I know I'll have a "Perfect" Training Cycle - Chicago, 2011

Greta job on the long run! Really putting in some great training!

I was "following" your long run on facebook. Way to bang it out, Lisa. How'd the fries taste?

Nick Morris wrote:Good run tonight Lisa!!! I think that the ones that you get out and do even though you don't feel like it end up being some of the most important ones. Good luck with your 20 miles this weekend...

Thanks Nick! The week was a good one and I'm really happy with how I handled it with the weather. I think training in this weather and running when I don't necessarily want to will pay off come the fall.

Kenny B. wrote:Nice run bet you feel better running vs. not. Why am I up its 4:15am on sat?

Why were you up at 4:15am on a Saturday? Holy Toledo! BTW, thanks for the good quote that got me out the door!

Julie wrote:nice run, 60% humidity sound so nice!

I just checked our month's weather on weather.com and our lowest temp we ever hit for July is only 2 degrees cooler than our average low. We've had significantly higher than normal temps for highs and lows all month. No wonder it feels hot.

Have a good long run this wkend!

Haha! You KNOW it's been hot when 60% humidity sounds nice! Haha! The running in the heat will pay off and we're all doing a great job of it. You're knocking out some big miles in less than ideal running weather. Keep up your great work!

Schuey wrote:Awesome job today Lisa! It sure was a tough day and pretty darn hot out there but hey like you said you got it done! Just keep doing what you are doing and the benefits and gains will come.

Really had fun with you running on the trails today, much more fun then doing all the run on roads. Fun Fun Fun Fun!

Martin - I thoroughly enjoyed our run together this past Sunday. I enjoy all of our runs. Thank you for carrying that backpack with water in case we needed it. Everyone - Martin ran 16 long and slow miles with a backpack that contained water on his back the whole time! He did it because he wanted to make sure we had water and was able to pack our Stinger Gels and Ultima. Martin, thank you, thank you, thank you!

We're creating some really great memories out there and I look forward to many, many, many more! I love you! BTW, you're doing so great with your training too!

Jim Lentz wrote:Great job on the long run Lisa!

Thanks Jim, not only for the compliment, but for the tip about the North Branch Trail! We've hit it up every Sunday for the last 3 weeks!

Kenny B. wrote:Greta job on the long run! Really putting in some great training!

Thanks Kenny, I'm trying to be the snail

Dave-O wrote:I was "following" your long run on facebook. Way to bang it out, Lisa. How'd the fries taste?

Haha! Yeah, I have a tendency while waiting for Martin to wrap up his run to post the status. Thanks for following it!! Mmmmmm...the fries....yes, they tasted really good!!!!! I couldn't find a fry emoticon, so I'm posting Frylock...although I prefer Master Shake more Love my Aqua Teen!!!

Next time, carry your own damn backpack

Just kidding.

Have we determined a goal MP yet?

The long run on Sunday was tough, I won't lie. We woke up and decided we would run the north end of the trail this time around (BTW, in my opinion, the nicer end). We started right near the Chicago Botanical Gardens, around the Skokie Lagoon. Can I just say...I LOVE THIS AREA?! Hello, Winnetka..my name is Lisa and I love you!

For those familiar with Hines Drive in Michigan, I would compare this trail to it. In fact, the section we ran this past weekend reminds me of the Northville section that I use to run and love and the other section we run reminds me of the Dearborn section. While both nice, I'm taking the north section; my Northville version of Hines Drive.

We ran an absolutely beautiful route. Granted, when we started we were in direct sunlight and because I didn't know where I was going, compounded with the fact I had 16 miles to run, I vented a little and I was irritable. As the run went on, we found a really cool limestone trail and ran that and ended up finding a well where we could pump cold water onto our heads. It was a really nice find! We continued on and found some other cool trails but decided we'd save them for another run. We got to mile 8, turned around and headed back. It was hot. It was humid. It was tough, but we did it. Once we finished the 16 miles, Martin continued on for 4 more miles to wrap up his 20 miler.

We hung out for a little bit in the park and then drove off for our fries at McDonald's. Yes, they tasted damn good!

This week is a step back week for me, as I've put in 3 solid, higher mileage weeks for me. I'm also tossing the idea of joining Weight Watcher's around. They have a new Points Plus system that I am really interested in. I used the Points system back in early 2001 and lost a good amount of weight.

Anyway, the run was really slow for me, but it was good.

Average HR was 160, average pace was 10:22:

1 00:10:05
2 00:10:07
3 00:10:24
4 00:10:28
5 00:10:27
6 00:10:19
7 00:10:22
8 00:10:02
9 00:10:57
10 00:10:10
11 00:10:20
12 00:10:20
.16 00:17:11 (walked)
14 00:10:50
15 00:10:00
16 00:09:54
.85 00:09:54

Way to tough out 16 Lisa!! You have been training really hard and deserve the step back week ahead. Have fun with it and recoup a little for the awesomeness that lies ahead.

Nick Morris wrote:Way to tough out 16 Lisa!! You have been training really hard and deserve the step back week ahead. Have fun with it and recoup a little for the awesomeness that lies ahead.

Thanks Nick! I'm looking forward to a lighter week this week!

Ok, so here goes: "Thank you for choosing Weight Watchers Online

Congratulations on deciding to start your weight loss plan today! You’ll find your subscription details below.

We want you to have a strong start, so please make sure you take a few minutes right now to personalize your plan.

Then you’ll get a chance to explore the site and learn how the plan works and get the best strategies on how to follow it."

I've farted around with FitClick and Sparkpeople, but I have found myself back to a plan I know works: Weight Watchers. I did the Winning Points around 2001 through 2005 and did great on it. One day, Weight Watchers decided to introduce the Flex Plan and it threw me all off. I never re-signed up.

I like the structure and the visuals that I get from Weight Watchers and I like the Points system. They have introduced a revamped Points system that calculates carbs now. I'm really excited about this because it's in my comfort zone. The door lady at our place is doing Weight Watchers as well and we're going to keep each other on track. Martin is going to be my weigh in person. I'm not doing the meetings as I've attended them before and don't need that level of support.

I'm really excited!

Good run Lisa - I'm impressed! I couldn't even gut out 16 this weekend! Summertime will end soon there and hopefully everything will feel a lot better. Do you feel sort of guilty during a step-back week? I'm doing the same thing - I know it's for the best but it sort of feels wrong at the same time....

Nice long run this weekend and I'm glad you found something you're excited about to keep you on track with your wt loss goals! I know I have to make small changes if I expect to stick with it forever just because if I get too hungry I can't run well and then I get really frustrated. But cutting out things here and there do add up! Looking forward to hearing about how it goes!

Kick ass run girl! I can't wait to see what you do in your race!!

Great job Lisa! And you deserved those fries. You should've had a chocolate shake to go with them! Yum!

I've never done WW but I get the feeling it works! My teacher friend lost 20+ this spring and another teacher I know has lost at least 70 (she was very overweight) and still going. I wish my husband would consider it.

Your training seems to be progressing awesomely! Hopefully you've been experiencing less humidity and heat also. It's nice to have different options to train on and I know the Chicago area has a lot.



Good luck with your weight plan. Something I've never had to deal with personally (mostly due to familial genetics) but I admire those who take it on. It is most definitely a worthy challenge and goal.

Good luck with WW. Diet is the hardest part of healthy living imho. Easier to run miles than cut calories!

I hope WW is going well. Great job on the 5K this week!

You are somewhat inspiring me to try some shorter distance runs but I'm afraid to do anything until my marathon is over since I am so focused on that.

Boy I thought I was bad about posting runs! Hahhahah I know you had a great race in there somewhere! I'm off to race reports now!



Great job!

Just make sure that refueling properly takes precedence over restricting points to a certain level, especially if they're incorporating carbs into the equation now. Eh, what am I talking about? You've got Schuey there to make sure you're on track. Good luck!

Alright, my week is not complete without a beer and fries based long run post! What's the deal?

Hey there guys!!! Sorry I've been MIA, but I'm back! I got sidetracked and didn't get to post too much as of late. It appears I have some catching up to do!

Thanks for the visits, and I'll post how my run goes tonight.

This past weekend me and Martin were in Michigan, where he ran 23 miles on trails in Pinckney. It's part of the DWD trail that I used to run all the time before moving to Chicago. We're heading back out there again soon, we just need to buy some camping supplies. We ate dinner with the bugs and headlamps this last time! Hahaha!

We got some nice trail shoes. I bought a pair of the Brooks Cascadia 6's and Martin got the Montrail Rogue and Saucony Peregrine.

Anyway, will post more later. Have some blogs to catch up on!

Welcome back!!!!

Nick Morris wrote:Welcome back!!!!

Thanks Nick!! I have a lot of blogs to catch up on not to mention post counts!!

The Terrapin 5K was last Thursday night and what a fun time that was! We ran 2 miles as a warm up to Soldier Field and then the race started. I had planned on doing it as a training run, and well, that didn't happen. Something about the sound of the horn and having people around me and me wanting to get in front of them .

My watch clicked at the first mile and it read 7:09 and I thought, 'holy crap, that's fast!' Then I thought, 'holy crap, that's fast and I have 2 more miles!' Haha. I ended up crossing the line in 22:56, which is almost a minute faster than my 5K PR at the Race To Taste in June. Funny thing is, I'm not even doing any training for a 5K and I haven't done 1 bit of speed work. I'm thinking that it has to do with all the running in the heat. While it was hot out during the race, it wasn't nearly as warm/humid as it has been.

Martin did awesome, too! He won his age group of 40-44 year old's with a time of 18:02. Great job, baby!!

After the race we got our beer and pizza and watched Mr. Blotto. Then we had a nice walk home.

I only found two pics of me from the race. Here they are:

Great job, Lisa!!! Glad your back from the abyss... A minute PR in a 5K is sweet

Great job Lisa...it definitely shows that you are being consistent when you throw down a 1 minute PR in a 5k and haven't done a single bit of speedwork. Keep it up and I see great things coming for you in October.

Did you arrange for the bib number syncronization? (288 882)