Bicycling in the Country

We were big league couch slugs this afternoon, doing nothing more than dozing and watching the University of TN basketball team edge out Butler in OT, 76-71. We offer no excuses for our shameless waste of the afternoon, it was a fine day in our opinion!

Yesterday we had a great bike ride! The original plan (from my point of view anyway) was an out and back on Old Walland Road (18 miles), with an addition of 4-6 miles in the middle. John apparently had other thoughts. He was in for the Old Walland Road piece but at the end of the 9 miles out, he wanted to cross Hwy 321 and pick up the hilly segment of the annual Tour de Blount Ride, a 9 mile loop addition to our out and back ride.

Well, okay, I will give it a try. So after the riding 9 miles along the beautiful Little Pigeon River, we crossed Hwy 321 (the main road into Townsend, TN) and headed into the beautiful foothills just outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The scenery is mostly spectacular, spring green farmland, cows, flowering trees with a backdrop of Smoky Mountains that are so close! Only a few places made us a little uncomfortable, a little too "East Tennessee." Several rundown trailers were scattered about with barking mongrels chained in the front yards and lots of trash. We did wonder about the trailer with the keg in the front yard...leftovers from a Good Friday celebration or preparations for an Easter blowout?

The first part of the foothills section was a long, gradual climb. Not too bad and my legs were still strong. On the backside was, of course, a great downhill. Wheeeee! I mentioned to John that I was glad this was a loop so we wouldn't have to climb back up that hill. Uh, well, the loop doesn't start until the next intersection, so we do have to climb that hill..... oh noooooooo!

But we kept going and I surprised myself. I climbed the hill out of the foothills and I didn't fall over from lack of speed. My biggest fear, walking my bike up the hill, never materialized and my legs stayed strong the entire ride. I don't give them, or my workouts, enough credit. Overall, it was a fun ride and wonderful time spent with John.

Friday
Run: 3.0 miles, 32.3 minutes, 10.77 mmp
Swim: 400 meters, slooooooow!
Core: 15 min

Saturday
Bike: 27.4 miles, 2.05.10, 13.16 mph
Core: 15 min

Running in the Neighborhood

Nice run in the neighborhood today 'cause it's a really nice day! I tossed out the idea of achieving goals and decided to just run. Began with my usual loop and ended up adding loops to my loop by adding on side streets and choosing different directions. While not at peak, so many flowers and trees are in bloom and I loved rounding a curve and landing in the midst of a sweet flower fragrance.

I ran on roads I am familiar and comfortable on and explored a neighborhood new to me. The route is mostly rolling hills but I enjoyed the up and down challenge (this doesn't happen too often). When I arrived home, I checked my watch and discovered that I had run 1.01.05. For me, this is probably a little over 5 miles. It was such an effortless and enjoyable run. I will remember it for a while!

The downside to spring blooms is the POLLEN! During the past several days, I have noticed an increase in sniffling and a slight sore throat. Spent about 15 minutes with the Dr today in an effort to head off my usual spring sinus problems. Hopefully the latest, greatest allergy meds with keep me on my feet this year.

Run: 5.2 miles (estimate), 1.01.05, 11.77mmp
Core: 15 minutes

Happy Workout

I am in a happy place with my workouts again. This morning I ran 3-miles on the treadmill, the 1st at a 11:09 mmp, 2nd at 10:54 mmp and the final mile in .2 mile increments, switching back and forth between 10:42 mmp and 11:09 mmp. After the run I got in the pool....yeah! This time I focused on unhurried strokes with an emphasis on relaxed (versus panicked ) breathing. My goal was 10 laps and I met this, stopping only for a short rest between each lap. It will be quite a task to string 10 laps together but I should be up to it.

Finally, this evening John and I got on our bikes for a 12.8-mile ride. I didn't push too hard and about halfway through, John took off in the opposite direction to ride some hills. Overall, we rode for 56 minutes, me at a 13.69 mph pace, John, somewhat faster.

Tonight I feel pretty good, no serious aches or pains. My cheek-leg pain seems to be on the mend and I don't think I did additional damage. Now here's the thing, I covered more territory in 3 sports today than the end of May sprint tri I threw off the table last week. Hmmmm.....

On another note, we purchased our tickets to Peru this evening. With my current unemployment status, we had almost decided to cancel our plans but John had promised his sons, my younger sister had signed on and we do so love traveling together....so TRIP'S ON! The itinerary will begin similar to our 2004 trip with stops in Cusco, Machu Picchu (by train this time, not on foot) and Aquas Calientes. New on this trip will be heading south by train to Puno and Lake Titicaca. Should be a lot of fun and I look forward to some new experiences, more extensive exploration of Machu Picchu and hiking to the top of Huayna Picchu.

A Sunday Walk in the Park

Today, after John's bike ride, we took a walk in Ijams Nature Center. The walk was a stroll really, an opportunity to stretch our legs. Ijams is in early spring bloom and we enjoyed looking at the flowers, the lake and listening to the croaking Spring Peepers from the many small ponds. Nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon! I hope to be running again tomorrow...

A bank of Lenten Roses in peak bloom

Close-up of the Lenten Roses

The Tennessee River

John and me at Mead's Quarry, the newest Nature Center property

The lake at the quarry

Running is a Pain in the A....

Running is a pain in the a.... right now. I am still having issues with my right leg-cheek and with the pain has come reduced motivation. Guess the motivation level is my body's effort to protect itself from itself. Yesterday I climbed on the treadmill for a short run. It was uncomfortable and I threw in the towel at 2.2-miles. My pace was a slow 11:45 mmp and I was happy to stop.

This morning I was up early to get in a run before rain set in for the day. I ran 3.0 miles in an incredibly slow 36.39 minutes (12.13 mmp). It was painful but provided a good opportunity to think about my goals and what I really want to accomplish this spring. I decided to chuck the idea of doing a sprint tri Memorial Day weekend. No way can I get the swim part under control in 10 weeks without risk of more injury. Besides, there are a couple of sprint tri's coming up in mid-July and August that will give me more time to slowly work into the swim.

Currently on the calendar, I have the Knoxville Marathon 5k at the end of March and I need to be healed by then. http://www.knoxvillemarathon.com/ John and I plan to ride the 25 mile segment of the Tour de Blount in mid-May and I will add in the Expo 10K at the end of May. We also have two backpacks scheduled, one in mid-April and one in early May. This, along with the job search, is enough for spring 2008!

Spring Flowers

Went out for a run today, unfortunately I did not get very far. Every right step was painful so I gave it up. Something is going on with the muscles in my right "cheek" and the back of my right leg. The pain started sometime Tuesday evening after the 5.2-mile hill run and 400 meter swim. I think it has something to do with the swim but I am not really sure. Hmmm, yesterday's 16-mile bike ride did not hurt at all! So, instead of the run, I decided to clean out a front flower bed and take some photos of spring...it really is almost here!

Mahonia flower

One of the first signs of spring for me, besides the crocus, is the Mahonia flower. Generally speaking, I don't like the Mahonia. It is a member of the barberry family and has some wicked spikes on the tips of its leaves (see above photo). When I trim this shrub, I always put on full battle gear but it usually gets the best of me.

The Mahonia shrub is often planted by landscapers and developers as a base plant. This one is planted near my front door. I would dig it up (came with the house) except for one thing, it produces the most incredibly fragrant flowers in late February and early March. The fragrance is similar to the magnolia bloom, sweet and citrusy. Anyone familiar with the magnolia will understand my passion for this smell. So the rest of the year I put up with the plant, though it goes on and off "death row" throughout the year. My guess is that the plant will outlast my existence in this house.

Daffodil, 'nuff said

Purple crocus are in bloom!

Swimming with a Plan

Thanks Wes! I finally have a swim plan and my first structured pool workout behind me. Getting in the pool is an important step to reach my 2008 goals. I am eyeing a very short sprint tri at the end of May and time in the pool will determine if I can build enough base to sign up. With only 2 months before the decision must be made and some pretty weak swim endurance, I have some work to do!

As per the plan, I swam 20 pool lengths with a 20 second rest between each, give or take 5 seconds per pool length. Sometimes I felt graceful, sometimes I felt like I was fighting the water, always I was amazed that I was swimming again. It is not as easy as I remember as a kid. Tonight the muscles in my hips ache. Since I am waiting for re-employment before hiring a swim coach, I went back to my swim book to read the description of the freestyle kick to see if I did something wrong. I don't think I did but will be more conscious of the kick at my Thursday swim.

I do have a couple of questions:
-Do all goggles leave raccoon eyes or are mine too tight?
-Do other people have issues with water trapped in their ears? I have tried alcohol, Auro-Dri AND peroxide but my left ear does give up the water easily. Guess it goes without saying that I suffered with swimmers ear every summer as a child.

Running is my favorite sport and always on my schedule so I went to Cherokee Blvd (close to my house and safe) before the swim to put in 5.2 miles (out 2.6-miles and back). I ran the upper and lower sections, which translates for 3-miles of rolling terrain and 2.6-miles of hills, actually two major hills. The effort was slow and quite pleasant!

Weekend in Huntsville

Midday Friday, John, Lee (his son) and I settled into his car for a 4 hour drive. Our destination, Huntsville, AL to visit John's mother and siblings. Clouds hung low for most of the trip and bad weather dominated the forecast but it was not expected until evening so we had an safe, uneventful trip.

As we arrived on the outskirts of Huntsville, we pulled alongside the above limousine. At a redlight, a young looking high school kid rolled down the window and poked his head out for a look around. He had the biggest grin on his face. His appearance made me wonder where a kid is going at 3:30 PM on Friday afternoon in a limo? Better yet, where else but Alabama can you find a jacked up limo pickup truck with those light thingies on the rollbar? Tennessee maybe?

John's sister had planned to drive from Tuscaloosa to Huntsville after work but the weather turned disagreeable before she had a chance to get on the road. Fearing accumulating ice and snow, we talked her into waiting till Saturday morning. It just wasn't worth the risk of driving on ice!

Crawford

Meals were compliments of John's mother and a Huntsville institution, Gibson's Barbecue. Gibson's has been around for about 51 years and John still remembers family dinners there as a child. We grabbed the opportunity to pork out, I mean enjoy lunch, on Saturday. While barbecue is the house speciality, the catfish fillets are light, flaky and one fillet with a basket of hush puppies, coleslaw and french fries is about right. I am paying penance this week as my waistline expanded over the weekend....Gibsons, homemade mac and cheese, eggs-grits and ham, homemade chicken salad, you get the picture.

Saturday, while John's brother David, an equine vet, and his wife Beth were caring for a new foal , we took care of their son, Crawford. Crawford is a bundle of energy! As a matter of fact, if TVA could figure out how to harness his energy, they could probably power half the state of Alabama. He is a fun, mischievous child and we enjoyed watching his antics! He kept his grandmother, Bebe, and Uncle Bobby busy. In the picture above, Crawford has discovered Uncle Bobby's reading glasses.

John and Lee

John's sister Laura arrived with her daughter Jessica, mid-Saturday afternoon. Above from left to right: David, Bebe, Laura and Beth.

Guess Who:-)

Sunday morning, Jessica and Caitlin (David and Beth's daughter) decided to cook breakfast for the family. This was a lengthy affair as a proper menu (above) had to be posted, orders taken and breakfast cooked. I believe the process started around 9:00 AM and concluded around 10:30 AM when the last person was served. The girls had a great time and the family certainly enjoyed being waited on.

Caitlin taking orders

Jessica and Caitlin cooking

This is my breakfast...a #2, 3 and 4 (see menu)

Around the breakfast table. From left Jessica, Caitlin, David, Beth, me, John and Lee

Bebe and Crawford doing the dishes

With all this food, I was diligent getting in my workouts. Friday morning, before we left, I ran a quick 3-miles. Saturday morning, with temps in the 20's, I got a great 6.2-mile run in via a series complete and partial 2.5 mile loops in David and Bebe's neighborhood. It was flat and cool...my favorite running weather.

Challenges Ahead

Got an email today from an old friend, a backpacking buddy who recently retired (late 50's no less), built a beautiful home in Montana and moved out west with his wife to live the good life. He emailed to invite John and me on their annual canyon backpacking trip. Apparently some of his "regulars" cannot go in late April and he is looking for another two-some.

Any other year, we would jump at the chance. Roger's 30 years of canyon trips are legendary, not only for the scenery, camaraderie and military schedule that he keeps the group marching to, but the stories that circulate post trip....couldn't find water, lost in the wrong canyon, group member evacuated with a broken leg and so on.

Well, with my job situation, backpacking in the canyons of southern Utah is a dream that will not materialize this year. I emailed Roger with my regrets and news about my job. He quickly emailed me back with condolences stated in a way that only Roger can:

"Beverly,

A) I am sorry you can not join us and more importantly,

b) I am extremely sorry you lost your job. That is terrible. Especially when one is past one's mid-40's, it becomes harder, I think, to find a new position.

And of course, this is a bad time to be looking for work. Damn!!"

His email is spot on of course, and it made me smile. People tend to walk around the difficult landmines, "past one's mid-40's" (actually past 50 for me) and "bad time to be looking for work." These are issues I have been rolling around in my mind for several days. I know they will make my search more challenging!

Also challenging, for me anyway, was today's workout. The weather was grey and chilly this morning so I retreated to the treadmill. I use a number of methods to trick my mind while on the treadmill, today I used 15 minute segments...15 minutes to go, another 15 minutes to go and so on. Around the 4th mile, I started getting weary. I looked at the mph and realized I had set it at 5.4, I usually run at 5.2-5.3 mph. Whoops! Anyway, I finished mile 5 at a 5.2 mph pace and decided to stop.

Since I did not have to get back to work, I put on my bathing suit (ouch!) and went swimming. Although I took swimming lessons as a kid, I have spent very little time in the water as an adult and somewhere along the line, I developed some fear of the water. My mother would laugh at this. As a kid, I couldn't wait to swim all day or dive off the high board. But the fear is there now, it crops up just as soon as I put my face in the water. Today was my day to just "get over it."

My goal was 20 minutes in the water, I don't have the endurance to spend more. After a few laps of breast stroke, a few of side stroke, it was time to put my face in the water for the free style. It took a few minutes to convince myself that the pool is only 4' deep and I am not likely to drown. I started out breathing every stroke but was able to settle down enough to breathe every other. I can only swim 2 laps (40 meters) without stopping but, hey, this is Day 1, I am just getting warmed up! My legs were rubber after the run-swim effort but this should get better with time.

Run: 5-miles, 55.56 minutes, 11.11 minute miles

Swim: 20 minutes

A Lady of Leisure

My sister called this afternoon to find out how the "lady of leisure" spent her day. Yes, that's right, I am now a lady of leisure. Last Friday I became the casualty of budget cuts and job consolidations, a member of the government's statistics on unemployment. While I was surprised by the news, I really wasn't. A year ago when my old company was acquired, I made the choice to work from home instead of moving to North Carolina. This is a decision I never regretted but it left me vulnerable; working from home is not part of the company culture.

So now it is time to rediscover myself, time to find a new job. From my sister's point of view, trading her class of 3rd graders for hours at home is probably a nice leisurely thought. I, on the other hand, would gladly trade the anxiety of unemployment for a nice position in the classroom.

Today was another incredible day, sunny and 70's. Got out around 11:00 AM for a run on Cherokee Blvd. I discovered what the stay at home moms and retired folks do on pretty days in Knoxville....walk and run on Cherokee Blvd. Since I am having a bit of trouble with my right foot , the run was not as long and fast as I initially planned. The problem is not planters (I know that pain well) but related to my insoles. I did not replace them when I replaced the shoes. My bad....

This evening, John and I returned to Cherokee Blvd with our bikes. Lots of traffic, outfits (bicyclists) and runners out. I seem to have trouble picking up speed on the boulevard, not sure if it is traffic related, the rolling hills or mental. We looped the lower 3.2-mile section 4 times, avoiding the big hills on upper section. John rides along patiently, offering encouragement while I try to build power and speed. He rode 18-miles with me on Saturday, 30-miles by himself on Sunday and tonight's 12.6-miles.

Run: 4-miles, 47.0 minutes, 11:45 min mile
Bicycle: 12.6-miles, 56 minutes, 13.5 mph

Happy March 1st!

Such a lovely day in Knoxville, sunny, blue skies, the bare hint of a breeze and low 50's. Days like this bring to mind the fact that spring is not far off and the sense of rebirth, hope and renewal will prevail.

I came home from a run this morning, feeling somewhat discouraged because the effort was less than I planned. In my front garden, basking in the sun, was this single, bright yellow crocus, the first crocus bloom of the year. My spirits were immediately lifted! In a week or so, all my yellow crocus will be in bloom, followed by the white crocus. The final show will be put on by the deep purple crocus that will fade and make room for the tulips to debut. Rebirth, hope and renewal....it happens every spring!

Crocus

Lenten Rose

My Lenten Rose plants on the side of the house have been in bloom for a little over a month, but I have been waiting for the Lenten Rose in the front garden to show some sign of flowering. I planted this plant some 2 years ago and it has neither bloomed nor grown much. Today I found this showy flower under a pile of oak leaves. Although a little shadowy in the photo, it is quite spectacular, don't you think!?

Several hours after the run, I loaded up my bike and met John at Old Walland Road. OWR is a relatively flat 18-mile out and back with a number of options to ride longer. For this reason, it is popular with local cyclists. We saw at least 20 outfits (cyclists) on the road taking advantage of the warmish weather. We rode only the out and back stretch and had a wind in our faces in both directions, go figure. John tells me as soon as I get an offical outfit, a pair of bicycling sunglasses, a new helmet AND a new bike, I will look like a real cyclist! Thanks honey, you buying?

After the ride, I slipped on my running shoes and took off to see if my legs would work. The effort actually wasn't too bad, but of course I didn't go too far. The main issue I have when I do this is that I am out of breath quickly. I hope it will get better soon!

Run: 3-miles, 34.29 minutes, 11.43 min mile
Bike: 18.0 miles, 1 hr 10 minutes, about 15.5 mph

Running and Spinning in Mayberry

The backpack was a great break after the 10k and a chance to see if my running and bicycling have made a difference in my hiking. The answer is a resounding YES, I can see a big difference! Even after a pre-hike run Saturday morning, I still thought the backpack was pretty easy. This is huge for me!

Anticipating some soreness and tender feet after the weekend, I planned to be a bit of a slacker this week. When no problems surfaced on Monday, I struggled between getting an early afternoon start on the road to Mayberry and going to the gym. I chose the gym, which to out to be the right decision based on what followed.

Dressed in running clothes and a sweatshirt, I grabbed my iPod and headed out, looking forward to a solid run. W-e-l-l, when I got out of my car at the gym, I smelled something unusual around my car....something that smelled like burning rubber!! For about 2 seconds I vacillated between running and taking the car to the shop. Knowing that I had to spend hours on the road this week, the decision was really a no brainer. I climbed back in my car and drove to Harper Infiniti where "the boys" took a look-see. Thirty minutes later the bad news was delivered, both back calipers were bad, one was frozen (hence the burning rubber) and the other almost frozen. Guess I won't drive this car to Mayberry today.

My allotted time for running had vanished in the dealership waiting area. As I climbed into my loaner car (an oh soooo nice G35) to head home and load up before venturing east toward Mayberry, I was pretty happy that I had chosen the run option. Thanks to that decision, I discovered the problem before I got on the road!

Mt. Airy, NC. There isn't much to do in Mayberry except exercise and eat, although the locals will tell a different story. Getting me to the gym and back into a routine of sorts was easy; getting on the spin bike again was not. The Tuesday night instructor, Killer Kelly as she is known in these parts, lived up to her name. Her idea of 60 minutes of fun is lots of jumps, climbs and sprints....I really hate jumps! Since I planned to run after spin class, I opted out of most of the jumps and substituted a good, standing climb. My legs are sore and achy today.

Tonight I had a decent run, tomorrow night I hope to work out the soreness with another spin class. Killer Kelly will not be teaching but I understand the Thursday class is led by someone just like her. Ugh!

Tuesday Workout
Spin Class 60 minutes
Run (treadmill) 1.2 miles, 13.19 minutes (had trouble with the treadmill, that's my story and I am sticking to it(

Wednesday Workout
Run (treadmill) 5.0 miles, 56.08 minutes

Grassy Ridge Backpack

The weather Saturday morning was ominous. As we pulled out of town (around 10:40 AM), dark clouds hung low in Knoxville. When we reached Elizabethton, dark clouds gave way to light rain and fog. A lunch break in one of several Elizabethton Mexican restaurants along Highway 91, did little to cheer us up. We all considered Plan B (bailing), but kept our thoughts to ourselves as we returned to our cars and headed to Carver's Gap, the starting point of our winter backpack. Looked like we were in for just about the worst possible weather for camping on an open bald, rain (with no place to pitch a tarp) and temperatures just above freezing. Could be a long afternoon and evening trapped in our tents.

A 3,900' climb on a very windy road is required to reach Carver's Gap. Much to our surprise, the higher we drove, the drier the road became. Somewhere along the road, we broke through the clouds and the traces of rain disappeared completely. Although we piled out of our cars and smack into a brisk wind, the sun was shining and we could see big patches of blue sky!

Carver's Gap, elevation 5,512' is located in Tennessee at the crossing point of the Appalachian Trail between Roan Mountain and Round Bald. It is the low point in the Roan Mountain ridgeline and just a few steps away from the North Carolina border. We parked in the Gap and picked up the AT headed north, our hike would take us across the first three balds beyond Roan Mountain.

Our group crossing over Round Bald. The beginning of the climb to the top of Jane's Bald is located on the middle left of the photo (the grassy mountain side)

Picture from the top of Jane Bald looking back toward Round Bald (the 1st visible grassy bald)

Rhododendron and the mountains of North Carolina

The trail was muddy from several days of rain and our boots quickly became heavy with the dark, black soil. We crossed the first bald, Round Bald (5826') at a fast pace, stopping at the top to take pictures of the panoramic views....low hanging clouds floating in and out of mountain ridges, as far as the eye could see. The wind remained brisk so we hurried down the back side and up the next bald, Jane Bald (5807'). The AT turns to the left on top of Jane Bald but we took the right fork toward Grassy Ridge, our destination for the evening.

Blue skies, low clouds and sunshine from the back of Grassy Ridge. A mountain range peaks above the clouds in the left side of the photo, just above the pine trees.

After stopping for more photos on the back side of Grassy Ridge, we hiked to our campsite for the evening, an open field with a vicious wind blowing up the back, over the top and down the other side. Level campsites are plentiful but a person is really "out there" with the weather. We were lucky, the temperature remained around freezing although the wind chill took it down to the 20's.

Bill gazing at the ever changing clouds

Our campsite, beautiful but exposed.

Andy and Jonathon

We arrived around 4:00 PM, set up camp and spent time gathering wood. We never did use the wood, the wind was just too strong and flying embers would be risky. I stayed warm and toasty until we settled down for dinner. Hand warmers kept my hands warm, an assortment of fleece, down, wool and wind resistant fabrics kept my body warm, but I still had issues with my feet. Other members of our group were a little colder and pealed off for the comfort of their sleeping bags around 7:00 PM. Bill and Silke headed to their tent shortly after so John and I packed up our cooking equipment and returned our tent.

Me, gathering wood for the fire we didn't burn. It will be a nice surprise for the next group of campers :-)

Sunset from our campsite

John in the tent

Oh, 7:30 PM is too early to crawl in the tent! John lay outside on the ground for a while and gazed up at the clear sky filled with bright, sparkling stars. It was such an incredible sight! We finally settled down a little after 8:00 PM. Amazingly enough, we slept most of the night but were quite really to get up around 7:00 AM.

The wind really blasted against the walls of our tent around during the early part of the night. Somewhere around midnight it stopped but resumed an hour or so before we crawled out at 7:00 AM. We ate breakfast with the wind hitting our backs, it was a chilly affair. We hit the trail a little after 9:00 AM, retracing our steps of the day before. Another lunch, this time in Johnson City and the return drive home. I have been hungry and chilled since. I am looking forward to a good night's sleep, but hopefully not starting at 7:00 PM.

Headed down Round Bald and back to the car. The low frost line indicates a low cloud line

From right to left: Bill, Silke, Jonathon with Andy standing behind Jonathon.

It's That Time Again!

Long underwear-check, rain jacket-check, hand warmers-check, down sleeping bag-check....

H-m-m-m-m, somehow all this stuff

Has to fit in this!

Can backpack #65 really be almost here? Just a month ago, with frozen fingers and toes, I swore off cold weather backpacking forever. Yet this feeble mind seems to have forgotten the numbing pain. Tonight I am busy attempting to stuff my very survival into a small, sturdy bag to be hoisted on my shoulders and carried into the wilderness. With the weather looking iffy at our destination, I have my fingers crossed and eyes open for another location. Forecasted rain-sleet-snow and temps in the low 20's will bring back some chilling memories. A big, open bald at 6,100' is no place to be camping in bad weather. What happened to the me that once eagerly anticipated cold weather camping?

On the exercise side of life where it is always cozy warm in the gym, my legs are officially jello. I crawled out of bed at 5:30 AM and headed to the gym for a short 3-mile run. What I lacked in distance I made up in intensity. I ran 11:06 minute miles, which is 26 seconds per mile faster than my January 5k. The run was topped off some 12 hours later with spin class. Oh and...I cheated a little. When the instructor said to crank the tension up, and up, and up for the last 15 minute hill, I cranked once, cranked twice and then pretended. It's gonna take a few classes to get my legs back to their pre-Christmas spin condition.

Back to the Bike

A couple of pictures of my Valentine's flowers, still beautiful some 5 days later. Lucky me!

I am, quite simply, very tired today. Recently I have been talking up how I plan to get back on the bike as soon as the 10k was over. On Sunday, John reminded me that it was over. So after a hilly 4-mile run on Sunday and a fast (for me) 4-miles in the afternoon, I climbed on the bike last night for a very windy ride.

We didn't go too far or too fast. As a matter of fact, John never got his heart rate above 110, but mine was racing. I struggled against the wind (19 mph) as we headed west on our loop and sailed when it pushed against my back. While John was sleek and graceful in his "outfit" (code: bicycle spandex and jacket), I just wanted to keep warm in my fleece tights, vest, thermal turtleneck and lightweight wind jacket (code: hiking clothes). Most annoying was the flapping sound of the nylon jacket as it whipped in the wind. I couldn't hear above the noise.

One of the purposes of this ride was to test the frame fit on John's son's bike. His Trek is about 12 years newer than mine and the components and technology much better. The problem is, I usually ride a 54 cm Trek and this is a 56 cm so I had to really stretch to reach the gears and brakes comfortably. John is going to replace the fork to see if this will work but regardless of which bike I use, I have some ridin' to do to get comfortable on the bike again!

After the ride, I scoured my gym calendar for the next spin class compatible with my schedule. I have to wait until Thursday. It has been 8 weeks since my last spin class (the racing excuse again) so it will be like starting over.....ouch!

Strawberry Plains 10K (and 1/2 Marathon)

Today was a perfect day for racing. The temperature hovered just below 50 F, the sky was partly overcast and the wind was almost nonexistent. John and I left South Knoxville around 7:40 AM and arrived at an already crowded race site some 25 minutes later. While excited to run my first 10k race, I carried my pre-race jitters to the start line.

Race check-in was a breeze so John and I stood around until about 8:50 AM, when we heard the race director call for the line up. Some one bravely sang the national anthem acapella (now that is tough) and before I knew it, I heard the starting gun! 500 pairs of feet started shuffling from the parking lot to the street.

Took some minutes for people to begin spreading out. I was toward the back and the rolling terrain provided a great view of the running wave. Soon we turned left and ran under an old country railroad bridge. The cool thing was the train crossing the bridge above us.

Putting on my race number "9788"

Very nice coolmax souvenir t-shirts

Racers lining up. I am turned backward watching John

And the racers are off!

I settled comfortably into the run. Although I had my iPod in my pocket "just in case," I ran the entire race without it. Each mile was clearly marked and there was a water stop just beyond mile 2, which made it just before mile 4 on the way back (I took water coming back). The rural scenery was great but the rough pavement kept my eyes fixed to the road for most of the race. I did enjoy the sounds of the country....moos and birds chirping. Mostly I enjoyed the peaceful silence.

Mile 3.1 came up pretty fast and we U-turned around an orange cone. I watched some of the people who had been running near me continue on the half marathon course, including two 60 something ladies who had been discussing running. One said that she was glad she had not started running until she was 58, because she didn't have to watch the race times of her youth become a distant memory. She said she was still improving. Amen to that!

I was running next to a younger woman who was in run-walk mode. She walked up the hills and ran the rest. We must have passed each other 10-15 times. I told her I envied her fast running, she told me she envied the fact that I could run the entire race. The race finished on a downhill and she beat me by some seconds.

I am not sure what my time was, I think somewhere around 1:12. I was so excited to finish and feel good that I forgot to pay attention. Times should be posted on the Knoxville Track Club website in the next day or two. (Results are in, my actual time was 1.11.44, an 11.33-min pace....better than the 12-min mile I expected)

Diane Madison #1003

John caught sight of Diane Madison, an old backpacking companion, at the beginning of the race. We didn't have a chance to speak to her until after the race. Like a bunch of old folks, we stood around discussing our health issues. Diane apparently had the same problem that I did last year, she tripped on a piece of rough pavement while running. She broke her ankle and was in a cast for 8 weeks. I jumped in with my broken arm and John, his broken collar bone. Her training partner (the guy behind her) had only a stubbed toe to discuss. Oh well, we hope to have more positive things to discuss if we see her at another race.

Running into the finish!

I finished, I am smiling! The end to a great first 10K (the guy behind me is finishing the 1/2 Marathon :-)

Pre-Race Jitters

Hope I didn't make a big mistake tonight, I just ate leftover pasta from Wednesday night's dinner at Macoroni Grill. My stomach started bubbling and gurgling several hours before dinner but I didn't feel bad, so I chalked it up to pre-race jitters. Unfortuantely, I forgot that I had the spicy marinara sauce. Maybe it won't cause me any problems tomorrow.....

Since I missed running yesterday, I got out at lunch for a short 1.5-miles, just enough to loosen up and enjoy the spring weather. I am looking forward to getting the 10k (my first) out of the way. Next week I will return to spin class, bicycling and begin working with my new swim coach. I expect to be pretty sore by week's end.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Happy Valentine's Day!

What will we be doing to celebrate? After 7 years of battling crowds and hurried service we are dining in. On the menu is steak, shrimp, grilled asparagus, potatoes and lots of butter and garlic! We will top this off with chocolate covered strawberries and cherries from South's Finest Chocolates and a couple of days of serious exercise and bouillion (just kidding on the bouillion). Oh so rich and oh so good!

We give presents sporadically on Valentine's Day. Last year I didn't give John anything, this he will get the Smartwool neck gaiter and liner gloves with grippers that he has been eyeing at Mast General Store. Not too romantic but both items will be great for bicycling and our upcoming backpack to Grassy Ridge.

No running for me today, I spent lunch getting ready for dinner. Yesterday was another 4 miles on the treadmill. Tomorrow will be a short, easy run before the 10k.

Earphone Dilemma

My iPod is not quite 6 weeks old and already I own 3 sets of headphones. Unfortuantely I have yet to find the perfect pair. My first pair (A) came with the iPod, the original earphones if you will. I worked with this pair for a couple of days with no success. They fell out everytime I tried to run.

Pair B is the 1st pair I purchased (well, 2nd, I returned the first). This pair fits around the ear and is fairly stable and comfortable. These earphones also block out all outside noise, a fact that prompted John to have a "discussion" with me when he discovered I couldn't hear him when he walked up behind me. You can guess what the discussion was about. Pair B would be fine for treadmill running, but as you can see, one ear piece is missing. I stepped on it.

A trip to Target resulted in Pair C, the Nike Vapor, with a 3-way adjustable ear piece. Sound quality is great, comfort level is crappy! The speakers do not fit in my ear. I can hear outside noises (this makes John happy) but can barely hear the music, which makes me unhappy. What is it about our ears that make one pair fits so good and another so bad? The speakers on the different earphones seem to be about the same size. Is there no way to size for big ears or small ears?

On the running side of life, this is an easy week in preparation for the upcoming 10k. Today's plan was a relaxed 3-mile run on the treadmill but I was feeling pretty good so I kicked up the pace to 15 seconds faster than my previous fastest treadmill run. I discovered I have been a treadmill slacker. I breezed through 4 miles feeling strong. Incredible! A short 4-1/2 months ago, I returned to running with a very slow 12:30 minute mile. Today's run, at an 11:15 pace, seemed easy. Now, if I can just duplicate the effort over the next 4 months!

Sunday on the Boulevard

We did our usual thing today, church, Panera's for coffee, then exercise. Shoved inbetween coffee and exercie, was a trip to Strawberry Plains to drive the route for the Straw Plains 10k. The course is beautiful, lots of farmland, some sections in sight of the Holston River, but also a little hillier than I expected. While the scenery on a sunny day should be distracting, Saturday's long range forecast is for rain. I have to think about running 6 miles in the rain, in cool weather.

Thoughts of a "rolling" course sent me immediately to Cherokee Blvd to practice on the hilly section. John rode laps on his bike while I inched up and down the hills. Not as bad as I thought but I have revised my expectation for the 10k, I may come in last after all.

John got in a decent ride, some 15 miles or so and I ran 3.2-miles. I am ready for a rest day!

Running this week:

Tuesday : 5-miles, treadmill
Wednesday: 2-miles, treadmill
Friday: 5 miles, treadmill
Saturday: 6 miles, Cherokee Blvd
Sunday: 3.2 miles hilly, Cherokee Blvd.

Mt Airy, the Salt Factor and Running

Three nights in Mt. A = three nights eating everything Thailand Cafe. Basil shrimp rolls, seafood salad, lettuce wraps and steamed dumplings, all served with salt based sauces. My sodium intake is over the top. I am finally home, flushing the salt with large quantities of water and anticipating a pasta dinner!

I had a great few days in the office! Got to catch up with the people in my group, check out the new building expansion and dress in something other than jeans. On the other hand, it required that I get up an hour earlier everyday.....and dress in something other than jeans. Can't wait to crawl in my own bed tonight, sleep an hour later and wear my jeans tomorrow!

Exercise was never far from the office conversation as several people in my group are training for various events in the Mt. A and surrounding NC-VA counties (this area hosts a number of road races, bicycle events and triathlons). We chatted about running, workouts and I received some song suggestions for my iPod. We will exchange emails about our progress and successes as we work to accomplish our 2008 goals.

Even with all the eating and socializing, I managed to put in treadmill time at the Mt A community center. The community center is an old YMCA with limited space devoted to areobic and weight machines, which means a very limited number of treadmills. Like my gym in Knoxville, Reeves is still filled with New Years resolutioners so a little patience and some standing around were involved to grab a free machine.

Tuesday's run was a nice 5.0-mile effort in a fairly hot room on a crummy treadmill. Wednesday's effort was not so good, a meager 2.0-mile run and I struggled to run as long as I did. Oh well, tomorrow is another day and I can't wait to return to my lunchtime running routine. I have a number of miles yet to log this week!

Running Update

Running update for the last couple of days. Thursday's 3-mile run, planned for the treadmill, turned into a 4.2-mile run on my neighborhood hills. I couldn't bear the thought trudging to the gym again this week. The weather was pleasant for the end of January and I felt great. Friday was a rest day and today was my scheduled 7-miler.

The temp was around 28 F when I woke up, so I stayed busy around the house until the mercury rose to a toasty 36 F. Unfortuantely, the rise did not occur until early afternoon and breakfast was consumed hours before. I was hungry and my stomach grumbling, this is a bad sign.

Cherokee Blvd was not too crowded and my run started out just fine. The first 3-miles passed quickly as my iPod shuffled through the song list. The second 3-miles was a bit tougher as my tired calves and qlutes (the hill climbers) started to ache. I found my body trying to convince my mind that it would be okay to stop. This was a little frustrating as I thought I had mastered mind over body.

When I finally went to the car, I had completed a 6-mile run, a little faster than my last 6-mile run on the Blvd and I was pleased. I had lost my appetite, my legs ached, I picked up an unplanned mile on Thursday and I had recycle in the car to unload.......yeah. Lots of excuses for not running 7-miles, but in truth, I was just ready to be done. Although 7-miles was my personal qualifier to sign up for The Knoxville Track Club Strawberry Plains 10K on February 16th, I have decided that 6-miles is good enough. The race application goes in the mail on Monday. Just hope I can convince John to take few hours of his Saturday morning to stand in the cold and be my support team.

Use of Earphones STRONGLY Discouraged!

My iPod now contains over 2 hours of music, some 33 songs of various length and all with the right beat to keep my feet moving. Recently I have been craving variety and shuffling what I have isn't satisfying the crave. Unfortunately, I am about out of ideas for new tunes. While asking what others are listening to seems like the best idea, I am afraid to ask anyone under say, 40, because I probably wouldn't recognize their artists of choice. When did I get this old?

Concerning iPod use, I have been reading the application for the Strawberry Plains 1/2 Mary and 10k. It notes that "use of earphones and headsets is STRONGLY discouraged." While I understand the logic of the request, I have some concerns. The guys on the front lines, the fast runners, will be finished with the race, high fiving and stuffing down pancakes long before I reach the halfway point. Lets face it, I am slow. While the scenery will be new and interesting, my mind is going to need some distraction from the time and discomfort. So the question for me is, do I run with the iPod and one earphone or try to struggle through without?

New Slideshow Addition to Smithposts....

In the past few days, I have made some adjustments to Smithposts.... Like the new slideshow? Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to shuffle so the show will always open with the same photo unless I go into the sight and change the order. Oh well, I enjoy the process of selecting pictures to add. After 8 years of traveling together, John and I have many great memories in photos.

On the running side of life, another trip to the gym today. Felt great, put in a nice 6 -mile run at a slightly faster than usual pace. For every bad day (yesterday), there is a good day and today was good. I am paying for it tonight, moving like an old woman. Means tomorrow has the potential to be another bad day even with only 3-miles on schedule. I certainly am looking forward to Saturday so I can get off the dreadmill and run outside!

When all else fails......count!

After a break yesterday, today it was back to the gym to pound out 4-miles on the treadmill. How hard can that be? Well, some days are good running days and some days are bad, today was bad. My body didn't feel right and I never fell into a rhythm but nevertheless, I had 4-miles to run. So what is a person to do?

Listening to the iPod while mindlessly scanning the TV bank got me through miles 1-3, but mile 4 was a little iffy. I finally resorted to a trick I use to climb mountains, counting steps. This practice takes my mind off the difficulty of the task at hand and focused on steps and numbers. I have also been known to utilize another method of distraction, singing. But not at the gym, just ask anyone who knows me,I can't carry a tune! Mile 4 complete, number of steps...a lot.

And do I have a sign on my back, "Use the treadmill beside me if you intend to use your cell" ? The gym is still crowded with New Year's resolutioners but there were several treadmills open today. Some girl climbed on the machine next to me, turned up the speed and proceeded to make a phone call. Sheesh, don't know if I was more irritated by the phone call or the fact that she could run so fast and still carry on a phone conversation.