Month: April 2012

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Spectating at Sean’s Run

I was on this year’s race brochure so of course, I would have run this race.

me on the front of the mailing

I decided that the race was late enough (1 pm) to be able to drive to Chatham and watch my friend Mary run this race. 

Mary & I enjoying a post-race ice cream cone last year

Friday’s RW quote also came to mind:

Running is not, as it so often seems, only about what you did in your last race or about how many miles you ran last week. It is, in a much more important way, about community, about appreciating all the miles run by other runners, too.–Richard O’Brien

The last 17 weeks have been all about me.  I have been feeling sorry for myself cuz I can’t run.  I have been jealous of everyone running, training and racing. Everday I wake up and curse Dec 29 and wish I never went for that run.

So yesterday was a perfect running day (just a little too windy) but cool & sunny.  I got to the race early enough to wish Mary luck before the race.

She's ready!

Then I was able to do what I have never been able to do.  I watched the runners start.

They're off!

I got to see all the runners go by.

I even watched the winner (at an amazing time) cross the finish line.

Chuck Terry wins for the 3rd time!

Mary, who is tapering for her marathon next weekend, did great.

Here she comes!

Of course, we had to have our free ice cream cone together again.

the spectator & the runner

I think it’s supposed to be a reward for racing but it still tasted good.

So my first spectating experience wasn’t half bad.  It’s fun if you know someone racing.  Of course, I prefer to be in the race….and I will be next year!

Afterwards we went out for coffee and talked about my comeback –whenever that may be.  Hopefully we will race together in the near future.

Happy Running!  Have you ever spectated at a race when you’ve been injured?

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Walking For Miles and Miles…


I decided to go back to Colonie Town Park to do my bike ride yesterday.  It was chilly but at least it was sunny.

I rode my bike toward Cohoes.  I knew this time that the way back would be uphill.

I parked my bike and decided to walk a little further to see where it went next.

 
These are  the train tracks that I heard about.  Some people have had wait for the train to pass when running the Hudson-Mohawk Marathon.

Eventually if you keep going, you can hit the Corning Trail on the Hudson River.  Don’t know how far, though.

I completed my 10 mile ride as I did last week and put my bike back on the rack.

I was itching to run but I know that I cannot so I decided to walk.

Walking is painful but it is allowed.  So I walked and walked and walked. I vowed to walk until I saw the Mohawk River.

bridges over 87N.(which crosses the Mohawk)

Then when I did, I kept walking and finally hit the end of the Nisky Trail (that I have run and biked.) Well, the end for me, at least.

I am glad that I walked it. It is quite hilly and my legs & bike brakes aren’t up to it.

I turned around walked all the way back.  It may have only been 4 miles but with a bum ankle, it felt like 10.

had to do it again - only 90 calories!!

They say “You have to crawl before you can walk.”  So I say “You have to walk before you can run.”

So I am walking…

Happy Running! 

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Change or No Change

I thought things had changed a lot since last April and then I went to the hairdresser.

Change:

Last April, I was getting excited to run my second half marathon (13.1 miles).
This April, I am excited to run 2 minutes on a treadmill and I look forward to biking on the weekends.

April 2011

April 2012

 

Last April, my hair was long (and then I cut it.)
This April, I have continued to keep it shorter.

April 2011

April 2012

No Change:

I got my hair cut before going on my annual Florida vacation.
I am wearing the  SAME OUTFIT. (What are the odds of that??)

Happy Running!  What has changed with you since last year?

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A, B, Cs of Me – the Food Edition

This is happens when you are not training for a race or running any races.  There’s not much to blog about. (Bear with me…)

A: is for Apple, what’s your favorite variety?
Yellow Delicious but I mostly eat apples cooked like in apple crisp or apple pie

B: is for Bread, regardless of nutrition, calories, or whole grains what is your favorite type to have a nice big piece of?
Rye for a sandwich or French with a meal

C: is for Cereal what is your favorite kind currently (just one!)
I love hot cereal, my favorite is cream of wheat (cinnamon maple).  I don’t like milk so I don’t eat cold cereal.

D: is for Doughnuts, you might not currently be eating them but what kind do you fancy?
Jelly-filled with vanilla frosting or boston cream-filled with chocolate frosting (I hate powered sugar ones)

E: is for Eggs, how would you like yours prepared?
Scrambled or an omelet

F: is for Fat Free, what is your favorite fat free product? 
Um, Starbuck’s latte

G: is for Groceries, where do you purchase yours at?
Either Price Chopper or Target – sometimes Walmart

H: is for Hot Beverages, what is your favorite hot drink?
Coffee

I: is for Ice Cream, pick a favorite flavor and add a fun topping.
Coffee with chocolate syrup but I love root beer floats (with vanilla ice cream)

J: is for Jams or Jellies, do you eat them, and if so what kind and flavor?
Sometimes, raspberry or apricot

K: is for Kashi, name your favorite Kashi product?
I don’t think I eat often enough to have a favorite.

L: is for Lunch, what was yours today?
bagel, greek yogurt, fruit

M: is for microwave, what is your favorite microwave meal/snack?
Warmed up pizza.

N: is for nutrients, do you likes carbs, fats, or proteins best?
CARBS…I’m (was) a runner LOL

O: is for oil, what kind do you like to use?
Depends on the dish – Olive Oil, I guess

P: is for protein, how do you get yours?
I don’t think I get enough – mostly yogurt, nuts, occasional steak or hamburger

Q: is for Quaker, how do you like your oats?
Cooked with raisins and brown sugar

R: is for roasting, what is your favorite thing to roast?
Pork loin

S: is for sandwich, what’s your favorite kind?
Veggie at Subway or Roast beef

T: is for travel, how do you handle eating while traveling?
I don’t travel a lot but I try not to snack a lot and overeat in restaurants.

U: is for unique, what is one of your weirdest food combos?
I don’t really think I have any weird food combos.

V: is for vitamins, what kind do you take?
Glosamine-Chondrotin daily, sometimes a multi-vitamin with calcium

W: is for wasabi, yay or nay?
Yay! 

X: is for XRAY. if we x-rayed your belly right now, what food would we see?
A banana

Y: is for youth, what food reminds you of your childhood?
Entemman’s danish.  My mother always had it in the house.  Carvel ice cream.  We used to get it on Sundays.

Z: is for zucchini, how do you prepare it?
baked as in zucchini bread, or breaded and fried

If you are bored, you should copy over the questions and play along on your blog too 🙂

Happy Running (and eating)!

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Walking at Work

Yesterday a bunch of us at work walked for 45 minutes as part of “Turn a Working Lunch into a Walking Lunch.”

I guess it’s ok since I can’t run.   When the weather is nice, it’s more enjoyable than the treadmill (except that I can RUN on the tm.)

This was my first walk on pavement…I usually either lean on a shopping cart or walk on a treadmill.

Our group (-3)

 

 

I walked slow. Very Slow. My foot hurt!! It was swollen afterwards.  But it was worth it … doing something others were doing…I almost felt normal 🙂

Also we just got this email:

Join us for the next 10 weeks in the WalkingWorks® challenge – a friendly walking competition between April 30th and July 8th.

Employees will form teams and compete to see which team can walk the most miles. To keep things fair, the total miles walked will be the average number of miles walked by each member of your team. You can track your personal and team progress online, and will receive weekly e-mail reminders and tips to help you stay motivated. The team that averages the most miles will win a prize!

The first 60 people to register will receive a FREE pedometer and a FREE participant guide with instructions for tracking the number of steps you walk each week.

I’m pretty sure my department is joining.  So I will be walking! And I want my team to win!! (Yes, I am competitive.)

Happy Running!  Do you also walk?

 

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Running on the Treadmill

I have never enjoyed running on the treadmill.  I have never been good at it.  It’s not just the boredom but I find it difficult. 

I run at a slower pace.  If I speed up, I feel like I will fall off.  

I kinda run like this.

I have a shorter stride on the treadmill.  Otherwise, I feel like I will go off the front. 

I do NOT look like this!

I get tired faster. 

I feel like this!

And they seem to run at different speeds.  The same speed on the treadmill at work feels SO MUCH FASTER than the one at PT.  Is that possible???

I could go on and on about my treadmill difficulties. 

In the past, I have only used the treadmill when I could not run outside (rain, snow, etc.) Well, now  it’s the only place I can run. 

Things will have to change!!!!

PT guy J remarked that on Monday, my stride was too short and my gait was choppy. “You must be nervous because of your ankle. We’ll have to work on that.”

Only part of  my problem was related to  the injury. How can I explain that I suck as a treadmill runner!

Happy Running!  Anyone else have treadmill issues?

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Two for Tuesday Injury Update

1. Yesterday I went for what I thought was my last visit to the ortho.  It was not.  I have to go back again in 2 MONTHS.

 He cautioned me about keeping the swelling down so it will heal —compression socks, ice, elevation.  He said I could walk & run on the treadmill, use the elliptical and bike –BUT NO RUNNING OUTSIDE YET!!

He said I am ahead of his healing schedule but of course, not my schedule…it’s a long road to recovery…BE PATIENT.

I left the office depressed and headed to PT.

2.  There I ran for 2 MINUTES straight on the treadmill (with 1 minute walking in between for a total of 20 minutes)!!

No real pain, just the usual stiffness which results in a lack of rhythm and a feeling of awkwardness.

Happy Running!

 

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The Path Not Taken…

The good thing about new bike paths is that when I can run I will have new running routes.

On Saturday, rain was forecasted but it held out until the afternoon. It was warm (70s) and I decided to ride on the Corning Trail.  The fishermen were on the Hudson in abundance.


Well on Sunday it was 30 degrees colder but it wasn’t raining so I went for another bike ride.

This time I decided to park at the Colonie Town Park and take part of the Mohawk Trail that I had never done before. I headed toward Cohoes (an industrial city on the Hudson.)

looking back toward the park

It wasn’t very scenic.  No view of the River.  You go under several over passes.  You see the city of Cohoes eventually on both sides of the path.

It is slightly downhill the whole way.

again looking upward toward Colonie

Yes, that means that it was uphill on the way back. Gotta build those quads & calf muscles back!!! (Maybe it will help my running….)

I think it was 4 miles down & 4 miles back. 

When I got back to the parking  lot, I figured that I might as well bike in the other direction since it hadn’t started raining yet.

I headed toward Niskayuna where I have ridden before.  I only went a mile and then turned back.  The sky was getting darker.

(With nicer weather & when my legs are in better shape, I’d like to ride from Niskayuna to Cohoes and back.)

Look what I passed on my way home:

rumored to have the best soft ice cream in the area

10 miles of biking deserves some ice cream, right?

But, I chose frozen yogurt – mint choco patty with sugar-free choco syrup…YUM!

I see a long run route in my future… and if I do it, then I will try the soft ice cream 🙂

Happy Running!

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Looking Forward to May…

I bet you are tired of me whining about my ankle & how I can’t run….

Yeah, me too!

So I’ll talk about how excited I am about May (and it has unfortunately nothing to do with running.)

1.  Anna is coming to the US.  In April 2002, 2004 & 2006, I participated in a teacher program where we went to Kursk, Russia to visit schools & we stayed with a family.  My family was Anna.  So I haven’t seen her since 2006.  The last time she came to the US was 2003.

hiking in Vt during her 2003 visit

I am going to see her in NYC on May 5 and then she is staying with me on May 6. I am super excited to see her again.

2.  I am going to Naples, Fla for the annual tennis ladies trip.  Although I can’t play tennis, I loves Naples and the beach and the warm weather.

at the beach 🙂

group photo at "The Dock"

I will be there May 8-15. Can’t wait for this vacation!

3. It’s the beginning of the Lake George boating season.

Our marina opens on May 15.  We may not stay there until Memorial Day weekend

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4. Lastly, my birthday is May 9!!

 Happy Running!  What is your favorite month?

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I Ran! I Ran Twice!

the PT treadmill is now my friend

This is exciting! But I’m not getting too excited.

My ankle is still stiff, it hurts and it swells throughout the day but my PT guy J who said I couldn’t run for 6 mos (which would be not until the end of June) told me to get on the treadmill on Monday.  (He may have been tired of  me repeatedly asking when I can run.)

This happened after the hot whirlpool, the usual stretching exercises, drills, machines, ladder, etc.

I was nervous…I whined that I was not ready… I wasn’t sure at all that I remembered how…but I did what I was told to.

I walked for one minute (3.5 mph), then I ran for one minute (4 mph) for a total of 10 minutes!!!

It was weird…it was hard to get a rythmn…I tried not to limp (I used the Black Knight’s suggestion of saying 1…2..1…2).  But I ran!

PT guy J cautioned me not to try this at home… (I obeyed!)

Then again yesterday, the same thing happened at PT but I did it for 12 minutes (increased my running speed to 4.8 mph).

So I have run twice!!!

Again PT guy J warned me not to try this at home… (I will obey…for now!)

When I asked:  “When will my ankle stop being so stiff?” He said that it is a hinge joint & I had a serious injury so a long time.  When I asked: “How long will it take to be able to run correctly & get some rhythm?”  He said that it will take many months…

I go back to ortho on Monday.  PT guy J said not to tell him that I am running…

This is my happy (will run again) face

 

Happy Running! Thanks for sticking around.