Rolling, Rolling

Beautiful commute today... very little wind this morning. Very quiet - almost no traffic. Just getting my legs going took up the morning, the ride back was hot! Wearing my Garmin 305 I could really look at the ride and see how it went. My speed wasn't that great, but that's ok. Just really felt great to ride. As long as I kept the fluids going, the heat is doable. There are a couple intersections that are a bit nerve-racking but just staying focused and aware helps here.

bike to work week

This is Bike-to-Work week! My bike is ready to go... my pannier is almost loaded. I am so excited!

The last few months I have spent so much time devoted to my running training and my cycling has suffered. With the oil spill crisis, I am reminded how important it is to be less dependent on gas & oil. The distance from my home to my job is only 7 miles, there is no reason I can't commute by bike. My bike is well-suited for the commute... the only thing I want to do is change to stronger tires (like armadillos)to limit the number of flats. With this week, I am re-committed to commuting by bike as often as I possibly can. Cycling is how I got in shape originally after I quit smoking. There is such freedom with self-powered two-wheel transportation. I am not ready to go completely car-free but I can certainly make car trips rare occurrences.

LiveStrong

getting in the groove... and staying there

My cold last weekend threw a full monkey wrench into my training... coughing so much left me sore and shortness in my breath. Running is hard enough when I can breathe... actually, I think my breathing is one of the issues I have with my running. I am going to try focusing on my breathing more when I run and see if I can get a better rhythm going between my feet and my lungs. An entire week has gone by not running and I have a race in two weeks.

This weekend I got to see some of the athletes competing in the Gulf Coast Triathlon... now that is a race! 1.2 miles swim followed by 56 mile bike ride and then finished off with a 13.1 mile run. Looking at some of the competitors you could see a lot of time is spent training -- some of the racers just look like everyday Joes. One of my long-term goals is to complete a triathlon but not so lofty as the GCT. I am aiming for a sprint or possibly an Olympic distance.

Some days I feel as if I barely treading water, my training progress seems so minimal and this really frustrates me. I have finally managed one of my goals, the fitness run time. It took 2 years to achieve this goal, taking so long to get this far has been excruciating -- so many setbacks, little things like chest colds -- sprained ankles mixed with days "I don't wanna"... mornings I couldn't get my butt out of bed. I am aiming forward again, my next goal is to maintain 30 minutes at a steady run. I know I can run 30 minutes but not yet consistently. So now my plan is to strive for that magic 30 minutes. Once I can hold this time, I will start adding time to my daily runs. Eventually, I want to be manage an hour running. I believe then I can complete a 10k run.

My plan: a daily journal, alternate running with cycling, add resistance training and eat well! I have got to get a grip on my weakness for chocolate and sugary treats.

Happy Mother's Day... Live Strong.

Relay for Life...

Today is the start of the Relay for Life in Panama City. Our library has been an active participant of this event for many years now. A previous library director is a cancer survivor and there are several people on staff who are cancer survivors. The American Cancer Society promotes cancer research and awareness, the Relay is one of the fund-raising efforts used to support ACS. Practically everyone is affected by cancer today, if not directly certainly someone close is directly affected by some form of cancer. Early detection is key to the survival rates. Even if there is no family history of cancer, cancer is still a possibility for anyone. Treatment options have improved over the years, research continues to offer higher success rates. Support your local Relay for Life -- find a team and join or support a team. Each Relay is an 18 hour event beginning on Friday afternoon and ending Saturday morning. Team members take turns walking the track throught the event. Some teams walk the entire 18 hours! One year I remember someone running (yes, running) from beginning to end. Unbelievable! He took 15 minute breaks I think every couple hours. What an inspiration!

I DID IT!

I finally passed the fitness run! My age group goal is a 1.5 mile run of 19:30 and today I finished in 18:45! I am so happy, only took 4 tries. Tenacity IS the way to success... I have kept at it, running 4x a week and sticking with it... just not giving up. Running is hard, but I am so proud of finally accomplishing this! This so rocks!

Rabbit Run today

The saga of the turtle continues...

Well, I finished another 5k today. The Rabbit Run in downtown Panama City is part of the Junior Service fundraising efforts for groups such as Girls on the Run of Bay County, After School Assistance Program (ASAP), and JSL Child Service Center clothing distribution program. The weather was absolutely close to perfect. Low 70's with hint of breeze (which kicked up at the end) -- the course goes alongside the bay near the Panama City Marina... was nice watching the birds, in the shallow waters on the shore.

My time was decent enough, over 3 minutes faster than my last race the March for Misty 5k in Freeport, FL on March 27th and a good 5 minutes faster than the killer Run for Babies on March 13th. So three races in 4 weeks. Really not bad considering the sprained ankle injury on mile 1 February 13th at the Mardi Gras 5k in St Andrews.

I had a new playlist of songs on my mp3 player -- the song "sober" by pink had me moving pretty good as did the "rocking to the beat" by the Black-eyed Peas. I also included couple Michael Jackson tunes, overall the set worked pretty well but I need to add few more tunes. On the way home I heard "we got the beat" by the Go-Go's and that would be a great song in my running playlist. Some of the oldies have the kind of beat that inspires me as I struggle to post a decent race time. At the end I don't even hear the music as I really kick it hard the last few yards across the finish line -- I wish I could run that fast longer --- I would no longer be a turtle :-)

Live Life, LiveStrong...

Run for Babies 5K

This was a challenging race! The winds were averaging close to 20 mph throughout the event. The course was pretty decent (except for the section by the fuel depot - strong chemical odor) but the winds made it wicked hard! I was very surprised to learn I placed 3rd in my age group. I won a ribbon -- more bling! I felt so beat up when I crossed the finish line. Waiting for our times to be announced was tough -- thank goodness my young friend, Stephen (6ft tall and 19) graciously stood in front of me as a windbreak. I am so glad to finish this race... now I am sufficiently motivated to keep training for the next race in April.

This race was so hard I could not maintain the running pace -- I ended up walking a lot. Tomorrow I will not run, but Monday I get back in the groove towards maintaining the 30 minute continuous run. The Couch to 5k program really works, and it is possible to back up in the program if there are any setbacks. My sprained ankle was exactly one month ago. I restarted the C25k at week 4 two weeks ago getting ready for today's race. My ankle did not give me any trouble but my endurance is waaaaay off. I know as I keep going with the training I will recover my strength.

Getting Back in the Groove

Today I am running for the first time since my ankle sprain two weeks ago... I cannot believe how antsy I have been lately. I have been almost pacing wanting to get back to it... I had to stop myself twice from lacing up too soon. I will take it easy today with walk breaks just to give the ankle time to accept it. I expect I will have to stay easy this week before stepping it up next week. I have signed up for a 5k the first Saturday of April to give myself a goal.

The past few months I have had difficulty staying motivated - so I have taken up the journal action and goal-setting. My short-term goal is to pass the 1.5 mile fitness test. Mid-range goal is to improve my 5k time... my next goal is to complete the 10k distance this fall. The long range goal for next year is the half-marathon of 13.1 miles! That may take a fair amount of butt-kicking to reach.

Update:
The run wasn't horrible... I have my work cut out for me to get back into shape. My pace was just a little faster than when I first started the couch-to-5k last fall. I am trying to be careful. The ankle feels fine. That's good news. The hard part is to not get anxious and just work back to a comfortable 30 minute run without walk breaks... patience, patience, patience.

My first DNF

Saturday Mardi Gras 5k @ St Andrews, cold morning bit brisk wind -- I knew warming up would not be a problem. Had the proper layers on and ready to go... disaster struck. Close to the one mile mark, I stepped off the edge of the road and turned my ankle. Ouch! I went down hard -- not a graceful landing. I could not finish the race. A police officer gave me a ride back to the start. The officer had a great joke... I was starting mardi gras in the back of a patrol car! He made me laugh, I was so bummed about not finishing the race.

Now on Tuesday, three days later... My right ankle is very purple and still swollen somewhat, my left knee has large boo-boo. Guess I will rest it this week and then next week get back to it. The county fitness test is aproximately 6 weeks away. I need to get in gear if I am going to pass this time.

Geez...

After a successful run on Saturday, Monday's run was very tough. I struggled to complete two miles. Very discouraging, I was feeling so strong on Saturday. I saw photos from the race and no doubt I was pushing it to finish. My mouth was wide open in every picture. Oh well...

Tomorrow is another run day. I am hoping I will do better -- I am not giving up! I know I can run -- certainly better than I could run two months ago. The rest of December I will stick with the 30 minutes run of the final week of the Couch to 5k program. In January I am planning to start the 10k training program in preparation for the Beach Blast duathlon in April.

I have signed up to run this Saturday again another 5k... I am not planning another race until February (possibly the Mardi Gras 5k in St Andrews) then the Duathlon in April. I will probably not race again until September. Summer are too hot and I would rather use my weekends for sailing, swimming and/or photography -- fun stuff. I will continue my training runs but save the summer months for playing in the water or hanging out with my camera.

Races are a good way to push myself. The training runs do not have the adrenaline rush of the races. Lining up with the crowds waiting for the starter gun --- this gets the psyche charged for action. My runs during the week help to build my strenght and endurance. Running is so hard! I am hoping that one day, the running won't be soooo difficult. I just keep going at it, my progress is steady -- from just a few minutes at a time to 30 minutes solid...!

Run for the Redfish

Well, I did it... ran the entire 5k without a single walk break. Wow. I ended up pacing with another runner and we talked most of the race. This did help take my mind off the actual running. Now I KNOW I can go 40 minutes without walking, that is so awesome. I am totally stoked. My goal is to now continuing uninterrupted runs but faster. I am convinced with some effort I can get better times -- 40:17 was my official time today. That's 3 minutes faster than what I did in March in the Seaside 5k. In March I had several walk breaks, so I know I can get better speed. My next run is Monday and the c25k schedule puts me in week 9 which is 30 minutes running 3x during the week. I plan to finish the month of December doing this schedule before starting the 10k program in January. Each day brings me closer to a more fit me.

Life is good...

week 8 day 2

This morning went really well. I have to say this C25k has me impressed with my progress. Staying with the schedule and not jumping ahead has made the difference. Twice before I have attempted to complete the C25k and I jumped ahead every time and ended up not finishing the nine weeks. This time around even with a cold throwing me off one week I have stayed true to the schedule and here I am having run 28 minutes uninterrupted twice now!

Saturday is the Run for the Redfish 5k in Panama City Beach. I had hoped to be finishing the 9th week on race day. Unfortunately, I am one week off of my plan. That's ok -- I will complete the 5k Saturday, I may even have to take a short walk break. Next Week I will follow the schedule for week nine and go from there. Depending on how I feel, beginning in January I may start the "freeway to 10k" program. I haven't decided for sure yet.

Race day is getting near...

Yesterday's run went really well...even though my c25k schedule has been thrown off after my cold last week. I had hoped to be starting week nine but instead I have only started week eight. 28 minutes uninterrupted running -- amazing. The county fitness test in October I could barely manage five minutes of continuous running.

The weather forecast is not looking good for tomorrow's run -- I may have to run on treadmill, rain is one thing but deluge is another. A serious storm front has entered our area and is expected to stay with us through tomorrow. I have managed eight weeks without a single treadmill day. I am feeling much stronger than I did at the beginning of October. Yesterday's run ended up covering 2.4+ miles -- only 1/2 mile more to complete the Redfish 5k. If all goes well, I should do my best time ever!

Thursday and running

This morning I finished week 6 of the Couch to 5K program. I actually ran 25 minutes uninterrupted after a 5 minute warm-up walk. Wow! I actually ran the whole time. I admit the last couple minutes I really had to push myself to not give up. A few times I thought I might have to resort to walking but no, I did it! So cool. My Garmin forerunner saved the run this time. The total distance was 2.65 miles including my cooldown walk. My pace is improving - during the run segment I maintained under an 11:00mile pace with my best pace 9:42!!! The longer I keep training the better my times will be -- I am looking forward to the race December 5th. So far, I have not tried to jump ahead in the C25k training and that seems to be the key for me. I have not done any of my runs on a treadmill either.

My next run will be Saturday morning, this is a working weekend for me. After work on Sunday, my family is going on vacation. I have already looked at where to run during vacation. The race itself will not be on the last run of C25k as I had originally planned -- but that's ok the last run of the C25k will be two days after the race. I am really feeling stoked about my improvement as a runner.

I have already decided to go for the 10k training program after I finish the C25K --- I am thinking this slow, gradual training really works for me. I have a pretty good idea of my goals for the next year... I need to firm up these plans so I will know where I am headed day-by-day.

Sunday run

This morning's run was tough... had planned to use my mp3 player but it wouldn't power up for some reason. So I ran without music, still doable but I had to pay attention to my time. I tried to remember the run/walk sequence for this run but I was wrong... the cycle I used was Walk 5 minutes warm up, then -- Run 8 minutes/ walk 3/ Run 5 minutes/ walk 3/ Run 8 minutes/ walk 5 for cool-down. However, after I got home I discovered the correct sequence was 5min walk/ 5min run/ 3min walk/ 8min run/ 3min walk/ 5min run/ 5min walk cool-down ... So I actually ran more than the program schedule. I did okay according to my Garmin forerunner. My best pace was 9:46 with my average being 13:16. I am definitely improving! Just have to stay patient and keep with the program. The program is working... I actually went over 2 miles today, nearly 2.4 miles. I am so happy with my progress.


After reading the specs & reviews, I have decided I do not need another Forerunner. All of the other models seem way too large for my wrist and the additional features I don't seem necessary. I can track my workout -- distance & speed, be it a run or a bike ride and that's what I really want. The Garmin website allows for my workouts to be posted so I can share my progress with others (if I choose to -- maybe one day I will have workouts to brag about).

Another week finished

Finished week 5 this morning, whew! The 20 minutes got really hard with the last 2-3 minutes to go. I really had to push myself to not give up. Made it all the way through it! My forerunner gave me an error while saving the run and I lost all my data... bummer. I have had the forerunner for over a year but finally sticking to my workouts and now it looks like the battery may need to be replaced. I really get into uploading my run and seeing how well I did... I can see my fastest speed (and slowest) and my total distance. Pretty cool. The forerunner 50 is the entry-level of the Garmin products and I am thinking I may upgrade to a forerunner 405 which is GPS-enabled, now that's cool! Bit of a hefty price tag (over $300!)I am not sure if the additional features of the 405 are worth it. The forerunner 50 will probably be sufficient for my needs at this time. I will try to pay attention better when I go to save my run on Sunday -- I will try to have the battery replaced before then.

week 5 day 2

Today's run was a challenge, the weather was very windy and damp. Tropical storm Ida passed by Tuesday morning, we had a bit of rain & wind but overall not too horrible for a storm. Today was a holiday but I did not get up early and go running as I usually do. In fact, I did not get my run until almost 4pm. The winds at this time were around 17mph -- I made it all the way through the run! My legs were throbbing when I got home. The Forerunner said my best pace was 10:25min/mile -- I'll say that was the tailwind effect :-) Friday is my next run -- W5Day3 is a 20 minute continuous run... this will be hard but I know I can do it! Running is still very hard for me but I keep going forward - plodding away. Step by step - I am getting stronger and with a tailwind I am getting faster ;-)

Tried something new...

Tried a new mp3 file for Week5 Day1 run yesterday -- somehow I missed the verbal cue for the walk between 1st and 2nd run so I ended up running 13 minutes!!! I really did run 13 minutes without a walk break. Tomorrow is W5D2 run - I will go back to the podrunner mp3 file and hopefully I will get the walk cue since tomorrow's run is 8 minutes runs. I really don't want to overdo it like I have in the past. At least with this run I know I am improving... I will keep slugging away. I managed to use my Garmin Forerunner to track my run -- appears my best pace was an 11min/mile (wow!) Now I must admit there was a decent breeze going and occasionally this would be a nice tailwind. If I could keep an 11min/mile pace I would ecstatic!

Moving along - in my mind

Finished week 4 of the Couch to 5k -- AND the 30 day challenge of the EA Active Wii program. A pretty successful week, I am feeling more fit than last week. There were a few moments during this morning's run that I had to tell my brain to not jump ahead... I even thought -- maybe I'll run again after work. Fortunately, I convinced myself to stay with the program.

Today I discovered www.runsource.net -- great website for more podcasts to use during training. Very cool audio files... I really like how these include verbal cues to let us know when to run or walk. The podrunner interval signals are pretty clear but I find as I am struggling to climb the incline I have difficulty focusing on the audio cues. I will try the new mp3 file during Sunday's run which is Week5Day1. Slow but steady, this is working!

Monday, Monday...

Actually, pretty good day so far. Week 4 started today instead of yesterday, lots of things did not go as planned. Poor chubby Lab did not get to go running after all. This morning was fairly cool and the sun was up early. I thought with the change back to Standard time we would be dark later... but I was wrong. Last week I running in the dark for half of the run but today it was reasonably bright before I even started and I had even left the house early.



Today's run was more challenging than Week3 but still very doable. When I did the C25k before I used the treadmill at the gym and I was able to reach the 25 minutes running without a walk break. However, I had done so much of my training on the treadmills when I tried to do the distance on the path outdoors I did very poorly. This time all of my training is being done outside and I am just now starting to feel a little bit stronger. I noticed today there was a few times I had a strong stride going in my run segments. My insecurity as a runner at times threatens my determination, fortunately, I have thus far managed to keep going for it. I feel so sloooooow and yet I know I have not been the last person to cross the finish line in any of my races. I CAN DO THIS!