« May 2005 | Main | July 2005 »
June 30, 2005
Better Every Day
My back is doing better and better, which makes me happy. Even though it was probably somewhat retarded of me to run yesterday by this morning I did not feel like I was acting like an idiot when I got up to trot around. So that was a nice feeling! I took two ibuprofen tablets before I left just in case but I was feeling pretty good. I ran an easy 7 miles around a few nice neighborhoods and my favorite area to shop, so that was fun. I love window shopping early in the morning when no one is out! There is one cute little boutique that is actually expanding soon so that's kind of fun, although in general I can't afford to shop there.
Speaking of shopping... I wore a white shirt today and dumped coffee on myself so I had a huge coffee stain, which is a great excuse to go shopping! I found a great sale at Banana Republic (they always have huge sales at the one downtown), and got a new shirt to wear for the rest of today, a cute little sweater, and some pink capri pants (think like a light blush pink, not fuschia or anything). All of this was like $80. So that was a good time! I don't like shopping there normally because I don't think their clothes are the best quality but BR is fine for stuff that is trendy and that you'll only wear for a season or two.
Anyway we just wrapped up my training class for the day so I am getting out of here in a little bit and then getting everything ready for our bbq. It is such a nice day today, much less ungodly hot as it has been recently. I don't think it's going to reach 90 degrees today which will be a nice change.
So today is a one workout kind of day which is all right but hopefully tomorrow I can get a decent run in (I would like to run 9 miles) before work and then maybe 30 minutes of cross training afterwards. That would be a good way to kick off the long weekend. I am determined to run every day while we're in Vegas as well!
Posted by barb at 01:36 PM | Comments (2)
June 29, 2005
I jammed my T12!
That sounds kind of cool doesn't it? I think so. Unfortunately it rather sucks. I used to be really obsessed about my running, much more so than I am now, and when I was more obsessed I did less dumb stuff that would mess up my running, like mountain biking and the like. So that was nice. Now I do other stuff and I mess myself up and then I can't run and get depressed.
I went to the chiropractor after work yesterday and the plan was to go for a nice run afterwards but unfortunately Dr. Craig, my chiropractor, said that was a terrible idea and I should go for a nice walk instead. So I interpreted going for a walk as walking over to my neighborhood pub and playing trivia. Which was a good time although I think my sweet spot is the literature questions and there, not so much. One of the literature questions was about nursery rhymes (what the hell) and another was basically an American history question. That is crap! I love trivia but it makes me stressed because I totally want to win.
I stayed up a little later than I would have liked but I was actually wide awake this morning. My back is making it more difficult for me to sleep this week. I thought about ellipticalling but I really wanted to run and when I did a test jog in the bathroom it felt okay, so I ran 8 miles. This was a source of some frustration for me because my legs felt awesome but my back hurt so I couldn't go very fast. I had a decent run though. I am just so frustrated because it seems like I just cannot run anywhere near decent mileage lately. Oh well. Anyway I got back, got a bit of a lecture from Matt, went to work, got another lecture, etc., etc. After work I'm going to elliptical and then we have to go to the store to buy supplies for the going away barbeque we're having tomorrow night. Also we want to cook a little something for dinner because we haven't been home for dinner in many days. Which is expensive and unhealthy.
That is the news. Today my focus is Advil, drinking lots of water, and stretching out my back. Tomorrow morning I hope to have another nice run of a somewhat reasonable distance.
Posted by barb at 09:50 AM | Comments (2)
June 28, 2005
Feeling a bit old
Well now I know that my ripe old age of 27 is catching up with me. I am not sure if my back got torqued when I went mountain biking or when I lifted big heavy 12 packs of soda on Sunday, but it really was killing me yesterday. It was tough because I had to be on my game since I am teaching this week, but I pulled through and it does feel better today since I got up, took lots of Advil, and started moving around. I have a chiropractor appointment at 4:45 today so that should be good as well. And my chiropractor is up in Boulder (which is bad because I want to be driving less) so I am going to go for a trail run after I see him. I know that's a non-ideal thing to do after going to the chiropractor but I just can't resist!
Yesterday after work I did the elliptical for 65 minutes and this morning I did it for 55 minutes. So that was nice as well. I really want to be running before work all week but I was worried about my back so this was a nice easy workout and in any case I'm running in Boulder tonight. I had a truly sad mileage total last week so this week I'm determined to do at least somewhat better, in spite of being on vacation for two days (Saturday and Sunday). I want to run while we're in Vegas although I think I'll be on the treadmill since it's so hot there.
Tonight after the chiropractor and my run, I need to go to Target and stock up on stuff for the barbeque that I've organized for one of our friends who is moving away this weekend. That shouldn't be too bad but I really want to get it done so I don't have to worry about it until it actually happens. I don't really know this girl that well but Matt has been going crazy organizing everything for everyone so I thought I'd take it off his plate. It's been kind of fun being the ringleader actually!
So I will update tomorrow with some actual running, and hopefully I will be feeling 27 again!
Posted by barb at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)
June 27, 2005
So much to say
And so little time! Work is going to start being really busy for the week in about 25 minutes. So I will try to write as much as I can while I do have a few minutes. This weekend was very busy and honestly I do not feel like I had much of a weekend just because it was so stressful. But I don't have too much to complain about at all! I just do have to say that class reunions are really not much fun for the non-graduate. I do not know why over the years it hasn't happened that spouses and the like are just not invited. And then I was thinking about it, and it's possible that if spouses do not come the graduates do something bad! Who knows.
Anyway this is how the weekend shaped up from a running standpoint. Saturday I got up after staying out really late, and I decided that I'd run on the trail I was supposed to mountain bike on before I met my friend to mountain bike. I ran about 6 miles, 3 miles uphill and 3 downhill. It was a nice trail to run on and I'd definitely do it again. Then we mountain biked about 8 miles which was really fun. I like mountain biking right now because I feel like every time I go I improve somewhat. My legs were pretty tired when we started biking because of running right before and running kind of long on Friday but I survived and we had a really good time.
Saturday night we had to stay out pretty late again (1:00 am) and I had a few of these deadly margaritas that seriously have everclear in them so when I woke up on Sunday morning I was not into running. We went to a nice park in Fort Collins and got everything set up for the barbeque, thankfully the last event of the reunion, and hung out for 3 or 4 hours. We got back to Denver around 5:30 and I just was still not too into running or working out so I didn't do anything yesterday. I still have a really hard time when I take a day completely off so I am making up for it today - I ran 8 this morning, which was so nice, and I'm going to cross train for about an hour later today. My run this morning felt really good and it was really nice and cool - maybe 60 degrees out - so it was great. My back does hurt kind of a lot today, most likely because I was lifting heavy stuff yesterday, so hopefully it'll feel better later on. Tonight I think we're going to go to the new Batman movie and then I will be in bed by 10:30!
I hope everyone has a good week and enjoyed their weekends!
Posted by barb at 08:32 AM | Comments (1)
June 24, 2005
Car Dealer Run
I took a run from the car dealer this morning while my car was getting its last warrantied service. How sad for me that I will have to start paying for service now! Anyway my car dealer's located in Boulder, right off the Boulder Creek Trail in fact, which is a much better location than most in our area. I dropped the car off at about 7:45 and ran for a little over 90 minutes, so I am calling it 10.5 miles. I ran east on the Creek path until it turned into the South Boulder Creek path, and ran on that until I got to the South Boulder Creek trail, which is awesome. Unfortunately I was already at 42 minutes when I reached that point, but this was a really nice run with a lot of variety so it went by really quickly. I felt terrible at the beginning but pretty good at the end. After I finished running I had some time to kill before my car would be ready so I soaked up to my quads in Boulder Creek which was awesome! It was really cold but it felt so good. I swear if I could do that every day my feet would feel incredible. And now that my car has new oil, new rear brake pads, and is nice and clean, I am at my favorite coffee shop in Boulder, the Bookends Cafe, eating a muffin, drinking coffee, and 'working'. What a great way to spend a Friday morning! I do not think I could possibly be in a better mood right now.
I should mention that yesterday I did not run, I ellipticalled in the morning and went on a bike ride (maybe 45 minutes) after work. It was good to have a day off as I think I'll be working out a decent amount this weekend. Tomorrow morning I need to get up and run in Fort Collins and then I'm going mountain biking with a friend which should be lots of fun! I am going to do some shopping (I need to buy an engagement present for some friends and some bike gear) and then I am going to make my way up to Fort Collins to meet Matt for the start of his high school reunion. It should be a very busy but fun weekend!
Posted by barb at 10:56 AM | Comments (2)
June 23, 2005
What not to do before running
Here is what not to do before running - eat a large bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats. Here is what happens - you feel like you are going to hurl and then you can't eat your yummy Thai dinner. So yesterday I ran way too soon after eating a bowl of cereal and my 4 miles were an exercise in keeping my food down. But it was not too bad. This morning I slept kind of late and went to the gym and ellipticalled, so I'll need to run after work today, or not. I can't decide. I think tomorrow I'll have time for a nice long trail run so I may just take it easy after work today, water the flowers, and hang out on the couch. I would like to run though just because this weekend will be pretty busy and I might not have time to run. We're heading to Fort Collins early tomorrow afternoon and then we'll be doing reunion activities for the weekend. So that should be fun, but busy!
I will be spending 3-4 weeks in Palo Alto for work so that should not hopefully be too bad. The first time I'm going out there is the week of July 4th, just for 2 days basically, so that should be a nice painless way to get some miles. I am pretty excited because over the weekend after that Matt's going to fly out and we're going to spend some time in Napa/San Francisco/Sacramento. He has a lot of friends there so I think it'll be nice. It should be a lot more temperate so I think it'll be a nice break from the heat!
That is about all the news. I am definitely already in weekend mode and not into focusing today. I can't believe it's almost July 4th! The summer is flying right by.
Posted by barb at 10:06 AM | Comments (4)
June 22, 2005
Trail Running, Skinny Jeans, and Terrible Movies
Kind of a grab bag of topics today, but what do you know. I have found that the less I run the more other stuff I enjoy talking about! And I am definitely not in a running-a-ton phase right now.
So I will start at the beginning: trail running at Deer Creek Canyon yesterday afternoon/evening. I got done with work shockingly early - everyone else was gone and I was scared being in the office alone, it was weird and it was so cold in here. So I was out at the Canyon running by about 4:30. As was noted in the national news we have been having some pretty crazy thunderstorms here of late and although it didn't rain or thunder during my run, it was really dark. It felt weird because I knew the sun wouldn't set for several more hours but it seemed like it was dusk. I had a great run that I am calling 9 miles (93 minutes), although the distances on the map say about 8.5. I really think they are short. This is a cool trail run because you go uphill for about 4.5 miles and then go downhill for about 4.5 miles, my favorite type of run. I hate going uphill at the end of a run! I had a great time and felt really good (which is good considering I practically ended up tapering for this run, unintentionally), so that was nice. Afterwards I drove home in a veritable flood on 6th Avenue (which oddly is actually a freeway type thing), so that was kind of crazy! People in Denver lose their brains when they have to drive in rain because it doesn't rain much here. It's much worse than snow.
So to move on to the next topic, not in order, after I picked up salads for us and got home, we watched a truly awful movie - Catwoman. I really cannot say enough bad things about this movie. First of all the story line is absurd, secondly it is boring, and thirdly most everything in the film is implausible and ridiculous. The villian is basically some over-Botoxed lady who from her Botox type product is really tough, and Catwoman essentially saves the world from a shoddy beauty product. No I am not kidding. It is absurd. I am all about the girl power movies and such but they really do need to have a plot.
And last but not least, this morning we overslept by about an hour somehow so I haven't worked out yet, but when I was getting ready and trying to decide what to wear, the specter of my skinny jeans in the closet overcame me and I decided to try them on. Now these are not ridiculously small jeans but they did not fit last summer when I was running 70 miles a week so they are very traumatic to me. God only knows why they fit now and they didn't then, but they do! So that was kind of cool. It is nice to have some validation that not eating dessert all the time actually does something for you.
So because of the whole oversleeping thing, this is the plan for the day - 65 minutes on the elliptical at lunchtime; 4-5 miles running after work. It is possible that I'll take the day off from running and go for a bike ride instead after work, but we'll see. Then tonight, I am so excited, we are going to dinner with friends at my favorite Thai restaurant! What a good Wednesday.
Posted by barb at 08:22 AM | Comments (2)
June 21, 2005
www.eliteellipticalling.com/barb
That would be a funny blog wouldn't it! Anyway since I have not run since my last blog entry, but I have ellipticalled, it seemed somewhat appropriate.
However I am planning a trail run for later today and I am excited. I am going to head back to Deer Creek Canyon Park, the scene of our hike on Sunday, to trail run. Like Alison, lately I have been really bored by the running from my house and thus have been somewhat unmotivated. Not only that but as Blondie commented on here yesterday it has been really hot lately and that has a tendency to make all my runs seem like death marches. So it will be a lot of fun to get away and run on the trails! In addition to that it shouuld be good for my legs so that will be nice. So I am all excited about that.
In other news yesterday at lunchtime I did some ellipticalling, after work I went to the bike seminar but didn't do any more exercise, and this morning I did some ellipticalling. It was a good time. I also read an entire book in that time which has something to do with why I didn't run last night.
Since so many people were curious about the bike seminar thing I will say that it was cool and I learned a lot but the most important things were: 1. what kind of things I should carry around with me; and 2. how to change out a tube. Unfortunately my newfound knowledge will entail my spending some amount of money equipping myself and my bike, but that is not a big deal. Safety first my friends! So now I m all fired up to go mountain biking with my friend M. this weekend.
That is about all the news. I may hop on later tonight after my trail run as Matt is going to trivia with his buddies. But the plan is to work out a lot today, go home, eat some good food, and get some good rest for this crazy week! I hope everyone is having a nice week.
Posted by barb at 09:04 AM | Comments (1)
June 20, 2005
Busy, Hot Weekend
So yesterday I think it was 97 or 98 degrees in Denver. That is what I call damn hot! I think that it's supposed to be at least 90 degrees every day this week. So this puts some limitations on the running because the only time to run is before 8:00 am or after 8:00 pm. Realistically it's rarely too hot to run at all out here because it is a dry heat but it's just not fun. And people love their air conditioning so it's easy to get sick from being outside where it is very hot and going inside where it is very cold.
Anyway can you tell I was a bit of a slacker this weekend and that's my excuse? Well yes I was indeed a bit of a slacker. Saturday morning I ran a nice 8 miles before it was insanely hot and before our three parties. Sunday I did not run because we went to church at 9:30 am after our three parties and I am a slacker. But it is good to find religion and sometimes that is more important than running. Yesterday we did go for a nice 3.5 mile hike with my brother at Deer Creek Canyon which was very nice and pretty. I had run there before but I hadn't hiked. Additionally, this weekend Matt found a mountain bike that he's ordering so soon we will add that to the repretoire which makes me so excited! I'm going mountain biking with my friend M. this weekend which should also be fun. We'll be spending the entire weekend in Fort Collins for Matt's high school reunion so it'll be nice to get away down to Boulder and to see someone besides his high school friends, as fun as that will be.
This morning I ran 4 easy miles at around 7:00 when it was not too hot. I have very ambitious workout plans today so we'll see if I achieve them. I am planning to go cross train and possibly lift at lunchtime. Then after work I am planning to go back to the gym and do a treadmill run (unless we have a miraculous cooling down this afternoon). After that I need to be home by 6:45 because my friend M. is picking me up to go to a women's bike maintenance workshop at REI, which will be cool because I am clueless about doing stuff to my bike and that is bad!
As you can see I am in a great mood today but I am a bit frazzled by my crazy life. However I am looking forward to the week. I am off to catch up on everyone's blogs but I hope that you are all having a nice Monday!
Posted by barb at 09:57 AM | Comments (5)
June 17, 2005
Hot Run
I went running at 11:30 am today and it was pretty warm - maybe in the high 80's. I think that by the time I left the gym it was about 90 degrees out. And in the typical fashion of a runner I ate 3 chicken tacos after I ran (1:30) and now it's 2:30 and I am hungry again. How obnoxious. I didn't even run that much - 5 miles, then I ellipticalled for 25 minutes. I wanted to have an easier day because even though I only ran 4 miles yesterday I cross trained for over an hour. My legs have been feeling reasonably good so that is nice.
Tomorrow we have an incredibly busy day so I really don't want to stay out late tonight at all, and I'd like to get a decent run in tomorrow morning before our plans start. We have three parties to go to so I don't know how much running I'll be doing on Sunday morning!
And now since I don't have much of anything else to say about running right now, I am going to talk about one of my biggest pet peeves - smoking. Now what kind of rational person buys a really expensive product that makes them stink, rots their lungs skin and teeth, and is killing them slowly. This is not rational. So not only do I think smokers must be irrational or have a death wish, but they pollute the air around them and smell disgusting and cause other people to get lung cancer and the like from their second hand smoke. Every time I walk around downtown I have to hold my breath several times as I pass by smokers. In addition to that a lot of smokers seem to have some ridiculous self-righteous attitude that they should not be reviled for smoking. Now I do not hate smokers as people at all. My brother smoked through much of his time in the Marines. However, their habit is disgusting and I do hate their habit, and I have a right as a person, in my opinion, not to be subjected to second hand smoke which causes cancer.
So smokers (not that any smokers read my blog), quit smoking! And if you are going to smoke, you really shouldn't do it in public.
I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!
Posted by barb at 02:40 PM | Comments (3)
June 16, 2005
Lazy Bones
I am so damn lazy lately. I do not mean that I haven't been running or anything, but I am finding it impossible to get out of bed before 6:45 at the very earliest. Which would be okay but it's hot now so one needs to run before work so I am getting into work a bit later than I would like, pretty consistently. Today I got in 'early' at about 8:40. Which turned out to be fine because nobody's really here today... but it's not a good habit. I think part of the problem is that it's hot so I can't fall asleep until 11:00 or so, and currently I really seem to need to sleep for 8 hours a night. Well what can you do.
Anyway, this morning I woke up at a blisteringly early 7:10 or so. I just ran an easy 4 miles because I've run a good amount so far this week and I knew I actually had to show up at work at some point today, and I'd be cross training after work. So that was nice. It was a pretty morning and I had a good time, and I was half asleep so it went by pretty quickly.
Yesterday I had the 8 mile run in the morning and at lunchtime I went to the gym for about an hour of cross training. After work I relaxed at home for a little while and then we went to dinner with Matt's dad and stepmom. They told us all about their recent trip to Greece which sounded really cool. I really want to go to Crete now, it is not only one of their favorite places but also where Colleen hung out pre-Olympics so it must be nice and a good location for running! We also talked about a friend of theirs who's moving to St. John in a few months. Now talk about somewhere I would love to move. I really love the Caribbean - the people are very nice and seem to have a way of really enjoying life for the most part. I've only been once (to the BVI) but I can't wait to go back. It is the next place I want to go for a beach vacation.
Today I am going to head to the gym and cross train after work (maybe 4:30 or so), for about an hour - and today I really mean it, I am going to lift! Then we are going to sushi with a group of friends. I am so excited, I love sushi! I've been pretty good about not having dessert lately so I might try to convince Matt that we need to go for gelato afterwards. It should be a good night!
Posted by barb at 08:51 AM | Comments (1)
June 15, 2005
Things I Don't Like About Denver
In keeping with the theme I started yesterday, I am going to contemplate what I do not like about Denver. It is good to have a balanced approach.
Here they are:
1. The fact that you need to have a car.
2. Denver drivers. They are the worst ever.
3. It is too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. Yes I am very picky.
4. Lack of cultural enlightenment - from a culturally enriching standpoint there is not much going on.
5. Huge sprawling suburbs where everyone owns a Ford Expedition for no reason.
6. RED STATE!!
7. Lack of jobs.
So that is my highly picky and critical list of what I don't like about Denver/Colorado. Of course we do not need to make any kind of moving/not moving decision for a long time but it's fun to think about.
Anyway I am pretty darned tired today. Yesterday I made a promise to myself that I would sleep for 8 hours a night all week and it took me all of a day to break that promise. Matt went to play trivia and I wanted to stay awake until he got home and then I stayed up for about an hour after that so I am a sleepy little person. I still managed to run 8 miles before coming in to work somehow but I don't really know how it happened except that it did and I did not get run over by any cars which was good. I felt pretty good during the run and timed one mile which was 8:40 so I decided that was fine and I think that this run is long for 8 miles which has been my theory for some time now.
One thing that was funny is that I missed running with Alison this morning! I only ran with her twice when she was here but it was awesome to have someone (especially someone fast!) to run with in the morning. So Alison, thanks again for running with me when you were in Colorado!
I brought workout stuff so at lunchtime today I am heading to the gym to elliptical for about an hour and to lift weights which is something I haven't done for quite some time. However last night I did 25 boy push ups so I am feeling pretty jacked anyway. It's supposed to be pretty warm today so I'm glad to have run this morning. Tonight we are going to dinner with Matt's parents which will be fun!
Posted by barb at 09:16 AM | Comments (2)
June 14, 2005
Things I Like About Denver
While I was trotting around this morning I started a list of things that I like about Denver. It started when I realized how nice it is to be able to run in the morning almost every day, even when it's going to be very hot out, and not overheat. Then I decided it would be nice to have a list because Matt and I have been contemplating a move for a few years. So it's good to think about what I like about Denver before I decide to move somewhere!
Here it is:
1. The fact that we are at altitude so it always cools off a lot at night except for maybe one week in the summer.
2. The climate in the winter - it's too cold to run outside maybe for one week a year.
3. Easy access to skiing
4. Mountain biking and hiking trails
5. Great running trails within about 30 minutes
6. My family is here and they are great
7. We have a lot of friends here
8. Living at altitude is supposedly good for running
Anyway that is kind of a starter list. Tomorrow I may do a list of things I dislike about Denver just for the sake of balance.
Yesterday I took a fairly long lunch and ran 10 miles. It was nice and I felt good although I did have to reckon with a fairly stiff headwind on the way back. In addition I got passed by some lady and it was driving me crazy but then I figured out that based on where I saw her turn around and where I saw her stop she was only running like 2 miles. So she can pass me whenever she wants! That was all the exercise I did yesterday but it seemed like enough. Last night I did some experimental cooking and made Indian food - a chicken curry dish. It turned out pretty good.
This morning I set the alarm for 6:05, slept until 6:25, and finally started running at 7:00. I know, I am a big slacker. I ran 6 miles (54 minutes) and it was really nice and the temperature was just about perfect for running. Then I showered in like 5 seconds and hurried to work to find that no one was here, so no one knew how late I was! Score. I have my workout stuff with me so I am planning to elliptical for at least 30 minutes or so at some point later on today. Tonight Matt is going to trivia at our neighborhood pub so I am going to clean the house I think. Also I would like to read a lot of the book I just got, which is all about why teachers make no money and why they should make more and stuff. Since I am currently trying to decide whether or not I'm going to go to school to get my teaching license next year this is a particularly relevant topic and I am finding it to be very interesting!
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!
Posted by barb at 08:58 AM | Comments (3)
June 13, 2005
Weekend and Race Report
This weekend went by so incredibly quickly. I am shocked and saddened that it is already Monday and somehow I have found my way to work! Not only that but I have already dumped coffee in my keyboard which is always a good way to start the day. Luckily I do not seem to have poured coffee into any important parts.
Anyway I think part of why the weekend went by so fast was that it was very busy. Here is the running for this weekend - Friday, I ran 7 miles after work. Frankly I felt like crap but I decided to run 7 anyway and by the time it was over, I felt better and I was glad that I did run. Saturday morning I drove up to Longmont and got there at about 7:45 for the Sunrise Stampede 10k. I met my friend C. from my old running group and we got our stuff together and warmed up for a little over 15 minutes. Then we stripped a bit as it was much warmer than we'd expected and did strides over to the start. This was a pretty small race but like most races in Boulder county was absurdly competitive. I ran a 45:54 which is not great by any means but considering that I feel like I have absolutely no leg speed right now was not horrible. My average pace was 7:24 and my sixth mile was by far my fastest mile at about a 6:53. The course was actually pretty challenging as the first three miles were almost all uphill and we thought the third mile may have been long as well. So that was fun, and we cooled down for about 20 minutes so I am calling Saturday a 10 mile day. I am quite disappointed right now in my lack of speed but what can you do but work on it.
Anyway yesterday I didn't feel like running when I got up so I procrastinated until about 6:15 when Matt and I drove down to Wash Park for a run. He ran around the park one time (2.75 miles) and I ran around it two times (5.5 miles). The weather yesterday was positively psychotic - one minute it was 60 and sunny out, the next it was 50 and cloudy and windy. Blah. But I actually felt good and I covered the run in 41:28. I measured two of the last miles and they were 7:50 and 7:45 respectively. So that is what frustrates me, is that I can run that type of pace the day after this race, but barely run faster in the race. I think that I need to stay at this lower mileage (40-50 mpw) and integrate some more quality in my running. Because realistically I do not know how I can expect to run 7:00 pace or faster in races when I never run 7:00 pace or faster when I train? That is a good question. I have a few girlfriends who are planning to do 800's one day a week so whenever I'm in town I want to do that with them, and do more strides, and just generally improve the quality in my running.
Outside of running (of which I have done none this morning), the weekend was lots of fun. Yesterday we went to see Mr and Mrs Smith which was actually pretty good. I am totally obsessed with Angelina Jolie, she is just so pretty! Matt made a really good dinner as well so that was nice. Friday night we had a very interesting experience which was our friend's roller skating birthday party. FYI, the only people that go roller skating are age 14 and under. So not only was that a bit odd but Matt and I were standing there kind of hugging and we got in trouble for PDA! How mortifying but funny in a way. This experience was just hilarious but not something I really want to do again. Also, this is a weird thing. We left at 10:00, at the end of our skating session, and at that time all the kids were getting on the rink for the all night skate which went from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am. This is so shady, I would never let my kid go skate all night! The skating rink is certainly not in the best part of town.
Anyway that was the weekend. I am planning to run at lunchtime today because I was a slacker this morning and then after work if I can find my bike lock and the key I may go for a bike ride and pick up stuff to cook for dinner afterwards. Should be a nice day!
Posted by barb at 08:47 AM | Comments (2)
June 10, 2005
Barb
As instructed by Audrey, let’s take this opportunity to learn a little more about the subject of this blog, me! I copied everything Audrey did so you will know everything you know about Audrey, about me!
three physical things you like about yourself.
1) my legs
2) my skin (meaning my complexion)
3) my arms
three physical things you don’t.
1) my stomach circa 2005 (I liked it circa 1996)
2) my right foot
3) the shortness of my legs
4) the fact that I have LOTS of gray hair and I am only 27
three things that scare you.
1) getting wrinkles
2) no one liking me
3) childbirth = especially labor and then having a little child that depends on me for everything and can't communicate. And what if I had a kid and then I could not lose weight and I was the fat mommy!
three of your everyday essentials.
1) peanut butter
2) running (or exercise of some kind)
3) coffee
4) social interaction
three things you are wearing now.
1) D&G jeans (I love these jeans)
2) the heart necklace Matt gave me for my birthday
3) Saucony Grid Omni III running shoes
three of your favorite bands or musical artists.
1) Jack Johnson
2) Mike Doughty
3) The Beatles
4) Vintage Eric Clapton
three things you want in a relationship
1) Passion
2) Attention
3) Mutual respect and kindness
4) The ability to laugh and have fun together
two truths and a lie (which is a lie?).
1) My uncle is a lawyer, a priest, and a professor.
2) I have never had GU.
3) In high school I was on the field hockey team for a year.
three physical things that turn you on.
1) blue eyes
2) a nice smile
3) nice legs (is that strange to like legs on a guy? I really do)
three of your favorite hobbies.
1) Running/other sports
2) Hanging out on the deck with friends
3) Reading
three things you want to do really badly right now.
1) go running
2) go mountain biking
3) go on a beach vacation with Matty, to the Caribbean (St John or the BVI)
three careers you are considering.
1) Teacher
2) Small business owner (we just need to find our niche and something where we can make $$ and not work much)
3) Coach - I kind of semi-coach a few friends and I love pacing them. It would be fun if I could do this and actually make money.
three places you want to go on vacation.
1) The Caribbean (see above)
2) Europe (Italy, Ireland and Germany)
3) New Zealand
4) New York
three things you want to do before you die.
1) Run a 1:30 half marathon
2) Go to Africa
3) Write a book
three people you are throwing this to next
1) Whoever wants to do it. I hate telling anyone to do something, I know I am such a wuss.
Posted by barb at 09:28 AM | Comments (2)
Busy Week!
It is rare that I don't have time during or after work to write in my blog. But this week has been very hectic and I have not had much time at all, thus my laziness when it comes to blogging. I got to the end of the day yesterday and couldn't believe I hadn't written anything!
Yesterday ended up being really busy because I was teaching from about 9:00 to 3:15, then I had to interview someone at 5:00, so I didn't have much time for working out. I ended up running (pretty much literally) to the gym after class, did the elliptical for 65 minutes, threw my clothes back on (gross I know), and then I came back to work. After the interview, my boss gave me a ride home and Matt, his mom, his grandpa, and his brother, were already home from going to the museum so they were kind of waiting on me but they were so nice and said I should go ahead and run! It was great out for running - damp and overcast but not actually raining. My running watch is still broken, so I didn't take it, but I felt like I covered 4 miles more quickly than normal. When I got back I showered very quickly and we played cards and then Matt cooked a great dinner! It was a lot of fun, Matt's grandpa is so cute and sweet.
This morning I ellipticalled for 45 minutes. I woke up in the middle of the night and was starving, but I just went back to bed - but when I got up this morning I had to have a snack before working out, so I had a whole wheat tortilla (these actually taste good) and peanut butter.
By the way on Wednesday I ended up with 12 total miles, 5 in the morning and 7 in the evening. My running has been very sporadic this week but my mileage isn't too horrible.
And tonight we are going to a roller skating party (yes I know we are 12) for one of our friends' birthday, then tomorrow morning I'm getting up fairly early to run a 10k up in Longmont. I really want to go hiking tomorrow afternoon as well, so it should be a busy but fun weekend!
Posted by barb at 08:57 AM | Comments (0)
June 08, 2005
I am officially moved in
This is kind of exciting. So last night instead of running, I went over to my old apartment, finished moving everything out, threw away a bunch of trash, cleaned (with Matt's help), and turned in my keys. I moved out of the apartment about a month ago but now I am officially done with it! So this is kind of nice. Everything feels a little bit more official now that I don't have an apartment that I could just go back to if I wanted. And another thing that's nice is that my key ring is a lot lighter! It fits a lot better in the pockets of my shorts and in my sweet amphipod. By the way those things have the coolest name. Matt asks me about it just so he can say the word 'amphipod'.
Anyway, running. So I didn't run yesterday and the 35 minutes on the elliptical in the morning was all the exercise I got, aside from walking to work and back and cleaning. Which is a lot of work - mopping an apartment with no furniture takes a while. Anyway I would have liked to run but it just was not in the cards and I am trying to be okay with taking a day off every week.
This morning I got up a little before 7:00 (stayed up way too late!), and went for a 5 mile run. This was the same run Alison and I did last Thursday. It was nice and I actually saw a local (and formerly national) running celebrity. This is weird but she is in my old running group so I recognized her by her sunglasses - I have the same ones!
I am planning to run maybe 6 miles after work, 7 if I am feeling good. Then we may go to yoga, but I think we probably won't end up going. I think I may need to take a nap!
Posted by barb at 08:44 AM | Comments (0)
June 07, 2005
Back to Running
Well I am glad to be running a bit more so far this week. I have been a major slacker over the last month or so which I feel is okay since I've been racing more and since I had been running consistently high mileage (for me) for a while. Also I think it is good to do different things sometimes and not just run.
Yesterday I ran 3 before work and then ran 7 after work. It was pretty warm out - like mid 80's - when I ran, and I think my legs were a bit tired, so I was dragging. But I had a good time and I was glad to be done. I ate a yogurt maybe 20-30 minutes before my run and that was not such a good idea as my stomach gave me a lot of trouble during and after the run. Luckily we ended up walking about a mile to dinner so it settled down by the time we got to the restaurant. We went to this cool new Mexican place with our friends that was a lot of fun and the sangria was so good! It was very strong though so I only had one glass but I was pretty tanked.
This morning I was still pretty tired. I feel like I haven't been sleeping very well lately for some reason. I putzed around for a long time before I left, so I only had time for 35 minutes on the elliptical before work. Tonight I need to run and clean out my apartment and turn in the keys so I'm planning to hopefully get out of here by 4:00, get to my apartment after running by 6:00 or so, and start cleaning. My mom is coming over there around 7:00 to help and Matt is coming as well to help and to drive me home (well I need to talk to him about this but I think it should be fine). I am so excited to get that done with and not have to worry about my apartment ever again! I would like to run 8-9 miles tonight but depending on how I feel, I may only run 6. I think Matt is going to go to yoga with me tomorrow night so I may run before work tomorrow morning, if I can muster the energy. If not I'll run after work and it'll just be a pretty full evening!
Posted by barb at 09:51 AM | Comments (1)
June 06, 2005
Steamboat and the Race that Wasn't
So Steamboat was great. The race was fine I am sure but I decided not to run it. I am a wuss but getting up before 6:00 am for the second time in 7 days to run a race just did not agree with me. So that was kind of bad. However I am sick of these races that are kind of a pain in the rear as far as logistics - i.e. getting up at the crack of dawn or before, getting bused to the start, etc., etc. I would really like to run a normal race where I can get up at 7:00 or later, can get to the starting line in a normal way, etc. So in that vein I may run a 10k with a few people from my old running group this Sunday. It's at 8:30 and it is great, it only costs $9 if you don't want a shirt! This will be the cheapest race I've run in a long time. I promised Matt that we'd go to church Sunday morning so I would need to hurry back, but that should be okay. It would be fun to run a 10k at a moderate pace and just see how it goes. I'd like to run maybe 45:00 but I'm not going to taper at all so I don't really know what will happen.
So on Saturday the weather in Steamboat was very cold and rainy (and it actually snowed some), so we just trotted around for a while and then I added on to run for about 40 minutes which I very conservatively called 4 miles - although it was quite steep so it may not be too conservative. It was nice, and I always enjoy running with Matt. I feel bad though because I love running and he hates it so I always have a great time and I think he is like 'Oh heavens when will this be over'.
Sunday morning I woke up at 8:30 which felt much more civilized and I ran for 90 minutes or probably a little over 10 miles. I am calling it 10 to be conservative. At times I really wished I was running the race and when I looked at my mileage for the week I really wished I had, but oh well. I learned from this and hopefully I won't overcommit or be a slacker again.
This morning I was going to do the elliptical before work but I didn't have a lot of time since I had another class starting this week, so I just ran 3 miles on the treadmill while I watched the news. It was fine and I think it helped me loosen up after all the hill running this weekend. I'll run 6-8 this afternoon so this should be a pretty solid day which is nice!
After my run and stuff we are going to dinner with some friends that got engaged this weekend so that should be great too. They are very happy and it's always nice to surround yourself with other happy people!
Posted by barb at 11:47 AM | Comments (0)
June 03, 2005
Going to the Mountains
I am so excited that we are heading up to the mountains today! I love going to the mountains in the summer, it is so pretty (and hopefully nice and warm). I am frankly a bit less excited to run the half marathon on Sunday, although I think it should be very pretty and fun. I am not racing this half (at least this is what I tell myself although I should see how fast people there are, because if I could get a prize, maybe I'll change my mind). I am however currently treating it as a nice long run with lots of people around. I may incidentally wear a bib but that is the extent of the 'racing'.
Anyway yesterday was such a strange day as far as weather goes, it poured rain for a long time, then it stopped, and then the minute I left work it started dumping again. Since I was not dressed for the weather I just headed to the gym. I had considered running again but I am into being mellow and feeling good when I run right now so I decided I rather cross train. I did the elliptical for 50 minutes while I read my book and watched insipid TV.
This morning I was feeling lazy but I knew I would hardly run if I didn't go, so I ran a 5-5 1/2 mile loop from home. Then I came back, stretched a little, packed for Steamboat, and hurried to work. I want to leave here by 2:30 at the very latest today so I can get home and we can leave for Steamboat, which is 2 1/2 to 3 hours away. Matt said he would go for a little run with me when we get there, which I think will be lots of fun! I really like running with him when I get the chance, which is not very often.
I think it will be a great weekend! I may take my computer up there so I will possibly blog over the weekend.
Posted by barb at 09:14 AM | Comments (1)
June 02, 2005
House Guest
So Alison is about to get on the Super Shuttle back to DIA, where she'll head to Boulder for her running vacation. She stayed with us last night and it was lots of fun, and I really enjoyed having her as a running partner for two runs! I went home around 4:00 yesterday and found Alison and we drove down to the Highline Canal for an 8 mile run. I was struggling a bit - we went out in 31:50 or something, and on the way back I kept saying I had to slow down so I was afraid we had slowed down a lot but actually we ended up finishing the run in about 1:04:45 so we didn't slow down too much. That is the fastest I've run there but it didn't feel all that hard. I love running with Alison because it's a great but manageable challenge. I ended up running a little out of my comfort zone but not so much that I felt like I was doing a random speed workout. I think my legs were still a little tired from the BB (and a bit sore from yoga believe it or not) but it felt really good to shake them out, and my foot just keeps feeling better, knock on wood.
After we ran we stopped at Whole Foods and picked up kabobs and salad for dinner. Then we went home and Matt cooked for us which was very nice of him. We hung out and chatted for a few hours and I was in bed by 10:30 which was definitely good, although lately I keep feeling weird like I am so tired and then I get in bed and I'm wide awake. So one thing I'm doing is cutting out all caffeinated products after lunchtime which I used to be really good about but I had gotten worse lately.
Anyway, this morning we got up at 6:30 and ran 5 miles - we did one of my regular shorter runs that goes to and around Cheeseman Park. It is a nice park and the morning was beautiful, and the run was uneventful except for the part where the sprinklers came on! I somehow managed to get soaked. That was really nice and I was pleased that my feet felt fine - lately I haven't been running first thing in the morning at all because my feet have been so tender. But they've been doing a lot better which makes me think that yoga once a week will keep me running injury-free.
Later today I'm thinking I'll either do another short-ish run or I'll go to the gym and elliptical. I am still fine with running moderate mileage right now so I don't know that doubles are a good idea. So I'll probably end up cross training. Then tomorrow morning I must wake up and run because we're leaving for Steamboat in the afternoon!
Also I do want to mention that Alison got me an awesome birthday present, which was so nice of her - she got me my own amphipod! I did not really get the concept before, but now I have one so of course I do, and it is awesome. I am really excited to use it in races especially, and it's big enough to fit my phone if I ever really need to take it on a run. Not that I am one of those people that regularly runs with my cell phone, but sometimes it is handy if not necessary. So thank you Alison!
I think Alison will have a great time on her running vacation and I hope she really likes Boulder. I am interested to see how it compares to Burlington since I've always wanted to go there. Anyway now I am back to work. Happy running to all!
Posted by barb at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)
June 01, 2005
www.eliteyoga.com/barb
So as I stated yesterday, I was planning to go home after work and do a short easy run. However, as the title for today may indicate, I decided that running was not too prudent since the bottom of my foot really hurt every time I stood up. According to my free podiatrist exam at the expo on Monday, I have some kind of metatarsal stress syndrome because my second metatarsal is getting too much stress/impact and the metatarsal attached to my big toe (or my first metatarsal) is lazy. Something like that anyway. I am attributing this to the fact that my orthotics are over two years old. So I need to go to Boulder and have my PT look at them and then possibly refurbish or remake them. This is always a fun challenge because he's at the store on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I don't really know how I'll get there this week unless I take Alison there today, which could be kind of fun.
Anyway, I digress...
So Alison is getting here around 1:00 and going to our house. I am hoping to get out of work by 4:00 so I can get home by 4:20, and we can leave to go running by 4:30 or so. Yes I am a super planner. I love having a plan! At that time we will either drive to Boulder so I can go to Boulder Running Company and then do the Tank Run, or we will drive down to the Highline Canal to run. I am not too excited about driving to Boulder, and Alison is spending the weekend there anyway, so we'll probably do the Highline Canal. I love this trail because it's all dirt (which is good for my feet), it's pretty flat, and it has mile markers.
I did forget to mention that my foot is actually feeling a lot better today. It doesn't really hurt at all! I think the yoga was very good for me because it stretched out my calves which are always really tight. I always say this when I go to yoga and then I never go, but I'm trying to be better about it. This was a level one class which I used to think was kind of below me or something since I actually used to do a lot of yoga, but it was great because this is a different type of yoga than I used to do, and in the level two classes they don't give you a lot of guidance as to how to do the postures correctly. So I think I can go back to the level two class and I'll get a lot more out of it.
That is the news for today - I hope everyone is enjoying the four day week! It is so great that it's Wednesday already!
Posted by barb at 09:02 AM | Comments (1)