Monster Dash!

Posted by Stacy

Okay, I totally admit I got a little too excited about a 5K I found that was being held right here in Ashland! So excited, I convinced Wendy and Sheralyn to run with me.  That was a smart move.  Signing up BEFORE previewing the route, that was a stupid move.

The Monster Dash 5K Fun Run was, well, anything but fun.  (Next year I will offer to re-design their posters.  I will use Halloween words like; "Murderous", "Diabolical", and "Frightening" to describe the event.  and will totally take out the words "Fun Run".)  The first two miles of the course threaded up Lithia Park through the steep hills of Ashland for 2 miles.  After that it was a steep downhill most of the way back, you had no choice to run fast if you didn't want to end up on your FACE!

Thank goodness Wendy and Sheralyn signed up to do it with me.  I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have shown up for the race if they were not meeting me there rain or shine.  This morning I got up and the weather was terrible.  I would have quit then had I been going solo.  Then I picked up our race packets a few hours before the race and decided to drive the route.  I was nearly in tears, filled with total intrepidation.  STEEP, so steep I was muttering swear words all the way back home to get ready for it.  But I knew they'd be meeting me there, no way I could back out now, thank goodness I had planned to build-in some peer pressure to see me through!

Here we are just before the race...

...and this one speaks for itself...

Oh man!  We did it!  I was sooooooo glad these two amazing girls ran with me, or, I should say, "in front of me".   They both kicked my butt.  I totally admit that just three minutes into the race I thought about quitting cause it was nothing but steep.  But they kept me going!  I'm so glad they were there!

Here's our times:

Sheralyn   30 minutes

Wendy     31 minutes

Stacy        37 minutes

I don't care if I was the last of the three, I'm just glad I finished.  And, I realized that my last 5K back in Utah with Steph-also my first, I finished it in the same amount of time...and that one was fairly level.

Now for the interesting part of the race...Halloween, costumes encouraged kinda race, and you know here in Ashland that's gonna go wrong, really wrong.  Here's a small sample of the lovely folks we had to run with (and sometime pick up the pace to get away from!):

A lovely front/back of this dude who defies explanation:

This guy was dressed like our local "Lady Godiva" a lovely lady in town who likes to ride around on her bike naked.

And these guys here:

This guy and I ran together for about 1/4 of a mile, I felt like I was running with a member of the Grateful Dead...wasn't sure if it was a costume or not!

The best part of all, it ended up being a BEAUTIFUL fall day which was so lovely!

And the streets downtown were closed down to only one lane of traffic so we got to run right down the middle of the street.  I love this beautiful town!

Thanks to Wendy and Sheralyn, I showed up and ran!  ...and didn't quit when I felt like puking!  Whew!

How 'bout doing a Marathon?

Posted by Mark

Look what I just ran across!



(Click on the picture for a link to their webpage)

They do this every year in May in Ogden.  Its on Saturday the 15th. and can accommodate our entire family at one level or another. It would be a good warm up event for a Triathlon and give us something to train for throughout the winter...  What do you think?

Focus

posted by Stacy

Hey lady on the beach, you inspire me. Can I stand on the beach with you? I'm sorry I cut out something on the other side of your page. But the words I didn't cut out, well, they inspire me too.

Oh, and since you asked, lady on the beach, today I am going to focus on fitting in my jeans like you fit in yours.

Cursed!

Posted by Steph

It seems that I am cursed. I am (pathetically) running a 13 minute mile. Let me preface that by saying that I do realize I am making some progress. For instance; one, I can actually run longer distances than when I started this journey (my record today is 4.5), two, by the end of the first mile I sometimes find my groove and feel like I could run all day, and three, I am able to walk, breath and NOT be sore the following day ! PROGRESS, not perfection is what some say. So I should be happy with progress, right?

There is just this one nagging issue of my running time that is discouraging me. Even my daughter runs faster than me! So what do I do? GOOGLE!! Mr. Google knows everything. I found this simple article and thought I would share it with you, for those of you that may be struggling too. Enjoy!

Five Steps to Maximizing Form and Efficiency

Step 1 - Increase your turnover. Turnover in running refers to the number of times your right (or left) foot strikes the ground in 1 minute. Think of it as RPMs. The faster your turnover, the more distance you’re covering in a given period of time. Elite runners usually clock around 90+ strides per minute. For mere mortals, a turnover of 80 is pretty decent. Count your current turnover rate using a stopwatch, and then aim to increase your turnover by 5 steps per minute until you eventually reach that magical 80.

Step 2 - Push off with your big toe. Think of the big toe as the body’s spring board. You can tap into a lot of forward motion by simply pushing off aggressively with your big toe. This will also help to take some of the pounding out of your heels and push your body forward more effectively.

Step 3 - Swing your arms forward, not across your body. Moving your arms back and forth across your body will only pull your entire body side to side, and this completely defeats the purpose of running. We want to run forward, not side to side! Aim your hands in the direction you want to go–directly in front of you. A good drill is to lightly graze the side seams of your shirts with your thumbs with every arm swing.

Step 4 - Keep your chin tucked. If your head is pulled up and the back of your neck is slightly crunched, this will also pull your torso up, put weight in your heels, and throw your body into a “stop” position. I once had an Olympic running coach tell me that if you ask a great runner what he saw during the race, he’ll tell you “the spot 5 feet in front of me.”

Step 5 - Incorporate speed workouts into your program. Speed workouts are a great way to increase your pace slowly and steadily over time. Try doing these workouts once a week, and eventually work up to 2 times a week.

Faster, Lighter, and in the Groove!

Posted by Stacy

A series of unfortunate events is clearly not just a kid's chapter book, it's actually a real phenomenon that has been a sad calamity that describes my recent journey into techno-hell. First my camera has started to make funny grinding noises, then my loyal friend for the past seven years, my MacBook, just conked out on me! As if this was not enough pain for one human to suffer, three days later my I-Pod died too! Ca-put!  This final deprivation was the real injury, because I jog with it. It's the only thing that motivates me to keep running and not cuss, stop, and turn back for home.

The sad part about it is that this was one of the old I-pods, the thing weighed about 25lbs! Which is why the whole family called it "The Brick". But "The Brick" was my faithful companion that belched out inspirational Slim Shady songs that keep me running. Now what?? I absolutely HATE running to the sound of my pathetic panting, I get irritated by the sound of my feet on the pavement, the crunch of rocks under my shoes (all the stuff the die hard runners love). The truth is, I hate running. I'm certainly NOT out there to enjoy mother nature and bond with the breeze and trees. I run to fit into my jeans and that's basically it.

So when the brick died, so did my lackluster enthusiasm. I missed my old friend. I also loved the fact that because the dang thing weighed so much, I felt like it was adding to my workout! Like running with a backpack full of rocks, only I'm sure my I-pod weighed more.

After three days of having to listen to myself breath like an asthmatic, I had enough. I went out and bought a new one...except I opted for the tiniest thing I've ever seen...the new shuffle-it's smaller than my pinky. This baby is light and wonderful, though now I feel like to get the same workout I was getting with the Brick, I have to jog farther to compensate for its lightness. I miss the Brick, and worry this new-fangled thingy is gonna get lost because of its teeny tiny size, but wow! MUSIC AGAIN! Ahhhhh!

The Lonesome Road

Posted by Mark

When I jog, I jog through Emigrant Lake County Park.  I do it because it's right next to my house, it's off the busy highway and there is always a lot of opportunity for human interaction.  It gets downright busy up there during the summer months. Boaters are boating, picnickers are picnicking, campers are camping and the water slide and playground are always teeming with activity.  When I run through the park during the peak season people are everywhere and they are always very friendly.  They wave at me and say hi and even sometimes a bored kid or two will jog a long beside me just looking for something to do.  Frankly, I enjoy the interaction.   It makes the run more interesting and is somewhat motivating.

As we move into fall, however, the crowds have been slowly diminishing.  In fact, when I ran today the place was practically a ghost town.  They closed the RV park off to campers for the season and the lake is so low it's next to impossible to launch a boat.   Fall has definitely arrived.  The trees are beginning to change colors and the air temperature has gotten markedly cooler.  The days are getting shorter and foul weather is just around the corner.

So here comes the test of my committment. As the ease of summer exercise wanes and the threat of chilly winter workouts waxes, will I be able to keep up the routine?  When I wake up in the morning to sub-zero temperatures, can I overcome the temptation to curl up in front of a warm fire and sip on a 1000 calorie cup of hot chocolate instead of putting on my shoes?  I know nobody will be out there to greet me. Nobody else will be working out and nobody will care if I do it or if I don't.  I will be all alone on the lonesome road.

How to Double Your Endurance in 6 Weeks

Here is a cool article a friend of mine sent me. Enjoy!

How to Double Your Endurance in 6 Weeks

By Jeff GallowayRunner's World

Imagine running twice as far as you do now. Mission impossible? It's easier than you think. And there's good reason to try. Adding more miles can boost your stamina, help manage your weight, and help you get more comfortable on the road. Here's how.

Shoot For Three
A three-day running week is the best way to run more and stay injury-free. When you rest before and after a running day, your muscles feel fresher and you'll have more energy to go farther.

Make Every Mile Count
Giving each run a purpose will help you keep up your routine without getting stale. Designate one day for a "maintenance" run (an easy-paced run that helps maintain fitness), another day to run long, and a third day for speed play (aka "fartlek"). On this run, set out at your usual pace, and pick up the tempo when you feel ready. You might accelerate to a landmark you see ahead, like a tree. Then jog to recover. Take off again when you're ready.

Slow Down
On your long run, slow the pace from the start to cut your chances of getting exhausted — or hurt. Your pace should be about three minutes per mile slower than it is on a maintenance run. So if you usually run a 10-minute mile, aim for a 13-minute pace when you run long. Take a one-minute walk break every one to three minutes.

Go the Distance
How to build your mileage slowly:

Week ONE:  Maintenance (Miles) - 3.5 Fartlek (Miles) - 3 Long Run (Miles) - 4

Week TWO:  Maintenance (Miles) - 4 Fartlek (Miles) - 3.25 Long Run (Miles) - 5

Week THREE:  Maintenance (Miles) - 4 Fartlek (Miles) - 3 Long Run (Miles) - 4

Week FOUR:  Maintenance (Miles) - 5 Fartlek (Miles) - 3.5 Long Run (Miles) - 6

Week FIVE:  Maintenance (Miles) - 5.5Fartlek (Miles) - 3 Long Run (Miles) - 4

Week SIX:  Maintenance (Miles) - 6Fartlek (Miles) - 3.5 Long Run (Miles) - 7

Are You Sick or Something?

I get this question all the time when I run into somebody I haven't seen for a long time. Today a lady told me I look like Patrick Swayze and wondered if I was doing okay.  The first thought that always comes to mind when somebody says something like is that I must have been really fat before to comparatively look so emaciated now.  Well, guess what?  Stacy ran across this old picture of me from when I was Bishop and holy cow, I WAS REALLY FAT!   I guess I deserve to be called a cancer patient and honestly, I will take that any day over looking like I did before.

Motivated by Mark

Posted by Steph


I got online the other day and read Mark's post about his new personal record after battling a "foot injury" and not being able to exercise for a week. I too, had not put on my shoes for the week and I was feeling a bit down. Seeing Mark not only get back on his bike, but also making a new record for himself motivated me to get out and run. I put my shoes on thinking I was only going to run my 2 miles because one, I needed to get the workout done, and two, because the sun was going down. It was cold and it was windy and as I started my jog I kept thinking all I wanted to do was just turn around. But I didn't. Instead, at the end of the first mile I got in a groove and was feeling good. I felt like I could run all day! I thought if Mark can beat his record why can't I set one too? And wouldn't it be cool if I could run for 4 miles instead of my usual 2-3? So I kept going! I ended up running the 4 miles, and honestly I really could have gone further. I was slow, but I was steady, and it actually felt good! So here is a BIG THANK YOU! to Mark for helping to motivate me to do more than I thought I could!

Me and My Big Mouth...and Thighs!

Posted by Stacy

I put on my shoes!! Yes, a miracle!  But that's what happens when you open your big fat mouth, which was my plan exactly.  I haven't run since the Clinton Days Fun Run with Steph.  Tons of excuses, from wedding planning to I'm home with the swine flu.  Anything real or imagined to keep me home on the couch watching The Office re-runs.

Something drastic had to be done if I was gonna get running again.   So I called up everyone I know and talked them into doing a race with me, knowing perfectly well I wouldn't be able to finish said race unless I got moving...which, frankly, still didn't motivate me.

Meanwhile Steph keeps texting me that she's running everyday!  And yesterday, Wendy sent me this message via e-mail:

"I actually ran 3.5 miles today and didn't die (yet).

I haven't run this far...ever!"

Wendy

So I got off my rear today, put my shoes on, and ran!!  Looks like my evil and painful master plan of getting humiliated and peer-pressured into running is actually working!

New PR for Mark

Posted by Mark

Because of the unfortunate course of events that happened to me a few days ago (for the scoop, see family blog about the ban on pokey things skillpeople.blogspot.com) I have not worked out this week until yesterday (Thursday) because my foot hurt. Today, feeling pretty good and wanting to take advantage of the last few days of nice weather I decided to ride my bike to Callahans. And since its been a week since I've ridden I was expecting a lack luster climb. When I first got on my bike, it was still in high gear from the downhill ride the week before and I decided to leave it in gear just to see how far I could go back up the hill. To my surprise, I felt pretty strong and made it almost a full mile before I had to downshift to a lower gear. This gave me a pretty good boost so I decided to stay with it and give it all I had all the way up. Well guess what? I set a new personal record!  Check this out...36 minutes and 36 seconds to the top! Can you believe it? I can't hardly drive it in a car in that time. It felt great! I was very tired but now have a huge since of satisfaction for the breakthrough and will undoubtedbly sleep well tonight.