Here's
the link to responses to last week's thread.
Mel: Welcome back!! We missed you. It sounds like you got lots of good hill work/hiking and I hope your hip is feeling better. And from this day forward I will think of you as the goat whisperer.
Kristi: Congrats to Zack on his Fitness U. finals. Very cool bling. Zack is like his momma in that he's a happy athlete!
Howard: I love how supportive you and Cam are with one another.
Good attitude on the walk in the park. I think your progress is just amazing--you're making such great strides so quickly. A natural athlete, huh? No wonder you didn't need to train for the Goofy in the past.
You crack me up. You do your XT, feel really good afterwards, and so reward yourself with a run. I eat ice cream in such situations. Is it any wonder that your running pace is improving and mine is, well, mine just is?
Aloha Jeff: Now I want a moobella too. Now that's a party machine! (I need to move to Boston.) Sure, Tracy's rubbing your nose in her day off. She runs on Mount Trashmore and you, you live in Hawaii. I think you win, even if you're always at work.
Maura: I'm too late to guilt you into going to the gym for last weekend. Did you at least enjoy some brisket? Blobdom is one of my favorite states, unfortunately, and sounds much more relaxing than working on abs and stuff. (Thanks for the technical jargon, btw.
)
Vic: I hope your training went well and quickly! I'm sort of sad that you spend all this time in Orlando and not in the parks.
Allyson: I hope you found the motivation to run. Me, I use bribes. (Run or clean house, run or clean house?) You don't need them, however. Congrats on your 3 miler and longest training run yet!
Stephanie: Don't you love accomplishing goals. I adore the fact yours are just like mine--not too long, not too far. Very manageable.
Tracy: Wet-noodle lashing? You do have a little dominatrix in you, don't you? Great job on your 12-miler. You deserved your ice bath, NASCAR (wish it was more enjoyable for you) and, yes, even your ice cream! Happy belated b-day to your DGM!!! AFM? I like it! The big question is, what did you do with your day off? Did it involve teeth? Or a massage? (See dominatrix comment, above.
)
Terri: I think your Tour de Living Room deserves its own bling. Good luck with your r/w training program and finding your ideal intervals!
Z: What a great reason to get started running! To run in someone's memory is a very special thing--thanks for sharing your story with us. I find our WISH team to be very motivating to me--sometimes we cheer, sometimes we push, and apparenly we sometimes lash people with wet noodles.
Angie: Congratulations on listening to the advice of DH, channeling the voices of your WISHmates, paying attention to your body, and most of all for doing the hard work of running a shorter and easier distance than you wanted to. I'm excited for you!
And I'm a proud member of the tortoise brigade--we finish strong, we finish happy, we finish uninjured, and there's a whole lot of us to party with at the back of the January pack!
Oh, and
Sometimes we all need to hear this, yes? Thanks for reminding me.
David: Welcome to the boards. Doing the Disney marathon seems like a perfect conclusion to your honeymoon (although you might be talking to the right audience here). We can guarantee you that Disney will be a fun run if you hang with us!
Lily: Great to see you here! Training begins for you next week--are you excited?? Great suggestion to bring a camera for trail training/runs/wogs/walks. I never think to bring mine, but I'm going to try and remember to do so in the future!
Lisa: You're going to do great with your Beacon to Beach 10K, regardless of the time. You've been training for it, you know your body, and you're willing to run the best race you can under the conditions you have. You're going to rock! And keeping up with the weekly thread is a little like speed work, isn't it? It can leave me breathless, at least! Your 7-miler's pace deserves that little dance!
I hope that's the way you feel on race day, too.
Betsy: Welcome back to the weekly thread--it's good to see your smiling face. (You know what I mean.
) I'm glad you took the time to grieve for your relationship and have decided to remain friends. And it's a sign of your strength that you've kept focused on your training and IM event.
You never fail to impress me (and would probably intimidate me on a course--in a good way, of course)!
Jennifer: A week off racing??
Just kidding! Will this be your first nighttime race? WTG with your training runs and hill work. It sounds like you'll be adding speed work, too. These fit nicely with your short- and long-term goals, which I have no doubt you'll accomplish.
Carrie: I have yet to respond to your RR for your first tri, but I know that congratulations are in order. Not only did you finish your race, but did so under some horrendous taper conditions and the challenges of an ill-marked course. You should be proud of all that you've accomplished. We're proud of you! I do so admire all you triathletes.
Thank you for the update on your FIL. He's been in my thoughts. Those Minnesotans are a hardy bunch, and it's especially good news that he's feeling better so quickly! For you and Scott as well as for him. Not selfish at all. Not at all!
And Liz is right--this deserves an ice-cream moment! (What doesn't?)
Liz: I'm so glad you had a training breakthrough and found yourself enjoying your miles in an almost meditative way. It makes me want to turn off my iPod, too....
I don't know about the salt--precaution due to heat? I've not tried salt tablets, but many recommend them. And you already know this, but follow your training plan for the taper. Rest, give your body a chance to recover. Don't follow the path that leads to extra WO. It only leads to (taper) madness. Spend extra time stretching, if you must, or meditating.
Kira: You're going to do great with your first 1/2. You've been pretty active while on vacation, if I recall, even if it wasn't all running. And you've been building your base long before your trips. XT will help a lot, too. We'll keep you accountable on the Pilates and anything else you want to add. (It's not nagging, I promise!) I started to send you PD on finding your sapphire, when I realized someone else had already dusted you! Yay for finding the stone and getting it repaired.
MB Michelle: Your 7+ miler left you sore? In a good way, I hope, and evidence that you were pushing yourself toward your DL 1/2 goal!
Claire: I know I posted this on last week's thread, but it deserves double hugs.
How scary the mugging must have been for you--and how brave you are. And so calm! I can't believe you introduced your story with information about cupcakes. (Although you do know your audience!
) I hope you're recovering without too much stress or pain.
Ang: And how is your running going?
Jackie: I'm glad to hear you're keeping up with your therapist's suggestions and that your hip is feeling better. It does--cross your fingers--sounds as if you're making improvements and you're feeling less pain on your runs!
Stacie: Cool design! It would look nice hanging above my TM...if I had my own.
ASM: I wrenched my shoulder this weekend in preventing a fall down slippery steps. I managed to avoid hurting my knees or ankles, but my shoulder is a bit sore. So I can run without any pain if I do so slowly (do I run any other way?), but I'm holding myself a little strangely. I imagine I look a little like Bela Lugosi. But attractive.
Then it's dig in and train real soon. I'm hoping for great weather now. 
SOmeone (Jackie?) for AFM and then (as for me). SO, being teh bear of exceptionally little brain that I am lately, thaough Jackie was AFM, although I coudl nto figure out why she called herself that. BTW, I do have a firend who's screen name abbreviated is AFM, so maybe that makes me look a little better? 
Finally, this am, my brain kicked in and 
, then 
Voila! OMG, I cannot believe it ahs raken me several days, though. 
all morning...)
