Things You See When Running

With all the miles I have logged, I have seen a lot of interesting things. In my own neighborhood, things don't change much. But I did find this mailbox kind of interesting. Is this for short postal workers? I thought it was funny.

Running has been going much better over the past week or so. I was pretty burned out from life in general, and any attempt at running showed a starting heart rate of about 92 bpm. Tonight my heartrate was 78 bpm before my run with my daughter. That is the lowest starting heart rate I have seen in awhile. I know it may not seem like much, but I am excited.


We ran our 2 miles by running 1 min and walking 1 min. We finished in about 25 minutes and had a great talk along the way. We are training for her first 10K late this fall. I am looking forward to the miles ahead!

I hope to get a podcast out sometime this weekend - probably a mini-adventure. Next weekend my daughter is coming with me on a trip to San Diego. We will definitely have a podcast on that trip.

Congratulations to all the folks who ran San Diego last weekend!! You guys were AWESOME!!!! Makes me want to sign up for a marathon before Disney next January....but I must resist. Things are going to get busy when I start classes again in the fall. There will be plenty of training going on to prepare for the "Dopey" without introducing another marathon. Still, it is tempting... July's Runner's World features marathon training for fall races by 14 of their editorial staff. Great article.

Run Strong everyone!

Running Adventures Episode 17 - Catching Up

Picture at University of Texas at Austin on a recent business trip

I wasn't exactly planning on it, but on a whim I decided to produce a podcast episode. So almost a year after Episode 16 I now bring you Episode 17 of Running Adventures. During this episode, I take you on a run in March 09 where I talk about where I have been and what my running plans are for 2009. I have a small snippet from a car pool discussion with my younger daughter.

I am hoping to publish an episode or contribute to the Extra Mile podcast with a full run with my older daughter - complete with facts!

Music this week is from the Podsafe Music Network at music.podshow.com and includes:

"Headlights" by Honeychuck

I missed running with you all....enjoy!

The Jim Payne Blue Ribbon Run for the Kids 5K

Today was an event that was two years in the making - a 5K race to benefit Kids House of Seminole. Kids House is a local organization that provides services of all kinds for kids who are in abusive situations. It is sad that such an organization is needed - but the need is great - and Kids House provides a kid-friendly environment for counseling, medical exams and even county police services - all in one location. I have the privilege of serving on the board for this incredible organization.

We started talking about a 5K run back in 2007 - for a possible 2008 race. But we were unable to get things organized for a number of different reasons. Then in 2008, things came together and we were able to partner with Trackshack - the premier running store and organizer of most of the Orlando area running events, including the Walt Disney World Marathon. They were interested in having a race in downtown Sanford, FL.

We wanted this to be a different kind of race - so instead of an early morning event, we opted for an evening event down near the waterfront of Lake Monroe. A good portion of the race route would be along the waterfront area - recently rebuilt after devastating floods a few years ago.

At the finish line - pretzels and beer!


This was a great event! I ran it with my husband and daughter. My daughter and I just took it easy, running and walking - running in the last 0.1 miles hand in hand! My younger daughter ran the kids race and was the third girl to finish her race!


My husband: 32:31 (after running about the first .75 miles with my daughter and I)
My daughter and I: 39:48

Before and after the race I saw Maddy's friend and fellow Goofy runner Cheryl and also Kitzzy!

Another Go 'Round at the University of Texas at Austin

Went for a morning run around campus again today. It was a much cooler 75 degrees and a bit on the breezy side - nice for a morning run.

I did the same route as Monday except this time I ran counter-clockwise.

I think it was more uphill this time....

Still, my speed has picked up. I ran the 3.08 miles in 32:12, at a 10:28 min/mi average pace (hills must be good for me). I even ran the first mile in 9:44 min.

I am toying with the idea of doing an easy 2-3 miler tomorrow morning if I don't stay up too late working tonight (sigh!).

Adventures in Austin - Take 2

This week's running adventure takes me to the University of Texas in Austin where I am attending a technical workshop. I have been to Austin once before - I was here to attend the Super Computing 2008 conference right after running Rock n Roll San Antonio Marathon last November. I didn't really get to enjoy Austin last time because I was so sick that week!

This time I was going to do Austin right! I arrived on Monday afternoon started the week off with a run late in the afternoon around 5:30 pm. The temperature was about 92 deg F and the humidity about 50%. It felt pretty much like it has been feeling at home - HOT! I did an easy loop around campus that the running map said was 3.1 miles. However, Garmin said it was under 3 miles so I added another small street loop to make it 3 miles even. Even though I took it easy, my heart rate got pretty high with the heat (maxed at 182 bpm) but it was a good run at an average pace of about 11:21 min/mi.

Oh, and did I mention it is HILLY here? Probably not as hilly as some of the places you all run, but way hillier than what I am used to (FL is basically flat, flat, flat). The hills didn't bother me - I embraced the hills and ran them nice and easy!

To beat the heat (and to work with my schedule) I will be running tomorrow in the morning. I am going to do the same route, but maybe in the opposite direction just for a change of pace. I will take the cell phone along and try to catch some video to include on the blog after I get home.

The Kids House 5K race is coming up on Saturday! I am actually part of the planning team for this inaugural event - so I will have a much longer report about the race and how it goes.

I hope your running is going well! Don't forget to enjoy your own running adventures! :-)