January 13 - 6 mile bike ride

So I haven't ridden in a bike in forever, but a friend let me borrow his Schwinn, so I set off for a ride. It was SO windy and cold with the wind flapping in my face. I wore shorts, a long sleeve cotton shirt and a lululemon headband with mittens. My hands and lower back were hurting a bit by the time I finished. I played around with the gears to make it hard at certain parts and easier on others. It was an interesting experience. I think I actually prefer running, which is odd, because I saw everything faster on the bike ride, which was neat. I did about 6 miles and was happy to be done.

January 12 - 5 miles

5 mile run after work in under 52 minutes with walk breaks - my legs felt heavy the first mile or so, then I got moving. It was in the 40s and not too windy.

January 10 - 10 miles

Burrr...29 degrees at 10 a.m., but the sun was shining and skies were blue. I was going to run yesterday but it was cold and grey, otherwise known as miserable. The 10 miler was a decent run in tights, shorts, long-sleeve shirt, mittens, and visor. Everything was good until about mile 9, running home in the wind. Ugh! Ran with the 8 oz water bottle and refilled it once. It was neat to see icicles on shrubs (I knocked some off with my mittens, which was fun) and frozen water on sidewalks. Did not enjoy running through Reedy Branch, as I ran all of its streets and cul-de-sacs. I typically like running through neighborhoods because the houses are different, and there's always something to distract me. This one was just boring.

January 4 - 4 miles

4 miles with walk breaks in 41 minutes at lunch. Long sleeve cotton shirt (bad idea), shorts, visor, mittens. Despite being blue skies, sunny and windy and cold - 44 - I was still warm and sweaty. The wind was brutal.

January 3 - Gym

20 minutes on the big elliptical with arms (HR up to 160), then 20 minutes on the bike (HR to almost 140) then did arms/chest/back weights at the gym.

January 2, 2010 - 6 miles in the new year!

10 a.m.: 41, feels like 35, wind 10 mph, and sunny. I did capri Nike tights, dri-fit long sleeve shirt, visor and mittens and probably would have been good in shorts. I made it about a mile and a half before wanting to turn around and go home but I kept going. Lots of walk breaks and just felt overall tired and legs felt heavy, despite not doing anything the last two days. I stopped to refill my small water bottle twice and had a GU with caffeine around mile 1. Did 6 miles.

December 30 - Bike + Elliptical + Vball

15 minutes on the upright bike and then 30 minutes on the large elliptical that only goes forward (HR was around 152), then played 1 game of volleyball.

December 29 - 10 miles

Great weather for a late afternoon run - in the 50s and some wind, I set out in long sleeve technical shirt, shorts, and no mittens, and carried my small water bottle. Ran 1.5 miles to the nice neighborhood with the water fountain, running 3 miles throughout the neighborhood, and then continued on, the normal loop, finishing 10 miles in 1:39, even with walk breaks. Stopped to refill the water bottle twice and by the last mile my hand was freezing from being gloveless and holding cold water. I felt great, like I could have easily continued on to 13.1+.

December 27 - 3.5 miles + tennis

Ran 3.5 miles with Kostas without stopping around the UNF campus, then played about an hour of tennis (lost, 3-6, despite winning the first two). It was 55 or so and I was comfortable in long sleeve shirt, shorts, mittens. After the run my knees were stiff and had pain on the knee caps. I stretched before we played then felt okay. Overall feel very worn out, again.

December 26 - 5 miles

Drove 4 hours from Sarasota back to Jacksonville, stopped to see some friends, then unpacked the car and quickly set off in the 55 degree weather in long-sleeve shirt, shorts, mittens and visor. (water in hand) It was windy, again, and I managed to run a slow 5 miles. After mile 2 I was ready to stop and come home but I made myself keep going. I felt completely wiped out after.

December 24 - 7 miles (in Sarasota)

Oh, Sarasota! 77 degrees, 57% humidity and winds ESE 16 mph made for an okay run. The first mile was surprisingly quick (9:15). Carried a bottle of water with me, thankfully, and by the end I was ready for more. Ran by a 6-ft. gator near a golf course, a kid dressed as Buzz Lightyear and three of my friends (from middle school) houses. Picked two kumquats off a tree and ate one, feeling oddly nostalgic as my grandpa and I used to pick them when I was a kid. Overall I felt okay, but stopped often to walk for a minute or less, then get back into the running. Mostly my pace was 9:20. Not bad for 4 days after the half marathon and a few hours after a big lunch (curried chicken salad wrap, kale soup, coffee).

December 20 - Jax Bank 1/2 MARATHON!

Hannah!

Lisa, me, Audra post-race

Today I ran my....4th half marathon!

Burrr, after about 5 hours of sleep I woke up, and checked weather: 43 degrees, feels like 39 - winds NW at 6 mph, 72% humidity. Tights, shorts, dri-fit New Balance shirt, 26.2 with Donna longsleeve technical shirt, Nike hat, kid's gloves, socks, shoes. Wore a light fleece for the first three miles. (got way too warm with it on) Breakfast was the usual: banana, peanut butter, bread, and water, though around mile 2 and 3 I was hungry. Audra, Sarah, Lisa and I started out together and Lisa and Audra went ahead, then I left Sarah and ran with Summer, Hannah, and some other friends on and off. I jogged most of the first 6 to 8 miles. Around mile 4 I felt I needed to go to the bathroom (1) and that persisted throughout most of the race. I stopped for Gatorade (orange, my fav.) twice and took a tri-berry GU w/ caffeine around mile 8. At that point I was just ready to be done. I felt okay overall but was just bored and wanting to be finished. I kept going. Around mile 9.5, some of my favorite Galloway buddies - Dawn, Jennifer, and Hannah - came up behind me and Hannah stayed and ran the rest of the race with me. She wanted 4 to 1 run/walk ratios so we stopped for the minute breaks. This slowed my overall time down a bit but I still finished strong in 2:16:39, four seconds slower than my first half marathon last October. On the way home my stomach hurt - possibly from the Cantina Laredo for dinner last night (chips and guacamole, spinach salad, fajitas w/ shrimp, steak and chicken, 1 Dos Equis Amber - and - I skipped the dessert selection!).

December 16 - 7 miles

Great running weather: 59 degrees, 62% humidity, winds NNE 16 mph - hat, mittens, long sleeve cotton shirt (need to do laundry!), shorts, new New Balances. Did 2.6 down and back and added another loop for 7 miles. The first mile my legs and shins and calves seemed tight but after that it was smooth sailing. I stopped about 5 or 6 times for a minute walk break, finishing the 7 miles in 71 minutes.

December 14 - 8 miles

So humid in the gym. Got up early and was at the gym, on my favorite treadmill, and somehow/someway made it 8 miles. Lisa only joined me for 2 miles, which helped a little, and then an older man ran about 3 next to me. When he exited the treadmill I was at mile 6 and he said "you win!" and I replied, "I don't want to win, I just want to be done!"