Running in the sun

Today is sunny, hot and humid with very little breeze. I ran at lunch around 11:30am and it was 90 already.

Run: 2.25mi
32 pushups
40 air squats

Goal for next run is 3.50 mi w/ Crossfit WOD.

Dabbling in Crossfit

I went out at lunch today and did a crossfit workout that I came across on http://ultratraining101.blogspot.com/. This workout had me huffing and puffing afterwards and I loved every sundrenched minute. It was a pleasant break from the usual run routine and I will be utilizing this workout and variations of it at least three times a week. I believe not only will it boost my endurance but also help decrease the risk of injury the constant pounding of LSD running can bring. I will continue to run but I want to break it down to 2 solid days of running(one moderate run and one long run) per week along with the Crossfit endurance workouts and Tabatas(see below). This was my lunch workout today(45 min).

*Warm up jog for 1/2 mi
* 6 sets of Tabatha's( Interval run at 20sec all out then rest 10sec....repeat)
* 45 pushups
*40 walking lunges
*20 jumping jacks
*40 ab crunches
*5 min cool down jog

Mountain Bikin' on a Friday Summer's Evening

I spent yesterday evening (Friday) riding the trails of Umstead on my Mongoose Tetra SX. It was a christening of sorts for the bike because I've had it for about 3 months and this was my first time actually taking it out on the bike trails. It was a great training ride of course because the hills tore me up and there were times that I had to walk the bike up hill but I got in at least 3 to 4 miles which may not seem huge but for me being rusty (so to speak) it was ok. I will now incorporate a cross taining bike workout at least once a week to break the running monotony and help build endurance which I should have done a long time ago but better late than never. The trails were beautiful due to the earlier rain shower that left the dirt path slightly damp and as I rode the evening sun turned to a dusky orange glow translucent among the trees as the familiar summer chirp of crickets and many of natures other small creatures filled the air. The ride capped off a pretty good week of working out post foot injury, yes this was my first time back on the trails and I ran 3 times and biked once.

Run miles for the week: about 8 miles( ok, for starting back after 6 week layout not too fast out of the gate).

Bike: 3-4 mi

Good to be back!

Long Time No See!!

It has been many months since I last posted so I think maybe a little light hearted game of tag is in order. I've been injured (fracture of foot) and will shortly begin training again, the ironic thing is I was trail running having a good time preparing for a marathon and not posting any training results. Call it lazy or maybe preoccupation with other matters(of the family kind-in a good way!) that deterred me from keeping my blog updated. So to kick things in gear (so to speak) I'm tagging myself with a few running questions in the spirit of fellow ultra runners who've been tagged with these questions so here goes........

How would you describe your running 10 years ago?
I was running myself in the ground working full-time and part-time jobs. I think this type of running is healthier.
What is your best/worst race experience?
I'm a rookie and have only ran 3 races thus far but my worst would be a local 10K in which I thought I was fully trained for but oops!! the talking pedometer type thing that was supposedly recording my mileage was way off I discovered in this race. During my training a 7 mi (or so I thought) run was actually more like 3 or 4, so I pretty much shocked my body enough to come in next to last. I've learned the hard way you should never skimp on good gear and the Garmin GPS that I have now(good gift) is great. The best race would be the Uwharrie 8 mile race because the scenery was so beautiful and the single track trails were challenging and tough as this was my first run up big hills and it shocked the body in a good way(much better prepared).

Why do you run?

So many reasons............
- I love pushing my heart and body beyond its normal limits.
- I'm an outdoor and nature enthusiast
- My goal is to run an ultramarathon next year God willing
- The release of endorphins is great and it relieves a long day of work
- Stress reducer
- It makes me feel good

What is best/worst piece of advice you've been given about running?
Don't be cheap when it comes to running shoes and always purchase the shoe that is appropriate to your foot type is the best advice. In the beginning I was not educated and bought cheap shoes that ruined my shins and seriously halted my training. The worst advice I have not received yet and hopefully I won't.

Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.
I fantasize about surfing even though I'm afraid to go out far in the ocean and admire the cowboy life. Maybe in my next life I'll be a surfing cowgirl!!

Uwharrie 8 mile

I finally got my chance with the Uwharrie Mountain Run this past Saturday. There was a 40 mi, 20 mi and 8mi(the race I was in) trail run in the great Uwharrie Mountains of Troy, NC and the terrain was everything you wish for in a trail run if you like a good challenge. I was told this race would not be easy and it wasn't but I loved it, the single track path was strewn with fallen leaves which hid many roots and rocks along with the 800ft and 900ft hills and numerous stream crossings. I think i ran a decent pace but my Garmin was not working due to poor satellite reception in the forest, the hills ready were tough and I worked most of them so this effected my overall time which was 2:18. My target finish time was 1:43 but I feel good because this was my first trail run at higher elevation and to be honest I was a little freaked out about the height, but once I got on the trail in the middle of the woods I felt at home. I look forward to my next run and my strategy is to plan a long run at the elevation I'm running 2 weeks out from the actual race. On a last note my legs feel really good and I have very little soreness, compared to the 10k I ran in Nov. when afterwards I literally limped for a week. I think I've benefitted greatly from running on softer surfaces and paying closer attention to the correct shoe type. In closing here is a nice little picture from my recent Uwharrie experience.

Best Regards

Tangerine on a muddy trail

Wow its been a long time since I posted but Im getting back into running and still nursing shin splints(periositis). I actually ran a 5k in Jan. in which I had horrible time but the course was very technical and longer that the typical 3 mi in a 5 k, nevertheless, it was great to be out on the trail again and the most important thing was finishing. Yesterday as I was driving through the semi washed out dirt paths that lead to my impending trail run, Led Zepplin's song "Tangerine" was playing on the radio. It seemed like such a perfect song with the right melodies to match the cold, overcast day that would eventually linger with me throughout the run. I did a nice little warm up walk then started my run with a sufficient pace that would carry me about 1.25 mi until I hit a long slow sloping hill in which I walked half way up. I continued running with occasional walk breaks which helped tremendously and also sped things up with interval bursts when I felt myself lagging. These bursts helped me gain more mileage and also opened my lungs up to the cold January air. There were times when I fretted about taking frequent walk breaks because I did not think I was a good runner but they actually enhance my workouts and give me a chance to re-boot and prevent further injury to my still sore shins. I will continue to train w/ walk breaks as well as once weekly speed workouts, intervals work great for me and soon I would like to get some decent track workouts in with fartleks and Yasso 800s. My trail run was about 4 mi(I'm guessing based on trail maps mile markings) and as I ran the last 1.5 mi the semi freezing rain was lightly falling in the quietness of the woods as the sound reverberated off the leaves on a beautiful cold gray late evening.

Thats all for now!!