My Last Run in Shorts & a S/S Shirt for the Year, I Think!

Day #3, Week #4 Road Work training

8K @ 57:03

Avg. Pave 7:08 min /km

+ 4 striders

10 degrees C

Today's picture is of the Wharncliffe St. bridge. Yesterday, I crossed it at the beginning of my run to access this running path under it to head downtown. Today, I came from the other direction and crossed it the opposite way at the end of my run (except imagine it being wet with rain because it was raining today when I ended my run!)

I really did not feel like running today. It rained and rained all morning, and I was feeling a little tired. However, there was a significant period of time when the rain stopped, and I knew I would feel very guilty if I did run before the snow flurries start tonight ...

Angus and Kim were happy to head towards Springbank Park with me today. The sun was missing, but the temperature was just great. And as it turns out, my run was great, too! :) It took me a little while to warm up and get into the groove, but by the 3K mark, I was ready to try my first strider. Not fun. I did not like it. :( By the end of it, I was thinking, do I really want to run faster? Is this really worth it to me?

But these thoughts were really half joking, and as I started into my second strider, I was better prepared for it, and to my surprise, during my recovery, a runner's high kicked in, which was a nice little bonus! :) :) Striders #3 and #4 were a success, too, and I admit, I finally had the "aha" as to why striders are so good for increasing one's speed.

The dogs loved it, too. Angus in particular enjoyed the faster speed and just wanted to keep on going at that pace. We had a cyclist pass us with his loose Doberman Pinscer while I was running my 4th strider, and this motivated my dogs to run much faster, resulting in my significantly fastest split! :)

And as luck would have it, the rain held off until my last 1/2 km, and it was a warm gentle rain. It continued unabated until we arrived home ... all three of us wet, but happy. :) :)

Official First Day of Week #4 Training - My 10K

Day #1 - Week #4 Road Work training

10K @ 1:15:00

Avg. Pace 7:29 min / km

6 degrees C

3 weeks done, 14 more to go!

Today I brought along the camera, as you can see. :) I ran my Monday 10K downtown, through the university, and out to the turnaround at Ross Park/Richmond. This picture is of the newly paved trail - downtown London is to the right and the Thames River is to the right. It was a glorious sunny day and the conditions could not have been more perfect for a run! :) :) I wore pants and a l/s under a s/s shirt. Just a little on the warm side, and I think I may have been okay in shorts, although everyone out there running that I saw was essentially wearing similar clothing to me.

Wallace and Kim ran with me and they were happy to be out and running as always.

I wish my run was as glorious as the day, but alas, it actually was one of those days where I felt strong and energetic one minute and rather sluggish and slow the next. When I checked my Garmin, my splits were actually very consistent so once again, it is a reflection of how I was feeling rather than what my pace was like. It took quite a few kms for me to get into the run, and it felt at several points like this was going to be a loooong run.

There were quite a few other joggers out today as well. The terrific weather must have brought them out because there normally is not this many people on the path at this time of year. I had one jogger run up alongside me and ask me from which kennel did I buy Kim from - she quite liked the look of him! I told her that I had adopted him so I didn't know who his breeder was (he has no papers). My elderly neighbour, Frank, used to walk by our place when he would take his dog, Kim, to the schoolyard to exercise, every day, twice a day. Ben and I became friends with Frank and Kim as a result. When Frank and his wife went away for three weeks, he asked me to look after Kim for him, and this is my close bond with Kim began. After Kim returned home after his stay with us, both Kim and I were depressed for several days. I think Frank was both pleased and a little miffed that Kim reacted this way! When Frank became ill for a period of time, I would walk Kim for him and take him to the dog park with my dogs every day. It was then that Frank told me that he wasn't going to be around much longer, and that he wanted Kim to come live with Ben and I. It was only a few months later when Kim came to stay with us after Frank was hospitalized, and then he never left ...

I also chatted with another jogger who told me about running for 20K regularly with his Jack Russell. He said that dog could outrun anybody! I believe him, too. When I see how much energy my dogs still have in the backyard after a long run, I realize that training for a half marathon is not a problem for them. :)

Today was also an important ego day. I tried on a pair of jeans that have long been too small on me, and this morning, in an impromptu moment, I tried them on. I was shocked to find out that they fit ... I was just trying them on to see how much further I had to go! It was a terrific feeling and was a huge motivator to get out the door to run my Monday 10K! :) :)

New Record :) Weekly Mileage

I surpassed my previous record for weekly mileage of 44km. :)

This past week, November 22-28, I ran 47.6 km. :)

How to Clean a Dishwasher (chemical-free)

from Organic Housekeeping by Ellen Sandbeck

This author recommends the same method for removing hard water spots from dishes and glassware:

Pour 2 cups of white vinegar into a bowl and set the bowl face up on the bottom rack of the dishwasher. Run the machine through a wash cycle to clean the inside of the appliance. The vinegar will deodorize the dishwasher as well as dissolve hard water deposits. There will be no residual vinegar smell once it dries.

A Great 11.5K - I Really Enjoyed It! :) :)

Day #5, Week #3 Road Work training

11.5K @ 1:23:31

Avg. Pace 7:15 min/km

2 degrees C

I checked my time/post from last Saturday and I am slower this week by less than a minute - LOL!

This week's post may turn into a bit of a repeat of last Saturday's post. I am sitting down now with a celebratory red glass of wine, and I am still a "happy camper" about my distance and time. I was a little surprised to learn that my time was slower (not a big deal at all, really!), but only because my run felt so much better today than last week. If anything, I was more into my run, paying attention to my breathing and how I was feeling throughout the run itself, rather than zoning out into my own thoughts, as I have written about before. Maybe I should point out that I ran the other way around Storybook Gardens, as in running up the long hill behind the park today rather than down it, like I did last week, which might account for a slower time - LOL! But really, who cares, right? What matters is that I was able to get out there, and do my thing, as scheduled, and I now have 3 weeks out of 14 officially behind me. 11 more to go !!!?!! :)

I was pleased with what I wore today, too. My apologies to anyone who finds this boring, but I am using this blog as a running diary, and tracking my clothing choices during certain temperatures demonstrates my learning curve as I try to better understand what will work best for me. This will be my first winter for running. As I noted in a previous post, I stopped running regularly last year as of December 23rd, just before the first big snow fell. I only ran once in January and once in February because I was too paranoid about running in the snow. This coming winter is when I am trying to put that behind me and embrace the snow season as my new running environment ... today I wore a blue windbreaker over a l/s winter running shirt (both were given to me by my MIL), and opted to start with a headband and thin gloves. I ended up eventually taking the mitts and headband off, but the rest was perfect.

Angus and Wallace ran with me. I always feel guilty about leaving the third one (this time, Kim) at home, but I only have two hands/arms in case anything happens out on the public trail. I am not willing to try taking all three at this time, even though I do it when I go for a short run at the cemetery and they are great. We'll see.

No camera today - Benny used it for his hobby so I have no pics. Maybe this is just as well since I was doing my long run today? Now that "10Ks" are becoming my "average" run, :) :) :) perhaps I will take the camera with me Monday. I honestly do want to make my blog appear less "wordy" with some pics ... :), but I digress ...

Another thing I did today was to ingest a Vega Sport packet as pre-run drink. I found it on sale for less than $2 at Loblaws in the organic section/protein powders. I am not sure if I should attribute my energy level during my run to it, but I think I will head back to Loblaws, scoop up a few more packets, and try them out on various runs to measure my results. I may try this in my water bottles for my 13K later this week, too.

Another item I want to record ... I am feeling so good these days!! The day I started the training program, I also started paying much closer attention to what I was eating. I am conscious of everything I am putting in my mouth. It has not been perfect, per se, but it has been 80% of the time (guess-timate). After three weeks, I see and feel a physical difference. I have a runner's high every day after my run (whereas I did not necessarily before), I am sleeping more deeply and better, and I am not having cravings for certain foods. I think I might be addicted to my after run shake (I am substituting kale for spinach these days), and whenever we have gone out for dinner, I am ordering a salad (and thankfully, enjoying it, too!). I am very jazzed by this and hope to continue with it as a lifestyle change ...

One last thing ... I posted this on my dailymile.com. i.d. to solicit advice so why not here ...? I have a fun 5K run this Saturday - the Salvation Army Santa Shuffle. Week #4 of my training schedule for next week is as follows:

Today (Sat) 11.5K

SUN rest

MON 10K

TU 8K + 4 striders

W 10K

TH 5K or OFF

F 8K + 4 striders

SAT 13K

SUN rest

Repeat Week #5

What would you change/switch if you were me? Keep in mind that this will be my first week for striders and my first week for a long run 13K. If you have an opinion, please advise via comments and thank you! :)

A Solo 8K - VERY Pleased with Myself! :)

Day #4, Week #3 Road Work training

8K @ 1:00:03

Avg. Pace 7:29 min./km

- 2 degrees C

Did you notice the addition of temperature above? And the weather forecast widgets in the right column in both celsius and fahrenheit? The weather is going to play a much more significant role in the next 3-4 months!

Last night it rained and rained, and we could hear the rain on the roof when we went to bed. With colder temperatures expected, the warnings were out that it was going to be an icy morning. As it turns out, it wasn't as bad as predicted so I decided that I would try to run my scheduled 8K, but opted to leave my running partners at home in case of black ice.

It was very windy when I headed out. Thank goodness for running underwear, my jacket, thin mitts, a hat, and a headband. It was just a bit challenging for the first 2K because I was running into the wind - I actually felt like I had just finished a mini workout by the time I running my 3K. When I looked at my splits, this one was the slowest split, reflecting my recovery time from running against the wind. All of this running was done on sidewalks along some main roads and a bridge ... by the time I reached the footpath, which is mostly protected by trees, the wind was no longer an issue. I was able to take my hat and mitts off to cool down a little, but I needed the headband on the whole time to protect my ears from the wind. I am still learning what works and what doesn't work while running in colder weather, and so far, I am erring slightly on the warm side, but I'm okay with that. :)

At no point did I encounter black ice so I do feel a tad bit guilty about not taking one or two of the boys with me after all. :( My leaving them at home is a reflection of my paranoia about running and slipping on ice - my worst fear about running in the winter. However, on the flip side, I enjoyed running without a water belt and dog leashes around my waist. :)

And to add to my guilt, I also felt a twinge of regret for forgetting my camera as it would have been a good time to take some pictures of my running path for this blog just to jazz it up a bit more. I have 11.5K scheduled as a long run tomorrow so hopefully I won't forget to do this. :)

I have to say that I was very pleased with myself for getting my run in today because it was very cold and I honestly just wanted to stay inside! I am happy to report that woo hoo! I did it! and now that the weather forecast is warmer for tomorrow, I am looking forward to my long run and claiming Week#3 - 3 out of 3 so far - as accomplished!

Great 10K Run - 2nd one of the week! :)

Day #3, Week #3 Road Work training

10K @1:14:26

Avg. Pace 7:26

Wet snow is in the forecast for tomorrow so I am more than happy to get this 10K done before taking a rest day! :)

The temperature has dropped and it definitely feels chillier. There was no sun out today. I am glad I decided to put a running windbreaker on before heading out because it kept me warmer while I ran. I was able to take my headband and gloves off after 2K, but I kept my jacket on for the duration. Kim and Angus ran with me today and as usual, loved it. This time I took the same route as yesterday, but went all the way out to Ross Park north of Richmond St. (Mount St. Joe's area), and ran all the way around it before returning through the university to Gibbons Park and cutting over the footbridge to Western Rd. & Oxford.

My pace has slowed since my earlier improvements, but that's okay; I am just happy to be getting out regularly and to be following my training schedule to a T. :) I'm getting there! I am not going to run 5K tomorrow; I am opting for the rest day instead, and will be back running again on Friday (8K) and Saturday (11.5K).

I have also edited my 10K-in-60-minutes training program tab/page above by adding the entire 17-week program as it is ... what I hope to continue following as closely as possible for the winter months. I have also added a tab/page for the half marathon program I wrote about yesterday that I intend to start following in March in preparation for my next half marathon scheduled in May.

On another side note, I just noticed on the Runner's Choice website that they have dropped one of the Runpiker races and added a different one. The Embro Highland Games 10K (July) has been dropped and in its place, the Around the Square 10K & 5K in Goderich (May) has been added. In their newsletter this week, Runner's Choice noted that they listened to runners' suggestions and made a few changes. Embro was my least favourite run of the series so I am assuming there were a number of critical comments made about it ... running around a non-scenic country block was not a lot of fun. :( Goderich, however, is quite pretty and I am sure it will be an improvement. :)

Getting Out for an 8K with the Boys ...

Day #2, Week #3 Road Work Training

8K @ 59:15

Avg. Pace 7:24 min/km

A good run, good company and good weather ... it looks like this was a good time to start a new training program after all.

Today Angus and Wallace ran with me in the other direction - the renovated trail along the river through downtown and out toward the university is fully open so we headed east then north today for a change of pace. I already felt slower and more sluggish for this run at the beginning and truth be told, I never did feel strong or energetic on this one; however, I have had so many good runs lately, I'm not surprised nor am I bothered by it. It is what it is. :) I still feel very good about getting out and completing what I set out to do. One minute I felt like I overdressed a little too much (when I was directly in the sun) and in the next, I was glad that I was wearing running pants and a l/s shirt (when the cold breeze blew through me). I crossed the river three times today, using a different bridge each time, and that is when it felt like winter is heading our way ... brrrrr! ... but the sun was still brilliant and warm. Happy to be out taking advantage of it!

I have also spent some time looking at my current 10K-in-60-minutes training schedule, my next intended half marathon, and the training program for achieving a 2:15 in a half marathon in John Stanton's book, Running. I am very pleased to note that the training programs mesh nicely together with a slight, but very reasonable overlap. It looks like I may have my running reasonably planned from now until May 2011 :) ... barring weather interruptions!

Official First Day of Week #3 Training - My 10K

Day #1, Week #3 Road Work training

10.08K @ 1:15:16

Avg. Pace 7:27 min / km

Today I am calling myself a hardcore runner ... not a "jogger", not a "recreational runner", but hardcore because I was out there, running in the rain, making my two 4-legged running partners stick it out with me, running past bundled up walkers in my shorts and t-shirt. Of course, most people who saw me were no doubt thinking, "there goes a craaaazy runner," and in all fairness, they are not too far from the truth! :) :) But being pollyanna-ish, I am going to spin doctor my craziness into a hardcore label. :)

So, after two weeks of road work training when it has been an 8K on Mondays, the ante has been raised, and I will now run 10K every Monday, starting today until the end of February. Here we go!

The two bigger dogs, Angus and Kim, came out with me today. I listened to easy going music in an effort to keep my pace slower and easy. As you can see above, I did achieve this. The day was perfect - typical Vancouver weather (there's my nostalgia for the west coast again). I could actually go out in a t-shirt and shorts, and actually felt a little odd because everyone else I was passing were all bundled up. It really was not that cold out. The breeze was a little stronger than in past runs, but it was a nice, warm breeze. It felt like a storm wind when I ran across the Guy Lombardo bridge (wind right off the river - whoooosh!), but it was not like this for the duration of my run.

The rain itself held off until ~6.5K. This is when it started drizzling and truthfully, it felt good. It was the kind of rain I enjoy running in because it's light and was a touch cooling when I needed it. It then subsided and I thought to myself, how lucky was I just to get a drizzling? ... that is, until ~8.5K when the rain started falling more steadily and did not cease until after I arrived home after my wet cool down walk. My wet running shoes are now stuffed with crumpled newspaper, and after a nice hot shower, I am enjoying the after glow of a good run.

I am also in a good mood today because it's obvious to me that I have lost some weight. I am not weighing myself so it's not a scale telling me this. Instead, it's that great feeling when I first woke up and just felt lighter, and then after getting up, truly noticing how much looser my clothes are on me. I can feel for myself when I rest my hands on my hips. This should help me run a little faster! :) :)

"Less-On-Ya" Lasagna - Roasted vegetable lasagna with 4 kinds of cheese

For Good Health Recipes Sundays, I am going to alternate between healthy eating and healthy cleaning recipes. Two Sundays ago, I posted an after run protein shake. Last week, I posted a recipe for homemade laundry soap. This week: a very yummy roasted vegetable lasagna that I made often for dinner for my vegetarian friends when I lived in Vancouver, BC. All my meat eating friends and family in Ontario enjoy it, too! :)

"Less On Ya" Lasagna

from "Crazy Plates" by Janet & Greta Podleski

1999 Granet Publishing Inc.

Page 91

Translation: You'll end up with less fat on ya since there's less fat in your lasagna. But you'll actually have more healthy stuff in ya, given the heaping layers of veggie hidden under the cheese and noodles. Just don't drop any on ya!

3 cups sliced portebello mushrooms

2 medium zucchini, unpeeled, sliced

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 large red onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. balsamic or red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced (Note: I add more and I chop them rather than mince)

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. dried oregano

+++

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 cup low-fat cottage cheese (Note: I double the ricotta and skip the cottage!)

1/3 cup chopped, fresh parsley

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg white

+++

12 lasagna noodles, uncooked (Note: I use 6 spinach + 6 whole wheat noodles)

3 cups of your favourite low-fat spaghetti sauce

1-1/2 cups shredded, part-skim mozzarella or Swiss cheese (6 oz.)

1. In a large roasting pan, add mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, onion, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, rosemary and oregano. Mix well until vegetables are coated with seasonings. Roast, uncovered, @400 degrees F for 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking time.

2.While vegetables are roasting, prepare cheese filling and cook pasta. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta and cottage cheeses, 1/4 cup parsley, Parmesan cheese, and egg white. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use. Prepare lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain well. Rinse with cold water and drain again.

3. To assemble lasagna, grease a 9X13" baking dish with a little bit of olive oil. Spread 1/4 spaghetti sauce over the bottom of pan. Arrange 4 lasagna noodles, 3 lengthwise and 1 crosswise, over sauce. Spread 1/2 cheese filling over noodles, followed by 1/3 roasted vegetables. Sprinkle vegetables with 1/3 mozzarella. Repeat layering: 4 noodles, 1/2 cheese filling, 1/3 roasted vegetables, and 1/3 mozzarella. Layer final 4 noodles over mozzarella, followed by remaining spaghetti sauce, Top sauce with remaining roasted vegetables.

4. Cover with foil and bake @375 degrees F for 35 minutes. Remove lasagna from oven, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parsley, and return to oven, uncovered, for 5 more minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings

(Note: I cut my lasagna into more than 8 serving sizes - I think this is too generous a serving size)

Great 11.5K - A Milestone

Day #5, Week #2 Road Work training

11.5K @1:22:39

Avg. Pace 7:11 min/km

An alternative title for this post could be - One Happy Camper Part II. :)

Just to start on a different note for this posting ... I created this blog back in July. What I did not expect, but have since learned in that time, is how my blog has become my detailed running diary. I am amazed at how significant this account of my running has become to me.

I am writing this now because of today's earlier run. I knew before I headed out today that running an 11.5K was going to be of significance to me because I have not tried running more than 11K since July without incorporating 10:1 walking breaks. See posts July 11 and July 22. This is when I started encountering frustration and disappointment in my running because I was no longer able to maintain my pace for those greater distances. After significant improvement and progression from March - July, I hit a plateau. In order to meet my goal of running a half marathon by October, I had to adjust my running expectations and learn to walk every 10 minutes for 1 minute in order to add mileage. This was not a bad thing - in fact, it ended up being a very good running lesson because it proved that I could adjust my expectations [read: lower them :( ], and to be more realistic about my level and what I could achieve.

So now I have come back full circle, running my first, longer-than-10K-run since my half marathon, and wondering how I would make out. I was confident that I could do it, but was feeling conservative and expecting that a pace of 7:20+ min/km would do the trick. Angus was with his daddy swimming in the river all morning so once again, Wallace and Kim formed my 10-legged running group as we headed to Springbank Park, and looped around Storybook Gardens.

The weather was ideal; it was cooler and greyer and IMO, the best running weather. I felt very nostalgic and homesick for Vancouver today while running. Although the city has nothing on this place with the autumn leaves and colours at this time of year (the only time I felt homesick for Ontario in ten years while living there was in the autumn), today's weather was a typical Vancouver winter day. There's a reason why so many runners and triathletes, etc. move out there !!! :) :) But I am here now, enticed to live in a wintry province by a dimpled, beautiful man. This is why I am out there now, on a typical Ontario autumn day, enjoying what's left before the season turns into a winter wonderland.

Wearing my freshly washed gear (wink, wink), the boys and I enjoyed the great run. Two thumbs up to all the cyclists, dog walkers and elderly people I saw on the path. It was great to see so many people out enjoying the day. Fortunately, there were a few other runners out there, too, but I think the hard core ones I usually see were already out first thing this morning, whereas I waited until the warmest part of the day before heading out.

I did not look at my pace once. I checked for mileage 3-4 times, but didn't bother to check pace because it-is-what-it-is. Instead, I let myself get lost in my thoughts, and enjoy the great feeling that kicks in after a few km. My wonderful companions behaved themselves and it is very cool to see how they have developed as runners, too!

I felt a little tired by the 9K mark, but focused on the "only 2.5K left" part instead. If it took until the 9K mark to start feeling less energetic, then I am pretty lucky today. :)

So as I sit here with a large glass of red wine to celebrate another week of running success, I feel great seeing that 3 of my splits were sub 7 and that a few more splits were "almost." I was not setting any expectations today for pace - I just wanted to run 11.5K without stopping. The pace and the exceptional-for-me splits are the whip cream and cherry on top!

Tomorrow I am resting and on Monday - 10K. My 8K Mondays and Wednesdays are being bumped up to 10Ks, but I will be running 11.5K again on Saturday. So far so good. :) :)

Awesome Run - One Happy Camper! :)

Day#4, Week #2 Road Work training

6.5K @ 46:18

Avg. Pace 7:04 min/km

Boy, was I ever surprised and excited when I saw that pace after uploading my Garmin! :) :) This is the sweet part about being a slow, beginner runner and working your way up the running ladder ... there are soooo many "I did it!" milestones along the way! :) :)

I took yesterday off from running after all. My training schedule calls for a "5K or optional rest day." Although I am keen to run as often as I can (make hay while the sun shines sorta-speak) and to adhere to my training schedule as closely as possible, the weather was just crappy crappy crappy all day, raining or drizzling non-stop. I took this as a sign that I was meant to stay out of my sneakers and enjoy that optional rest day after all! I am a huge believer in rest days - I took 2-4 of them every week since March :) - so it makes sense for me to continue to walk my talk - LOL! (however, it was still cool to see how well I did running six days in a row last week and earning my highest weekly mileage to date :) .... ).

So back to today ... I headed out the door with Wallace and Kim. It was the coldest day to date to run, but I was fine wearing the same running clothes from Tuesday ... yes, I am one of those people who wears used running clothes. I can get away it so I do! Lucky me for not needing to wear deodorant most of the time and being able to wear clothes a few times before needing to wash them (usually because I have spilled food on them, or they have accumulated dog hair, not because they are stinky). But I digress ... wearing my used clothing, I ran my usual 6.5K route and not once looked at my Garmin for pace - I only checked it twice for mileage to ensure I was on track. I got lost in my thoughts, do not recall any time during my run when I felt tired or sluggish, and just enjoyed what I thought was a nice and easy relaxed run. I had a nice cool down walk, had a great hot shower as soon as I walked in the door (and put my 2X used running clothes in the laundry!), made my after run protein shake, downloaded the Garmin and voila! not what I was expecting! :)

4th km - avg. pace 6:55

5th km - avg. pace 6:54

I am happy because my training runs are never this fast. My last few races have been at sub 7 minutes paces, but I attribute this to my adrenaline kicking in to push myself. This is the fastest I have run to date in a regular, non-race, "relaxed" run. Woo hoo! It feels great being that much closer to my goal of cracking sub 7 on a regular basis. :) :) Well, regular basis on clean pavement. The snow is going to start flying soon and, similar to hot and humid summer days, that's when one's true average pace disappears for a period of time!

On another note, I have registered for the New Year's Eve Resolution Run 10K through the Running Room and in various cities across Canada and even two States in the USA. :) I have the yellow and black jacket from last year's race because I registered in the 5K, but I had a terrible head cold the day of the race and opted not to run in it (not a fun, celebratory New Year's Eve for me in 2009. I am wearing the jacket in my header picture at the top of this page, and I really like it). All summer, I tried to keep registered two runs ahead so this is in keeping with my registration practices. :)

Happy I Got My Run in Today

Day #3, Week #2 Road Work training

8K @ 59:12

Avg. Pace 7:23 min/km

10 seconds faster than last week's 8K - LOL!

It was quite the crazy weather system that blew through here last - big winds, torrential rain, a drop in temperature. I was quite convinced by the time I woke up that today was going to turn into a no-choice-rest-day. :(

However, late in the day, Wallace and I headed out for our scheduled 8K. It was cooler so I wore running pants and a s/s shirt over a l/s shirt, but I was a tad warm in these by the end. I used a headband, too, instead of my baseball cap for warmth and to cover my ears. I am pretty sure I will be using my headband more frequently here on out ... I have to say that I am a little surprised by my pace and time - I was quite sure that I was running much slower today so I am pleased with it. My shins are less tender than they were earlier in the week, but these is still slight tenderness, similar to a disappearing bruise. I take this as a good sign. My left ankle and tendon have a little bit of tenderness, too, as of today, but nothing painful or of concern ... yet (??).

I am feeling very very good about how I am sticking to the schedule so far, and how, even through time crunches and schedule changes, I have been able to get myself out there. :) In combination with eating much healthier and doing my best to avoid white flour/white sugar items, I am feeling pretty good these days! I am eating an apple a day and I am absolutely loving my protein shakes after my runs - maybe my true motivation for running is so I can make a shake?!?! :) :)

I have started a draft page on my blog with my New Year's Running Resolutions - LOL! For some reason I have been thinking about my plans for next year a lot while running so I started a draft page today to start collecting my thoughts and ideas in preparation for editing and posting them at the end of the new year. I am trying my best to stay "in the zone", as in keeping focused on maintaining my running so I can run the next planned race, rather than calling it a season and waiting until the spring to start thinking about what runs to participate in. One race per month sounds like a good resolution to make ...

Tomorrow is an optional day off, too, or a 5K. Last week, I ran 8K after replacing it with the optional 5K so I felt somewhat obligated to run rather than taking a rest day. I will wait to see how I feel tomorrow, but at this time, I am planning to run. My training schedule will be adding an additional optional rest day by December, and the way I see it, as we head into winter, I am probably going to have a lot of "non-optional" rest days so I would like to get in as much running as scheduled by my training program as possible between now and then. :)