Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Another Running post (Post #94)

MORNING EVERYONE!
I researched the Fall-50 rather intensively before making an executive decision for myself and Julie last night......


and the verdict is......


NOT THIS YEAR.


She and I talked and have made a pact for the year 2010 (our 5th year of running together). 2010 will be the 5th time we have run the Paavo Nurmi Relay and the 5th year we have run the Full Ashland Whistlestop Marathon in October. So, our pact is to give ourselves one more year (next year) to try to reach new PR's in our races before upping to the next level. The next level will then include running the FULL Paavo Nurmi Marathon course (YIKES!) AND to pick up the Fall-50 in October after our Whistlestop marathon. I can live with that!

So, now my goal is to increase my level of training intensity to cross the finish line at Whistlestop in 4 hours 45 minutes (I was 4:59 last year). Also, I have found two back-to-back Half-marathon weekends (9/20/08 & 9/27/08), each being only about 30 minutes away. NICE! Julie is checking out her work schedule to see if she has one of the weekends off to run at least one with me. The 9/20/08 is on the Birkebeiner trail (a HUGE international cross-country ski race in February), so it is quite challenging with hills too. The elevation map has a different scale than the Paavo race, so (being the math teacher) I have intentions of plotting both races out on graph paper with the same scale so I can compare them better.

Oh, Oh, OH!! That reminds me!!! I went to Runner's World last night to go to my Training Log. I haven't updated it in IONS, nor did I update it last night, but I remember there is an option to create running routes via GPS (satellite) WITH elevation plots! I created a route for the 3.2 loop I run constantly. Come to find out it's actually nearer to 3.5 miles!!! But the elevation mapping is SO COOL! So, I played with another "course" that is crazyily-hilly over by the high school, so I'm going to plot that elevation on the same graph as the others, too, just so I can see if my training is going to prepare me for the hills.

Anyway----yada, yada, yada. Clearly, my running motivation is still in max-drive. I just hope it remains this way!

It's now 8:30, BEAUTIFULLY overcast day, mid-60's. I almost wish DH would be home so I could utilize these temps with a nice-n-easy long run. Oh well, I'm actually in the mood to dust off the Smith-machine downstairs (Yep---it hasn't been used all summer---*sigh*) and whip out a strength-training workout. Nothing beats a nice pair of shapely legs, which my body hasn't found yet this year. *chuckle*


On the quilting front: I made some serious progress on Fun with Bricks yesterday by piecing the entire top together and sandwiching into two-pieces for quilting in sections. I left off with the first piece before the Olympics started last night, so that's where I need to pick it up from. If I really pushed today, I could get it finished, but I'm not going to force myself to get that far (unless it just happens to happen without much effort.) ;0)

Happy quilting
-Amy

1 comment:

scraphappy said...

Oh my, you are highly motivated right now. I think you are making a wise call on the 50 miler. It is always a safer option to improve your time on a distance you have already accomplished than to try go further. Especially when the further is a crazy distance like 50 miles! I am in envy of your continued quilting progress, It's only fair though, after my early start at the begining of the summer.