<p>Marathon is 2 weeks from today. Ugh. I ran 11.2 today. Would have been happier with 15, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. </p>
<p>The broccoli slaw sounds great.</p>
<p>Our weather has been weird. It’s been cold and gloomy. Summer left. I’m home alone with all the pets since H is driving to Denver to help WildChild move. Glad I’m missing that drive!</p>
<p>MOWC, you’re going to do really well and surprise yourself. I know it!</p>
<p>Is this your first Marathon MOWC? Im scared to death just attempting a Half.
What training program did you use?</p>
<p>VeryHappy - I am verrrryyy slowww on the treadmill but sometimes I just feel like I can go forever. I tell my kids - I’m in my groove 
Is that how you feel?</p>
<p>No! I just make myself do it!! I rarely get into a groove. What I’m doing lately is a few minutes at a fast walk and then a few minutes at a jog. I’m trying to extend the jog times and reduce the fast walk times. I can do it – but my mind tells me I don’t want to do it. It’s just not my thing.</p>
<p>I have no problem with the fast walk; that, I could do all day. But jogging? It is not my cup of tea.</p>
Challenging isn’t the half of it. I would put that workout in the “brutal” category. Taken as a whole, that’s about as difficult as I can imagine an abs workout being. There’s not even any side plank to give the abs a rest. All four exercises are abs burners.
I was a little surprised by the toe touches. I kind of enjoyed that one – although 24 total touches was tough. I struggled to do that many.
She may not want to toot her own horn, but MOWC has been a competitive marathoner for at least 25 years (and she’s only 39!). She’s run dozens, if not a hundred marathons with victories on her trophy shelf – at least in her age group and, I suspect, overall wins. She’s qualified for and run the Boston marathon several times. She’s the Grande Dame of College Confidential marathoning, that’s for sure!
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<p>I enjoyed the short running/sprinting intervals a lot more than the longer slow jogging intervals. Alas, it seems my Achilles tendons didn’t enjoy them that much.</p>
<p>I’ve been pleasantly surrprised that I can still get a good solid workout walking the hills, as long as I push the pace. Walking definitely works different muscles than jogging.</p>
<p>Thanks, iDad. I guess I’ve run around 40 marathons with a couple female overall wins and some 2nds and 3rds.</p>
<p>I do my own training method based on not wearing myself out. This marathon will not be fast. It’s my daughter’s first so we want it to be as comfortable as possible. And not to be yelling at each other the last 6 mies!</p>
I just saw your posts on the Cinci thread ( do you hear the Small World music??) so
now I know where… but you are an old pro!! Enjoy with your DD , that is fantastic.
VH - many think fast walking is better for you overall ( joints etc) than running, so good for you. I have had people from the stroller divison finish before me in 5ks… did I just admit that?
<p>I tried to get someone to push me in their stroller during the 5K that I did! A stroller, something cold to drink, and maybe a pacifier. That’s the ticket for my next 5K! I’d even promise not to cry…</p>
<p>hahahahahaha</p>
<p>Those strollers are tempting! (to ride in…) We had the first double running stroller in Dallas back in 1986 or so. My husband used to race with it at a 6 minute pace. </p>
<p>ldavis- I actually had retired from marathons/competitive running in 2002 and just ran an occasional race. I came out of retirement after moving to Tennessee and ran 5 marathons in 2009, picked up a shoe company deal and then got hurt and missed almost all of 2010 and part of 2011! I got slower throughout all that, but I’m out there!</p>
<p>In my book (and at my age), what makes you a hero is not whether you win the race; it’s whether you race at all.</p>
<p>so right VH!!</p>
<p>MOWC - have you done a Disney Race? Did the 5k in Jan, just signed up for the Half
in Jan2013 with DD. Looking forward to that!</p>
<p>I have not done a Disney race. I try to stay away from the really big races. My women’s internet running group had a meet-up at Rock n Roll Las Vegas in December 2010 and that was pretty awful in terms of the crowds and confusion between half and full marathon. I think Flying Pig will be fine, but I don’t like to go much bigger. I get nervous enough without logistical nightmares. Everyone who does the Disney runs has a great time, though.</p>
So I tried the “real” Zumba class today at the rec center. I have no doubt I can do the moves, but the MUSIC was so loud I had to leave! Seriously, I felt like the biggest curmudgeon or old fogey, but I just couldn’t pretend I was having fun, trying to learn the sequence of steps while my ears and brain were being assaulted. I just wanted to put my hands over my ears the whole time I was there (about 10 min.)
I always thought my hearing was more acute than most, but this really made me sad. Do all the young things have ears damaged from rock concerts already? And the couple of people in there my age are probably hard of hearing too.
I went home and changed shoes for a run instead. The weather is lovely, and it’s nice and quiet in my head.
<p>mommusic- it’s not just you. It MAY be a generational thing. I can not STAND music as loud as many younger people like it. I’ve been to spin classes where I felt the same way you described. My head was reverberating! Not enjoyable.</p>
<p>I used to take a spin class where the instructor ranked the music so loud you could hear it through the entire health club. She was ordered by the mgmt to turn it down, she was asked by people in the class to turn it down, and she would turn it down for a while and crank it back up. She liked it loud, I guess.</p>
<p>I resorted to wearing earplugs in her class.</p>
The music selection would be my biggest issue with organized fitness classes and many gyms. I absolutely despise top 40 pop music and rap/hip hop. And, frankly, zhumba music blasting away would be more annoying than I can stand, too. I like loud music, but I don’t like it super loud when I’m sweating bullets and panting like a dog.
<p>Just did weights at home yesterday as I was tired again. Went to bed early and got up a little later than usual. I got in a little weight-lifting this morning and feel fairly well-rested.</p>
<p>Looks like everyone is plowing ahead with workouts.</p>
<p>Loud music is one of the reasons I don’t do classes. I prefer to be by myself while exercising. (The other people in the gym don’t count, because they’re all by themselves as well.)</p>