The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Whoever was the genius that decided cross-country season should be in
the fall really had it figured out! The hot, sticky days of summer are
over and the best days of running are upon us.

Fres and I attempted to go for a run at Fern Hollow in Sewickley, but
I couldn't exactly find it. Instead we headed over to the Montour
Trail and had a great run!

Sent from my iPhone

Luzerne

Luzerne was an easy enough place to run. There's a huge lake and there's a trail around it...pretty hard to get lost here. This is the view into town from the furthest point that we ran out to.
Mt. Pilatus in the background.
Crisp, Swiss mountain air in perfect running temperatures!
We even got to see a rainbow on our run!

Venice

Running on vacation is one of my favorite things! Not only is it a form of exercise, but its the quickest way to do a speedy site-seeing trip. One of the things they caution you about in Venice is getting lost, so probably you should multiple the chances by ten if you plan to go for a run. It happened. We got lost. But it was lots of fun to explore!
Water stop!
Running down the steps of the Rio Alto Bridge - it is VERY empty here. At midday you can barely make your way across this bridge; it is so crowded with people. That was the other good thing about doing an early morning run in Venice - no crowds!
View of the Grand Canal from atop the Rio Alto Bridge
An empty Rio Alto Bridge at 7:30 am.

Another great day at the track...

It took forever for me to get to the track tonight - it was almost 7 and the sun was about to set. I was not looking forward to my 12 400s... The workout started out pretty well. Point Park's CC team (??) was there again doing the same workout as me (same as last week too!) but by the time I finished my warm up they only had 2-4 repeats left. I never ran with them but would use them as something to chase or not get caught. That got me through my first six all between 1:30 and 1:32. Not bad...and pleasantly consistent. The plan called for a longer break halfway through, which turned out to be a mistake. My times tanked as my legs became lead. I struggled through four more (1:33-1:35) before I called it quits. Now that I'm writing this, I'm realizing that my times weren't that much slower - doofus. Oh well.
And as reported on FB - the coach who called me old left me alone today. But there was a big oaf watching his friends play soccer - and apparently was watching me too.... He said I was a strong runner (ha - he didn't know that I just skipped two laps!)...and then suggested we keep in touch. So I must not look that old afterall...

So things learned from tonight:
1) Arrive earlier so as to run with PPCC
2) Wear rings even with the phobia of falling will damage them more
3) Scam someone into coming too!

Run Around the Square

Do I need more junk food?

I actually got out of bed 'early' this morning to go for a run. 1) We are completely in the Dog Days of August and all the humidity that goes with it 2) Had my locks of love haircut this evening and want to try to preserve the style until tomorrow.
I attempted to run to the start of the Run Around the Square, run the course, and then run home for a five-ish mile run. I try to take advantage of "home-court" when I can. Well I took a wrong turn in the initial neighborhood which added a few blocks and a few minutes of time. But the worst part of the run was that I had ZERO energy. It took me 30 minutes just to do the 5k+ portion! I couldn't even lift my legs on the downhill part.
It was extremely frustrating because it was a simple five miles, no big deal. What made it worse was the last two runs (a track work-out and a very hilly 10.5 mile loop past Magee the morning after Claire was born), I felt the same way. There was nothing left in my tank.
I started to analyze what differences might have occurred that would be depleting my energy sources. And then it hit me - on August 1, I started my first 'diet' ever.
And by 'diet' I mean:
*no bagels/donuts in the morning from work
*no afternoon trip to the vending machine
*no fast food
*all 'rules' are out the door if it's a social event
So as you can see, it's hardly a diet - just a little bit better moderation of fats and sweets (my favorite food group). Regardless, my body depended on those calories for years and now I'm depriving it of its usual energy! Now I have to work in some better foods and fast because these bad runs are killing me!
I don't know if I'll be able to figure it out by Saturday but at least I'll be able to beat today's pace, if by only staying on the correct streets!

I'm Back! ...Finally!

So fortunately, I've been running fairly consistently since I last posted. I had an interesting time training solo for the first time for the Pgh Marathon. I was having a great week followed by a down week, pretty much the entire time...and I only got in three speed workouts (and rarely replaced them with another run). Somehow, on basically two runs a week and some cross-training I ran a sub-4 marathon. I don't think I'll be selling that plan to anyone.... But here's a photo from my long run on super bowl sunday (17 miles starting at the corner and running through the strip, past heinz field, south side, oakland...my shirt was quite popular in every neighborhood!)

So back to the heat and humidity of the summer....Things I've 'learned' this summer:

* I assumed training for a 5k would leave me unmotivated to get out the door for short/easy runs. It actually is much easier and enjoyable since I'm no longer intimidated by the long runs!

* When the humidity rises, always use Body Glide, no matter how short the run

* When the goal is a lazy Saturday morning, it is better to get up twenty minutes early to go run a quick 5k than to lounge around and end up doing 8 miles

* 5ks can be delightful at a run/walk pace - but ONLY with friends to enjoy the LONG time it takes to get to the finish

* My best runs happen after my worst work days (that one always amazes me)

* After June 20, the days get shorter. Going out for a run at 9 pm through Frick Park is still dark. Even though it seems ridiculous, I should consider bringing my head lamp.

*Even 1/2 marathon have long training programs. I should consider this well in advance before I'm more than a month late starting it!

That's it for now! Hopefully I'll be back soon!

A Run at Eaton Reservoir

We did a muggy loop around Eaton Reservoir this morning in North East.