Author: Darlene

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Five Things Friday

  1. The weather is beautiful today!  It has that summer feeling!  I played tennis at 7 am and I wanted to stay outside all day…but I had to go to work  😦  At least I took a long walk at lunch to enjoy the sunshine.
  2. I’m getting through my no race weekend blues by reading running blogs and racing through others.
  3. I dragged myself out of bed yesterday at 6 am and ran 3 miles before work.  I’m glad I did (after, not before, that is).
  4. I have a busy  evening planned…mah jongg is at my house tonight and I have  to buy snacks, wine &  clean up…I have plants that I bought on Monday that need to be planted…we’re leaving for the lake early tomorrow morning & I have to shop, pack, organize for 2 days on the boat/island…Oh yes, I wanted to run too!!
  5. Happy Father’s Day to all those Dads out there!!

Happy Running & Have a great weekend!

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No Races This Weekend

The last two weekends, it has rained and my hubby and I have not gone on our boat on Lake George.  This morning, while watching the weather channel, he announces: “No races this weekend!! We ‘re going on the boat and we’re leaving early Saturday!”

I have run a 5K the past two weekends and I have one next Saturday so I can’t complain.  But I think I am already going through withdrawal at the thought of not running in a race this weekend. Why?

  1. Races motivate me to run during the week. I ran Monday but because I don’t have  a race this weekend, I skipped my run yesterday and today!!!
  2. I run faster in a race.  I mean a lot faster… 3 miles at home takes me 35 minutes or more and last week I ran it in 28 in a race.

No more whining…I will run tomorrow after work and maybe even Friday.  I will run around the Sagamore in Bolton Landing on Sunday while boating on Lake George!!! I will enjoy our times on Lake George…I have a lot more races planned for the rest of the summer (Hope the hubby will understand.)

Happy Running!

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Two for Tuesday

  1. I won this tote bag from 2010 Journey in Running‘s giveaway.  I ❤ winning! Thanks Bobbie.

  2. I’m back at work after 3 day weekend and the sun is shining finally.  A beautiful day.  After work, I am playing tennis (doubles) and maybe a run (if I have enough energy) or gardening!

Happy Running!

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Busy Day Off

I took the day off because I thought we would be at the lake.  The weekend was rainy so we did not go out on our boat.

After enjoying a leisurely breakfast, I decided to go for a run.  I had planned 3.5 miles but since I was not rushed, I decided to push for 5 miles.  This was an effort.  It was humid. The route was hilly so I walked a lot the last 2 miles but I did it.

Next I decided to weed and plant some annuals in the garden. Guess what I found in the parking lot of the garden store – Betties’ Cakes  double decker bus.

I ran 5 miles so I could justify eating this:

The bus is here til June 25!  I’ll be back!

After the afternoon of weeding & planting, I headed off to my USTA tennis match.  Our captain sent us to the wrong location so we had to rush to the correct location.  We were late and there was no time to warm up. 

One player didn’t show up so I had to play singles.  I NEVER play singles! But no one else on my team would.

I won the first set 6-4, was ahead in the 2nd 3-1 but then my opponent came back strong and I lost 6-3 and I also lost in the tie breaker 😦

Everyone on the team lost so afterwards we consoled ourselves and went out for dessert.  I had strawberry shortcake.  (I forgot, I had ice cream for dessert before the match, too).

Back to work tomorrow!

Happy Running!

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Brain Exchange #12 & Monday Goals

Click HERE to participate.

Topic:  Motivational Quotes

Question:  What are some of your favorite motivational quotes/sayings?  Do you have any personal mantras you use while dealing with tough times on the race course?

Here are some of my favorites:

“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” – John Bingham

“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.” – Lance Armstrong

“There is no better feeling in the world than to take your mind and body to a place you thought it couldn’t go; a place you thought it didn’t belong. You should all try it sometime.” – Shauna Reid

“Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must, just never give up.” – Dean Karnazes

“I’ve given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.” – Steve Prefontaine

In a race, I just look around at all the runners around me, all sizes, shapes and ages, and feel a sense of pride to be one of them.  I just telling myself to “keep going, it’ll be over soon and I will survive.”

Recap of  last week:
My weekly goal was 14 miles. I did 13.5 – Close enough!!
I ran a 5k race!! I had a PR!!!!!

This week’s schedule:
Monday – tennis match pm (day off from work)
Tuesday – tennis after work
Wed – Census job after work
Friday –  tennis before work, mah jong after work
weekend – on the boat

This week’s running :
Monday – 3.5 miles
Wednesday-  before work  – 3 miles
Friday – 4 miles after work
Sunday – 3.5 miles

Weekly Running Goal = 14 miles
Monthly Running Goal = 54 miles
Yearly Running Goal = 300 miles

Happy Running & have a great week!

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Kinderhook Bank OK 5K & an Unexpected PR

Read about the race here and here.

This race turned out much differently than expected.

I was really tired all week and had a tight right calf muscle.  Yesterday I came home from work and went to bed.  I was too tired to go to Mah Jongg (which I LOVE) or even BLOG.

When I got up this morning, I was still tired.  My race goals were to finish and run as much of the race as I could.

This was the first time I have run this race and it was about 40 minutes away.  On the way, I realized that at the last 4 races I have run with others that I know.  It was nice having someone to chat with before and after the race. I knew no one running this race & I signed up for it while on a high from my last race. This is bound to happen when you are a 5K race addict like myself.

The skies were overcast and threatening RAIN!.  The temperature was in the 60’s and would have been comfortable if it weren’t so HUMID.   They gave out a nice backpack type bag, coupon for a free Stewarts ice cream cone and the standard cotton tee.

There were almost 600 running in this race.  I recognized a lot of elite runners from the area (so no award for me!). It started and ended in the middle of town.  There were some inclines on the country roads of Kinderhook, NY but otherwise  it was relatively flat.

I started slowly in the middle of the pack, trying to get my iPod to play.  I never have an idea what my pace is since I don’t have a Garmin.  Everyone was passing me by so I thought I was running slow.  I just kept running.

(Photo courtesy of Barry Knights)

I was surprised that the mile 1 clock said 9:20.  That’s my PR pace.  So I continued running.  The 2nd mile clock said 18:42 so I was at the same pace.  That was good because I didn’t want a repeat of last week’s race when I ran too fast during mile 2 and had no gas for the 3rd mile.

I continued running at my same pace with only a brief stop for water and when I approached the finish line, I was shocked to see 28 minutes!  I started to sprint  as fast as I could!!!

My goal this year was to finish under 29 minutes and I did- 28:42.  YAY!!

I actually felt less tired after the race than before.

There were had lots of refreshments – apples, bananas, oranges, watermelon, cider, bagels, donuts, bars, etc.  They gave out ceramic dishes to the top 3 in each 5 year age group.  Just as they started to announce the winners, it started to rain.  I hung around since I had a rain coat and I knew I had no chance at 10 year age groups but there was a slight possibility today.

Nope!  I came in 318 and 6th in my age group.  The top 2 in my age group ran it in 20 & 21 minutes!!!!!!!!!  The good news is next year, these 2 runners  will be out of my age group for 2 years.

I hope the rain stops for some outdoor activities tomorrow.

Happy Running and have a great weekend!

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Three Things Thursday

  1. It rained yesterday (I needed the rest anyway) and it rained on and off all day today.  But when I got home, it had stopped I got in a 3.5 mile snail run.
  2. I am over the 250 mile mark (I have 255) and it’s only June.  Last year I ran 209 miles in 12 months.  This year my goal is 300 – maybe I’ll get to 500?
  3. I love 3 day weekends and I am taking another this weekend. I hope the weather is Ok. Another  5K Race Saturday…

Happy Running!


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Recovery Socks are Great

I guess my legs were more tired than I thought.  Monday, I played tennis for 2 hours, ran around the park with a 3 yr-old and then came home and ran 4 miles (my right calf was a little sore).  Yesterday after work, I played tennis for 2 hours and came home and since t he weather was perfect (cool & breezy), I ran 3 miles.  My right calf was very sore…I walked a lot of my run.

I put on the Recovery Socks that I won in a giveaway and today my legs feel great.  I’m resting today, just in case.  It’s raining anyway. I’ll try my legs again tomorrow in preparation for Saturday’s 5K. (Read about the race here.)

Happy Running and Hump Day!

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Two 4 Tuesday

  1. I’m still on an adrenaline high from Saturday’s race!

the Happy group after the race

I have multiple copies of Sunday’s front page of the newspaper. I even signed up for two more 5ks this month- Kinderhook Bank OK 5K on June 12 and Valley Cats Home Run 5k on June 26.

2.  I’m trying to fit both tennis and running around my 2 jobs and my family and friends. I did both yesterday. I plan to do both today.?

Happy Running!

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Brain Exchange #11 & Monday Goals

Click HERE to participate.

Topic: Summer Fun and Training

Question: With the warmer weather brings BBQ’s, vacations and summer holiday fun…how do you manage a balance between training and fun?

This is a tough one. I try to run as many 5k races as possible during the summer.  This also means that I need to train during the week.

We have a boat on Lake George and my husband likes to go there as often as the weather allows.  Sometimes, we sleep on the boat and reserve a dock on an island for several days. This means that my understanding husband has to dock the boat in Bolton Landing each morning so I can run around town.  So far he hasn’t complained.  It also means that if I have a race on Saturday, he has to wait to go up to the lake or we take 2 cars & I meet him there.

I also play mah jongg on Friday nites and if I have a race, I have to leave early and also not drink a lot.

I would be having a lot more fun with my friends and family if I didn’t run. But running is important to me so I make the sacrifices.

Recap of  last week:
My weekly goal was 13 miles. I did 13– YAY!!
I ran a 5k race!!
(I made the cover of our local paper )

I'm the 2nd one on the bottom left

This week’s schedule:
Monday – tennis am
Tues – tennis after work
Wed – Census job after work
Friday –  tennis before work, mah jong after work
Sunday – on the boat

This week’s running:
Monday –  3.5 miles
Tuesday – 4 miles
Thursday – 3.5  miles
Saturday – 3.1 miles  (RACE)

Weekly Running Goal = 14 miles
Monthly Running Goal = 54 miles (already 9.5)
Yearly Goal = 300 miles (already 244.5)

Happy Running!