Hey, look Travis and Rick, my performance was a 4.4. All I needed to do was take Travis' route to boost that up. First time I've been above a 1.9 in awhile. It was extremely warm and humid, but despite that and the early hour, this was one of my better training runs. I really like this trail, especially when it was early and few people were out. I was feeling unusually strong, even at the finish. Never felt fatigued. Should have run this harder. Goal was 3 mi warm up (which we did very conservatively), 4 mi tempo (comfortably hard) and a 2 mi cool down. Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 914 ft Location: Excelsior Springs, MO Elev. Gain: -13 ft Date: 06/27/09 Up/Downhill: [+698/-711] Time: 06:37 AM Difficulty: 4.4 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 82 F temp; 74% humidity 87 F heat index; winds S 12 Performance Distance: 9.01 miles Time: 1:21:14 Speed: 6.7 mph Pace: 9' 01 /mi Calories: 788 Map Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 52 +0' 51 6.1 -0.6 -10 ft 2 9' 41 +0' 40 6.2 -0.5 -3 ft 3 9' 36 +0' 35 6.2 -0.4 +7 ft 4 8' 29 -0' 32 7.1 +0.4 -7 ft 5 8' 32 -0' 29 7.0 +0.4 -6 ft 6 8' 29 -0' 32 7.1 +0.4 -17 ft 7 8' 17 -0' 44 7.2 +0.6 +16 ft 8 9' 04 +0' 03 6.6 -0.0 +3 ft 9 9' 00 -0' 01 6.7 +0.0 -13 ft end ** ** ** ** ** ft Versus average of 9' 01 min/mile ** Insufficient data to calculate this split

Posted from bimactive.com

Riotgrrl

You called me "riotgrrl" and, although amused, I didn't get it--if you're reading this, you know who you are. Today, as I ran, light on my feet, strong and fierce, no longer present but living my run as if vicariously through someone else, I heard this song come on ("Riot" by Three Days Grace):

"If you feel so empty
So used up, so let down
If you feel so angry
So ripped off so stepped on
You're not the only one
Refusing to back down
You're not the only one
So get up
Let's start a riot...a riot..."

I realized there is an alter ego inside of me. She comes out and takes over when I cannot go on. She is fed by struggles and brings me strength. She is the one in the mirror whom I admire and wish I could be and carries me to unimaginable heights.

Beyonce may have Sasha Fierce, Dr. Jekyll has Edward Hyde. I have riotgrrl.

Brooks ID Program

Recently, I was accepted into the Brooks I.D. Sponsored Athlete Program by Brooks Sports. Brooks I.D. is made up of over 1,200 members who are active in their running communities and share a passion for the Brooks brand. They are runners who are winners in their own right: Winning their age divisions, accomplishing their personal goals, pushing their own limits, and, by extension, encouraging others to do the same. They are coaches, mentors, and leaders.

There is no doubt about my passion for Brooks shoes. I've gone through most brands, but after several years of experimenting, I kept coming back to Brooks. They last longer, fit my foot better and manage my pronation well.

Just above are my every-day trainers, the Adrenalines. These babies get a lot of my mileage, and I usually have two active pairs going ("new" and "about done.")

Next up are my ST3 Racers. Now, these are some really sweet, light-weight racing flats. I've run a couple of marathons in them. My favs are lime green.







The shoes that make my heart race every time I see them are the T6s. Tucked on top of a box in the back of my closet, I can see their golden trim glittering to me. They weigh nothing, yet seem to have all the support I need. I've not done a marathon in them yet, but might when Chicago rolls around. Will be a tough call between the ST3s and the T6s.

At last, my new loves.. the Cascadias! I just received these babies this weekend. And they are HOT! I can't wait to go on a trail run to try them out this week. Can hardly stand it, if one could lust after shoes, these might be it! It will be a shame to partially cover them with gaiters.

LBTT 7 Miler

Set out solo, and really enjoyed this run. The trail was unusually crowded today, although I saw no one I knew. Many walkers, runners and cyclists. It was a bit sloppy from all the rain we've had. A note on trail etiquette, there were a few runners and many walkers who had no idea how to share the narrow trail. This seemed to be a phenomenon restricted to the over 45 female, where they walked or slow-jogged 2 and 3 abreast, never moving to allow runner to pass in the other direction, or even from behind (though they whipped their heads and saw me coming). Annoying. By mile 5, I did feel my energy begin to fade, and realize how much work I need to do to maintain this pace for 19 more miles. However, I was happy to still have a bit of a kick to finish the last mile strongly. I was also pleased that I was never more than 5 seconds above or below my average per mile pace on this run and the pace felt good. Best of all, nothing hurts :-)! Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 754 ft Location: Blue Springs, MO Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 06/13/09 Up/Downhill: [+200/-200] Time: 08:06 AM Difficulty: 2.6 / 5.0 Weather: Overcast 66 F temp; 86% humidity 66 F heat index; winds NW 9 Performance Distance: 7.00 miles Time: 0:59:38 Speed: 7.0 mph Pace: 8' 31 /mi Calories: 606 Map Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 32 +0' 01 7.0 -0.0 0 ft 2 8' 27 -0' 04 7.1 +0.0 -13 ft 3 8' 32 +0' 01 7.0 -0.0 +3 ft 4 8' 29 -0' 02 7.1 +0.0 0 ft 5 8' 37 +0' 06 7.0 -0.1 -4 ft 6 8' 32 +0' 01 7.0 -0.0 +9 ft end 8' 26 -0' 05 7.1 +0.1 +4 ft Versus average of 8' 31 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

After Burn

Flipping through the current issue of Shape, I was lured by the cover quip, "EXACTLY what to eat before exercise." I mean, I think I have a pretty good handle on this as a runner, but was keenly interested in what they had to say.

I was pleasantly surprised that the author points out how "susceptible [we are] to that 'I exercised today, so I can eat whatever I want' mentality. And that can be a problem, since even during a moderately intense treadmill session, I burn only about 350 calories--the equivalent of a large soy latte and a banana." Ka-ching! That's about what I burn for a decent 5 mile run as well. I truly believe most people overestimate what they burn when they work out, and then wonder why they have a layer of fat over their abdomen.

But the conclusion struck me even more: "It's true that your metabolism stays stoked after you stop exercising, but it's not enough to sanction an all out splurge. One study found that women burned more calories for up to 67 hours after an intense 40-minute cardio workout. But that 'after burn' effect amounted to just 50 additional calories, or the number in two Hershey's kisses."

Expect me to be paying close attention to my diet this summer as I prepare for that BQ in the fall :-)