A picture of me running

[moremuscle]

Hi friends,

I saw Wayne had made it easier to post a picture. I thought I would try it and Kaboom - it went right in.
The picture is from May 20 2006 - I am running a 5 mile race in Columbia, SC. It was a race for women only, called the Heart and Sole 5 miler. I don't know the lady who is walking behind me.

Have a good day!

Love,
Karen

[tex]

Karen,

Thanks for the inspiring picture, but that makes me tired, just thinking about you running 5 miles. (I don't dare think about me running 5 miles--I would be totally exhausted if I thought about that). LOL.

Love,
Wayne

[annie oakley]

I am impressed Karen. You look so fit! Love Oma

[harvest_table]

Hey Karen,

Thanks for sharing this picture! Your a great example of an MC'r (or anyone for that matter) who has been able to regain your health and then push your body to such a fitness level.

We bought a treadmill a couple months ago, a LifeFitness T3 that we all had been using regularly. My husband has lost 22lbs, Alanna and I each 5lbs. We all feel much stronger. It won't get as much use this summer or fall but will be great indoor exercise for the long, dark winter months.

You are inspiring. I admire your determination!

Love,
Joanna

[starfire]

Super!! I love the picture. You look fantastic.......but I agree with what Wayne said, including the exausted part.

Love, Shirley

[cludwig]

Karen,

You give me hope. You look the picture of good health. Way to go.

Love,
Cristi

[barbaranoela]

LOOKING good~~~~~~~~~
Karen----neat pic---and U look so relaxed---

My galfriends DIL,who lives in Sacramento,and is a chiropractor, does the Boston Marathon--

She flies in here---cus my girlfriend---her daughter and 1 aunt--then drive to Boston and stay to see the marathon and sight-see of course!!

Whats your training like for these races?
luve Barbara

[moremuscle]

It's a good thing you can't see my face in the picture - I am red as a cooked shrimp!!

The picture is a few feet before the finish line - I am actually very exhausted and yet trying to give it a final kick at the end. It is funny that you think I look relaxed; I have had several runners saying that to me; people I train with regularly say I look so "damned" relaxed and one woman I ran neck to neck with in the final mile of a 10 mile race told me after we crossed the line that I had looked so relaxed when I passed her............little did she know that she was the person who inspired me to find hidden resources to keep running at a hard pace on the last uphill mile of that race. She passed me at mile 9 and I watched her back for a long time while trying not to loose her. Then I started thinking of some of the 2 mile repeats we had done in preparation for our 1/2 marathon; I thought to myself that since I could do those I could certainly stay on her heels the last mile of this race; just 1 mile!! As soon as I had finished that thought I started catching up with her and all of a sudden I passed her; I couldn't believe it was happening but I thought to myself that I would not let her pass me again before the finish line so I kept the steam up. We both had a great race experience and hugged and laughed after the finish - she said she couldn't believe I was passing her after she had passed me; and I looked so relaxed, she said.........
Looks can be deceiving

Joanna, your family is awesome - I love to run on a treadmill; I do it several times per week in the gym. You can run in all kinds of weather and you can set the pace and the incline and monitor your heart rate if you wish; I love doing speed work on the treadmill. Keep up the good work!!

The Heart and Sole race was a very nice race. It was supposed to have started at 8:30 am but at 8:30 it poured down rain and there was a thunderstorm right above us with some vivid lightning so the start was delayed due to safety issues with the lightning.
We finally started running at 9:00 am - soaking wet and a little off beat - but the rain stopped and before we reached the finish line the sun was out. It was very humid but not terribly hot - lovely weather for the post race ceremonies. The race was put on by a local TV station and a Heart Hospital trying to race awareness of heart health in women.

Barbara, I run almost every day - most days for close to an hour. I try to have some plan before I start running. Some days I do speed work, some days hill work etc. Most days are recovery runs LOL!! On Saturdays I run with a group of other runners - we meet in a local "running store" - the owner is a former Olympic hopeful who is a good motivator and has a big heart. He is our trainer/coach - right now we are only running for fun; but in July we will start training toward certain races. First a 1/2 Marathon in Columbia, takes place in October. Then a full marathon in December - either Kiawah Island or a race in Charlotte, NC - they both take place on the same day, December 9. I am going to train for a full marathon this time.

Thank you guys for all your gracious compliments - you are wonderful!!

Love,
Karen

[Polly]

Awesome photo, Karen!

And great-looking form! I am totally impressed. Is this the same woman who once despaired of ever being fit again??? You should be so proud of yourself! You look like a champ!

And you are going for the full marathon In Dec. WAHOO! You GO, girl! There's just no stopping you now.

Love,

Polly

P.S. WOW! You run about an hour every day. You are an inspiration. I saw my internist a few days ago for my annual visit, and he wants me to increase my running from at the current 45 min. every other day to 5-6 days per week. I'll increase slowly.....don't want to get any knee problems. So you haven't had any injuries with running every day?

[Liz]

Hi Karen. Way to go. You do look great. Our daughter Judy has been entering Triathlons lately & I think she is hooked on them. She was in one when we were over in New Zealand recently & went along to cheer her on. It was a Women's event, 400 metre swim, 15 km bike ride & 5 km run/ walk. There is no prize for winning, it is just participation that is the important thing. There were 700 women of all ages, shapes & sizes. Judy is a big girl (well I still think of her as a girl at 45) & she prefers to walk rather than run. This is the third Triathlon she has entered & she has lost weight ( about 15 kilos) as a result of healthy eating & her training. She walks a couple of kms, Swims & rides about 10- 15 kms per day. I am so proud of her & what she is doing.

That's her in the white top coming in to the finish of the bike ride.

Love

Liz

[JJ]

Wow...I am impressed...I only run when I need to catch a bus...ha ha....I need to start an exercise program now that ski season is over....maybe I will join the Y since my job will be part time next year. JJ

[moremuscle]

Morning Liz,

Your daughter looks great on her bike coming into the finish - she obviously has a lot of guts to be doing triathlons; I am very impressed!! No wonder you are proud of her. And also, what an impressive weight loss already - if she keeps it up she will soon be as skinny as the girl on the bike to the left in the picture, the lady in black. Actually, she is already leading a healthy lifestyle while having fun doing it - what else can we ask for? The weight loss is an added benefit in your daughter's case - I am sure she is feeling much better just from loosing the first 15 kilos (35 lbs?); that's usually a good motivation to keep working on dropping even more pounds - you can help her with her diet by suggesting a relatively low carb/high protein diet (inspired by the paleolithic diet LOL!); it's good for every body, not just us with intolerances; it would probably help her loose more weight while still not feeling hungry.
Most atheletes think they have to carb load - I have a different perspective on that.

Miss Polly,
Good to hear from you - I was wondering if you are still running; you are one of my sources of inspiration. Why does your internist want you to run 5-6 days a week? You are right to add more milage/time spent running ever so gradually in order to assist your body in making the adjustments and prevent injury. If you've had the same routine for a long time your body will probably get sore and you will feel uncomfortable when you start to change things. I believe it is good to shake yourself out of the comfort zone - make a change. However, it is stressfull for the body. Be sure to listen to the body and give it time to recover in between. Could you perhaps substitute some of your running for time on an elliptical machine? Those machines are less hard on your knees.

You asked if I have been injured. Yes, I had some major problems with my ankles and feet when I started training with the group in November of last year. I learned that my shoes were tied too tightly and they were a little too small also - my feet swell quite a bit when I run for a long time so I need to have shoes that are not too tight. Also, I ran in cheap running shoes. I now run in shoes that have more support and I have tried to find a shoe that is right for my type of foot and running style. My feet and ankles are no longer hurting so much. Recently I have had some problems with my knees - I try to ice them if they get too sore. I also try to listen to my body and not run hard if my knees are hurting. The speed work and the hill workouts are especially hard on my knees so I need recovery time after those hard workouts; sometimes it simply means running at a very slow pace (recovery pace) the day after a hard workout but sometimes it means taking a day or two off. The off days are a good time to focus on some upper body strength and core training - or simply take time off completely and let the mind and body rest.
Good luck with your running, Polly. I would like to run with you next year in Columbia for the Women's Heart and Sole - will you be ready?

Love,
Karen