Running Thoughts

I'm on vacay. No workout even though I'd thought I'd fit in some push ups, etc....Feels like visiting with family is more important at the moment. Back in the groove when I get home. Leaving tomorrow and will get home tomorrow night after a long day of driving. I'm excited about writing out my new year plans! And I got some great new runnin' gear to show off.... Stay tuned!!

Have a Merry Christmas! Love my garmin. Love my new water bottle. Loved my 3 mile run! Started off slowly, then picked up speed and felt great!

I have tried to blog...really, I have. But cyberspace ate my post and I got discouraged and am just now getting back to it. The disappearing post was about the O2 Diet and how it doesn't give me what I need for running...I figured it out and if I can remember to drink some gatorade before I leave, I feel good...FINALLY. It had been a long time since a run felt good...since I had energy. I even ran a short 2 miler at under a 10 min pace..very quick for me. Yippee! Interestingly, the author of the O2 Diet is a marathoner....I don't know how. The diet is supposed to give you energy, but I can tell you for sure, it isn't enough for me. I do love getting the anti-oxidants in and being more aware of those cancer fighting substances. I plan to do another few days of O2 cleanse after Christmas. Here is a day of the O2 (not the cleanse, but just a regular day): omelet with 1 whole egg and 2 whites with feta orange water with 1 ounce of lemon cup of green tea (black coffee, i...

Well, I finally had a run that seemed worth blogging about! It seems like I'll never get going really well again...missing those long runs, weekly runs only up to 3 miles...can't get over that 3 mile mark lately. Plus, I have had so little energy...not unusual for someone with hashimoto's thyroiditis. Still, frustrating. But, before my great leg workout yesterday....before the funsprints I ran with my kids the day before that....and before the back/shoulder lifting workout the previous day....I went for a really awesome run. It was still short...only a little over 2 miles...and it was soooooooo cold, but I felt great! I had energy! I ran fast for slowme. And I ran hill sprints at the end. I got into a grooooove, and was so happy. :) So, it's been several days, and I'm still thinking about it. The way the cold air felt on my face....the rhythm that has eluded me lately and felt so right...the trickle of the river as it tries to break through the ice...the...

Here is the text on the parts you can't read: the frame where I'm looking through my hands... "choose a base layer, moisture wicking shirt with thumbholes" Me, looking middle-eastern in my neck gaiter.... "how many ways can you wear your neck gaiter?" (mine is a buff brand, tee shirt weight neck gaiter. It can be worn as a pirate hat too...hahaha! I also have a fleece one that is not as versatile, but good for super cold days.) I forgot to mention the pants...I prefer running pants over tights, but tights are good too. I just like that a little flare at the ankle keeps snow out of the top of my shoes. But I have ankle gaiters too. Here they are. The mittens are moisture wicking fleece with flaps so that I can use my fingers for my ipod if I take it and so I can re-tie a shoe, etc. Yak Tracks allow me to run even if there is a little powder on the road, and not fall flat on my face! So, there ya have it. Winter Running=Fun!

....a post about winter running gear! Stay Tuned!

I know I've been a terrible blogger! The good news is that I've not been terrible at keeping up my fitness plans....until this past week, that is. I've been sick this past week...I call it having the snockers. Snot. And lots of it. I woke up today feeling almost normal! So, I donned some cool weather running duds and headed out for my first run in a week! I nearly drowned in snot, but loved every minute of it! Because the first day feeling anywhere near normal is so super human...I plan to lift as well. And get back to those push-ups! But what I really want to say is that I found this: wishpot What's on your fitness wishlist?? Create a free account, download your wishpot button and get busy! It's nearly December! More later after lifting/push-ups!

I'm 2 days into the O2 cleanse.... Day 1 was fine except for the slight headache and lack of energy. I also had an afternoon nauseated time...don't know what that was about, but I felt it again today. Day 2 was similar to Day 1 with some spurts of energy and some lightheadedness. The lightheadedness went away after I ate my boring but nutritious lunch which was late because I'd been nauseated and not feeling like eating. Oh well, cleanses can be that way. I discovered that normal green tea tastes yummy as opposed to the green tea I had been drinking which has added anti-oxidants and tastes like flowers. Flowers smell good. Taste not-so-good. A highlight of the day was when a friend emptied their freezer to move it and brought over a large box full of push-ups, eskimo pies, and nutty buddies. >sigh Spinach and green tea for me right now. I ran 2 miles with very little energy, but managed some accelerations on the mile home. A bigger highlight of the day was seeing...

I had this great idea as a board member for the community arts organization where I live!! I volunteered to teach a youth story-telling workshop over a weekend in September with a mystery dinner as a culminating event. It was super-fun!! I had a great time and spent some quality running time planning it in my mind. It was a big success, with a group of 15 kids in attendance! I intended to teach the workshop "pro bono." I got a check in the mail today for the workshop...a big check. I'm keeping the amount for my expenses and enough to buy some new great running shoes (haven't decided which ones yet!) and donating the rest back!! Tomorrow!!!! Tomorrow I begin a dietary cleanse and 32 day eating challenge. Sara and I are following the O2 Diet book to cleanse and to lose this stubborn muffin top and to become more aware of healthy anti-oxidant foods and how to include more of them in recipes. So, tomorrow is day 1 of a 4 day cleanse and then phase II will inclu...

Update.... Last week included two 3 mile runs with accelerations, yoga twice, and weights. My kitten popped my exercise ball and one of my dumb bells fell of the workout bench and broke. I've procured a new workout ball, but the dumb bell is doomed. I plan to contact Bowflex about getting a replacement...they're the expensive adjustable weights, you see, and I never planned to buy anymore. They were supposed to last me a lifetime. So much for that. My family and I enjoyed a fun-filled weekend trip full of fall colors and friends, and today I got to get out for my 5 mile long-run of last week. I jogged easy up the road for a mile and it started to rain. I decided to run fast back home and finish on the treadmill because I wasn't prepared for rain and it was cool. I ran back for a 10 minute second mile (fast for slow me) and the sky had cleared....fickle mountain weather..., so I turned and ran back up the road for 1..5 miles and back with a final (fifth) mile of 11 m...

Four miles nice and easy. My leg didn't hurt one bit, only my normal hip problems and that wasn't as bad as it could be either. Maybe a rest did my hip some good too. I'm trying to really be aware of my posture too and that may be helping. Nice, peaceful run. AAAAHHHHH!

I'm so excited to run 4 miles tomorrow. It means that I'm ready to build up my mileage again. My leg is nearly 100% better, and I'm in love with outdoors in Autumn. My longest run since twisting my leg was 3 miles which caused me to need to rest the leg more. I've been a good girl, holding back, healing, and getting geared up to re-start, which is my favorite thing about this whole running journey. It's always there, waiting for me. A lot like God.

little bit of a scratchy throat and headache lately... but not all out sick, so I continue! I have been off on eats, but not waaay off...I'm hangin in there with strength training, running, and yoga. Here's how it's been... A little birthday cake (my daughter turned 16...), a little run, a little birthday cake, a little lifting, a little birthday cake... so you can see that the problem is that there has been more birthday cake than anything else! Hahaha Along those lines...Happy Birthday to Ruthie who is avoiding birthday cake and running 13.1 to celebrate! I'm staying pleasantly sore, so I'm challenging myself in spite of the yummy cake. I'm following the plans in the book, The New Rules of Lifting for Women, which basically says to lift like a man. :) I'm planning a long run of just 4 miles this weekend... starting over is fun! I get to work back up...and 4 miles sounds so easy!

I could have walked more. I could have done strength training. I could have. But I didn't. I did walk some and I did go on a couple of hikes, but mostly I sat on my butt all this last week. Oh, and ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it. Here's what happened since my last post. I went to a baby shower. A very dangerous baby shower. Dangerous because I sat on the floor with my leg tucked behind me for a long time. When I got up, I could hardly walk. Next day...could hardly walk. Next day...better, but still painful. So, I determined to rest my leg before running again. It is from that point that I not only rested my leg but did absolutely nothing toward my fitness goals. So, there you have it...I've been a lazy bum in the fitness world. I did teach a fun storytelling workshop that culminated in a mystery dinner. I did homeschool my children. I did go for hikes with them. I did babysit some sweet little friends. I did. But adhere to my fitness plan, I d...

My leg still bothers me, but feels soooo much better! I took it on a test run yesterday! 2 miles that felt really good, so I bumped up the speed. I have no idea what my pace was, but it was fast for me. Yay for being strong enough to make myself rest. My leg did ache last night, but today feels pretty ok again. I feel it, don't get me wrong...but it's healing quickly. I stole Sara's bike and have been riding it this week. I'd post a pic, but my computer is having trouble and I'm borrowing my kids' computer. So, maybe later. I think I am going to buy the bike from Sara, so it will soon be mine. I wanted a mountain bike, but they are super expensive if ya get one that is really good enough to actually MOUNTAIN bike. So, I'm holding off on that and getting (hopefully) this very pretty Townie. So a picture would be appropriate. Oh well.

I was rollin' along, doin' my thang... I ran a great and challenging 4-miler...i threw in some speed intervals and ran hard. Felt good about it all. I did yoga at home since we are on a break from class. Felt good about it...the routine on the video that I did was once hard for me and was now easier. Nice. Hubby asked me to go for a long hike with him. I thought, okay, I'll do that instead of a long run and then do a longish run mid-week. So much for the mid-week run: I fell on the hike and twisted my right leg. I won't be runnin' this week. So, I'll walk it off this week, take it easy on the leg, steal Sara's bike, and weight train. It'll be better soon! Right?

I don't know what happened to my blogging....I just haven't gotten on here to post. No excuse...I guess I just took a break. But I haven't taken a break from my fitness quest. I've been runnin' and going to yoga. I have taken a break from lifting, though, and I miss it. So I'm adding that back in! I mostly eat on target, with some inconsistencies that I must work on. I tend to forget to eat often enough and then eat too much if I'm not being very purposeful about fueling my body. So, that is a work in progress. My longest run of late has been 6 miles. With all the company we've had, I feel successful in that, but it means that I don't have enough recent miles behind me to run the Creede Mountain Run that I liked so much last Labor Day. And I forgot to mention that the 18 mile mountain trail run that had been planned for my little town in July was cancelled, so that was removed from my plate for me. All that being said, I have been enjoyin...

Yesterday's run felt so magical compared to runs lately...my hip that hurts nearly all the time, didn't bother me even once for the 2 miles. YIPPEEE! Does it hurt today? yes. But the painfree run was glorious yesterday! This morning, Sara and I ran easy up the road a mile and ran sprints back. Fun, fun!

Well, since I last posted, I've been sick with a miserable cold...Now, I'm mostly better... I ran twice while guests were here before I got sick. And then Kaegan and I hiked/ran one day while everyone else fished. The last of my company left today, and I departed for a little 2 mile jaunt. There were loads of ripe raspberries! I felt fast and light (I have lost some of the unwanted weight...Yippee!!!) and ran fartleks which are fun and a funny word! Fartlek , which means "speed play" in Swedish , is a form of conditioning which puts stress on the whole aerobic energy system due to the continuous nature of the exercise. The difference between this type of training and continuous training is that the intensity or speed of the exercise varies, meaning that aerobic and anaerobic systems can be put under stress. Most fartlek sessions last a minimum of 45 minutes and can vary from aerobic walking to anaerobic sprinting. Fartlek training is generally associated with ...

I'm sitting here with my bagel, getting ready for a run with a friend. She'll be here at 6. Right now, it's 5:27, and dark outside. Nearly pitch black. Am I Ruth? ********** 7:47 am....back from a great little run...we left at 6 and got back at 7. I cooked breakfast for my family and guests, and am now thinking of a shower. The run was a great day-starter. There were 3 of us as dawn made it over the mountains. Beautiful.