See what you miss?

A new route! Spring was in the air which means ditching the old and making the new - route that is! Sandy and I ran a new 6.5 mile route this morning. It was a nice change! The old two were just getting well... OLD! A beautiful morning - again!

SPEED and HUMOR

SPEED:
A fast run with the COUSINS today. A 8:14 pace! Felt good although I don't know how people do that for a full marathon!

HUMOR:

Speaking of Marathons- I hate to do this to you marathoners before the race, but this was too funny! Watch this video called "The Day After the Marathon". Make sure you watch it all the way through until the guy sitting down in his chair - sorry men - but it will make you cringe.

Now that I have done a little good humored teasing - you know I am supporting you all the way - but as LARRY says - "You've got to have FUN too". Here is an article that appeared in last months Runners World. I thought of it during Larry's taper talk when he was talking about keeping the negative thoughts out. It is called Choice Words.

Monday

A beautiful 5.63 mile run with the Credit Union Gals! There were points where I was struggling and points where I felt great, but overall I felt like it was a good run. It was so good that I thought our pace would be a little slow, but it was 8.31. A nice way to start the week.

Back in WI

First run back in Wisconsin. It was a beautiful 7.37 miles with Jill. It went quickly - at least I thought it did! Then I added on another 4 to get my long run in for the weekend since I am deferring to Jim's marathon training. Good Luck to Jill at Crazy Legs! It will be a GREAT weekend for it!

Last DC run

I got up a little early to squeeze a run in before we left DC. It was cooler than other days, but a refreshing 60 degrees with a pretty strong wind. A run around the capitol, down the mall to Lincoln Memorial and back - just about 5.5. It is a great place to run and there are always other runners. It was a great way to start the day of traveling - which went incredibly smoothly!

Run, Wait, Run, Wait, Run, Wait

I went on a bit of a sightseeing run today. I get a little tired of running the Mall even though it is beautiful. So, today I turned off and tried to run around the White House. The thing with D.C. is that there always seems to be construction which closes sidewalks. So, I slowly made my may around and also got to see some beautiful historic buildings. I decided to run up Pennsylvania Ave (I could see the Capitol - so I knew I was heading in the right direction), it was a nice change but I had to do a lot of stopping and waiting for stop light changes. It would have been frustrating if I was on a serious run, but I was just out to enjoy the day and see some new sights.

My feet are giving me trouble - mainly huge blisters under my big toe. Not sure why I got them since I was wearing the same socks and shoes. Now one has snuck up in between my big toe and the next one - a little bothersome. Plus I am once again getting a black toenail on my second toe. I'm not even running the marathon! Ah - the feet of a runner!

D.C.Run

It was a great day for a run in D.C. today. It was about 55 when we started, but it felt warmer. It felt a little strange to be running without any wind. Tons of people were out running or biking. It was just a beautiful spring day and it made you love being a runner and getting out and enjoying a new town. We took a new route this year that Dave and I liked much better, Jim of course, seems to prefer running next to busy highways and airports. Strange for a guy who is very traffic concerned (always running on the 'right' side of the street, always single file (even on country roads) and never crosses a street unless the crosswalk says you can go. It must come from his days on safety patrol! So - we did 12 miles at about an 8:41 pace. I am feeling good about PRing at GB, but will need to run better than that pace - barely.

Grace had her very first piano recital today. She said it went well, only one mistake. She said no one notice though because no one else knew the song. I think she heard that from Grandma Betty. Grace was the first one to play and Betty reported that she walked right up without any hesitation. No surprise there! Proud of her!

Was it a pace run?

Jim and I were able to run together with the group to day. He had his own little harem! 9 women and Jim. I didn't bring my Garmin since Jim had his, but I should have. Jim didn't have a good run, so he finished it with a walk. As a result, I have no idea how fast I ran! I guess I will assume it was very, very fast!

The benefits of running

Today was one of those days that if I wasn't meeting Judy to run, I would have had a very hard time making myself go. I was just TIRED. Four days of being a single mom has worn me out. I even thought about bailing on Judy and running Friday and Saturday instead. BUT I was COMMITTED! So, I bailed out on Jenny for Friday morning ;-)

It was one of those runs that by the end I was feeling good - not great - but much better then before I ran. All those people who think running makes you more tired - WRONG! It energizes you! Jim will come home to a much happier wife as a result!

Thanks Judy!

I am not an afternoon runner

Never have been and never will be. I don't know what it is about the 12:00 - 3:00 time period, but I have NEVER had an enjoyable running during that time. It doesn't matter what or when I eat before hand - it just sucks. Today was no different, but Judy, Pauline and I got it done and that is what counts!

Love Spring!

Judy and I went on a 10 miler today. I love spring, but the 70 degree temperatures take a little getting used to! Not that I am complaining! It was good to get the run in and running with Judy made me feel like I was marathon training again!

I hope the morning group hasn't forgotten about me! ;-)

Beautiful Spring Run

Even though it was 34 degrees when we started it felt like Tom, Holly, Mike and I had a wonderful spring run. Sunny, no wind - perfect. A good 12 miles! We "ran" into the marathoners at the start, they were looking good and in a good mood to be running in nice weather for once!

Love that Forerunner!

Today was one of those days that I love my Garmin Forerunner. I felt like I was really struggling on my 5.6 mile run with Jenny. It was supposed to be a pace run, but I didn't have the energy to push it any harder. At the end my trusty Forerunner told me I was running an 8:24 average pace. No wonder I was struggling!

Top 10 lists

On this morning's run Mike was talking about a Top Ten list he recently heard at a Men's Health Expo. Tonight I happened upon this Top Ten Nutritional Myths list. (maybe Christy will disagree with it) Note #2 - drink Chocolate milk after a long run! Yeah!

These top ten nutrition myths appeared in a recent report from Medical News Today. So without further ado, here they are:

10. Eating carbohydrates makes you fat. Cutting carbs from your diet may have short-term weight loss benefits due to water loss from a decrease in carbohydrate stores, but eating carbs in moderation does not directly lead to weight gain. The body uses carbs for energy, and going too long without them can cause lethargy.

9. Drink eight, 8-oz. glasses of water per day. You should replace water lost through breathing, excrement and sweating each day - but that doesn't necessarily total 64 ounces of water. It's hard to measure the exact amount of water you have consumed daily in food and drink, but if your urine is pale yellow, you're doing a good job. If it's a darker yellow, drink more H2O.

8. Brown grain products are whole grain products. Brown dyes and additives can give foods the deceiving appearance of whole grain. Read labels to be sure a food is whole grain, and try to get three-ounce equivalents of whole grains per day to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

7. Eating eggs will raise your cholesterol. This myth began because egg yolks have the most concentrated amount of cholesterol of any food. However, there's not enough cholesterol there to pose health risks if eggs are eaten in moderation. Studies suggest that eating one egg per day will not raise cholesterol levels and that eggs are actually a great source of nutrients.

6. All alcohol is bad for you. Again, moderation is key. Six ounces of wine and 12 ounces of beer are considered moderate amounts, and should not pose any adverse health effects to the average healthy adult. All alcohol is an anticoagulant and red wine also contains antioxidants, so drinking a small amount daily can be beneficial.

Want to know the top five myths? Then,

5. Vitamin supplements are necessary for everyone. If you eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, along with moderate amounts of a variety of low-fat dairy and protein and the right quantity of calories, you don't need to supplement. Most Americans do not, so a multi-vitamin might be good. Special vitamin supplements are also recommended for people who are pregnant or have nutritional disorders.

4. Consuming extra protein is necessary to build muscle mass. Contrary to claims of some protein supplement companies, consuming extra protein does nothing to bulk up muscle unless you are also doing significant weight training at the same time. Even then the increased requirement can easily come from food. A potential problem with supplements is the body has to work overtime to get rid of excess protein, and can become distressed as a result.

3. Eating fiber causes problems if you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). There are two kinds of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber can cause problems in IBS sufferers; soluble fiber, however, is more easily absorbed by the body and helps prevent constipation for those with IBS. Soluble fiber is found in most grains.

2. Eating immediately after a workout will improve recovery. Endurance athletes need to take in carbohydrates immediately after a workout to replace glycogen stores, and a small amount of protein with the drink enhances the effect. Drinking low-fat chocolate milk or a carbohydrate drink, like Gatorade, is better for the body, as they replace glycogen stores lost during exercise. Protein is not going to help build muscle, so strength athletes do not need to eat immediately following their workout.

1. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented by eating foods low on the glycemic index. High levels of glucose are not what "cause" diabetes; the disease is caused by the body's resistance to insulin. Foods high on the glycemic index can cause glucose levels to spike, but this is just an indicator of the presence of diabetes, not the root cause.