Cool Runners #18 -- September '05
 

Hey Runners -- :wave: -- A new month and ALREADY September!!! Good grief time flies!!

Well I ran only 5k this morning, was in a rush to get back home, it's a long story so I won't get into it... I found it very humid too!! You know when it comes to running I can't wait to run in -10c sunny cold crisp weather, this humidity or hot sun drags down my running...

Hi everyone. I have been MIA for awhile, but still running. I did a 10 mile race on Saturday. Whew it was tough. But I finished! I think I am going to stick with some shorter distances for a little bit. Yesterday I stopped being sore so I think I'll try a nice easy 5k today.

Ooh, new thread! Another 10k this morning, only 18 days til my first 10k race, so I'm getting closer...

congrats skinnyjeans on the race! Great a new thread. I actually ran completely around my neighborhood this morning and it felt great! There is a huge hill that I thought I wasn't going to be able to run but I did it with ease it was all a matter of pacing myself. I've been trying to get in atleast a 40 minute run because my doctor informed me that most aerobic or cardiac activity beyond 30 minutes puts your body into fat burning mode so I'm hoping to start burning some fat LOL. The run this morning took 43:47 and it was really nice I may try that again very soon!

Yay! A new month for runners and I want to get in on this thread from the beginning. I did do some running at the gym this morning but I had to use the treadmill that always overheats so it shut down about 2 miles into it and I switched to the stairmaster instead.

There was this girl using "MY" treadmill and she normally goes to the gym in the evenings so I was not too impressed with that. However she is a faster runner than me so I used that as my motivation as I did intervals on the next machine over. I kept telling myself "hey her machine is set at 8mph! you can do that for 1/4 mile!" and it seemed to work. maybe i'll even catch up with her at the 5-K race in a couple weeks (she won our age group last time)

Hey everyone,

wow.. a whole lot o' runnin' going on around here :0)

Congrats on the race, Skinnyjeans, and MrsDawson, bravo on making it up (and down) that hill! My route includes a lot of hills too and thus far, I cannot complete it. But I feel better every time I see some improvement.

Lizzbabe, thankyou for the encouraging words (I just now caught up with the other thread), they really help! Also, 1/4 mile at 8 mph? Yikes.. Im impressed. I'm a slow-paced jogger even on a good day, i think the 8 mph for 1/4 mile would kill me :)

This morning I went to the local high school track instead of doing my usual hill-y route, but I did a total of 4 miles -- and jogged 2 and 1/4 before finishing the last 2 with intermittent walking. Do you guys remember what it felt like the first time you were able to say "I jogged 2 miles today"? Well, that's me today; I feel really good about it.. I like the way it sounds in my head when i repeat it to myself. Has a nice ring to it :0)

Realistically, Im sure the reason I made it 2 miles is because I was running on a flat track. But, I did work in the HIIT that I read about in another thread, and it was tough. I didn't follow the 30 seconds on 30 seconds off, it was more like 30 seconds of sprinting to 2 or 3 minutes of 'recovery' slow jogging. I know that probably doesnt yield the same results, but the 30 seconds of sprinting was a real challenge so Im sure it will do something to help.

Now I have to work on catching up to everyone else's impressive speeds/distances :0)

take care everyone. and happy running!

Lilith--those intervals sound great! Little bursts of speed are always good even if it's not a 1:1 ratio. Also from what I've read running outside on a flat surface makes you work harder than running the same speed on a treadmill so I say "way to go!" Since moving to Texas I hardly encounter any hills so I really should incorporate some hill training indoors but at this point just focusing on speed.

WTG Lilith!!! Yes I remember the first time I was able to run 2 miles I was so excited I blogged about it and everything! And you'll also start to see with running hills that it makes it sooooo much easier to run flat surfaces at a faster speed. Don't worry about not being able to finish the hills that'll come with time! Like I said with my run I made that hill into a mountain and as I was running the whole time I was telling myself, Shoot this is nothing! I run like this everyday I was just making a mountain out of a molehill litterally :lol:. Sounds like everyone is doing great!

Today was my walk day but I overslept. I will be taking a nice long run now.

Oh yeah also something that I noticed. I now run in my race tee and some shorts that fit fairly like biker shorts and I've noticed that my runs are sooo much easier to complete and enjoy! Now I understand the difference between clothing from the cool max line with wicking abilities and the way that cotton sucks up all that sweat and makes your clothes feel kind of heavy. Now I feel like I'm flowing with the wind LOL. I am fairly overweight so I don't feel comfortable running in tight clothing or revealing clothing so I usually run in a 2x-3x size shirt with sweat pants or some shorts from the thrift store. Well since I've switched to this racing tee and exercise shorts I notice a tremendous difference so I'm sold!!! Cool Max gear is for me!!! Now If I could just get enough money to buy an enell bra I'd be set *lol* I run with a windbreaker jaccket on over my shirt because the shirt is form fitting but I feel that within a few months I may become more comfortable and hopefully loose some more weight enough to be confident while running. Tomorrow I'm gonna try and run for 50-60 minutes. I'll let you guys know by Monday if i did it. Until then

TTFN *waving*

Good luck on the long run MrsDawson! I totally agree with you on the Coolmax stuff- it's not cheap but I love it!

On a side note, my friend and I decided to run a 5-k race tomorrow a couple of towns over so I will take it easy tonight and rest up. My last official race time was 26:21 and we have been doing practice runs at 6pm in the Texas heat so maybe my conditioning will be better tomorrow. Oh yeah and the best part is that the race is called the "Goat Gallop" and I just want the T-shirt!

Have a good long weekend everyone!

I'm hooked. I was in a bar tonight and they said they were putting some entry forms for a 5k on the table. I was gutted when I saw it was men only :(

Is this really me?

YP1--I know what you mean and I think I've convinced my running pal of the same thing so we're always looking at coolrunning.com or runtex.com for upcoming races. We did the Goat Gallop yesterday and I won overall female with a time of 25:34! I wasn't expecting that at all but it took a minute off my last race time, which was exciting PLUS I got a cowbell trophy and a new Fossil watch. Two weeks till the Brownwood race and the competition will be much tougher there!

CoolMax stuff is the BESTEST!!! When I see someone running in cotton I feel hot and sweaty for them!! I got rid of everything cotton. What I also don't like about cotton is that it leaves a big ole sweat stain, GROSS, and CoolMax doesn't...

I had a really good run Saturday morning I did about 12K... There was finally no humidex!! So that was a good thing...

Hi runners,

Ran for 1 hour outside today. Not fast, and intermittent running/walking, but a big improvement since I started

rabbit

Hi ladies,
This morning I ran for 30 minutes!! Well I first did it on Saturday but I was praying for it to end tired and hot, this morning it was cool and easy i even changed the route, I run for time so i have no idea if it was actually 3.1 miles like the program says. I'm just thrilled, I plan on running 30 mins for one more week then every week after that run 2 more minutes till I get to an hour maybe then i can lose my remaining 20 lbs of baby(plus after baby eating like a pig) wieght.

edited to add : I mapped my route on sueandpaul and it was 2.5 miles.

Congrats on the run Jaime! 30 min is a great accomplishment, you should be proud! Just increase little by little and in no time you will meet your goals.

I ran 6 miles this morning and am planning another run with a friend this evening (probably 3miles). 2 weeks until the Brownwood 5-k and we want to be ready!

Jaime -- Congrats on your run... What a great site that sueandpaul.com ... I mapped out my run and it was 9k ... I feel that it was longer because I was gone for quite a while but it's pretty close, I may go out and measure it later on my bike, just cause I'm curious.

Rabbit -- You're going to love running outside now. I never thought I would like it because I found it extremely difficult in the beggining... but now I've done a turnaround and hate the dreadmill

i've been trying to get back into running. so far i've only gone out about 4 times and keep anywhere from 30-40 min. each. eventually, i'd like to go for an hour. I believe I probably could now but I would be dragging a lot by the end. I already drag at the end of 40 minutes.... I'm trying to increase my endurance.

Hey Ladies

I am still off and running, I decided I will do the terry fox run in my town here as a trial run for my bday run... **fingers crossed**, I am trying to recruit people to run with me, so far its a no go...no one here, on an army base, wants to bother- go figure....oh well, I still have a few weeks...my hubby would run with me, but he is watching the kidlets while I run...I decided having something to run for is DEFINITELY worthwhile....and since cancer has touched my life and still does, I think it is a great run for me...

Hopefully, everyone is able to run run run and feel good doing it!

Leanne

Hey guys! I'm currently in consecration and exercise was one thing that I have to stay away from for a week due to the Lord's messages directly to me and man it sucks! LOL I am trudging through this process but Man is it hard I wanna run sooo bad but I have to be obedient for right now and shut out things that distract my relationship with him. Until then I will be checking in with you guys and continuing to run. I'll need as much inspiration as I can get cause this sedentary thing is really annoying...... I never thought I'd hear myself say that but nowadays I feel tired ALL THE TIME! I can't wait until Sunday then all of this will be over LOL.

MrsDawson and Ilene, Im totally sold on the CoolMax stuff, but do they have anything baggy? Like one of you mentioned (cant remember which), Im way too self conscious to wear anything tight or form fitting : X

I have been running pretty consistently so far, and did a pretty challenging run on Monday. I think managed to jog an entire 2 miles, running a variation (a LONGER variation :) ) of my normal outside route with all the hills. Until then I'd only been able to complete 2 miles while running on the flat track, and even that i only did once.. so this is progress! And a bit faster than I expected. Ive been running every other day instead of every day because Im slightly concerned about this pain Ive had in my hip, it wont go away and may have even gotten just a tad worse, but with cutting back to every other day, Im sure it will be fine. I think the exercise actually helps to loosen it up. Once that starts clearing up, I'll go back to a daily jogging routine.

Good luck to those of you entering and competing in races. Im hoping that by next year I'll be feeling confident enough about my distance and speed that I'll be entering some 5k's as well.

10k on the treadmill this morning. It might end up being my last one before my 10k race in about 10 days time, I'm in Dublin at the weekend and unless I summon up the energy to have a run round the city on Sunday morning as a bit of sightseeing cum exercise (this is entirely dependent on my intake of Guinness on Saturday night ;)) I think I'll probably just have a couple of shorter runs now.

The bad thing though, is that my skin seems to have got very sensitive in the past couple of days. Yesterday I did 3k and the waistband of my shorts rubbed me, so I got red marks round my belly button. Then today my bra did exactly the same thing (the same sports bra I've been wearing for a few weeks) and it all got very painful. Not good.

I heard that beginners and wannabes are welcome here so I'm just barging on in.

I'm probably more in the wannabe category right now! LOL I'm proud of myself because I ran 8 minutes today-- 1 minute at a time with time in the middle for recovery. I didn't realize that other non-skinny folks ;) also ran! I used to love running when I was a bit less heavy in the past and I'm very much looking forward to being able to do more than 2 minutes at a time! It's tremendously inspiring to read about everyone's accomplishments.

I'm still horribly self-conscious about all things related to athletisism and very easily intimidated. I know I defeat myself when I tell myself I'm too fat to do it so I'm working hard on getting over that.

Anyway, I didn't mean to turn this into a confessional, just wanted to come out of lurker status. I really enjoy reading everyone's posts, it's motivating me to keep going!

Originally Posted by :
I heard that beginners and wannabes are welcome here so I'm just barging on in.

Absolutely, positively YES you are MORE than welcome out of lurkdom and good for you for jogging and walking for 8 minutes, it's all about starting with one step in front of the other ... anyways just wanted to say WELCOME!! :D

Well, here comes another newbie/beginner/wannabe in the runners thread. :lol:

My husband runs like a gazelle. He hadn't worked out for years, and when he started was able to do 2 miles on his first run. Now he runs 3 miles at about 6mph (when he uses the treadmill) and about a mile of warm up/cool down walking before and after the run. He has only been running since mid summer-and he does strength training 5x a week as well.

I am one of those who had a really hard time getting started. I am the kind that couldn't run the mile in high school gym without getting side pains. :rofl:

I do strength, yoga, powerwalking, and dancing (teaching dance as well) through the week...and I have been injecting jogging into my powerwalking. I started with throwing in a couple 1/4 mile jogging intervals in, and then worked up to 2-1/2 mile jogging intervals thrown into my powerwalking. I am currently trying to slowly fuse them together into a full 1 mile jog-powerwalking before and after. I alternate treadmill and our local walkway (which is marked at 1/4 mile intervals). My jogging speed has increased from a slow 4mph speed to 4.4-4.5, so I am seeing some improvement.

I would love to be able to do a 5K eventually. I am pretty pleased though so far, from someone who was never able to run at all. :)

Oh...and I LOVE Coolmax.

:eek: Look what the wind blew in!! Aphil, congrats :high: on the running!! I didn't realise you had started running... Or maybe, now that I think about it, you may have mentionned it on another thread...One way or the other, WELCOME m'dear ;)

Okay...I fused my two half mile jogging intervals together and ran a full mile straight for the first time in my life-EVER. I went 2 miles total-a half mile powerwalk warm up before, and the same for a cool down after.

I'll stop for now-I have to teach an hour dance class tonight-and I need to save some energy for that.

I am going to try to run a full mile again a few times this week, and then maybe try to inch it up a bit more.

Originally Posted by BellaLumina:
I heard that beginners and wannabes are welcome here so I'm just barging on in.

I'm probably more in the wannabe category right now! LOL I'm proud of myself because I ran 8 minutes today-- 1 minute at a time with time in the middle for recovery. I didn't realize that other non-skinny folks ;) also ran! I used to love running when I was a bit less heavy in the past and I'm very much looking forward to being able to do more than 2 minutes at a time! It's tremendously inspiring to read about everyone's accomplishments.

I'm still horribly self-conscious about all things related to athletisism and very easily intimidated. I know I defeat myself when I tell myself I'm too fat to do it so I'm working hard on getting over that.

Anyway, I didn't mean to turn this into a confessional, just wanted to come out of lurker status. I really enjoy reading everyone's posts, it's motivating me to keep going!

Welcome to the thread, Bella!

I know exactly where you are coming from, when i started running, that is where i was too. I progressed very quickly though and soon enough I was completing my first lap, then second.. then my first mile, etc. I am still a beginning here as well, I can run about 2 miles straight through (at a VERY VERY SLOW pace, but at least Im jogging) and then I walk/jog intermittently.

My dad and my brother were both exceptional athletes and it turned me off to sports and physical competition of any kind.. when i was a kid I tried little league one year. I went for maybe 2 games and then never went back-- my mom had taken me, I was terrible at it, and i horribly ashamed and scared to death that my dad and brother would find out how bad I was. I have had so many traumatic "fat kid" gym stories you wouldnt believe it. And when I first started running, you should have seen me, in the blistering heat, wearing a huge t-shirt and long sweatpants. But damnit, I got out there and did it. And am still doing it. You can do it, too :D Im so excited for you! Congrats on running that eight minutes!

Dont feel bad about long posts, either. As youve probably noticed, I can get seriously long-winded :0)

happy running, Bella!

lilith

Hello Ladies, I have been away for a while (out of town) but now I'm back! I am signed up for my first 5k this sunday. I have been looking forward to it for a while, but of course with my luck I caught a stomach flu the other day! I'm feeling a bit better already and I'm really hoping come Sunday I will be fully recovered. I also haven't run in almost 2 weeks since I have been out of town at a conference where I had no time for it. Anyway, I know my time will probably be pretty bad and I know it is not good to suddenly run after being sick for a few days, but I'm hoping it will work out okay. Mostly I am focusing on getting my fluids -- I lost 5 lbs of water weight in two days with this stomach flu! :p

Aphil, welcome to the thread! Great job on the mile! I could never run a mile in high school either! :lol:

Bella, welcome! Slow and steady wins the race!

Thanks for the welcome everyone. :) I would LOVE to be able to run a 5K someday. That is one of my future goals.

Did a quickie 5.5k this morning... It was very humid out and for some reason this bothers my breathing, argh, I hate it... OR maybe I need motivation or a running partner or group. I see a group of women running on Tuesdays and Thursdays I just may but in and join them... Would you guys feel offended if someone would just ask to join your running group? Would you feel that I was imposing? 'Cause I'm a chicken and I don't want to feel like I am imposing myself on them... Let me know your thoughts...

Hey ladies

I did an "easy" 6 miles (9.8km) yesterday, in about 56 minutes, which is WONDERFUL considering this must mean my "normal" pace is getting much quicker...exactly a month until my birthday/race day, I am VERY excited!

I feel great today after my run yesterday so the next few days are cardio cardio cardio...

I think I have decided that in Jan 2006 I will start training for a half marathon in May/06 hmmm....its still in the decision making stages right now :lol: :lol:

Good Running everyone!

Leanne
"be happy with how fast and/or far you run, cuz there are MANY people who wont even TRY"

Thank you all for the welcome!

I was all excited to keep plugging away today but I seem to have caught some kind of cold/flu thing and can't even THINK about jogging without getting tired/sick. I never thought I'd feel this diappointed because I have to stay on the couch all evening LOL

Lilith thanks for the encouragement! I'm looking forward to being able to run a single lap all the way through, nevermind 2 miles! LOL but it used to be difficult for me to walk two miles in thirty minutes and now that's my usual pace so there's hope for me! I even bought a book for women runners and am using some of the beginners' training schedules from there.

It's good not too feel like a lame-o! LOL :D

Ilene, I can't imagine they would feel imposed upon unless it's some evil clique thing. My guess would be that they'd b e glad to add one to the pack. I'm thinking mainly of women's hiking groups I've jumped into in the past but it can't be that different can it?

papperclippy, what a bummer! I hope you can recover and at least make it to the 5k!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

This other girl at the gym was on "my" treadmill again this morning so I just did a weights workout plus the elliptical...BUT I told myself I really needed to run so after work I did go back and did some speedwork on the treadmill (3miles). Sooo happy I didn't just skip it.

Bella-sorry to hear you are sick...it seems to be going around (knock on wood!) i remember when i first started running it was like torture--and granted sometimes it still is--but for the most part i love the feeling i get afterwards so I go through with it anyway.

Ilene-go for it! what are you going to lose? and you could gain a great group of friends with common interests.

Paperclippy--good luck this weekend! don't try to set any records, just take it easy.

Paperclippy -- have fun on your run, you'll do just fine... you just have to finish...

Liz -- Don't you just hate when someone has ''your'' machine? :lol: ... I am so set on having my machine that I will sometimes ask the person how long they have and take another machine to warm up on till their done... And here I am worried about joining a group of runner :rolleyes: OYE I am so silly sometimes...

tonight I signed up for a triathlon swimming class that starts next wednesday night, I'm excited about that... :D...

I'm home again after moving out for almost 4 months for major renos. Although the renos aren't quite done yet. Mostly cosmetic and outside stuff left though. Anyway, since finishing my goal 1/2 marathon in my goal time, I've decided to switch focus for the fall to two 10k races, one in two weeks and one near the end of October. So I've jumped in to the appropriate place in a 50 minute 10k schedule. I've got more than enough of a milage base to jump in mid-way, but wow, the run times are faster than I'm used to! My long runs are "only" 16k, but are done 20-30 seconds/km faster than I'm used to. I'm definitely feeling this morning's run in my legs. But I did it in the time range specified, even with one of the killer hills downtown in it. Hopefully I'll see an improvement in my pb 10k time in one of the two races.

My ds (6) is excited about running in a 1k kids race in two weeks time. All the kids get ribbons, and with his 3yo sister running too, he's guaranteed not to be last.

Leanne, you are going to blow your 60 minute goal right out of the water on your birthday race!

Ilene, is there a triathalon in your future?

Last night's run/walk of 2.25 miles total:

~quarter mile powerwalk warm up
~1 mile run
~quarter mile recovery powerwalk
~half mile run
~quarter mile walk/cool down

This is only the second time that I have ran a complete mile straight with no walking intervals, so I was pretty pleased at the end of the second walking segment when I felt I "had enough in me" to go for the second half mile run. :) Overall, I am pleased with my progress this week.

Hi all,

I am just back from my 18K jaunt... My legs are only starting to get used to these long distances, but I am slightly sore. Tonight I shall do the cold bath thing.

Anyway, still over a month 'til my next race, but should be good!


Cheers everyone!

Ali:)

Well, I did it!!! I ran my first official 5k. Time wasn't great, 42:34 (my PR for running it on the track is about 39), but at least it was under 45 minutes! I learned some things too, like how I need to be careful not to go too fast in the beginning. I felt awful for most of the run since I am still getting over the stomach flu and having some digestive problems, and then I started too fast, so I was exhausted by mile 2, but I made it jogging all the way! I even sprinted to the finish line. ;) I think my bf (who stayed back with me) was embarrassed to be passed up by an old woman with a prosthetic brace on her knee (the kind that electrically helps the knee bend) though.

Clippy -- :high: way to go on the race... Your BFs bruised ego will mend soon enough :lol:

Aphil -- Good for you on the run, practice makes perfect...

I had a good run today the weather was in my favour... cool with NO humidity :dance: I ran to the gym did back and biceps and afterwards I took the long way home and did a total of 10k... I'm bored though, I need a group of something to run with... There is that group of women that I am still contemplating running with. I'll find out exactly what times they run... This week I also start a triathlon swimming class, should be fun...

Paperclippy--great job on finishing! you should be proud

I did my long run of 6 miles this morning to get me ready for the final week before my big 5-k race. Went pretty smoothly...good thing I went early because now it is raining and then I would have had an excuse to skip it. Glad I didn't though.

Hope everyone's weekend is wrapping up nicely.