ok no run but tons of yard work

cross training like all my training runs are incorporated into my real life responsibilities. so my run becomes time outside for the baby, time for introspection and prayer. my need to get the yard together as we approach lent and mop up the pool (so to speak) becomes my strength training. it was wonderful replanting topiaries and removing plants lost to the winter frost. stavro and i were outside for several hours cleaning the pool and clearing the patio. i was proud of the work he did and was gleeful. Yes gleeful even when we argued about the best approach it was like to pals working it through. sometimes he would go in the house for some hydration and then we was right back to it. speaking of backs we (i) forgot the sunblock. thank God we are Mediterranean. anyway i feel good about the work and the fruits of our labors. i find it far more fulfilling and less self centered then pumping iron at the gym. my only regret was that i didn't fit the run in. sometimes planned runs and actually runs are different. some of my best runs where the unplanned excursions. tomorrow i will get out and hit the pavement. Good luck to the tech girls who are running the 1/2 tomorrow.

starkey will be closed march 2-6 for hog control

yes. you heard right hog 'control'. welcome to pasco county. the run almost got messed up before i ran because my blasted garmin wouldn't turn on. i thought it was charged but no luck. i just had to get over it and move ahead with the important part: the run. i took Mia and Theophani to Starkey today for a jog free of traffic. I had a great run you know that kind where you get to the 3 1/2 mile marker and realize hey i'm gonna 7 but it feels more like three. Theophani struggled through much of the run and turned back when i lapped back. The good news is she didn't complain at all she just did it. Mia was not very happy the last mile or so. When i finished i took her out of the stroller and she walked around until her big sister finished. my run was cut a little short because of a red and black snake just before the four mile marker. i hate snakes. i'm using the word hate here and it doesn't even approach the level of my disdain. anyway it feels good to be running again. i feel my strength returning and my legs of steel are only twenty miles away (give or take). i have no idea on time or actual distance which i think is aprox. 7.5 miles. The run was controlled and enjoyable when i wasn't worrying about the baby getting bored or Theophani slowing down. God bless the Archons who fight the good fight.

and another 4.5

here's yet another artifact from my youth. this is from high school. tonight's run was cool and the sun set to a crescent moon. Mia was all bundled up and i took her on a bumpy ride north on seven springs. she even lost her bottle at some point. today's run was decidedly more difficult then yesterdays and the miles got slower and slower. i am glad that i wasn't keeping an eye on the time or i would have felt discouraged. there were definite moments when i found my groove but i had no real direction for time or distance so the uncertainty is a bit unnerving for me. I am the type of runner that just needs to know what is expected. run 10 miles this way and i go. anyway i am grateful to feel well enough to get out and run. tomorrow hopefully i can run alone and just go. i have felt discouraged about triathlons i haven't been on my bike in like a year. bummer. anyway happy trails everyone.

i'm back!! anybody out there UPDATED

i'll give $100 to anyone who can pick me out in the photo (no i won't but you might have fun trying to find me). finally i'm back to running. everyone is healthy again and back in town. i took Mia and Theophani out for a run. I was planning on about six but Theophani was suffering through the run i kept having to double back afraid to leave her on her own. The bummer to this run is that my garmin died at some point which i can't tell you was completely frustrating. I think my heart rate was a comfortable 160ish and a min./mile pace of around 9-9.15. i would tend to think it totally accurate considering i was pushing the stroller and felt very comfortable but i haven't run in a long time so my perceived rate of exertion and pace might be off a little. it was liberating to be back out again. a shout out to cherise who inquired about where i've been thanks for noticing. gasperilla is still up in the air as i haven't registered yet if i run everyday this week i will go on sat and register. Lent starts on Monday so i'll be on a steady diet of beans, peanut butter and pasta. Glad to be an athlete not to be a spectator.

ok update on the garim info and my perceived pace and rate of exertion. i just hooked the garmin up for charging and i found out that i was right on. my heart rate sat at about 160 with a low of 142 and a high of 176 and my pace (first mile only recorded) was 9.13. it's great to know my system so well even after over 10 days off. even the day before i got really sick when running with Stavro and Mia i felt like it was kinda difficult and i was irritable. that night fever and chills.

prodigal son

today i went for a short run of 4.24 miles with the baby and stavro on his bike. it wasn't our best experience. i was feeling some fatigue in my legs and stavro was well being a kid. asking questions and wanting answers when all i wanted to do was breath. it was nice to take a route we never did before so there were many distractions.

here are the stats.
total mileage : 4.24 total calories:402 pace average:9.20
mile one 9.28
mile two 9.18
mile three 9.28
mile four 9.17
last .24th 2.04 (8.30)
the only comments i can post that are of any value today have to do with the Prodigal Son: "But if he had despaired of his life, and, ... had remained in the foreign land, he would not have obtained what he did obtain, but would have been consumed with hunger, and so have undergone the most pitiable death": ... St. John Chrysostom (Golden Mouth), AN EXHORTATION TO THEODORE AFTER HIS FALL 4th Century

Dunedin Causway

today's weather was so mild that i took mia to the causeway for a four miler. the two overpasses (one bridge) would give a new challenge. i have been eager to see if there are any condos for sale its been a dream of mine for years. i was so excited for her to see the water and feel the breeze. as it turned out the water and the view was spectacular there were flocks of birds and many snow birds enjoying the sun. what was not so nice was the wind storm which blew sand everywhere. Mia was well bundled and protected. i on the other hand actually had to walk three times during mile three. i could hardly move the stroller which caught all the air. the stroller looked like those huge street vacuums at Disney. after the run i took her to the sand and let her feet touch the water. she was a bit apprehensive but curious. she tried to get the sand off her feet the whole ride home. today was a great day.

stats: 4 miles total time 39.12 calories 379 ave pace 9.48
mile 1 10.02 mile 2 9.02 mile 3 10.22 mile 4 9.44

why run??? an activity which preformed with regularity and consistency which engages the three structures of a person: mind, body and soul dramatically improves the holistic health of the person. the 'rule' or training plan uses basic monotonous movements over time, and with the passage of time gives way to the process of prayer. running not only challenges the body (which really gets too much attention) but disciplines the mind by curbing the appetites and laziness. in doing so giving room through effort and focus for prayer. during times of soulful 'flow' there is no thought, just the the presence of our Creator. Our breathing which becomes more robust and our heart which beats with more strength and efficiency is the metronome for our communion with God. It is an out of time experience which drive the focus more inward into the hearts and minds of believers into the temple of God into His very Kingdom which dwells within.

2.80 miles in 23.21

i really hate that i didn't just lap back and total out for three. this is my home loop and i never have a problem with the 2.80 but the idea of doing it under 24 min is intriguing. the interesting part is that this is not my favorite run. it became painstakingly obvious that i love the long runs because i am able to remain at a comfortable pace (sorry heart rate zone of 3-4) but these short runs i'm always in 4 and 5 zones. i realize now how i got into marathons and not 5k's. anyway one last thought that is noteworthy: do not eat white cabbage salad and spaghetti and then run. i'm just saying. i learned the hard way. i was sick through much of this run. i feel compelled to say something good about the short runs they are quick and there is almost never a reason (save white cabbage) not to go out for a quick out and back. i always try and get back before the family even knows i left.

just put on foot in front of the other and soon you'll be walking out the door

unfortunately i wasn't able to make the morning run but i was able to squeeze in a quick 6.16 at 6.16 pm. it is really a wonderful time to run. evening is my favorite time to run especially during the warmer months. the day finally cools as the sun is setting and people are heading home to settle down and nestle with their families. of course during the colder months running midday is a treat. i must point out that no matter what the time i run "a quick six" it's never really quick only by comparison to a 20 mile long run. after reading Kathryn's blog i took a hint for this run i ran out and back. many times from home i run loops but there are too many times to cut the course. out and back is commitment the only hope of finishing is run home. i remember my midwife during the birth of my son who said "there is only one way: push". when the weather is cool even cold i find it hard to run on the treadmill; that and it's too easy to just get off and concede to run less. in actuality the run was just fine the only real down side is it got dark halfway into the run which means that i had the headlights from the on coming traffic blinding me the whole way home. of course i was on the sidewalk but it was incredibly uneven and falling seemed like it may be inevitable. oddly enough the run home was faster then the run out. my perceived effort was consistent with the data the gps provided. when running i forget it's there and just wait to hear the chime and then check the splits if i want. there were times during my run when i felt like i was flying. i remembered being a child running endlessly through my neighborhood stomping ground darting in and out of backyards to get were i was going. of course as i child i did very much the same thing with my bike a staple in my childhood for sure. this is a sad aspect childhood today. as a parent in many ways i have had to artificially set up activities that require movement and exercise. the restricted freedom to romp through the neighborhood primarily driven by protectionism although necessary, is unfortunate. but i digress. back to the run which was comfortably hard in that it required focus every now and then. more often then not, i just cleared my mind when i would think about a situation like the transition at our church, during the run the movement and task at hand helped me work through my thoughts and feelings without dialogue. just running off daily stress or disappointment is one of the best perks to running. you can leave stressed or concerned and return brighter and resolved. being fit enough to actually run for a while also helps be incorporate the hard soft philosophy of my karate when i feel too taxed i can cut back by only a few seconds regroup and move again. recovery while running its a beautiful thing. i find that i don't run from issues i run into them and in a very basic and primal way they get worked out in non language. it is much like praying we need to quiet the mind to find the answer not in conceptual terms but in dimensional terms that we may not think much about. answers that lie outside the realm of out thinking.

stats: total distance 6.16
total time 53.08
total calories burned 583
lap 1 8.50
lap 2 8.35
lap 3 8.37
lap 4 8.32
lap 5 8.42
lap 6 8.27

cell phone, ipod, gps, heart rate monitor, ironman stroller, baby & baby toy

today was a less enthusiastic run. the weather was pleasant but i had to run much later then i would have liked so it was as if someone took the air out of my balloon. the important issue is that i ran. mia was all bundled up and we ran to the studio and back. she enjoyed herself and i used my heart rate monitor. interestingly the numbers were about what i figured. i also learned that as my will to run waned so did my pace by about 7 seconds. so here are the totals. nah i won't bore you with them only that the first and last miles were a little over nine and the 2nd. 3rd and 4th were under nine. i hope to make it out to starkey tomorrow with the girls. i have no idea what the mileage will be and as usual i will be pressed for time. sundays are difficult sometimes because i responsibilities as church especially now that we are in between priests.

techno "for runner" elgreca

armed with my brand spanking new garmin forrunner 305 gps complete with heart rate monitor and a multiplicity of training features i suppose training will be all about the numbers. i plan on focusing on heart rate zones coupled with my perceived rate of exertion. this will be different then just time and distance comparison on strict pre planned courses. by incorporating this type of training i think i can bust through the walls and time boundaries simply by working more often and operating with a different set of goals. i was feeling totally unmotivated these last few weeks. i watched and listened to the tech girls review training logs and future marathon plans and register for upcoming races. i think that this new focus on heart zones and a whole new set of numbers will breath new life into my training plan which has been totally unstructured. i ran by myself and for the first time in a really long time i thought about the individual mile and not just negative splits or mile ave. i'm hoping to be more productive overall and more helpful and cheerful to my family especially. so here are the stats. next time i'll hopefully have the heart rate zones to report. i just didn't want to be overwhelmed by the Intel.

total calories 388
total time 36.12
total distance 4.06
ave lap 8.55

lap 1 9.14
lap 2 8.56
lap 3 8.48
lap 4 8.44

now i know that i wasn't exactly flying on this run but it was very comfortable and relaxing. if i were to just focus on pace i would have thought that it should have felt harder. this is precisely why working on a new set of numbers like heart rate zones will remove the shoulds and should nots.

burrr it'sssa freezin 33 degrees

To all the great women who turned out for the Sunday morning run I apologize for running late and then for leaving before the group finished the run. I had to get home to my husband who had to leave my house to assist and greet the temporary priest at our parish. My morning rush began when i couldn't see out my dashboard window at all. a frost layered shield like covering wouldn't melt with the wiper fluid or the defogger. This is quite an embarrassment for a former new yorker to be set back by frost. my generous training partners waited patiently for me to arrive. and then the forbidding cold and my running shorts. thank God i had my gloves but to almost no avail my hands hurt from the cold for at least the first half of the run. i ran mostly with cherise. did i mention there were coyotes! I finished without time to spare jumped in the car and drive home to find the family waiting.... church has reached another milestone as we have received the temporary priest.