Monday; Feb. 14: Well, starting the week with a day off is not ideal, but the schedule the remainder of the week will yield six good days of running. Spent the day in Atlanta with my folks.
Tuesday; Feb. 15: An early morning run in Peachtree City, GA brings back many old and wonderful memories. This is where the running career began. It was my good friend, Nora Weed, who encouraged me to take up the activity after retiring from speed skating. She, her husband, Bob, my dad, and a few other hearty souls started the Peachtree City Running Club in 1981 and over the years the club has continued to grow and support the running community through races, weekly runs, a Grand Prix series, and other incentive programs/awards, benefiting runners of all ages and abilities.
http://www.ptcrc.com/
This morning's run was an awesome 10 miler on the famous cart path trails that meander all over the area. With over 90 miles of paved and dirt paths, the running miles are endless and the scenery has that southern charm about it. The overall effort consisted of four hard and shorter tempo sections that ranged in time from 5 to 15 minutes in length, all occurring in the first half of the run. The last five miles was just enjoying the running and being in the old stomping grounds.
http://www.peachtree-city.org/documents/Information%20Technology/GIS/2009webmap.PDF
Above links contain info and a map of the paths. While helpful, since I know the paths very well, I can most likely steer you on a run of any length and description.
Wednesday; Feb. 16: After a late night at the airport, returning home, today's run was a slog fest...to be expected after a long day. Traysen, the doberman, and I puttered through an easy 6 miler that took way longer than necessary.
Thursday;Feb. 17: A great early morning start with one of my running pals, Dee. She is the one with the energetic start to every run and is actually able to run fast and carry on a conversation. Most likely, this morning with my bones still not ready at 6am, she thought I was dead, asleep, stuck up, non talkative, or maybe she heard my air sucking and had pity?! Those first 4-5 miles with Dee and Traysen, the doberman, were painful to say the least, but after dumping some clothes the run improved so that Traysen and I logged another 5-6 miles, at a "putt putt" pace. Lori, a great running pal, calls our slow trot a "putt putt" pace....too cute and so true!
Friday; Feb 18: With a doc appointment, it was out the door early today. A slow, huffing and puffing start, it 3 miles before the ole bones were ready for some intervals. Running at my house is never on flat ground, so intervals are done either on a slight downhill or a slight uphill. The uphill version of the interval is .35 mile in length and the elevations ranges from 1% to 8%.....there are no downhill versions! Needless to say after each repeat, the lungs are screaming and the legs are burning, but a good effort of 5 repeats and I was ready for a steady cool down....a total of 7 miles today.
http://classic.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/co/florissant/541129812241481679
Saturday; Feb. 19: Sleeping in til 530am produced an awesome 10 miler today. It was one of those effortless runs where the miles just flew by. This is good since the last couple of days have been "slug fests." Looking at the training log, the least amount of miles covered in one week since Jan. 1 has been 45.0. Usually a sloppy week of reduced mileage happens every 4 weeks, so the ole body is overdue for a break. Interesting enough, it is the physical need for a break; from a mental aspect, my head is still jazzed about running every day and I can't wait to get out the door every morning. Where does this mentality come from? Well, my husband calls me "Psycho" and I take that as a compliment! But seriously, the passion in life is running long distances plus I see all the benefits that result from logging the miles.....very little body fat, much calmer well being, ability to handle stress, and a healthier heart/body. While many/most folks may never develop the passion for running, the benefits will almost always occur. And many/most folks DO NOT need or even should log the crazy number of miles that go by my feet! As I have mentioned before, even the smallest, easiest, most gentle of efforts will give benefits.
Sunday; Feb. 20: Gale force winds and a blowing snow was the early morning fare at the house this morning. The good news is that I was meeting Lynne for a long run in Garden of the Gods, where there was no snow and only a slight wind! With a 630am start, we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise along the trails. Since Lynne had never run in this area before, it was a treat to show her all the great terrain that makes up this "should have been one of the 7 wonders of the world." Her steady trot was just what these over used legs needed. After about two hours and about 10 miles, Lynne headed off on her day and I ran the same route in reverse and added a few detours to increase the mileage a bit. Today's run went very well ...plenty of pep in the step and no issues of any sort....After 4 hours and 20 miles, I was done for the day.
Siamese Twins. (stock photo)
Summary: A great week of running with all goals accomplished! It is always a good feeling when the running goes well and the goals are accomplished. Often times, it is easy for some folks to set goals that are not attainable...when it comes to exercising/running, we usually have to be very truthful with ourselves and set goals that we feel almost certain we can achieve but yet push us beyond what is comfortable. For example, if a person is just starting out on an exercise program (after being sedentary for a long time), he/she must realize that running 10 miles the first day is not a good goal. Depending on the situation, a 1 mile walk may be a better goal. The goal is up to the individual and the situation. That is one of the great aspects of exercising/running....the goals and accomplishments are strictly for that particular person.
Total running miles: 63.0
Total running miles for 2011: 419.0
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