It's on the way

My new Garmin has been shipped!!!!!! Estimated delivery Tuesday, Oct. 5th!!

I knew this day would come eventually

Well, I did it.  I made my decision.  I am getting a Garmin 205 to replace my 201 that recently quit.  The 201 is laying on the table right next to me.  I feel so bad replacing her.  I read several things online and tried them all and nothing brought her back to life.  There is one more thing which involves opening it up which I haven't tried but I might.  From what I read 6 years is longer than most last. 
I'm looking forward to playing with my new toy but I will miss the old Garmie too.  I just hope that the new one isn't too complicated to learn how to use.  One thing I like is that it is BLUE!!!!!!!!!! The only thing better would be pink!  Maybe there will be a pink Garmin someday!!!
The next few days I will have to run routes that I know the distance.  Sunday I am running a half marathon as my long run so I don't have to worry about distance there. 
I will pass 1000 miles for the year so far this week!!!!!!! 
When new Garmie gets here I will post pics, not that anyone doesn't know what one looks like. 
Runner Nerd who is getting a new toy soon!

sad sad day

After nearly 6 years of faithful service I am very sad to report that my Garmin Forerunner 201 has quit.  Garmie has been there with me on most of my runs keeping track of the time, distance and mile splits for me.  She hung in there with me for 3 hours 25 minutes on Saturday and I never even got a chance to upload that run to Garmin Connect. 
I am going to miss her.  I don't want a new one; I just want that one.  :(

A very sad Runner Nerd

Is it really time for......

Tomorrow morning is the final 20 miler!!!  Then it's taper time!!!!!!  I will be so ready for it after this week!!
6 Monday, 6 Tuesday, 8 Wednesday, 6.5 Thursday, 4 Friday = 30.5--> on track for a 50+ mile week!!!
Had dinner, clothes ready, accel-gel in little pouch, backpack packed. time for bed, I need to roll out at 6AM.  I am doing the Detroit Marathon group training run on a course closed to traffic and water and gatorade every 2 miles. 
Later

The 50 mile week begins!!!

I had the most awesome 6 miler ever!!  Everything was perfect! The weather was great, lots of runners were out there running, walkers walking, bikers biking and rowers rowing!!  I love to see the rowers out there on Argo Pond practicing.  I also had so much fun for another reason!! Why is it so much fun climbing over or ducking under baracades????  The trail along the mill race is closed this week so they can remove fallen trees and fix up a couple places where the edge along the water is bad.  When they are finished for the day there is no reason that people can't use the trail but they leave it closed 24/7 Monday thru Thursday.  (this started after Labor day and not sure how many weeks it's going to take)  The workers were gone when I got to the trail.  A biker was just pushing his bike around the edge of the barracade coming off of the trail so I asked him if there were any workers and he said no so I ducked through the middle of the barracade and continued on.  At the other end of the trail I had to duck through the barricade there and then they had the path under the broadway bridge blocked off so I hopped over that and on I went!  On the way back it was the same in reverse!  The Argo Bluffs trail through the woods is open in Argo Park now but the top of the stairs at the other end is still blocked off so I got to climb over that again!!  I explored a new trail today at the end of Island Drive.  I've seen people on foot and on bikes coming from there and going into it but there are "Do not enter" signs posted.  I decided this was the day to explore since I needed 6 miles and my usual route is only 4.5.  It turns out this used to be a road.  There is a very old and rusted road sign for a sharp curve at one point.  It eventually becomes a still used road.  It looks as if they closed off the road at the last house and from there on did not maintain it anymore.  I could see bike tracks and foot prints so there is regular use of it.  The funny thing is that at the other end where it becomes a used road again there is no "do not enter" sign.  There are posts so that a vehicle can't drive through but no signs. 
After I finished my run I went to a core workout class.  I've been going for a few weeks now.  It's held at the running store.  It's just a 30 minute workout but I am sore the next day!  Tonight I learned that I can't balance on a bosu ball!!  They are getting more and more equipment and this was the first time they've had the bosu balls.  I kept falling off!
This week is my highest mileage week of marathon training!  It will also be the highest mileage week of the entire year!  Hard to believe it's almost time to taper!  Seems like I just started training.
Tomorrow is speed work with a group of mostly women I run with on Tuesday mornings.  The coach is having a photographer there tomorrow to take pictures.
Time for bed. 

ONLY 12 Miles

One of the things I love about the later part of training for a marathon is being able to say things like: "I ONLY ran 12 miles today!"  "Oh, I ONLY ran 10 miles yesterday!!!"  After last weeks 20 miler this weeks long run was ONLY 12 miles and those 12 miles seemed to go by quite fast and I was done before I knew it!!  I even negative split!  I did the run with a training group yesterday morning.  Next week is another 20 miler which will be at a big Detroit Marathon training run in Hines Park.  I am not going to Grand Rapids for the 20 mile training run there because I need to get back home and get ready for a hayride we are hosting here for our church. 
Today I went to the trail for an easy 4 mile recovery run.  Not sure what came over me but I took off and felt really good, not even stiff or anything.  I ran 4 miles in just shy of 37 minutes so just over 9 min miles!!! 
Four weeks from today is M day!!  I'm excited and nervous.  This is going to be the last marathon until I'm done with school so I don't want it to be a disaster; I want it to be fun and memorable and all that so I will be ready to do another one when I'm done with school.
Well, time for some homework.
Runner Nerd

Eating during classes

Sometimes I just don't get it.  I've posted before about things that are so very different from when I was in college wayyyyyy back when after I graduated from high school.  I can't believe how many people eat during classes.  There is ALWAYS somebody eating something and usually several people.  It's usually junk food.  This has been in every class I've been in.  They are also drinking Mt. Dew, Red Bull, Monster, and other of those types of energy drinks.  Today the gal sitting next to me had a bag of pretzels and a big bottle of flavored carbonated water, I think it's 1 liter.  She ate the pretzels the first few minutes of class but during the rest of the 1.5 hour class she unscrewed the cover, drank and replaced the cover every few minutes.  It's not really all that big of a deal just strange.  I don't know if I just don't remember it but I really don't think anyone ever ate in class way back when.
I was talking with one of my running group friends last Thursday.  He's 50 and also going to college.  He was telling me about one of his classes this semester where the teacher started the first class with all the rules which included no talking, no laptops, NO EATING among others.  I sure wish I'd have a class where the teacher says no eating!!  My phychology professor doesn't allow laptops, cell phones or talking during class.  It's kind of funny because I thought all those things would be a given, maybe laptops in certain classes where appropriate but not most classes. 
I'm probably just showing my age and should stop now!!! 
I had to miss my running group this morning due to car problems.  (quite possibly the worst thing to happen after running injuries)  Maybe that's why I was noticing all the annoying things people do in college today--lack of running!!  I did go running after class but it sure wasn't a hard core speedworkout like I would have done in the running group. 

Runner Nerd