Thanks to Kasha D. from Fountain City, we have a great new website!! Visit
www.winonarunningclub.com for links to the registration form, local races, even a message board!!
Keep checking here for updates on my marathon training, yoga info and more!!
Yogajen
Yesterday, I began my official training for the Des Moines Marathon in October. We are 16 weeks out, so it is time to start tacking on to my long run/walks. I have decided to use a training program that I found at www.sweat365.com for intermediate runners. I figure that even though I am not fast, I would consider myself after 5 years of working out almost everyday to me an intermediate. I am also using a run/walk system of training. RIght now I am running for 3 minutes and walking for 2 minutes. Sometimes I run a little longer, especially at the beginning, but from what I have read, this method of training helps to cut down on injuries.
I plan to do an all out run/walk 3 times per week, with just walking all the other days. I am also going to strength train 2-3 days per week, just for 20 minutes or so each day. I will be back to teaching yoga in a couple of weeks, so I will get in 4-6 hours of yoga per week also. It is really to bad that I have to go to work, or I could really get in shape. Oh, well….
Yesterday I did 7 miles. If I leave my house, go the lake, around the entire lake and back home, it is almost exactly 7 miles. I did it at a 12:42 pace. Today I went 5.6 miles at almost exactly the same pace. My goal is to do the marathon at an 11 minute per mile pace which would be about 4:48 marathon. If it goes to 5 hours I would be fine with that too. My first one in 2003 was 5:20, so I just would like to do it a little faster than that.
Tomorrow will be a rest day, so I will walk to work and back. I have to show one of our rentals which is within walking distance, so I should get in a leisurely 3 or 4 miles over the course of the day. I will also do the first day of strength training with some yoga thrown in.
So, there we go!! We are off and running, counting down to October! And I have a training partner! Kasha will be joining me on this journey and hopefully doing a few 1/2 marathons with me over the summer as well. I will keep you posted on our progress!!
yogajen
Yes, I am slow, I admit it. I finished the BK5K in 33:59 for a 10:58/mile pace. But I did it, which is more than I can say for many others. I hate to be obnoxious about it, but come on, humor me. I got the “well at least you went out there and did it” comment today. Along with the “just encourage her, it is good for her.” I hate that. One time in the last mile of a triathlon, some guy who was sitting in a lawn chair smoking a cigarette had the nerve to say, “isn’t this suppose to be a run??”. I was walking (really fast, mind you)…I had just canoed 6 miles, biked 8 in the wind and was nearing the finish line. I wanted to choke him, and I may have had I not been really tired and just ready to be done with the event.
The truly interesting thing is, that the 6 minute milers are always at the finish line cheering on us slow folks!! They get it. They might have been slow once themselves, or it might just be that they understand the work and commitment involved just to get out there.
I was watching a show on FIT-TV the other day, where a couple were working to get in shape and losing weight. The trainer signed the woman up for a 5k. The thrill of the completion was awesome. I was almost in tears watching this person who I don’t even know cross the line!
I train hard, and can probably out-distance many a walker or runner just because I have endurance. I can also get triathletes into a sweat in a power yoga class where I can outlast many who you wouldn’t think I could!! I have a feeling that when some of these folks walk into my class, they think it is going to be a cake-walk and it isn’t!
If you don’t get out there and do it yourself, keep your comments to yourself about those who did do it!! Because if you don’t, you just might find me pulling you into a 5K without your consent, and that wouldn’t be fun, now would it??
yogajen
We will be meeting to run on Wednesday at 5:30pm at Lake Park Lodge, Lake Winona. We have a nice group now, with everyone having a partner!! Please post a comment if you are looking for a partner at a different time or on a different day!
We had great participation at the BK5K! Thanks to everyone who came and ran!
Also, we are looking for another partner or two to train for the Des Moines Marathon on October 19. We will start the official training next Monday and Kasha and I plan on doing our long runs together on Sundays. Any other folks out there looking to do a 5-6 hour marathon?? I have the plan or you can find your own, but we figured Sundays would be a great time to go long….
yogajen….
For years I have been going out on my own, either running, walking or a combination of both. When I am out by myself, it seems as if I tend to go slow…just plodding along at whatever pace seems easy.
On Wednesday, at our weekly group run, four of us fell into pace with each other. Two of us would pull ahead for a bit, then the others would catch up, but for the most part, we did the 3.6 mile loop around Lake Winona together. Kasha, Sarah, Lisa and I had great conversations and an excellent workout! Lisa and I have known each other for a long time, and I walked with Sarah a couple of weeks ago, but for the most part, we were “new” friends who had a great deal to share with and learn about each other! What a great experience!
What I noticed most, was that I pushed myself harder in a group. I felt more compelled to run more, and to keep up speed. We all stopped to walk when needed, and honored how our bodies felt, just as we should. But we also pushed it a bit harder and got a much better workout.
Now I am not saying that we should always run in groups, but I think it will be nice to have a group who are similar paces, who can help each other to train. Perhaps it will make it easier to train for certain distances also! I hope so….
A while ago, I had put out a request for a marathon training partner, and no one has stepped up to the plate yet!! Anyone out there who would like to do a 5-6 hour marathon training plan with me for an October Marathon????
So any other of you 12 minute milers out there in Winona, won’t you join us next week?? We would love to run the lake with you!
yogajen
Ok, I think any of us who run or walk a lot have had this happen. You are casually out for a stroll, and suddenly, you lose your balance or catch the edge of the sidewalk or perhaps trip over a small dog, and there you are, splayed out in the middle of Chestnut Street for all the world to see.
Well, tonight was my night. I had left the house, and was listening to a really interesting CD on my portable player, when all of a sudden, the sidewalk jumped up right in front of me! I tried diligently to catch myself, creating even more of a foolish site I am sure. Of course, you can never be alone when the spill occurs, so the guy walking towards me says “are you alright??”
Yeah, what am I going to say at that point? The embarrassment is worse than the injury I was thinking at the moment, so I say “oh, I am just fine!”, as I get up, brush myself off and continue down the street on my preplanned 5 mile trek.
As I am walking along, I look down to see blood dripping down my knee, hand and elbow! Oh God, perhaps I am more injured that I originally thought? In my haste to not look stupid, did I really need help??? I wipe the blood from my hand, the most injured part, onto my sweatshirt and continue to walk, but start to take a detour back towards home. I am still not feeling any physical pain as the sheer horror of injured pride is still rearing its ugly head.
I arrive home, luckily I am alone, as I want to assess the damage prior to showing it to anyone. My left hand is just bruised, so I must have used that one once I had rolled onto the grass. The right hand looks a little messy….from mid pinky finger down onto the side of the hand a couple of inches or so is scraped pretty good. I am wondering how I will operate my calculator tomorrow. The right elbow is looking a bit iffy and is starting to swell up a bit and the right knee is scraped up and bleeding as well.
I clean everything up with soap and water, ok, there we go, it is starting to hurt now. Then I get out the Burt’s Bees Comfrey Ointment, which says on the little metal tin it is for scrapes. But how in the world do you get the tin open, when you can’t use one hand? Ok, I twisted it a bit and open it came. Once I put that on all of the injured spots the pain starts to magnify. It didn’t say it was going to make it sting!!
Dan and Reid arrive home and I explain the tumble. Dan has had it happen, and I KNOW some of you have as well, whether you want to admit it or not. So there, I have admitted the embarrassment of the fall, so the next time it happens to you, just laugh inside, and say, “well, it happens to the best of us I guess…”, get up,brush yourself off and continue on your way….
I read a quote today that really struck home with me. “A formal education will make you a living, but self education will make you a fortune”. (by Jim Rohn). When we attend school, we learn that we should follow the rules, do what they say, learn what they teach us, so that we can go out and get a good job with a big company and make a comfortable living.
Are you happy with a comfortable living? Do you have time to enjoy that which you do make, or are you trying to fit your real life around your job? Are you looking for something different than, or something in addition to, your current employment?
I have been into personal development for many years. I have a great deal of information and have read a great deal of books, but I have never seen so much great information in one place until I found Success University Literally, there are hundreds of courses on many, many topics, and the cost is a reasonable $49.95 per month. You can learn as much as you want to become successful in whatever area of life you choose to focus on!
In a previous post, I talked about the 12 Pillars of Success. As I am getting deeper into the program, I am even more intrigued with what will be coming next. Matt Morris, who is the founder of Success University sums up his personal development tips:
1. Post your goals where you will see them and review them weekly!
2. Plan your work and work your plan. Daily, prioritize what is important and focus.
3. Stay in a peak emotional state.
4. Learn every day!!
5. Dream Big!!
Dream really big! In Matt’s words “A life worth living is a life worth fighting for your dreams. Too many people tiptoe through life quietly so they can arrive at their grave safely. My belief is that at the end of your life, when you finish your journey through this world, you will feel at peace and fulfilled by having pursued your dreams. At the end of one’s life, no one ever said they were glad they played it safe. We were all created equal; we all have the ability to achieve greatness. Never let anyone steal your dreams….” (Matt Morris)
So, please take a minute to peek at Success University I think you will be glad you did! If you have any questions, or would like more information from me, just let me know….
This morning, Dan and I competed (I use that term loosely) in the Lutefiskman Triathlon in Osseo, Wisconsin. We had driven to our cabin in Wisconsin yesterday, as with the Winona Bridge closed down, we would have had to travel over 2 hours this morning to get to Osseo. We decided it best, since neither of us likes to get up in the morning, to get most of the drive out of the way yesterday. Our cabin is located in a beautiful valley in Buffalo County, Wisconsin. It is in pretty rough shape and doesn’t have indoor plumbing, but there is really no place I would rather be that at that cabin!
Anyway, back to the triathlon! This was another one like the Root River Tri, where we canoed, then biked and ran. I wasn’t actually supposed to do this one, as Dan had secured a new partner,who ended up needing to back out due to health reasons, so Ifilled in. The first leg of the race was two laps around Lake Martha in a canoe. We were in third to last place in the canoe portion, so Dan had a lot of ground to make up when we embarked on the biking section of the race. I, on the other hand, just do what I can do! So the canoe portion was what it was…..
The brochure stated that the biking was a “mostly flat 11 mile country road course”. I am not sure who decided it was mostly flat, as it was clearly mostly rolling hills! I did not get off my bike and and walk at any time, so that was an improvement over Root River.
By the time the biking was finished, I was in 5th to last place out of roughly 100 people, closely followed by two girls wearing “Girls on the Run” shirts. They quickly caught up with me on the run, since by that time, I had decided that walking was plenty good for me today. I did do a bit of running, but wasn’t pushing myself. So, I finished in 3rd to last place after those two girls passed me, with only a couple who were doing it together behind me yet. Still, I had finished 2 mile of canoeing, 11 miles of biking and a 2 mile walk in less than 2 hours. So it really wasn’t that bad. I could have kicked up the pace a bit though, as I wasn’t even breathing hard at the end, and my heart rate was barely in the “fat burning” zone!!
We wandered around a bit, and Dan said we might as well wait for the results. Well imagine my surprise, when I was third in the Women’s Solo division and received not only a nice medal, but a coupon for a free piece of pie at the Norske Nook!! Of course, we don’t need to mention that there were only three women in the Women’s Solo division now do we??? I guess the way I look at it is there are thousands of women who COULD have been in the division, but only three who actually chose to put themselves out there and finish the darn race…..So really, even if I had come in last, I would have only been last among the 100 people brave enough to sign up for and do a triathlon. I was way ahead of the ones who didn’t try…..It isn’t that I was the fastest, but that I had the courage to do it in the first place….yeah, let’s go with that….
yogajen….
Last Friday I took the second to last test I need to pass before finishing my MBA. It always takes a couple of days to get the results, which can be a real nervewracking time! I felt pretty confident that I had done well, but you never know, as those multiple choice tests can trick you. The topics covered on this exam were Managerial Accounting, Finance, Operations, Strategy and Human Resources. I would have thought, since I am an Accountant, I would have done best on the accounting section, but mysteriously the HR section went much better.
I found out on Tuesday that I had successfully completed that portion of the program, and could move on! I am scheduled for yet another test on July 3rd. The hardest may be yet to come, since I need to come up with an idea for my thesis, and then actually commit to completing it! With the new yoga studio in the works, I am thinking that it might be a good idea to do my thesis project on marketing a new business. This seems to be the area that I lack skills in the most, so maybe a project based on marketing will help me to build a great business! Are there any marketing gurus out there who want to help me develop a marketing plan for my new venture?? I would appreciate the help!!
sincerely
yogajen….
Since we are doing a triathlon this weekend, and I hadn’t been on my bike since the last time we did one, which was the Root River Tri in May, I figured it was a good time to get in a few miles on the bike. I like to go around the lake in Winona for a few reasons, primarily safety. I am a bike wimp. I brake down hills and am deathly afraid of getting hit by a car. I always hold onto my handlebars with two hands too! The one thing I am a bit lax on is wearing a helmet. As wimpy as I am, you would think a helmet would be first on my list, but they are uncomfortable and hot. Oh, yes, I need to briefly describe my bike. I lOVE my bike. It is a yellow Trek Hybrid with flowers on it. It has a big old tractor tan seat and handle bars that you can actually sit upright and hold onto! I have a white metal basket on the front, but Dan makes me take it off when he is with me. It also has an adjustable water bottle holder, so that no matter what kind of bottle I end up with it will fit the holder. I have gotten many a compliment on my bike at the farmer’s market and from old ladies. Those of you who know me well, will understand that this is the perfect bike for me! When I bought it on my 43rd birthday, I test drove a few, and this is the one that truly fit me and my personality, so I don’t really care what the rest of the bikers think….I like it!!
Anyway, I left our house for the one mile ride on Franklin Street to the lake. This alone strikes fear in my heart, as there are several uncontrolled intersections along with a set of stop lights and lots of cars. So I get to the lake, and as usual, I have no real plan as to distance or speed. I just go until I get tired and start for home! So tonight I did the entire lake once and the East Lake two additional times, plus the 2 mile round trip to get there, for a total of about 14.5 miles. It took me an 66 minutes, so I figured that was pretty good.
The lake on nice weather nights is like an obstacle course. Walkers, several side by side, taking up the entire path, little kids, unsupervised, run across the path at will, and the divets in the path itself can prove to be a challenge. It would seem like common sense to me to consider the bike trail like a road. STAY TO YOUR RIGHT!! Is this difficult? I have a little horn on my bike which I “tinkle” when I come upon someone, but those folks who are wearing Ipods don’t hear me and seem startled when a biker is on the bike path. Enough crabbing and venting…I just needed to say it.
So all in all, the biking was a success tonight. The frequent slow downs to get around someone, along with two sudden stops to not run over children, were actually good as it gave me the opportunity to regain speed and build up leg strength. I know now that I can successfully complete the 11 mile bike ride awaiting me in the Ludefisk Man Triathlon this weekend in Osseo, WI. Now the canoeing is a different story….for another day!!
yogajen
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