Congrats, MOfWC! Great job. Why am I not surprised that you raced the 10k instead of taking it easy? 
BSO???
Oh- local dairy sponsors this, so post race food was ice cream, milk, chocolate milk, macaroni and cheese and more. I had a chocolate milk and an ice cream sandwich. I wasnât quite up for macaroni at 10am.
Congrats on both races, MoWC!
abasket, I remember how much endurance those step classes can build. With the right instructor, they were also actually fun.
Good for you, runnersmom! I too think I checked in here after every C25K run. The encouragement I received was priceless.
DeborahT, your run sounds like a dream. Itâs certainly affirming when you feel that good. Today I ran six miles on the treadmill. I had planned to run that far, an increase of 1/2 mile over last weekendâs 5.5. I thought it wasnât going to happen at about two miles, but hung in there and made it to 4, then 6. I could have gone farther, but I think Iâm going to stick with this distance for a while as a long run, and get back to some other kinds of workouts.
Deborah- runs like yours are coveted! PantMom- way to stick with it!
I forgot to mention which shoes got the nod today. I stood in the closet considering the collection. I didnât want to go Hoka-less since I was running 10 miles (including warmup), but I didnât want bricks on my feet for the 5K. I chose the Hoka Huaka, which turned out to be perfect. They are the lightest Hoka, but I still felt a little bit springy in the middle of the 10K. I dropped the pace of each mile in the 10K. The 5K miles were just about even, which for me is good since the 2nd mile is usually slower and where I want to quit.
Good job, MOWC.
Yikes, the airdyne sounds pretty tough.
Today wasnât a running day, but conveniently one of the cars needed to be picked up a walkable distance away. It feels good to do something everyday, especially as the weather begins to brighten up. It was a VERY long winter here in the NY suburbs. I love reading about all your various goals and accomplishments; it really provides inspiration!
The good thing about the airdyne, as iDad can better tell you (since I wonât go near the thing), is that they are relatively inexpensive and are a very efficient workout. It isnât really at all like regular cycling, though. Itâs more of a workout machine. You do pedal, so that is some replication of cycling. The only way to really stand indoor cycling, in my opinion (and Michael can weigh in with more authority) is to have a good stationary trainer for your bike and some good video programs with which to train. That replicates cycling. Just pedaling aimlessly is worse than the treadmill. I used to be able to stand about 45 minutes on my bike trainer, back in the day before the really good trainers were around. Now the triathletes train indoors for 5-6 hours at a time.
BSO. Bright Shiny Object! Thats what my running group calls the medals.
Ahhh. Age group awards were decent medals that say âAge Group Awardâ and the race logo. So I have 2 identical medals. These are better than past yearsâ medals. I appreciate any award, but this race (nice shirts, nice food etc) had medals that looked like they came from an arcade vending machine. They made good cat toys if you hung them on the door knob. The overall winners get neat cowbells.
proud of you MWC. age group award sounds really nice.
Congrats MOWC. When you think about the tribulations with which you have dealt over the last year, getting back to racing must be very gratifying.
Thanks for the shoe report, MOfWC! I am eyeing another pair of Huakas as we speak, while Mr. B is busy installing the warming drawer. He will go bananas if he sees that Iâm shopping running shoes. It does not help that I have my REI dividend and the 20% off coupon burning a hole in my pocket.
Thanks, everyone. I still really freak out in advance about races, which is ridiculous. I think I race hard and it REALLY hurts- especially 5K. I passed this group of women early on in the 10K and one of them was explaining the Galloway method (as they were in a walking break) and saying, âI want to run. I donât want to get hurt. I want to finish. I donât want to be tired!â I was with her right up until the last sentence. I want to cross the finish line and have to do the iDad bent over and pant thing. I want to maybe have a smile, but I want to leave most everything out there. I did that today with the 5K, and turning around to head out on the 10K was not exactly what I wanted to do, but the easier pace actually felt pretty good (at first).
good luck kmcmom. The flu bug I had didnât have me on my death bed, but it lingered and lingered and lingered. Hopefully, you kick it a little quicker.
nrdbs:
The Airdyne is a Schwinn fitness bike that was introduced in the 1970s. Itâs been updated a few times, but the current generation is functionally the same.
You work your arms and legs simutaneously, which is one reason it can really kick your butt. Any exercise that uses both legs and arms sucks oxygen from your lungs until you are bent over panting like a dog.
There is no resistance adjustment. You are pedalling a fan. So the resistance goes with the speed squared. Go a little faster and it kicks your butt a lot harder. This means, no knobs, no buttons, no controls, no adjustments. Pedal harder or pedal easier and it automatically adjusts. This makes it perfect for intervals (alternating quickly between fast and slow).
Itâs the least expensive commercial-grade exercise equipment. For under $600, you get a machine that will last literally forever in a home gym. A comparable treadmill would be a couple thousand bucks:
http://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-Airdyne-Upright-Exercise-Bike/dp/B00R9SV348
Itâs a great geezer machine because it works for a heart attack rehab patient or an NFL player. So you can exercise super easy (like I did the other day with my flu bug) or hard enough to make yourself puke (if you want to go that hard).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk6gT7Hz44w
Itâs not really a replacement for a typical exercise bike or a spin bike. Itâs really not bicycling. Itâs low impact, safe, high intensity conditioning.
I knew you would describe it well!
Great job, MOWC! Really terrific results. Sounds like everyone is getting their stride back after a miserable winter and injuries!
I have to laugh - FB has this new little feature âOn This DayââŠon days I feel blah about my running performance itâs serving as a great reminder. Two years ago I had just finished week 3 of C25K with a grand total of 2.58 running miles.
interesteddad- it almost looks like doggy paddling in the water- you can go slow or fast.
Yeah. Very adaptable. The benefit is that it is very easy on the joints, so itâs useful for stuff like knee rehab. On the other end of the scale, you can go off the charts with high intensity with virtually no risk of injury.
Downside? Itâs the âdreadedâ Airdyne because it really does kick your butt. Itâs very easy to go just a little too fast.
So the airdyne sounds superior to a typical stationary bike in that: if you work hard enough, you could probably get the same or even superior benefit in far less time, and it might provide a little more interest than just peddling aimlessly.
Hmm, will keep it in mind for rainy/cold/overly windy days.