Done

Uh, BJ didn't run.

Checking in

Okay, last week was pretty dang good. Monday thru Thursday I walked 5 to 6 miles each day. Friday only about one mile. Saturday dad and I did about 6 miles. I don't have any trouble with distance...I am just too slow! Anybody have any suggestions on that? I am at about a 15 to 16 minute mile. And I am just talking about walking here. I have no interest in running.
As far as music, dad likes ke$ha. Thankfully he doesn't listen to the words.

Gettin' in the Swing of Things

I have been walking, but not much. Here's my report before I forget!

         0.5 mi + Ezzy in the carrier
         1.79 mi + Ezzy in carrier
2/7    0.66 mi + Ezzy in carrier
2/11  2.03 mi + Ezzy in the carrier

Total to date: 4.98 miles

Anyone else? How's the training? Anyone have an actual program?

Motivation

I've lost my motivation since training last year. It might have to do with full-time work and school, but that's beside the point. I need help, and bad.

What gets you out the door (or on the treadmill)? What are your pump-you-up tunes?

Happy New Year!

It's time to resurrect the blog and renew our training! 158 days until the Helvetia Half, so we need to average just under 3/4 mile each day until then to make it to one hundred. Don't forget to report your progress!

Oh Boy

I haven't reported in a great long while. Here are the walks I can remember, I'm sure there are some I can't, but that's just too bad:

Total miles for the (few) week(s): 11.18
Total cumulative miles: 76 even

   Workouts:

      4/30: 2.41 walk

      5/?: 1.1 walk

      5/6: 1.58 walk

      5/9: 1.59 walk

      5/13: 1.84 walk

      5/16: 1.56 walk

      5/18: 1.1 walk

Only 23 days left, and 24 miles to go. I'll have to go nearly every day between now and then (and finish homework and pack and move!). If I can do it, you can.

I Hate Hills

I hate hills. I can walk forever on the flat, no prob. But once the incline starts, I pretty much stop. I guess I just don't have the lung capacity? Is that it? And how do I improve that? Just more hills? Just more cardio? Help!
Dad and I did an 8 mile HIKE...it was a true hike, not just a walk. On trails with lots of hills. It was hard work, but fun.

Half Marathon = Suicide

I decided to do the half much later than everyone else, and I'm hoping the lack of training won't hurt me too much. Like I keep saying, I'm not entirely sure how sane I am after I decided to do the half. I've never been a runner, and I'm still not! A couple days ago I ran for an entire hour-- and I was so proud of myself! Until I realized that I had only gone 4 miles. That's more than I've ever run on purpose in my whole life, but it's nowhere near how much or how fast I should be able to run!

My biggest problem with running: I get bored really, really fast. I can only go about a mile without wanting to quit out of boredom, and then I start thinking about running, and it's downhill from there. 
My solution: The treadmill is right next to a TV upstairs, so I've been watching movies as I run. The other day I watched Batman Begins while I ran, and I barely even thought about the fact that I'd been running for so long. It's too bad the the half isn't equipped with TVs along the route.

Weekly Check-in

I'm getting back on track, and now that I don't have taxes any more, I two more free afternoons/evenings. Neil and I love to take walks in the spring and admire the gardens, so I bet we'll get out more now. Here's the summary:

Total miles for the week: 6.0
Total cumulative miles: 64.82

   Workouts:

      4/13: Pilates + 2.0 elliptical

      4/14: 1.9 walk

      4/18: 2.1 walk

Making progress!

10 miles on the Snail Trail

Dad and I did our 10 miles today.  We have been walking/linear-hiking the Banks-Vernonia Trail for the past few months. It is 21 miles long so we have been tackling it in Saturday morning chunks. As of today we have walked every inch of those 21 miles, some portions several times.

Today's adventure took us through the usual amazing old-growth forest and a very recent rock slide complete with huge downed trees & boulders across the trail. We came across the original Snail Trail: dozens of little snails with their shells on their backs crossing the path! And we saw beautiful little white and even pink trillium. We did see a handful of other folks, mostly bikers.

Good times were had by all but Dad's favorite part was the Dairy Queen at the end. (And I didn't hate the Midnight Chocolate Truffle Blizzard.) Interesting tidbit: my pedometer says I walked 22025 steps.

PS: It didn't rain! Just a few sprinkles, but a very pleasant day in the woods.

Week Something ... Oh boy.

For obvious reasons, I'm not doing the Halfer. But I'm still committed to doing one hundred miles. And I've been working on it, though not very quickly. Here's my report for the last few weeks:

Total miles for the (few) week(s): 13.69
Total cumulative miles: 58.82

   Workouts:

      3/16: Pilates + 3.19 elliptical

      3/19: 3.16 elliptical

      3/24: canoeing

      3/27: 3.4 walk

      3/30: Pilates + 2.44 elliptical

      4/7: 1.5 walk

I still wish I had a workout buddy, but it's just not to be. I noticed after my workout today, though, that I feel great when I'm done, but I need to work out a routine for when I get home that includes getting food and a shower, otherwise I just end up feeling crappy and exhausted.

Goals and bellies

"I run so my goals in life will continue to get bigger instead of my belly."
--Bill Kirby

Why do I run? Okay, I haven't run in two whole weeks (thanks tendinitis) but when I DO run there's too many reasons why I do...

• I sleep better
• I have more energy during the day
• Sense of accomplishment might be one of the best feelings ever
• I don't feel so guilty when I eat junk food
• Running + music turned up + thinking = solace
• No pain no gain (or loss in this case)

i
CAN'T WAIT
to start running again

Why do YOU run? (or walk or ride or jump or hop or skip or move)

Canyonlands Half Marathon: Done

2:28:37 -- not amazing but I'll sure take it! My time last year was 2:34:13.

Next please.

Week 10 Question Mark

I'm losing steam, that's for sure. My mileage this week was pretty dismal. Finals are coming up, after all. But I need to recommit, decide if I actually want to do this again. Last time I tried for a half marathon, it was about at this point that I really ramped up my workouts and ended up injured. I know I don't want to do that again. But maybe it's okay if I walk it? I don't know. My other predicament is timing, of course, since it looks like we're moving the weekend of the Helvetia Half. Hm. I'm tempted to just stick to 5k's for a while longer, but I don't know when I would really be ready to jump to the half. Any suggestions?

My week in numbers:

Total miles for the week: 2.07
Total cumulative miles: 45.13

   Workouts:

      3/9: Pilates

      3/13: 2.07 walk

Good luck, Gent! Post pics when you're done.

T-minus One Week

One week until the Canyonlands Half Marathon. Will I survive? Stay tuned...

In other news, I'm sure you've heard about how you're supposed to "taper" your workouts and distances in the 1-2 weeks prior to a big race. This helps your muscles (which have torn during the previous months of training) heal and recover and become officially conditioned for the upcoming distances.

HOWEVER, the coolest thing ever is a phenomenon that can happen called "phantom aches" -- depending on how regular your training sessions were, your body most likely has developed a sort of addiction to the activity. During these taper weeks, your body goes through a withdrawal and starts to crave that increased level of activity. You might feel like certain muscles and joins are sore or achy but it's quite possible that it's just these phantom aches: your body's way of telling your brain to EXERCISE ME! Is the human body the coolest thing ever or what?

So, this week being my taper week, I am trying to restrain myself from running more than 3 miles (who would have ever thought those words would come from me?). I'm also hoping that my achy hip and knees are just phantom aches. I'm not 90 years old YET.

Don't worry though, because the forecast for Moab next Saturday is 50 degrees and sunny!

Week 9 Injury Report

I haven't been able to run at all this last week because my left knee and hip are killing me. Doesn't hurt when I walk, but as soon as I pick up the pace, I hear about it. I also missed out on Pilates because I had to take Neil's homework to him (he left it on the kitchen table). But I am going tomorrow. All in all, not a bad week, as I was able to up my mileage considerably. Here's the numbers:

Total miles for the week: 6.37
Total cumulative miles: 43.06

   Workouts:

      3/2: 2.5 walk

      3/3: 0.93 walk

      3/5: 2.94 walk

Anyone else? How's the training going, Ma? Gent, are you ready for your early half? Carole, are you out there?

Week 8 A Day Late and a Dollar Short

This is late, so I'll keep it to the point. I'm having a hard time pushing myself to increase mileage, intensity. Here's what I did this week:

Total miles for the week: 3.9
Total cumulative miles: 36.69

   Workouts:

      2/23: Pilates + 2.4 treadmill

      2/26: 1.5 walk

Maybe this week will be better. I just hope the rain stays away a few more days.

Week 7 At School, Too

Ugh. The quarter is winding down. But I'm still getting in some workouts. Here's the short and sweet:

Total miles for the week: 7.1
Total cumulative miles: 32.79

   Workouts:

      2/15: 2.8 walk around the lake with Mom + 4 boys

      2/19: 3.2 elliptical

      2/21: 1.1 walk around the park

The weather lately has been unbelievable. The trees are pink and white, daffodils are already blooming, and I don't think tulips are very far behind. Yay! I think this is my second favorite time of year, or maybe it would be my favorite if I could snap out of the winter blahs enough to realize that I should look forward to it. But I mostly find myself daydreaming about autumn. Spring is pretty darned wonderful itself, don't get me wrong. I wish I could figure out how to keep those lovely pink trees around longer, and I think the only solution is to spend as much time outside while they're blooming as possible. So I'm thinking lots of walks are in my future.

In other news, I made these this week, and we now have a new stand-by pancake recipe. Sooooo yummy, so hearty, so easy. I added cinnamon to the second batch, which just put them over the top. They're delish with frozen blueberries, yum with chocolate chips. Next time I think I'll try blackberries. The batter also keeps pretty well in the fridge if you don't eat them all at once. My only complaint is that they were so thick and hearty that they really took forever to cook. Next time I'll turn up my electric skillet-thing.

Week 6 Getting Stronger

I hit up two Pilates classes this week, and was reminded at how big of a difference the instructor makes. The Tuesday morning teacher is great and fixes your form if you're doing things wrong, which I love.

Not many miles to report this week, but I'm still moving forward. I think I'll actually be glad when tax season and school is over so I can have my evenings back. I think evening is one of my favorite times to work out. Well, here's the report:

Total miles for the week: 4.16
Total cumulative miles: 25.69

   Workouts:

      2/8: 1.1 walk around the park

      2/9: Pilates + 3.06 elliptical

      2/12: Pilates

So I bought myself some new headphones with Christmas money, and they're working so much better for me. They hook over the ear and are just the regular flat kind (instead of the "buds" that fit inside the ear). BUT I'm having a hard time with the headphone cord flopping around, which had resulted in my iPod on the ground more than once. (My hands flail and tug at the cord, which makes my iPod tumble. It's sad.) All that to ask: What do you guys do with your headphone cords while walking/running at the gym or outside?

What the Kale Soup

1 T. olive oil

1 large onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and black pepper

8 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. pearl barley

1 bunch kale, ribs removed & leaves chopped

4 red potatoes, diced (skins left on)

1 pkg. sweet apple chicken sausage (Alfresco brand), cubed

1/2 tsp. paprika

Heat oil in large soup pot over medium low heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add broth and barley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to boil and cook barley for 15 minutes. Add the kale and potatoes and cook for another 15 minutes, until potatoes are almost tender. Stir in the sausage and cook until sausage is heated through and potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 5 minutes more. Serve with crusty bread. 

We had this soup at Christmas, remember? I love it! Yummy and healthy. I think it's true name is something like Barley, Kale, and Sausage Soup, but Dad's name is so much better, don't you think? This is my own version of the recipe I found in the Oregonian.