week two.

Days 6-12 mileage (week 2): 30.59 miles

Day 11. friday, january 11. Friday morning Run-A-Latte with Jeff

Ran a few miles from Starbucks with Jeff today. I think one of my favorite things to do is to run and then get hot coffee immediately after. Most of the run, I thought about the coffee. There was just a slight sprinkling of rain on our way back and it was a little chilly. The idea of coffee was all I could think about.

day 11. january 11. post run with my Starbucks.

Day 12. saturday, january 12. It's 70 degrees outside! Today and tomorrow's weather is supposed to be high in the seventies. It's January! I wasted a lot of my day today because I came home from work last night with some mega-shoulder pain between my right shoulder blade and my spine. When I woke up this morning, the pain was pretty bothersome. I figure it's probably from my fall on Wednesday. I fell pretty hard and caught myself with my right hand, so I probably jerked my shoulder, too. Around 3pm, I finally got my gear on and went for a run. I didn't want to, but I ran up Wiggington and back for a little five mile run. I was supposed to run for 70 minutes today, but I'll make it up tomorrow. Good thing about today's run...it was super warm outside. I wore short sleeves and a skirt and it felt like spring!

day 12. january 12. 70 degrees.

Tempo Run

Miles today: 5.04
Miles this week: 5.04
Miles in 2010: 221.6

Yes, readers...I'm back.

Sorry about the short furlough. I've been putting together wedding stuff for the past week...so I'm apologizing for my week and a half off...but I guarantee you'll have some good reads.

For instance, today's run...(which was actually Monday, March 1st)...was my first ever tempo run.

Gregg told me to go out on a relatively flat course today and run an easy mile, 3 fast miles, and another easy rest mile.

I've never really paced my runs like that, so I just was trying to do my best at running slow for the first and fifth miles and running fast for miles 2-4. However, my Garmin died on me, so I didn't really know where my mile splits were, and I just guessed.

My guesses were a little off, and mile 4 sucked...but here were my splits:

Mile 1 (easy): 9:01, distance: 0.98 mile

Mile 2 (tempo 1): 7:41, distance: 0.92 mile

Mile 3 (tempo 2): 10:01, distance: 1.35 miles

Mile 4 (tempo 3): 8:13, distance: 0.81 mile

Mile 5 (rest): 9:07, distance: 0.98 mile

My only major flop was from mile 3 to 4. I didn't know where the splits were, and I was also running down Peakland and back up the other side, so it was a bit hilly for a tempo run.

I definitely could feel my oxygen deprivation, and I felt like I didn't have enough in me to push through that fourth mile when I was coming up Peakland Hill toward VES Road...but I felt like I definitely pushed it.

Anyway, for a tempo run, I did pretty well and I know I'll be sore tomorrow.

My boss, Jeff, was very excited about my first tempo run. He told me to try for about an 8:10 pace on my middle three miles...and although I didn't get that exactly, I came pretty close and I was excited!

Way to go, Coach Gregg and Coach Jeff. I'm learning how to run faster!

How important is physical fitness?

I like graphs and charts a lot, so I like to add them after I've had a poll. Interestingly enough, more than half of the 25 people who voted on the poll: Do you enjoy running in the snow? voted that they do like it. I was surprised by the results.

This week's poll is about physical fitness, inspired by Michelle Obama's segment on Good Morning America. She's launching a campaign to battle childhood obesity. It's called "Let's Move" and it includes a proposal to put $1 billion a year toward the movement for the next ten years. How awesome is that? Check out her story below.

Miles today: 2.2

Miles this week: 2.2

Miles in 2010: 148.7

Ran a few miles in my neighborhood tonight with Jeff. My 1.1 mile loop isn't an easy one, and we did it twice. Can I call it a rest day? Eh, not really. Thanks for running, Captain!

Lynchburg Mt. Everest

Miles today: 3.3

Miles this week: 27.7

Miles in 2010: 146.5

I know, I know, there is no Mt. Everest in Lynchburg...but after the record snowstorms in the past few weeks, it does kind of look like we have snow mountains when you drive through shopping center parking lots around here.

Gregg and I went to early mass and then stopped by the grocery store so I could get stuff for baked potato soup for the Super Bowl tonight. We had a noon appointment with Captain Snow Crunch for an afternoon run.

We met in the Food Lion parking lot in Boonsboro and did about 3 miles behind the shopping center on Burnt Bridge, Indian Hill, and Mimosa.

If you've never run Burnt Bridge Road, you wouldn't realize how going up and down the hills there is pretty tough. On the way out toward Indian Hill Road, I didn't notice the hill as much, but on the way back, as you pass Peakland Pool, I was determined not to be lazy as I ran up the hill.

I pulled ahead of Gregg and Jeff (not because I'm faster than them, but just because they weren't pushing hard at that point) and pushed out the hill with consistent strides and awesome breathing. It felt so good.

Jeff said that I put my hands on my hips when I got to the top of the hill in a "look at me go" fashion...but what I really was doing was putting my hands on my hips because I was tired from the hill and needed a place to rest them. Haha.

Anyway, when we got back to the Food Lion parking lot, Jeff suggested climbing on the snow mountains, so I got out my camera and clicked a few shots...here are a few:

Jeff and Gregg pondering the sky...

pretending to be tough

I don't know what they were doing...

me and Jeff at the top of the mountain.

after the run, went home to make baked potato soup and then went to yoga at the Jamerson Y...haven't been in a long while, so it was great to get that stretching in, and Christy, the teacher, was excellent. Saw a few fellow runners in class...(hi Lloyd!) and had a great workout.

Got home just in time to pack up the soup and head out to watch the game...can't help but say that I'm proud of the Saints for dominating after the first quarter and I kind of enjoyed seeing Peyton lose. Is that mean? who cares!?

I will also admit (like Patterson) that my favorite commercial during the game was the Google.com ad about falling in love in Paris. so romantic. I think Gregg and Jeff gagged like 100 times during it. Watch it below.

great day, great run, great yoga, great game. :)

Captain (Snow) Crunch

Miles today: 4.9

Miles this week: 8.1

Miles in 2010: 126.9

I kind of think of Jeff, my boss, as the Captain of the ship at Riverside Runners. He's been at the helm since the store started nine years ago and he is so good at his job. He knows so much about running a business, selling shoes, and taking care of customers. He's really good with words and always explains himself really well. He spends lots of time meeting and talking with people who want to make a difference by putting on races in their communities. He works with lots of different venues in Lynchburg to help promote wellness and fitness in the community. He sponsors and puts on a bunch of different running events for many great causes. He's dedicated and confident. I really enjoy working for him...and even more than that, I love, love, LOVE that he supports my running project. It makes me feel like I actually have credibility. When he put the link to Project 365 on the Riverside Runners website, I was pumped.

Tonight, when I was getting ready to leave work to go for my run, Jeff got back to the store and was dressed in his running gear. That meant one thing: he was running with me!

We headed out into the blustery weather, which had picked up since earlier in the afternoon...and big huge wet snowflakes were falling down. The porch, stairs, and sidewalks were all covered and the roads were beginning to cover too...

I haven't run with Jeff since Monday, January 4...when I wrote about the Buddy System and my Cold Weather Gear Debut. Since then, we've been pretty busy at the store and then bombed with snow...so I've been getting my miles in and I haven't had a chance to run with him.

It was really fun to run with him tonight. There are several reasons:

A. Jeff is fun to talk to while running because he always has something interesting to say. (For instance, we talked about barefoot running, my recent falling history, reflective vests, etc...)

B. Jeff knows a lot about running and it makes it interesting.

C. Jeff hasn't been running a lot, so he's not going all out crazy and it feels pretty comfortable to run with him.

D. Jeff always makes me wear a reflective vest when I run with him...even though I oppose it. But then I'm always safe.

Those are just some of the reasons. Anyway, we ran down Rivermont to Oakwood Country Club, through the parking lot, and then decided to head down Peakland, too. I was suprised we would do the whole 5 miles, partially because of the weather and partially because I thought he'd want to go easy, but he pushed through and we made it all the way to the end of Peakland and then turned around and came back.

We talked a little about how some people aren't very good at shovelling their sidewalks, ran some on the road, and just kind of enjoyed the run.

It was fun to be out when the weather was kind of bad because it always feels good to hear fresh snow crunching beneath your sneakers and the feeling of snow flakes in your throat as you inhale them. Jeff's a great running partner. I'm glad I work for him.

The pictures are of us on the porch at Riverside Runners after our run. 

PS: I read somewhere that: "It is not legal for pedestrians to walk or jog in the street if a sidewalk is available." Interesting.