"You don't have to go fast. You just have to go." ~ One More Mile

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Tuesday Training Tips, Topics, and Other Random Stuff... aka Endurance, Thorlo Socks, and Getting Started Running

The Complete Runner's Day-by-Day Log/2010 Calendar
TRAINING TIP:
"Your low-intensity run is crucial to building endurance, in part because it increases blood volume over time.  It also trains your joints for high-intensity work, reducing your risk for injury."    **Exactly what we talked about last Tuesday!.... Have you slowed down your long runs yet??


TOPIC:   Socks that R-O-C-K......  (and the just-right fit!)
I believe there are some things in the running gear drawer that you can cut corners on slightly in terms of price or long-term quality....Socks are NOT one of those items..... at least not in my world! 

Several months ago, I was introduced to Thorlo socks by BusyRunningMama, when she offered a very nice pair on her blog, as a cool giveaway gift.  Unfortunately, I didn't win the socks, but I did get to read a recommendation for running gear I had not yet tried, and when I visited their website and left a comment about being a diabetic and needing rolltops, I received a terrific e-mail from Thorlo representative, Tracy Harris, Marketing Coordinator and Product Manager, who not only understood my diabetic needs, but offered to send me two pairs of Thorlos to try....  SCORE! Within a few days, a package arrived and I had the opportunity to try a pair of Experia and a pair of Thorlos thick cushion running rolltop, each being very different from the other. You can read about my testing here 

For diabetics, anything that restricts bloodflow is problematic, so as cool as they looked (and felt), the Experia didn't work out for me, but The Hubby loved their design; we purchased four pairs for him. He swears by them! And the rolltops?? Well, LOVED the thick cushioning, but as Tracy had warned, an extra shoe size was required to accommodate the all-over padding.  .... bummer ......


Enter style #3 that I stumbled upon during the holidays:  Thorlo everyday walking socks.  These fit the bill perfectly....just right! Thin enough to wear with my running shoes, but with thick padding across the top of the foot (where the skin thins as our feet age....weird!), and across the heel (oh-so-tender sometimes!), these socks are p-e-r-f-e-c-t for long runs! I even put a pair in the Turtles blog giveaway box last month, compliments of Tracy and the Thorlo Crew.... thanks, guys! 

So, are your feet happy? Are you looking for a great pair of socks that are made in America, come in lots of colors and styles, and come with lots of customer support???  Look no further than a great pair of Thorlo socks...worth every penny.


RANDOM STUFF:
My youngest sister, mom of three, turning 30 in mere weeks... (yep, I said it. Sorry sis!) has been dabbling with the notion of running. She listens to me go on and on about it, listens to her husband tell his high school track star memories, and now, has her oldest son entering races.  She says she's running through him! Hmmm... I say, "Run for yourself, girlfriend!"  And she's trying. Just this past Sunday, she called me to say, "Hey Rob, I bought Women's Health magazine yesterday, and shared with me what she learned about learning to run:  Run 2 minutes. Walk 2 minutes.... and so it goes.  She seemed to kick the idea around, and with that, we hung up.  She was headed into the gym and I was headed out for my long run.  A few hours later, I got this text message: "You run 12 miles and I can't run 2 minutes" with a sad face behind it. I couldn't help but smile and think to myself, "If you only knew!"  So I texted her back to say, "Sweetie, my first time out, I barely made it to the end of the street!" (And my current 12-milers are a work in progress, thank you very much.  Each week is slightly better than the one before....)

Now, friends...fellow blogging, running buddies - let's help this 'runner-under-consideration' out.  I told her to read the Wednesday Winner posts because she'll find that everyone says the same thing: Start where you are. Don't compare yourself to others.  Start slowly.  We ALL start at the beginning - whatever the beginning may be.  It might be 30 seconds. It might be 1/4 mile. It's different for each us, but the point is: Find your starting point and start charting your progress.  Right or wrong?  

I'm wondering: 
What do you say to people when they ask, "How did you get started? What did you do in the beginning?" Or maybe, as I know many of us are, you're still at the beginning.
What are you doing? What advice can you give??  

 
My Thankful Three
Today, I am thankful for:

-  Finding a new place to run!  :-)
-  Great weather while many of you are digging out of snow (sorry!)
-  Our Wednesday Winners... look for tomorrow's!


Happy running, friends.....

Robin

Monday, February 8, 2010

Monday Motivation - Week 6



And now for a little levity....


"I go running when I have to.
When the ice cream truck is doing sixty.”
~ Wendy Liebman





If you weren't a runner, what would you run for?


Sunday, February 7, 2010

Tag, You're It! Really??

Wow! I received my first-ever blog award and tag recently from ajh, over at Age Groups Rock.
 
How cool is that?? 
(Thanks, ajh, for thinking of me!)

 
I'm told that I'm supposed to share 7 random things about myself and then tag 7 more beautiful bloggers....
Only 7? I've met so many in recent months!

 
Seven random things about me ....(in no particular order!)
This is a tough request, especially after just doing my 100th post.
 
Here goes.....

  1. I've moved a lot, living lots of cool (and not so cool) places, including: Marathon and Key West, Florida; San Diego and Oakland/San Francisco, CA; Upper Arlington, OH (my last high school was attended by Jack Nicklaus, the famous golfer, whose moniker became the mascot, The Golden Bear); Cocoa Beach, FL (one block from the beach w/ the sounds of waves 24/7); Sallisaw, OK (horse country); and a few others.... Which ones were cool and which ones not so much?? You decide. :-)
  2. I'm pretty sure I could survive on freshly baked bread and artisan cheese....  it's either my French roots or my major addiction to carbs!  LOL
  3. I cry almost every time we watch Making a Difference on Nightly News... did I share this on my 100 things post? I am always soooo moved by what people are doing in this country to help others. 
  4. I can't pass by a teddy bear in a store without stopping to hug and pet it.
  5. I like to 'car dance' (odd-looking, but fun) and always do the 'happy dance' when I get something to eat after being super hungry.  Hubby still finds it funny after all these years.
  6. I'd like to be a full-time freelance writer, and continue to work toward making that happen.
  7. My husband calls me the 'bag lady' as I LOVE bags of all shapes, sizes, and purposes, from my 'freebie teacher bags' picked up at conferences to cloth market bags for shopping (be good to Mother Earth), leather totes that carry everything but the kitchen sink, and my new faves, two really cool shopping bags that one of my sisters gave me for Christmas, calling them "city-chic, the kind you'd see on an urban shopper's shoulder."

  
And now to tag 7 more beautiful bloggers (who've all made a difference in my world!):

1.  Morgan (CAUTION: Redhead Running) a sweet, sweet friend!
2.  Mel (Tall Mom on the Run) one who inspires every day
3.  Kerrie (Mom vs. Marathon) a mom whose writing style feels so comfortable to me
4.  Meg (Meg Runs!) one whose perspective is beautifully unique
5.  Amanda (5 Miles 2 Empty) who freely shared running advice when I first started blogging!
6.  Lisa (Lisa Runs?....) a gal who could be my sister! 
7.  Kim (ilaxSTUDIO) always up for a good conversation!
 
Happy running, friends....
 
Robin

Friday, February 5, 2010

Gotta Feelin' Friday - Week 5 - Calling All PiF 500 Mile Club Members!


What's on your mind?
How are your goals coming along?
Challenges or triumphs to share this week?
Training ideas, thoughts, suggestions, questions, tips.....?

January's finished.....
How'd you close out your first month of the new year?



How are you feeling this week?


Happy running, friends.....

Robin

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Thunderous Applause Thursday

Welcome to Thunderous Applause Thursday!


Let's hear it for:

 "AJH" over at agegroupsrock, a new blogging/running friend who recently tagged me for the Beautiful Blogger Award (thank you!)... She will be running the Polar Cap 4 Miler in Lake George, New York, Saturday, Feb 6th. From the looks of the Chamber website, there will be a whole weekend of events going on.  Awesome! Sounds like a great time!  We wish her a speedy race! 


My Lake County running buddies, too. I believe they are running the Florida Hospital Lady Track Shack Pink 5K this Saturday, an event that I ran last year.  It winds through beautiful Winter Park, Florida, and is a women-only race.  (With only 3 Sunday long runs left 'til my first Half, the 5K would mess up my training schedule, so I'm sitting this one out this year.)

A new blogging/running friend in Mexico, Kathy.... She's a new member of the Pay it Forward 500 Mile Club.  You can find her here, with her blog titled, Ko'ox tun (let's go).  Wishing her luck as she contemplates this Sunday's Merida 10K.  Hope you're feeling better, and up for this one, Kathy!  :-) 

Keep those race dates coming! Please send them to me via e-mail (TRTL.RNR@gmail.com) and help me out by telling me in the subject line: RACE INFO, so I drop your message into the right folder, and not miss it, mixed in with the other 100+ messages that come in every day. THANKS in advance!!
Sending these gals good running vibes....!!



Happy running, friends.....



Robin

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

12 Miler: Check!



Wow! I completed my first 12-miler last Sunday for my long run.   

I shared with you this week my anxiety before long runs, and mentioned that I was increasing my mileage.....

Truth is, after having low mileage Sunday runs most all of January, I was determined to log a full 12 miles for the final Sunday, to close out the month on a high note, and get myself ready for my (first) upcoming Half March 7th!

I 'woo-hooed' as I finished, grinned from ear to ear, felt a HUGE sense of accomplishment, and headed in for (more) Ibuprofen, Ben Gay, a shower, and breakfast... I was starving! Two hours and 50 minutes... Yep, you read it right: 2:49:53. I am a turtle runner, after all. And with three more (12+ mile) long run Sundays before my first Half, I need to build the endurance and pick up the pace just a teeny bit...! After a lousy January with old injuries acting up, I was pleased to accomplish two things last Sunday: (1) Finish my 12 miles, and (2) Finish January with 50 miles logged (10 behind my goal, but I'm happy). 
Oh, and that explains my Tuesday comment: I was still feeling 93 instead of 43!  Lots of good hurts! Yowzer!!!!

What's next??  12 more this Sunday, of course.  I'm.... already.... getting... anxiety....  sigh....

Happy running, friends.....



Robin

Wednesday Winner - Meet Zoe

Happy Wednesday, everybody!

It's Wednesday again, which means it's time for a Wednesday Winner interview.... woo hoo! This week, I'd like to introduce you to another speedy runner whose love of ribbons makes me smile.  :-)  A girlie-girlie to be sure, but don't let that fool you... this young lady has years of running experience and will leave you in the dust! 

Friends, I'd like you to meet Zoe....


How would you describe yourself as a runner?
 Swift and speedy
 Slow and steady
 Somewhere in between
A:  I think I’m “somewhere in between.” I don’t find myself fast and in the front of the pack, but I’m not at the back, so in between is fine with me. Of course I want to be fast, but that just comes with practice and time.


Ageless and Beautiful…. Are you:
 Tweaking the Twenties
 Thinking through the Thirties
  Forty-plus and feeling fine
A:  Tweaking the Twenties


Are you:
 A starting-line show-stopper
 A middle-of-the-pack mover
 A back-of-the-pack ‘better-late-than-not-at-all’ runner
 Somewhere in between? If so, which ones?
A:  I wish I was a show-stopper! I like to start in the front of the middle (does that make sense?).


How long have you been running and why did you start running?
A:  My Uncle was the one that I really looked up to when I started running—he was, and still is, my running hero. My first road race was when I was 11 and I loved the experience. I ran longer distance track in middle school (like a beginner’s cross country) and went on to run cross-country in high school for three years. I didn’t really get back into the “full swing” of running until mid 2008 when I ran a fundraiser race and was completely out of shape. Since then I was determined to get back into running and I’ve been more and more hooked ever since.


Favorite running gear and why?
A:  My Garmin 305, Gus, is my constant companion, but I love my Nike vest because it’s comfy and very versatile for different weather conditions.


What do you listen to when you run?
A:  I’ve had the same playlist for over a year, but it keeps me motivated. Music is necessary for me, and I have hard rock, pop, techno—you name it—on my list. Anything with a good beat that makes me want to move.


What is something you cannot run without, and why?
A:  Gus is important, but I simply cannot run without my iPhone. It’s my music source and my in-case-of-emergency source.


What race distance is your favorite and why?
A:  I really love a fast 5K or an 8K. Since I only have one half marathon under my belt, I can’t say that it’s my favorite quite yet.


What time of day do you usually run, and why?
A:  Mainly at night because of my work schedule.


Treadmill, streets, or trails, and why?
A:  Definitely trails, if I can, but I end up running on streets a lot. Treadmills are great if it’s unfit for an outdoor run, or I can’t sleep and want to get a quick mile in, but I get so bored. There is so much to distract me on trails and streets that the time and miles just fly by.


What has been your most significant running-related learning experience to date?
A:  It’s kind of silly, but don’t over hydrate before a race. There will be plenty of time to replenish lost fluids after you’ve finished. This goes for shorter distances, like 5K – 10Ks. My personal experience ended in complete embarrassment (yeah, pretty much peed my running shorts in front of thousands of spectators) and was my worst race to date. *sigh*


What advice would you give to someone new to running?
A:  Don’t worry about how fast you are going; just get in the miles (even if you need to walk!). Speed comes with time. It’s all about starting off slow, in terms of both speed and the miles you log. Don’t push yourself to injury or try to compare yourself to other runners, because only you know what your body can handle.


Short-term and long-term running goals?
A:  Short-term: Stay injury-free, run first marathon, complete the 1000+ miles for the year;  Long-term: Run marathons often and become a Marathon Maniac


Mileage goal for 2010?
A:  I’m currently participating in Tall Mom Mel’s 1000+ Challenge…I’m going the distance!


Do you have a blog, blog(s), or a website you’d like to share? If so, please list them.
A:  My blog is http://www.runzoerun.com/ and I love meeting new people!


BONUS:  Any additional info you’d like to share??
A:  I’m so grateful for having running blog friends—you all inspire and motivate me every single day. And, thank you, Robin! You rock! (You're welcome, Zoe!)


Thanks, Zoe!

Happy running, friends.....

Robin