Half Marathon Traning begins today.

So today I start training for the St. Luke's half marathon.  This will be my 8th running in a row for this half.  I am also helping train new runners for this event; each Saturday we will meet at our clubhouse and run the beginner's program sent to all runners registered for this race.  Personally, I start today by closely watching my calories and try to eat more protein.  I also try to be more vigilant about stretching and doing my physical therapy for my sciatica.  Yesterday, I ran the Ice Scraper 5k, our club's monthly winter race.  The conditions for the race were about 32º and snow covered trails which made for a slow run.  I went for a 2.5 mile walk later in the day for a little more calorie burn as I am trying to lose some weight before the half.


Here is a picture of me running in warmer weather at one of our summer club races; no snow on the ground that day!

Killing two birds with one stone.

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I had to go to the optometrist and pickup my contact lens.  Since it is only two miles from my house I rode my bike.  This way I get some exercise and save the environment a little pollution by not driving my car.  I wore a long sleeve t-shirt under my Brooks Night Life Essential Jacket; it is a good wind breaker and it stands out in traffic so I feel safer in it.  Do you ever walk or ride a bike instead of driving your car for an errand?

Seen on my walk this week.

I try to walk, run or bicycle at least an hour every day.  One of the things that I find help to keep me interested is doing this activity in a local park that is located in my neighborhood where I see sights like this deer below.

 

To keep your motivation in the right place you need to be excited to exercise.  After a long day at work I look forward to seeing the deer, turkey, foxes and other wildlife during my walk or run.

Today I went running, at 6:AM, it was dark and foggy.  I could not take any pictures but I did see deer in several places, they looked like ghosts in the fogy mist of early light.  I also saw some turkeys still roosting in the tree tops.  It was jut getting light when I returned home after my 5 mile run around 7:00 AM, the time I usually start work; it's nice being on vacation :)



Gravy day.

Every year on June 20 I celebrate another "gravy day".  My dad used to use that term to describe an extra day off or an easy day at work.  Today I am the same age as my father was when he passed away, plus 7 years.  I have outlived my male forebears and if I may say so, in a healthy way.  I like to think the 7 to 10 hours a week I spend exercising and the discipline it takes to eat a healthy diet has been worth it and that I have used this extra time well.  Today I ran 8.22 miles and did about 10 minutes stretching afterwards and I feel fine. This past year I was able to overcome the effects of degenerative joint disease in my back with physical therapy which I continue to do on a daily basis and intend to for life.  I cannot run as fast as I once did but I do run a few half marathons a year and frequent 5k races where I am competitive in my age group so I feel some accomplishment there.  I also feel fine in my everyday tasks and handle the stress of my full time job as well as those much younger than me so I feel my time exercising and eating well is well spent.  So soldier on and keep living better.

Index card yoga

I put a short yoga routine on 3, 3x5 index cards. I can carry this in my wallet and do a short yoga stretch any time I have a few minutes to spare. Try it, it is a great thing to have with you when you are on the go. tags :YOGA

Saturday morning club run

Ran 5.88 miles with the Lehigh Valley Road Runners this morning in the Lehigh Parkway. The scenery is great as many of the leaves are in full color and are still on the trees. Weather was good, still running in shorts.

Enjoying my Friday's off.

For the past few years I have been taking off Friday's during the last 3 or 4 months. I am able to do this because I have 30 days a year PTO. Fall is my favorite time of the year and I really like the 3 day weekends to get things done like my car inspection, some regular Dr. Appointments, furnace cleaning and other necessary but mundane events in my life. Today I had the furnace cleaned and then I enjoyed a nice bike ride through the Lehigh Parkway. Then I took a little nap. Yesterday I had my annual Dermatology check up, had a precancerous patch frozen on my head :( and went running with my Thursday night running group.