Swimming through water?

Today I felt like I was swimming through water because it felt like I was barely moving. But once again I saw the benefits of speed work because even though I felt like I was running a 10:00 minute pace, we actually ran a 8:38 average! It makes the horrible feeling worth it.

If you are up for a challenge you should check out this video (45 minutes) of the Marathon of the Sands. It takes place in the Sahara Desert.

I almost forgot to blog today! Jenny and I got right back into things by doing a track work out this morning. Of course, Bryan and Tom wimped out on us. What would this world be like with our brave, strong women like ourselves? Considering my low energy level I was doubly happy that I got under (just) 8:00 for the mile sprint and my last 400 was faster than my first. For those who don't know we do a ladder workout. 400, rest, 800, rest, 1200, rest, 1600, rest and then back down again. It does seem to go faster as compared to the first time we did it, but it doesn't get easier!

It was a cool, cool morning! It was nice to run in, but we were wishing we had this weather on Saturday when we are doing our 3:00 run! It is supposed to get HOT - of course!

Christy, I know it has been a long time since I have run with you, but MY how you have changed!

I was expecting Christy this morning, but I was surprised when Bryan got out of the car. Bella hasn't changed a bit though ;-) So, the run was relaxing and went quick. A lot of new topics... fishing in Canada and lending techniques just to name a few! Nice to have you back Bryan!

A little humid this morning and my body felt a little worn out from the triathlon and landscaping. But I do find that it feels good to be just focused on running and not swimming and biking too. Even though I have the lion's share of marathon training to go yet, I feel like a weight has been lifted... that is until the 3 hour run this weekend!

Triathlon Done!

Jill and fellow Spartan, Jeff S. completed their first spring triathlon on Saturday! I completed my fourth (over about 12 years!) It was not an easy one! Someone told me that it is the hilliest tri in the Midwest. Big rolling hill after big rolling hill on the bike portion. Plus we had a strong - stop you in your tracks - wind, it wasn't too bad on the bike, but was nasty on the run.

Once again I got KILLED on the bike portion. I was one of the fastest times in the swim and run and one of the slowest on the bike. How hard can biking be? Of course when I bike about 3 times a year all the month before the tri, I shouldn't expect much. My over all time was 1:48:10. My last tri I did in 1:47:39. I am pretty consistent, just like my marathons.

It was fun to do, but I don't find the training as "fun" (not quite the right word) as half/full marathon training. Maybe that is because I don't have a group of people to do it with. Don't get any ideas Larry! It does make me miss swimming... just a little bit.

I felt good after the race. Today my knees are bothering me a little bit - probably from all the hills. It was well run, great shirt and had cheerful volunteers, but due to the hilly bike route I don't think I will do that tri again.

Ouch

I had to return to the 5:00 run time this morning so I had someone to run with. Ouch! It is hard to get up at that time after not doing so for so long. My body has happily gotten used to sleeping an hour later! Despite that it was a nice fast run with Katie and Kwik Trip Gal.

Kwik Trip Gal and I are leaving today for our sprint (1/4 mile swim, 17 mile bike and 3.1 mile run) triathlon in Wausau this Saturday. It will be my 4th (over a 12 year span ;-)) and her first. It will fun to do one again, although the weather is looking rainy which reminds me that I need to pack another garbage bag! Here is what they are forecasting: Mostly cloudy, rain and storms possible early morning through early afternoon, clearing some through end of day. High 67-72. Winds west 10-15. Ugh, no make that DOUBLE UGH!

Death of a loved one (guess not)

This morning I was shocked to find that my Garmin had died on me. (I know this will not be a shock to Christy) No warning. No evidence of electronic gremlins. No signs of impeding doom. Just tried to turn it on after charging and it stared back with me with an empty screen. I tried resuscitating it with every button push imaginable, but it was DOA. Maybe reuniting it with the computer would bring it to life, but again... a sad, gray, blank screen. Not even a whimper of a beep. I haven't searched the net yet to see if there is any solution or if it possible to reset it, but my hopes are not high.

Of course this happened on the morning of a long run. It was tempting to take it as a sign that I should not run - that with the curse words that spewed out of my mouth when my alarm went off at 4:15. But I knew Jill would be waiting, so I found Jim's faithful Garmin (older is better) and even though it only had 6 hours of battery life, it made it through the run. No, I did not run 6 hours, but sometimes I work that Garmin so hard that it needs more juice then it says it has.

Much to Jill's delight Sandy decided to join us for the last 45 minutes. I actually think she was tripped by Jill's guilt into running. As soon as Jill convinced Sandy to run the last 45 minutes with me she disappeared. So, thanks to Sandy for bailing Jill out of having to spend another 45 minutes with me. Jill said she was worried about me being sick of her after spending a week of vacation with her, but I now realize she was ACTUALLY saying that SHE was sick of ME! Another lesson learned - apparently I am a little slow picking up social cues.

Now the question is, do I buy a Garmin with a heart rate monitor?

Postscript: DANG! I found out how to reset my Garmin and it worked like a charm. No new Garmin for me!

It was one of those days where I just felt TIRED. A walk would have been just fine with me. A beautiful, cool morning for one too, but no, we ran. And once again it demonstrated how much impact speed work has (hear that Christy and Mike?). Despite being incredibly tired and not really pushing it, our pace was always below 9:00 and every mile had a progressively faster pace. Yes, the last 1/2 mile I was trying to finish strong, but I wasn't consciously trying to go faster each mile. In fact every time my Garmin signaled the completion of another mile my thought was "Good, another mile DONE!" NOT "I should go faster the next mile". So we ended with an average pace of 8:43.

The cross training for the sprint triathlon in August is starting to take its toll. Not so much on my muscles, just in my energy level. Yesterday I swam 1000 meters with 3x25 and 5x50 meter sprints mixed it. Then I biked roller coaster hill. I hadn't on that, but the turn was about my half way point and I know I need to work on hills. Truly, I still don't think it is THAT bad of a route! Especially when it is above 40 degrees and not windy!

Tomorrow I think I will do my 8 mile pace run along the Lake Shore in Chicago. On Saturday my goal is to bike 1:45. My plan is to do it on the bikes in the hotel's fitness center. So, it will be interesting to see if I actually accomplish this, especially since I have to get it done before Jim goes to his meeting at 8:00. I keep on thinking about Elyse's story of when she stayed at this hotel and they brought cold, wet towels around to everyone - for FREE. That is the kind of pampering I would like to experience!

Bike Ride

Jill and I enjoyed a 21 mile bike ride this morning. What a BEAUTIFUL morning. Larry and his group have a perfect day for their long ride.

It is a struggle to get out of bed, but I ended up wondering why I don't do it more often (of course, I am already getting up at 5:00 every morning to work out). It reminded me of my days working as a Ranger at Devil's Lake. One summer I worked the 6am to 2pm shift. In my opinion it was the best shift since you got to enjoy the solitude that the park offers. Plus driving around to the smells of bacon and eggs wasn't bad either!

Of course Jill's company made it even more enjoyable.

I can't help but think of.....

Time to enjoy the weekend!

Jenny and I got our 2.5 hour run done today. It was actually 2:26, but we agreed that the missing 4 minutes wouldn't cause us to not finish the marathon. We did run 16 miles at a 9:08 average pace, so I can live with that, but it was tough. It turned out to be much sunnier than I expected, which meant hotter. Plus, I didn't bring my sunglasses or visor... I hate that! Of course, it was better than Jenny who didn't bring her water bottles. Now on to yard work. Yeah!

Spifying up the Blog

It was time for a little updating of the blog. You will now find that the picture at the top of the page is actually a slide show!

I also added a link to the weekly morning running poll. Those of you who run in Sparta in the early mornings can go there and participate.

I got roped in to doing a sprint triathlon, so now I am training for that AND a marathon! Geesh! Not sure what got in to my brain... oh yeah... she goes by KwikTrip Girl!

Run Swim

This morning I got reacquainted with Christy and Katie. They were happy to see me (I think) until I told them that I needed to do a pace run. I knew in their hearts they were thanking me, even though they were complaining the whole way. Sometimes tough love is the best kind.

This morning was also my first one back in the pool. I made the mistake of mentioning to Jill that I would be willing to be the swim leg of a triathlon team. I was happy to find that I can swim a half mile, although in a lake with 50 other bodies fighting against me, it will be much more difficult.

It did start me thinking though... in the long distance I will probably be swimming against people who also know how to swim well since I believe it is the swimming that deters people from doing the longer distance. This would take away my advantage. So, maybe I should think about doing the short triathlon individually. In the shorter distance my swimming is an advantage because there are more 'weaker' swimmers. It is the biking I hate - even if it is only 11 miles. I would do the longer distance individually, but for me it is the biking that deters me. Hmmm..... something to ponder.

How to drink water while running

A brutal hill workout with Jenny and Kristi this morning. Ran up Gale Rd (Christy's future home site) 8 times. If J and K hadn't yelled at me to do more, I would have been happy with five. The chant "This will make me faster" wasn't helping.

Here is a video I found on running tips. I think the most useful part is at the end where they show how to drink water from cups while running. Fast forward to about minute 8. The rest is okay. Why they chose a busy street to film this on, I will never know.

Another One Bites the Dust

Well, I am very sad to say that our newest running partner, Molly, bit the dust today.

Molly - is (was) the newest member of our household. Even though she walked on all fours we found herself quickly falling in love with her. That is until she started pooping on our floor when we were gone. In case you haven't figured it out, she was a dog we adopted from the local pound. She was a sweet dog in almost every way except that she had a severe case of separation anxiety which seemed to worsen rather than improve as we tried to work to desensitize her. The good news is that the pound said that she is a very good candidate for a rescue since her only issue is the separation anxiety. They will be able to work with her on it.

I am sure Jenny is secretly saying (Thank Goodness!). There were several times during our morning runs where Molly spied some type of creature and took off to tree it, nearly cutting Jenny off at the knees.

Molly did help me struggle through this morning's humid run. Jenny and I were both suffering from our speed work the day before and I was dealing with lack of my usual amount of sleep due to taking 5 boys to the Loggers game. Nate must have running in his genes because he and his two friends won the Tidey Whitey race!

Eating My Words

I was all psyched for this morning's blog. Mike had given me some great material. He had e-mailed me earlier in the week and said he would be joining Jenny and I at 6:00. When I replied back that we were planning on doing speed work, he quickly responded that he would go at 5:00 instead. What a wimp!

Well, this morning after saying hello/good-bye to the the 5:00 group, I saw Christy and Mike run by. As I patiently waited for Jenny and Kristi, the song 'Should I stay or Should I Go?"



At 6:05 I decided I better take my opportunity to run with someone while I still had it. So I ran to catch up with the Cousins, but had to call to them to stop. See! This is why I need to do speed work.

Of course the newbie, Kristi, was kind enough to send an e-mail explaining she had a stomach bug. Which left me wondering "Jenny, Jenny who can I turn to? But the phone number 867-5309 did not work!"