Run Gettysburg

So last week I was in Gettysburg for work. If you have to travel for work, Gettysburg isn't half bad. It was like a mini-vacation/school trip combined with 3 days of meetings and 21 hours in a van. Sounds like fun, doesn't it!

I managed one run while I was there, and I thought I'd share my run with all 4 of my readers. From my room at the good ole Travellodge (highly recommended!), it was just a few steps to the Battlefield. I hit the road at 6:15 AM along Cemetery ridge. I vaguely remembered from my last trip to Gettysburg (1989 or so) that there were a few ridges and hills that were part of the battle. Yup, there are a few hills in Gettysburg! I climbed for about a 1/2 mile then down, down, down to the Pennsylvania Memorial (the big dome.) On the way down the hill,I ran into a couple out for a morning run (And I thought I was the only one with this brilliant idea!) They waved and asked if I knew where the trail was. I shrugged. They gestured for me to go ahead of them, and I smiled and said, "I'm sure I'm slower than you." Boy was I right....in a flash, they were gone!
I ran around the dome and up the road towards this rock that caught my eye.....it was actually a monument(to the left of the barn). I have to say it was the strangest and coolest monument I saw in Gettysburg(and there are 1,300 on the battlefield!) I later found out it was Roxbury Puddingstone placed there for the 20th Massachusetts Regiment. Now that's a cool use of a "Rock"

It was getting late (and I'm slow,) so I turned and headed back to the Travellodge so I could get ready for my day of meetings. I cut through the site of the old Visitor's center and Cyclorama. The visitor's center has been demo'ed, but the Cyclorama is still standing (something about a lawsuit because it has some historic architectural significance - it was built by a pupal of Frank Lloyd Wright.) A new visitor's center opened last year - it's very cool!
Instead of heading back the way I came, I jumped the fence to the Gettysburg Cemetery for the last part of my run. It was here Lincoln spoke the Gettysburg address. So surreal. What a quiet, peaceful way to start my day.

Track workout basics

I got a little track workout 101 today. My running group jogged a mile to the high school track where the Coastal Athletic Association (our local running club) hosts track workouts from the day after the Boston Marathon to the middle of October (26 weeks.) First, Mr "Bob" went over some track etiquette, which is good because frankly, except for high school marching band, I had never been on a track!!
Rule #1. Run counter-clockwise
Rule #2. Warm-up on the outside of the track (the outer lanes). The inner lanes are for workouts
Rule #3. Learn one word - "TRACK!" If you are doing a workout (in the inner lanes) and someone faster comes behind you, they will yell "Track" - this is your queue to MOVE OVER! - towards the right.

That's the basics....After we warmed up, we did a very simple interval workout.
- 3 laps(3x400m) of jogging on the curves and sprinting on the straights.

Simple but effective. I managed a 8 min/mi on one of my sprints! Now, I couldn't breathe after that, but it was fun!

Overall I ran 4 miles, 0.75 on the track, 3.25 on the road. A 11:43 average pace! Yeah!

Week 3 Report - Kick in the Butt

Finished 3 or 4 runs again this week. What is with me! I need a kick in the butt! (check it out!)

Tuesday - 2.34 mile run. Fastest this year! 11:45 pace.
Wednesday - bonked
Thursday - 3 miles in Portsmouth. Got a blister from my SoreDawgs. Darn! I'll have to go back to sans-insert. Left leg is feeling stupid again...
Friday and Saturday - cleaning(which is XT, right?)
Sunday - 3 miles. Beautiful day, slow, but felt good.

This week - We have our first group track workout on Tuesday. Yikes! Track workout? me? It brings up some horrible high school presidential fitness test memory....something I could NEVER pass as a kid. I'll try to report on that tomorrow!

10k Plan week 2 Roundup

I managed 3 of my 4 scheduled runs this week....
Tuesday - 2.7 miles in Portsmouth with the group. Great run! The kind of run that keeps me coming back for more!
Wednesday - 2 miles with L and the Super Mutt! Ok run. Very windy! My left leg (the stupid one) is feeling tight. Pain in my arch. Tight Calf. I think I might have to put the Sore Dawgs in my new Omni 7s.
Thursday - 3 miles in Portsmouth. Again, tight left leg....today pain is up in the back. strange. Nice sunny day!
Weekend run - NADA! My godaughter, the "bean" or "peanut" as I now call her, came to visit. She is walking now, and she's such a riot! She toddles around saying "ma-ma," "da-da," "na-na" indiscriminately! It's quite funny! We went to Boston to visit the aquarium, but the line was literally a mile long, so we walked Quincy market instead. She was so good!

This week - The weather is warming up so I hope my "stupid leg" loosens up and I can stop feeling this constant ache....I'll post a training report this weekend....until then,

Happy Training!

11 Week Beginner 10k Plan

Why is my blog is called Just Start Running?

Just Start Running.
Sounds simple.
You'd think!

I started running in 2007 and also started this blog to log my experiences. I named it Just Start Running because I have trouble "starting" things. I think, I plan; I organized; I double check my plan; I rethink my plan; then I start. That's just the way I am. So Just Start Running was my mantra to "stop thinking, and start running!" At first it was was easy to start running and keep running.
But life, weddings, winter, and a bout laziness interfered with my quest to be an athlete and I'd have to start the planning, thinking process all over again!

So fast forward to today; I have been trying to "start" a running plan since February. Since I was getting way to involved in the details, I broke down and joined the Runners Alley 10k training group again. I had good luck getting motivated by joining a group in the past, so I thought, why not!

The running group takes out the thinking, planning, rethinking cycle I fall into. I show up every Tuesday and Thursday, they tell me how long, hard, fast to run, and I do it. Easy as that! They also give me a 11 week plan to follow - brainless, and wonderful! So here I go. Another year, another training plan....but I'm still running :)

WW and cold

I started Weight Watchers last week (well following the weight watchers food plan) and so far I'm down 2 lbs! It hasn't been too hard to get back into tracking my food. I find that to be the best way to lose weight. My secret to weight loss: Tracking food and RUNNING!

I managed to gain 10 lbs in the last 3 months....making it very HARD TO RUN! 10 pounds isn't much until you try to move it across 5 miles of frozen pavement! The cold has drastically limited my outdoor running. I have "issues" running in the cold. A, I can't breathe if it's below 30; B. my throat hurts when I run in the cold, and C. I slip and slide all over the place!! I did exercise outside this weekend in 12 degree F weather...now my throat is raw!

I guess it's best to stick to Mr treadmill until March!