We had a nice easy 6k run this morning. We were very disciplined, not submitting the urge to speed up. It had to be easy - to be prepared for tomorrows big blast - a last 10 miles before the double half - Marathons next two weekend. We planned a very fast 10 miles.
It was intersting, there was nobody else outside: neither walkers/runners nor people with dogs. Where is everybody? It seems that the majority of people here took out Friday too.

Then it started raining... And it continued raining... Still it is raining...
So our dream big blast for tomorrow are gone.... I know that people living under colder climate are not afraid to run in/after rain, but we are spoiled by the dry California weather.
Actually it is not a big problem, have been running 10 miles almost every weekend since June, so to miss one does not really ruin our training - only our high spirit

Pilates/stretching - background movie: Alien 3

WOW! What a wonderful anniversary:-) I started my running program exactly one year ago - to fight back the first signs of aging: insomnia, slowing metabolism, headache, etc. Though I was an enthusiastic walker/swimmer, I could run less than 100 yards, so I needed to get my heart, legs in shape for running. Definetely I needed to loose some from my 35 lbs excess weight too. So on January 3rd, 2003 I started with the Walk Away The Pounds (WATP) 3 miles program. I walked with Leslie Swanson every morning. With full intensity. After one month I lost 8 lbs (without any dietary changes), my insomnia, headache disappeared, and I was ready to run one mile. During February, still starting my days with Leslie, I could increase my run from one mile to 3 miles. Since March, when I started the 3 miles/day real running program I have been faithful to Leslie, doing her 3 mile/4 mile walk on my no run rest days.
How much I would like to be in a WATP commercial. From 100 yards/175 lbs to half-marathon /140 lbs in 9 months.

Thank you Leslie, you are the BEST. We will celebrate with your dvd today.

UBWO: shoulder-back

rows: 20 x 60 lbs + 2 x 10 x 70 lbs
lat pull downs : 20 x 60 lbs + 2 x 10 x 70 lbs
dumbbells:
Arnold presses: 20 x 12 lbs
front dumbbel raises: 20 x 10 lbs
shruggs: 20 x 15 lbs


Stretching/Pilates : background movie: The Terminator

We DID have our big blast after all....
Cold, but clear morning, full of energy - and we DID it!!!
After breaking the 9 min barrier first in 4k, then in 6k, then in 10k now we had 10 miles with 8:48 pace.....
(Quater splits: 9 min/mile, 8:42 min/miles, 8:42 min/miles, 8:32 min/miles - wonderful negative split - speeding up slowly:-)
(Only problem, my hands were freezing, swollen. Maybe it was not great idea to take my gloves off after 3 miles.)
Nutrition: half a cup of Gatorade before, 2x 1/4 cup Gatorade duirng run. Because of the cold we did not sweat, there was no need for more sodium/potassium.
None of the familiar fellow runners/walkers were out. Hope to see them again:-))

We are dead tired...........................
Going to see - again - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

" I pass the test. I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel "

Based on our todays dress rehearsal - 10 mile run, we created a race plan for next Saturday's half marathon.
Starting with a conservative 9:20 - 9:30 min/mile pace during the first 6 miles, then the next 3 miles with 9:10 - 9:20 min/mile pace, finishing 4 miles with 8:50 - 9:00min/mile pace. A perfect negative split.
After the half marathon we will modify our plan for the Jan 18 San Diego half marathon.
Nutrition plan: one cup Gatorade before race, 1/4-1/4 cup Gatorade at 3, 6, 9 mile. There will be similar weather than this weekend, so no sweat, no need for more sodium/potassium.

The hardest part of a race training: to cool down, to rest before the race. To defy urge to run. To believe, that you will not loose endurance, speed by not runnng or running easy for a couple of days. To listen your body - your legs need time to heal. I remember the antsy days before our first half marathon in September. Cross trainng (swimming) , short easy runs only. The result? Our best run ever - despite of the hard course. (The "gently rolling" course description meant long uphill battles.) We had faster pace on 13 miles than ever before on 5 miles.

I plan nice long stretches, pilates, etc. for this week - with long swimming, jacuzzi, and only with three easy 6k runs.

Galadriell

Amazing Story!! I have been "dreaming" of running for as long as I can remember. As a youngster I can remember having sooo much energy I would go outside in the middle of the night and run around our yard (we lived in the middle of nowhere Maine)

Your story and dedication have really inspired me. Since I don't live in a snow laden area anymore I really don't have a good enough reason to NOT start. Journey of a thousand miles begins with one step right?

Hats off and best of luck in SD!!

Katyspice

Thanks Kathy for the kind words.
Maine, Ireland - wonderful places to run:-)
I like your approach: "I really don't have a good enough reason to NOT start. Journey of a thousand miles begins with one step right?" Why not? Only the first step is hard. The moment you start to run, you start to feel flying - you will be back in Maine, running as a kid.....
This rejuvenation every day, every morning is the main motivation for me.

WOW! What a wonderful new idea! I found a great book: The S Factor, Strip Workouts for Every Woman by Sheila Kelley.
Written by a woman, who strips every day, but never for money, never for strangers only for herself, sometime for her husband. A great exercise book not only for the body, but for the soul too.
More details on her webpage, here

It all started last week - I was looking at pictures, among them my race /gym pictures. Meanhwile those pictures awoke wonderful memories in me, but to see my "masculin side" - dressed in male shorts, shirt, pulled back hair, sweating - hm... Do not get me wrong, I enjoy running, I do know the importance of weigh training, but something was missing. My feminine side. To see my Christmas pic - long loose hair, evening gown, etc. compared to my exercise pics...

I do not see any way to make MY running or weight training feminine. Yes, I know that many women do not have similar problem: feeling feminine even in the toughest exercise routine.
Though Pilate makes me feel better, more flexible, but I needed something more. Beside my running, core, weight exercises. For balance. To express my soul, my sensuality. Ballet, dance would be nice, but at 46? It is a little too late. So I went to the bookstore to get some ideas. That is how I found this Strip book among exercise books.

Here is a quote from the introduction:

" After a few weeks of practicing (strip dance) I began to notice amazing changes in my body. I was thirty-four years old, but I was beginning to look the way I had when I was twenty-four. Dancing every day had melted away my postpregnancy fat, and defined the muscles in my arms, legs and stomach. The lower back pain I'd had for years from a high school injury disappeared. I dropped an entire jean size, and felt energetic and alive. For the first time in my life, I became confindent in my body, andstopped judging myself. When I looked in the mirror, I no longer say the flaws, the wrinkles, and the cellulite. Instead, I saw a lithe, sensual creature. A woman who knew her own strength."

I can testify, that after simply trying a couple of exercises from this book, I already got the same feeling. Familiar core exercises but with a sensual touch.

You can use this book to exercise/dance for yourself, but you can get advices how to tease, how to strip, how to create strip routines for your loved one.
No, this is not an x-rated book. It is about self-expression, confidence...

Thanks for dropping by my journal... the last two weeks for me were really high paced.. (so to speak)...

I will be around more often...

and thanks for the new year's greeting... hope you have a wonderful year!

3 miles walk (WATP) much more for our soul than our body.
OFF GYM UBWO (WFD) - chest, arm
Meanwhile I enjoy the safety of weight machines in our gym, but somehow feel much more natural (and not less effective) working with free weights. (Dumbbells, barbells, bands.)
Had a wonderful long workout - felt real burning.

Chest:
warm up with bands
push-ups 3x10
dumbbells:
press over 1x20x15 lbs
flys 1x20x12 lbs
straight-arm pullover 1x20x12 lbs

Biceps: (dumbbells)
hammer 2x10x12 lbs
wide curl 2x10x12lbs
alternate curl 1x10x15lbs
reverse: 2x10x10 lbs

Triceps:
warm up: band
dips: 3x10
dumbbells:
kickbacks 2x10x7 lbs
overhead extension 1x20x12 lbs

Forearm:
wirst curl-up 1-1 x 20x7lbs
wirst curl-down 1-1x20x5lbs


Pilates, stretching, S Factor - movie: American History X (Norton is an excellent actor.)

This morning was not so cold, but cloudy, so we could not see the rising sun. Otherwise we had high spirit. It seems that our legs have fully recovered from the Sundays fast 10 miles. It means, that our crazy-looking idea - to run two half-Marathons only one week apart is not so crazy.
6k - with 8.40-8.50 min/mile pace.

We have just noticed, that the race starts at 8 AM. Hm.. It means higher temperature than we expected. So maybe we should reconsider our water/Gatorade intake plan.

Still feeling the burn in my muscles from yesterdays UBWO. Today I plan a nice back maintenance with abs...

When I started my running training last January, very soon I noticed that running is as hard on the legs as on the back. Constant lower back pain tortured me even during short runs. After doing some research, I found a wonderful book: The Healthy Back Exercise Book by Deborah and Simon Fielding.
Detailed explantion of back anatomy, different kind of back injuries, pains. How to heal, prevent further injuries, how to maintain a healthy back. I have been using this book as a guidence to take care of my back. Since last February I have not had any back problem. Every day during my evening (movie) stretch I include many exercises from this book. Today : The Good the Bad and the Ugly - movie, with the full one hour long advanced back maintenance program of this book.

Abs from Sheila Kelley's Strip Workouts book :
peel up, fiddler, prance, flirt, leg splay, bridge grind, side goddess, side leg peel (3-3 minutes every exercise)
There is a recommended music, but I do not have these songs. ( Who the hell are Smashing Pumpkins, Smoke City, This Mortal Coil, Muddy Waters , Miriam Makeba, Bryan Adams - I only know Bryan Adams.

Thanks for posting about the S Factor! What a great idea- it sounds like such a fun way to mix up exercise routines.

I went looking for the book on Amazon (they have it), but I wanted the video too- so I ordered directly from the site: http://www.sfactor.com/

Good luck with your running, too! Loved reading your journal- you gave me the motivation I needed.


-Shel
p.s. The only Bands I know that you mentioned are Smashing Pumpkins and This Mortal Coil... good music! LOL- I never thought of This Mortal Coil as music to dance to, but I can see how it would fit into this workout. Good mood music.

I will find out my clinical schedule next week... Its either NYC or chicago...
I feel excited and anxious to find out... lol..

Have a good one,
Korry

CC: My Journal

Galadriell,
You are such an inspiration. I have been running on and off, but nothing seriously. You have cetanintly inspire me to pick up the pace, set a goal and go for it. I am originally from SD, living in Miami now. I would love to run the SD marathon one day.
Aside from the Gatorade that you add to your runs, how's your low carb eating, any changes to that?
I will be rooting for you I know you will do great this weekends. Please share your experiences.

Mary

Mary,
you should try it. I mean go and register to any half marathon. Florida is as nice as CA - year long opportunity to run outside. As I see you are at your goal weight (congratulations!), and according your profile you love to run - so you have much better base than I had one year ago:-)
To have a registration on your fridge - the best motivation. It has a magic effect. Even for the most enthusiastic runner it is hard to stay motivated. But if you have a race - it gives you the necessary push. During your SD years have you ever seen any race? They are the most motivating events. Thousands are running/walking - regardless of age, health, weight. AND everybody is enjoying it. These races (contrary to Boston Marathon for example) are never about winning - these are about participating. I was caught by this magic during our first years in CA (we moved here 6 years ago). Our Marine son is a passionate Marthoner/triathloner. We always were with him, cheering for him on CA races. That is when we saw the huge total amateur crowd. The view gave us confidence: if they can do it, if they can enjoy it, we can do it too:-)

About nutrition. I do not have any change because of the running, other, than having Gatorade during our 90 min + runs. Without any carboload or even any pre-run meal I have seen incredible improvement in my distance, speed too. I still have the same 60-80 carbs every day. (I lost weight easily by going down to 60, and maintaining with 60-80.) I prefer to run with empty stomach, consuming only the minimal necessary drinks. Simply I do not feel comfortable with something is splashing, jumping in my stomach. Because I have not seen any adverse effect from this minimal approach, I have stuck with this. After these two half-marathons we start the marathon training. As I learned, there is no way to do a marathon without having some solid food too (drinks disappears too fast), it seems that we have to try to eat something after 90 min with our Gatorade. Our son recommended us bars - we will try them. And of course I will share my experiences.
I think this is individual - many people prefer carbloads, and higher intakes during run. Our experiences show, that there is NO need to consume the "recommended" 400-500 carbs.
I am looking forward to hear YOUR experiences.