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November 30, 2005

Acting like a runner again

Well, it looks like I am actually running a bit this week. It is nice so far! And I believe it will continue in New York because I can't do anything but run for exercise. This may be my first week where I run seven days in a long time.

Here is the week at a glance so far.
Monday: 7 miles on the treadmill; 15 minutes on the bike. I was so, so, so tired.
Tuesday: 60 minutes elliptical; 3 miles running on the treadmill; 50 pushups, 30 of them boy pushups.
Wednesday: 8 miles outside at 6:00 am. Damn it was cold. Usually I end up taking my coat, hat, and gloves off but not today. If I have time later on I will go and elliptical for 25 minutes and lift, but I may not have time.

I probably won't be writing any more entries until next Monday since we're leaving for New York early tomorrow morning. I am so excited about it!! We are going to see my best college friend, a few other friends, hang out, shop, eat really good food, see Brooklyn for the first time, and all kinds of cool stuff. Also we are going to see Avenue Q which is supposed to be awesome! I hope to get some Christmas shopping (for people besides myself) done there as well. And of course there is the race at Central Park on Saturday which should be fun. I was contemplating my goals for the race this morning, and I think I'll be happy if I run under 28:00, although I would like to beat my Turkey Trot time (27:17).

In one other note, because I love talking about anything but running, I have decided that I really need to read Madame Bovary. Apparently it is a really good novel that as an English major I have been remiss in not reading. So we are running a bunch of errands tonight and one thing I will do is go and buy it.

Have a nice week kids!

Posted by barb at 1:18 PM | Comments (3)

November 28, 2005

27th

So, it turns out that results from the Turkey Trot were posted sometime over the weekend and I was the 27th female finisher. They don't do age group awards or anything, but I am cool with 27th. I only wish I would have saved my breakout performance for a race with cool prizes! Speaking of which, a few years ago I ran a pretty small race and got second in my age group which got me a selection of Aveda products. That was the most useful price I have ever gotten although I love trophies, of which I have two. If you're reading and are bored, what is your favorite prize you have ever gotten from a race?

The TT was definitely the highlight of my weekend. I don't know why but I feel like the rest of the time I basically didn't do anything I wanted to do. My running for the weekend was abysmal and that makes me sad. In addition to that I am totally exhausted and feel like crap. i also think I gained like 20 pounds over the weekend due to doing nothing of a physically active nature, and especially from hardly running.

Here is what I did:
Friday: 7 mile run in the morning. This was really nice and I had a great time. Afterwards we went to the CU game where the Buffs made asses of themselves on national television, as did their fans, by basically acting like a bunch of yahoos. We did not stay for the whole game. Friday night, drove to the mountains.
Saturday: Skied for 3 hours at Keystone. This was fun, although I don't particularly like Keystone. Most of the skiers there are terrible, and they are so unsafe and often cut other people off. In addition the runs are short and the snow is usually bad. The snow was okay but not great, and very thin in spots. My poor skis! After this I planned to run but did not run. I am sad about this. Bad Barb!
Sunday: Ran 4 miles first thing in the morning. Pretty cold with blowing snow but not too bad. I was planning to run again or at least work out later in the day but I was really tired, I never sleep well in the mountains. So we got home around noon and I did not do much the rest of the day. I did watch Best in Show which is a fine film.
Monday: I am exhausted. I am going to work out at 5:00 until I need to go to the Nuggets game. It will not give me as much time working out as I would have liked but I guess I have to take what I can get and make tomorrow better day.

Posted by barb at 2:04 PM | Comments (5)

November 24, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving, and I guess tapering really does work

Wow, I am kind of excited about the race I ran today. I thought that I could run under 30:00 but I was kind of not too sure about it since I haven't been running much (before today my mileage for the week was a rocking 9 miles), and I had not been feeling particularly fast.

Anyway here is how things went. I warmed up for about 20 minutes including one stride. I felt pretty good which was a little bit troublesome, usually when I run well I feel terrible as I warm up. I lined up close to the front but not too close (I should have, in retrospect, lined up closer to the front because so many people line up way too close to the front). I was only standing around for maybe 5 minutes. I lost Matt and our friends when I started my warmup so I was sad not to see them at the beginning, but oh well.

I crossed the mat (the race is chip timed thankfully) about 30 seconds after the start and started passing a ton of people right away. My plan was to run 7:30 for the first mile, and my actual time was 7:04. Whoops. I felt good though. Through the second mile I was with these four high school/college guys who were jogging the race (for them) that were kind of entertaining so that definitely helped things go by fast. They took off right around mile 2 which I passed in 7:11 (I think the second mile of the course is slightly long). Then I was running with some older guy who was like 'What are you thinking, 28?' Of course I told him I'd be happy under 30:00 and my fastest time for the race was 28:43. He told me I could beat them both and run 28:00, but after the second mile I was not too sure. I kept picking people off through the third mile which is mostly downhill and that mile was 6:48. At that point I thought if I ran a 6:55 for the last mile that would be cool and I'd be right around 28! So that's what I tried for. I ended up running a lot of the last mile with a nice girl who runs for CSU - and some guy she knew helped us along for a little while, so that was nice. We chatted a little bit but then I ended up pulling away from her a bit, and passed one other girl, when I saw my 28:00 guy again. He told me to come on and I tried but he did beat me. Some gargantuan woman also finished rihgt in front of me, although I think I could have passed her. Oh well. Anyway my last mile was 6:12!! I think that mile four is a little short (making up for the fact that mile two is a bit long) but still that is sweet. I was pretty excited. So my chip time should be just about 27:17, which is a huge PR for this course and I believe it is a 4 mile race PR as well.

I think that I may be around the 30th female as well - I can't wait to see the results online! I also want to mention that Matt ran about 37:30 which is a huge PR for him as well. His last mile was an 8:30 which is just awesome. He ran so well!

So that was fun. I have cooled down for about 1.5 total miles so I am about to go run .5 miles just for the sake of being obsessive compulsive.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Posted by barb at 11:45 AM | Comments (5)

November 23, 2005

Funny Story from the Turkey Trot

I was thinking about all the Turkey Trots I've done earlier today - not that many really - and I thought I would share one of the moer entertaining Turkey Trots that I can remember. This was one year when my brother was in the Marines and running a lot, so he was pretty fast. However he was living at sea level so he may have overestimated his fitness just a little bit. We were running the Turkey Trot and we talked about staying together possibly but I wa recovering from a badly sprained ankle and S. (my bro) was in good shape so we didn't think it would happen.

So S. took off with the faster people and was probably in the top 50 for the first mile, which he ran in 6:00. Thati s pretty fast for him as he was never into running and just did it in the Marines because he had to. His second mile was 7:00, same with the third, and I think the fourth was a little slower (his chip time for 4 miles was 28:16 so he must have had a few slow miles). But he still ran a respectable race.

I did not see this part but he ended up booting in the finishing chute. After that he was somewhat delirious so he took off his shirt and wandered around the finish area in his tiny Marine running shorts, flexing his muscles. I figure it was pretty god payback for beating his big sister!

Anyway tomorrow is the big TT so I have been taking it real easy from a running standpoint this week. Surprise, surprise. I would really like to run under 30 minutes tomorrow so we'll see if I have it in me. My PR for the TT, and I believe my 4 mile PR, is only 28:43, which should not be that hard to beat possibly next year if I am in decent shape. I seem to get injured a lot before the TT - last year was ITBS and two years before that was my ankle situation. This year at least I am mostly healthy. I also signed up for a 4 mile race for the weekend when we're in Manhattan, so that should be fun and I should be able to run maybe a minute faster than I do tomorrow, when we're there.

Today I ran 4 miles and ellipticalled for 65 minutes. Nothing too exciting. I read an interesting article about C.S. Lewis in an otherwise kind of boring New Yorker. There was also a very short story about spaghetti, which was odd. I am pretty bored right now but I am leaving in 15 minutes to go get my holiday weekend on. I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving races, food products, and family time.

Posted by barb at 3:30 PM | Comments (3)

November 22, 2005

Tuesday/Thursday

This has been a quiet few days from the standpoint of running/working out. Yesterday I had thoughts of doing cross training but it didn’t happen. Today the cross training has happened but I have not run yet. But I am pretty sure that I will, so that is at least something. I did the elliptical for about an hour and then lifted. I am getting some nice definition in my arms from lifting and doing yoga so that is nice for me. My arms are so small and puny compared to my legs so it’s nice to let them catch up a little bit. I don’t think I’m getting all that much stronger but today I actually kind of enjoyed lifting, which is incredibly rare. Usually I hate it.

Tonight we are having dinner with my parents so I need to be ready to go around 6:20, so I will have to do a short run from home and possibly skip showering. Because yes I am kind of gross sometimes. However, I figure that when it’s cold out I sweat less and it is less revolting. I should mention that last night we saw the new Harry Potter movie. I got distracted when we were at dinner by an old friend I ran into, so we missed the 7:00 show, but there was one at 8:00 so we just went to that one instead. I really enjoyed it in spite of the overzealous fans who were a bit loud during the exciting or funny parts. It is a LONG movie which I guess makes sense because it’s a 700 plus page book. They seemed to cover all the major plot points which I enjoyed although a few of the actors had very few lines and just walked around brooding. Overall it was a good time and we are very excited that today is like Thursday and tomorrow is like Friday! Who doesn’t love a long weekend.

Posted by barb at 2:21 PM | Comments (0)

November 21, 2005

Holy Workout Batman

Well as everyone who reads my blog knows, I have not been running all that much lately. So my sense of what is a really killer workout is also a bit different! I remember back in my high mileage days when I would get up and run 12 miles before work without thinking twice about it - but those days are gone right now, unfortunately. I hope to get them back one of these days, like next summer when I am most likely training for my second marathon. But for now I am mellow.

Here is my workout yesterday:
- 90 minute hot yoga class - this was great. I had the best instructor that I've had in the last year or so. She was awesome, and it was a very challenging class.
- 65 minutes on the elliptical while reading an awesome trashy celebrity news magazine and watching football.
- 3 miles on the treadmill, wickedly negative splits - I started out at a 10 minute mile and finished at a 7 minute mile. Good stuff.

So all in all it was about three hours of working out. Afterwards I was quite famished, although I did have lunch in between the yoga and the ellipticalling/running. The best thing about the workout was that while I ran, I got to see the Broncos kick the Jets' butts! They are so good this year, it is awesome.

The rest of our weekend was very uneventful, especially since we tried to go to the new Harry Potter movie, but the time we went it was cancelled. So we're going on Wednesday instead. I am very excited to see it.

Today I actually got my lazy self out of bed and ran before work. Shocking, I know. I think Matt almost had a heart attack when I got up. I ran about 5 miles, pretty slow. It was nice but a bit cold for my taste. It's been nice during the day but in the low 20's first thing in the morning. I need to start wearing my heavy tights instead of my medium tights and I think I will be much happier running before work. I brought workout stuff to work today and I think I am going to do a little bit of cross training and lifting around lunchtime. It's only 10:15 and I am starving so it may be a lunch and snack kind of day!

Posted by barb at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)

November 19, 2005

Saturday Run

Well I have determined that my foot feels much better when I run outside. So that is good. Yesterday I ran 4 miles on the treadmill, topping out at 7:30 pace, and then lifted weights. So that was good! It is nice to have a real easy day every now and again. Although I should have less of them!

This morning I drove to Wash Park and ran 7 miles. It was nice. If not for the time constraints I would have run farther. I think tomorrow afternoon I should have lots of time to work out - Matt is going to watch football with a few friends, so I'll have time to go to the gym or take a nice run. The Broncos are playing at 2:00 so I may just go to the gym then and watch football/run.

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

Posted by barb at 1:08 PM | Comments (1)

Friday

Well, I think I am officially addicted to running on the treadmill.
Which is so bad - I usually love running outside. However I think this
time of year it is difficult to do for a few reasons - it gets dark
early, it's pretty cold in the morning, and I am too lazy to take
outdoor running clothes to the gym to run at lunchtime. So that leaves
me with the treadmill. Which is fine since it's a much softer surface
than any of the places I could run from downtown, so it is better for
my old decrepit body. I was just emailing a college friend and told
her that I don't really have any races until April, which is a good
point. I feel like my running is very casual right now, but when I
think about my goals and races and stuff, that seems to be fine! I do
need to ramp up in January and do some uptempo long runs, but I think
that should be adequate. So I am not too upset about my lack of
mileage.

Anyhoo yesterday after work I went to the gym and ran 7 miles on the
treadmill followed by 35 minutes on the elliptical. It was a good
time. While I ellipticalled I paged through what has got to be one of
the least socially redeeming magazines in existence - an entire
magazine about shopping. Now I like shopping as much as a lot of
girls, but this is just too much. I can't deny that I saw some cute
stuff but my goodness what a waste!

Today I was thinking I would get up and run outside but it was nice in
bed, so instead I slept for 8.5 hours and came into work early. So I'm
going to the gym at lunchtime for a short run and some lifting. I like
having Friday as a pretty easy day. Tomorrow morning Matt has to take
his brother up to Fort Collins so I should have time for a nice long
run (outside), which will be good. I don't think we have all that much
to do this weekend which will be nice. Matt wanted to put up the
Christmas tree, but he did it last night with his mom so it is nice to
get that taken care of. Of course I think we will be goign to see the
new Harry Potter movie which is exciting! I saw an interview with the
kid who plays Harry last night while I was running and he is just
adorable. I love an English accent, and he seemed really nice, down to
earth, and polite. Although it is horrifying how old I am getting, I
think I am ten years older than him!

I hope everyone enjoys the weekend!

Posted by barb at 1:07 PM | Comments (0)

November 16, 2005

Oh Shoot

This is what my college coach used to say all the time. He was a funny and strange person, I really liked him. He also ran around saying 'Yay Team' all the time, and when he would see me around he would say 'Yay Barb'. It was cute.

Anyway the reason that I am saying 'Oh Shoot' is because I had half an entry and now it's gone! Oh well, such is life. So this is the brief news: it is cold outside. Finally. It is almost Thanksgiving which is crazy. We didn't go to yoga last night because I am lazy. However, we did go to trivia at our neighborhood pub, and in spite of thinking that we were sucking it up, we got third! That is sweet. It means we get a free pizza the next time we got there. We almost won the speed round as well. If only we would have known about the movie Fletch. But who knows about that movie? Apparently not us!

We were thinking about going to yoga today instead but today's our only day this week without plans at night so we are chilling out and having taco night instead. I got this idea from Caitlin's blog and I am a huge fan. Taco night is so good! I can't wait even though right now I am still full from lunch.

Since last night was a late one, and I didn't sleep very well, I slept in this morning, got into work early, and ran 6 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime. I can't lie, I felt like death for some reason. It was so hard to run just 6 miles at 9:05 pace! What the heck. I think sometimes my blood sugar gets pretty low in the late morning so that could have caused it but I'm not sure. It was not the most fun I've ever had. But hopefully tomorrow will be better! Tonight I will be in my bed by 10:00, so I am going to get up early and run, and then if I have time I'm going to cross train & lift after work. Then Matt's mom is coming over and cooking us dinner, or else we're cooking for her, I am not sure. It should be a good time!

Happy trails kids.

Posted by barb at 4:15 PM | Comments (4)

November 15, 2005

Work

Well I just finished up my second day at my new job. Actually I will be finished in about 5 minutes, so right now I am just blogging! Don't tell my new boss!

So my computer didn't work until about an hour and a half ago. Yesterday was boring. But everyone here seems to be very nice. So that is good. I have had a few meetings so far and we are getting going, there is a lot to learn as it is a complicated business but I think it should be good.

It is amazing how much less time there is in a day when you have to work for eight hours! No more sleeping from 10:00 to 8:00... not that I did that all that much anyway, but I did it enough to take it for granted! So let's see. Yesterday, I ran 7 miles in the morning before work. It was good. Then it got cold. Today, I ran 5 miles before work and it was freezing - maybe in the mid 20's or so. Now it's about degrees out. It snowed a tiny bit last night, not enough to screw up the roads or anything though. My run this morning was good even though my legs froze, I should have worn my heavier tights.

I am leaving in one minute, and tonight Matty and I are going to yoga, and then we are going to our neighborhood pub for trivia. It should be fun! We don't have anything going on tomorrow night so if we stay out too late I think I'm going to run after work. I hope everyone is doing well! I am still reading all your blogs at night, although now that I have bloglines I don't comment very often.

Posted by barb at 4:55 PM | Comments (2)

November 13, 2005

opening weekend

So this was opening weekend in the mountains. It snowed a lot but there weren't very many runs open. We actually didn't ski/board because Matt left his boots at home, and it didn't make sense to rent them for three rocky runs! So that was cool. We got back around noon today. Here is a workout summary for the last three days:
Friday: 9:00 am hot yoga, 90 minutes. Good stuff. 5 mile run in the afternoon before leaving for the mountains.
Saturday: 4 mile run in Breck. Felt fine, but it was cold so I wanted to get back!
Sunday: 6 miles on the treadmill and 25 minutes on the elliptical while watching the Broncos game. Good times. I finished the 6 in about 52:00, including about .5 miles at 7:30 pace or slightly faster. That is not the most exciting thing but I felt fine so hopefully on Thanksgiving I can run that pace or a little faster for 4 miles!

That is about all the news. I am starting at my new job tomorrow so hopefully it will go well. We are going to the Nuggets (NBA) game in a few minutes so that should be fun, but I'll still get home in time to get a good night of sleep before I get up to run and then go to work. I think it will be a nice week! Have a good week kids.

Posted by barb at 5:39 PM | Comments (2)

November 10, 2005

Busy Unemployment

It is amazing how busy a person can feel while unemployed. I seriously wonder how I'll get anything done when I am working again! It'll be tough. I haven't been running all that much in the last two days. Yesterday I ellipticalled for 65 minutes, lifted, and ran 4 miles. Today I ellipticalled for 65 minutes and we're going to yoga later, no running for me. I don't know why, but last night I woke up at 2:00 am and I was really nauseous - I went into the bathroom and laid on the floor for a half hour and was convinced that I would puke (I hardly ever puke). It was not good, and today I am still feeling a little queasy and just not myself. In addition to that I'm a bit tired from not sleeping well and hanging on the bathroom floor.

I wanted to run today but it didn't seem like a good idea. So tomorrow, to celebrate my last day of job-free time, I think I may drive up to Boulder and have a nice trail run. I don't have much of anything to do tomorrow so that will be good! Now I am off to lay on the couch for a few minutes before I marinate chicken and then head to yoga.

Posted by barb at 4:49 PM | Comments (0)

November 8, 2005

This is November?

This is amazing. It is so awesome outside today - 80 degrees and sunny. I am having a hard time believing that it's really almost Thanksgiving! Speaking of which I need to sign me and Matty up for the Turkey Trot. I believe the weather is supposed to change for the worse tomorrow but I just can't complain.

Today I ran 10 miles in 1:22. I was surprised that I could go that fast. I did the run Alison and I ran when she was here, just an additional mile each way. The best news of the run is that my 10th mile was my fastest one (7:46). So I am feeling pretty good about things. I like working out twice a day while I am not working, but I don't think it'll happen today as I have a lot to do and the run made me pretty tired! I went to Whole Foods after I ran to buy stuff for dinner tonight - we're having another couple over - and I was going to pick up something for lunch but it was too soon after I ran so everything made me want to puke. Now I wish I had gotten something as I am starving! So I am off to shower, make some lunch, and finish doing our laundry. I hope everyone is having a nice day!

Posted by barb at 1:43 PM | Comments (1)

November 7, 2005

Lazy, Lazy Barb

It is truly unconscionable that I haven't written in my blog for 4 or 5 days. Since I am still between jobs, what could I possibly have to do every single day that is more important than blogging? Well, I guess one thing is that I read a 700 page book about Enron (Conspiracy of Fools by Kurt Eichenwald, highly recommended) since last Wednesday night. I cannot describe how fascinating this book is. Everyone should read it. As a former Andersen employee, I was especially interested. Needless to say it was good. My ellipticalling time increased significantly while I was reading, because it was a good way to work out and obsessively read.

So today I finally finished and threw that monkey off my back. That was good. I also ran 6 miles, ellipticalled for 65 minutes, biked for 12 minutes (while waiting for the elliptical machine to free up), and lifted legs. And I also did a few things that one might even call productive, which is cool. This weekend was a bit of a waste from a running standpoint - 4 miles in driving hail and swirling winds on Saturday morning, and 5 miles in Breckenridge on Sunday morning. This run was on a lot of snow and ice which reminds me I need to buy Yaktrax so that my winter of running is more productive. It was nice up there. This cute dog followed me for a while, he was having a good time!

We went up to Breckenridge, to our ski house, on Saturday. I was totally pissy about it as I am not into the ski house since it is very expensive and we are broke, but I am trying to have a better attitude. It's hard work! It was fun though. This week I am hanging out, working out, and getting ready to re-enter the working world. I promise I will be a better blogger tomorrow!!

Posted by barb at 5:03 PM | Comments (1)

November 2, 2005

Bored

I am bored already! I have had two days off and I am going kind of crazy. I don't really know why, it seems like the lack of social interaction is getting to me. Every time I see someone I know, I just talk their ear off! It is also generally bad when I have too much time to think because I just overanalyze every aspect of my life.

Oh well. Anyway, to the Boston eliterunners, flights out to Boston are only $218 next week, so maybe I will come visit while I am still out of work! However I'd rather not spend the money.

So, I did run today. I was thinking about doing two workouts, but my run kind of wore me out and I chose to go to dinner with friends instead. Matt is at the Nuggets game right now with our friend N., so I met them and two of our other friends for a buffalo burger before they headed to the game. This was actually great because I like eating, but the Nuggets game are just okay to me. So that is what I did instead of working out again.

I had to pick up my lovely resurfaced orthotics (they look so nice now) in Boulder so I went to South Boulder Creek for a run. It was hot (about 80 degrees) and windy so I did not feel fabulous but I ran a decent pace. So that was nice. My feet felt fine which is also good, even though I ran before I got the orthotics. I was so thirsty and fantasized about water for the last 2 miles or so, just because of the heat. It was nice to see a few people at the running store, including my coach Darren. I told him about my new job and mentioned that in the spring I may be able to rejoin one of his groups. I would like to do it if only because it would force me to do speed workouts once or twice a week. So hopefully that'll work out eventually.

Tomorrow I'm planning on a nice run on the Highline Canal, then if I have time I would like to cross train - possibly swim - and lift. Afterwards, I'm meeting Matt and our friend M. for lunch, which should be fun! And then after all that, I need to get all the files off my work computer and bake pumpkin bread. Now it is time to do some laundry, so good night!

Posted by barb at 4:02 PM | Comments (2)

November 1, 2005

Writing a Quickie

Wow, that was weird. I tried to title my entry 'Quickie' but every time I did Shift and Q something strange happened. So I changed it which is probably for the best so that all you blog readers can keep your minds out of the gutter!

I need to make this entry short and sweet as I have many things to do today, including registering my car in Colorado, drinking coffee, going to lunch with my recruiter, going to yoga with Matty, and calling about a few new snow tires for my car. I also need to find a place in Denver to start getting my car serviced because driving to Boulder for that is a big pain. Thank goodness I have some time off or I do not know what I'd do!

I don't think I wrote about yesterday but I had a nice 7 mile run in the afternoon. I didn't feel fantastic but I felt decent and the weather was gorgeous. It was nice. Afterwards I went to the grocery store and last night we cooked a tasty and healthy dinner of salmon, roasted potatoes, and broccoli. Then we gorged on Halloween candy, mostly negating the benefits of our healthy dinner! At least it's almost gone now and we are left with the plain chocolate bars (yuck) and banana flavored taffy (puke).

This morning I felt so good when I woke up! It was nice. I put on my running clothes but then ran around getting things ready for the day - car documentation, work stuff I needed, etc., etc. I started running at 7:45 and the plan was to run 4 and then cross train and yoga later, but I felt good enough that I went ahead and ran 8 miles. It was a beautiful morning and I was actually really warm in pants and long sleeves - I felt like shorts would have worked. My legs felt so slow again, but my finishing time was about average for a morning run. The leaves are still falling off the trees and everything looks really nice. I feel good. Life is great!

I am off to shower. I may write more after yoga if I am so inclined.

Posted by barb at 9:13 AM | Comments (3)