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September 27, 2006

biking with gloves on

I love my new winter biking gloves! They are so cute (and expensive). Which is probably why they are so cute. It is nice to be able to bike in the cooler temperatures and I actually think I can bike down to about 30 degrees if I find something to put over my ears. So most of the time it doesn't get much colder than that here. But don't tell anyone or they'll want to move here!

So this has been a good running week. I have been a little faster in the mornings which is nice. Although this morning I was getting passed by everyone and his/her brother! I think when it's cold and dark in the morning it separates the wheat from the chaff (or however you spell that). Not a lot of 11-minute milers out there. Not that there's anything wrong with that of course.

Today I became obsessed with a new web site, marathon guide. How fun! Not only does it have information for most marathons, but it has reviews from people who have run each marathon. Which is so cool, so you can find out if an advertised 'flat' course is really flat. So here are some marathons I've been obsessed with - Louisville (my grandparents live there and it has a really pretty course apparently); Houston (I could actually train for this and the airfare is so cheap); Austin (I have never been there); and the Mount Desert Island Marathon, because it is one of the prettiest places in the world and it sounds fun and challenging. So I am thinking a marathon may be in my future for 2007. And maybe a century because my friend S. wants to do one. That would be a solid year!

That is about all the news from my neck of the woods. We are kind of watching the Biggest Loser right now (I like to multi-task so I'm also finding recipes for when we have people over Friday and reading the New Yorker). I really kind of like this show because it is a reality show in which people make their lives better. Go biggest losers!

Posted by barb at 8:08 PM | Comments (0)

September 25, 2006

low mileage

Wow, I didn't realize what a low mileage week I had last week until I entered everything into my log this morning - about 10 miles less than last week! Which is good except I didn't cross train particularly much last week so ultimately it was a low workout kind of week, which I do not like. But I suppose they are necessary at times.

I do feel genuinely bad that I didn't bike to work one day last week! That is so bad. But it is cold now and I almost froze my fingers off this morning on my way in, so I really need to get some winter biking gloves before I bike in again. Also, as I had not ridden in about a week, I came in this morning and my bike lock was gone! Who steals a bike lock? So needless to say my bike is now sitting in my cube with me.

Anyway yesterday Matt and I went down to the gym and I forgot my Sauconys so I ran in a pair of Nikes that I mostly use just walking around and stuff. I only ran about 5.5 miles and I did not enjoy. They have no stability whatsoever and I didn't have my orthotics. I feel fine now but there was definitely a huge difference. It was a nice run though! It had been freezing and for this run it had warmed up quite a bit. I had unremarkable but nice runs all the days earlier in the week after Monday which was a day off from running. I love the cooler weather for running, and once they open some additional public transportation in November I won't mind taking a few months off from biking to work.

Today I slept in as I just did not sleep well last night and didn't want to be a tired mess all day. I am heading to run in a few minutes so that we will have tonight free to cook dinner and go buy biking gloves. It is supposed to be really pleasant today but I do want to get out earlier rather than later just because running in the morning is so nice, and I have trouble rehydrating if I run late in the day. I have finally reloaded my ipod (long story, it got erased) and it's really nice having music to run with again! And let me just tell you, I usually do not have terribly questionable taste in music, but probably my all time favorite running song is by the Pointer Sisters. Jump!!!

Posted by barb at 9:51 AM | Comments (1)

September 20, 2006

And I used to train for marathons?

Seriously, what a wuss I have become. I remember when I used to run 15 miles, then go to work, and then get on a plane later on! Now I run 12 miles (okay, at least 6 of them were in a race, but still) and I can barely walk the next day. It's Wednesday night and I'm still a little sore. But I feel a lot better. Now that I am old and wise I didn't run on Monday because my IT band was a little tender and frankly I thought a day off was in order. So I watched Dr. Phil and Jeopardy and all kinds of fun shows on the elliptical. Then I lifted arms because there was no way I was lifting anything with my legs.

Yesterday I ran an easy 7 miles on moderately sore legs. I am thinking this will be a cutback week as last week I did in fact run over 50 miles which is a lot for me right now. So far I have been very mellow and haven't even ridden my bike which is bad but what can I say, I am adjusting to the colder temperatures. And I'm having a lazy week.

Today we had some family stuff and I ended up running 6 miles in Fort Collins. It was nice. The weather is apparently changing any time now but it was warm and not too windy although I think it is always windy there. I guess it might snow on Friday but I'll believe it when I see it. I find it highly unlikely.

Right now I should really be in my bed asleep but it is so much more fun to chat with Betsy that I am delaying. But tomorrow I should be getting up at 6:00 and running for a little while. And I am a big geek but the new season of my favorite TV show - the one about a bunch of Seattle surgeons - is starting tomorrow night and I am really excited! Hooray for small pleasures.

Posted by barb at 10:12 PM | Comments (1)

September 17, 2006

another day, another race, another dollar (but so close to a hundred!)

So my running friend C. emailed me this week and told me I should come to Boulder for a 10k and a long cooldown. I said okay as we did not have anything crazy going on Sunday morning and I signed up yesterday on the way to the football game. I am so glad I did! Even though yesterday it was cold (well, for late summer which is like in the 50s), and really windy, this morning the conditions were great. Maybe 50 with sun and a moderate breeze. I got up at 7:00, got to the Boulder Rez around 8:00, and picked up my packet. I warmed up for 10 minutes and then chatted with C. for a minute. I did a stride to the bathroom and back and then lined up in the middle of the pack as yesterday what with the game I had walked a lot and had very low expectations for the race.

We started off and let me tell you I love racing in Boulder. In a lot of races in Denver people line up wrong (way in front of where they should) and sprint off for the first 400 meters, which is annoying. In Boulder people line up properly and start off at their race pace. How novel and fun! I was around several other runners for the first mile and just started moving up in the pack a little. I missed the first mile marker but I came through I believe in around 7:15. I settled in with a nice lady from one of the groups in Boulder I used to be in, and we had a nice chat and ran through the 5k mark together. We came through mile two in 14:35 or so. The third mile is the hardest and that was 7:26 I think. I erased all my splits so I can't be too sure about any of them. When we turned around we only saw one woman in front of us and thought that we were in great shape for prize money. I took off a little after the turnaround and kept the person I thought was in first place in my sights. It turns out I know her actually which was kind of funny after the race. Mile four was 7:09 or something, five was 7:16, six was 7:25 (M., who was in front of me, definitely had a better fifth and sixth miles). And I finished at 45:17 or so. I was pretty excited because I thought I was second but instead I ended up fourth - had I caught and passed M., I would have made $100! Holy cats as they say. But I ended up in great shape, winning my age and getting a $25 gift certificate. What a fun race!!

After the race C. and I ran 5 additional miles around the Rez. It was great to catch up with her as I hadn't seen her in a few months. She is running a marathon in two weeks and I think she is going to rock the marathon. Very exciting for C!

Overall I'm not sure how much I've run this week but I think it may be 50 miles or so. I ran 6 yesterday, 8 on Friday, 7 on Thursday, and I think that is where I left the blog earlier this week. It has been a great week and now I am tired but satisfied with a good week of training.

Posted by barb at 12:13 PM | Comments (4)

September 12, 2006

amazing what a good night's rest will do!

I am totally obsessed with getting enough sleep. Why? Well frankly I am totally disastrous on every level if I don't. I just hate that groggy feeling when I don't get enough rest. My mind is slow, my body feels terrible, and my running suffers. So when I get a good night's rest (and get my run out of the way in the morning) it is just delightful! That is exactly what happened last night and this morning so I am a happy camper.

I woke up before the alarm went off but got up maybe 2 or 3 minutes after. It was another cool, cloudy morning and there was a mist over the middle of the park which is very unusual but pretty! It's been nice to have some variety in the conditions as previously it had just been sunny and warm. I ran one of my normal routes and it ended up being about 6.5 miles. It is weird but just timing wise and convenience wise it would be easiest for me to run 7 miles every day. However for my training and the like that would not be the best! So I am trying to mix things up even if I only mix them by a half a mile. I also lifted and ellipticalled for 25 minutes today, just for fun. I am obsessing over wedding hair styles so I am trying to catch People or Us or something once a week to see if there are any celebrities I want to emulate.

That is about all the news! I am taking off in a bit and then we are going to my parents' house for dinner. Yum!

Posted by barb at 4:25 PM | Comments (2)

September 11, 2006

fun, busy weekend, and a random race planned

So I had been contemplating running a half marathon this coming weekend. Instead, I have now decided to run a 10k up in Boulder with my old group. Why? Because it will be fun! And I think I am in relatively decent 10k shape right now, and I am not in the most awesome half marathon shape. I have run this race before and it's not a PR course. At. All. But it is so fun and it's mostly on dirt which is nice for my joints and afterwards they are going for a long cool down I believe so I think I can knock out a race and a long run in the same day. Sweet!

This weekend was so much fun. And we did so much! Friday we picked out our bridesmaid dresses. All the maids will look great in them. Then we went to our party, which was a great time! It was weird to have everyone in one place but really nice because they all got to know each other. I have an alter ego named 'Drunk Barb' and she definitely came out for the party. Which is always a good time especially since it is rare that my alter ego appears!

So I do not know if I mentioned running on Friday but after Betsy got in Thursday night I had a running partner for the whole weekend which I loved. We ran an easy 5 miles on Friday morning before I went to work. After I guzzled lots of water on Saturday morning, we ran 7 miles. Then we made waffles for breakfast (with a waffle maker that we received as an engagement gift). They were so delicious! Then we went to tailgate for the CU-CSU game. It was a very long day and night as it ended around 10:30 pm at a bar with karaoke. I drank water (and no other beverages) all day and night, so although I was tired, I felt okay.

Sunday morning we got up and ran over to where Matt and our other friends were playing in a volleyball tournament. We went the scenic route on the way there which was around 5 miles. We watched them finish up a game, drank one of their bottles of water, and took off for home. On the way back we took the non-scenic route which was approximately 3 miles. We also picked up frozen raspberries, cereal, and orange juice to enhance our breakfast, and to work on our arm muscles. Orange juice is heavy! Then we proceeded to make waffles again, this time with raspberries in the batter which was kind of fun but really I think it's better to make raspberry pancakes than waffles.

After breakfast I sadly took Betsy to the airport so she could go back home. I miss her! It is nice having my BFF in town, especially since I don't have any other college friends in Denver. And it is great to have a running partner.

Matt and I relaxed for the rest of the day as we were both pretty exhausted. We watched some tennis and some football and I am officially done with the Broncos until they get a new starting QB.

This morning I was not planning to wake up and run before work but the alarm went off and I was sort of awake and I figured I may as well run. It was a perfect morning for running. Foggy and cool. I love it when it's foggy, it reminds me of Maine. Our college was so beautiful in the fog when you could barely see across the quad except for a few lights shrouded in the mist. I really miss it there! Anyway (I guess I am feeling nostalgic today) I ran about 7 miles this morning and felt really good. I had a brisk ride into work and here I am! I am really struggling with what to wear on the bike as it gets colder. At first I am freezing but then I warm up so much that I don't want to wear too much. I think the best option is light, windproof layers. I guess I'll just have to do some experimentation with it!

Anyway I hope everyone will be keeping it real this week. It is shaping up to be another busy week and weekend, but it's all fun stuff.

Posted by barb at 3:06 PM | Comments (1)

September 7, 2006

busy day!

I have been busy with stuff all day. Work, etc., etc., actually reading some of my latest New Yorker at lunch. This is the education issue and I am quite fascinated with it! I am in the middle of an article about this famous researcher who has learned all kinds of stuff about how babies learn, and what they kind of intuitively know. There were also very interesting articles about the Duke lacrosse thing and this school in California I had never heard of.

Anyway I have been running. Yesterday my legs were so, so tired! I did a semi-brick meaning that I got home from work and did not putz around at all before I started running. It was hard but I don't know if it's because of biking right before or because of racing Monday. Either way I slogged through 6 miles. Today I woke up early and ran 8 miles. It was beautiful - great sunrise, nice cool morning. Now I am off to hop on my bike, do a few things at home, and pick up Betsy for her visit (she is flying in from NY today)! How exciting.

Posted by barb at 4:54 PM | Comments (0)

September 5, 2006

blog slacker

I cannot believe I haven't written in my blog in almost a week. I kept looking at the computer this weekend and thinking that I should sit down and write something but things kept coming up. Oh well. Anyway I guess I'd better do a list type of thing.

Thursday - felt terrible. Bad cold or flu. Long, bad day at work. I decided to take a zero in the running log for the day and just elliptical for an hour. Even that was too much.

Friday - felt a lot better. Ran 8 miles before work. It was nice and even when I take a day off because I feel like crap it seems to help the next day.

Saturday - still feeling good. Ran 10 miles on the highline canal. Matt was an awesome support crew and rode his bike alonside me while I ran and chatted with me, gave me water, etc. Of course this does point out the fact that I really need a running partner! Especially if I'm going to run a marathon next year. Anyway I was trotting along and I saw what I thought were high school cross country runners. Just a small group of them, not a race or anything. One of them passed by me with a coach, and it was one of my high school coaches! How funny. It was my high school's varsity team out for a run. I chatted with him for a while which was fun. Anyway the rest of the run after that (which was in mile 5) I tried to pick it up a bit and decided I would hammer the last mile. 6:50. Yes I would say that is hammering it for me. So I am pleased with that!

Sunday - Easy 5 mile run. Very busy day with much yard work and then we decided to paint our guest room for our visitor this weekend. It looks great but painting is so much work.

Monday - 5k in Boulder. My legs were still tired from being sick and my 10 miler on Saturday. So I took it out very easy. But somewhere in the first mile I was being beaten by a six year old boy so I decided to pick it up a little. My final time was like 22:13, with mile splits something like 7:32, 7:28, and the last 1.1 in 7:08, I think. I ended up being the 10th female in spite of a ridiculously strong field including the Japanese national team. Gotta love Boulder.

So in summary somehow I managed 45 miles last week in spite of one day off. Not bad. Today I slept in just because yesterday I felt terrible again and I think it is just because of getting up really early yesterday and racing. I feel better now and I am planning an easy seven after work time permitting.

That is about all the news for now!

Posted by barb at 9:38 AM | Comments (0)