Wk of Apr 3--2006 Disney Half-Full Marathon Info/Training

[chimera]

Hello everyone!

For those new to us, we're a group of people who are planning to participate in the 2006 and/or 2007 Disney Half or Full marathons. We range from non-running beginners to triathletes. Come join us!

Here's the Marathon FAQ, a great place to answer your marathon questions:
Disney Marathon FAQ (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=725285)

And some websites for further running/walking info:
http://www.runnersworld.com
http://www.coolrunning.com
http://www.halhigdon.com
http://www.running4women.com/
The John Bingham site:
http://www.waddleon.com/
Jeff Galloway's site:
http://www.jeffgalloway.com/

Pacing Calculator (http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/Running%20University/Article%201/calculator2.htm)

I'm off to Orlando for a conference this am, so rest day for me! I can't believe it's April already :faint: I've come a long way in 3 months...from a little over 5 miles per week to a little over 14 miles per week. My pace is improving too...I've dropped about 5 minutes per mile. The 15-minute mile doesn't seem so far away now!
How's everyone else doing? Didn't someone say they had a race yesterday?

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I'm tanking this week.

Will resume running on Monday.

I've quit the gym (sanitation issues in child care).

I will be looking into a jogging stroller just in case my hubby is traveling over the summer for his job.

I am restarting South Beach today as I am incredibly sugared up and never beat that post marathon--so I'm eating as though I'm training for a marathon and I think it is impacting my health and performance.

Black beans and salad this morning for breakfast. I will hit the store later today for some healthy lunch meat and a couple more things. More beans to as that is my post exercise allowable carb of choice.

[TXBelle]

Good luck on Phase I! I have lost 9 pounds post-marathon on South Beach. Don't forget that Phase I can make you tired and have less energy for the first few days, but then you have more energy than ever getting rid of all that sugar and bad carbs. Here's some PD for you! :wizard:

Heather

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Good luck on Phase I! I have lost 9 pounds post-marathon on South Beach. Don't forget that Phase I can make you tired and have less energy for the first few days, but then you have more energy than ever getting rid of all that sugar and bad carbs. Here's some PD for you! :wizard:

Heather

Yep, I remember that--I am stocking up on beans b/c that is what saved me in Phase I last time and allowed me to workout.

[hAm53]

wel. . . . the weather has finally gotten bearable up north, so the bride and i are back!!!
we just got back from what was supposed to be a 2/ 2.5 mile walk around the park across the street. well, we went a different way than we normally do, and we ended up going 5.644 miles! :) plus we found a whole section of the park we never knew existed before.
with only 5 months till the wedding, we're really bearing down on the food. we're only going out to eat once this month (and that's only b/c its Rose's b-day next weekend). we went to the olive garden b/c that's her fav, and although its not much, we both got the whole wheat pasta with our meals instead of the regular high carb pasta. its really just making sure the cruddy foods aren't around. our local fruit stand opened up, so now we don't hafta pay the extemely high grocery store prices for fruit, which tended to drive us towards the cheaper garbage food.

however i do need to go get a new pair of sneakers this week. when we were walking this morning, we went exploring, and i managed to put my foot into a gigantic pile of sludge. so i hafta toss the shoes. luckily i've had them since last january, so it was time to get rid of them anyway.

[littlegreydonkey]

morning all, 'long' time no speak - for me anyway. Was feeling very lazy last week - only ran once after the long weekend - so didn't feel I could come online with the rest of you working so hard - just lurked in the background!!! Had a great weekend though - did 2.5hrs on Saturday (a bit more successfully than the week before), then I did an 8km women's race yesterday. Was aiming just to get round thinking I'd have legs of lead - but did it in 46 minutes which for me at the best of times is fast so all motivated again now.

Anyway, not much else to report for me - except I discovered creme de la mer is a great cure for chafing (guess who had had nothing soothing in the house but her extremely expensive 'high days and holidays' moisturiser but man it works fast!!!!)

[xterratri]

Hey Helen- what do you want for music? If you email/PM me a list, I'll put the stuff on a CD and send it to you. Between my sister, mom, and myself we have a huge amount of music so chances are fairly good we will have it. BTW, I prefer the Sherree Austin version of Jolene to Dolly's original but have plenty of Dolly too. Good job on your 8 k, that was about a 9:10 per mile pace.

Trying to follow my own advice and let nagging injuries heal(it's only been sore for most of the last 6 weeks) so I did the elliptical at the gym for 50 minutes today rather than running. Will ride or elliptical until the pain is completely gone then return to running. Willing to bet that I will run faster and more comfortably too.

Great job on the progress in speed and distance Mel.
hAm53- nice walk, I wish the weather had cooperated here this weekend. The snow is slowly disappearing.

Have a great week everyone.

[littlegreydonkey]

Hi Lynne - thanks for the offer (and you too Liz) but I think I'm gonna give Kirsty's plan a go and try the napster/CD 'song switch'. Sadly, couldn't try it this weekend, as poor boyf used real player to download the last few hundred songs onto his Ipod - and lost all 5455 of the others (twice!!!) as it crashed while loading (which seems to disable your entire ipod) so computer's been a bit tied up!!! Am v frustrated with NZ today - not only can we not get itunes but Gap won't ship here either (Abercrombie will) so poor mother in UK has been despatched off to nearest Gap (about 20 miles away) on a quest for pink sparkly moccasins to post out!!! It's either that or I fly on Honolulu which is my nearest Gap store!!!!

[lizdotcom99]

Hi There! Hope eveyrbody had a great weekend and did not miss that hour of sleep too much!! I was a total lazy bum and slept in. Whne I woke up, there was a great big beautiful day out there. So nice, I got in a 5 mile walk. It was quite nice. I saw LOTS of people out running, riding and walking. I just KNEW there were others out there..I guess they are the fair weather types. It did make me feel good though to see so many people out on this nice day and think that I have been doing this even in the crappy weather. I did wear my short today...so if you were blinded my my WHITE legs...sorry!! Get over it though....you will see more of them now that the weather is getting better....and just maybe they might get a little less white.....but DON't count on it. :rotfl2:

Helen, do you really think anyone would call you a slacker? I doubt that would EVER happen!!! Come on out to Honolulu in July! I will be there on the 22cnd of July. I am going to need somebody to do my 9 and 10 mile walk with at that point too. Of course, I am sure you would be thrilled to WALK at my slow turtle pace, being the dynamo that you are! Sorry to hear about your puter problems. Never fun! I just had to dump my system a few weeks ago.....not fun. On the bright side of things, Greg's boss who has the worlds largest CD collection, is sending ALL of her CD's over to have me download them to her laptop.......she wants to get an iPod and has no time or patience to do that part.....so I get to share in her collection...and get paid to do it as well!! Whoo hoo!!

Lynne, sorry you have those nagging injuries! Never fun! I am really battling things with my ankle. I have had 9 surgeries, 2 fusions and a piece of my hip in my ankle. I struggle with trying to figure out if it just hurts from the arthritis or of it hurts from something else. Usually though, the ankle pain I endure....it is the other little aches and pains that I wonder about. I am trying to not take my Celebrex....that works some days...but to be honest, I don't think I am ever gonna do well without it. It does seem to catch all the little aches...at least in my ankle. Hope you are feeling better soon!

Ham, glad to hear you had a nice walk with the wife! I went to OG a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprized with the wheat flour options. What I had was very tasty. Of course dessert was realy good too, but at least I only ate about a third of the pice of chocolate lasagna. Good luck with the wedding planning! Hope you guys have a great day!!

Lisa, good luck on getting back to South Beach! I hear you with the sugar addiction. Man, it was so hard to get off the stuff, and now I find myself having a cookie here or a sugary something there.....and man! It is crazy. Just like crack...have a little want a lot! Hope that you are feeling better and can find a new gym. Sorry this last one did not work out. Sanatation problems sound icky!!! Good luck with getting your training in. If anybody can get it done..you can!!!!

Heather, you are so right about the energy levels and carbs. It really is amazing what a day of carbing out can do to a person....the next day! I find I usually need a nap the next day if have overdone the carbs. Amazing! How is your training coming along?

Mel, you are doing great!!! Yeah for you and that pace!!! Whoo hoo!! I am up to about 20 miles a week....but still at a 20 minute mile!! A 15 minute mile seems like a million miles away!! Enjoy your conference. Too bad you can't go stop and say hi to ::MickeyMo ...but if you do, tell him I said hey too!!


So, I am week away from my first 5K...it is next Sunday at 1:00. I am getting quite anxious about the whole thing. Today on my walk, I deicded that it did not matter if I came in dead last...at least I was going to do it....then of course I am petrified I will come in dead last...but at least I am going to do it. It is so funny not knowing what to expect, what to wear, what to do...I am sure it will all work itself out, but it really is funny trying to think of all that could go wrong....or right!! Today, imagine if you will....I tried to figure out how to "look" for my finishing photo at my first half in August. Does anybody else think about how they want that photo to look? While I am at it...anyway I should think about training this week? I am thinking about doing two 5 mile walks...one Monday, one Thursday....Tuesaday and Friday working on my three mile walk at a brisk pace....race (ha, if you can call a 20 minute mile racing) Saturday and rest on Sunday. Any thoughts on that?

That is all fo rme for now! Hope you all have a great week!!! Good luck with all the training and healthy eating!!!! Can't wait to hear of everybody's sucesses and struggles....makes me feel like I am not alone!!!

:cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

[perfectmatch300]

Hi everybody! Hope you all had a great weekend. I really enjoy that extra hour of sunlight in the evening. Always lifts my spirits & makes me want to get moving.

Lynne, congrats on your induction into Sigma Sigma Phi! :cheer2: That's something to really be proud of!

Mel, great job getting your time down by that much! You'll be in great shape by Jan!

Liz, good luck in your 5K next week! I'm sure you'll do great! I love the quote from OhMom's Penguin Medal from the 1/2 she did this past Sat "The miracle isn't that I finished............The miracle is that I had the courage to start" It really motivates me to get going & not hold back because I'm thinking about being last or that I can't do it.


I had an interesting bike ride today. I went out alone as DH had walked earlier with a friend of his. I ended up going farther than I expected to go, & had not brought my phone or anything, so of course that's the time I almost got hit by a car! The woman driving was not looking & ran through a STOP sign. Guess she thought it said "slow down & don't look before pulling out" because I'm sure she never saw me! Fortunately I saw her, but ended up running the bike sort of into a bush to keep from getting hit. There was no place else to go! I'm fine, maybe a bruise or two & so is the bike, but I sure was glad I was looking! Moral to the story is to always take your phone & be sure someone knows where you will be going. You never know who is not watching where they are going & isn't expecting you to be there even if you are in an area where there are a lot of walkers, runners, & bike riders. Also, watch out for them because they may not be watching for you! That happened at the beginning of my ride, I did finish what I wanted to do with no further problems. Other than that, it was a great ride! I expect to do a lot of bike riding this week because I'm cat-sitting for friends & will be riding over there most days to do it.

Have a great week everyone!

[Alysa]

Just starting to finally feel better - popping in to say hi and tomorrow morning will be my first run since I have been sick (seems like forever - really it has just been over a month).
:wave2:

[wtpclc]

I officially hate daylight savings time! Not only did it take everythign I had to drag myself out of bed this morning, I almost posted on teh wrong thread! I wa sabout to hit submit when I realized I was still on last week's post. Goo thing fo rcopy and paste, but please forgive the fact that most of my comments to people apply to their posts on last week's thread! Not the sign of a good day.

Holy cow!!! Well, my dh is nursing some sore knees taht cropped up not long after he told me his shoes from Meijer were just fine. We got him some real shoes and discovered taht we have a wonderful local running store. Anuyway, he was resting for Sat. This was a run/walk 5 mile day. So, I got to really use the mp3 player and set out. It was 45 and sunny and beautiful! I took it pretty slow (at least compared to how I go when dh is with me) and it was great! I even threw in a few extra running minutes! Even though I though I was really taking it easy, the extra runnin gminutes must have helped, because I did 5 miles in an hour (12 minute miles). I am SO excited! My dh was bummed tha the was not going, so it was hard to not look like I had too much fun when I got home. His knees are doing better, but I'm afraid he may push too hard, too soon. He's taken 3 days off, but he ran on hurting knees all last week. Not too smart. He wants to start again today. I'm afraid that it may be too early. We'll have to see. At least he has good shoes now.

Lynn - Good luck with that schedule! Too bad running around doesn't count for exercise miles!

Nancy - let us know how the new ped. works!

Mel - you had me! (I'm pretty gullible, though)

Liz - My white legs are right there with you!

Tammy - It is a hard time to be motivated. The thrill of registration is earing off and the marathon seem so far away. hang in there, though, and your progress might help ot inspire you again!

DH finally realized that a ped will not help us, as our strides are not consistant when we go between a walk and a run. He's pricing Garmins now, but not real happy with the price. It won't be much longer, though, before we really will need something. :)

Have a gereat week everyone!

[TammyNC]

I have missed being on the boards so much and I am back. I just finished on the TM this morning and I am getting ready to eat my breakfast. I have to say thanks to everyone who stays on the boards and keeps me motivated. I am back to journaling today also. Keep up the great work!!!

[littlegreydonkey]

Hi there: Liz, training plan sounds great, very organised - especially as mine reads 'Wednesday - run, Thursday, make yourself run, Saturday 'oh no, I have to run' - aggh, when am I going to fit in my weights.' Good luck on Sunday if I don't 'speak' to you before: and dead last is good, I've done it. Figure it's far more special than 'second to last' or 'kind of near the back of the pack'. And I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how fast you can walk on 'race day'.

I'll swap your daylight saving time for our 'don't know what it's called but it's now dark at 7pm' time. Thankfully it's not like England here so it never gets dark at 3pm, but it still tells me winter is coming. Which is really wierd as I start to get all Xmassy and expect presents - so come about June 25th, we now have midwinter Xmas with decorations, games, mulled wine and a full turkey dinner!!!! The stores even have mince pies and crackers in for all the bonkers English who do the same thing.

[Lisa loves Pooh]

That's cool littlegreydonkey! I didn't know that. Now throw in some apple pie and I'm in! Oh wait...that isn't on South Beach--Never mind!

Day 2 of south beach--this phase I isn't as bad as the first time back in August--but I've had 2 days of headaches. The beans are working well for carbs and I did 3 miles this morning at an easy sub-12:00 minute mile pace! Not too shabby for taking a week off last week.

[xterratri]

I feel your pain Helen. I was so excited to finally get daylight past 6 pm so I am a fan of daylight savings time. I noticed when we were in WDW in Dec that it was daylight noticably longer there than up north.

Good job, Lisa. Keep on strong. I could never diet because I like food too much. My weight loss strategy consists of burning more calories through exercise. Of course, you also have less time to eat when you are working out more too.

About cycling- ALWAYS wear a helmet when riding. I can't count the number of times I've almost been hit. Cell phones, ID, and emergency contact info aren't a bad idea either. Same could probably be said for walking or running too. There is a product called Road ID that is worth looking into. Second thing about cycling- if your HR monitor has two bike settings, what are the chances that you'll turn on the right one? Theoretically, 50%. By Murphy's, 0%. It took me two rides to suspect cause I thought geez I'm riding awfully slow and it seems like longer distance wise. So I look up the settings in the Polar manual that I downloaded and yep, I'm using the one set for 650x20 rather than the 700X23 tires on the bike I'm riding. So according to the HR monitor, today's ride was about 22 miles but was likely really closer to 27. I changed the settings and I'll just be forced to check it out tomorrow.

I hope everyone's good weather continues. Happy workouts!

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Thanks xterrari....actually--it's not that I wasn't burning the calories..after marathon training concluded...kept eating similarly as I did when training--and I'm just enjoying way more servings of fruit and sugared items than I should :)

Once the cravings are purged---I'll be back to being one happy and not tired and not hunting out cookies lady :)

[goingthedistance]

Greetings everyone,

Well, my wife and I did our first 5k run last Sunday. We remembered to set our clocks ahead and went to sleep early, but it still felt like an early time to get up. It won't be as early as we will need to get up for the Disney Marathon, that's for sure!

We weren't looking for a particularly fast time, we just wanted to finish strong and meet our goal. We wanted to do it in 40 minutes, with mostly running and some walking. We set the Garmin virtual partner at 40:00 minutes for the 5k, so we would have an idea of how we were doing. The original plan was a 3 min run, 1 min walk pace. We weren't quite able to maintain that pace for the whole thing. My wife was fighting off a cold and we hadn't really done any workouts for 2 days before the run. (Now she is better, but she is trying to give the cold to me... ;) )

We started off much faster than we wanted to, but we felt like we had to avoid the botteneck at the start line. We were running at a 9 minute mile pace for the first few minutes, but that is not how we train, so we tired out rather quickly. Something to learn from! Still, our first mile was 12:16, and we walked through our first water station (Galloway would be proud!). Mile 2 was a little bit slower (more walk breaks) 13:10 pace. Mile 3 took us 12:45 when we were doing a one min run, 1 min walk pace. According to my Garmin, we were ahead of our 40 minute goal by about 200 feet. However, I began the Garmin when we started, not the starting line. So the Garmin said we were done before we actually got to the finish line. The official clock was around a turn, so we could not see our official time until we at the finish. We jogged to the turn, thinking we were good on our 40 minute goal, and the official clock is reading 40:04 and counting. So close!! Our "official" time was 40:16. My Garmin said we were at 5k in 39:23, and that is what I recorded in our training log.

It was a lot of fun, and I am considering running another one this weekend. It all depends on the cold and how we are feeling when the weekend rolls around.

Gotta run (not literally, unfortunately...our recently-turned-one-year-old is fussing).

Paul and Beckie

[lizdotcom99]

Great job Paul and Becki! I have my forst 5K this Sunday!! I will be walking all of it...and most likely the last to finish...but for those of use Bingham fans, for me, it is strating it that counts!

I just wanted to check in real quick and let you know that I am soon to be amoung the employed! Got an email today stating that the formal offer will be discussed over lunch with the bosses and then presented to my on Monday with a start date of the 18th upon my approval! I have been on :cloud9: all day! Some of that needless to say was liquor induced! Had to celebrate with the neighbors ya know! But I did get a 2 mile walk intoday too!!

Anyway, just wnated to share.....now I am going to unwind a bit! I am a pooped puppy!! Gonna hit it early tomorrow as it is supposed to rain here for the next two days...want to get another 5 miler in....

Lisa, good luck with the headache thing! I hate those South Beach headaches!! Hope you are feeling better soon!

Helen, Christmas in July? Sounds like fun! So are you up to meeting me Hawaii in July? That would be SO MUCH fun!!!

Lynne, that is some great advice! I think I will have to put some personal information in my fanny pack just in case!!


Hey Tammy! How is your training going this week? Hope all is going well!!!

Carrie, hope your hubby's knees are doing better! Not fun to have an injury...no matter how little or big!! How is hte Garmin pricing going? I have been watching some auctions on ebay. They can be quite resonable...I have seen a few 201's go for right about $100.....I am going to have to keep my eye out on one! If you staret bidding...let me know! I would havet to find out we were bidding against eachother!!! Also Target had them in the store for $149. Good luck!! I want a Garmin so bad I can taste it!!

Alysa, feeling better? Hope so! How is your training coming along? Hope all is well with you!!

Perfectmatch....thanks for the well wishes!! You are so right about getting to the start line...the finish line will come....it may take a while for me to get there...teh mat may be turned off...but I will finish! My goal is to finish in under an hour...even if it is just a second under an hour!! Be careful on that bike! Glad to hear you weren't hurt worse than you were. Scary stuff there!!!

Well, that is all I have for now. Hoe training is going well and the warmer weather is doing everybody some good! I know I have loved the weather here the past few days!!!

Keep on keeping on!!

:cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

[xterratri]

Congrats Liz!!!! So happy to hear that your finally got good news. It's been a long road- kind of like distance training!

Good job Paul and Becki! Sounds like you've been bit with the race bug now....

Garmins- look on Amazon at the pricing on the 201. By the time you pay the elevated shipping price from most eBay vendors, the Amazon price is a better deal, you know the seller is reliable, and quick shipping is more likely. Mom and I will be getting them soon.

Had another nice ride today and the forecast looks good for tomorrow too. Actually have a 2 hour open block tomorrow. I was bad and rode over lunch and then skipped the first hour of physiology lecture this afternoon. It was on microvasculature so I figured that by exercising I was working on improving my microvasculature(blood supply to working muscles increases with "chronic" exercise). Have a good day everyone.

[perfectmatch300]

Liz, congrats on the job! I don't blame you for celebrating at all! What better waay to celebrate by doing your 1st 5K! My goal for the one we are doing on May 7 is the same as you - to finish in under 60 min. Too bad we aren't doing it together! I'll be with you in spirit, how's that? I think we can do it, & I'll bet we will be well under that 60 min mark!

On the subject of 5K's - great job, Paul & Beckie! :cheer2:

Helen, what time's the Christmas dinner? We'll all be there! Well, maybe not, but I'd sure like to visit your part of the world some day.....

Lisa, hope the headaches go away soon. I'm trying to convince myself to go back on induction for a while because I've strayed way too far from Atkins lately for it to possibly be working for me, so I may be joining you in those headaches soon. It's not the headaches that are stopping me from doing it - it just seems like everywhere I look lately there's high carb foods just begging me to eat them! :earseek: The more often I say this out loud, the more likely I am to actually do it, so thanks for listening. :teeth:

Tammy, great to see you back here! Stick around, you know this is the place to be!

Wtpclc, It's light out here until 8PM now! I love that! :sunny: Of course, I'm a night person so that fits great into my schedule being light later. As the temps & humidity go up here I'll be doing most of my exercise except swimming in the evening when walking or riding are a lot more comfortable.

Alysa, glad to hear you are finally feeling better. Hope your run goes well for you.

Lynne, I loved your thinking on skipping the 1st hour of physiology to ride! I wish your weight control plan would work for me, but seems like I need both the exercise AND the diet if I expect to lose the rest of the weight that needs to go. At least the exercise is allowing me to maintain what I've already lost.

I've only tested the new pedometer once. It seems to be pretty accurate except on the step count. That seems to be running high. The distance & speed matched up pretty well to what I thought I was doing, but I want to give it a few more tests before I'm really confident. Now if I can just remember to bring it with me.......

[Alysa]

Liz - Congratulations!!!!!
Paul - Question - how are you and Beckie training together with a one year old - do you wait until she has gone to bed to run? Any tips?

[wtpclc]

Paul & Becki - Way to go! That's great! I would definitely go eith your Garmin time.

Liz - Huge congrats on the job. That deserves a banana! :banana: Hubby's knees are doing better. He's actually agreed that he should wait until they're no hurting to try again. (you have no idea how big of an accomplishment that is!) He's been grumpy, though, so I think it's bugging him that he's just cross training. I biked with him Monday instead of walk/run. I think Thursday I'll w/r, though. It should help me keep up with him when he starts again. So far, Target's the best I've seen. I think I'll likely go teh Amazon route per Lynne's advice, but will most definitely let you know if I start bidding on e-bay. I can just see us bidding against each other! By the way, how's dad?

Perfectmatch - I'm a night person too. Unfortunately, I have to get up at 5:30, so I have ot force myself to go to bed early. It's really hard when the sun's still out! I do love seeeing sunshine again, though! It's supposed to be 71 today!!!!!

Lynne - Thanks for the tip on the Garmin. I'll have to check it out.

Lisa - With my DST fog in my head, I forgot to say good luck with South Beach! I've been pseudo lc for the last year, but not SBD strict. Way to go!!! Hope the headaches are getting better.


Helen - After Christmas dinner, you'll have to head here fro our Christmas in July sales! It's hard for em to comprehend that as I am FINALLY seeing spring, you're prepping for winter. Dark at 3 pm in England??? No thank you. 5:30 is about the worst it gets here.

Tammy - Glad yto see you're staying with us again! Keep up the good work!

Mel - O chimichanga girl? Hope you're having a good week! Don't work too hard!

Alysa - Hope you're feeling better! Let us know what you're up to. Sounds like chasing a little one around.

[lizdotcom99]

Thanks to all for the congrats and well wishes!! I am working on learning to get up nice and early and get this walking thing done in the morning! I will let you know how that goes.....gotta admit, it was so nice taking a little stroll anytime I wanted to...mostly in the afternoons. Work will definately affect training...so I am going to try to get in a good habbit early on and get my walking done first thing in the morning! I will let you know how that goes!!
I put some new songs in the iPod last night....gotta come up with some new play lists..need to find and revitalize that song thread....last one had WAY too many slow slongs on it! I have noticed there are times when I really do catch myself walking to the beat....slow songs just kill me!! Got that big 5K coming up!! Trying to psyche myself out for it!!! Gonna do it under 60 minutes and gonna finish!!! Yep, that is what I am going to do!

Carrie, glad hubby is feeling a little better!! It is so hard to stay down when you really want to get out there and go full forces!! Tell him we are thinking about him and WISHing him well. My dad is doing MUCH better, thanks. I guess he is still quite worn out and is taking his time getting back in the swing of things. I guess that was quite the ordeal and it will take a long time to get back to normal....but he is taking one day at a time....slowly. But he is happy to be home...and crabby...so a definate improvement. When my dad is crabby, you now he is just fine :teeth:

Alysa, methinks running after a toodler is A LOT of exercise! I have no idea how you people with kids get out there and train! I take my hat off to all of you!! Not having any kids and seeing the schedules of so many parents, I often wonder how they get anything done.....life just seems so busy!! I am truly amazed at the dedication and commitment most parents have to their children. I am not sure I could ever be so selfless! Good luck fitting it all in!!

Nancy, good luck with the new pedometer! I was playing with my phone last night and discovered it has a stop watch funtction....with splits!! Boy, was I happy to accidentaly find that!! You can bet my walks will be timed now. Of course I did the driving the routes thing...but at least I can now see where I am in my time and not have to buy a gadget for that. Of course that Garmin is going to be one of my first paycheck splurges...but it will be out little secret!! OK?

Lynne... :rotfl2: thinking back not too long ago on my college days and skipping classes!! It was few and far between that I did that...but you could sure tell on lecture days if it was a nice day out!!! Glad you got a nice ride in! I think I may have to steal my neighbors bike and take it for a spin. We have such a nice bike trail to ride on!! Good idea! Thanks!!

Well, if I am going to try getting up early and walking, I better get to it! It is supposed to rain here later and tommorrow...so rahter than resting today, I am going to change my days around! Gotta get out inthis nice weather when I can. Tomorrow I will shoot for getting my walk done early....like 5 ish...we will see how that goes!!

Happy training!! Enjoy the great weather!!!

:wave:

[goingthedistance]

Alysa- Most of the time we drop our daughter (Alexis) off at my in-law's when we go for our workouts. Sometimes we take her with us on our runs in her jogging stroller. Most of the time she likes it, but the other day she really got upset when we were going into the wind. So I had to carry her for the last half-mile or so. Maybe once a week or so one of us will stay at home with Alexis while the other one is at the gym for a workout. The gym has a day care (very nice and clean), but Alexis is at that stage of stranger anxiety. She has to see people she knows. One time, we took her to the day care at the gym. She cried so loudly that my wife had to leave her yoga class to get her, and I had to cut my workout short on the treadmill! So, there are definite challenges for training with a one-year-old. We couldn't do it without the help of our family.

For those who are thinking about one, I got my Garmin 201 at Walmart.com for about $125 plus shipping. This was about 2 months ago. I do not know what I ever did without it!

Happy training everyone!
Paul and Beckie

[TammyNC]

I have been on the TM every day this week. I did have to cut it a little short today due to TOM. Thanks for the Garmin info. I have been looking and researching, just haven't taken the bite yet. I believe it would be great to have so that I didn't have to trace out my path before going for my walk.

I did splurge on my eating Monday night while watching our "Heels" win. It was worth it to stay up late and have my snacks. I have been good since then though.

Thanks for everyone welcoming me back. I plan on sticking around now, just need that support and this is a great place to be. Take care.

[keenercam]

Hi, everyone! Have been missing all of you and have had little time to post. But, I am sooo impressed with how well everyone is doing. I have been feeling so down lately, but rather than turning to food, I seem to have fixated on exercise. I really need that hour or so every evening to burn off the stress and distress of the day. And I am doing another 5K walk this weekend and another 12 days later, while I have some freedom.

The most overwhelming thing in my life right now is that my Dad is in the final stages of cancer. He has been ill for almost 2 years (after having fought off prostate cancer and having a quadruple bypass and valve replacement). We were able to take our kids and both sets of their grandparents to WDW a couple years ago when he was first getting sick, and I am so grateful that we did that. I feel like nothing will ever be the same, though, and though it is selfish, I am grabbing all this "me" time right now because I know my mother will need me as my Dad's condition worsens.

Sorry to ramble, guys. Just really wanted to check in and tell you what a lift you bring to my days as I am so encouraged by everyone's hard work and enthusiasm.

[wtpclc]

Cam - I am SOOO sorry!!! P&PD to you and your family. Take this me time now, as you will be needing to "take care of" your mom, no matter how self-sufficient she is now. Hang in there!

Tammy - Your heels were the reason I won my brackets at work! Thanks tons! MY dh asked at the beginning if I was having an NC day when I picked. I had NC State and UNC going way too far. Showed him!

[littlegreydonkey]

Hi there: Happy Helen today, did my 10km hill run last night in 1.03 - 3 minutes faster than normal and I didn't feel like I was going to die (although running after large chinese takeaway lunch not advised!).

Liz: sadly, I think honolulu is out - I'm running a half in Australia end of June and then have to go to UK in August so not sure can fit in another holiday in July!! Although I do want those shoes so you never know! Congrats on the job too.

Nancy: re invite to Xmas dinner. If you could bring me said Gap shoes and half a dozen blue Binaca blasters I'll even save you the turkey leg!!!

Cam: sorry about your dad, it must be tough.

Am v jealous at the moment - my stepmother is getting married April 29th (my father's widow for anyone confused by that statement) at the Wyndham Palace in Orlando. Tried to get her to move it to Disney LA so I could go but she wasnt having any of it! Personally I think that's just mean!!! See you later. Helen

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Congratulations LIZ!!! Good luck with the new job.

Paul and Beckie--that time is fabulous!!!! Way to go (first time out, right?).

Cam--sorry to hear about your dad :(

Headaches are better--but I sooo want some Key Lime Pie and Mich Ultra--aaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!

Spent a small fortune at Target today--was tired of our deck/patio/pool area looking trashy. Got some new chairs for the table--a couple adirondacks for beside the pool...and outdoor safe area rug and some cutesy little chairs and tables for the girls--and an overpriced shelving unit that I intended for towels but other things have found their way on it. New stones for exiting the screen room into the yard so you don't step right in dirt and some gardening items as we get ready to actually make something out of our yard :) I have no green thumb, so the results shall be interesting. Sprinkler guy was to come this week--but he's not here!!!!

Back update--let's just say it's a PITA! Got a massage on Friday and the determination is that it is the periformis muscles that are causing the grief. Masseuse suspected they were tight b/c he had to use his elbows to massage it and it was still not wanted to let loose. Went to PT today--she said she would believe that if I wasn't so flexible. I can bring my knee to my chest and not feel a stretch at all. Her hypothesis is that I am too flexible and possibly hyperextending (thus overstretching) the area. My hypothesis in the beginning is that all my core muscles are weak and she agrees. We've abandoned some of the exercises I was doing before as they had an adverse effect on my back (got more difficult and it was too much for me)....so we are working on some other moves to see what I can do to allow all those core muscles to strengthen. So we'll see what happens. I continue running though and that makes me happy :)

[chimera]

Shhhh...don't tell my scale, but it's finally moving in the right direction again. If I stay where I was this morning, I might be able to finally collect that 5lb clippie after 3 LONG months.

Because of the conference, I've already spent my two rest days for the week. Did a good TM 5K today. Had a rough one on Mon, but fortunately, I had started Angels and Demons so I stayed with it ;)

Nancy...bad news is we've canceled our April trip in favor of a long one in May. Good news is I'm mailing my registration for Mayfaire tomorrow. Do you know anything about the race or the art festival?

Lisa...hope they get those muscles worked out for you! Do you live right on the beach?

Happy Helen...Christmas in June sounds fun! Great pace on your 10K...will keep in mind the tip about large Chinese meals :flower:

Cam...welcome back. Let us know how your 5K goes. Sorry to hear about your dad...feel free to unload here anytime. I lost my dad suddenly 3 years ago.

Tammy...I'm hoping the Mother's Day fairy might bring me a Garmin :wizard: I did get a chance to check the accuracy of my car's odometer this weekend. I found that my odometer is at least as accurate as the DOT guy who measured out the mile markers on I-75 :flower:

Paul and Beckie...how did the first birthday celebration go? I haven't tried taking the wild todd out with me. She's not that fond of sitting still.

Liz....woohoo!!!! congrats on the job :cheer2: :cheer2: You'll do great on your 5K! Newest hit on my MP3...Marc Broussard's 'Home'...you just can't sit still when you listen to it!

Carrie...I try not to work hard...my bosses see things differently ;) After commuting to Orlando for 3 days and being on my feet for hours, it's just nice to just work at home again. Sorry I can't remember what flavor of engineer you are. Are you working on any cool projects?

Lynne...I agree...best prices I've seen for Garmin 201 is on Amazon. Is 201 worth the extra cost over 101? I didn't skip classes in PA school...we were the second class to do the dual degree so were still trying to make a good impression. Plus I liked it better. Pharmacy classes...ummm...might have missed a few...or several....

Alysa...welcome back...sorry to hear you weren't feeling well. What's up?

Whew! Hope I didn't miss anyone. That'll teach me not to stay away so long :sunny:

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Mel--I don't live on the beach (though I have a few dream homes picked out :)). I live off of A1A and I can walk to the beach..on quiet days in winter I can hear the ocean from my house...but very rarely the rest of the year. I love my sandcastle and I ain't moving ever :) Unless hubby makes me, but it would require some darned good job upgrade to make it worth my while and a little blue box labeled Tiffany with an item of jewelry from Tiffany inside of it :)

Very nice--but homes have skyrocketed--had we moved to the area now--we would not be living beachside.

[wtpclc]

Gotta make this quick -

I hope to walk/run today. I may go to Curves if it's raining though. We'll have to see.

Mel - I'm an environmental engineer. I've spent most of my career dealing with gas stations whose tanks have leaked. No cool projects and 11+ years of being the bearer of bad news is starting to get to me. Probably why I spend too much time here. :rolleyes1 On the happy side, I became a Creative Memories consultant in June. I only need to be 5 levels higher to quit my job! ha. ha. It does help to make me feel like I can do something to make people happy instead of being the messenger who gets shot.

Lisa - Hope they get your back figured out. Way to go on teh spring home rehab. Every now and then you just gotta' change! I rehabbed my back room with cupboards and a new computer armoire over teh last few months. Ther cupboards came when, after 4 major cleanings (Many trash bags o' stuff thrown out), I still could not fit everything I needed to in that room. We have an old house with no closets, so storage is tough. I'm finally happy with it though and can now do my taxes. Yikes!

I probably won't be back 'til Monday. Have a good weeknd all!

[panthergirl]

Hello all,

Sorry to be away for so long but we have been dealing with the death of my father who passed away on Saturday. It was a tough last couple of months for him and his passing was, thankfully, very peaceful.

Needless to say training has taken something of a backseat. I got back into the gym on Tuesday and took some revenge on the weights. Last night I did one hour on the ArcTrainer and tonight it's circuits. Right now, I find excercise is very theraputic.

Liz, I'm so happy about your job. Congrats!

Cam, hang in there. I can certainly sympathize with what you are going through!

Take care all.
Susan

[wtpclc]

Susan - I've been wondering how things were going. Your last post amde it sound like you would be away for a while, so I didn't ask. So sorry for your loss. Way to go to do something good for you as therepy. Some of us may have turned to chocolate. :rolleyes1

Glad your back. Wish things had been easier for you.

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Lisa - Hope they get your back figured out. Way to go on teh spring home rehab. Every now and then you just gotta' change! I rehabbed my back room with cupboards and a new computer armoire over teh last few months. Ther cupboards came when, after 4 major cleanings (Many trash bags o' stuff thrown out), I still could not fit everything I needed to in that room. We have an old house with no closets, so storage is tough. I'm finally happy with it though and can now do my taxes. Yikes!



Oh boy does the inside of my house need work--but our yard gets seen by everyone and holy cow--we are tired of looking like the garbage dump/construction site. We kind of blew the rest of our Home Equity Loan on repairs to the screen room that was 2 weeks new at the 1st hurricane and needed repairs after both hurricanes.

Sprinkler guy is here now. He did cut into our water line--so had to spend time repairing that. Don't know if we'll see some sprinkling today or if it will have to wait until tomorrow.

Sadly--I think we have to give back our puppy. I think we have come to grips that we are too laid back and like much flexibility--and that we are not dog people. I have to care for the dog mostly (as the one who brought him home). He will grow up into a wonderful dog. Thankfully--we got him from a rescue...I have conveyed my agonizing dilemma to the rescue group. (I call it post-puppy depression...b/c I feel sooooo much the same as I did with post partum depression...and I'm not about to go on anti-depressants for a dog :(). They said they were sorry and said dogs were to add to a family and not take away from the family. They have many families lined up wanting puppies around that age (I guess b/c all that initial puppy care with shots, shots, and more shots is all taken care of). Tough call....though. DD4 doesn't want to get rid of the dog...so I'm trying to logic with here--without having her believe that all dogs are like this forever. We were invited to Disney last minute on Sunday--and it was "we have a dog, we can't go". Not that that is the end of the world. DD4 also wants to garden--and our dog is a super digger. Left with a good pile of dirt--even under supervision--his little paws just want to go to town. Read in the puppy book that if you don't want puppy to dig--you can't garden with them around...and he's a retriever---so left alone too long he can get isolation anxiety.

I had dogs growing up--but of course it was always parental responsibilty regarding boarding and traveling and what to do when everyone is gone for the day.

I just hope I haven't screwed up this dog for life. This is the 2nd dog we've brought home (1st one was a few years ago and excessively hyper and thought my 1 yo was a puppy).

Anyway that's my vent!

Hope everyone else is having a good day.

ETA: Jumped to phase II on south beach today (I have headaches :(). I was doing my tempo run this morning--20 minutes at a 10 min mile pace. Was only able to do 15 b/c I could feel the beans in my tummy from the day before--so not a pleasant feeling to run hard to :(. I had a whole wheat English Muffin with Turkey and lite cheese and this afternoon had a pear with almond butter. Hopefully that will set well with my 4 mile run tomorrow. I figured Day 5 was safe for me b/c I woke up thinking about sugar and couldn't remember what it tasted like--so weird! I did lose the couple of pounds put on from last week's indescretions...that included eating 5 organic ice cream sandwiches and having to get out and get a new box b/c DD4 wanted one and I ate them all (they were small---but still!!!!).

[hipporina]

I have totally lost my motivation. I haven't run since Saturday, and the worst thing is that I haven't even wanted to. I usually hate to miss my run, but this week I've been avoiding it.

Things have been so crazy around here. DH is in the middle of 6 weeks of training in Arlington, so he is commuting 3-4 hrs each day. I've barely seen him. On top of that, we are helping out some of our friends. They are foster parents and the mom's dad died so she has been in California for a week. The dad works nights, and the foster kids can only be left with licensed foster parents. Since we are still licensed, we have been helping out. So, we've had 4 extra teenagers and 1 extra 4 yo on and off daily since the mom left. The big kids have been really good, but the excitement of having them around has set off my 4 kids and they have been more nuts than usual. I have been getting about 5-6 hours of sleep and am so tired. (I usually get at least 8.)

Okay, enough whining. Maybe when things calm down and I'm less tired, my motivation will return. For this week, I'm giving myself a break. I'm not allowing myself to feel guilty or stress out about not running. Will I lose much of the progress I made? Will it really be a problem to take a week off? I need a little reassurance please!

[littlegreydonkey]

Hi Hipporina - I regularly have weeks where I don't want to run What you have to ask yourself in these weeks is 'do I not want to run because I have run enough and I need a break from it', or 'do I not want to run because I'm tired/stressed/grumpy/busy' if the answer is the first one, take the whole week off because you need it and the next time you run you'll feel like you're flying and wondered why you wanted to stop. If the answer is the latter, then I use the ten minute rule. I take off one workout, then the next running day I say 'you only have to go out for ten minutes, and if you don't like it then you can turn round if you want' normally you don't want.

As for fitness. A week off won't make a huge amount of difference - it takes 2 weeks to start to lose and even then it takes less time to regain back to the level you were at. So in other words, the last week won't matter but this week might so really try to get out this week even if it's just 20 mins a time. Helen

[TammyNC]

I did not get on the TM today. I was feeling not really up to par this morning. Hopefully that will have passed by tomorrow. It is that TOM and I feel bloated and just blahhh.

Carrie-I'm glad to hear that the Heels help you with your brackets. DH is a State fan, but he was happy that Carolina won. We really were pulling for all of the ACC teams (except maybe Duke:)

Mel-What a good idea for the Mother's Day fairy to bring that Garmin. I'll have to put through some hints.

Susan-You and your family will be in my prayers. I lost my father in 1999 (he was 51) to ALS. I certainly know how difficult it is to watch them suffer. I'll be praying for you to have peace and comfort.

Going to check a few more threads and then time to sit down. My body hasn't adjusted to this time change. I'm not ready to eat dinner when we normally would so it has thrown it later than usual. It will work itself out soon.

Take care everyone.

[keenercam]

Susan -- I am so sorry to hear about your Dad, but I am grateful for you that his passing was peaceful. My Dad is in such terrible pain right now that it is so hard to wish him more time. It would be totally selfish. Today he was cryring for me when I called, so we left work and school and drove the hour to the hospital and just got home. We are going to take him home tomorrow and bring in hospice care. In the meantime, DS11 is so sad to see his B-pa suffer and DD16 is away at an international competition and doesn't even know how bad things are. As of last Sunday she thought he had 3 months. It is hard to explain to kids, even at that age, that only God knows the number of our days on earth.

Thanks everyone for your prayers and good wishes. Everyone has been so kind and generous.

[lizdotcom99]

Susan, I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your father. Your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. I am glad that he suffers no longer, and am so sorry for your loss. :hug:

Cam, your family is also in my thoughts and prayers. May your father be comfortable in his last days, and may you find the strength to cope. :hug: Good luck on your 5K this weekend. I am sure you will do well as this make 2 for you now? Right?

My first 5K is Sunday at 1 and I am finding myself nervous but excited!! I seem to have a bum bum bum somehow...(from my speed walking venture the other day I think) but I have taken an extra rest day....and it seems to be feeling much better!! Could you image what would happen to me if I really tried to run :rotfl2: Anyway, I pre race stuff pickup starts at 9 today....and I am planning on being one of the first there to grab my stuff!!! Whoo hoo!!! My first race. Greg even offered to make spaghetti tonight for dinner as he knows it is pre race night for me!! :rotfl: Yep, I am thinking I really NEED to carb out tonight for this HUGE 5K......bless his heart....we have some friends that are into running and they always do the pasta party the night before a marathon...that they run.....not a 5K, that I will walk!!! But what a sweetie for the gesture!!!

Seems like a bit of a slow week here. Weather must be getting nice all over!! I sure hope that is the case!!

Tammy, good to see you back!! Stay here for a bit and you just never know what can happen!!! Keep up the good work!! A little treadmill time is definately better than no treadmill time!!! I personally hate the treadmill, so I think it is great that you are doing it!! I think for me, I would rahter walk out in 30 degree weather than get on a treadmill....so big KUDOS to you!!! Keep it up!!

Helen, great stategy there!!! I think it is nice to know that others have those days where they just want to turn around and go home....and sometimes do!! I thought I was the only one. Lucky for me, that has happend only a couple times!!! So you are gearing up for winter huh? SO sorry for that. What is winter like in New Zealand? Do tell.....we all want to know.......Are you sure you are not up for a little Hawaii trip! Imagine the fun we could have and the trouble we could get into!!! :teeth:

Hipporina, big hugs headed your way! Never fun to be frustrated!! Sounds as thought you have a full plate and a very big heart!!! In all of the craziness, be sure to try to find some you time. If it means just taking a minute to catch your breath, or take a nice bubble bath or a little refreshing stroll...do what ya got to do! Here is some :wizard: to help you along!! Come here and let it all out as needed. Keep up the great work! Foster care is a great help to so many kids. They are lucky to have you around!!! Be sure to be good to yourself...especially when things settle down!!! You will be in my thoughts and prayers too!!!

Lisa, sorry to hear that Mickey needs to go. Good thing to realize these things early on though. I am laughing in spite of myself as I type this. You see, I was all comfy in my bed...nice and warm when I hear the little wimper of Barkley. Seems that even thought I took him out at 10, he NEEDS to go out again at 1.......so up and out we go. Of course, I can't get back to sleep....so I decide to DIS.......of course as I look over at my bed, who is nestled all comfy and cozy on my pillow.....you guessed it...Barkley!! I was thinking I would really like to smack him now that I am WIDE awake and he is so comfy. They are a lot of work! Frustrating at times, definately interfere with life in general, expensive as all get out....but we love ours and would not have it any other way. Best to find out that you really don't want the commitment and to do the smart thing, than for everybody to be miserable down the road. Good luck with your hard decision. I can't even imagine!

Hey Karrie, how is it going? Where in Michigan are you from? I am in NW Indiana in Crown Point and was wondering how far we were from eachother? The wether here has been so nioce to train in...hope you have had the same great wehater we have. I think we will be headed up to Holland next month for the tulip festival. It seems like that is a great time to visit. Not only will we get to see all the tulips, but I think we will spend a day with my grandma. If we are anywhere close, it would be fun the say Hey!!

Well, that is all that is new here...going to try to go and reclaim my pillow.....WISH me luck there!!

Happy training to all! It is supposed to be a great weekend here!!!

[Tiger Lily 03]

Thank goodness for copy feature I usually do before posting. I had this all typed out last night, posted it, then lost my connection. Sheesh!

Susan, sorry for your loss. Good to hear that you are able to find a way to destress through exercise.

Cam, sorry that you are going through this difficult time.

Lisa, at least you figured out about the pup before you were too far in. Glad that you knew to make the decision. Seems like lots of decisions your way this week. Hope things work out with the exercise since the gym is out of the question for now. As you figure out the core strengthening hope it makes a difference. I know it has for me, just need to keep at it.

Liz, thinking of you while you do that 5k. Seems as though you are progressing well toward that 1/2 marathon.

Nancy, whoa! glad you have the ability to watch out for things. That must have been something. Sounds like you are making great strides at progress too. Hope the house is coming along.

Ummmm sorry, I'm hitting a bit of a wall.

Let me see, 5k couple. Glad you had a success. It is a great experience.

Mel, yup, great idea about the Mother's day hints. Hope it works for you.

Tammy, hope you are feeling better today.

Hipporina, hope things get in a better place for you. Sounds like a rough week.

chimera, good that your direction is correctly headed. Trying to speak code so I don't upset things by mentioning outright! Tee Hee.

Paul and Beckie, glad that your making great progress.

Helen, thanks for the Pearls of Wisdom; no Chinese before running. Making a note.

I've had a bit of a slow down in my exercise schedule. DH wasn't feeling well and that coupled with many other non valid excuses has kept me out of the gym. I have managed to get onto the trail, just not at the pace I would like. The good news is that I made it on the trail with DS. He is not able to get the time to devote as much as I need, but we at least went once this week together. Small steps...

[lizdotcom99]

I am all excited now!!!!! I went this morning to pick up my goodie bag and registration packet!! I am the owner of Hub Run tshirt, that I figured would not fit me...and it does, :teeth: all kinds of fun little sample thingies and my very first bib number. I am number 641!! Greg is sitting here laughing at me as I am trying to figure out what to wear!! Oh the dillemas!! Do I wear the sausage pants in public with at least 641 people in plain view....do I wear some shorts that I have walked in before but aren't "running" shorts...then there is the shirt...if I do wear the sausage pants, I have to have a long tshirt to cover up the gut...or do I wear a nice colored shirt that is long enough to cover the gut, or the comfy tshirt ? Then there is the problem of the sports bra....if I wear the comfy shirt, then I really can't wear the sports bra cause the straps show.....oh my!! Then there is the fanny pack issue..... What to do, what to do? Anyway, I will continue the fashion show here and check back a bit later after I get it all figured out!! Please tell me these things get easier!!! :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

[xterratri]

Liz- that depends. For triathlons, it's easy enough because the race suits are reasonably specialized and fairly expensive. Running though, that's the fashion problem. Any thing that you normally train in can work, even more fun figuring out what to pack when travelling to races with uncertain weather forecasts. Mom only complains about my outfits when it seems everyone is dressed the same, like the black long sleeve top and black shorts for the National Capital Half in 2002- I call it stealth mode. Wear what you are most comfortable with and above all- HAVE FUN! Good luck on your first ever race tomorrow.

Cam- our thoughts are with you.
Susan- Sorry for your loss.
Hipporina- take the teenagers along, you need to do something for yourself too to be mentally healthy in a stressed situation
Lisa- sorry about Mickey, having animals can take a great deal of work and cut into spontaneous plans, try not to feel too guilty

Workouts- elliptical 50 min Thurs, rode ~24 yesterday and then 36.4 today if the HR/computer is to be believed. My Garmin 201 is supposed to arrive sometime between the 11th and 13th. Will probably try running again next week if the calf continues to feel pretty good. I'm still getting plenty of cardio so I'm not worried about losing fitness.
Class skipping to work out- I generally do attend class and only missed 1 hour that day. However, some perspective on what I missed- it was a lecture in cardiac physiology, a topic on which I took a 700 level seminar class in grad school, so just a review not totally new material.

[perfectmatch300]

Susan, so sorry to hear about your Dad. My sympathy on your loss.

Cam, prayers & PD for your Dad & the rest of your family. :wizard:

Lily, I know what you mean about the copy feature. I've learned the hard way to do that, especially with a long post! :earseek:

Lisa, sorry to hear that Mickey has to go. I love dogs, too, but we have cats because they're much easier to leave home if we want to take day trips - which we do frequently. I hope Mickey finds a good home where he can "garden" to his little puppy heart's content!

Helen, why don't you just come to the wedding in Orlando? I'll even set up a specilal DIS Meet for you! If I ever do get to come to New Zealand, I'll be sure to check with you first for a shopping list!

Liz, good luck with your 5K tomorrow! I've already started to worry about what I'll wear for the one I'm doing next month! I think for me comfort will probably win out over style.

Mel! You're doing the Mayfaire! :bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce:
I don't know much about the events at all except for what I read on the website. We'll have to make some sort of plan so we can meet up that day and walk together. That would really be great!

Tammy, great to see you getting involved here again!

Hang in there, everyone & keep on moving! Jan & the WDW Marathon or Half Marathon will be here before we know it! :cheer2: