Runners & Walker: 8/18 - 8/24

Sounds like you had a fun weekend in the water!

I went to the beach and ran on the boardwalk, then we stretched out doing yoga on the sand, then played some beach volleyball.

claiming my place on this thread!

for those of you that run outside, do you worry about your safety? Do you carry anything in terms of protection?

MaryPea, I run outside almost exclusively. While there are some gorgeous trails through parks around here, I only run on sidewalks and running paths that border busy streets in my neighborhood.  So, I'm not worried about assault.  I'm mostly worried about being hit by cyclists on the sidewalks, cars in crosswalks, or my own clumsy self tripping.  I always run with my phone, so wouldn't hesitate to hit 911 if there was an emergency.

Yoki - thanks for the reminder on that app. i just downloaded it!

thanks for the input elaine & annabella

Just finished a 3 mile run tonight. Really only my second run since getting back into training. It was slow, but I'm not worried. Even running at 8 pm, it's still nearly 90 degrees here and muggy. That's slight breeze made it a bit better though. I was a bit stiff since I did a 28 mile ride on my bike yesterday morning.

I run mostly outdoors as well. I always carry my iPhone just in case, but I run in a nice suburban neighborhood along the sidewalks. Plenty of people out running, walking, etc at this time so I don't really feel unsafe.

I'll admit there are plenty of shady people around here.  We had a woman "molested" and killed on the local running trail not a year ago.  That freaked me out pretty good.  While that is always something I think about I'm more worried about cars hitting me and or dogs when I run local to my farm.   On the military base, where I run my long runs, I don't worry about much of anything...   I do carry a pellet gun for the dogs.   We have an area that I refer to as "crack ally" and there are times when you can't be sure the pit bulls are in the house and those things kill goats and chickens on a pretty regular basis.   I would not hesitate to give them something to yip about.

Has anyone read The Cool Impossible by Eric Orton. He was the running coach for Christopher McDougall author of Born to Run. I got a copy and asked my husband to read it first. It is not about barefoot running, rather it is about strengthening your feet. I am hopeful it will help with my IT band issues and help move me from only walking to running.

DH is halfway though and has already built the appliances to have us both start the program. He is hoping it will help him with his hip issues.

I was wondering if anyone had any tales or experiences to tell.

Thanks

PB (who is only half packed for her hiking vacation.

Hubby thinks i need a small gun or knife to carry w/me. I worry about it being used against me too. Gotta keep pondering on it. 

never heard about that buck but am intrigued by the running barefoot concept!

I would love to run there!

Week 4 day 2 of C25K this morning! The first run I've had where the whole thing was miserable. Darn humidity - it's like running under a warm wet blanket even at 5:30 AM.

But I did it. I used a GPS app and I went 2.2 miles at an 18 min pace (gulp). I'm really slow! But that included 10 total minutes of warmup and cool down so my active pace was probably a bit faster.

Have a great week everyone!

My 8 year old wanted to run with me this morning so we did 2 miles.

Thanks for mentioning that Road ID app, Yoki. I do go through a short, woody trail and across a dam on my route, so that app will be a nice "better safe than sorry" extra to have with me.

I need to start posting in this thread to help keep me motivated. I have actually been pretty motivated on my own the last couple of months but I'm sure the day will come that I need the extra push.

I power walk, not run. I was doing a 10k (give or take a couple of tenths of a mile) 5 days a week but I had to cut back on that. I was getting a lot of blisters on my toes and feet. I seem to be able to go just over 4 miles before the blisters start rubbing and hurting. I am using mole foam sometimes and that helps a lot. But, I have also found that if I keep my power walk to somewhere between 3.5 and 4.5 miles, I can then come home and get on the elliptical for about 30 minutes and my feet don't suffer as much.

I have one area that I find a bit creepy that for the most part, I avoid. For instance, I live in a master planned community. There are a lot of tunnels that go under the roads within the community for the runners, walkers, bikes, etc. but they are not lit. There is one that I can take to get to the other side of the road but in the bright light, I can't see if anyone is in the tunnel until I am almost in it. Then, there is a trail that has some areas that someone could easily hide. I was talking the other day with a friend who runs. We were talking about the paths we take and she was talking about the same creepy spots I was. So, I guess it is not just me. LOL

Anyway, I am doing very well with my speed walking. I can usually walk my first 3 miles at about a 12:30 minute mile and then it slows to about 12:50 - 13:00 per mile. I went on vacation and got on a treadmill one day while there. On a treadmill, I walked 5 miles at a pace of about 12:15 per mile so slightly under 5 mph.