This Dog Can Run!

I have a new running buddy. I figured out that she lives a few houses down from us. She ran 3 miles with me Friday morning.

She enjoyed jumping in the mud puddles to cool off. I almost joined her.

She doesn't care for the last hill either!

We saw some blackberries on our driveway. Almost time to pick them. Yummy!

Yesterday my new friend was waiting on my porch to run again, but I had plans to run with my new human running buddies.

As I mentioned before, one of these girls was a high school classmate. The other is a co-worker of hers. They've both ran several marathons and countless half marathons. I was clearly out of my league! They started off so fast. I nearly chickened out right there, but I lived through ) very hilly miles! Came close to beating my 10k PR from the White Squirrel Festival at just over a 9 minute pace. Not fast, but I'm usually at a 10 minute pace. It seemed fast to me!!

We are going to try it again next Saturday...

Follow my journey at www.Run2BeHappy.blogspot.com!

Sometimes Life Gets in the Way

I've made a discovery this week. Starting a new blog is much easier when you're on vacation than when you have a real life, a real job!

This week my commute has been a total of 16 hours driving in 4 days, plus lots of meetings and deadlines. Then I rush back to Vacation Bible School at our church. VBS has been so much fun and the kids are wonderful. I've not seen my house in the daylight all week though, and I'm getting very tired.

I have been able to run 12 miles so far this week. This morning I did 3 miles in a steady rainfall. Something about running in the rain makes me feel like a "real" runner. (Usually I feel like I'm just faking it!)

I'm planning to do 5 miles early tomorrow and then... I HAVE A NEW RUNNING BUDDY for the long weekend runs. An old high school friend has been running for years. She has run several halfs, at least one full marathon and countless other races. We're running for the first time together Saturday. We plan to meet at 8 AM and run for 6-7 miles. She says she hasn't been running so it will be a slow pace. I've googled some of her race times though, and I know that she's normally at a much faster pace than me.

I've been looking for a running buddy ever since I decided I want to run a half. So Friday night will feel a little bit like Christmas Eve. Don't misunderstand me. I normally prefer solo running, so I can go at my own pace and not have to talk. With long runs of 12 miles coming up in my training plan within 6 weeks though, I think I might need some distraction in order to meet my goal.

Do you like running solo or with a partner? What are your race goals for the summer?

Everyone else has been taking a picture like this lately, so I thought you might want to see my downward view :)




Remember to get your sweat on today!


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The Garmin Forerunner 110 Makes a Great Training Partner

I've been a hobby runner for about 6 years, and I finally ran my first 5k last year.

I got more committed earlier this year and decided to sign up for a 10k, which I ran in late May.

Up until I signed up for that race, I would usually just guess how many miles I put in each day. I would usually run about 2 miles and would be pleased if I made it to  3 miles.

The idea of running 6 miles sounded almost out of reach, and so I decided to buy a GPS watch to measure mileage.

In my career I am a financial planner and a nice way to describe me is thrifty (aka tight wad, cheap, you get the idea)! So to spend over $100 on myself besides clothes for work was a huge step.  Boy am I glad I did, though.

After spending hours reading reviews online, I decided to go with the Garmin Forerunner 110. I am a small-framed body and so it looked better on my little wrist.  I like the latest tech gadgets, but I liked the simplicity of this device. One button starts the GPS and another tells me distance, time and pace at a glance.  It does take the GPS a bit longer than I would like to find a satellite.  Besides that, I think the only thing missing that might have been nice would be a heart rate monitor, but at the price of just over $100 this is just about perfect.

I bought the 110 on May 6th, and I can tell from the reports it generates online that I have run over 110 miles. Now my average run is over 4 miles and my longest distance is just over 8 miles. I can track my pace when I need to do speed work and my elevation when I need to do hill training.  

If you are a beginning or hobby runner and want to shift your running into another level, I highly recommend buying this GPS watch!

I did some speed training this morning, 2 miles at just over an 8 minute pace. That's an improvement but I have to get faster to beat my 5k PR in late July.

Just Like Mom

I mentioned yesterday that we've been in WV for a wedding this weekend. I didn't bring my running shoes, because I thought we would be busy with family stuff the whole time.  After we got back from touring all of the historical sites, we still had an hour before starting to get ready for the wedding. I thought the kids might want to get in the pool, but the two teens wanted to veg out in front of the tv. Sydney, our soon-to-be 11 year old wanted to go to the gym. I put on my hiking shoes and we went down. We had the gym to ourselves. Sydney did 20 minutes on the treadmill and I did 20 minutes on the bike.

The wedding was beautiful and we all had a great time at the reception.

We woke up this morning to NO water in the hotel. We're on the way home now and everyone is a bit grouchy with no showers...

I'm ready to be home. Anxious to get back to healthier eating and my training plan. 

How is your weekend going? Have you been able to get a long run in for me??

A history lesson

We are in West Virginia for a wedding this weekend. We are spending the morning touring sites of the historic Hatfield McCoy feud.

I didn't bring my running shoes because I thought I wouldn't have time for a run. Of course I am regretting that like crazy! Beautiful trails around our hotel in Logan, WV.

Things look differently on foot

Our family is on the way to WV for a wedding as I am writing this. The DH is driving as I type on my phone.

We had a very busy morning. Even though we took the day off for this trip, we were out the door to the grocery store at 7 am. Then our youngest, Sydney, and I went to church to decorate the 5th grade classroom for VBS.

 

I didn't get to run till about Noon and its 80 degrees here. That's too hot for running!

I ran two miles at about a 10 minute pace  right near our house. It struck that when I'm running I notice the beauty and detail of things much more than when I'm driving a car!

Aren't we lucky as runners to experience and savor sights that most people take for granted! I ran more hills too. I swear, these hills are much steeper than they look in the pictures.

What beautiful things have you seen on your runs this week?

Follow my journey at www.Run2BeHappy.com.blogspot.com!!

Is it Okay to Run in a Cemetery?

This morning was cool and foggy. It was great for running, and I logged just over 5 miles before work. I ran near in the area around a local college and spent some time running through this beautiful old cemetary.

I ran through here very early last week, someone was driving through for a visit. Even though I only ran on the path, I almost felt that I was intruding on them. 

Today there was another runner in the cemetary and no cars, so I enjoyed it alot more. After all, "Life for the Living" and the folks buried here might be happy to have the company, right?  Of course, if there was funeral in progress I would not intrude.

When I got back, I googled this question of whether it's appropriate to run in a cemetery. I was a bit surprised by how much has been written from both sides of this issue.

There was one famous marathon runner, Ed Whitlock, who ran a 2.5 hour marathon in his 70s, who did all of his training in a cemetery near his house. I can guess what his feelings on the issue would have been!

Do you run in cemeteries? Are there other "controversial" places where you consider training?

Follow my journey at www.Run2BeHappy.blogspot.com!!

Speedy Hill Training for the 2013 Bele Chere 5k and Dogs, Dogs Everywhere!

Today I am working from home. We live in the mountains, so when I run here, it's always hill training.

In about a month, I will be running in the Bele Chere 5k here in Asheville. Bele Chere is an annual street festival that draws many thousands of people to our area.  

I prefer long slow pace runs. Those runs make me happy and help me leave my troubles behind.  I know I need to do some speed training though, if I want to beat my time in the Bele Chere 5k last year, which was my first race ever. I ran it at 30 minutes exactly.  

This morning I ran 2 miles at just under a 10 minute pace with a 400 ft elevation change. Not great if I want to beat my time from last year.

This husky ran home with me this morning. Not sure where she came from but she's very sweet. I put a note on FB so hopefully someone will come get her. I think she heard we are having a doggie slumber party and wanted to join in the fun.

My sister is in Nashville this week, so we are dog sitting for her.  Add those to our three, and this place has gone to the dogs. LITERALLY!

Trying to start work and this little cutie, Rue, wants more attention. I believe she gets to do whatever she wants at her house... We do not let dogs get on the table!! Holy cow.

 

How was your run today? Do you prefer long slow runs or shorter speed training?

Go get your sweat on!

Follow my journey at www.Run2BeHappy.blogspot.com
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Tuesday Run Not So Happy

Today started out much better than yesterday. I remembered my ipod and my water, and also charged my Garmin last night.  I had my normal pre-run breakfast of a banana in the car on the way to work. I think I mentioned yesterday that my shortest commute is about 90 minutes each way.

I made it to my destination by 6:30 AM, so I felt I could get a nice long run in without feeling stressed for time.  I ran in a neighborhood near the Y that is unfamiliar to me. I am "directionally challenged", and I am always worried that I will get lost. I have to keep telling myself that if that happens, surely I will keep running till I find a familiar street. 

Almost everytime I run, some part of my legs does not want to function for the first couple of miles. After getting those two miles down, it becomes much more fun and I feel like I could run for hours. 

Today things did not go as planned. After about a mile I came upon (or rather they came upon me) two small dogs that were very upset that I was on their street and would not leave me alone. They were barking like crazy!  They were some sort of Chihuahua/Terrier mix, but they were bigger than a normal Chihuahua. Even small dogs with teeth snarling can be a bit intimidating. I threw a stick at them and yelled for them to go home. As I kept running, they finally gave up.


At 1.88 miles (exactly :)), I got extremely weak and felt that I wanted to give up right there.  I cannot remember the last time that has happened. I was almost shaking. Fortunately I was able to keep running at a slow pace of about 11 minutes and made it back to the Y with a total of 3.2 miles.  I quickly ate a protein bar and then did some weight training and floor exercises.

To top off my great experience this morning, there was no hot water in the showers at the Y.  On the plus side, my speedy cold shower helped me get to work more timely...

I am not sure what caused the craziness this morning. I had a normal dinner last night and got plenty of sleep. I normally can go for at least an hour before eating anything after a run.  I ran a 10k race a few weeks ago and didn't eat anything for a couple of hours. 

At least there's always tomorrow to try it again. I'm trying to keep my chin up as I eat my third breakfast of yogurt, fresh strawberries and Bob's Red Mill Meusli (the best thing ever to add to yogurt btw). 

I am proud to say that my DH, Jerry, is now motivated to run as well.  He completed just over 3 miles on the treadmill this morning! Go Jerry!

How did your run go today? Have you ever had a similar experience?

Thanks for reading! Follow my journey at www.Run2BeHappy.blogspot.com or Run2BeHappy on the Bloglovin' app for iphone users!

A Crazy Monday ~ a Nice Run Makes it Better

Today is my first day back to work after vacation. I work all over S.C., and today I'm about 90 minutes from home. I normally drive to where I'm working for the day, get my run on and then get ready for work at the Y.

We got home last night, and I thought I had everything packed for today. When I got to the Y, I realized I left my water bottle and my ipod at home, and my Garmin battery was dead!

I prefer to run with music and was bummed. My new iPhone for work doesn't have any music on it, but I came up with the idea to download iheart radio, which worked out well!

I ran on an unfamiliar trail and saw some beautiful things. I rarely carry a phone while running, but got some great shots this AM!

Since my Garmin wasn't working, I'm not sure how far I ran. I was out for just over an hour, so I think it was about 6 miles.

No matter how crazy your Monday has been so far, go get your run in! It makes everything better.

Follow my journey at www.Run2BeHappy.blogspot.com!

Thankful that Gray Nail Polish is in Style

Three weeks ago I ran my first 10k! It was a wonderful experience, and I was full of adrenaline for hours. After the initial happy juice ran out, I realized I had a very black toenail and it throbbed until at least the next day.

Since it's summer, I had to make my toenails as cute as possible given the black nail :)  I painted them with this beautiful gray Revlon nail polish.

I've gotten a bit bored with that color and so I tried to pain them pink this morning. Pink over black does not work, unfortunately, and so I'm back to the beautiful gray for at least several more weeks. The effects of running that guys just don't understand!!

Have a great day!

Follow my journey on www.Run2BeHappy.blogspot.com!

#halfmarathon #running

Hills Anyone??

 

I mentioned yesterday that we are on vacation at the lake. I am running on unfamiliar roads, but they all seem to be hilly.

Oh my stars! Today I came upon this hill but I didn't let it beat me.

 

 

This picture does not do this hill justice. It was crazy. Right as I started up, the Miley Cyrus song "The Climb" came on my shuffle. How appropriate. Silly song from not my favorite artist, but it did the trick.

 

Here is a sign that made me laugh on the run this morning. There is absolutely no traffic in this gated-community, ever!

 

 

 

Now we're off to enjoy the sunshine and kayak a bit! Have a great day and be sure to get your sweat on!

 

 

Follow my journey at www.Run2BeHappy.blogspot.com!

 

 

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Back on track

I conquered my longest run ever (8.11 miles to be exact)on Saturday. That afternoon we left to go on vacation at the lake, and I woke up with a terrible cold on Sunday!

We've been kayaking and tubing, which means I haven't been totally lazy on vacation. I didn't feel like running though.
 So I've been feeling sorry for myself all week but finally recovered enough to run today.  We are in a very hilly housing development, but I ran 5 miles this morning. Very proud because I'm back on track as I begin training for a half marathon in November!