Putting Taji 100 to bed, planning for Marine Corps 17.75K

February was intense for sure. I was doing the Taji 100 again (run/walk 100 miles in the month of February), and most of my team wasn't logging their miles, so I no idea where we stood from day to day, so even though I pushed and got my miles in a full week early, I kept going to get the extra miles to get the team over, and didn't take any rest days. I overdid it, several times doing two- and three-a-days, but I was determined if we didn't make it, it wasn't going to be because I didn't give it everything I had! I ended up with 150.18 mi for the month, a crazy amount for me.

Of course we DID make it as several members had been running but didn't log their miles until the last day, so we were well over the finish line, making the extra miles I did be for naught. I wasn't a happy camper as I really did put myself at risk for injury for the team, and I should have known better. Definitely will be attacking things a bit differently next year.

Coming off that, I'm taking it a little easier this month. I do have a 11.03mi (Marine Corps 17.75K) virtual race to do between tomorrow and the 20th, but not looking to set any records there, just want to finish without injury. I'm not sure yet what day I'll do it, but will definitely be allowing some rest and easy run/walk days leading up to it. I only walked a couple miles Mon and Tues, ran about 6.4 on Wed, and did a 2+ mi power walk yesterday, so I'm already on track with that loose plan. I still can't decide where to do the 11-miler; last year I just ran around my own and a surrounding neighborhood, but there's a place on base where I can do it as an out-and-back and not have to worry about so many turns.

The downside to that is that I'll be alone, and even though it's along the main road, a good stretch of it is fenced off and not accessible except by foot at either end of the trail, so if I had an issue and had to call in help, it wouldn't be as easy to get to me (not really hard, just take a few minutes longer). Being an old lady, I have to take lots of things into consideration that spring chickens might not even think about. That trail also has a few hills. Not a game-changer, but a flat course would be nice,.

Since I have a couple of weeks to get this run done, I was thinking about walking that trail the entire distance first. About a week ago I started at one end and ran just over 3 mi and turned around to get at least 10K in, then the next day I power-walked starting at the other end, logging just over 5K ... not enough to meet up to the place that I turned around the day before. I'd like to experience the whole thing so there won't be any surprises the day I run it. It will also help me figure out fuel/water requirements, since that will be a longer distance for me than normal. Will have to check upcoming weather to see what day might be best to do that.

So that's an update of at least the last month or so, and my short-term plans/goals. I'm going to try to update this blog more regularly to journal my activities.

What's up with you?

~ Marie Anne

Weight loss ---> -38 lbs

Treadmill/TV Obsession, and Opening a Cold Case Marathon

Had a great time with a fellow Eagle from my local Team RWB chapter at 7am this morning, where we chattered like magpies as we pumped out a 6.34 mile hike on the Cedar Point Tideland Trail, part of Croatan National Forest (we usually do that once a month).  As if that wasn't enough, I popped onto the treadmill shortly after 4pm and logged another 3 miles.  Is it a bad thing that I might be slightly obsessed with the treadmill/TV relationship in my garage?

Today's treadmill boredom-breaker was Season 1, Episode 3 of Cold Case on the Roku Channel.  I

used to enjoy watching it, but haven't seen it on regular TV in several years (it ran on CBS for seven seasons, from 2003-2010, but I watched it later on ION, I think it was).  I happened upon it by chance on Roku the other day, so quickly added it to my playlist and watched the first two shows.  Even with commercial breaks (which are much less frequent that regular TV), each episode lasts about 45 minutes, but I can stretch it long enough to get a 3-mile walk in.

I find it fascinating how they can reopen a homicide case and follow a trail that went cold from decades ago, and Kathryn Morris is phenomenal as the lead character, Detective Lilly Rush.  There is a good chemistry between her and the rest of the cast, too (Danny Pino, who later played on Law & Order, SVU, will show up shortly).

One of the reasons I like this show is that they're often solving homicides from the 60s and 70s, and it's fun seeing the clothes and cars and such from back in my day, and of course hearing some hit songs from that era being played as background music is a nice bonus.

Is there a show that you used to like to watch that isn't on anymore?  If you have a Roku device or one of the new Roku TVs, make sure to check that channel as there are a lot of good shows right there without having to pay to subscribe to Hulu or one of the other services.

~ Marie Anne

Running Strategies, and One More Workout Goal Crossed Off My List

   

Anyone who knows me knows that I go in spurts with just about everything I do ... fitness, crocheting and quilting, most any activity I'm involved with ... but that's not always a good thing.  Since I'm old, overweight with bad knees and ankles, and have osteoporosis with increased risk of bone fracture (been there, done that, not going there again), it's definitely not.  I had a good talk with myself the other day and promised that I would practice a little moderation, and run only a couple of days a week, and walk or do nothing the alternate days.  Every runner needs recovery days, and this old body needs them probably more than most.

I started to put that plan into practice this week.  I love trotting the nearby Rails to Trails path not far from my home in Jacksonville, NC.  I've run 5 miles a couple of times, and 4 miles several times, and one goal is to run the 8 miles from the park to the main gate at Camp Lejeune and back.  I trotted 4 miles on May 1, took a day off on May 2, and decided to walk the 8 miles yesterday (May 3), with rucksack so I could tote snacks and my camelbak for water.  I figured walking that distance first would give me a good feel for any terrain issues I might not be prepared for on a run.






As I said, that's what I had planned to do.  But we all know what that means.

I started off at a walk, but about a quarter mile in, I figured why not try just a little trot to see how it felt.  It felt good. 😃  I think I only slowed to a walk for one more short leg of the distance to base, then decided I wanted to go through the gate, and ended up going to the 5 mile mark before turning around.  I trotted about a mile after turning, but did make myself walk most of the remaining 4 miles.  So my 8 mile planned walk ended up being 10 miles with more trotting than walking, probably 6-7 miles worth.  So much for that plan.



In hindsight, I realize that was a pretty stupid thing to do.  I just recently moved back to this area and am still waiting on my initial visit with primary care to get established with the VA health care system here, so an injury at this point definitely wouldn't be a good idea.  I also have a 5K coming up in a couple of weeks, and I don't want to be sidelined for that.  And having to call someone for assistance to get me home isn't my idea of a fun day.

But I'm not sorry that I did it.  After some thought, I realized that 10 miles is the most I've ever done - running or walking - in my life.  That's quite an accomplishment for an overweight, almost 62 year old lady.  I ran the Aloha run two years in a row when stationed in Hawaii in the early 90s, and I think that's 8.25 miles or thereabouts.  I also ran a little over 7 miles once on a bike trail in Ohio a couple of years ago, but even then I was probably 25 or so lbs lighter.  I've done 6.2 miles (10K, but not in a race) just a few times, but not recently.  The most I've done since moving back to NC and getting serious again is 5 miles.  And I doubled that yesterday.  As I said, probably not my smartest move, but I got 'er done, and without injury ... just minor stiffness (and one bite from a particularly ornery deer fly).



Having completed the trek to the gate and back (and then some), I'm going to stay focused on my original plan to spread out my workouts a little better.  I took it easy the rest of the day yesterday, and this morning I walked just over a mile before breakfast, then took the dogs out for about the same distance, and I'm calling that good for today.  I might do a little work in the yard, but no mowing, maybe just digging in flower beds and such.  Next trip to the trail will probably be 4 miles, maybe actually on the main drag on base, but I don't think I'll do anything longer than that until after my 5K race on the 19th.  Once that's behind me, maybe I'll shoot for completing the full 8 mile distance at a trot.

Moderation.  Keep me accountable.

~ Marie Anne

Running the Rails - Or Trotting the Trails

I mentioned in my earlier post that I wanted to check out another trail nearby that would allow for a bit longer runs.  There's a Rails to Trails location that starts about 2 miles from my house and goes all the way to base (Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune) that's about a 10-mile out-n-back. I headed out last Friday to check it out.  It's a nice trail, but I had a hard time figuring out where to park based on where they say the trail starts.

I started at the beginning of the trail and turned around as I approached the pedestrian walkway that goes over Hwy 24, logging 4 miles on that first trip.  It's a really nice trail, with just a few twists and turns and having to cross a couple of side streets, but flat and fully paved.

While I was out that day, I noticed a few other places I could park further along the trail, so I went out again Wednesday and started at a park (with bathrooms!), hoping to get closer to base on this trip.  Conditions were near perfect - approximately 55°, sun with a few clouds, little to no wind.  I was a little stiff so started off slow, wanting to just enjoy the trot and see where it took me.

I hadn't gone far when I saw the pedestrian walkway ahead of me.  It goes up and over, crossing 6 lanes of traffic.  Have I mentioned that I don't do heights?  As I went up the short incline to get onto the bridge, I spooked and almost turned around, but somehow managed to talk myself into it.  I took a few pictures, then literally tiptoed the span, shaking like a leaf all the way.  I'm pretty sure my heart rate was highest at that point of the run, even though I wasn't even walking at a normal speed, much less trotting.  The worst part was knowing that even if I managed to get over it without a full-on anxiety attack, I would still have to come back!

(The cars and street look closer and don't show the full height of the bridge. 

 I forgot that I still had a bit of zoom on from earlier photos.  It was definitely higher than I was comfortable with!).

But make it I did.  The rest of the trail was flat and straight and I continued on without issue.  I was just shy of the 2.5 mile point when I came upon a Marine holding a stopwatch, timing the turnaround of a PFT.  I paused and chatted with her for a bit before moving on, then thought to holler back and ask her how far to the main gate.  She said it was about a mile and a half, to which I replied 'NOPE, not today!', knowing that would have put me at 8 miles or so ... risking injury at my current weight. Not happening, GI.  I did an about face and headed for home.

The return trip was uneventful, and I stayed at an easy lope.  I was still a little apprehensive when I got to the bridge, but I did push myself over at a slightly slower than normal pace (but better than my earlier crawl), so hopefully it'll get easier each time I do it.  A glance at my watch told me that stopping at the park would put me at around 4.8 mi, so I trotted a short distance beyond, then around the park area to get a full 5 miles in.

All in all I was pleased with the run. I'm still slower than I'd like to be, but I'm also older, just getting back into it, and carrying more weight than I was when doing 3-6 miles fairly consistently several times a week two years ago.  I want it all ... today ... but after previous debilitating injuries, I know I have to pace myself.

I felt great on this trip, even logged negative splits for the first time, which was a nice bonus. I hit my max heart rate too, so will need to watch that.  It might take a while, but my goal is to do the full 8 mile or so distance from the park to base and back.  Maybe next time I'll park at the main gate and start at the other end.

Next stop?  Onslow Beach!

~ Marie Anne

My Favorite Bluetooth Wireless Headphones for Running

My new favorite headphones

Since I started running in recent months, I've found several tools of the trade, so to speak, that have made my life on the road easier less unpleasant.  One of them is a good set of bluetooth wireless headphones.  I've  got a couple of pairs of wired headphones and they had great sound quality and worked well enough, but I was forever getting tangled in the cords, no matter what I did.  I usually tuck my phone into my jogging bra and my reading glasses hang from the front of my top, so the wires were making my running and walking life miserable.

Could wireless earbuds be the solution?  I'm no techie by any stretch and have to admit that the idea of bluetooth wireless headphones scared me just a bit.  I had never used bluetooth anything before and was afraid it would be too technical for me.  What was all this pairing stuff about?  Would I need to call my son 600 miles away and have him walk me through it?  Not wanting to spend a lot of money on something that I might not be able to figure out, I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to get a pair of bluetooth earbuds at a discount in exchange for an honest review on amazon.  I've since tried a couple of different models and they all worked equally well, with decent sound quality, so now I have one hanging on my treadmill and keep one in my running bag where I stash gum, reading glasses, snot rag bandana, and water bottle - ready to grab on my way out the door.

My new best running friend is the HV-930 Wireless Stereo Headset,  where the device is worn around the neck, completely out of the way.  The wires go the short distance from the receiver/neck piece to the ears, so there's nothing hanging down behind your head or in front of you to flop around or get tangled in anything.  They are very lightweight and I've worn them both walking and jogging on the treadmill and on the road a number of times, and even two recent 5K races, and they've performed perfectly.  The device doesn't bounce around the neck, it just sits flat against my collarbone, and it's so light that I don't even know it's there.

© Marie Anne St. Jean

I don't use any fancy music programs, just the Amazon Music app that's free with amazon prime, and my phone is nothing spectacular either (Android, Samsung Galaxy S4), but the app performs well with these headphones and the sound quality of these earbuds is pretty darned good.  The package includes the neck piece receiver with attached earbuds, extra earbud pads/covers of varying sizes, USB cable for charging, and instruction manual.  It was simple to pair the device by turning it on, going to settings on my phone, and selecting bluetooth, which found the headset and paired immediately.  Done and done.

Oh, another nice little feature of these bluetooth headphones is the earbuds are magnetic (not the side that goes into your ear ... duh), and they pop right into the ends of the receiver for storage when not in use.

Magnetic earbuds tucked into the receiver
© Marie Anne St. Jean

I honestly can't think of a thing that I'd change about this wireless headset, and was happy to give the product an honest 5-star review on amazon, not influenced by the fact that I was able to buy them at a discount.

~ Marie Anne

New Challenge - Walk 1,000 Miles in a Year

Anyone who knows me knows that I love a challenge.  I heard about this latest one, the 1000 Mile Challenge,  just last night and debated whether to jump in or not, but knew I'd cave ... and I did.  The challenge starts tomorrow, June 6, 2015 and ends June 5, 2016.  I'm pumped and ready to go!

The challenge is to walk/jog/hike 1,000 miles in one year.  One thousand miles sounds like a lot, right?  But at a full 365 days, that comes out to approximately 2.75 miles each day.  Piece of cake!

There is a business Facebook page for the challenge (you can sign up for the challenge from there) and also an interactive Facebook page  for challenge members, where we can chat about how we're doing, share success stories, etc.  The challenge hasn't even started yet and I already see the group as a great motivator.

There is a fee to join the challenge, but 50% of the cost goes to charity, which you get to choose when you sign up.  Finances are tight for me right now, but that's a small price to pay to keep me moving every day in an effort to take better care of myself.  (I'm still dealing with some health issues, but I'm fighting it all every step of the way!).

You can use any app or tracking system you already have to count your miles, but if you use a Fitbit tracker (which counts ALL your steps every day), they'd prefer that you only log those miles that you actually do consciously, over and above the steps you would walk in a normal day.  You're on the honor system, so if you want to just use your total Fitbit number, no big deal - the challenge police aren't going to come after you.  The idea, though, is to get your butt moving more than you do on a regular day, so set a challenge for yourself other than just walking around the house.

I'm going to look at my Fitbit stats and come up with a number that I think is my average number of steps daily without going for a walk or jog, and deduct that from my daily total and report that number.

There are many apps out there you can use to keep track, but a good app to try is Charity Miles, (available for both android and ios) because not only does it log your mileage, it also donates to a charity of your choice.  There are loads of charities to choose from, and you can choose a different one each time you open the app to log your miles.  I'm going to make a separate post about different fitness apps and the benefits of each.

• Note:  None of the apps or trackers are synced with the challenge in any way, they are just tools to help you track your miles so that you know what to report.  

This challenge will benefit my dogs as much as it will me because it'll be an incentive to make sure I don't slack off on their exercise too.  When walking the dogs, I also use an app that donates to my favorite animal rescue organization, so that's a win-win also.  If I walk all three dogs on our regular route every day, I'll get 2.4 miles right there, so even if I have to fill in on the treadmill on days I don't get out there, I've got this.  1,000 miles in one year?  I'm ready!

Who's with me?

~ Marie Anne

Hiking Hopewell Mound Group in Chillicothe, Ohio

Jethro is ready to go
©Marie Anne St. Jean

I needed a break from walking the short distance up and down my boring road several times a day and remembered that there was a walking trail at Hopewell Mound Group just a few miles from my home, so I decided to take Jethro out early this morning. The trail begins from a parking area on Sulphur Lick Rd. in Chillicothe, right near the intersection of Maple Grove Rd., not far from Frankfort.  It starts out in a more open area with a packed sand/fine gravel walking surface on fairly level ground, then begins to wind up a hill to a wooded area.




Once in the woods, watch for roots on the trail that might trip you up.  Depending on the time of year, you'll also need to be careful of wet leaves and hickory nut pods, those wonderful green balls that can send a body flying if you step on one just right.  At one point you'll find a few stairs set into a hill, but they're very widely spaced and not steep at all.  There is more than one footbridge, but they're also easily traversed.

Lots of wet leaves, but we got this!
©Marie Anne St. Jean

The trail continues in a complete circle if you go all the way around to Sulphur Lick Rd and walk along the bike path, or you can turn at any point on the wooded area of the trail and come back the way that you came.  Since it was Jethro's first time to hike Hopewell Mound Group, I elected to keep our jaunt a little shorter and stayed on the trail.  The longer footbridge (photo below) was covered in wet leaves, and since I'm not as sure-footed as I used to be because of a bum knee, I decided that was a good place to turn around.  My Fitbit registered approximately two miles for the ground we covered today.

Longer footbridge where we turned around
©Marie Anne St. Jean

The walking trail at Hopewell Mound Group is a pleasant one, and not too difficult.  Anyone who can manage small inclines for short distances should be able to navigate this trail without difficulty.  The park is open during daylight hours year round, with an adequate parking area and bathroom facilities available.

Almost there ... let's go home, Mom!
©Marie Anne St. Jean

I hope to make this hike twice a week, alternating which dog will come along (I have three).  I think adding Hopewell Mound Group to my short list of walking areas will help to break up the monotony and keep me moving.

Keep putting one foot in front of the other ...

~ Marie Anne






Looking for more dog-friendly places to hike in Ross County, Ohio?  Yoctangee Park in downtown Chillicothe is an easy option, and Great Seal State Park on the outskirts of town affords a little more of a challenge.

If Pain is a Sign of Weakness Leaving the Body ...

... then I must be pretty strong.

Even though I'm only doing a combination walk/jog and at a slow pace, I've been hurting the last few days out.  I didn't mention anything because I was hoping it was nothing big and I'd be able to work it out, especially since I now had good running shoes (and then of course there's the Marine thing of not wanting to admit weakness).  My shins have been hurting and it's been difficult to pick my feet up off the ground at the jog, so it was really more of dragging my feet along at a shuffle. I decided I wasn't going to do my workout on this crappy road I live on and figured it I went out to the local track, my legs would thank me.

They didn't.

Pitfalls Along the Road to Fitness

I had an appointment this morning that took me out of the house for longer than I'd anticipated, so it screwed up my day.  It was well after lunchtime when I got home and I hadn't eaten anything since oatmeal at breakfast, so I was very hungry.  I needed to eat something before even thinking of working out, so ate a can of tuna, hoping it would hold me over.  It didn't.  I was still hungry, so ate a hunk of cheddar cheese, as well as increased my water intake.

I finally got out on the road early evening and did my :32 walk/jog.  I finished, but it was nothing to write home about.   I need to find a place to do this where I'm not tripping over the patches, bumps and gullies in the road.  I live on basically a one lane road that's frequented by trucks and heavy farm equipment, so it's a mess.  There isn't one flat surface anywhere on this stretch of road, so one leg is always higher than the other (not unlike livestock grazing on a hillside).  Since I'm overweight and just starting out with the jog, I'm going to end up hurting myself between the condition of the road and the incline.  I need to be smart about this.

On days I'm just walking the dogs or strutting out myself, walking on my street isn't so bad.  The jog will become more of a problem as I increase my time and distance, so I'll need to work something else out on jogging days.

There are a couple of options in my smaller town and the bit larger one where I normally run my errands, but I hate the thought of driving 10-15 minutes each way for a 30-45 minute workout.  If I combine it with errands, that means either traipsing about town in my workout gear (which is shoddy, at best), or bringing clothes to change onsite (if there's a restroom available).  Neither option appeals to me, so we shall see.

These are but minor obstacles, and I will persevere and push on through.

~ Marie Anne

Training for a Virtual 5K - Day 1 - Recon

Since I'm so overweight and out of shape and just getting back on the fitness trail after straying down the wrong path for a very, very long time, the word training seems like a pretty strong word for what I'm doing, but I don't know what else to call it.

I'm using SparkPeople to keep track of my food intake and exercise, and just signed up for a virtual 5K Trick or Treat Trot that is scheduled for the end of October.  I'll plot my own course locally, get some training in and then post my final run time on the day of the 'race', along with hundreds, if not thousands of others.   I don't expect to be running, but I'd like to be able to jog at least part of the distance by then.

Yesterday I went out to a local bike path and walking trail to see if it would work for my 5K route.  I'd never been on these trails, so it was virgin territory for me.  I walked what I think was just under a mile at a fast clip on the bike path, and while it didn't wear me out, the hard surface was unforgiving and I was wearing new shoes that I'm finding aren't the best for this sort of thing.  The nearby walking path is supposed to be 2 1/4 mi so I decided to tackle that too, which should have brought me to just about the 5K (3.2 mi) mark.

The walking trail was much easier on my feet, but since I had already had a bit of a workout, the few small hills that were thrown in had me wondering if I'd done the right thing by taking all this on my very first day out.  Prior to this, the only thing I'd done is a short 15 min or so walk with my dogs.  Still, I persevered and trudged on to finish the loop.

Uh oh ... the last half mile or so of that loop is the same bike path I had already walked, and the hard pavement was even tougher than my first go 'round with it.  By the time I got back to my car, I was more than ready to call it a day and haul my butt home.  I was already starting to stiffen up, but even as tired as I was, I felt a great sense of accomplishment at having finished my course.  

All in all, I was pretty proud of myself for the exercise I got in, as well as the food choices I made throughout the day.  I even treated my two dogs to a short walk at dusk, which helped relieve some of my stiffness from earlier.

Haven't craved any carb-laden sweets.  Made much healthier food choices.  Put one foot in front of the other, doing more than I have in eons.  Yes, it was a good day.

I can do this.

~ Marie Anne