With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams...

Officially started my Road Kill Run training today.  Run is scheduled for April 30th!!

ran a 9:07 average pace.  Progressive run all the way except the last .1 which was 5 seconds slower.  I'm not even going to count it!

Ab ripper in the am to follow.  I can actually tell I'm getting better at some of those exercises!

After work MR and I got to try out our new bikes.  How Fabulous they are.  They're hybrids, so not as fast as a street bike would be, but compared to the walmart specials we've been riding, they are amazing :-)  We were so excited to ride them that we forgot to push start on the garmins when we started.  Around mile 3.25 we started them.  For the next 5.75 miles, we finished in 25 minutes.  I think it was around 16 mph.  It doesn't sound fast, but it felt like we were flying.

Then we had a little dance off.  I think it was a 2-3 score.  I'm the 2 obviously.

Not a bad way to start my "back to work" after a 5 day holiday.

Someone turned off my alarm.  It wasn't me.  MR said it wasn't him, although he did admit to touching it yesterday.  So it must have been the cat or the chicken.

Either way, I got 1.5 extra hours of sleep.  Only had enough time for a 20 min shred video.  I thought of Carolyn while I was doing it.  It is a good quick indoor workout.

I'll have to do my Road Kill Run training after work.  Speed work!!  Can't wait.

PM run: 1 mile warm up, 1 mile @ 7:58, .5 cool down, 1 mile at 8:06, .5 cool down, 1 mile at 7:57, 1 mile cool down.  avg pace was 8:44.  Pretty happy with it.  The first speed mile felt tough, but towards the end, I was feeling really great.  Could have gone another round or two.

I wasn't sure how this run was going to go this morning.  After the shred yesterday and then running speedwork last night, I thought I was going to be KO'd.

I wriggled on my cheetah pants and did my pt warm ups.  MR got up and went out with me.  We averaged a 9:44.  It was 1 min slower avg pace than yesterday, but the effort felt faster than it was.  Tired legs I think.  The cheetah pants are awesome- I can feel the support while I am running.  Legs felt better after a few miles (as usual).

pilates and core (slash) ab ripper X

then stretching.  lots of stretching.

Wriggled into the cheetah pants early this morning to get my miles in early.  Lots of things to do before lunch time today.

Started off slow, just wanted to get the miles in.  Felt good and just plugged away.  MR rode his new bike along side of me to keep me company.

ran into knee troubles. had to walk & stretch quads a couple of times. disappointing, yes.  Glad I was able to finish.  I thought the cheetah pants & small knee band would be sufficient, but it looks like I might still need the big brace for longer runs.

I'll be working on leg strength more this week too.  Don't want any more knee troubles.  Ever.

Rainstorms this morning.  We went out for a walk this afternoon when the rain had stopped & the sun was out.

I had on a sundress and my suede sandals.  1/2 way around the loop, the rain came back.  Torrential downpour with rivers running down the streets.  What could we do but laugh & finish walking home?  We were drenched from head to toe, but what better excuse do you need for some hot cocoa  in front of the fireplace?

Did my strength work first.  p90x legs & back.  I don't have any upper body strength, so instead of hanging from a bar & swinging like a mad woman, I use my weights & try to do other arm/back stuff.  I'm sure it's not the best, but my legs got a good workout.

Then I did my 3 mile run.  That's what the training plan said, so I just did 3.  Which was good because I was out of time.  It was later in the morning, and I enjoyed the sky lighting ceremony in the east.  Always a good day when I'm greeted with a rainbow of light.

My plan to do elliptical and p90x was hampered by the warmth and comfort of my bad this morning.

So I worked the core synergestics and brought it on in the living room for an hour.  I feel ridiculous doing it & I'm glad no one is watching.  Luckily, when the kids left for seminary I was doing lunges and not rolling around like a fish out of water trying to flop a superman/banana on the floor.

Followed up with physical therapy exercises.  Not as easy to do after working out and it is before.

I want to run, but I'm really trying to put my faith in the "low miles" training plan.  Lots of cross training & making the miles I do run count.

speed/tempo today.  Wasn't sure I could pull it off, but ended up exceeding my expectations...so I'm the winner.

Training plan said 6 miles warm up, 4 @ 9:09 pace & cool down).  My first mile was around a 9:30, and all my miles after that were under 9.  Avg overall pace was an 8:45.  I didn't even need the last mile to cool down; I actually ran it faster than all the other miles.  Felt good all day. 

Wore the bigger knee brace & didn't have any troubles, so I'm happy for now :0)

up late at night & rain in the morning.  I only had 3 miles on the training plan & it didn't seem worth it to get wet for only 3miles.  So I did p90x kenpo instead.

I'll run later today when it's (hopefully) not raining.

After-noon, after-dinner run.  not a good idea.  hamburger helper burper upper.  slow run, but glad I got it done. MR ran with me in his VFFs- I think it looks silly when he runs & I have to try not to laugh.  A big grown man tip toeing along the road.

Another plan B day. Wanted to do elliptical & then a shred. I had to set up the elliptical because it'd been folded up when MR cleaned the garage a couple weeks ago. I don't know what he did to it, but it's not working.

So I did p90x plyo instead. I kept wondering if it was a good idea or not, because I don't want my legs too sore for my long run tomorrow. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

I woke up with sore calves from the plyo Friday.  They were sore, but didn't get in the way of my run.   We drove the route first to make sure I had my miles right, but somehow my brain and the car didn't work together the right way and I ended up having a 15 mile route instead of 14.  It was fine, and I ended up running a negative split.  My last couple miles were pretty fast (for me) so I think that's a good sign that I can do more miles. 

I wore the big knee brace, and I'm glad I did.  A few times between miles 4-9 I heard my knee grumble at me a little bit, but the brace kept it in check and I only stopped once to stretch my quads (which seems to give my knee a little relief).

I've been on the look out for a treasure box to adorn with my road treasures and to store other treasures I find in. We saw the perfect looking crate in the ditch.   MR was on his bike and stopped to check out the crate.  When he went to pull it out of the ditch, he found that it was actually holding a dead animal.  Half the animal was in the crate and the head was hanging out of the box drown in the water in the ditch.  It was NOT good.  We named the dead animal "Treasure."  Because my treasure box was now "Treasure's" Box.  Had to leave Treasure and the box in the ditch.  It didn't smell good at all!!

Yes, I have photos, but I don't think they're nice at all.  I sent one to RAD and her response was, "now that's just nasty!"  It really is.  We did however conclude that Treasure looks more like a little dog than a cat based on the teeth that were exposed in it's mouth.  Poor Treasure.  Who puts a puppy in a wooden crate and throws it in a ditch?  Unacceptable.

Good run, overall pace was 9:35.  Beautiful day.  I'm so happy spring is here!!!!

It is so beautiful outside here!  I couldn't stay indoors and miss being out in the wonderful world.  We went on a bike ride.  Found a new back road route that took us on a 3 county trip. 

We rode by and saw "Treasure"....still hanging out in his box.  Then around mile 9 we rode by a field where they were flying model planes.  It wasn't easy riding in a straight line while my eyes were on the plane flying around.  It's nice to see people out enjoying spring.

We ended up going around 24 miles.  The ride home was into the wind which wasn't as much fun as riding out, but it was all good.  Enjoying the new bikes and lovely rides.  We don't really go very fast, our avg pace was 12.9 mph.  A guy passed us on his bike at one point...he was really going somewhere.  We were enjoying the day.

Oh my.  4:30 am is really tough when my body still thinks it's 3:30 am.  So I slept in till 5.  We had to compromise.

5 miles.  First mile was slow...10:18.  Then I had a 9:08 and progressed up to an 8:20. 

No time for abs rippers or shredding... I needed a nap after my shower, so maybe I'll get something else done later.  Maybe not.  We'll have to see what the gods have in store for me today!

cardio X and ab ripper. 

I really wanted to sleep in because I'd been up all night and I don't know why!

But I got up and did the workout & I was glad I did.  It's not really a tough workout compared to the plyo or the kenpo, but I was still sweating like a pirate by the end. 

My husband sent me to bed early last night because I was walking around like a glossy eyed zombie who hadn't had enough sleep.

This morning I look like a glossy eyed zombie that has had enough sleep!

It had just finished raining and was humid, but only 55 degrees, so it was perfect weather for a light jacket.  My glasses fogged up, and I ran in a couple of puddles, but what the heck, it's all good.

The cow pastures smelled like manure today.  Some days I don't smell them at all, but today was a different story.  Maybe the rain and the warmer temps.  So that was my treasure for the morning :-)

Avg pace 8:56.  My legs feel so strange running in the cheetah pants- the compression feels strange.  I wonder if it's the extra blood flow that's been giving me headaches... maybe it's not allergies after all.... hhhhmmmmm...

Went with MR to run laps at the park while the littlest buccaneer went to seminary.  We only got .46 in when his heel was hurting too much for him to run.  I decided I'd just walk with him and run a little after school while she's in art club.  Maybe I'll try the bleachers.

Cooler morning today, but clear skies- the stars were a treat to see.  It's easier to enjoy them walking on a paved path than when I'm running on the road and need to keep my eyes on the pavement.

Well, I finally got those miles in from yesterday.  Had to head out early so I could be ready in time to pick up seminary buccaneer and take her out for breakfast.

I do not recommend arby's breakfast hash browns.  Oh Ick!  No amount of arby's sauce could kill that mess. 

Avg pace was 9:09.  I tried to keep my pace between 9:30 & 9:00.  Mission accomplished. 

Six easy miles.  Beautiful last day of winter!  Ran with MR, so he set the pace.  9:50-9:00 was our range.  I was disapointed that my knee started popping around mile 3.5.  It did it a couple of times and I stopped to stretch out my quad and I tightened my knee band.  Still popped a could of times more on the way home, but not as bad. 

Tired of knee problems.  Want to run free.

After a quick break at home and a wardrobe change, we headed out for our 4 county bike ride.  I've been wanting to do it for a while now, and today was the perfect day!!  Beautiful ride out in the country among the farms and fields.  We went from Cumberland, to Robeson, to Hoke, back to Robeson, then through Bladen, Cumberland, Robeson, and finally back to Cumberland County.  It was 40 miles in all..just around 3 hours.  We weren't breaking any speed records, just enjoying the ride.

My legs were tired and sore though.  Felt like mile 20 in the marathon when we still had 5 miles till home.  And for some strange reason, we were in some kind of twilight zone vortex where no matter which direction we were riding, the wind was blowing in our faces.  It was always blowing head on...and we rode in a circle!! 

It was a productive treasure hunt day, however.  MR was the treasure hunter extrodinaire.  The first find was a broken statue in the field.  He was able to rescue the part that had the head with a basket on top of it.  Fit in his backpack perfectly.  That would have been treasure enough, but fate had more in store for us on this trip.

I was headed up the overpass and really focused on pedaling strong into the wind as I went uphill, so I never heard him yell out, "What the CRAP is that?" I didn't see that he had stopped and turned around to pick up another treasure.  All I knew was that when I had finally reached the bottom of the overpass, I turned around to see where he was, and he was just cresting the top of the hill.  It made me mad because I had to pull over and stop and wait for him.  I was feeling really grouchy about all of it, and was ready to make some comment about "thanks for making me lose my momentum" when he rode up on his bike, and as he passed me, I saw that there were 2 long barbie legs with white stiletto heels poking up out of the back of his bag.  It made me laugh and I just couldn't be grouchy looking at those silly long legs poking out the top of his bag.  He'd found a Spanish Dancing Barbie..complete with a wire hoop skirt and fan.  It was certainly a perfect treasure and I'm glad he got it.  He rode the rest of the time with those barbie legs sticking out the top of his bag. 

We stopped for a snack at McDonalds at mile 24.  Nice break.  Want to get attention?? Wear biking shorts to McDonalds.  It's like wearing a huge red blinking light that says "Stare at my legs!"

We saw a few other treasures on the way home that wouldn't fit in the backpack.  There was a stuffed my little pony, a bratz doll head that you can style the hair on, and 1/2 a lazy-boy recliner.  (It is important to note that he wanted to make sure I got the mattress in the background).

My legs were sore the rest of the day, but it was all worth it.  I'm not sure I'll be going on rides that long again for a while, but I'm glad I had a chance to do it when it was so beautiful outside.

1.2 mile walk through the hood.  All the pear trees are full of leaves, the dogwoods are sneaking out now, and the wisteria is ready to pop a purple show on us.

Early morning.  Did my physical therapy before my run & had no knee problems, even with the smaller knee band. 

shred level 2 and 45 min on the elliptical

after dinner, went for another walk around the hood with MR.  Wisteria is out and smells so beautiful.  Love the spring, but there's so much yellow pollen now.  The pine trees are showering us with their love.

Speed/Tempo today.  Did my physical therapy exercises again before starting my run.  I'm thinking it helps keep my knee in check.  It cuts 15 minutes out of my workout time, but it really is working out, isn't it?

the plan was 7 total, 4 at a 9:09 pace.  My first mile was 9:48, and every mile after that was under 9:09.  The last 1.5 were going to be my cool down, but I felt so good that I just kept running at the faster pace.  My last mile was the fastest of all (around 8:10).  Avg pace was 8:46.

There is so much pollen in the air right now.  My headlamp was lighting up all the particulates in the air, and there was so much pollen that it looked like I was running in a smoky or foggy cloud.

63* outside this morning.  Warmest morning we'll have for the next week, but it was delicious!

PT warm ups, 4.1 miles at a 9:02 avg pace, then ab ripper x.

Just another Thursday.

Kenpo X.  Then I had to call it quits to make the coconut/chocolate/macadamia nut bread pudding in honor of Chocolate Appreciation Week.

MR took Wyatt and I on a long run around the airfield on base. He was going to run a while & then ride, but threw in the towel before we left the parking lot and rode the whole way. It must have been a long 3 hours for him, but he was a good water boy & never complained. I've read that it's good to run slow on your long runs because it takes longer and gets your body used to running a longer time. If that's the case, then it was a good long run today. Our pace was pretty darn slow, but the distance didn't seem so bad. We had a lot to talk about & catch up on. What is amazing is we both ended up back in town a couple hours later at the same restaurant. We hadn't even planned or discussed it. We were there texting each other & didn't know we were both there!!! My knee isn't in a lot of pain, and I didn't have pain running today, but it feels sore tonight. Probably just from the distance. Nice run on a beautiful spring day before the rain started. It started raining on the drive home & it's rained all day. Dogwoods are all in bloom and the trees are beautiful with their green leaves. Wisteria are all over the place and the holly tree blossoms smell soooo sweet.

It was a cold (for me) 37* outside this morning, so I had to drag out all my cold gear that I'd been so happy to put away 2 weeks ago.  It looks like we're going to have a week of cold weather, so I'll leave the gloves and fleece out for the week.

Running felt like I was clomping along and looking like an oompa loompa.  Just one of those "off" running days.  I eventually got my groove, but it wasn't until the last mile or so. 

Did my PT for warm up and wore the small knee band.  I didn't have any pain, but I can feel some soreness.  Aleve to the rescue. 

Paces were 10:10, 9:08, 8:53, 8:50, and 8:32 for the last .83 miles.  I had a route I wanted to run today rather than an actual distance (I just wanted over 4.5).  Avg pace was 9:10.  That's faster that I thought it would be.  I didn't check my paces as I ran, I just ran how I was feeling.  I don't feel like it's a bad run for a clompy/stompy Monday morning run.

Today is supposed to be a teacher work day & the kids are supposed to be home, BUT we are all here at the school making up a snow day.  The only consolation is that it's a crummy rainy day outside, so I'm not wishing I was home taking in the beautiful spring sunshine.

Plyo X.  Knee is twanging today.  Not pain, but sore, achey & twangy.

Today is MR's birthday so I spent the morning (after plyo) making lasagna.  That is a valid excuse for being late to work, isn't it?

Speed day and longer run day. I had to get up on time this morning again. 2 days in a row - I feel like a winner in a competition that awards finalists nothing but tiredness.

I did my pt warm ups and headed out for my 8. It's been a long time since I've run 8 miles in the mornings. I ran 1.5 warm up, then 1 mile at an 7:58, 1/2 mile easy run, 1 mile at 8:03, 1/2 mile easy, 1 mile at 8:03, 1/2 mile easy, 1 mile at 7:32, 1 mile easy. Avg pace was 8:40 (if I remember correctly).

The fast paces were tough & I felt like I was working hard. I'm glad I did it & exceeded my goal paces. Since my knee bothered me so much yesterday, I wore the large knee brace- probably a good idea. I didn't have any pain, but the knee is still sore today. Taking Ibuprofen and trying to ice when I can.

My legs (the hamstring areas) are sooo sore today. I guess that p90x plyo put a hurting on me yesterday.

There was a light rain this morning on my run, but I had my ball cap on & it didn't get on my glasses. And that my friends, is my treasure for the day. Running in rain covered glasses in the dark stinks! My were dry today :-)

Well, the snooze button won round one today, so I was 10 minutes late getting up & out.

I ran almost .5 and stopped to stretch out my quads to loosen up my knee a little. It was really dark outside, and I thought I'd passed mile one and couldn't figure out why my mile chime hadn't gone off. I looked at my watch, and I'm not sure what I was/wasn't looking at, but I realized I hadn't started my watch after stretching, so I pushed the start button & then the lap button-

Trouble was, the watch was already on, so I actually turned it off. Didn't realize my mistake until around mile 2 when it didn't go off again. The watch read .96 miles. Oh well. I just ran a little further & waited until the turn around point to re-set the watch and start over.

It was foggy outside, so I think my brain got full of the fog too.

I wanted it to be a slow/recovery run. I have no idea what my pace was for the first 1/2 of the run. I was over a 10mm at the 1/2 mile mark, so I had a good, slow start. The last 2.66 miles were 9:28, 9:33, and 9:09.

Looking forward to sleeping in some day.