Back on the trail!

I finally got back on the trail again today with a nice little run on the trail. My pedometer is slighty off in determining my mileage ran, but I'm guessing about 2 mi ran and about 2 mi walked give or take. One day I really would like to invest in a Garmin GPS to help keep track of my mileage, that is definitely on the wish list. The run was good even though I still have soreness in my left shin and the walk was very good due to the abundance of hills on the trail, so even if your mileage is low you still feel the effects of a good workout with the walk breaks. I know that I overdid it a bit and will probably feel the effects tomorrow but the weather was a perfect overcast day with Autumn like temps(low 60s) and the little wood rats(or some type of mouse in the forest) running in and out of their homes made from holes burrowed in the leaves along the path. The new Salomon 3D Pro trail running shoes I recently purchased were pretty comfortable and the sole had a good grip because a few paths had been washed out. I don't feel like I overpronated as much as before with the Adidas that I'd been running in which hopefully will be a good thing. Time to go grab some homemade veggie chili!

Later on

B



























B

1974

I discovered a new "old song" that I like today, "Ohio" by Crosby,Stills,Nash and Young from the 1974 album "So Far", so I'm sampling it on free Napster online as I write in my blog. I guess its weird to people that I'm a black female who loves Rock(specifically 1970s), New School Punk, Classic R&B, Alternative Rock and so on, to be frank sometimes I surprise myself but I've always been different in many regards. I've always been more comfortable outside looking at the night sky on a warm summer night and losing it in a interesting book all day or running through a trail listening to the intriguing sounds of nature in all its stillness and beauty. I now that I'm a different species in some respect because there's not many of us running around in the world(rock and punk music,nature loving,book crazy, green earth, tree hugging, trail running black female) but I embrace it even though when I was a young kid(6th grade) I was talking to 2 white guys who were classmates and I told them that Boston the rock group was one of my favorites. One of the guys blurted out that I was not suppose to like Boston because I was black and for the longest time I never revealed that I like rock until I became a young adult., but who cares anyway just be who you are!! This song "Ohio" makes me feel like I can step back into 1974 and run through the grass on a late summer evening as the sun goes down right before supper is done and its time to watch the CBS evening news with Walter Cronkite on black and white TV as the sunlight casts a dusky orange glow on the wall before submitting to darkness.

**I thought I'd add a picture of my grandparents old country house where I spent a great deal of my childhood and where I watched many CBS evening news shows on black and white tv and where the orange glowed on the wall many late summer evenings.

All the Lost Souls

Tonight I listened to James Blunt's latest Cd entitled "All the lost souls" as I surfed through all my favorite triathlon websites. The entire cd is awesome and although most songs(all songs) did not get much airplay it is well worth the listen especially my personal favorite"I Can't Hear the Music". I find that I enjoy artists that you never hear on the radio so much, like Wilco,Ben Harper,Maritime, etc...the songs are more meaningful when you discover a jewel that will never get the airplay. Anyways, I was sitting around tonight visiting websites of tri competitors that I enjoy, still grounded with the leg injury that has prevented me from running for almost a month. I've been working more with free weight and doing cardio at the gym on the elliptical.
Some where in the back of my mind I want to train for Triathlons in the future but first things first. Build the leg up, strengthen and go from there. Its worth a try!!

Ready, Set , Go Veg!!

I 've been laying out for the past two weeks with aggravated shins and I'm ready to get back in the game. The two wk- layoff has given me time to re-evaluate my diet and I am seriously considering switching to a vegetarian diet. I had been off meat(although I do eat dairy and egg, so I'm not ready to go vegan)for a week prior to Thanksgiving with very good results and no weird meat cravings. I had previously decided to allow myself some Turkey this past Thanksgiving, so now I had the turkey for old times sake and its back to vegetarian. I actually went into Earth Fare( which is a health food grocery store) and perused the meat aisle without feeling like I was missing something or craving. We'll see how it goes because no one is perfect but I look forward to creating healthy meal plans not centered around meat. My better half is already a vegetarian and has been the biggest inspiration although the choice was totally mine along with some very insightful articles from athletes (triathletes and runners) who are competing and maintaining vegan and vegetarian diets that help boost energy. Time to get back out on the trails and burn some of the rust off the lungs so to speak. Be back with updates!!

Peace to all

My first race!

Today I ran in my very first running event 'The Old Reliable Run". Overall I was not that pleased with the time(somewhere around 1:20) but it was fun just be involved at all and to be able to contribute in some way to the United Way which helps so many families in need. IT will be my goal to improve my endurance though as I train for the Little River Trail Run in January and to heal the shin splints that are aggravating the crap out of me right now. I've read about running Yasso 800s which consists of 800 meter laps for 4 times or more at certain intervals( not sure of the complete logistics gotta research more) to build endurance. Pretty much any advice or tips I can get will help especially from ex-smokers who run and had to build endurance on limited lung capacity.

Time for a good icing for the shins but in parting I want to shout out to my loved one for all the support, advice, leg rubs and patience. Let the training begin! Thanks to my family in Clayton I love you all.



Best of Everything,



Bev

Chilling for the Moment

I'm slowed down by pain in my lower legs(again!), the therapist I saw last week advised me that I overpronate and this is the likely culprit for the pain I suffer. I tried to run one day this week and managed to squeeze out 3 mi(maybe 2.90) before the intensity wore me down but on a bright note I get to run in my first race this weekend so hopefully the days off will pay me back. It sucks to miss running and being outside in nature amongst the seasonal post card beauty of the orange, red and yellow leaves on the trees ,as well as ,the cooler temps and blue skies that go on forever. The weather this week was perfect for running but I'll be back soon enough and I hope to focus on the trails for training and give myself a break from the pavement after this weekend ,there are so many options in this area for trail running and I plan to take full advantage of as many as possible from Umstead to the ATT to Duke Forest in preparation for the trail race I've entered for early next year. On a ending note it is so inspiring to see so many folks of different ages, race and gender out biking, running and walking(i will join you soon). Time to go but I would like to share a couple of pics I took last fall at my grandparents old place.

"The last one to finish wins the race"

Trail Running on Monday

5.97 miles ran today.

The run on the trail near my job was very good today, the weather was cool and breezy and the trail surface was slightly moist from the past rain a few days ago. I breathed good and decided to push through my mind telling me to stop,needless to say, it proved rewarding. My goal is to average at least 4 miles a day with a long run of 7-8 miles once a week. with a day off for rest. There is a marathon being held in Raleigh this weekend for the first time I hear, so that is motivation enough to train, prepare and hopefully be ready for that challenge this time next year, God willing.

Kind Regards,

PS... Thought I'd show off Bob "our cat from another planet"

Its a Beautiful Day

I'm taking off today to give my sore ankles a small break and regroup for the next run. Yesterday I did a quick run on the trail by my job for 2 miles, the leaves were all over the path and the I hit the hill with a non-stop pace. Normally I have to walk the hill before I get to the end but the climb felt rewarding if not exhausting. The hill is a gradual climb not straight up and that seems to make it go on forever. Today is very rainy and cloudy(just beautiful) with lows in the 60s all day. The drive into work this morning made we want to take a detour to pick up my better half and then go find a diner and enjoy breakfast with coffee, then head back home and watch a black and white movie on AMC's horrorfest with a nap thrown in for good measure. Rainy day dreaming!!

Take care!!

Evening Jog

This evening I ran through the neighborhood for a total of 2.25 miles. I really enjoyed the run and the pace was good. It was refreshing!!
Now its the time I cherish(family time), also time to fuel up with lowfat beef taquitos.

Good Evening*

Low mileage day

Mileage ran today: 3.25 miles with a couple of walk breaks inserted. I was slightly out of breath at mile 1.10 then tackled a hill (which was about 1/4 mile up) after my first walk break. Not sure what the problem was this morning but the weather was absolutely great(my favorite ,overcast and slightly breezy with low 70s temps). I look forward to running in cold weather, maybe it will help my breathing. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

I missed running today!!

Today I had a flare up of my pestiritis(shin splints) so I decided to take a day off and rest up the muscles for tomorrow. It feels weird not running today, especially with the mild weather but I had a chance to read a little and research some races coming up next year that I'm interested in training for. The Uwharrie Trail Marathon in Feb 08 and the Umstead Trail Marathon are races that I hope to enter( since they're so close I'll probably say the Uwharrie because it will be good to start with a 8 miler just to experience trail racing).
I know the road ahead will be tough especially with occasional shin splint flareups but in the coming weeks I am going to incorporate more crossing training( bike riding and weightlifting) into the mix, as well as improving my diet with more vegetables and less sugar. I try to eat well but I occasionally slip up when it comes to sweets(mostly oatmeal cookies). Heres to a 4 mile run tomorrow!!
peace

Saturday on the Trail

I was a little late getting started with my run today. Saturdays are normally reserved for long runs to top off my shorter runs through the week. My "better half" accompanied me on the bike as I ran on the ATT trail. I took a brisk walk to warm up then my run began. My pace was not on track and mentally I strayed off focus. After 1.72 miles I took a walk break(2 min) then resumed running. I ran a total of 8.24 miles with about 3 walk breaks thrown in(about 2-3 min ea.). My endurance is slowly improving ,but I need to push my body a little more when it wants to quit, hopefully I can decrease my walk break to 1.

I am training for a quickly approaching 10K and really need to get in gear for the next few weeks. Fall is the most wonderful time to run , I almost wish the leaves would stay beautiful vibrant colors year round but I'm thankful to enjoy the season if only for a few months. My "bh" was a great support as well as good company( sometime drill instructor) and helped make the long run much more pleasant!!