Running Club

24. January 2009 · Comments Off on Running Club · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

There’s a Running Club here. But not what you’re thinking: it’s not a group of us getting together to run, but rather a computer with which you get a login/password. You log your individual running during your deployment.

There are incentive t-shirts starting at 200 miles. There are more gifts if you hit 500 and 1000 miles, but I doubt that’s going to happen while I’m here. I might be wrong, but I think I saw a GPS running watch in the glass case displaying the incentives. Probably for 1000 miles!

I’m here for about 13 weeks, so I did some math (again):

200 miles / 13 weeks = 15.38 miles per week. ~2.2 miles per day.

Could I do that?

I think so. I’ve been here 15 days so far and I’ve run 36 miles. That’s 2.4 miles per day, so I’m cruising right along, right?

I’ve taken a couple runs outside, but the weather has been a challenge. The temperatures are great — I do my runs in the morning after work, so it’s typically in the 50s here. It’s the wind and blowing dust that’s getting on my nerves. After my last outdoor run, when visibilities were around 3 miles from suspended dust, there was a film of dirt on my teeth. It was grosser than gross.

For the most part I’m doing this on a treadmill. It’s not bad, about what you’d expect from a decent gym…our treadmills here have “Broadcast Vision”, meaning you can plug in your headphones and enjoy the station of your choice from a bank of TVs. I haven’t talked about the television programming we get here.

So there’s my fitness plan. I still haven’t gotten into eating habits here yet, mainly because of photography challenges. Most of this base forbids photography, including the dining hall I use most of the time, near the facility where I work. I might just have to paint a picture with words.

Fit to Fight…and Throw?

06. March 2008 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

So…here I am on my 2-weeks tour. No, not in the picture above, I’ll discuss that soon. For all intents and purposes, I’m a member of the 28th Operational Weather Squadron during this tour. I follow their schedule, meaning I go to their staff meetings, weather shift change discussions, briefing about sexual assault (which was this morning) and I attend their physical fitness sessions…otherwise known as “PT”, which is the USAF abbreviation for “physical training”.

So here’s a generic picture above of what I had in mind when I imagined squadron “PT”. By the way, this is a picture of a Warrior Run at Minot AFB from last summer…I have to admit that looks a lot like Shaw AFB now. This picture has no connection to my unit or my base, but it’s a good representation of what USAF PT looks like these days.

Monday’s was a good time–the squadron commander led the calisthenics session and I’m still sore in my legs from the flutter kicks! Then we did a 2 mile run…not quite as in-formation as pictured above, but the group of us did start out together. We ran at our own pace…so over time we spread out.

Today, however, we had a different leader for calisthenics who led us in a billion push ups and many core ab exercises! I know I’ll feel it in my tummy and chest tomorrow!

Then I was surprised when we divided into two teams and a Frisbee was produced. Time for Ultimate Frisbee!

Oh no.

I’m lousy at team sports. Remember, I like to run. I also enjoy swimming. I last played Ultimate in 1993 or 1994 and I was lousy then, too. It was a requirement for AFROTC Field Training, so as a Cadet I played it routinely. It’s hard to digest at first, but over the years I’ve accepted that I’m not good at this and if I’m called upon to play, my best contribution is to merely not throw the disc.

I guess I’m just not that aggressive. But I’m also really really bad at throwing the frisbee. So after the first few plays where I proved that assertion, my teammates took my advice (I was pointing to my teammates who were open and could also catch the disc).

But I’m a good defender…I enjoyed getting in the faces of those on the opposing team who are looking for someone to throw the disc to. I can get quite annoying and I think I was able to affect some pretty good distractions.

I caught two passes in the end zone, which resulted in scores…so long as I don’t have to throw it afterwards, I don’t think I’m bad at catching.

I definitely got a really good workout!

But No One is Chasing You….

11. January 2008 · 4 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

I run.

“Why?”

Several reasons. I guess reason #1 is because the Air Force said I have to.

“But the Air Force said you only have to run 1 1/2 miles for its fitness test. You’ve run as many as 26.2…why?”

I guess my routine running is 3-4 miles at a time…once upon a time a “light” run was 5 miles, but I’ve since slacked off. The kids have sapped that extra energy right out from under me. Why? Reason #2: it’s good exercise, good for cariovascular health, and it provides a good-all-over sense of accomplishment.

Okay, here’s the skinny. I had it in my head that if I maintain this running lifestyle, I’ll end up one of these slender-ultra-fit MILF-types. I’ve been running since age 18 and I haven’t gotten there yet. It’s been 16 years…I need a new goal.

Running, to me, is fun and relaxing. My training runs are usually pretty laid back, and recently I’ve been exclusively running when both boys are in school, so I get some peaceful time to myself.

One of my oldest friends (i.e., she’s been my friend for the longest, she’s not THAT old), Susan, has recently started running and is ON FIRE! In two years time she went from barely surviving a 5K to being entered into the Boston Marathon this April! You go girl! She’s been motivating me to keep goal by looking for races to compete in, but I’m afraid I haven’t been so good at that. I’ve run a couple races with her and she’s pretty fast!

So there you have it — I like to run. I wish I had the time to run more, and perhaps when I have a little more control over my life I can get involved in a running club…maybe when I get to Nebraska I can do that. Some guys in my AF Reserve unit are forming an AF Marathon team for this September and I’ve love to be part of that, but I can’t see myself getting the 8-10 hours per week you need dedicate to training this July/August.

Enjoy a few pictures from my running days.


From the 2000 Air Force Marathon. Dave and I completed it in about 4 1/2 hours and it’s among the great achievements in our respective lives. That was a lot of fun! Ask me later about crying my eyes out in the middle of a Labor Day 2000 22 mile training run. Yep…lots of fun!

This is Susan and me each taking home trophies at a 5K in Suffolk, VA. It was snowing pretty rigorously during the race, but by the time we completed the awards ceremony, it had all melted and the sun was shining. Susan was the overall female winner, while I took home 1st place in my age group.


Okay, I can’t believe I’m telling the public about this one. Photography was prohibited inside of the ranch, but here’s some more information about this particular race. Clothing was optional, and Susan, Dave and I elected to run it CLOTHED. Maybe next year we’ll be more confident, who knows…Susan was the 4th place female overall (3rd in our age group), while I was the 4th place female in our age group. Dave finished between the two of us.

A Chillier Forecast Ahead…

10. January 2008 · 1 comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

…which means “goodbye” to the grill for a few days. Don’t like to grill when it’s cold, but tonight’s hot dog (for Timmy) and hamburger (for the rest of us) dinner was quick and easy.

My latest addiction: the Pioneer Woman blog, added a bew-tee-full pot roast how-to guide this week. I think I’ll be picking up a 2 – 2.5 lb. chuck roast on my next trip to the store. The rest-of-the-work-week wet forecast will be perfect for it.

I owe the world a post or two about my running past (“What did you run past, Patricia?”)…and future. My attempt to offset all the food posts.

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