Workout clothes

I did a longish run today and had some time to think about many things, one of which was workout clothes brands. Here are my general impressions of various brands.

Nike (Greek for "victory" which was shouted right before Pheidippides dropped dead after running 26.2 miles -- there's your history lesson for the day!): Overpriced and I don't like to support "the leader." But I LOVE their stuff and they do a great job of marketing themselves as a lifestyle. Plus the "Just Do It!" slogan is wonderful.

Adidas: LOVE the triple stripes down the leg of their shorts and pants, which makes legs look longer and leaner. (I don't think I'll ever get a tattoo -- like 99.9% sure of this -- but if I DID get one, I think it would be some sort of a design down the side of my leg!) Their tops fit great and their prices seem a bit more moderate then Nike.

Under Armor: I like a lot of what they have. They sure seem to run small, and their sizing is a bit erratic (I own a small, medium, and large t-shirt from them, and the medium is the tightest of the bunch!).

Reebok: NASM, my personal trainer certification company, partners with Reebok, so I may be checking them out more in the future out of loyalty.

The George?

I got Precision Nutrition and am wading my way through their very well-done interesting materials. They are fans of "The George" (Foreman) grill. Has anyone ever tried one of these? If so, what do you think? Any info is greatly appreciated!

Running haiku

I ran 13 miles.
Happy happy runner girl.
Boy my nap felt good!

Where's my halo?

I wish I liked Chuck E Cheese. I don't. My older son has outgrown it, but my younger son loves it from time to time, and so does his friend. So today for 2 hours and 15 minutes I was at Chuck E Cheese. I took my NASM study materials, so it wasn't like it was time wasted. But I guess I really love my son, cuz I really can't stand Chuck E Cheese!

Nike lust

Maybe it's that I'm training for something specific, or that I'm studying about fitness, but I'm having total lust for some Nike stuff. I got their catalog the other day and there's so much I want. There's a running top with a built-in bra, a super cute jacket with princess seaming that would look great, a vintage t-shirt with a swirly lantern and smoke on it -- I could squeak with how fab their stuff is. You should check it out at www.nikewoman.com.

Will I be getting any of this. Probably not, cuz I may have shot my proverbial wad at the Nordstrom pre-season sale. But it's fun to dream...

Brain dump

Bananas

I just ate one, and I don't like them. They are good for you. They provide potassium and good carbs. But I think they're icky and I have to work to finish one. Trying to envision all the good of the banana helped me to gag it down.

Studying

As I mentioned, I'm studying for my personal trainer certification. In college I majored in Business with a Mgt Info Science concentration (which meant more math and some computer programming classes). I did this because it was the early 80s and what was important was finding a good job. However, if I'd majored in what was fascinating to me, it would have been biology. Because I couldn't figure out what to do with a biology major (I was already convinced I wasn't smart enough to be a doctor, and I didn't want to be a nurse) I didn't seriously consider persuing this. So even though the studying is a little overwhelming (it's been decades since I had to study, my short-term memory is not very good to begin with, plus taking an anti-depressant makes it even less good!) I'm really loving it, cuz guess what I'm studying? All sorts of stuff that I would have learned had I been a biology major!

Running

Here's my promise: I'm taking the day off from running today. I did 6 on Monday and 7 yesterday and my legs are feeling like they need a break. My problem now is that I don't want to take time off -- my brain says that more is better. Plus I like big mileage totals at week's end. But I think activity today will be a light weight workout and ARC trainer at the gym.

Is there anything else besides running?

This week I intend to talk about studying for a personal trainer certification (through NASM -- got the materials over the weekend and I'm so excited), my upper body weight workouts (cuz Jules asked), eating better, and other non-running stuff. But right now, I want to talk running.

My running skirt
Today was its first outing, and I think I like it. It's VERY comfortable, and I like that it feels feminine and kinda sexy/flirty good, you know? It's not nearly as twirly as a tennis skirt (I'd practically take up tennis cuz of the cuteness of the clothes), but very functional, and way cuter than running shorts. I got mine from runningskirts.com. I noticed in the new Nike Woman catalog that they now have a running skirt, so you may be seeing more of them on the roads.

Running "jewelry"
Sometimes I feel like have too much stuff that I run with. But today it occurred to me that shifting my perspective could make a difference. So I'd like to present my running jewelry:

Ok, so I've waited for 10 minutes to post a picture and it's NOT happening. Picture, if you will, an iPod, some sunglasses, a Runners ID id tag, and a Forerunner. That, my friends, is my running jewelry.

Good run
Just got back from 7 miles at an 8:39 pace, which includes the crazy steep hill pictured on my Flickr thingey. I couldn't run the whole hill, but as I get in better condition that will be my goal.

Time to mom-up and get Austin to Sac State for his class. Yep, my 12-year-old is going to college. (Ok, I'm cracking up now!) Bue seriously, Austin is taking a class at the local college. He's part of a program where 6th - 9th graders who are recommended by their teachers get to take accelerated classes at CSUS. Austin wants to do gymnastics through college and right now he practices 18 hours a week. With Junior High starting, he's GOT to be efficient with his non-school time. The course he's taking is called "Learning Strategies and Study Skills." Perfect!

I Don't Like My Number

I am a member of the church of "The Number on the Scale Doesn't Matter." I can talk body composition and muscle mass vs. fat pounds, and how someone can be "skinny fat" all day long. But right now I hate my number.

It started when I read an article in Runners World talking about Clydesdale and Athena (translation: heavy) runners. And they mentioned that the Athena division is for women 150 pounds and over. Holy crap. I'm only 11 pounds away from that. (And the first time I typed this, I lied and said I was 12 pounds away, which tells you how crazy my head is right now.)

So I'm feeling like a beast, even though my clothes are loose because of the miles I've been running. And the truth is (this is me in my right mind now!) I would like to lose 5 - 7 pounds before the marathon, because the less you weigh, the less strain you're putting on your joints as you run. (Note to my friend OldLobo: I WILL be careful as I try to lose weight and train for distance.)

But for right now I'm left feeling like a heffalump. Now if I can just channel this feeling into food and exercise discipline... :)

Getting out of the heat

Camping was GREAT! It started out yucky with thunder and lightening and big rain. If I'd had total say-so, I would have made us come home. But we stuck it out, and were rewarded by a gorgeous weekend where the temps only got up to about 80 degrees or so. Tim and I ran 5 miles on Saturday keeping a 9:00 mile pace, which is good considering the altitude (almost 7000 feet) and the rolling hills.

When we came home yesterday, the temperature was 117 as per the car thermometer. We all guessed what the temperature would be inside the house, and Tucker won with his guess of 95 degrees. The power was out when we got home, so we got on bathing suits and spent the next couple of hours in the pool till the power went back on.

I just got back from a 6 mile run, and it's already 95 degrees. (I sound like a weather freak who watches nothing but The Weather Channel -- I promise that's not the case!) Even though I like to be acclimated to the heat, even I won't run if it's much over 100 degrees, plus the air quality diminishes as it heats up, so running becomes just plain stupid.

Stay cool, friends!

Update on some random stuff

Just a quick note as I cool down from a 7 mile run and get ready to "mom-up" for the day.

Running
I'm cutting back on miles this week. I'm concerned that 35 - 40 miles per week is a big jump in mileage that could lead to injury. Also I've been really tired for the last few days, and that could be a sign of overtraining. (It could also be a sign of wanting the heat to go away!) So I'm shooting for 25 - 30 this week and gonna see how that feels.

I've been listening to a podcase I love -- it's called Phedippidations and you can download it at www.steverunner.com. You should check it out.

Also running related, I'm still super hungry. Here's a real-life conversation between me and Tim the other night:

Me: I hate that I'm so hungry all the time!
Tim: I'm not touching that. I have learned. I am experienced!
Me: That was NOT a test, but you passed with an A!

Thank you, Tim
This week (and the next two weeks) my older son is taking a class at the college. It's a program designed for 6th - 9th graders and it's an honor to be asked to participate. But the transportation needs are a little daunting. It takes almost 4 hours of driving to get him there and back for his 3 hour class. Today's schedule for me is super fragmented, with only about 45 minutes of "free" time between each and every schduled thing I need to do. But Tim offered to take Austin to class this morning so I could fit in a run. THANK YOU TIM! You are very appreciated.

Depression
Yesterday I woke up with my own personal rain cloud and didn't really know what to do about it. We had nothing scheduled, and I really do want the kids to have some unstructured time, but in order for that to happen, I need to just kind of hang out here, which intensifies that trapped lonely feeling. Well, to make a long story short, I decided that I was NOT letting depression get its claws into me. So at every turn where I had a choice to make, I chose something that led towards health and optimism, rather than depression and darkness. Was it a great day? Nope. But it was SO MUCH BETTER than those kind of days usually are.

Work Out
Did you watch? I was fascinated by it! No deep analysis here, but I love seeing how trainers work with clients, and how other gyms operate. If you go onto the Bravo website, there's a neat treadmill warmup/workout, as well as some good basic info on lunges and squats (in video form).

Camping
We'll be at 6900 feet camping this weekend, which Tim assures me means we won't be in 100 degree plus heat. I always dread camping (used to love it -- then got spoiled by nice hotels!), but end up totally loving it. Must remember this fact...

Our puppy dog
Someone who has an on-line jigsaw puzzle website contacted me about using one of my Flickr pictures for his site. Click here to check out Reagan on the web!

Comments
I read a number of weblogs, but don't do a lot of commenting. And I should, cuz I LOVE hearing from anyone who reads my weblog. One of these days I'm going to reply to comments like FV Tom does in his actual weblog entries. In the meantime, comments are the bomb -- THANK YOU!

There's a new Sheriff in town

Having a weekend without kids, then having them come back into their normal routine, it's an eye-opening experience. They sure play a lot, and I sure work a lot. It's out of balance, and it has to stop. So today I'm devising a plan where others will contribute to the care and maintenance of the home front. What's tough is that I resist having my kids help like nobody's business (residual stuff from childhood, probably could be addressed with thousands of dollars of therapy, but I think this way will work). So the new way is morning and evening jobs, which will be assigned on paper. If you have morning jobs, you are responsible for feeding dogs, giving them water, emptying dishwasher, and giving Shadow her prozac. If you have evening jobs, you are responsible for picking up the backyard (including all towels, goggles, pool toys left where they shouldn't be) and the garage (which will probably include wrappers, juice boxes, and other assorted crap). Plus they still have normal picking up room and putting away laundry duties.

Ok, so I hate typing this, because I feel like any normal good mom would already be having her kids do this. So I'm outing myself -- yuck. But I'm hoping the accountability provided by writing it down will help me to carry it out. It's my hatred of conflict that causes me to "just do it" which is why I was picking up poop and mowing lawns in 109 degree heat. And the crazy truth is that my older son is the BEST kid when it comes to doing what he's asked to do, and Tucker's not bad either -- it's ME that resists.

So look out everyone -- there's a new sheriff in town, and she's long overdue!

YUCK!

This is what our weather is going to be. If anyone wants me, I'll be in the pool!

New series

Ok, so it's Saturday night, my husband and kids are gone, and I'm (you might want to sit down now) folding laundry, organizing stuff, and watching Silence of the Lambs on Bravo. Looks like Bravo's starting a new series called Work Out. For those of us obsessed with all things fitness, it looks worth taking a look. I know where my Tivo will be...

Home alone, but not lonely

Tim and the kids are camping in Tahoe this weekend, and while I miss them, it's been a nice weekend so far. A girlfriend and I had dinner and saw The Lake House (beautiful soundtrack, and Keanu in jeans is a yummy sight!) last night. Today I was up in the 5s (too early!) to meet Kathleen and do the running part of Eppie's Great Race with her. It's billed as the world's oldest triathlon, this year being the 33rd running, and Kathleen's doing the whole thing -- run, bike, and kayak! So I ran the nearly 6 miles with her, and then ran back to my car (I'm counting it as 12 miles!) She lives in Arizona and we don't see each other often, so it was a total luxury to run with her and her sister Linda for almost an hour -- we talked non-stop!

Then I stopped off at my parents house for a quick visit, then headed home for a 2-1/2 hour (!) nap. Just finished a float in the pool, which is oh-so-peaceful when tweenage boys aren't running, jumping, and playing king of the hill. What's next on the agenda? Don't really know. But I do have a special invite (maybe they send them to everyone, which is fine too!) to shop the Nordstrom sale tomorrow before the store opens, and I'm 100% sure I'll be there!

Oh, miles for the week = 41. Tomorrow is a day of rest -- well, maybe with an upper body weight workout thrown in...

The Truth about Figure Competitions

I had some nice comments about the pictures I posted from last year's WTF competition, and they compel me to write about what it takes to get ready for a competition. Here's the thing you need to know: competition ready is NOT anything like real-life fitness. Period! So if you're a woman who compares herself to the pictures in the magazines and you always feel like you come up short, you're not doing a fair comparison. It would be like me watching a TV show mom be nice to her kids all the time, and thinking, "Why can't I be that good?" It's not reality!!!

Ok, so here's what happens before a fitness competition. For at least a month before the comp (and for up to 3 months before, if you really want to do well) you eat clean all the time. You write down what you eat. You have no cheat meals. None. Oh, and while you're doing that, you do weight lifting, cardio, AND plyometric drills so that you can shock your body into discarding any excess fluff. You are also drinking about 1-1/2 to 2 gallons of water a day, and you're taking a natural diuretic of some kind so that your body won't hold onto water.

Based on doing this, you're going to look good -- really good. But wait, there's more! About 3 days before the competition, you're going to severely limit carbohydrates, because they encourage your body to hold onto water. And you're also going to limit your water intake, which is super hard to do now that you're used to drinking gallons per day. And you're still working out, which gets harder as you're feeling tired and thirsty. If you have access to one, you'll also sit in a sauna to force that last little bit of water out.

I did all of this, and it was amazing what those last 3 days did. I should have weighed myself to see how much I dropped, but I'd guess it was about 3 pounds in 3 days. My skin felt all dry and icky (and because I'm a lotion addict, that was hard to take), but body wise -- I felt ready to go.

So see -- none of this is real life or anything you'd do on a regular basis, any more than a sit-com mom is a good standard of parenting. Would I love to look stage-ready all the time? Sure! But am I willing to pay that price on a regular basis? No way!

Finally a fast run!

Seems like my last few runs have been long (9 miles, 7 miles, 7 miles) and in the heat (90 degrees or above) so my per mile pace has been slooooooow and I've felt like I was dragging a caboose along with me as I go.

I'm happy to report that I just got back from a short (4 mile), cool (about 70 degrees), fast run. Fast as in 32:41 for the run, which is 8:10 miles. (In case my friend OldLobo is reading, I know this is super slow for you, my land-speed-record-breaking friend, but it's fast for me, ok?)

Also an injury update. I went to the physical therapist on Tuesday and I'm going again today. He thinks he can help the plantar fasciitis (hooray!) and thinks I have/had a slight tear in my right hamstring, which accounts for the pain I've felt there for over a year. He was talking about working with the SF 49ers (his hands have touched Jerry Rice -- can you believe?), and mentioned something about how what he was doing to me is the same as how he treats the 49ers. I just started cracking up as I had the thought, "Yeah, me and the Niners -- our doctor pretty much treats us the same!" And I couldn't stop laughing. For this "last picked at everything" girl who has a hard time viewing herself as athletic, it was a delightful moment!

The sexiest thing is ...

... when your man helps fold laundry. I'm just sayin'!

Thanks Tim!

Our collection

Our collection
Originally uploaded by lpglives.

Tucker and I recently decided to start a collection of mini-condiments and food. It's very fun to try to find them -- but tough cuz they're small (and probably fast!). Tucker hopes to submit our collection to the Disney Channel and have them feature him. I think he has a shot at it, don't you?

Moving forward and loving it

Something must be working in my favor, cuz I'm starting to do things I've wanted to do for years. Specifically, I'm studying to be a personal trainer (insert squeal of excitement here!).

I have been fascinated by fitness for decades (literally) now and have a substantial library on everything from weight training to running to yoga and Pilates, as well as great books on motivation and diet. And I've read them all -- honest! But it's been a decade since I worked outside the home (thank you Tim -- incidentally, he and I are back on track and digging each other in a major way, which is FUN!), and it's been hard to know what to do with myself. When the kids were small, THEY were what I did. But they're 12 and 10 now, and I have too much time on my hands. (As I type this, Austin's upstairs listening to music, and Tucker's outside skateboarding with friends.)

So like 4 years ago I bought the study materials for the AFAA Personal Fitness Trainer certification and have done nothing with them since. Well, actually I've moved them from place to place and left them out in the hopes I will be inspired. To cut to the chase here, today I spent an hour studying. That is HUGE for me, the girl who's always in "ready" mode.

I've got some studying to do... :)

My personal rundown

I think there's something on the Internet called the Rundown, which is a list of running weblogs. This is not that. Rather, here's a post solely dedicated to my newest passion which is running.

• I ran 36 miles last week, which makes me happy. I'm trying to build to a base of 35 - 40 miles per week before I start the actual training for CIM in December.
• On that note, YES, I am running CIM in December. And I have an aggressive goal: I want to qualify for Boston. At my age, all I have to do is run a 3 hour something marathon -- anything in the 3's will get me in. And based on my 1:47 half marathon in November, every race calculator I can find thinks I can easily to a sub-4:00 marathon. So even though it will be my first, I wanna do something big, and I think this qualifies as big!
• Tim is a big-time technophile, and a little of that has rubbed off on me. So I got a running toy -- a Garmin Forerunner. It's like a computer that you wear on your wrist (!) and it tracks your mileage and pace and when you link it to your computer, you can do all sorts of cool stuff. I am having a great time playing with it, and LOVING not having to drive every single place I run to see how far it is -- now I just run!
• Even though I sound like I like to run, the truth is that I dread running before I actually get started. I'd much rather think about running, or read about running, or eat as though I run (!) than go for a run. But after the first mile that changes, and I start to enjoy the running process. My breathing smooths out and my legs stop feeling awkward, and it feels good to be alive and strong and free.
• Ummmm, I think that's all I have to say about running right now.

Big excitement

Some neat blog people have added my weblog to their links! Wow! Wow! Wow! One of these days I'm going to list the weblogs I read. It may seem like a long list, but I read fast (honest, I do), so it's not like I'm the computer all day -- it just seems that way!

One year ago today...

WTF 2005
Originally uploaded by lpglives.

... I was onstage at the Women's Tri-Fitness competition in Las Vegas. It was an amazing experience, and I had tears in my eyes as I saw my husband and sons cheering me on. I NEVER would have believed that I could, at age 44, lose 20 pounds, get in shape, and have the courage to do something like this. In fact, as I think back on it, I still can't believe it actually happened! It was one of the best experiences of my life.

If anyone needs a microscopic shiny red bikini, I've got one!

Marriage ick

Tim and I have a distance between us right now that is mostly caused by my strange brain and a little by his (admittedly great) sense of humor. Here's what's happened, as best as I can unravel it.

On 4th of July, all of us went to breakfast. I ordered some low-fat fitness thing and didn't touch any of the pancakes or other indugences that were on the table. So by 1:00 I was hungry. I was microwaving my burrito, commenting "I HATE when I'm hungry and I don't want to be!" Tim's comment? "You big girls, you need your food!" I played being mad but laughed at it all the same.

Well, fast-forward two days, and I'm feeling sad and bad, and Tim's feeling like he's lost his wife. At the center of the problem? I believe that every funny comment has a bit of truth in it. So his offhand remark sets off my "no matter what I do, it's never enough" mechanism (which has a way too sensitive ON button, admittedly), and there we are.

You want to know what's crazy about this? Well, first of all, I know that he didn't mean anything by what he said. Tim is a FANTASTIC man and does not do things to hurt people on purpose. Also, I recognize the humor in his remark -- it IS funny! I also know that I'm obsessing about this, like a scratch in a record where it skips and plays the same part over and over. I also know that at this moment in time, I'm feeling bloated and emotional and am very likely to take things the wrong way. But I can't let go of it!

I went to the gym this morning, and wished I'd worn sweats to cover up my bigness. I'm not saying that to hear "oh no, you're not big!" at all. I think another problem with this is as a formerly fat person, I have trouble knowing how much space I take up in the world. It's like my eyes are broken. So I really did wish I'd covered everything up. Good news is that I stayed and worked out.

I don't want Tim to apologize or do anything different. I'm not mad -- I'm just sad and feeling lost and wish I could feel better.

Oops!

Ok, so what I just wrote was about MUSIC, and not running, ok? Ok!

Running iMix

Remember I said I was working on recording the BPMs of my music? Well, my friend Kathleen told me she can never find good new music to listen to when she runs, so I made her an iMix. It's an hour of my current favorites, and there's a little bit of everything included, from techno to hard rock to club to funk. I can't figure out how to post a link, but if you search for "Kathleen's run" and you find a playlist where the first song is by Zero 7, you've found it!

I'm off to the gym...be good!

Happy 4th everyone!

We're getting ready for our 4th annual 4th of July party. We usually end up with around 50 people or so, but it's hard to say how many, cuz they just won't hold still and be counted! Anyway, there are flowers to be planted and food to be prepped and of course there will be a last-minute trip to the grocery store, cuz we didn't buy enough at Costco the other day -- HA!

In case you're an Aerosmith fan like me, you should know that Steven Tyler and Joe Perry are joining the Boston Pops orchestra for a fireworks show that's beeing broadcast on CBS tonight. I've got BOTH Tivos set to tape, just in case something goes wrong with one or the other.

Ok, so it's been two whole paragraphs with no mention of running! Tim's started teasing me about how I immerse myself in a subject when it interests me, and since this weblog is not called "Running and Running Alone" (a nod to "Corn and Corn Alone" lunch from Teen Girl Squad!), I have decided to mellow out a bit. Not about actually running, but about writing about it. This morning I did a quick 6 miles as penance for the chocolate malt balls and dark chocolate raisins I ate last night. And that's all I have to say about running (for now!).

So it's time to go hose down the patio and plant flowers and start getting ready. Party time is only 6 hours away.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

I just don't get family sometimes

Although our relatives do NOT have this weblog address, I'm going to be careful in how I word what happened last night, just in case ... in case ... well, it's best to be careful. And I know that this is just my perception. So here's the essence of the conversation:

Me: I've decided to run my first marathon this year!
Relative 1: I worry about you at 60 -- how will your knees be?
Relative 2: (grabbing my arm dramatically) Whatever you do, do NOT run on asphalt. I did and now I can barely walk!
Tina (name changed to protect the innocent, but just know that she is 5 years older than I am): I'm going to do the Portland Marathon next year with Team in Training!
Relative 1: Fantastic!
Relative 2: How interesting!

What the heck? Do I put out a feeble vibe? Did I do something to hurt them that I don't know about? Oh well. I did 6 miles this morning, and I ran fast to get back at them. Ha!

Inspiration

The kids and I have been playing with Image Chef and you should too! Now if I can just figure out how to blow the image up to poster size and mount it where I can see it hourly...

Not the most positive of posts

I know that you're supposed to be positive and only fill your mind with good stuff, but you have to check this out, cuz it just cracks me up:
Click HERE!

Let's Talk About Running, Ok?

One of the things I like about me is that I'm really curious. So if I focus my sights on a certain subject, let's say RUNNING, well, I'm not going to rest until I find out as much as I can about it.

So I'm really into running these days. Here are some of the things I've done that relate to running:

• I've set up a workout and shoe tracker on coolrunning.com so that I can analyze my running and so that I can only put 500 miles on my new shoes. (I have a history of running for who knows how many miles until my feet hurt and my shoes are falling apart before I get new ones.)
• I'm awaiting two running books (better living through reading about it!) from Amazon.
• I downloaded some new running songs from iTunes, and also downloaded a Nike/iTunes running workout called Increase Your Speed. I'll let you know how the workout is and how the songs are for running.
• I've been, slowly but surely, entering the BPMs for all the music on my iPod so that I can do smart playlists, where all the BPMs are the same. So yes, when the kids are playing happily, I sit in front of the computer and listen to 30 second cuts of my favorite songs and count the beats. It's not as awful as it sounds, though, because it's all music I like.
• I'm awaiting my running skirt. Amazon has spoiled me with their fast shipping, though.
• Finally, I ordered a runner ID tag to wear on my wrist. When I ran 10 miles the other morning while Tim was golfing and the kids were asleep, it occured to me that if anything happened to me, nobody would know who to contact, and nobody would even know anything had happened for quite some time. My runner ID has my name, city-state-country (they recommend that), contact phone numbers, and yes, it has "Whatever you are, be a good one!" on it!

Final running comment -- last night I went on what was supposed to be a 4 mile recovery run. But Tim, after a day of shoveling crushed walnut shells into the backyard and doing major yardwork, found it in himself to go running too. I'd done 3 miles when I saw him, and couldn't resist his invitation to run together, so I ended up doing 6 miles, bringing my weekly total to (drum roll please...) THIRTY-TWO MILES!!! I'm so happy about that!

Ok, so maybe that wasn't my final running comment, because I have more to say. (This is part of the trouble with summer -- too much time on my hands, and way too much time to think -- I honestly could post stuff 2 - 3 times per day, but then you'd think I was crazy...) I'm putting together my marathon training plan, but the actual training doesn't start for about a month or so (gotta work that out), so my goal right now (thanks OldLobo!) is to increase my base mileage. So the plan for this week is as follows:

Monday: 6 miles

Tuesday: 4 miles

Wednesday: 6 miles

Thursday: cross training

Friday: 10 miles

Saturday: 4 miles

Sunday: rest

That will put my weekly total at 30 miles, which is a good base to start from, don't you think? Ok, is that all? Ummmmm -- well, I guess it is for now! :)