I might as well call this "Diane's thinking about running" Blog

I really meant to run today. I swear! Then I woke up with a nasty sore throat and sneezing and a runny nose. Seems like the only thing running around here is my nose (okay that's the last bad joke). I've read that you can usually run through a minor cold and be okay, but why? I feel crappy! Crappy enough to skip work. Normally I'm all about missing work, but I am so bored today. At least work provides something resembling a distraction.

Don't say I wasn't productive though. Here are a few links to nourish your minds:

Map my run - Some people love this site because it helps them decide where to run and how long that distance is.

100 Beginner Running Tips - I especially like number 25.

Active.com - Great place to search for local races.

Meetup.com - A great place to find groups of all interests, not just running.

Runner's World Beginner's Blog

For those looking for a blog geared towards beginner runners check this blog out. I've just read a couple posts, but so far it looks very informative. The author takes questions from runners just like us and does her best to answer them.

Runner's World Blog

Walk Breaks

If you're like me, and you have to at least have a sense of humor like I do to read this blog, then you have a tendency to be a little hard on yourself. I didn't run a whole 5k until January of this year, and I had been working towards that goal for nearly a year. My training has been so lax lately that I won't be able to run the 5k completely on Halloween. Is that bad? Actually, it isn't.

I've been realizing that Atlanta running celebrity and Olympic athlete Jeff Galloway has some great advice. It's all about completing the distance. In fact, he encourages his trainees to take walk breaks! Since I've been having some major motivation issues lately (I haven't run in weeks), I think I might use his advice and just start over. With walk breaks. Kind of like fartlek training but instead of run/jog it will be my comfortable jog/walk. I think it will break the monotony of training a bit.

Check out this article and anything else you can find that Jeff Galloway has written about training.

Finding love at mile 26

This is a story of a sweet and thoughtful, if slightly awkward to pull off, proposal. What a way to enjoy life with your new partner, both in running and in life. I celebrate my four year anniversary with Rex tomorrow, and we certainly look forward to celebrating many more in the future.

Sonny, true love is the greatest thing, in the world-except for a nice MLT - mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe...they're so perky, I love that.

-The Princess Bride

At-home gym equipment

I found a good article listing which popular home workout tools we should keep or toss and why. While many runners focus solely on running, it's proven that good cross-training helps improve overall health and can help a runner be faster, less injury-prone, and handle longer distances. I say this knowing that I'm probably the worst example of cross-training.

New FTC regulations on blogging

FYI for those folks who blog in the US and read my blog - make sure if you receive any kind of compensation for a good or service that you fully disclose said freebie/compensation prior to review. Unfortunately this is a really vague new regulation, so I'm not really sure how it applies to those of us who just like to talk about stuff they like/dislike.

Here's a link to an article describing some the changes and issues.

Man I love this fall weather!

You never realize how hard it is to run in the summer until it begins to finally cool off in the fall. Take today as an example. It was in the 60s, cloudy, a little humidity. Kind of a dreary day until you start to run. Then you realize that compared to temps in the 90s, high humidity, blaring sun, and pollen to boot, this is amazing weather. I ran my goal today of 15 minutes, 10 for cool down. 15 minutes isn't a long time, but I've been so bad about getting back into the routine after the Peachtree in July that I'm trying to take it easy. I'm adding quickly to the minimums though since the weather is great. Next time I'll shoot for 20 minutes, and hopefully by the time Halloween comes along I can hit 40 minutes.

Running Schmunning

Yeah that enthusiasm I had Thursday for running? It disappeared today. I was oh so close to finishing a great book I've been nursing for over a week now, and quite frankly just not feeling up to leaving the house. So what happened? I'm sure you've guessed by now. I stayed in all day, read my book, barely took care of a couple household chores, and vegged. Mentally I think I deserved a day like today.

Tuesday Rex and I are going to sign up for a gym that we've been eying for some time now. Well, at least we're going to try it out. Then we'll really make the decision to join or not.

Boy it feels good to be active

I finally went for a run yesterday. It went pretty well considering I haven't run consistently since July. My legs have that nice feeling of having been used for vigorous activity. The weather right now is perfect for running. The humidity is low, the breeze is nice, and the mornings and evenings are cooling off. Woohoo!