TGIF

TGIF! At work right now, have a couple minutes. Thanks everyone for your comments, they were nice. Just to inform you all again. I am in a new era of running and those times I use to run with are far, far away from what I can do today. I think when I get below 200 lbs, I may be able to run between 7-8min/ miles on a regular basis, but then again maybe not. Of course I am much older(38) and weigh much more so we'll see.. Just got to get the weight off..
Speaking of weight, Many of the bloggers here use Weight Watchers and have sucess with it, so maybe I'll give that a try. I've always been against "weight-loss programs" , or at least I don't do well with em. I've done well with" the burn more calories than I take in method." But I am open to anything at this point, just got to get motivated.. Arghh..
Heading to "The Smokies" again this weekend to cookout and fellowship with my co-workers. Looking forward to it. Specifically to Cades Cove; where I ran my first half marathon distance back in September. I won't run that far this time, but maybe at least 10 miles, we'll see - depends how I feel..
So far this week, I have run 11 miles. (2) - 2.5 mile runs and (1) - 10K run. My 10 K run I decide to run @ 2pm , which coincided with the hottest part of the day(84 degees.) It was almost disasterous(sp?). I started out at an easy pace of 10min/mile , then by mile 4 I was feeling it. My HR started to get the 85-90% range, so I back off by 30sec/ mile without much change. I eventually had to walk twice. This was a hilly run and I drank plenty of fluids, just to hot!!
I ran again last night with my son. I'm finding this to be good for my soul. How often do you get to spend quality time with your kids? Not as much as you like, especially as they hit the teenage years. So I'll get to look back at these moments in my life and cherish them. Very cool...
I'll try to post Sunday and tell you if I survived the "big run." I'll take some pics too...
Hope your weekend goes well.. :)
PS sorry for the spelling errors and run-on sentences. hehe

Sunday stroll

Another weekend gone, but it's been a good one. Falltime is a great time of the year. Today was sunny, 70-75 degrees - can't get much better than that. :)
I sort of "vegged" around the house until the evening time when I decided to do an easy 2.5 miles. When I started off, my HR got to 140 pretty fast and by the time I hit the 1/2 mile mark I felt like doo-doo. This was going to be a tough run, which is probably lingering effects of yesterday's "hard run." By the time I hit the 2 mile mark, my body seemed to shift into auto-pilot. When I passed my truck at the 2.5 mile mark, I felt so good that I just kept going. 8 miles of running later, I decide to quit. What a satisfying run! If it wasn't for me running out of light, I would've kept going.
Run: Easy, 8.0 miles in 1 hour 27 min 55sec (10:59 avg). HR avg 146(77%)
So what would've happened if I let my laziness get the best of me? I would've missed one of my most enjoyable runs to date go to waste..

Farley you son of a

Has anyone besides me been chased by a dog during their run? I don't mean like barked at threw a fence. I mean literally chased!
Story( bare with me - I never tell anything quickly)
I waited until the evening to run beacuse it was cooler, temp 76 deg, beautiful evening. Started out running at a good pace. My achilles was very sore this evening - I noticed it after about 1/4 mile. My intentions were not to run fast tonight. Easy run that turned into "FREAKIN" strides/intervals/speedwork. Feeling good around mile 2, when I heard a dog barking. Looked over and about 200 feet away was a 60 lb boxer charging and barking. Have you ever seen the muscles in these dogs?
The owner is screaming, "FARLEY!! FARLEY!!" at the top of his lungs. Then the guy yells, " He will bite you!!" My pace slowed a bit when I heard a dog barking, but after he said, " He will bite you!" I ran with all my ****** life! Usain Bolt has nothing on me. LOL! Have you ever tried to run sideways fast while looking behind you? I figured out that the dog wasn't use to running fast for longer than 300 feet. He got within 10 feet of me before, he gave up the chase. You SOB!!!! I did notice that the owner had a look of relief on his face, as he "beat" the dog back into submission. Yikes! My 4 miler turned out, m1 - 10:15, m2 - 10:01, m3 - 8:03 --- m3(1/2mile split) was 3:31!!!(that would be 7:02 pace ,yeah baby!), m4 - 9:16. Since I was already doing speed work, I decided to keep going. LOL!
I have a new 2 mile PR - 17:19(8:39 pace)!!