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

2 mile walk around the hood

Wanted to try & re-create my knee pops because I had my ortho appt this afternoon.  Everytime I've tried running over 6 miles the last few weeks, it always happens.  So of course, it didn't happen today.

Got a nice workout in anyway.  8 miles, 8:50 avg pace.  Started slow & sped up. 

Dr wasn't able to identify what the problem was.  Ordered another MRI and told me I could just continue business as usual until then.  Sounds good.  I also got a spiffy new knee brace.  It's not the thick neoprene stuff.  A very thin one...nuskin or some name like that.  Looking forward to using it Wednesday.

45 min on elliptical and ab ripper x.

Tried the new brace today.  I can tell there's a brace on, but it is easier to move in than the older one and it doesn't rub the back of my knee raw....so I like it!

No popping again today.  I'm guessing that's good.  Less worry for me.  I tried some interval training. 1.5 warm up then speed for .2, recover for .2  (for 2.5 miles).  Then I ran .25 speed off/on for 2.5 miles, and .5 speed with 1 mile recovery.

My ap was 8:50, the same as Monday's progressive run, but I got there an entirely different way, and I felt more exhaused today than yesterday.  It really felt like a good workout. 

easy miles today.  Just out enjoying running with my new knee brace.  No pops or snaps, just some sore muscles from the sprints yesterday.  Good feeling soreness, not bad.

Enjoyed a beautiful sunrise.  9:32 ap.  Tried working on form, but I find when I really work on form, I speed up - and I didn't want to do any speed today.  Slow form is difficult.

Saw a rabbit running with me on the opposite side of the road.  he'd run, then stop, then run, then stop.  He was faster than me and grew tired of our game, so he ran off into the bushes.

Took a nap before going to work this morning, and slept so deeply I didn't hear my alarms go off.  Good power nap!

did some stretches,a few strengthening exercises, and a very slow and short run.

Good easy recovery day for my long run tomorrow.

Long run with Wyatt and the Water Boy.  Weather was nice all day, so we slept in and ran later in the morning.

Slow pace, great conversation.  No awesome treasures on the road, but the run & company was treasure enough.  No knee prolems wearing the new knee brace.  

Happy Mother's Day.  I've eaten and slept more today than anyone in their right mind should.

After all my sleep yesterday, I should have been full of energy.  I was probably sucking wind due to all the carbs in ingested yesterday.  And not the healthy, complex kind....but the simple, white sugar, mixed with oils (the tasty kind).

Out of bed at 4:10, got dressed, did my physical therapy, and headed out the door.  It was mid-50's, and lots of fog coming off the fields.  Really pretty when the sun starting lighing up the sky with all the reds, oranges & pinks.  One particular field I ran by looked so amazing with the low fog on the field blending into the orange sky.  It was photo worthy, but I didn't want to stop.  So today, that will be my personal "treasure."

My knee brace worked well.  I tried running at a tempo I was comfortable with, but was faster than my average.  I finished with an 8:55 ap.  I was really feeling tired legs after mile 7 when I had to run up the overpass.  I tried increasing the pace the last 2 miles, but it was tough.  I didn't check my splits to see how they were, I tried just working on running the way I felt.  Glad I got the miles in, and I'm pretty happy with the pace.  Really happy no knee troubles.

30 min elliptical

shred level 2

ab ripper x

sweating like crazy...had trouble "climbing" up my leg on the ab ripper because it was so slippery.  Good workout.

Thunderstorms were knocking each other out last night, and kept me up. I was too tired to shut the windows to make it quiet. I found an ear plug, but didn't have the energy to put it in my ear. Cranky tired.

Good thing it's hump day!! I was going to do 9, but didn't get out in time, so I only went 8. Tried to do a progressive run. Missed on mile 5 and went up 10 seconds instead of down, but other than that, met my goal. Avg pace was 8:56.

Shower & nap, then off to work. Good times.

45 min on elliptical

3 medium paced miles & ab ripper

Kind of tapering off a little this week.  Balancing my need to run, my desire to run long distances, and my body's ability to let me follow through with my dreams. 

Plus, saving some energy & looking forward to going out on the high seas with my best mate while we pillage, loot, and search for booty.  Bring it ON!!!

Fun run with Terri!  So awesome to be back on the road with my running buddy.  Had a great visit- just too bad it was so short. 

We took our time on the run, enjoyed the moment, laughed and sweat like crazy (it was so humid)!

MR ran too.  He took off after mile one, ready to run tough, but around mile 7, his calf cramped up.  It could have been due to lack of training, or maybe it had something to do with the tequila at mile 5?   It was right before the miniature horse.  Some kind-hearted folks passing out tequila and corona. 

We caught up with him right after mile 12.  He walked most of the last mile trying to keep the cramp at bay. 

It was fun to run without the stress of time, but I think I may try and train for a flat 1/2 PR this fall. 

p90x core synergestics and then some fun...Wii Just Dance.  I had time for 5 songs, and I crushed MR's high score on "Big Girls." 

Gonna be a good day!!!

50 minutes on the elliptical, then 15 minutes of stretching.  legs are still a bit sore from Sunday.

What I am grateful for today:  Bojangle's bo-berry biscuits.

Quick, speedy run before my MRI to try & get the knee just right for it's photo shoot.

First mile was a warm up...9:40, then I had a 7:40 and a 7:20 for the last .6!  Fast for me.  I was KO'd when I was done, but happy with the speed.

THEN>> When I came in from my run, I had an awesome Birthday surprise!  MR made me french toast with real french bread topped with powdered sugar, chocolate syrup, strawberries and blackberries and of course - cake batter ice cream !!!!  SOOO sweet!!

Had the MRI, then Thai food for lunch before our 37 mile bike ride extravaganza.  We averaged 12 mph, which is good for us.  It is humbling to know world class runners travel faster than us on bikes.

Sore legs & sit bones toward the end of the ride, but it was beautiful.  Corn is already a couple feet tall in the fields! 

After dinner, MR took me to see Water For Elephants.  I enjoyed the book, and the movie was good too.  Almost as good as that bucket of popcorn :-)

Thanks to all for the birthday wishes.  It was a wonderful day!!

Slower recovery run.  Quads have been a little tender since the run on Sunday, so I'm trying to ease them back into running. 

Avg pace was around a 9:30.  Beautiful sunrise today.  If I could figure out how to post photos, I would.  Maybe RAD will throw me a bone and put it up here to show y'all.

45 min elliptical

Dr said knee was okay, no big problems.  Just keep strengthening & building it up.

I need to remember to build slowly.   Gotta keep working on enjoying the journey & not just focusing on the prize.

hoping to get some great pix soon so I can post them on the blog now that I've been schooled by Burt the best blogger boy.

Busy morning being a "college parent."  Went on a beautiful 11 mile bike ride with MR in the evening.  Everything was great except the bugs.   I need a mouth visor to keep them out.  Or a bee keeper's hat.   Maybe Wyatt has an extra one.  She's got 5 hives.

One of the frogs living in my shed.  Just working on figuring out this posting photos business!

Just a run.  Not fast, but not trying to go slow.  I guess this is my auto-pilot speed.

avg pace 9:29.  Mostly progressive, but mile 3 (thank you dumb dog at mile 2 for making me run too fast) was slower than mile 2.  After that, all good.

Almost home, the sunrise colors were missing today.  Feeling cheated not finding any treasures, when what do you know, there on the side of the road was Toonces, the road kill cat.

Ab ripper x at home.  Found out today that my new running shorts are see thru when they're wet.  Such a great thing that I sweat so much....NOT.

p90x plyometrics

that's enough for now

robin nest out back has 3 new family members!

My legs are still crying from plyo yesterday.  I told them to shut up and quit whining.  Or, I tried to tell them...they didn't want to listen.

 First mile was slow...10:17.  Then I had a couple miles around 9:20-9:00, then built up to an 8:20 on mile 5.  Mile 6 I slowed down the first half, and tried to finish fast the last half.  Averaged an 8:32. 

I got my snooze and off buttons mixed up and got a late start today.  The sky was already light enough I didn't need my headlamp at 5:15 am.  I left it on for cars to see me.  Drivers seemed less happy about moving over and giving me egress.  I wonder if it's just cranky wednesday?

Legs are tired.  I decided that as sick as it sounds, sometimes I like it when they're sore because it's telling me I'm getting stronger. 

Kind of a recovery run.  Slow progression run.  Avg pace 9:29.

Toonces the road-kill cat is gone.  Took to the big highway in the sky.

I like being out when it turns from night to day.  Saw a rabbit hopping across my neighbor's yard.  I wonder if he's enjoying her garden :-)

Sleep. I took a nap after work yesterday and cried when I woke up because I couldn't go back to sleep due to a meeting.   I realized I just needed some sleep, so that's what I did.  Looking forward to a nice run tomorrow with Wyatt and the water boy.

12 mile country run with Wyatt and the WaterBoy.  Beautiful fields of corn starting to grow.

It was very muggy for the first 1/2 of the run.  Cloud cover, but we were running in clouds too.  And the freaking yellow flies are out.  They are abundant around swamps and forests.  Which was the first 3 miles of our run.  In her best effort to help me out, Wyatt tried to save me from the flies by trying to kill them when they landed on me.  I got smacked in the back of the head and smacked on the rear.   For anyone who doesn't know yellow flies, they're horrid like horse flies, and they swarm us on the roads and bite without mercy.  We took a different route back home instead of the planned out & back.  It was a good choice.

 We had some great treasure finds.  MR found a reversible watch on the side of the road.  Can't tell for sure, but it looks like one side is star wars and the other side is Justin Bieber.  It was laying next to a box of "Summer's Eve."  Let the jokes come. 

We also found this.  A backbone, head, and one leg.  Curious & makes you wonder where the rest of it went.

 The run wasn't really fast, but it was nice to get out.  We had a little rain toward the end, and then the sun came out super hot just as we were ending.  Perfect timing, perfect run.

leisurely walk around the hood.  1.5 miles.  Looking around to see who has a better lawn than we do.  Grubs got to us early and we've got a lot of make-up work to do.  The green is green, but the dead is dead!

Didn't get out early enough, and the heat/sun/humidity got to me after mile 8.  There was a lull in the breeze between miles 7.5 and 10.5... a long 30 minutes.

Wyatt was playing a/c serviceman helper with her MR, so it was just me and the waterboy.  Took a familiar route, but changed it up a little in the middle.  I thought it would add more mileage.  Kind of glad it didn't in the end.  New scenery was nice for a few miles.

I finally got a photo of the cows today.  I try and get them in the mornings, with the sun rising behind them, but they're always far away eating.  Today, when we approached them, they were all lining up in a row.  Getting ready for the big race evidently, because when I got my camera out to take their photo, it turned into the running of the bulls.  Here's my best shot:

Black angus with one white long horn.  Tasty and extra tasty.

The critter below probably isn't very tasty.  We'll just say he probably wasn't keeping an eye out for traffic before, but he certainly is now!

Reminds me of a little song I used to sing about a frog whose eyes went "Ga- Ga- GA!"

Avg pace 9:45.  Negative splits- second half faster than the first.  I'm good with that since the heat was bad in the second half.

Spent a lot of the run reflecting on friends lost in the service of our country.  Wondering how their families are doing and hoping they know I think of them often.  Memorial Day full of memories.  

30 minutes on elliptical, then shred level 2.

I was going to do the ab ripper, but I threw in the sweaty towel and fed the birds instead.