Running Thoughts

sprints on the treadmill! I like sprints for several reasons:  I feel great afterward, the workout is short and sweet, and they are great for weight loss! The treadmill is the perfect place for sprints.  The surface is consistent, you control the speed and incline, and you can practice proper form.

I was going to post a trick or treat/candy post, but Mizfit has already done just that and has done a fab job of it too!  So check that out! Instead, I will rave about the wonderful weather we are having here.  It's normally snowy and I am having to pull on running tights by now.  Today, I put on my shorts and headed out into crisp cool air and warm sun.  Perfect combination for a perfect run.  I said all that to say that today, as perfect as it was, had nothing on the half-marathon day.  I trained 14 weeks injury free with only a sore knee here and there and then the day was paramount when it could have been super cold.  In fact, it could have been the first cold day so that all my training was warm and then BOOM!  But no, the sun smiled that day, and I didn't even mention it!  Mentioning it now...the day was stupendous!! Also, I'm reading an ebook I downloaded a long time ago called, "The Truth About Abs."  I really like it so far.  It promotes free weights (my...

I will admit, reluctantly, that I was slightly disappointed in myself at the end of my Half-Marathon.  I know, I know... Still, I was, just slightly.  I wasn't sure why exactly at the time, but it was really that several things added up to the undermining of my own accomplishment.  I still wasn't sure what my personal best was.  But now I am.  In fact, later that evening I was sure.  I've tried to think how to word this, but come up short.  The best I've found comes from John Bingham's Marathoning for Mortals book.  He says,  "You are going to discover your personal best somewhere during the training or during the race.  There will come a point when you know that you are accomplishing the most that your body, your mind, and your will have to offer.  There will come a point when what you believe about yourself equals what is true about yourself.   "That can happen at a 5-minute pace or a 15-minute pace.  That convergence of belief and reality can happen to ...

This week, I've been resting.  So, I thought I'd use this time to gather thoughts to share about the half-marathon Sara and I completed on the 19th.  This is the next to the last post on that topic before I lay it to rest. I thought I'd share some mistakes I made, so here is a "not-to-do" list when running a long distance run: Don't be so excited that you forget breakfast like I did.  It was an afternoon run and I totally forgot to eat breakfast.  Not a good thing. Don't stop for long at the water stations.  I was super excited that my family had a water station set up for me and I let myself get too "cooled down" at the water stations. Don't leave your jacket at the water station.  You might need it later like I did. Don't forget to clip your toenails even if you don't think you need to. Don't forget to loosen your shoes about halfway through. Don't forget a kneeband if you wear one normally and have problems with "runne...

My family is so great.  If you go here , you will see video of our half-marathon.  My hubby made us bib numbers...I think you'll like them.  We're so 80's!

Today, I ran like a girl.  In the NIKEPLUS "run like a girl" half marathon, that is!  I'll post more about it tomorrow with pictures.  Just a quick low-down for right now... That was HARD!!!!! But I survived and had fun and thought I might die all in one almost 3 hour time frame.  My family was great support, bringing water and snacks.  The day was gorgeous, the scenery couldn't have been better, the company super.  Sara rocked, and we both agreed that 13.11 miles is LLLOOONNNGGG. More tomorrow after I'm rested! ps...I DID IT!!

My hubby and I took a drive yesterday... We went up the road 13.1 miles to scope out Sunday's Half Marathon.  Sara and I plan to run it together (so far, no more sickness!).  I'm so excited that 13.1 miles starts us at exactly the "Empire Chief" mine.  It's the remains of a silver mine from the 1800's that got completely taken out by an avalanche last winter.  The whole town was almost in tears that it had stood for so many years only to be wiped out by the snow after so long.  So, the mine will be our starting place!  Very memorable!  We will run past "Whitmore Falls" which is a beautiful waterfall.  Then we'll pass through "Capital City," an old mining ghost town with only a few cabins left (almost halfway at this point).  We'll be following the edge of the canyon that is home to Henson Creek, which is really more of a river.  The creek is beginning to freeze already and I think we are running this just before the cooooold sets in...

My little boy was sick all yesterday afternoon and through the night.  I didn't go for my 5 miler until today.  The morning was cold...16 degrees.  cold.  I let it warm up to 45 degrees for my run.  It was a really great run.  5 miles feels just right.  I love a 5 mile run.  Strange to say that since not long ago I couldn't imagine that I could run 5 miles.  Now, 5 miles is a comfortable, relaxing run.   Next Sunday is IT.  Half-marathon day!  This week's runs are short (30 min) in prep for Sunday!  Should be a cold week with a nicer, warmer weekend.  AND My hubby bought me a surprise for those too cold to run kind of days....

Fall is my favorite season here. I have looked forward to the crisp air and the beautiful, changing trees. Yesterday's run felt so good! I thought, "This is going to be a new PR!!" It just felt so right and I could tell that my time coming home was really good (for me), but then my nikeplus didn't catch all my steps (or that's my story) and my pace doesn't look that great on the nikeplus graph. Oh well, I just thought I'd share with you that my soul knows that I ran a personal record! Even if it wasn't. For me, it was a renewing and inspiring 40 minutes. And that's what matters!

I signed up for the Winter Sun 10K on Dec. 6! AND I ran my 8 miles yesterday without getting rained on MUCH.  Only a few drops when I was nearly home.  Yesterday was a crisp, cool day and I thought the run would feel so good.  It did, but was also HARD for some reason.  I just crawled up the hills yesterday, but I made it and without walking.  So, life lesson:  Crawling still gets you over the top and then the downhill is easy! So, what is it with the first and the last miles?  My last 2 runs have been so hard to get going and so hard to finish.... Like so many things.  I remember 2 years ago just getting started on my journey to fitness...how hard it was.  And now, with just a little extra around the middle, motivation to lose that last little bit is tough!  With my son's progression out of autism...So hard to get over the grieving and get to the grit of running a program for him that would ease him out of the depths.  Now, he is so close to "norm" that it's easy to ...

The Open Road "The path to happiness and fulfillment in running and other pursuits is not always easy, but it is clearly marked.  To avoid the roadblocks, we must simply realize that they are self-made.  when we take ourselves and our running too seriously, we create expectations, accept myths, and get immersed in obsessions that defeat us. To find happiness, we need to accept the reality of the world and our place in it.  When we do so, we begin to enjoy today's experiences rather than reach for a future that is always out of our grasp.  Fortunately, you have the power to change your perspective.  And when you do, the road opens up once again, inviting you out for another run." ~Get Motivated, Stay Motivated, Runner's World Magazine The road beckoned me today when there was a break in the rain and the sun poked it's shy face through for a moment.  I got drenched on the way home.  It was a good kind of drenching.  Banjo (dog) and I had a nice shake-out of a run to...

Today was longer than it should have been; Tomorrow will be better. I'll catch a second wind before The colder change in weather. Of course, there is some good news: I managed a 4 mile run Just about 5 minutes  Before the cold and wind had their fun. I'll have to find our snow boots soon; The leaves are falling fast. Faster than I can run, but Running through them was a blast! Included in my post, you'll find A picture of Autumn here. (For you Texan friends: That's when the leaves change and disappear.)