Not a lot of big news here. Feeling sort of blah. Fighting a cold/sore throat and getting ready to leave for Chicago to do the Rock & Roll Half Marathon this weekend. I've done a lot of work on research-y publication stuff this week. Mostly stuff I've put off all summer. It's amazing how much you can put off stuff when you tell yourself you have "all summer." Before you know it, it's August. Although I have taught two courses and worked summer orientation, I have to say this is one of the least productive summers I've had recently when it comes to working on research projects. I'm a little disappointed in myself. I'd be less disappointed if I had been doing incredibly fun stuff instead of working on research, but that's not really the case.
I am tapering this week, so I am not running too much, which works well since I am also not feeling too well. I did do over 9 miles on Sunday and about 4 miles Monday, but I took yesterday off. I will probably do 4-5 miles tonight when it cools off a bit. I will probably run 3-5 miles a day tomorrow and Friday, and then take Saturday off. I've added some new music to the Zune, which gives me a little more motivation to get out there and run. I wish I could take Murphy on some runs, but it's been warm, so I'm a little nervous....When it cools off, I'll get him back out there. I know I've said this before, but I'd really like to enter us into a doggie dash or something like that. Perhaps something longer than a 5K.
I tried the apple butter again on Sunday and am getting the recipe down. We used just a little less nutmeg and actually made a bigger batch this time. I left it just a bit chunkier, too. Maybe by Christmas I will be ready to can some and give it for gifts. I think the canning process might be a challenge, but I'm sure I can get it done. I think this apple butter is far superior to the stuff you buy at the grocery story. I have also been making an apple crisp that Bill loves. Of course he loves it. It has tons of butter. Who wouldn't love it? We had it for dinner on Sunday.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
River Hills 5K
Fortunately, it didn't rain for the 5K this morning, which is a miracle because it pretty much always rains here lately. (We are having issues with flooding.) The race was well-organized and turn-out was great. About 250 people ran/walked.
Bill and I both won first in our respective age groups, although we didn't hang around to get our medals because Bill had to get to jujitsu. Whenever I win my age group, it means there probably weren't too many people in my age group.
I'm not feeling too well. I finally caught Bill's sore throat, so I hope I can shake that off in a hurry. I don't want to be sick when we go to Chicago. I also had a little bit of the crampy tummy deal during the race, but it wasn't too bad. Overall, I am feeling fairly run-down. My legs were dead during the race and now I just feel blah. I have lots of time to rest though, so that's good.
Doing the apple thing again today--making apple butter and apple crisp.
Bill and I both won first in our respective age groups, although we didn't hang around to get our medals because Bill had to get to jujitsu. Whenever I win my age group, it means there probably weren't too many people in my age group.
I'm not feeling too well. I finally caught Bill's sore throat, so I hope I can shake that off in a hurry. I don't want to be sick when we go to Chicago. I also had a little bit of the crampy tummy deal during the race, but it wasn't too bad. Overall, I am feeling fairly run-down. My legs were dead during the race and now I just feel blah. I have lots of time to rest though, so that's good.
Doing the apple thing again today--making apple butter and apple crisp.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Hello Weekend!
It's Friday night and I've just picked up the dogs (Murphy and Gus-Gus) from daycare at the K9 Playhouse. They go every Friday to burn off some energy. I know that sounds ridiculous to about 90% of the population. Bill went to teach kids' jujitsu, and is going to stop and get some groceries on the way home to make dinner (shrimp and baked potatoes). I think we are just hanging out at home tonight.
Tomorrow morning is a 5K for a great cause. It is the River Hills School 5K to benefit the students of River Hills, a school in Cedar Falls for individuals with special needs. Our friend, Bob Gross, works there. Tomorrow we'll be running that race to support the cause.
I've been having some issues with what I refer to as "crampy tummy." It comes and goes, but it is worst in the morning. I do know that caffeine makes it worse. It's been going on about 2 weeks now, so I know it's not something I ate. I was wondering if it was from running in the heat and not drinking enough fluids, but that doesn't seem to make sense either because it doesn't seem to improve when I drink more fluids, and it even strikes on rest days. I wondered if I was not refueling with enough calories after runs, but I don't think that's it's either. Perhaps it could just be overtraining? It's not that bad--but just annoying. I am hoping it doesn't affect me tomorrow, and (more importantly) doesn't affect me when I run the 1/2 marathon in Chicago next weekend.
I've had a bunch of research work to focus on in the last week or so and have not worked on my website (http://www.runningforeveryone.com/) as much as I would have liked. That's okay. It'll come together a little at a time. I have had about 50 visitors so far!
Tomorrow morning is a 5K for a great cause. It is the River Hills School 5K to benefit the students of River Hills, a school in Cedar Falls for individuals with special needs. Our friend, Bob Gross, works there. Tomorrow we'll be running that race to support the cause.
I've been having some issues with what I refer to as "crampy tummy." It comes and goes, but it is worst in the morning. I do know that caffeine makes it worse. It's been going on about 2 weeks now, so I know it's not something I ate. I was wondering if it was from running in the heat and not drinking enough fluids, but that doesn't seem to make sense either because it doesn't seem to improve when I drink more fluids, and it even strikes on rest days. I wondered if I was not refueling with enough calories after runs, but I don't think that's it's either. Perhaps it could just be overtraining? It's not that bad--but just annoying. I am hoping it doesn't affect me tomorrow, and (more importantly) doesn't affect me when I run the 1/2 marathon in Chicago next weekend.
I've had a bunch of research work to focus on in the last week or so and have not worked on my website (http://www.runningforeveryone.com/) as much as I would have liked. That's okay. It'll come together a little at a time. I have had about 50 visitors so far!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Hanging out in the backyard
You'll notice the Topsy-Turvy--where we are growing our tomatoes this year. I'll let you know how they turn out. So far, so good!
A new venture!
My new venture today is...making apple butter! I love apple butter and have gotten some homemade ones the last couple of times I was in Iowa City to visit Erin. They really beat the kind I buy at HyVee! So today I thought I would give it a go.
Bill bought me an apple peeler/corer/splicer at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I did a little research and got out the crockpot. It's cooking now and should be ready late tonight. They recommend cooking it ten hours or so. The hardest part so far is resisting the temptation to take the lid off and taste it every 30 minutes.
Ingredients in the apple butter: Apples (obviously), cinnamin, nutmeg, real vanilla, sugar, and water. I combined a few recipes I found online and made my own. I'll fill you in on the results later on. I'm also planning to make a healthier apple crisp/cobbler type thing tonight after dinner using apples and oatmeal.
Not sure if I will run today or not. Since we did a long run yesterday, today should be a rest today, although I feel fine. It's raining now anyway. We'll see if it is still raining tonight. If it stops raining, I might do a short run or maybe just take Murphy for a walk. With the rain, it appears our little heatwave is over for now.
Bill bought me an apple peeler/corer/splicer at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I did a little research and got out the crockpot. It's cooking now and should be ready late tonight. They recommend cooking it ten hours or so. The hardest part so far is resisting the temptation to take the lid off and taste it every 30 minutes.
Ingredients in the apple butter: Apples (obviously), cinnamin, nutmeg, real vanilla, sugar, and water. I combined a few recipes I found online and made my own. I'll fill you in on the results later on. I'm also planning to make a healthier apple crisp/cobbler type thing tonight after dinner using apples and oatmeal.
Not sure if I will run today or not. Since we did a long run yesterday, today should be a rest today, although I feel fine. It's raining now anyway. We'll see if it is still raining tonight. If it stops raining, I might do a short run or maybe just take Murphy for a walk. With the rain, it appears our little heatwave is over for now.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Website
Here is a link to my new running website:
http://runningforeveryone.com/
It's under construction because I just started it today, but I've already added some stuff that might be interesting to some people. I have a counter on the homepage, and I've already had 2 visitors, although I think I might have been the first one.
Anyway, it's a fun new thing for me to spend time on. I like the look of it and it was really easy to build using a website builder called (ironically) easysitebuild.com--which I recommend if you want or need to build a website. They are awesome and have great customer service.
Bill and I ran 11 miles this morning. We started a little late (8:30) considering the heat, but we made it. Not sure, but I think it's over 90 degrees today. We did the "cemetary to cemetary to cemetary." If you are familar with where I live, you may know that there is a cemetary about 2 miles northwest of our house (on Fletcher) and a cemetery about 1.5 miles southeast of our house (on Kimball). Running back and forth between cemetaries means that we can stop at home, get water, and use the restroom if needed. It's worked well for long runs recently.
When we got back from the run, we got big 'ol sodas at Kwik Trip. My favorite is the 1/2 Cherry Pepsi, 1/2 Diet Coke with cherry and vanilla syrup. Bill has some concotion with cherry syrup, Diet Mountain Dew, and regular Mountain Dew. I love fountain pop at Kwik Trip because you can add the syrup, thus probably tripling the calories, but usually I don't care much about that after I run (maybe I should). They also have some slushies that I am usually tempted to get. For some reason, I thought I would grow out of my love for slushies and similar semi-frozen drinks, but they really do appeal to me even as an adult, especially on hot days.
Bill and I watched a great documentary last night called "Pressure Cooker." It's about a culinary arts program at an impoverished high school in Phillie. We watched it through Netflix. Highly recommended if you are looking for something inspirational. You can learn more here:
http://www.takepart.com/pressurecooker/
http://runningforeveryone.com/
It's under construction because I just started it today, but I've already added some stuff that might be interesting to some people. I have a counter on the homepage, and I've already had 2 visitors, although I think I might have been the first one.
Anyway, it's a fun new thing for me to spend time on. I like the look of it and it was really easy to build using a website builder called (ironically) easysitebuild.com--which I recommend if you want or need to build a website. They are awesome and have great customer service.
Bill and I ran 11 miles this morning. We started a little late (8:30) considering the heat, but we made it. Not sure, but I think it's over 90 degrees today. We did the "cemetary to cemetary to cemetary." If you are familar with where I live, you may know that there is a cemetary about 2 miles northwest of our house (on Fletcher) and a cemetery about 1.5 miles southeast of our house (on Kimball). Running back and forth between cemetaries means that we can stop at home, get water, and use the restroom if needed. It's worked well for long runs recently.
When we got back from the run, we got big 'ol sodas at Kwik Trip. My favorite is the 1/2 Cherry Pepsi, 1/2 Diet Coke with cherry and vanilla syrup. Bill has some concotion with cherry syrup, Diet Mountain Dew, and regular Mountain Dew. I love fountain pop at Kwik Trip because you can add the syrup, thus probably tripling the calories, but usually I don't care much about that after I run (maybe I should). They also have some slushies that I am usually tempted to get. For some reason, I thought I would grow out of my love for slushies and similar semi-frozen drinks, but they really do appeal to me even as an adult, especially on hot days.
Bill and I watched a great documentary last night called "Pressure Cooker." It's about a culinary arts program at an impoverished high school in Phillie. We watched it through Netflix. Highly recommended if you are looking for something inspirational. You can learn more here:
http://www.takepart.com/pressurecooker/
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Heat Wave
It's hot in the 'loo. Today's heat index is over 100...not a good day to be an English Mastiff--just ask Karl.
In running news, things are good. We leave for Chicago for the R & R Half Marathon two weeks from today. My training has looked something like this lately:
Mon: 4-5 miles
Tues: 7-8 miles
Wed: 4-5 miles
Thurs: 7-8 miles
Fri: off
Sat: long run of 10-12
Sun: off
I've been trying to get out in mornings to beat the heat. I think I have finally turned the corner to become a morning runner for good.
I have a new pair of shorts from Nike that I've been wearing for running (the Nike Tempo Track Running Shorts). Although I don't like the look, I've been wearing spandex-y biking type shorts for the past few years. They've been the only kind I can find that I don't have to constantly mess with when I run. However, I have now found a pair that I can say I only have to mess with minimally when I run:
http://store.nike.com/index.jsp?sitesrc=uslp&country=US&lang_locale=en_US#l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-89630/pgid-104064
Now that I have a couple of pairs, I've noticed that it seems EVERYONE is wearing them. I guess there's a reason. They have about a billion colors--maybe that's an exaggeration. I even bought some for my mother-in-law, Denell, for her birthday.
Now, I should say I only have to mess with them A LITTLE to keep them from riding up. I have figured out a secret. I wear them down low, way below my waist, and I yank the drawstring as hard as I can to tighten them. I do sometimes have to pull them out of my crotch, and I think I still prefer my spandex-y ones for long runs to avoid chafing, but these are great for when I go running on campus and don't want all of my students to see me in "biking" shorts.
I've been thinking about expanding my blog into a website where I reviewing running clothes, shoes, gadgets, books, magazines...I need a new hobby that is unrelated to my job. Every once in a while I get into a funk where I realize I don't know what to do with myself when I'm not working, and I'm in that funk right now. You can get a website for about 8-9 bucks a month...Hmmm....
In running news, things are good. We leave for Chicago for the R & R Half Marathon two weeks from today. My training has looked something like this lately:
Mon: 4-5 miles
Tues: 7-8 miles
Wed: 4-5 miles
Thurs: 7-8 miles
Fri: off
Sat: long run of 10-12
Sun: off
I've been trying to get out in mornings to beat the heat. I think I have finally turned the corner to become a morning runner for good.
I have a new pair of shorts from Nike that I've been wearing for running (the Nike Tempo Track Running Shorts). Although I don't like the look, I've been wearing spandex-y biking type shorts for the past few years. They've been the only kind I can find that I don't have to constantly mess with when I run. However, I have now found a pair that I can say I only have to mess with minimally when I run:
http://store.nike.com/index.jsp?sitesrc=uslp&country=US&lang_locale=en_US#l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-89630/pgid-104064
Now that I have a couple of pairs, I've noticed that it seems EVERYONE is wearing them. I guess there's a reason. They have about a billion colors--maybe that's an exaggeration. I even bought some for my mother-in-law, Denell, for her birthday.
Now, I should say I only have to mess with them A LITTLE to keep them from riding up. I have figured out a secret. I wear them down low, way below my waist, and I yank the drawstring as hard as I can to tighten them. I do sometimes have to pull them out of my crotch, and I think I still prefer my spandex-y ones for long runs to avoid chafing, but these are great for when I go running on campus and don't want all of my students to see me in "biking" shorts.
I've been thinking about expanding my blog into a website where I reviewing running clothes, shoes, gadgets, books, magazines...I need a new hobby that is unrelated to my job. Every once in a while I get into a funk where I realize I don't know what to do with myself when I'm not working, and I'm in that funk right now. You can get a website for about 8-9 bucks a month...Hmmm....
Monday, July 5, 2010
12.4
Last Sunday, I ran the Sturgis Falls Half Marathon in Cedar Falls. We woke up to a stormy day, but it stopped raining about 10 minutes before race time. I didn't know it until after the race, but the course was actually 12.4 miles rather than 13.1 due to flooding. I thought I had a pretty good time, but when I realized the course was short, I was less impressed.
I have to say I felt good the entire time. I was strong at the end and my splits got faster as I went along, so I can't complain. My time was 2:01 on my GPS, although I think my official time was about 2:02. My goal in August is to break 2 hours for a half. I won't be devastated if it doesn't happen though. A year ago at this time I was unable to run because of knee issues, so just being able to do these races is really enough for me.
The Wednesday after the race I had a minor setback when I somehow hurt myself tying my shoe. All I can say is that I think I tried to start moving before I really stood up. My knee felt like it was going to give out. I took that day off and ran short and easy the next day. I think I'm doing okay with it now.
Yesterday I ran 10 miles--about half of it was in pouring rain. I have never been so drenched in my life. I was annoyed that my shoes and socks were soggy, but other than that it was okay. I also worried about the Zune but it appears to be fine.
I figured out that for my long runs I can get to the entrance of Hartman Reserve/George Wyth in about 2.5 miles. I can go out and hop on the 218 trail--not sure why I didn't think of this route before. I really enjoy running out there. I do wish there were drinking fountains though. If you ask me, there is a huge shortage of drinking fountains on the trails. You can make tax-deductible donations to the organizations that maintains the trials. I've been thinking about doing that, but I would like to specify that my money go toward a fund for drinking fountains. I can carry water with me on long runs. I'm just lazy, I guess, and don't like to think ahead.
I have to say I felt good the entire time. I was strong at the end and my splits got faster as I went along, so I can't complain. My time was 2:01 on my GPS, although I think my official time was about 2:02. My goal in August is to break 2 hours for a half. I won't be devastated if it doesn't happen though. A year ago at this time I was unable to run because of knee issues, so just being able to do these races is really enough for me.
The Wednesday after the race I had a minor setback when I somehow hurt myself tying my shoe. All I can say is that I think I tried to start moving before I really stood up. My knee felt like it was going to give out. I took that day off and ran short and easy the next day. I think I'm doing okay with it now.
Yesterday I ran 10 miles--about half of it was in pouring rain. I have never been so drenched in my life. I was annoyed that my shoes and socks were soggy, but other than that it was okay. I also worried about the Zune but it appears to be fine.
I figured out that for my long runs I can get to the entrance of Hartman Reserve/George Wyth in about 2.5 miles. I can go out and hop on the 218 trail--not sure why I didn't think of this route before. I really enjoy running out there. I do wish there were drinking fountains though. If you ask me, there is a huge shortage of drinking fountains on the trails. You can make tax-deductible donations to the organizations that maintains the trials. I've been thinking about doing that, but I would like to specify that my money go toward a fund for drinking fountains. I can carry water with me on long runs. I'm just lazy, I guess, and don't like to think ahead.
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