Monthly Archives: July 2009

Eight is Enough…for now

Posted on by Run DMT
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For the past weeks, I have had my heart set on running 8 miles and this week was no exception.  Since we missed the Striders this week, Tiffany, Amanda and I arranged to meet for a Sunday run, like old times.

 

Then, I overslept and it caused me to be a little late meeting Tiffany and Amanda.  When I finally caught up with them, they had already ran 3 miles. 

 

The muggy air this morning was heavy, sticky and thick.  I couldn’t move any faster than 11:00 mm but Amanda seemed to be grateful that I couldn’t run my usual 9:00-9:30 mm pace. 

 

As I whined about shared my struggles, Tiffany mentioned an article in Runner’s World this month which stated that your pace typically slows down tremendously during the hotter months.  Every five-degree rise in temperature above 60° F can slow your pace up to 20 to 30 seconds per mile (“Running Tips for Beginners: Beat the Heat”, Runner’s World).  I honestly didn’t mind the slower pace as long as I could finish my long awaited 8 miles.

 

Although it was a struggle every step of the way, I finally reached my goal this week. 

8 miles

Time 1:28:37

Pace 11:04

Next week, I plan to try 8 again and hopefully it will be less challenging and less muggy.

 

One another note, the Faces of Courage Triathlon is two weeks away.  This week, I plan to rev up the tri training with a 3 mile followed by a 10 mile bike ride and on another day, I will run 3 miles and swim 16 laps.  That sounds overly ambitious, doesn’t it? ;-) Hopefully, I can drag my ass out of bed wake up at decent time in the morning to squeeze in all this training.

Push-Up Challenge, Day 10

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Today was the first day since Monday that I did a push-up.  But before I post my push-up report, I want to share about today’s run.

 

This morning I dragged myself out of bed for a 3 mile run.  Since my sorry butt was too tired to get up for an early Saturday run with the Striders, my lazy ass suffered in the sun at 8:00 a.m. for scorching 3 mile run. 

 

3.40 miles

Time 34:02

Pace 10:01

 

So, today I’m getting back into the groove of things again after my long, lazy week in Captiva and I’m pounding out the push-ups again.  Still on Week 5- Day 2, I think I did better with less reps and more sets or maybe it has to do with the fact that I’ve had extended rest over the past few days.  Since I skipped a couple of days this week, Monday I will be on Week 5- Day 3, followed by another exhaustion test.

Stealing Sunrises

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Early Thursday morning, I darted out the door to catch another sunrise run.  After struggling with the soft sandy shore and the blind winding roads of the island, I wanted to run a different path and explore a bit more of Captiva.  Therefore, I formulated a brilliant plan to run through the South Seas Resort, which occupies the north tip of the island, as the private roads through the resort would offer a safe and beautiful run.  However, a guard sits the gate and I have never been past the entrance.  For Thursday run, I dared to do just that.

 

I thought I had pulled it off as I ran passed the guard check point until I heard him holler, “Excuse me, miss.  Can I get your room number, please?”

 

I should have played it off that my iPod was too loud or bust out my best Spanish accent and replied, “Yo no hablo Ingles.”  But I wasn’t that clever on this particular morning.  Instead, I simply replied, “I’m not a guest at the resort.”

 

“Well, then I’m afraid I can not permit you on the property.”

 

I apologized for being so bold and excused myself from the scene and then remarked, “Yes, I supposed I could do a lot of damage in my running skirt and running shoes.”  Thinking back, I believe it may have been my Gasparilla pirate baseball cap that made him nervous.  Perhaps, he thought I would be searching for treasure in his resort.

 

I ran off the resort property followed Captiva Drive to the end and the public beach access.  Once on the beach, I ran north and I found myself behind the South Seas Resort.  Along the beach, I noticed private path hidden by overgrown sea oats.  I also noticed signs stating “No Trespassing- Private Property”, but much like the guard I ran past them with little acknowledgement. 

 

As I ran on the forbidden limerock private paths of South Seas, I felt invigorated.  It’s amazing how being naughty can feel so good.  (Don’t tell my children I said that!)  And just as I suspected, the view was gorgeous.  During my 3 mile run, I spotted three cardinals and an ibis.

 Cardinal

 

At the end of my run, I thought about running past the guardhouse to show off my brazen behavior the guard, but I simply chose to run home instead.  To the guard simply doing his job too well, never say no to a nosey adventurous determined runner.

 3.50 miles

Time 36:38

Pace  10:27

 

For whatever reason, I couldn’t find the energy to run on Friday morning.  I suppose the excitement of Thursday’s sneaky sunrise run stole all my energy.  However, I did jump out of bed to watch one last sunrise.  In my pajamas, I walked across the island to a private dock at the end of the marina on the bay.  Another cloudy morning prevented a perfect sunrise, but it was still beautiful to watch nonetheless.

 

sunrise2

 

As I left the dock, I spotted some marking under the water’s surface.  At first, I mistook the marking for shark gills, but upon a closer observation I realized it was scars on a manatee.  Old scars ripped open by recent deep wide gashes with pieces of flesh still exposed and a quarter of his paddle tail missing.  Then, next two this gentle mangled giant, I spotted his “wife” and small calf.  The wife also had some scarring, but thankfully their young offspring has yet to know such a horror.  As I stared at the scars of the larger manatees, I wondered if boaters ignored “No Wake” signs like I ignored the “No Trespassing” signs the day before, however, no creatures were harmed with by brazen behavior.

 Manatee1

 

manatee2

 

baby manatee 

 

I must have sat for about 20 minutes on that dock watching the manatee family enjoying their breakfast.  And although I didn’t run that morning, I felt invigorated once again.

Capturing Captiva

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With a sunrise run along the beach high on my To Do List, I raced out the door with camera in hand and sprinted to the bay side of Captiva Island for a quick snapshot of the sunrise Tuesday morning.  However, clouds in the horizon hindered my highly anticipated view.

 

Sunrise

 

After snapping a few pictures of the cloudy sunrise, I darted back to the gulf side of the island for a run along the beach.   The soft sand prevented me to get a good footing and given that Captiva is the seashell capital of the world, I found myself distracted by the volumes of shells that glistened on the shore.  As I stopped to collect a few shells to bring back as presents for my daughters, a Great Blue Heron searched for breakfast along the shore.

 

 

Heron

 

Shells

 

After about a quarter mile of struggling with the soft surface on the beach, I cut through public park to find a path to run along.  As I followed the path, it gave me an opportunity to explore some of the private roads that wind through Captiva.

 

Private path

 

For the next couple of miles, I weaved in and out of private driveways and backyards of vacant vacation rentals.  My husband would have scolded me for snooping and being nosy, but at least I made a mental list of places I would love to stay when we visit Captiva again.  And fortunately, I had my camera to remember them all!

 

Between sneaking through admiring vacation rentals, snapping pictures and collecting seashells, my running time suffered a bit.

3 miles

Time 31:10

Pace 10:24

Push-Up Challenge, Day 9

Posted on by Run DMT
1

This morning, I pounded out the push-ups while packing for my trip to Captiva.  I was a little concerned about my performance after the number of reps (including my exhaustion test) on Saturday.  I actually did fairly well!  For Week 5-Day 1-Column 2, I had no problems with the first set of 28, but the second set of 35 were a little shaky.  With the third and fourth sets, there were no struggles but the last set of 35 was tough. 

 

Day 2 looks interesting because there are more sets with fewer reps.  I don’t know if that’s a good thing, but I feel ready the challenge.

Musical Monday: I Hate This Part

Posted on by Run DMT
8

Since I keep hearing this Pussycat Dolls song on the radio and it’s been stuck in my head for days, I thought I would take this opportunity to get this song stuck in your head share it for my first Musical Monday.  Besides, this song perfectly describes my sentiments about my runs lately.

 

I can’t take it any longer 
Thought that we were stronger 
All we do is linger 
Slipping through my fingers 

 

With the heat and humidity choking me, there are moments in my runs where I find myself thinking how much I hate certain parts.  As the summer sun beats down on me and I struggle with each step, I hate this part right here.  Barely able to finish 3 miles without dying, I hate this part right here.  Encountering smoke in the middle of my run, I hate this part right here.  Having an asthma attack and then getting a cramp, I hate this part right here.

 

 

So, play along with me on this marvelous Musical Monday and tell me what moves youon your blog.  Add your link to McLinky and spread some linky love by visiting other players today.

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Smokin’

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I really wish I was referring to my run.  Instead, I mean the trail was literally smoking due to a control burn at the park.  Tiffany and I set out to run 8 miles, but after about 2 miles into our run, we hit a thick wall of smoke. We tried to run through it but after a ¼ mile into it, it didn’t seem to be clearing.  I couldn’t take it any more and needed to turn around.  We headed back to the start of the trail with only four miles finished.  After a quick potty break and water stop, Tiffany and I couldn’t get our momentum back and we struggled with the next two miles.  At 6 miles, I need to call it a day.

 6 miles

Time 1:03:40

Pace 10:36

 

When the other Striders returned from their runs, we learned that the fog of smoke was about ½ mile thick.  Our noble leader, David, assured me that turning around was the best thing I could have done.  I was just thankful that I remembered to take a hit off my inhaler before my run that morning.  Otherwise, it could have been a lot worse for me. 

 

Tiffany and I were really disappointed with our performances this week, but here’s hoping that we can be at 8 miles next week.  However, if the park continues its controlled burns, Tiffany and I may need to get creative with our miles by running through the park instead of running along the trail with our new Strider friends.

 

On another note, the Faces of Courage Triathlon (the triathlon formerly known as Babes and Bums) is less than 3 weeks away.  Since it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve seen a pool, I decided to swim 16 laps this morning.  Coincidentally, my friend and neighbor, Allan E, happened to be training this morning in our neighborhood pool as well.  Allan will be part of my relay team for the Longleaf Triathlon this October, so of course I was happy to see him training, but I was even more thrilled when he gave me some pointers on my breathing techniques.  I’ve been trying to swim as far as I could on one breath and Allan suggested I breathe on every third stroke.  That simple tip really improved my swim today!  Now, I just need to work on my flip turns. 

 

So, in the past few days, I’ve improved my swimming and didn’t fall off my bike.  It’s been a good week.  Maybe I really have been smokin’?

Push-Up Challenge, Day 8

Posted on by Run DMT
2

On Saturday, I completed Day 3 of Week 4, Column 2.  There was no struggle for the first set of 23.  For the set of 28, I had some trouble after rep #20.  Sets 3 and 4 of 23 reps, I felt some burning but I finished each set with good form.  For the last set of 33 reps, I started to struggle after rep #25, but I readjusted myself and finished the set.

 

At the end of Week 4, the hundredpushups program recommends another exhaustion test, but I couldn’t find any instructions on the site to inform when to perform the test.  Therefore, I chose to wait about 30 minutes before executing the exhaustion test.  I knew I could not push out another set after so many reps so I decided to wait a bit.  After my prolonged rest, I managed 40 good form push-ups!  That’s 10 more than my initial test! A small victory for me!  Next week, I move onto Week 5- Day 1, Column 2. :-)