Hakuna Matada - Spooky October

[es45]

Happy Thursday, everyone,

Just a quick post since I'm at work. My running mileage has been short this week; my spider bite is bothering more than I first thought it would. It is finally to the point where I don't notice it every moment that I'm running. My neighbor, who fancies himself a spider expert, suggested a brown recluse or a wolf spider. The bite had the markings of a brown recluse (white ring around the blisters) but this morning we killed a very large wolf spider in our coat closet (where the shoes were) so that must have been the culprit. We found a tiny brown recluse outside the window the week before. Think it is time to call the exterminator?

I'll check in tomorrow when I have more time. Feeling some urgency to have a long run so I'll try that in the morning.

Enjoy the day, everyone!

 

[Motomiker]

September 11,2011

Fort 2 Base race 10 Nautical miles (11.5 miles)

This race report will be a short one as it was not the funnest of races and ended up being pretty unorganized.
The race was one that I was looking forward to, being that it ended at the Great Lakes Naval training base on Lake Michigan. I was excited about seeing the base because my Dad trained there for WWII. We have pictures of his graduating class in front of some of the buildings.
I arrived early to the Naval base, only to find a long back up of traffic trying to enter the base. They only had one entrance open and had to check everyones i.d.'s. I sat in traffic for about a half hour and finally got parked. Packet pick up was over a third of a mile away, in the dark, and I had to use the restroom. I got my packet and found that they had only one port o pot with a huge line of people. ONE!
This was a one way race, so we had to board buses to the start at Fort Sheridan. I begged to use the restroom at the security office and got to listen to them complain about all the people and the unorganization of the whole thing. Some were using quite colorful language. This was not a good start to the day.
I dropped off my stuff at the car, and hopped the bus to the start. Along the way we could see a long line of cars still trying to get onto the base and the race was scheduled to start in 25 minutes. They had only nine pots at the start, with a ton of people waiting, buses still unloading, and they sang the Anthem and started the race. They made an annoucement that the race was chip timed and anyone waiting shouldn't worry. I felt it was downright rude to the runners still arriving.
The race course itself was through subdivisions and mainly uneventful until we reached a huge downhill and uphill at about mile 10. At the end we recieved a metal disc that confused alot of the runners because it didn't have a lanyard. Next we recieved a dogtag on a chain for the shorter race that was also being run at the same time. I tried to had it back but the person said I also covered the shorter distance so it was mine. I later found out that the disc was actually called a "challenge coin" or "commanders coin" which are given out at military sports events, and that the shorter races dog tags were given out by mistake. It was all very confusing as the registration site said we were to receive finishers medals.
It was now light outside and for the life of me I couldn't find my way back to my car. I even asked a few cadets, and they said they never get to this side of the base so they didn't know where the main parking was. Grrrrrr! I also got stopped by a few runners while looking for the car. They wanted to know which way the course went! Apparently, alot of the people at the corners of the race course just up and left, leaving the runners without any direction. I finally found the car, and heard other people complaning about the lack of singage.
I had finished the race, collected the medal-coin, and got the heck out of there. When I got home, the shirt wasn't even close to fitting me. I got a survey in my email, and let them know exactly how it went for me.
I was really missing Disney's organization! I sometimes hear about how expensive Disney races are, but I will never complain. When the little things are missing, especially all at once in the same race, it really makes the good races stand out! When a race is well organized, well supported and thought out, it makes all the difference!

- Mike

Next up : The Upper Midwest Warrior Dash!

 

[Motomiker]

September 19th, 2011 Twin Lakes WI


This was our second Warrior Dash and if you have never done one and get the oppoortunity, DO IT! These races are a ton of fun, and a great way to break the monotony of just running/walking. They are generally between 3 to 4 miles long and have about 12 obstacles to complete along the way, ending in a giant mud pit!
We arrived early and were actually the second car to enter the parking field. We were scheduled in the first wave, with wave going off every half hour all day long. There is something like 30k of people doing the race over two days. Alot of the racers wear costumes, vikings, superheros, and such.
At the start, they have a huge blast of flames and send us off. We wore old clothes that we could toss at the end. The obstacles are all different, one was a series of car tires hanging on ropes that you had to run though. One girl got one right in the face. We had a horizontal rope ladder climb that was about four feet off the ground and about thirty feet long. Several varying walls to climb, some with rope assists, some with handholds. There was one with spigots spraying water in your face as you climbed, and another with a pole to slide down on the backside. Lots of exotic dancer jokes at that one. The final two were logs set on fire to jump over and the mud pit to crawl through. Liz and I stayed together the whole way. She loves this race more than I do!
After collecting our medals, we headed back to the car and stripped in the field to change clothes. Our shoes got donated into a huge pile to be cleaned and given to the needy. A firetruck was on site to hose you down if you could stand the cold water. We then hung out to watch some freinds race, until it started to rain, and then headed home. All in all, a very fun Day!

- Mike

Next up: The Milwakee Lakefront marathon

 

[Motomiker]

Ocotober 2nd, 2011

When registering for races this year, Liz and I wanted to do our first marathon. I knew I wanted to do the 2012 Goofy and had better have some experience with a full marathon before attempting it. I wanted to do Chicago as my first. Liz wanted to do Milwaukee which was recomended by her run club friends. Because we were off the Milwaukee weekend and on vacation during Chicago, we signed up for both. Why not, right?

We checked in at our hotel in Milwakee after making a very nice drive up, with the trees changing colors along the way. We had the room for one night with a complimentary late check out of 6pm the next day! We had to hop a shuttle bus to the small expo to pick up our packets. I was very disappointed to find that the mens shirts had been misprinted and mine would have to be mailed to me. They had shirts for sale starting at $48, but they were of poor quality for the price, so I skipped those. Liz's shirt was fine and fit her well.
We shuttled back to the hotel, and headed over to a pasta dinner to benefit the American Cancer Society. It happened to be in a closed Old Navy store in the mall attached to our hotel and only a short walk away. It turned out to be odd to be eating in the middle of a department store, which had giant paper mache artwork for an upcoming art show. We saw giant ant eater and a huge drum labeled Ecoli. Yum! At least they were using the empty space constructively!
The next morning we drove to the finish line parking area and caught a school bus to the start, about 20 miles North at Grafton High School. Liz and I were a little nervous, and the bus seemed to take forever to arrive at the start. The ride took about 40 minutes. They had the school open and we met up with Liz's run club.
We decided from the start to stick together and complete our first full marathon together. We ran a mile and walked a minute in between, which worked well for the first ten miles. The first half of the the race was scenic, through farm fields and back roads. We also encountered the group trying to set the world record for the most people tethered together to complete a marathon. Really fun to watch 62 people tied together, trying to use the port o pots at the same time. Rules were, no one could untie at any time. The last record was set in London earlier this year by 54 people.
Liz's right leg started acting up and she was done by just past mile 16. Her IT band was so painful, she could barely walk. Stubborn as she is, she wanted to make it to the next aid station, a mile away. She decided she was actually done, so I pointed out that we should go back to 16 and have her picked up. I asked her if she wanted me to stay, and was not really enthused about leaving her, or going another 10 miles myself. Of course, she made me go.
The last ten miles were through open residential streets, with only a bike lane to run in, and alot of cars whizzing by. It got hot outside and it was really tiring with the traffic and the constant wind off the cars. There was one inspiration in the race when I was running with blind woman that had been led by different family members along the way. I think she finished okay. The last .7 miles just about killed me. I was one of the last finishers with only about 100 people behind me and I was wiped from being out there so long. The plan to stay at Liz's pace meant a longer time on the course.
When I finally reached the finish, there was no elation. I was just happy to be done, for the race to be overwith, and wanted to find Liz.
A nice guy from the medical tent, found me at the finish and pointed out where Liz was. She could walk, but just barely. By this time, most of the finishline area was starting to pack up. I hate it when that happens with people still on the course, trying to complete the race, and during the posted race hours.
I tried to get my medal engraved with the time, but had to leave it with them so we could catch the last shuttle bus to the parking area. There was no way we could walk the half mile. So, I left my first marathon without my medal or shirt. The medal was mailed to me two days later.
The world record was set! They received a check for 100,000 to go to the charity that they had picked. The group finished about 30 minutes after me, My time was 5:55:05.

After having some time to reflect, I still can't believe I covered the distance. Without the encouragement of my friends and this team, I never would have. THANK YOU!! As I look at all medals hanging in our room, each has it's own memory attached to it. Its been a busy year with a few more races to go, but I can now say I'm a MARATHONER!

-Mike

Next up: The Chicago Marathon or I'm doing this AGAIN?

 

[windwalker]

Mike you are getting stronger and faster all the time. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us.

I have a rest and work day today. I will walk a brisk half hour with Sally after work just to stay loose for tomorrow. We have the Expo tonight for the 10K classic that is tomorrow. Sally and I are walking the 5K together and then I'm racing the 10K. My best 10K walk there was 1:14 so I hope to beat that tomorrow. We shall see.

Good luck to everyone racing tomorrow.,

Dave

 

[rubato]

Dave: Good luck on your races tomorrow. I'm sure you will kill it!

Mike: Thank you so much for the race reports. I had no idea you were not only doing back to back marathons, but other races in there too! Wow! I'm sorry Liz had to bow out, but she was smart to do it. I almost signed up for the Warrior Dash here, but my hubby was worried that it was just a partiers race, and didn't want me doing it. I think it sounds super fun.

Elizabeth: Oh man, I didn't realize we were talking brown recluse bites. Those are pretty serious. I hope you're right about the wolf spider. Still, yuck! I have no fear of spiders, but don't particularly like anything biting me. Did you get your long run in?

Kim: I hope your shoulder gets better quick. I think being away from the desk job for awhile has to help, right? I am an early packer too, but haven't been lately. I think I finally figured out that it's too much work, especially since, like you, I'm just going to repack it all right before we go.

Eva: Wow, trapped in a kitchen for 3 days. Of course you're going to overeat. What else is there to do? I remember the days of potty training. Don't miss them at all.

Emily: Hope all is well.

Vicky: Did you manage to get out and run? I'm sidelined again and mad about it this time (more later in post). How's cooking class going?

AFM: Well, I can't run again. I had only gotten my 4 little short runs in and we have now figured out why my calf tore. My stupid tendon on the inside of my ankle is killing me. For those of you who don't know me, while training for this year's Goofy, I hurt this tendon so bad in November, that it sidelined my training for about 4 weeks. We were concerned that I wouldn't get to run Goofy. Well, it felt better, so I ran and did great. But, I never went to PT for it, and apparently, it's still hurt. It's weakened enough that my physical therapist thinks it's why my calf was weak enough to tear. So, I am in lots of pain, and can't run, and am very frustrated. I'm back on anti inflammatories and am icing and stretching. I walked 3 miles today, but went really slow. I just want to run. Oh well. I think walking and bicycling will be my only forms of exercise for awhile. I promise, I'm done feeling sorry for myself now.

On the weight loss front: Not so good. I gained. I'm at 133.6. I got a point for water, veggies, exercise, new food (mustard mushrooms, nasty!!!!), vitamin, and that's it. So, 4 total. I will do better this week, I promise.

I have a weekend off, except for studying Saturday. I took my algebra test on Thursday and got a 103% (not sure how I managed that, but I'll take it). I finished my composition final draft last night. So, nothing today but exercise and cleaning. Tomorrow, I'm going to school for about 3 hours to study and then, Harrison has his last baseball game of the year (thank goodness). After that, just relaxing!!!!!! I need it after the week I've had. I have been looking at cruises, but Frank isn't buying into it for some reason. Since I can't go to Disney this January, I was thinking of going to St. Thomas.

 

[Motomiker]

October 9th, 2011

The Chicago marathon was a race that I was really excited about running and it didn't disappoint me. Liz had an injured leg and found someone to take her bib so it didn't go to waste. This also meant I would be running alone, which turned out to be a good thing...

The weekend started off with us driving into the city and checking into our room at the Hyatt Regency, which is on a branch of the Chicago river and within walking distance of Navy Pier. Our room was ready, so we dropped our bags and caught the shuttle bus over to the expo/packet pick up at McCormick place. The expo was huge, larger than the one at WDW. Upon entering the area we were presented with free posters. Also, they had a jumbo screen showing a very fun and dramatic videos of the race course and and of the runners from last year. The course video was shot from a car and sped up, showing the whole thing. They had an inset map (kind of like a video game) on the screen showing the progress of the car. The other video had amazing footage of the start, showing the huge crowd, wheelchair racers, and elites. It showed alot of the neighborhoods and each of their unique crowds, and of the runners crossing the finish, and the people giving it their all. Really cool, I wish they had it for sale. I was pumped!
We had a good time at the expo, and I signed up for two more halves while there. I also got some compression sleeves for my calves to help avoid any of my bloodclotting issues. We stayed as long as we could, and then hopped the shuttle back to the hotel. Then we walked to Navy Pier for our pasta lunch cruise on the Chicago Odyssey ship. The Odyssey takes you out onto Lake Michigan for a great view of the city, and the weather couldn't have been better. It was sunny and 80 degrees, in Chicago, in October! After dinner we hiked our full tummys to the hotel and crashed after organizing my race stuff.

Race morning brought another beautiful day with a temp of around 60 at the start. We walked from the hotel and hung out watching all the people, news crews, and the controlled chaos of it all. I was in the open corral and started with the 5:30hr crowd. From the start of the race, it took us 21 minutes to cross the start line. The crowd was huge! Tons of people lined the streets cheering us on. During parts of the race the crowds and music were so loud it was like a concert and my inner ears were rattling. Running through Chicago is fun. I love the buildings, architechure, and crossing over the rivers.
By mile three, I had to slow myself down. During the excitement, I started out too fast and it was getting warm out. The race had started out under "yellow" which means less than idea conditions. It was predicted to hit 80.
I stopped to use the port o pots at about the 5k mark and tried to slow myself down. The pitstop took about 5 minutes, so I cooled down a little while waiting. By mile 14, the temp climbed to the predicted high and I was starting to cook. I slammed as much gatorade and water as I could stomach, along with a few gels. Some of the water stops were getting treacherous with cups everywhere. It was funny to go through a stop and then have your shoes stick to the pavement for the next quater mile because of the gatorade getting sticky in the sun. People were out with their garden hoses, spraying runners as they went by.
Liz met me at mile 17 with some snacks and supplies for me. I was so happy she was there. At that point, I wasn't sure that I would finish. I still had along way to go and it was downright HOT outside. The later water stops gave out cold sponges and bananas. I used the sponges to clean the salt off my face and cool down. This was great, but have ever tried to run over thousands of wet sponges and banana peels? Crazy!
The last six miles were the toughest I have every covered. I had to walk quite a bit of them and when I tried to run it was really tough. Not only was I beat, but everyone was walk/running and it was really tough to navigate the crowd while dodging walls of walkers. I'm a nut for moving to the side to walk, and try to stay out of the way. I think by this time, most just wanted to finish.
They had a sign up for one last mile, 800 meters, 400, 300, 200, and the finish line. The signs seemed to take forever. I did manage to run the last 100 or so, crossing the line with a huge crowd cheering. I collected my medal, mylar blanket, some water, snacks, and the free beer they were kind of shoving at everyone. I only sipped it and kept walking to find Liz. By this time I had become a runner zombie and really hated walking to the reunion area. Verizon saved the day with a booth set up for free phone calls, where I got ahold of Liz. When I finally found her I had quite an emotional release and started balling, just being glad to see her. Never happened to me before, even at our wedding. We found a place the the shade and I laid down on a blanket and realized how much I actually hurt. My legs, my abs, my shoulders, just about everything.
After laying there for quite awhile, I got up and took a few steps that reminded me of my first time walking after my cancer surgery. Holy cow! Once I got going again, we walked very slowly, back to the hotel. After an ice bath, and shower, we headed downstairs for a meal at an Irish pub in the hotel. After that, I pretty much slept the rest of the day away.

If you ever choose to run Chicago, I would say do it. The course is flat, the scenery and neighborhoods are great, and it is really well done. Just hope for cooler weather. Last year it went to red, and they almost black flagged it. This year one man died, yards from the finish. He was a firefighter who was raising money for burn victims, with two children. Another lady was running while 34 weeks pregnant ( ????) and gave birth right after the race. I don't get that one! 45,000 were registered, just over 36,000 finished.

I finished in 5:47:20, which was about 8 minutes faster than the previous week. I learned that I will probably never run a marathon for time, only to complete them. I have recovered well, and have gone for a couple of short runs over the last two days, with a half marathon coming up this Sunday in Grand Rapids, MI.

So, I've got two states down, 48 to go before I die. FL is during the Goofy next year. Now about another state... hmm, maybe Twin Cities 2012...

-Mike

 

[Lynn G]

Good Morning Team!

We are at the airport waiting for flights home, we did not have free wifi at the hotel, so I have been off the Internet for the entire week. It was a great week in DC, we did a whole lot of walking, and saw everything on our list. It rained two of our days he, but it was nice the rest of the time. We did not make it to the Zoo in Denver because of the rain, but we did get to the Zoo here in DC.

Pixie Dust to all of you with injuries!

Mike - great race reports!

Vicki - happy belated birthday!

Dave - sorry Dave , can't remember what I was going to say, and I am on my iPad which is too hard to go back and check (getting old is the pits).

For those doing the Goofy for the first time - be sure to go SLOW on the half - Scott had a friend walker to hold him back when he tried to run instead of walking it! Then, do not stop moving and let your body go into recovery mode - you do not want to go into recovery mode until after the full - so - go to the parks and keep moving! These are tips we learned when Scott was doing the Goofy Challenge.

Have a great day all!

 

[bunnyfoo]

Weekend Racers ​

Good luck Dave on your back to back races this weekend! I can't wait to hear how they went. Hope you burn asphalt!

Sorry I'm a bit late in posting (perils of a short week).

 

[Motomiker]

Hi team!

We are currently in MI at my sister's house, awaiting the start of tomorrows half marathon! Really windy here!

Dave- have fun and good luck this weekend!

 

[windwalker]

It was as perfect a day as I could wish for, I know sounds like an episode of Winni Pooh, but it was an awesome day. Didn't start out that way since the coffee pot didn't work this morning. We got to the race dressed just right for the low 50s temps and had just enough time for a potty stop at the WKU student center before walking to the 5K race start. When we got there we met some dear friends and listened to some decent lively music till it started.

I walked with Sally during her 5K and she did super, only feeling the effort as we would be finishing up one of the long hills. I was proud of her and thought her return to racing went great. I had just enough time after finisning with her to walk the block over to the start of my race the locally famous 10K Classic. My race also went great. One of the amazing moments was when I walked a short section with a man running on those carbon fiber and metal artificial limbs that you can run with. He had no legs and only one arm. There are no awards for the walk but the announcer called my name and announced that I was the first race walker to finish. I tied a PR from 2007 when I did this race while training for the National Senior Olympics.

We met friends at a new Mexican place for a tasty lunch and then home for a bath and a nap. Oh and a stop for a new coffee maker.

I accomplished everything I wanted to I had a nice time doing the 5K with Sally, had a strong 10K right after and I had a great 9.3 mile training walk toward the January Goofy.

We will probably do an easy half hour walk tomorrow before doing our yard work.

Lynn, it's ok I forget things a lot myself.

Dave

 

[Villains_Rock]

Hello All!

Elizabeth - I was bitten by a brown recluse once. They are no joke! I still have a pit about the size of a pea in my leg from the center of the bite. It was a large blister that was almost whitish and it turned purple around it then a large red ring around that...the whole inflicted area was about the size of a salad bowl in diameter. Pretty gross. I was always under the assumption that wolf spiders didn't bite. That's why they used them to film arachnophobia. I was always nice to them when I found them and scooped them up in a glass to go outside. Maybe I'll have to reconsider that next time! LOL

Mike - THANK YOU for your race reports. Like I said...I'm always a huge fan! I know what you mean about there not being much elation...just glad to be done. I was the same way right at my finish of my first and only full. I did, however wear my medal EVERYWHERE for 2 days and I was more proud than ever before. The only thing that surpassed it was when I had Gage. Next stop...GOOFY! We will rock that course and have FUN! That is my goal for this year....just fun

Dave - WTG with a speedy race!! And congrats to Sally for her return to racing! Sounds like you two had a great time! And YUM to Mexican!

Lynn - I bet that zoo in DC is great. I am a member at our here in Cleveland and it just doesn't compare to some of the others I've been to. We actually went on Friday and will probably go again on Saturday for their zoo nights thingy. I do love zoos!

OK folks...I hate to cut this short, but I need to be out the door for my run in 10 minutes! Ahhh...the life of a runner! Up at 4:30am on a Sunday!

 

[windwalker]

Good morning Eva, I'm up also. Sally and I went to bed early since we were tired from our day of racing so I'm wide awake after a good 8 hours sleep.

Today for us will be an hour training walk then yard work and marketing. We are probably going find something good to eat while we are out also.

Have a great Sunday y'all.

Dave

 

[Lynn G]

Good Morning Team!

Not much happening here, we got new phones yesterday - Droid Incredible 2 - my first smart phone, we spent the rest of the day playing with the phones and not doing what we should have been doing, so - no exercise - bags from trip are not unpacked - no laundry started. We are having dinner guests tonight, so today will be cleaning house, I have yearly "Wellness" appt with Doctor this afternoon, and I will have to catch up on yesterdays chores.

Pixie dust to all who are in need!

Have a great day Team!

 

[rubato]

Good morning everyone.

I also don't have much to report. Still walking. I'm going to start running with Harrison (my 11 year old) this afternoon. We're starting a training plan for him. He's going to run an 8 mile race of our own doing the first Sunday of March, so we start training today. He's pretty excited about it. I know he'll do great, but I'm just not sure about my ankle. Luckily, his speed is a lot slower than mine, so it should be a pretty easy run. I'm just doing lots of cleaning today, and hopefully, lifting some weights at some point, but we shall see.

Hope everyone has a great Monday.

 

[Motomiker]

Hello and Happy Monday!

Eva~ Aww, shucks... Thanks! We will definitely have fun this January! I can't wait to see how big Gage is! Hope the potty training is going well, I think Robert was just about two when we got it done. (Liz deserves the credit)

Dave~ Great job on your races! And I hope the cold doesn't last long!

Vicky~ can you add more race to the calendar for me?

October 22nd- Moraine Hills "Run for the Hills" half marathon

October 29th- Chicago Monster Dash half marathon

November 5th- Chicago Hot Chocolate 15k (with Rick!)

January 14th- Chicago Polar Dash half marathon

2012 more to come!

Thanks!

AFM~ I ran twice last week, two short runs to keep my legs loose and to keep from losing fitness. I've gained a "few pounds" while carb loading for the marathons. It's time for some salads! One of my runs was with Rick at the gym with breakfast afterwards. His progress is amazing and he will soon be much faster than me.
We spent the weekend in MI, visiting with my sister and running the Grand Rapids half marathon. My mom went with, so my sister was very excited to have us. Being 83, my mom doesn't travel much, so it was a big deal to have her with.
I have to go back to work tonight after a very nice vacation. We got alot done, so it seemed really long. The silly holiday season will be upon us soon, so I see alot of overtime coming up. I'd rather be racing! This weekend I will be running a half marathon called "Run for the Hills" to benefit the Moraine Hills state park. Beautiful course that surrounds a lake in the woods, but as the name implies, lots of very steep hills. I ran it last year and was going to skip it this year, but they offered a medal this time. I've become a bit of a 'ho for medals. So, off I go again...

Train on everyone! - Mike

 

[Motomiker]

October 16th 2011

We headed out to Middleville MI on Friday after Robert got out of school. It takes about five hours to get there, so it's a bit of a drive. On Saturday, Liz and I went to the small expo in Grand Rapids to pick up my race packet. The expo was nice, with two different races giving out nice pilsner glasses to advertise for next years sign ups. I bought a thick hoodie for the Grand Rapids race, but nothing else.
Sunday morning brought some rain and cool temps. The race had about 2500 in the half and 3000 in the full. The course wound through downtown Grand Rapids, some residential areas, and some forest preserves with the full splitting off at mile 8.5. One couple got married at the 10 mile mark! The race started nicely with no major ups or downs. I cruised along well enough but it did get a little humid, and I got wet feet from the puddles. At about mile 10 I found our teamate Nikki, wearing her WISH shirt, walking with a friend of hers. The last time we saw each other was at the POP meet, back in January! So it was fun to see another WISHER out there!
I finished is 2:15 and some seconds, so it wasn't my best or my worst. I collected my great finishers medal, got a free beer, found Liz and saw Nikki coming towards the finish, so we had to cheer her on! I was soaked in rain and sweat and starting to shiver, so we headed back to my sisters for a hot shower and a nice lunch with the family. All in all a nice weekend to end our vacation!

-Mike

 

[Piglet24]

Hi Team! I’m back! It took me forever to get through all the posts, so if I missed anything, I apologize.

Dave- That is a good idea to avoid bag check. Have you checked bags before and had to wait, or have you always just kept what you needed on your person? I have no pace I’m going for with the Goofy races. I’m just looking to finish. Congrats again on your awesome race this past weekend!!

Kim- What cruise line? It sounds like somewhere I might want to go sometime! Have a great trip! I hope your shoulder is feeling better.

Eva- No, I did not run W&D this year. I wanted to, but we figured we would be moving and everything was so up in the air as to where and when, we figured it would be best to leave it for another year. I did not feel well either, but I am hoping they will continue to improve it so the next time I get to it the issues they had will be resolved. How are you liking your new bike? Did your long run go better with Jordan pacing you at the end?

Vicky- LOL, I am happy to say I have not come across a skunk, raccoon or a possum. But I know people who have. Is it weird to hear the raccoons fighting? I have tried the GU gels before and like them. That is what I bought and have been using. Although I’m thinking about trying the Hammer ones too. Are the stick and foam roller helping? Are they working on strengthening your hips and ankle? Are the 3/2 intervals still working for you? What made you decide on 3/2?

Lynn- I also write all my posts in word and copy and paste so I don’t lose them. What color are your balcony lights? Do they have a design on them? I bet they will look great! Glad you had a great trip to DC. And thanks for the Goofy tips!!

Tandy- I’m glad the bully situation seems to be resolved now. That is great Harrison is happier and no longer getting sick in PE. What exercises do they have you do to strengthen your ankles? Congrats on acing your bones test! I am so sorry to hear you’re not able to run again. I hope Harrison enjoys his training.

Elizabeth- I don’t even want to think about a spider being in my shoes!!! I’m glad your foot is healing. I agree- time to exterminate! Now is the time they are all moving indoors. I agree with Tandy and Eva too- brown recluse spiders are serious.

Mike- I’m sorry to hear Liz was injured. How is she feeling? Great race reports! What a bummer to hear Fort 2 Base was not organized. I can’t believe they left the runners without direction! Congrats on finishing 2 marathons! Glad you had a great vacation. I think it's great you are able to do so many back to back races. I hope to one day be in good enough shape to be able to do that as well.

AFM, I’m back from Idaho. The trip went well. It was great to see family I haven’t seen in 4 years and don’t see often. I went with the best of intentions of eating healthy, and I did really well the first 2 days. However, then my family from Texas arrived and it all went out the window. They wanted IHOP for breakfast every morning. So I gave in and had pumpkin pancakes almost every morning. And they made home made enchiladas. Yum!! So I had to have like 3 of those, plus the rice. I cooked one night and that went well. I did get all my water in each day and actually drank more than usual because it is so much drier there.

And, I am very happy to report I got in all my runs while I was there! That is really big for me because that has been something I have struggled with. I ran on the Greenbelt for the first time (and for all 4 of my runs while there), and I loved it. It was beautiful, well kept, and the mileage was posted for me so it was easy to keep track of my mileage even though I didn’t start at mile 1. I wish they had something like that here. I think I would run every day because I loved it so much. I was there right after the sun rose and it was fantastic! I was already on my way back by the time some of the later walkers started getting out and it started getting busier. It was perfect and the weather was nice. It was colder than it is here on the Coast, but I enjoy the cooler weather so that didn’t bother me at all. I also found I can run faster there than I can here. It must be the humidity. I ran this weekend and I could feel the difference in humidity. Do you think eventually my body will adjust and it won’t feel as hard for me?

Anyway, it was great and my runs went well and most importantly, I ENJOYED them, which is something I have not been able to say much in the last 6 months since I have been here on the Coast. I had forgotten what it feels like to actually enjoy a run. It was awesome! I hope I can get to enjoying my runs here.

I ran 8 miles on the TM today with DH at his work. Miles 6 & 7 were rough as I was having side pains in my rib cage on the right side, but I was able to get them to subside and mile 8 went well.

I also got a new phone it is so nice to have a working phone again! That’s it for me. Have a wonderful Tuesday team!

 

[Lynn G]

Good Morning Team!

Kim - I sent you a PM

Dave - Hope you are recovering quickly from your cold!

Mike - You are sure a racing monster! Think of all that OT as more races you can afford! You need the T-shirt “Will Run for Bling!”

Regina - Balcony lights are small lights - a string of orange and a string of purple. May mix them together if I can stretch them out far enough. We wrap them around the balcony rail and bring an extension cord and a timer. the greenbelt in Boise is really nice (is that where you were?)

Tandy - Good luck with the training plan with Harrison!

AFM - Cold and windy and rainy (and snowy) yesterday, but did get downstairs for 45 min on spin bike. Was declared healthy by Doctor, but am now on blood pressure medication (probably should have been a long time ago, but avoided it by showing that my BP only really high in the office, but it has been verging on high for awhile). We got new phones, so I am now in the modern age - I can now surf the web by phone along with everyone else!

Pixie dust to all who are in need!

Have a great day team!

 

[windwalker]

Lynn, I'm taking another rest day to try and beat this cold quickly. I have my group training walk tomorrow and I'd like to be closer to 100% for that. I don't have a race for almost 2 weeks so I can take a break today. I had the 9.3 miles on Saturday with 6.2 of it at 12:03 pace then Sunday and Monday I just did easy half hour walks with Sally. Today will be complete rest except for work.

I should be doing a long walk next week for my Goofy training. I plan to be very ready for January. My worst fear are the darn cold and flu bugs. I had the flu last year when I did the Goofy and I don't want a repeat of that.

Dave