KEEPING COOL

Even the dogs are glad for a dip in the pool. Tuesday I went out for 4:75 miles and didn't have too bad of a time considering I made several stops. I can definitely tell the difference when I wait to long to go out. What was that new rule?
Wednesday I was at the gym for legs, abs and shoulders. OMG was I sore that night. My legs were killing me, It was mostly my calves.
Today was an off day so tomorrow I will go out and run.. very early.

Miles for week 4:75

A SENIOR MOMENT

I was sitting around the house today waiting for it to be time to go to the gym. The calendar said I was to be there at 10:30. I don't go early because I do my cardio after I do weights. The phone rang and I checked caller I.D. and saw it was from Shayla. My first thought was that she was cancelling because her Grandfather had just had surgery and maybe something was wrong. Well I was wrong, " where are you" she said. Oops, my time was 10 am not 10:30. I rushed out of the house and still managed to get about 20 minutes of weights in. I guess I was having a senior moment.

After weights I did 20 minutes on the bike.

NEW RULE

This morning I made a new rule. If you don't get outside to run by 7:30 am you

have to run inside. I was enjoying the morning paper and before I knew it it was 9 am. I grabbed some water and some jelly beans and headed out the door. Of course I had to stop at Kids Kastle and then I decided I would take the route that goes past Walmart. It was getting warmer and I was getting hotter. I had a sports bra on so at one point I took my tank off to help cool down. I did put it back on when I hit the sunny stretch . I feel like I walked more than I ran but as Jenny says" miles are miles" . I was sure happy to make the turn onto my street and know that the pool was my next jumping off place.

Miles run 5:60

Miles for week 17:66

Grand Central

I haven't run on a Saturday morning for some time. I was amazed at all the people out especially with dogs. I was constantly passing someone. Today I decided to change it up and go for a shorter run and different trail. I went up to Kids Kastle and ran around the pond and then turned and headed back home. I tried to stay on trails that were in the shade as it was getting warm and the humidity was up.

Miles run 3:42

Total miles for week 12:06

CRAZY RUN, CRAZY WEEK

Arizona

I left later than usual and walked to the city building to pay my water bill. This was my warm up. When I got back to where I usually start I cleared my Garmin and decided I would run for 1 mile. It was a stretch but I made it and this is the first time I have run a mile without taking a walk break. I continued on the trail doing the same as I did on Tuesday. About the time I got to the wide open fields I needed a potty. Now my problem was, where do you go in the wide open fields ? I managed to find a place near the rail road where there were some trees and bushes. I turned my watch off while I was doing all this searching and forgot to turn it back on when I started back on the trails. So now my miles and time were messed up. I finished my walk/run and jumped right in the pool for my cool off.

Yesterday I trained at the gym with Shayla. It was triceps, Chest and abs. After training I had to hurry home to change and go work at the shoe store.

Today I was suppose to train but it was cancelled. This has been a crazy week trying to fit everything in.

Miles today 4:98

Miles for week 9:64

If it's Tuesday it must be run day

Hawaii

I wasn't taking any chances with the weather ( storms were predicted) so I was up early and out the door by 6:45. The sky was very gray and lots of clouds. This was a good thing because the sun couldn't peak out. I did the usual trail and cut another 2 minutes off my time. I felt like it seemed a bit easier. Hey maybe all this running does pay off ! When I got home I went right for the pool, SPLASH !

Yesterday I was at the gym for legs, abs and shoulders. I was dripping sweat, Shayla really gives me a workout.I didn't have time to do any cardio because I had to work at the shoe store. I wore my Chung Shei shoes and figured that would give me some exercise while I was working.

Miles run today 4:66

JUMP IN

The one thing that is nice about my runs is that I know I can always come home and jump in the pool to cool off. Today I did just that.

I was up at 6 and out the door by 6:30 . I was going to do the same route that I did on Thursday and just try to improve my time. I haven't done an early run for some time and forgot how nice they can be. Not only our the trails less crowded but the sun isn't really out full so there is a lot more shade on the trails. The temp was around 80 but there was a slight breeze and I found I could run more with less walking breaks. Am I getting acclimated to the heat?
I did 4:66 miles and took 4 minutes off my time from Thursday.

Total miles for week 13:98

WHAT DID THEY DO ?

I can't even begin to imagine what the pioneers and Indians did out west when it was summer and the heat was unbearable. I have been without air since Wednesday and it isn't going to get fixed until Monday.

What's this have to do with working out. Well Friday I had to cancel my training appointment to take my husband to the airport and then I had to be at home to wait for the service tech. Finally at 10 pm he showed and promised he wold talk to me in the morning.

This morning I was up but I was too warm to even think of going out running and then I was waiting for the phone call that never came. I finally called to see what was going on and that's when I found out they wouldn't be here until Mon.

Tomorrow I am planning on rising early and going out for a run and Monday I will be back in the gym. So I guess 2 days off hasn't really hurt me.

On another note a big HIP HIP HOORAY to Andy and Jodie for taking 1st place in their age divisions at their 5K race this morning. Way to go!!!

I guess this is helping me get acclimated to the heat so I won't be bothered by it when I run the hottest race

IT'S SO HOT OUT...

even the horses want inside. I was trying to talk myself out of running today. It was hot out, I waited too long, I couldn't find my socks. Oh I had all kinds of excuses but in the end I knew I needed to go out. I got everything ready and was doing a sock test because I could only find one of my smart wool socks. Grabbed my bottle of water, a must these days and headed for the trails. I did 4:66 miles same as Tuesday, my time was a bit longer but I met some friends and stopped to talk and forgot to stop my watch. My sock test has convinced me that the smart wool are the best. The foot without was sore by the heel and I'm sure if I had gone farther I would have ended up with a blister.

miles for week 9:32

WEDNESDAY, MUST BE GYM DAY

Staying Cool

First it was coffee with my friend at Starbucks and then off to the gym. Today was the B day, biceps ,back and bike. We tried some new machines and I was a bit flaky on some. I think the heat is effecting my thinking. After my work out with Shayla I went up stairs to do cardio. I have never really tried the stair master so figured why not today. Oh my gosh, how do you work that machine. Trust me it took me some time to figure it out and by that time I was dripping sweat and tired. This was after only 10 minutes. I decided to ditch that and moved to the upright bike. I did 15 minutes and was getting hungry so finished for the day. My total cardio was 25 minutes.

REMEMBER...

Remember when it snowed in March ? That was only 3 months ago. Seems like it was years ago. I went out today for my run, did 4:66 miles. I had to carry my water and I think I poured half of it on me to keep cool. You just don't get a break with the heat in the summer. I have bumped up the miles this week to at least four each time I run. I also need to get out earlier in the morning to beat the heat.

Yesterday was gym day with Shayla concentrating on legs, abs and shoulders. After I finished with her I went up stairs and did 30 minutes of cardio.

miles 4:66

RACE REPORT

This was a great race. There were all kinds of door prizes, Christy won a $ 25 gift certificate to the Run On store. There was lots of food, bagels and kolache and bananas with lots of different drinks.

We started in front of the park and ran the trails to the west of the road. It pretty much was very similar to what I normally run. The sky was a gray color with a few patches of blue and the sun was trying to come out. I debated whether to take my hat or leave it in the car,finally grabbed it and got lined up. Christy and I started together then I pulled ahead. It was hot, it was humid and I was sure there would be a water station at the 1/2 way mark. Not going to happen, I was getting thirsty all the more reason to run faster so I can get a drink. Right near the finish I saw two guys coming towards me. They said the finish was near and I said I was looking forward to getting some water. The one said " do you need water, here take mine" He handed me an ice cold bottle of Gatorade. That was the best part of the race! Up ahead I saw the finish line and pushed as hard as I could to the end. My time was 38:59
There was a photographer to take your picture coming in. I sat down on the grass and waited for Christy. She was coming down the last stretch and looked as hot and tired as I felt. She finished in 42:28 .We both thought it was a good race and will definitely put it on our list of races to do.

I got 1st place in my age group. Now you know this is only because I was the only one in that group.

Total miles for the week 9:68

TODAY'S RECAP

Training for 30 minutes working on triceps and chest.

Cardio on the bike for 25 minutes

Race tomorrow, the Red, White and Blue. It's a 5 K in my neighborhood. Hopefully at 7 a.m. it won't be too hot.

EARLY RUN

Endicott Arms, Alaska

Can you believe that just a few weeks ago I was wearing a knit hat and warm jacket? I thought I would get a jump on the warm weather by going out a little earlier this morning. The weather girl was saying it was 79, but the sun was hiding behind some clouds and the wind was blowing. I figured it couldn't be too bad. I even decided not to take water. The start was rough because I was going into the wind but somehow it seemed easy. I decided to enjoy the run/walk and the sights along the way. Kids were headed for their last day of school and a dog was out on its own. Unfortunately the police had just spotted the dog(even asked if it was mine) and I don't think he was going to have much freedom left. By the time I reached the big pool I was hoping there would be a drinking fountain, no such luck. I did finish in less time then Tuesday and a bit farther in distance.

Total for week 6:58 miles

LUCKED OUT

Some things are meant to thrive in the heat. Have you ever been to Arizona in the summer? The desert is full of cacti, some in bloom. I don't like the heat so much and so today I lucked out. It was training and cardio at the gym. Inside with air and water and bathrooms. My legs were still somewhat sore but I knew we would be working on back and biceps. Shayla mixed it up again and threw in more sets. I like this mix up. After 30 minutes I went up and did the bike for 25 minutes.

I would rather have been...

floating down a lazy river than running on the hot paths today. Since today was a run day I went out around 8:30 thinking it was still reasonably cool out. HA !Joke is on me. Even though the wind was blowing( it even blew my hat off ) it was still hot and humid. My legs were sore from yesterdays workout and I was carrying a water bottle which I needed. And why am I doing this. Oh yes, I signed up for the hottest race in August and I have to train for it. I did 3:25 miles, came home and took my shoes off and jumped in the pool to cool down.

FRESH FRUITS AND VEGGIES

Yes, today is the first day of my new exercise routine. It's time I got serious about cardio and did some of it ! When I took my running class they recommended that we have three days of cardio. This could be anything but running. For the last 3-4 months I have been breezing into the gym to do my training with Shayla and then heading straight home. Not anymore! On training days I will follow with cardio. Today I did the elliptical for 30 minutes. Let me tell you at 8 minutes I wanted to jump off the thing and go but I thought I would go to 15 and at 15 I stayed until 30 minutes had passed. Yea 1 day of cardio done.

As far as training went she kicked butt with me. We did lunges, squats. and abs along with shoulders. Some new ways to do them.

Yesterday I went up to run on the treadmill but was having some problems so ended up doing 15 minutes on treadmill and 15 minutes on the bike.

Saturday afternoon I went to a nutrition seminar that was very enlightening. I learned a few things that I hadn't known and it helped to reinforce how important a healthy nutritious diet is. Now that summer is here and the farmers markets are around it is a great time to try and add more fresh fruits and veggies to your diet.