Becoming Lean, Mean, Endurace Event Machines in 2008

[princessrunner]

Good morning Lean Meaners. Happy pre-4th!!!

I am still crazy busy here in my little world so, once again, a super quicky fly by from me. Thanks for the pats on the back about keeping the thread moving but you all are the real reason that if moves and grooves!!!

Connie: Have a great time on your R and R.

Debra: Where'd you go??? Did you fall into a Starbucks frenzy?

Tracey: I have a couple years left before

Dave: Thanks for the tip on Wall-E. DD13 just said she wanted to go see it so maybe I will send her with her friends to give me the 411 before I take DS and waste my time. We have yet to see KFPanda.

Mike: So philosophical. Soooo, where did the REAL Mike go?????

Beth: Also loving the steamer bags. I do feel very self-conscious about the toss away plastic though. Especially after Dave's take on Wall-E. I may opt for my micro steamer instead.... I sometimes wrestle with the convenience versus environment issue.

Everyone else: Sorry, there is just not enough time for me to get to everyone. I love you all though!!!

From the Great North Woods, I spent the day at the beach with the kidlets yesterday. I have a whole month of team spreadsheet to enter and I opted for the beach. I could have done it from the Blackberry but, hmmm, football, lacrosse, frisbee--Blackberry. You can guess where I was on that one. I did get my 5 in on Tuesday and it totally rocked. I did my first mile at 10:30, the next 3 at 9:30 and the last mile at 10:00 mpm pace. My disclaimer that I was on a TM at the gym under controlled circumstances aside, I was VERY happy with this run. Okay, super excited but everyone else I have told at home was just like "yeah whatever" so I am telling my LM buddies cuz I know you are all as excited as I am!!!! Okay maybe not quite that excited, but close.

Have a great 4th everyone. Get out there and find some time for yourselves in amongst the goings on. Time for you is as important as family time, sometimes more important. Rock on Lean Meaners!!!!

 

[windwalker]

Good morning Lisa, of course I'm excited for you.

The silly little Panda zips in and grabs Lisa for a huge hug and scampers off. Hit and run hugs, gotta love um.

Happy Panda

 

[princessrunner]

You know I love the hit and run. Just a shot of panda in the morning....better than coffee.

Hey speaking of coffee, did anyone read that coffee before a race boosts your time? The participants in the study showed an increase of 10-12 seconds off their 5K times (advanced and rec runners) after an 8 oz cup of coffee. Apparently caffeine alters pain perception allowing you to run longer and more intensely. Who knew? They recommended a double espresso or tall coffee 30-60 minutes before competition.

 

[laxdef69]

On my way to run a 5k, but have been thinking about this for a while.

On this day, 232 years ago, the Continental Congress adopted a document that basically told the most powerful country in the world "Hey, up yours!"

Imagine the courage that it took for the 56 signers of the Declaration to put their names in the line of fire for an idea, that this could be a Republic of self determined direction, not subject to the whims of a monarchy.

Thomas Jefferson was the main architect of the Declaration, and the line that most everyone knows is

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

I think that part of this group exercising and striving for healthier lifestyles is that pursuit of Happiness.

Keep chasing it meaners!!!

Mike

 

[princessrunner]

Very profound this morning Mike. I guess we are all in the pursuit of happiness. I would be very proud to declare my independence from the trappings of being sedentary and overweight. Ahh, sweet freedom how I seek thee.....

Anyhoo, good morning Lean Meaners. I thought for sure this thread was dead and gone as of yesterday. Maybe there will be a reprieve granted today?? I would really miss my Lean Mean buddies if we let this thread go....

From the Great North Woods....not much. We have a BBQ with friends today. I have made a healthy frozen strawberry pie for dessert and will toss together a salad for kicks. I am taking a nice long bike ride this morning to make up some of my missed miles due to our sporadic rain showers that seem to only come at my running time. Next week is 10k training start up so yay something to look forward to instead of just maintenance.

I did want to mention something I read in the RW this month. Did everyone see the YouBar? Here we are trying to perfect our protein bars and we can order them up special from this place with just what we want in them. How cool is that?? Go to youbars.com and go through a 9-step process to pick out your protein sorce, grains, nuts and berries ($30-40 for 12 bars). I think I am going to try this next week and see how they actually taste.

There is also a great article on running skirts in this months RW that rates the skirts that are out there. I discovered through this that I need to try out a Sugoi Stamina skirt. I have 4 NB and 3 runningskirts.com skirts already. I have to say I like the runningskirts.com ones the best. Pockets are great and the wide waistband keeps my mommy belly under control. The NB are nice albeit a little warmer than the others with thicker fabric. Not that the boys out there needed to know that, but maybe the princesses did.....

Have a great 4th Meaners and let's all celebrate our independence with some physical activity today!!!! Oh, and of couse a beer....or two....or three....

 

[Big Vic]

Good morning Lean Meaners!

Hope your Independence Day is starting off well.

No training last night. However, got in 3.5 miles on Tuesday and stadium runs on Wednesday.

Lisa – Have a great bike ride and BBQ.

Mike – Good luck with your 5K.

WWDave – W’sup?!

Connie – W’Sup?!

Tracey – How are the driving lessons going?

Debra – Oh Debra. DEBBBBBBBBBBBBBBRA! WHERE YOU!?

All the Lean Meaners I missed – Keep up the great training!

 

[windwalker]

Good morning Vic, Mike and our beautiful princess of the far north.

I think eveyone is off having fun without us. Erica and I don't get to socialize much since we work all the weekends and Erica nights, me evenings. So we are working when most are socializing.

Mike yes our natrion was battle born and forged on the courage of brave and determined people.

Have a super day y'all. Don't eat to much, and if you do get those miles in tomorrow.

American Panda

 

[laxdef69]

Just finished today's 5k ...a new PR for me...24:40, 10th in my division, 65th overall.

My first ever 5k was on 11-23-06, and I ran that in 31:03...I guess unless you keep track of where you started, you never know how far you have come.

Enjoy the journey my friends!

Mike

 

[Big Vic]

Just finished today's 5k ...a new PR for me...24:40, 10th in my division, 65th overall.

My first ever 5k was on 11-23-06, and I ran that in 31:03...I guess unless you keep track of where you started, you never know how far you have come.

Enjoy the journey my friends!

Mike

WTG Mike!! Congrats!!

 

[laxdef69]

is just enjoying the long weekend.

I got in a 2:26:00 ride, 44.3 miles.

Beautiful day to ride in Chicago.

Off to get fitted for a rental wetsuit for the tri on July 20!

Have a wonderful weekend meaners!!!

Mike

 

[getnthinr]

Congrats on the PR, Mike -- and WTG on the bike ride! Always good to hear from Lisa , Vic, and our Mighty Panda Dave as well. Hope Connie brings home a healthy catch and no sunburn. (And Tracey, I had to let my husband do all the driving lessons with my twin girls -- I drove them crazy! You are a good mom!)

I've had a pretty quiet holiday so far. Did a 5K on the treadmill on the 4th rather than a "real" race -- trying to cut costs a bit. Did some housework and spent much of the remainder of the day watching the "John Adams" mini-series on DVD with my history-buff husband. Sounds boring, I know, but we are such an on-the-go family (between my races and their swim meets) that being together and relaxing was a really unique and much appreciated experience. And I'm a very sentimental patriot, so I loved the mini-series -- especially on the 4th. What a miracle our country is -- Let freedom ring!

I spent some time reading the race reports -- and I'm so impressed that we really do have WISHers everywhere along the racing spectrum. Very cool!

Hope all you other Leaner Meaners are having a great weekend!

 

[princessrunner]

Morning Lean Meaners. I threw hay for 2 hours yesterday in the 85 degree heat, phew, now that is an upper body/core workout. My shoulders and I are not talking much today. We still have 3 fields to get in. I very much dislike haying. I came into the house and immediately saw a tick running up my shirt sleeve, gross!!!!

Wendy, good to hear from you and that you are still "racing" despite the cut backs.

Mike: on the PR for your 5K. Bumming that I cannot really celebrate with you on the PR thing but I will celebrate FOR you instead. happy dance!!!

Vic: Stadium training....ugh... I do not like running stairs.

Dave: We don't socialize much either. DH working for himself and my odd hours make for not much fun time. We are dead and in bed by 8 p.m. most nights. We have a few close friends that know our schedules and work around them.

We did have a nice time at the BBQ. The kidlets swam so much that they fell asleep in the car on the way home. Did not even notice the road block!! The deputy was laughing at them.

From the Great North Woods, again, nothing much to report. My eating is fair, my exercising is sporadic at best and my attitude is headed downhill fast. We have another softball tourney this coming weekend, and for the next 2 after that. I am really looking forward to August with no softball, minimal field hockey, and school starting up on the 27th. It has been a short summer here in the great north woods all due to kidlet running.

My 10K training starts out with a vengence tomorrow. I am determined to run this in about an hour which means I need to maintain a 9:45 or better mile. I believe with hard work and determination, I can obtain this goal. I guess that is my July goal then, a 10K in an hour-ish. There, I said it out loud (sort of) so now I have to get the job done. Another adventure started.....

Best of days Lean Meaners. I am headed out for 7-8 miles after work this morning and then I think I am painting my MIL room thumbsup2 ). Eat well and prosper Lean Meaners!!!!!!

 

[Big Vic]

Good morning Lean Meaners.

Hoping everyone's Sunday morning is starting off well.

5 miles on the agenda today. Willl probably get'er done on the TM.

Lisa - Stadium runs are fun! Have a great run today.

Wendy -

Mike - WTG with the bike ride!!

 

[Creativebeth]

Did you all think I fell off the Wagon????? I was at the beach! Yeah! I didn't want to come back. I am not a whole hearted sand person, but the kids love the beach and ocean and I am getting used to it!

Came home to find that the water heater went caput. Water in the basement......it's a mess! Yuck! I have been sucking up the water with my deep cleaner for 24 hours. Anybody want to help?

I didn't eat the greatest, but I worked out every day. Something worked!

Mike: Great job on the PR!

Big Vic: Happy 4th (belated)

Lisa: Sorry to be MIA! Good job on your 5 miler!

Beth

 

[windwalker]

Beth, YUCK on the water mess, never had that happen but had the hot water hose break on the washing machine and it was fun trying to turn it off with hot water going everywhere.

Lisa, my first wife was a farmer's daughter so I did my share of farm work. Remind me to tell you about the time I fell out of the tree when I was hunting ground hogs and broke my rifle, and was attacked by a bull on the way back to the house.

I walked at the mall for about 2.5 miles while I was waiting for my princess to get off work then we had breakfast. Turkey and spinich omlet with no cheese and banana bread at Bob Evans.

Hi Vic

Hi Wendy

Quick wave at Mike as he zipps by.

Leaner Panda

 

[Worfiedoodles]

On this day, 232 years ago, the Continental Congress adopted a document that basically told the most powerful country in the world "Hey, up yours!"

That did take guts, didn't it?! They were just fed up with what they considered to be injustices.

Imagine the courage that it took for the 56 signers of the Declaration to put their names in the line of fire for an idea, that this could be a Republic of self determined direction, not subject to the whims of a monarchy.

It truly was a "revolutionary" idea at the time, although everyone didn't sign until late in 1777. Not everyone was at the convention, and the Declaration travelled quite a bit to get all the signatures. The first signers were definitely the bravest!

Thomas Jefferson was the main architect of the Declaration, and the line that most everyone knows is

Ok, I have to be a brat because this drives me crazy. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were equal contributors to the Declaration of Independence. John Adams deserves to be on currency, too!

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Ironically, this line was added by neither Adams, nor Jefferson. Turns out, when Adams and Jefferson brought the Declaration to the main body, there were negotiations for additions and removals for two days. The Declaration was written July 2nd, but not agreed upon until the 4th.

Mike

-- Thanks for bringing up how powerful an act it was, just to make the Declaration of Indepence. I think we get caught up in fireworks and hotdogs and sometimes forget how this fledgling country defied the odds and came to be.

Here's another piece of trivia -- There are four Commonwealths among the 50 states. Two of these are Massachusetts and Virginia. Why, you ask? The Constitutions for Massachusetts and Virginia were written by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, respectively (after all, they had all that experience writing the Declaration of Independence), and they each preferred the term of Commonwealth to State.

Ok, more later, just had to start catching up with one of my favorite topics. Gotta put those two degrees in history to use occasionally!

Maria

 

[Creativebeth]

Another Lean, Mean Monday! How's it going Meaners? Yes, Lisa, things have been quiet around here lately......maybe it's time for the virtual party! Let's make a list......

I'll bring the diet Coke, and a low fat Cowboy baked beans in the crockpot. What will you all bring?

Lisa: How did the bike ride go? Make up some of those miles?

Big Vic: How's the kitchen coming along? You will be happy when it's all over.....keep reminding yourself of that!

WWDave: How was lunch with your lady?

Maria and Mike: Thanks for the reminder......I can't imagine myself putting my neck on the line signing the Declaration.....and that's what they were doing......they could have been hung for treason easy enough.

Debra: Where are you?????? We miss you!

Wagon Tip of the Day: Hats. I never thought of it as essential gear when running during the day, but it is. I do put sunscreen on my face, but a hat is much better protection from the sun. I wear one every time I run outside now......all seasons.

Beth

 

[princessrunner]

Beth, I will bring Oprahs sweet potato salad to the party. It is sweet from the potatoes but there is also pineapple in it for some zing. Yes, my bike went well and I did make up some miles. This week is 10K training and I am planning on hitting it hard for a PR. Sorry about the water mess too, yuck.

Mike: Yes, thank you for reminding us why we are free.

Maria: Thanks for the Commonwealth reminder. I find the Commonwealth thing odd in that in PA you have to go to one store for beer, one store for wine and one store for soda and chips. Weird to say the least. We have that stuff in every 7-11 on the side of the road!!

Dave: to the Panda.

Vic: Yes, how does the kitchen go? We are anxiously awaiting pics and updates!!

Debra has gone into hiatus writing her novella about running and how it has changed her life. Bill is working on the copywriting issues along with those of AmyBeth's pilates video, soon to be released. They are all in a cabin in Montana that they rented off some Unasomething.....

Thanks for the wagon tip Beth. I have to wear a hat at the softball marathon tournaments. I burn my part line every time. I am not a hat person, they do nothing for my beautiful face....except keep it from burning. During my runs, I wear a BondiBand. Anyone who does not have one of these should invest, they are awesome for protecting your head, keeping your hair back and wicking the sweat drippies before they hit your eyes. Mike, Dave, Vic, you use your own discretion on this one!!

From the Great North Woods...I was waiting to see if the thread was truly dead or just needed CPR. Yay that it was just CPR and our resident nurse arrived to bring it back to life!!! We have 1000 bales of hay to get in today which will start off my 10K training plan calling for XT today. No thundershowers this afternoon and that we get it all in before the showers start later this evening. Ham dinner after we get done with the hay, ham shank in a bag with pineapple, mango, sweet potato, turnip, carrots and onions. It is mega-yummy.

Have a super good one Lean Meaners and, don't let Beth down, keep the CPR going!!!!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Hey Lean Mean Team!

I hope everyone had an awesome holiday, and you're now back safe and sound and ready to claim your lean meanness!

Ok, so I tried to get back on a normal workout schedule, even with the company. I did 4 miles Friday, 2.6 Saturday, and 5.2 yesterday. These were all outdoor workouts, which is great because it helps remind me how much work I need to do to be ready for the Disney Half. I am slower outside. My best time of the weekend was 14:30 for four miles, so I was pleased with that -- trust me, last year at this time that pace was a fantasy. We have had donuts for breakfast every day...and that pretty much says it all (they don't have Dunkin Donuts where they live, and they love them). I love having my family here, but they are not a good influence on my training! We have normal meals planned for dinner, and since I really have to work this week, I'll have better breakfasts and lunches. I had kashi cereal for breakfast today, and I have a lean cuisine veggie eggroll for lunch. Tonight is barbequed chicken with corn on the cob, tomorrow night we're having homemade tacos, and Wednesday will be shepherd's pie (which we make with chicken breast). Then I just have one more weekend to get through, then we are seriously addressing my eating.

Beth -- I will bring our homemade guacamole with veggie dippers, and cranberry bars (this is a virtual party, I'm pretending I can get fresh cranberries at this time of year). So sorry about the clean-up, that does not sound fun to come home to!

Panda Dave -- I think your life is just an interesting experience. One never knows what new thing you are going to share, but it's clear you've never been bored!

Vic -- How are you holding up in the humidity? We are getting our first real taste of it today, and it's brutal... I don't know how you do it!

Lisa -- It sounds to me like you are ready to take that 10K training and kick it up! I would be a big mess if I had your tasks (I am majorly allergic to hay), so yet one more reason I greatly admire you -- that is hard, hard work! I think PA is just different -- in MA we have separate liquor stores, but NH has that, too. I'm not sure it's related to being a Commonwealth? It was so odd for me when we moved here from MO -- where the liquor was just in an aisle in the grocery store. I was very surprised you had to make a special trip.

Wendy -- So glad you enjoyed the John Adams miniseries! I read the book (some of you will remember it was quite long ), and I found it to be fascinating. You don't really find many folks willing to sacrifice as much as John and Abigail Adams did for this new country (I'm sure I wouldn't, sad to say).

Mike -- It sounds like your training is going great! I really admire you for being a tri-athlete, you guys rock!

Connie, Tracey, Stacie, Bill, Jeanne, and our long-lost Debra, Amykab and AmyB & Other Lean Mean Brigade -- We miss you and hope to hear how you are doing soon!

Maria

 

[amykab]

Hey Lean Meaners!

I am back from my vacation to NC before I jet off on another this friday! The trip was great, DD did well in the car. DH and I rented a cabin for 2 nights for our 5th anniversary and it was alot of fun and totally relaxing. I bought MfM and read that while drinking wine on the back deck in front of the outdoor fireplace! We went whitewater rafting on the Nantahala river, which was fun, but not quite fast enough for this roller coaster junkie. It was all ClassII with one class III section. Good for the rafting trip though and the weather was absolutely beautiful. A week with the in laws though is more than enough time

I did a 5K on July 4th. I did get a PR (39:36, 2 minutes and 5 seconds faster than the Minnie 5K! ). I was hoping for closer to 36 minutes, but with a horrible lingering cough from the cold I came down with, hills (which I am not trained for whatsoever), I think the time was good. I went out way too fast (11:56 split for the first mile, way too fast for me for the first mile and it included 2 hills). I think if I had paced myself better I would have shaved a couple more minutes off. No water on the course until way past mile 2, which I thought was poor placement. There were a TON of people who did this race in 20 ish minutes or under, so I placed towards the back third. The 10th place 10K runner finished when I did. The first place 10K runner did it in 31ish minutes!! All in all a good race and I will be back later with a picture in my patriotic outfit.

I hope to get in some C25K this week, starting week 2 again, since I only got in one day before vacation. I did do a total of 12 ish miles on vacation, alot of it hiking up hill, so I feel good about that as far as keeping up with my exercise goals.

I hope everyone had a good week, I haven't gone back yet to the older posts. I'll be back later with some pics!

Have a good day!