MBE (Monday Brain Exchange)

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Brain Exchange #15 and Monday Goals

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Topic: Favorite Athletes

Question: Who are your Top 5 favorite athletes? And why?  They can be famous or infamous, to do with your sport or be in a completely different sport.

  1. Kim Clisters – Tennis – I really admire her comeback after taking time off to have a baby and then winning the US Open. ( I just to see her play at the US Open that year, too)
  2. Roger Federer – Tennis – I love to watch him – he makes it look so easy – and he’s not afraid to show his emotions
  3. John McEnroe – Tennis – he’s from my era – he’s so much fun to watch – a great commentator (& still a great double player) – I’m going to see him play on July 13.
  4. Chris Evert – Tennis – she’s from my era – she’s such a class act – she still looks amazing (I watched her play at a charity event last November)
  5. Kara Goucher – Running – I read about her in Runner’s World magazine & began a fan
  6. Joan Benoit Samuelson – Running – another oldie – I saw her at the Freihofer’s Run recently & WOW  she can run

I have only recently become a runner so most of my favs are tennis players.

Recap of  last week:
My weekly goal was 15 miles. I did 14!!! Close enough!!
I won a giveaway!!! Ryders Sunglasses! YAY!

This week’s schedule:
Monday & Tuesday – boating (on vacation)
Wed – Census job or tennis
Friday –  tennis before work, mah jong after work
Saturday & Sunday- boating on Lake George island

This week’s running :
Monday   – 4.5  miles at the marina
Thursday – 4  miles after work
Friday – 3.5 miles
Sunday – 4 miles at the marina

Weekly Running Goal = 16 miles
Monthly Running Goal = 55 miles
Yearly Running Goal = 300 miles

Happy Running & hope you had a great 4th!

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Brain Exchange #14 & it’s Monday…Goals

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Topic: Give-A-Ways- Love Em or Hate Em

Question: What are your thoughts on give-a-ways?  Do you enter them often?  What entices you to enter or turns you off from entering?  Have you run your own give-a-ways?

I love them.

I enter only those that offer items that I’d like to win. I always post the giveaways on my blog and on twitter (if required) but I do not post on Facebook – there are enough items that appear on people’s  Facebook news items & I don’t want to add to it.

Giveaways have given me opportunities to learn about new running products and they have introduced me to bloggers that I wouldn’t otherwise found.

I have been lucky to win some cool things.   I have never run my own giveaway.  I don’t think I have enough readers and a vendor hasn’t offered me anything to review and give away (Hint! Hint!)

Recap of  last week:
My weekly goal was 10.5 miles. I did 13!!!
I ran in a 5K race! I came in 2nd in my age group!

This week’s schedule:
Monday – friend’s b-day dinner
Tuesday – tennis after work
Wed – tennis after work
Thursday – tennis before work, hair appt
Friday –  Census job after work, mah jong
Saturday & Sunday- boating on Lake George island

This week’s running :
Monday  – 3 miles before work
Wednesday – 3  miles before work – LAST DAY OF THE MONTH!
Friday – 3 miles before work
Sunday – 4 miles (while at the marina)

Weekly Running Goal = 14 miles
JUNE Monthly Running Goal = 54 miles
JULY Monthly Running Goal = 55 miles
Yearly Running Goal = 300 miles

Happy Running & have a great week!

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Brain Exchange #13 & Monday Goals

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Topic: The athletic family

Question: Do you come from an athletic family?  Are your parents/siblings/spouses/children also involved in your sport(s)?

Nope.  Growing up, no one in my family was athletic. I didn’t play any sports in high school nor did my friends. My first husband jogged which I thought at the time was crazy.

In my 40’s, a colleague suggested that we learn to play tennis so we did.  I loved it and played it all the time, played on several teams and now my best friends are those I met playing tennis.  In fact, I met  my current husband on the tennis courts, 12 years ago or so.

My stepsons do not play any sports.  One did track for a little while in HS but currently does not run.  My husband still plays tennis occasionally.

I started running a little over 2 years ago.  My husband  has no interest in running.  😦  He’s not crazy about my running but doesn’t discourage me.



Recap of  last week:
My weekly goal was 14 miles. I did 15!!!
I won a giveaway!

This week’s schedule:
Monday – USTA tennis match after work
Tuesday – tennis after work
Wed – Mentors meeting after work
Thursday – Census job
Friday –  tennis before work, mah jong after work
Saturday – party
Sunday – on the boat

This week’s running :
Tuesday  – 3 miles before or after work
Thursday – 3.5  miles before work
Saturday – 3.1  miles – RACE

Weekly Running Goal = 9.5 miles
Monthly Running Goal = 54 miles (up to 38)
Yearly Running Goal = 300 miles (up to 273)

Happy Running & have a great week!

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Brain Exchange #12 & Monday Goals

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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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Brain Exchange #11 & Monday Goals

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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!

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Brain Exchange #10

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Topic: Lessons Learned

Question: It goes without saying that anytime you challenge yourself, you learn something.  What are some of the things you have learned on your own personal journey through fitness, whether it be from triathlon, running or just simply training? (Thanks for posting this question last week so I could schedule this post before I left on vacation.)) 

  1. I’ve learned to prioritize.  If running is important, you have to make time for it which means skipping things you like to do or re-scheduling things.
  2. I’ve learned to set goals. That means – how many miles to run each week or each month, how many races to run in, how fast to run, how far to run (and to keep track of the above by blogging and dailymile.com)
  3. I’ve learned not to get discouraged after a poor run or a poor race.  There’s always another.
  4. I’ve learned to run on the treadmill because I hate to run in colder temperatures.
  5. I’ve learned that what you wear matters.  Clothes must be comfortable and it’s important to look good (at least for me).
  6. I’ve learned a lot from reading other running blogs and by writing my own blog.

Happy Running!

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Monday Brain Exchange #9

Visit Finishing is Winning to participate.

Topic:  Summer Racing

Question:  What are your summer race plans?  Are you trying anything new this year?  What race are you looking most forward to?

I LOVE racing in the summer.  If I could, I would do a 5k every weekend. These are the ones I’ve registered for already but I may do some more in June and July.

  • June
  • Freihofer’s Run for Women
  • July
  • Silks & Satins 5k
  • August
  • Fasig Tipton 5k
  • Jailhouse Rock 5K 
  • New Visions 5K

    • I am most looking forward to Silks & Satins and Fasig Tipton because I love to run Saratoga, especially during track season. All of these races I’ve done before so there’s nothing new here.  But I, of course, want to get faster!!

    Happy Summer Running!