Running Room Disappointment and Landscaping Pics

Last night I met up with a couple ladies to do a running room session (these are the free drop ins you can do). Hmmmm, how was it???? Well, in certain aspects it was awesome, others not so much.

Two weeks ago we went, ran with a 7K group, and it was pretty good. However, this time, the new sessions have started so they are all at the beginning of their training and not running as far. We had planned to run with the 10K group this time, however they were only running 4K last night and we wanted to go further.

So we opted to join in with the half marathon group. The plan was to run about a total of 9-10K which included 7 hill runs.

We start off and first thing we notice is that this leader doesn't do any sort of walking warm-up. She started off jogging right away. OK, a little different from us, but she did jog quite slow (which she did the whole time, so it wasn't just slower to start). We asked her about it after and it seems she doesn't really believe in warm-ups, especially in warmer weather. She said the 'elite' runners don't typically warm up. I'm having a hard time believing that.

About 5 min into the run my friend and I are itching to get going, but the leader is still jogging along slowly. So we pull ahead a bit, but we don't know the way so we have to keep her in sight. We get to a light and one group of runners crosses the street and goes off. We wait for our leader to catch up, and suddenly it's just my friends and I that are left in the group. The rest of our group followed the other group. Hmmm!

The idea behind joining this group was to meet new runners, get inspired, maybe get some tips. I love the ladies I run with, but this wasn't really the idea. So we found our hill then ran it 7 times (the leader only ran it 4 times). It was a good workout, but I wasn't impressed. She cheered us on and was super nice, but I wanted more. Yes, I know it's a free drop in, but I'm using this to judge if I actually want to join a clinic.

We got talking to her about how to become a clinic leader and I personally wasn't super impressed with the procedure. To me it doesn't seem like you need a whole lot to lead a clinic and there's minial "training" involved. I'm not sure I'm willing to pay for just anybody to give me advice, I want to know that they truly know how to teach. I'm very on the fence. I should mention too that the leader we had is the manager of the store...

Anyhow, I had a really good pre-run meal of rye toast with peanut butter & jam and a nectarine. I had no stomach issues and felt energetic. Then after my run, even though I didn't feel like eating, I had a ham sandwich on rye.



Here's a few eats from the last couple days. On the left is my beloved Red River Cereal mixed with some dried cranberries. And on the right is a Samosa that my manager brought me. His friend's wife made it and he knows I love them. I'm actually kind of proud of myself. I didn't eat it right away because I'd packed my lunch. I ate it as part of my dinner AND I only ate the inside part - not the fried outside. Mmmm, so good!



Also, we finally got some pics from the landscaping job my husband and son have been working on. This is why I never see them! They have completely done ALL the landscaping on this property including site services, digging the pond, placing the rocks, landscape design and the paving stone work. I don't know why this collage comes out so small. :( You can click on them to see them bigger.

This is just the front of the house. I don't have pics with me of the back.

Here's a little stone pathway around the side of the house. And one of the front lawn.

This is a paving stone install that my husband designed on the island in the middle of the pond. It's a compass, and where it points north there is an 'N' worked into the tiles. He created the design completely on his own and cuts all the stones. There is more paving stone work from the parking area and back deck, but that will have to come another day. I lvoe the 'furball' tree in the middle pic.

So I leave with a couple questions for runners ....

* Do you believe a warm-up is essential? If so, should it be a walk or do you think a light jog is OK?

* How do you feel about stopping during a run? Do you feel it's OK to walk, or does that make you cramp up? Do you feel it's OK to stop completely to rest?

* If you're running on the road and you come to a light, do you stop or jog in place?