical while watching the Halloween (rerun) episode of Grey's Anatomy. Then I did about 8 minutes of a very brisk walk on the treadmill.

The snow is still flying and Mary Jo said to close up early. I was covering one of Lisa's interviews, so I didn't get to go until about 3:45pm or so. Oak Creek Fitness had called earlier in the day and cancelled my appointment, so I knew I was just going to go to the gym. Got outside and the roads looked pretty bad, so I just went up the hill to the All Saints gym. While in the gym, the news said we had gotten about 10 inches so far and it was very windy and still going to snow for several hours more.

Ran my mile on the treadmill in about 8:40 and then did some weights (skull crushers, bicep curls, thigh/glute machine, pushups, plank with knee-to-chest, plank, and some situps). Felt like since I was missing a workout with Anna, I should do at least some weights and core.

So at about 2pm today the snow started to fly. It's expected to be a 10-20 inch snowfall. Therefore I stopped at the All Saints gym to get a workout in without having to drive too far. Felt like doing something different tonight, so got on their elliptical machine and did a brisk 20 minutes on that. Then finished with a 10 minute bike ride. Good, sweaty 30 minutes of cardio.

Couldn't decide this morning if I was going to go to the 20/20/20 class, or go to the gym, so took all the appropriate clothes in a bag and figured I'd think about it later.

Talked to Bill in the afternoon and he said he packed a bag at lunch due to the rain that was expected. Therefore we decided to go to the Y after work.

Ran 1 mile on the treadmill with 3 intervals at 8.5 pace (about 45 seconds each). Then did 20 minutes on the elliptical and 20 minutes on the bike. No weights today.