Hyde Park Blast

Can you PR in an off-distance race?


Yes, if you have run it before!


The Hyde Park Blast is a 4 mile point-to-point race through one of Cincinnati's more beautiful urban neighborhoods. I ran this race two years ago and finished with the not-so-impressive time of about 44 minutes. At least that's what I think. I've tried to block it out of my mind and swore I'd do everything in my power to be out of town every July 4th weekend so I wouldn't have to run this race again. This weekend, I find myself in the unusual position of being the only person in my family who is in town so off I went to the races!


The goodies for the Blast, by the way, are awesome. The shirt is a TOTALLY cute women's cut cotton t-shirt with the slogan "Bust a Hump up these Hills." Ha! Ha! At least they're honest. Also, I got a cute pink running hat embroidered with the little Blast spaceship logo that says "Cancer Sucks" on the back, a Nike nalgene-type water bottle, and, the best thing -- a coupon good for a $25 coupon to the sponsoring running store if I test drive a Toyota (which I did on Thursday). I made money on this race people!


Shuttles and Toyota Hybrids drove runners to Ault Park at the top of Hyde Park. There were several starts: Cliff Bar Chase for the Cash (whatever that is, but it involved some guy getting a head start) 7:50, women's elite start 7:55, Men's elite and main field start 8:00, RUNNERS WITH DOGS AND STROLLERS START 8:04, walkers 8:05. Of course, everything went off schedule with all those starts and we didn't actually start until almost 8:15.


I'll give you my splits, but first I just have to say that I could easily run 7:00 minute miles if my dog was pulling me the whole way. You should have seen how quickly the dog people went past! Honestly, I don't think they waited 4 minutes after the main start. The dogs probably pulled out when the main field started running. Can you picture it: "Sit Spot. Wait for the gun boy!" Yeah, right.


Wait, wait... the course! Elevation at the start is 760 feet and at the finish is 666 feet (let's call that 665 LOL). But the journey down those 100 feet is like a roller coaster ride. All that's missing is the loop-d-loop. Just when you start to enjoy the downhill momentum, it's back up to the top and higher! And the worst punishment of all comes just a mile from the finish. Look at your watch at the 3 mile mark and you think you're right on target... A quarter mile later, you've got some catching up to do!


There's a nice little festival at the end that includes donuts, scrambled eggs and Christian Moerlein beer. (Well, this is Cincinnati).


How'd I do? Awesome baby! Another PR in the books and revenge is mine! These are Garmin times. The race was chip timed, but results aren't yet posted:


Time: 35:41 Laps: 8:49, 8:57, 8:45, 8:47


I am very pleased with this performance. My goal was 35:xx which I felt that my training supported. When my husband asked me what my strategy was to achieve it, I said I would try to run 4 consistent laps a little under 9:00. Without even taking into account the hills, I did exactly what I said I would do. I didn't go out too fast which would have ruined it for me and I maintained a very consistent pace. Yeah,me!


Check out this elevation:

Ode to My Mean Trainer

Ode to My Mean Trainer

Oh, Trainer! Dost thou think thee can break me?

Stairs, Mountain Climbers, Planks --

I will not fail thee

20 pound dumbells;

My arm didn't fall off. See?

Victories will bring me victory.

Slow race times will be history.

Oh, Trainer!

Thou cann'a break me!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another tough workout. 2 miles warmup on the treadmill. First mile at 10:00; Second mile at 9:30. 1% grade, as always. I hoped to get a third mile in, but opted to take a quick shower instead before the real workout began. I don't know why I bothered though.

Leg Extensions: 20lbs at 15 x 4(Stair run (every other step) x 6) SS (Pushups w/ hands on the bosu, one leg extended x 6 each side) x 4

(Jump squats on the riser x 20) SS (Mountain Climbers x 45 sec) SS (Bicep Curls w/ 20 lb dbs) x 4

(Rebounder w/ 4 lb ball x 15) SS (Victories x 10) SS (Plank x 30 sec)x4

Unilateral hip lift on bosu SS Front & Side raises w/ 8 lb db X 3

I soaked two shirts with this workout. Aaron (trainer) said he likes when I say he's trying to kill me in my blog, so I dedicate this entry to him.

400s, Cougar, guitar heros & piano Lessons

I took my run to the treadmill today. And because I hate the treadmill, I did 400s.

1% Grade2 mile warmup at 10:00 pace
7 400s at 8:00 pace.
Approx. 2 minute rest intervals
Cooldown
Total: 5.5 miles.

From the warmup through the first 5 repeats I was lucky enough to listen to John Mellencamp. Oh, what great memories!

Last night I went to see John Mayer perform in concert. His CDs certainly don't do him justice as a musician. This past spring, Rolling Stone called him one of this generation's "Guitar Heros." Yeah, right, I thought. I've never heard him play guitar. When I was invited to the concert, I went out of curiosity. Who was this "guitar hero?" Would he do anything other than strum an accoustic?

Well, I'm here to tell you Rolling Stone was right. That guy can play! He must have played ten different guitars. Each one sang, wept, laughed... it was incredible. I still wouldn't buy one of his cds but, wow! Really, one of the best guitar players I've heard. He could hold his own against Slash, Clapton, Van Halen. Can he play with his teeth -- that I didn't see. But his two hands are two amazing independant entities.

Ben Folds opened the concert, and I must say I am not a fan. The guy can play piano and is talented, but I guess I just don't appreciate his humor. But, I can see the payoff of alot of years of piano lessons there. That plus having a musician parent.

Revised Expectations

Ok, it's HOT. I mean, it's beyond hot. It's the hottest day of the year and the humidity and smog are unbearable. But I'm tough. Treadmill? Air conditioning? Bah! Just give me my running shoes and the great outdoors.

Things started off just peachy for my planned 6 miles. Sure it was hot, but I'm fine. I can tough it out. It's just mental, right? What's a little sweat in the eyes between friends?

I thought I'd make this one fast. Lots of 8s and 9s. I'm practicing for my upcoming races. First mile goes ok. I post a 9:04. Second mile 9:22. It's ok. Maybe it's a little too hot for 8s. I stop for a drink. Phew. It's hotter here on the concrete sidewalk than the asphalt street. Wonder why that is? Oh, well, onward! Mile 3, I can tell I'm slowing down: 10:09. I could just turn around here and make it a 4 and go home. But no! That's cheating! Mile 4, up a hill, a couple traffic lights... I'll just push the button and wait for the "Walk" signal. I better walk if it says "walk." 12:23. Mile 5 I managed 11:13. I have no idea how. Mile 6 begins with a stop at Subway. They have great cold water there. I'll just fill up my bottle. Can't I just stay here a while in the a/c? No, I must make it home. I'm so hot. What was that I just read about bonking -- it's just mental -- go faster -- ok, I'll go faster: 13:12. I can't believe I'm not home yet. I've miscalculated. I'll just run to the stop sign. Now I'll just run to the end of the service drive. Keep going and make it an even 6.5. Yes! Total time: 1:10:49.

I walk in the house a miserable, soaking, mess. I'm still sweating even though I've taken a shower.

I've got two races coming up. Scott C. asked me to post my goals yesterday. Given the weather, I think those goals require a little revision, or should I say, reality check?

Hyde Park Blast 4 miles: Previous Goal 35:00. New Goal: 38:00.

Conquer the Hill 10k: Previous Goal 54:00. New Goal: Under 60:00. Or, if it's like today, I'll skip the race altogether. I've done this one before. It runs through a neighborhood and residents provide the water at the water stops from their hoses. Nothing worse than warm hose water on a hot day.

Back to Business

Alright. What did I do today? Oh, yeah. Weights.

Everything was hard today. I was punished for complaining. Apparently, I'm not allowed to say, "I can't" even when I can't. Sometimes it just slips out though. Really, I never thought I'd need a thesauraus for when I weight train.

I warmed up for less than 10 minutes on the bike and rolled my ITB a little bit. Can you tell I'm off to a slow start already?

Squats: Bar only x 20
Bar (+ 20 lbs) 20 x 3
Deadlifts (15 lb dbs) SS pushups 15 x 4
Millitary pullup w/ feet on bosu (10) SS stairs (every other one) (6) x 4
Jump squats SS overhead press (15 lb dbs) 15 x 4
Mountainclimbers (my punishment) 30 sec. x 2
Stretch.

I was going to go to yoga, but I was too hungry. I don't know why, but I struggled with this morning's workout, despite eating breakfast. Could it be going out for dinner 4 nights in a row took its toll?

I don't know how much more of this childlessness I can take. Scott and I went out for dinner Thursday (po' boys), Friday (Mortons, but I had tuna), Saturday (also fancy and delicious), and tonight! My stomach can't take it anymore.

Last night at the restaurant, we ran into a running friend who agreed to meet me 4 miles into my 12 miler this morning. I called her when I got to the trail and she met me down the trail 40 minutes later. We ran two out and two back together then I ran the remaining 4 back to my car alone. Very nice. As I was running, I thought about getting my body adjusted to the feeling of moving. I think I used to run long runs in slow motion. Like when I ski -- I'm afraid of the feeling of going fast. I grew up in the '70s and my family was not an active and athletic family. I never participated in sports and being a girl, I was never encouraged to join a team. Not that there were any girls teams to join. So, the feeling of really pushing my body to do something is new to me. I don't know yet what I am capable of. Anyway, I didn't exactly try to make my long run slow. But it must have been the right pace because it didn't change significantly for the four miles I ran with a friend. We were able to easily converse the entire time and that's the test, right?

Mile 1 9:54
Mile 2 9:45
Mile 3 10:08
Mile 4 10:06
Mile 5 10:11
Mile 6 10:07
Mile 7 11:02
Mile 8 10:25
Mile 9 9:51
Mile 10 10:02
Mile 11 10:51
Mile 12 10:11

WTD: 29
YTD: 680:09

Hot in Herre

I'm quoting Nick S. here from another forum about keeping cool when it's hot outside:

"There's no secret to staying cool when running outside during the warmer months. You gotta get up early...plain & simple.
Actually...when it's the middle of the Summer (depending where you live), it may never get cool enough to be comfortable running...regardless of the time of day.
This is when you got to "tough it out"...and dream of cooler temps in the Fall."

The dogs woke me up at 6 this morning to let them out. The temperature felt fairly cool. For a fleeting moment I thought it would be a good idea to go out and do my run right then. But it was only fleeting. I'm not inspired by the rabbits, birds, and all of the other backyard intruders that get the dogs up and at 'em before the sun is barely up. It was back to bed for me.

Fast forward: 9 AM. Wow! When's the last time I slept that late? I decided to get up and think about running. By 10:30 I was finally out the door. The sun was shining. Hot. Humid. Perfect. I planned it this way. I'm learning how to "tough it out." I'm acclimating. I do this to myself on purpose.

Not a bad five miles so my plan must be working. I was going to try for marathon pace, but I was a little fast. 49:22. My average pace was 9:50 so in retrospect, I guess that's about perfect.

Shopping & Planning; Planning & Shopping

In the midst of this unusual month that we are having, I've neglected to mention that four days after the kids come home from camp, our oldest son will be going in the hospital for some pretty painful surgery. He was born with a condition called pectus excavatum. Pectus excavatum is a common chest wall birth defect occuring in males more often than in females. The best way to describe the way it looks is as if there is a dent in the sternum. Here, a picture is so much better:

Our pediatrition never so much as mentioned this as being a problem and it wasn't until we went to F's 16th yearly checkup. I had not seen F without his shirt on in probably a year, but never thought anything of it. This time, when the shirt came off, my jaw dropped. Now I see WHY I haven't seen my son without his shirt! I've been nagging him about his posture since he went through puberty... the slouching shoulders drove me crazy! He started going to my trainer and began strengthening his back, but no amount of weight lifting will repair the chest. No amount of weight lifting will allow him to have the confidence to take off his shirt.

The procedure is called the Nuss Procedure. Click here for a description. We expect at least a five day hospital stay for this very painful procedure. One month of at-home convalesence. Three months of restrictions (no lifting anything over ten pounds). After that, no restrictions at all.

So, in preparation for this, and after interviewing several parents whose sons have had the same procedure, we went last weekend to buy a La-z Boy Recliner. There was a big, 50% off liquidation sale going on and we also bought a new sofa and love seat. They are being delivered tomorrow and I have a sinking feeling that it will all look awful in our living room.

Catch up

I've been neglecting this blog. I have not been neglecting my workouts though.

Today was a tough one:

(Seated Rows 20lb x 20 SS Walking forward & reverse lunges) x 4

(Reverse grip pulldowns 20lb x 20 SS 150 jumprope) x 4

(Split squats w/ 6 lb x 10 each leg SS pushups x 15) x 4

(on the bosu: Military presses w/ 6 lb dumbell squat then press SS calf raises on the sled 110 lbs) x 2

THEN:
Run 4ish miles. I ran through road construction and the flaggers were holding these signs:

So I complied.

42 minutes.

Brick

This is a brick:

Today's workout is called a brick. I don't know why. Perhaps because if I do enough of them, I will look like this:

She's a "Brick House"

My brick consisted of 45 minutes of "strength spin" then 3 miles running on the treadmill at 1% grade, 9:30 pace. And I've now turned my blog into a forum for cheesecake.

Camp

In honor of the kids being at camp for the next three weeks, I listened to one of my favorite classic episodes of This American Life while I ran my almost 10 miler this morning. It's called "Notes on Camp" and the podcast can be found at http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=109. I first heard it several years ago and it is the episode that first turned me on to This American Life. Actually, I think this may be an abreviated version, although it lasts almost an hour. But I seem to remember some stuff about the camp dining room that I didn't hear today. Anyway, it's classic and whether or not you went to camp yourself, I guarantee you'll have a smile on your face while listening.

Believe me, I needed something to smile about this morning. No matter how I try, I just can't get out of bed early enough to beat the heat. It was after 9:00 by the time I finally got out the door this morning. It was too hot already to carry water, so I drove around and placed some bottles of water and gatorade, and packets of hammergel in a few strategic locations. The Weather Pixie says it's 85 degrees already and I've only been home a half an hour. There is some good news though. I think I've acclimated to the summer temps. At five miles I thought about quitting, but I didn't. Nor did I walk. I just kept going at a (mostly) steady pace. And I thought about my kids, at camp, who are also hot and sweaty. They don't have a nice air conditioned house to cool them down. The best they can do is a jump in the lake or pool.

You know, right now that doesn't sound so bad.

Mile 1 10:41
Mile 2 10:31
Mile 3 10:35
Mile 4 10:37
Mile 5 11:47
Mile 6 10:23
Mile 7 10:50
Mile 8 11:04
Mile 9 10:57
.83 9:11

Racing to Read 5k

It was hot. I thought I was going to die. I felt like my feet were floating. I talked to myself (outloud). I thought about 212 degrees. I met my goal of 25:xx. Another PR!

Ok, here's the race details. This was a large race for a 5k. There were probably 500 or so. Nice technical t-shirt, men's and womens styles. I ran about a half mile warm-up before the race and a couple of strides but really, how much warming up do you need to do when it's already hot outside? There was some confusion at the start as no one seemed to know which direction the race would start. Some stood facing north, some facing south. Anyway, it was sorted out and as I was adjusting my Garmin, the gun (yes it was a gun) went off without any forewarning. I looked up and realized we were starting to run!

My goal on these 5ks is to go out fast and try to hold on. So far it seems to be working for me although it inevitably results in positive splits that don't look as pretty as the negative ones. The course was incredibly pretty. The race was in Covington, Kentucky. We ran North down to the riverfront (Ohio River for the geographically challanged among us) past some beautiful antebellum houses. Gorgeous! Then back uptown on an pretty old tree-lined street that reminded me of parts of New York. When I saw the finish up ahead about 200 meters, I literally thought I wouldn't make it. But I told myself I couldn't walk to the finish, how lame would that be? For a time I thought I might beat 25:00 but when I saw the clock said 25:55 I started a new mantra that went like this: "Oh, s***! Oh, s***!" It must have worked, because according to my Garmin, my finish time was 25:59. Not much margin of error there, so I hope my official time is something similar.

Here are those lovely splits:
Mile 1 7:58
Mile 2 8:29
Mile 3 8:3
1.12 8:11

AVG PACE: 8:19 Yee! Haw!

Just Do It.

The alarm went off at 7 AM, not 5, but I managed to be dressed and out the door by 7:30. I was hungry, hot, and thirsty, but I ran 3ish miles in 31ish minutes. Without my Garmin. (Because it is Thursday and I promised I would run without it). It was probably 3.1 or 3.2 actually. I tried to make it uncomfortable for Sam, which wasn't very hard because it was already uncomfortable without any extra effort by me. But I did throw in a fartlek which turned into a 400 when I tried to hang onto the discomfort. I made it home in time to shower, eat, and get to the gym.

Here's my strength workout. It was a killer. As usual. I think my trainer is really trying to kill me.

unilateral single leg squats. 10 each leg. x 1 (warmup)
jumprope (100) SS assisted pullups (15) x 4
stepups on plyo box (10 each leg) SS lat pulldowns (20 lbs) x 4
unilateral bicep curls (10 lb dumbell) 15 each leg x 4
unilateral military press (10 lb dumbell) 10 each leg x 4
pikes w/ feet on stability ball (10) SS pushups (15) x 3 This is where I think he was trying to kill me. I'm curled up in a heap on the floor and he's telling me to "Do another set." or "Hold your naval in. Natalie! I said hold your core in!" Sheesh! Have some pity on me please!

Now the heat is on. Aaron (my trainer) seems to be of the opinion, that in honor of running the NYC marathon, I should set my sights on a faster time. That's a nonrunner for you. Full of idealism. "Just hook up with people faster than you and stay with them."

Ok Aaron. I'll do that.

Sometimes I Feel Like a Childless Mother

All three kids gone to camp. Boo Hoo! LOL. What will I do for 3 1/2 weeks? Will I ever get this huge smile off of my face?

I'm really working the lodging thing for NYC. I have a couple of backup reservations at the Helmsley and the Millenium UN. They're expensive so if we have to, we'll leave Sunday evening after the marathon. Not my first choice, but the practical one considering the Helmsley is $345/night and that's cheap for the weekend. I'm working on getting something from Priceline, but so far, no luck. I think my mouse experience in March left me leery of bidding for a 3 star NY property, so I'll just keep trying. I'm in no hurry to book the airfare because we've got a credit with Delta that we'll use. So, now that I know I'm going to NY, I'm really excited. I don't know if I had trouble falling asleep last night because I was excited for getting into the marathon or because all the kids were leaving today. I wish I could bring the whole family to New York. Unfortunately, there is this thing called school (and we would need two rooms -- yikes!!). I love to have a project and finding a nice hotel room at a reasonable rate is my new one. I'm vigilant and have total faith in my "skills" (as my kids would say).

***************
Not so good on the run today. After dropping off the kids and waving goodbye to the bus and trying (and failing) to look appropriately sad to see them go, I went to the gym for a 30 minute tempo run on the treadmill. I was dismayed when I saw "Out of Order" signs on three out of four of the Cybex treadmills, and a slow walker, er, shuffler on the fourth one. That left me with a Landice which I don't like. I warmed up for a mile then set the darn thing for 8:20 pace. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. After about 10 minutes, I needed to walk. Two minutes later, I kicked it back up but only to 8:30. I lasted five more minutes. Total workout: 3.5 miles. Better than nothing.

Just for fun, here's a picture of the view from our seats at the Reds game last night. We used the vouchers we got running The Redlegs Run For Home a couple of weeks ago.

First Times the Charm

Well, who'd have thunk it? I'm going to NY to run the ING New York City Marathon on November 4th.

This means that Columbus is out. It'll be tougher to meet my goal of 4:20 in a field as big as NYC, but I'll still try. There will be alot of weaving, but I'll just have to get into a faster groove earlier in the marathon.

I still can't believe I'm in!

5.25 miles today. With the Garmin. Darn! I really should have left it at home. I wanted to do a recovery run but that damn device pushes me to go faster. I finished in 52:35 -- about a 10:00 pace. Not terrible, but I would have liked to go slower without thinking about it. It was hot and sticky already at 9:15. I forgot both my hat and sunscreen, so I thought to myself, "I'll just finish this up quickly before the sun can get me." The things we tell ourselves!

Gym Day

Today was a gym day. 20 minutes warmup on the stationary bike then:

Squats with bar only 20 x 4
Unilateral deadlift into reverse lunge w/ 10 lb dumbells 10 each leg x 4
Walking lunges (forward & reverse) x 4
Lat Pulldowns (27.5) x 4
Rebounder w/ 7 lb ball (20) SS Victories (10) x 4

I was a real failure at the victories today. I'm sure I'll feel them tomorrow anyway.

A Run to the Grocery

The biking thing didn't work out this morning, so I ran instead. I took the Garmin 305 off the cradle and it said "Battery Charging Complete." I turned it on. Nothing. My Garmin is dead.

Oh, well, it wasn't going to stop me from running. I only needed 4.5 more miles to hit 30 for the week. Even though it's a short run, I drove the 20 miles or so to Loveland to run on the bike trail. I wanted to go to a nearby farm and buy some eggs and grass-fed beef and some chicken.

The weather was perfect. My body feels like it's run a marathon. I ran more than 4 but less than 5 miles. I know because the trail is marked in 1/2 mile increments. I did have to walk some and I think it took me about 50 minutes. We'll call this a "SSD: Short Slow Distance" run.

The farm was out of eggs, which I couldn't believe. Once you have had eggs fresh from the farm, no other eggs will do. If you think even the "organic" eggs from the grocery store are fresh then think again. It could be a week or two from the time the hen lays the eggs to the time they reach your grocery store shelves. I was able to get plenty of meat, but I did have to buy the eggs at biggs. They had some "local" eggs which at least came from somewhere in Ohio and not California.

Next weekend I'm going to run another 5k and shoot for the 25:xx. Because I'm so sore I think I'll gradually taper toward the end of the week and take both Friday and Saturday off from running.

The big issue here is what am I going to do about my Garmin?

WTD: 29
YTD: 626.54

Flat but Hot

My quads and glutes are sore. Unbelievably sore. They feel like I just ran a marathon. This is what I get for doing 80 full squats, running stairs, forward and backward walking lunges and THEN running in the park in the afternoon. Yesterday was my rest day. Alot of good it did. NOT!

This morning I dragged my sore quads and glutes out of bed and put my feet in the Pearl Izumi Shines and got ready for my run. Sarah had her last ballet class at 11:00 so I planned to run on Eastern Ave. A nice flat 8 miler. 77 degrees and sunny. It felt like 87.

I started out quick. Its an out and back so my goal was to run out four in under 40 minutes to prepare for a 4 mile race I'm doing on June 30 (Hyde Park Blast). I made it with no problem in 38 minutes. I think I can pull off 35 minutes for the race. On the back four, I just took it easy, hoping to finish the run in 80 minutes. Goal accomplished.

9:41
9:16
9:53
9:22
10:38
9:51
10:05
11:23 (a REALLY long traffic light)

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to a long bikeride with a friend. Maybe I'll run, maybe I won't. No biggie.

Who Needs to Think When Your Feet Just Go?

I have to confess that not a whole lot of thought went into the title for this entry. Oh, alot of thought went into thinking about a new title. I wanted something reflective of my new training goals. Some have been used by others (Believe) some more about what I wanted to find in myself (Fire). But on Wednesday, running some fast 5k mile repeats on the treadmill, "Genius of Love" by the Tom Tom Club qeued up on my ipod and you know how you don't always listen to the music that's playing? Well, I started to hear the rap "Who needs to think when your feet just go" and it was like a lightbulb. That's it! That's my title.

And, actually, thinking less is something I need to work on this cycle. I don't like to feel like I could have gone faster after I cross the finish line. That's not the time to have those thoughts. If I think I can go faster, I should just run faster. I need to stop analyzing my pace every mile that I'm racing, because inevitably it causes me to slow down. I'm plagued with thoughts of bonking. So, one of my goals is to think less and go for it.

My second internal goal is to believe in myself. I have the ability to keep improving, but for whatever reason I tend to put the brakes on. I set goals that are too conservative. Goals that I know I can make. I'm afraid to vocalize a "secret" goal, for fear that I won't make it. So, this cycle, I am going to express goals that are going to be challanging, and yes, even difficult to accomplish. Maybe I'll be successful, maybe not, but even if I'm not, what's the worst that can happen? My friends can't tell the difference between a 4:39 marathon and a 4:20 marathon anyway. Heck, they think I'm nuts for running a marathon in the first place!

I'm going to run a fall marathon. Most likely, it will be the Columbus Marathon on October 21. But in the unlikely event that I get into the New York City Marathon, then I'll run that on November 4. Certainly I won't run both! And then, there's still the possibility that Freddie won't even audition for the school musical which would open up the weekend of November 16-18 and I could run the Philly Marathon with Scott's cousin Jim (and Linda who I run the More with in March). So, the details are up in the air, but training will most likely start June 25.

Here are my time goals. No secrets.

Marathon: 4:20
Half-Marathon: 2:05
10k: < :54
4 miles < :35
5k: 25:xx

Hot & Sweaty

Today was the hottest day of the year so far. I worked out twice: AM and PM.

For the AM I did my strength workout. I didn't ride my bike, but got a ride with a friend who I talked into working out with me. Hey, once you hit 40 everything starts to go south if you're not proactive about it. I can't stress that more. She did a wimpy "beginner" workout, while I was subjected to a particularly sadistic brand of Trainer Torture:

Deadlifts (bar only) 20 x 4
Stairs (2 at a time on the up) x 5 Super Set (SS) Pushups x 15 This one left me in a withering heap on the floor in something like "child's pose"
Recumbent bike RPM >100 for 2:00 SS Rebounder x 15 & Victories x 10 x 4 sets
Seated row (27.5 lb) x 20 SS Forward walking lunge the Reverse walking lunge x 4 I did these outside the gym on the driveway and fantasized about how I'd look on a Vespa.

I put off my run until the PM thinking it wouldn't be so hot. It was 87 degrees at 5:00 when I headed off to the park. I drove to the trail, because I am a wimp. When I got there, another runner was getting ready to start and I ran on ahead, faster than usual, because I wanted to look, well, fast. In my haste, and while listening to The New Radicals "You Get What You Give" I lost concentration (hey, it's a REALLY good song) and ran past the trailhead. That meant I ended up coming back down to where my car was parked and taking the next trail a different direction. But this turned out to be fortuitous because I learned that if you run the opposite direction on a wooded trail, even a familiar one, it looks like an entirely NEW trail! How cool is that!?

My euphoria was shortlived, however, as the heat and this morning's workout soon caught up with me and I ended up dragging myself over the next trail.

I think the run was 4 1/2 miles. It took about an hour. Garmin died after 2 miles, but, to answer this question: Yes, it does count as a workout if you don't use your watch. I think my quads and glutes would agree.

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On a totally unrelated subject, like many V-Team bloggers and trail runners, I love living and running with wildlife. I don't like them in my vegetable garden and I can do a spot-on impersonation of Mr. MacGreggor chasing a critter with a garden shovel, but that's another story. Anyway, last week, at the bank, I saw this unbelievably beautiful moth sitting on the window ledge. It's only the second time in my life I've seen this creature, and the first time I saw one, it was dead on the sidewalk. So I was delighted to be able to take a photograph this time and I'll post it here. I took it with the camera on my TREO so it's not the best, but it's the best I could do.

If you are interested, you can learn more about the Cecropia Moth, which is the largest moth in North America, by clicking here.

Mile Repeats on the Treadmill

3x 1 mile repeats at 5k pace for a total of 5 miles. Since my most recent 5k pace was about 8:30 and I felt like I could have gone faster, I did the mile repeats at 8:20. The last 1/4 mile of the final repeat I did at 8:00. I felt good the whole time. I just felt like I was running hard which is a good thing and I think it is the thing that I am afraid of. Why is it scary to simply run hard? Why do I feel like running should be as easy as walking? The treadmill was set at 1% grade as usual which converts to 8:18 (trinewbies.com).

Redlegs Run For Home 5k

When I turned 44 I set a goal to PR in every distance I raced in honor of this being my last year in the 40-44 age group. Since I made that vow, I've PR'd in the half-marathon (More) and marathon (Cleveland). Today I not only PR'd in the 5k, but I came in 10th in my age group (out of 68) and 122 out of 836 women overall.

Now, on to the details: The Redlegs Run For Home 5k benefits the Cincinnati Reds Community Fund. It starts right outside Cinergy Field and finishes inside the stadium on the warning track. I signed up for this race with my sons Adam and Freddie. Adam has sort of been training and made this his goal race. Freddie didn't train at all. Miraculously, they both woke up this morning without issue and we were out the door and downtown with plenty of time to park (for free!), use the porta-potty, and warmup. Well, I warmed up. They thought I was nuts.

Of course, you're wondering what I wore. Today's attire was "Reds Festive" consisting of a red New Balance running skirt, red Nike top, red running hat, and red nail polish. Hair was in "Kathy Niles pigtail braids."

My goal for this race was to finish under 28:00. I wanted to see 27:xx. Last night, Scott told me I could do this if I ran my first and second miles at 9:00. I thought that was doable and sometime in the night I thought I could probably hit the first mile even faster.

Tale of the tape:
Mile 1 8:14
Mile 2 8:28
Mile 3 8:41
.12 7:49

For a finish time of 26:20(according to Garmin... see any irony here?)
Official time 26:19.

I CANNOT BELIEVE THOSE NUMBERS MYSELF! I'M FLOATING TODAY!

Doing My Share for Cleaner Air

Once again I used my bike for transportation. 10.88 miles total. I had a meeting this morning, a "mop up" for the 5k from a two weeks ago. With only two cars, but three drivers things are getting tricky around here. It wasn't so much of an issue when the boys were in school, but now that school's over, I'm finding I have to be even more careful about potential conflicts. So, I was surprised last night, when I was asked whether I could make a meeting this morning to hear myself reply, "Well, the kids have a 10:00 workout, but I guess I can ride my bike there."

Mapquest has a feature you can use to avoid highway driving. I should also have asked it to look for construction zones too. I found myself in a line of cars waiting for a flagger and I only unclipped my left foot. Meanwhile, I leaned over to the right to see how far back I was and, whoops! tipped over. Bummer. So embarrassing!

To top things off, my son called me during the meeting to ask where I left the keys. Well, they're right here with me of course! Duh! Luckily, I was able to direct him to a rarely, if ever, used extra set. What on earth did I need my car keys for? I rode a bike!!

Anyway, the fun part is that I'm going to look for a new car. For me. I'm tired of endlessly filling the gas tank of the SUV and I need a smaller car with better gas mileage. We'll keep the Pilot around for Freddie to drive, because he doesn't need it that often, and for groceries, hauling, etc. But, I'm going to look for something fun. And young. I'm thinking convertible. W00T! (Freddie told me to write that).