On October 11, hopefully I will be finishing my 75th half marathon.

If you follow this blog, you know that there have been quite a few hiccups in my training.

But this week, I was healthy (aside from the side effects of my flu & COVID shots) and had no race planned.

Last Week –

• Sunday – After a late night, the weather was too nice to stay home. So we spent the day on the lake.

docked on Red Rock island, reading a book (Atmosphere) and drinking a beer.

• Monday – Both my running friend Heidi and I had the day off to go hiking. We decided on Vroman’s Nose. In the parking lot, we met Priscilla and Emilee and became instant BHFs.

We hiked the loop and then went out for a delicious lunch.

After lunch, we did a short hike at Landis Arboretum.

And on the way home, we stopped for homemade ice cream.

The second hike was rushed because I had a pickleball lesson scheduled for 4:30 pm.

a few of us were in the last session so we just played.

I ended the day with my flu and COVID vaccines.  (So happy to be protected.)

• Tuesday – Too lazy busy to go to the gym but I did get in a short run in during lunch

I lasted about a mile due to a headache and sore arm (Vaccines!!)

and after work, I had a much needed hair appt. and visit to TJ’s (Don’t ask me how many pumpkin-related items I bought.).

• Wednesday – WFH all this week.

After work, I went to week 2 of my STEM mentor group run.  I got there a little early in order to add in a mile before the rest of the group arrived.

there are 2 locations –  my group is rather small (1 runner, 4 mentors tonight)

• Thursday – I finally got up early to go for a run. It had been a while.

listened to an AMR podcast which made the run a little easier…

After work,  I finally had time to visit with my granddaughter (the main reason for the pre-work run.)

she’s getting sooo big and enjoys being outside

• Friday – An early morning trip to the gym.  That had been awhile too.

I went to the office for a bit…

Iced pumpkin spice latte. Did you notice my manicure (got it yesterday)…

And then in the evening I went to play mah jongg.

• Saturday – Long Run and Brunch. After a 5k and 10k on the previous Saturdays, I needed to run longer in order to be ready to run 13.1 in 3 weeks.

I was glad to have some company.., I had to run some miles solo and then Sherry and Deirdre (who are training for NYCM) joined me for some… in the end I got 11 miles done and then we went out for brunch (with Stan and Kevin.).

it was chilly at first but those arm sleeves didn’t last long..

In the evening, I had dinner with some tennis friends (one is leaving for Florida where she winters…)

• Sunday – A gym visit is planned and then up to the lake today (weather permitting)…

This Coming Week on the Run – 

• Monday – run, pickleball
• Tuesday – gym, walk w/BFF
• Wednesday – STEM mentor run
• Thursday – run, Zoom STEM bd mtg
• Friday – gym, mah jongg
• Saturday – Great Pumpkin Challenge 10k (+ more miles), 50th college reunion activities
• Sunday – gym, boating

This Coming Week on the Blog – 

• Tuesday – My Summer in Photos (pt 2)
• Friday – Runfessions

Happy Running! Training for any big or small races this fall?  Does it feel like fall where you live? Do you play pickleball?  Have you gotten you COVID vaccine yet? Please share.

I am linking up with Kim and Deborah for

I encourage you to do the same. Grab the graphic, drop your link on the host blogs and play along! Please be sure to always comment on the HOST’s blogs, as well as visit and comment on as many other blogs as you can.

I hadn’t been on a vacation since last May.

So I was obviously looking forward to this trip to visit my college roommate.

And sunflowers are my favorites…

Two Weeks Ago –

• Sunday – Run for the Roses 5k.

I’ve done this small local race before and enjoyed it.  This year I recruited my Heidi to join me. You get a shirt, a library book and a rose… and it raises money for the library.  Oh but I did forget that it was hilly!!

Although I was 3 minutes slower than last time, my ankle didn’t feel any worse and I won my age group (though I didn’t stay for the awards.)

Afterward, I jetted up to the lake and joined my hubby who was patiently waiting.

We spent the afternoon on an island and of course, I read a whole book.

My hubby drove home and I hung around town for a few more hours exploring the shops and listening to music (and having my evening ice cream).

• Monday – I went to the gym before work and had my last pickleball lesson in the evening. Some folks mentioned that they may show up each week here to play… So I did buy a racquet and balls (just in case).
• Tuesday – I met my friend Jenny again for an early morning run. She invited our friend Linda and chose a track workout…

some planets, the moon, sunrise and 50m repeats = great way to start the day

and then I had to rush home because I was teaching live today and tomorrow.

• Wednesday – Same as the day before….

except that Jenny and I met early to run 60:60 intervals

and I chose a different flavor at Starbucks…

and we finally got some rain after work…

• Thursday – I went to the gym and then left work early for a PT appt.

I told her that I was still sore and stiff but no worse. She did her stuff and proclaimed that it seemed a lot better. I was told to continue my exercises and return in three weeks.

Afterward, I was supposed to take the train to NYC. I had decided to stay overnight so I wouldn’t have to make the long trek to the Hamptons in one day.

Well, my train had so many delays that I decided to take the bus and arrived with no snafus. I checked into my hotel and then met Cari for dinner and conversation.

After we parted I continued my evening with a walk around NOMAD and had some gelato.

blogger meet ups are always a joy

• Friday – I got up early to do my long run. I had thought of trying for 12 miles. I ran from my hotel toward the East River. Unfortunately I didn’t leave until 7 am and it was already hot and humid. I did my best but with construction, I kept hitting detours.

Eventually I arrived in the Financial District. My run was only about 8 interrupted miles but I was done.

pretty views but I won’t return until the construction is finished…

I walked around the area a bit and then took the subway back to my hotel to check out.

I had lunch and took the train to the Hampton Bays where my college roommate, Barbara, lives.

We went out for a drink at a restaurant on the water and we took a boat to another place for a drink. Finally we relaxed with a dinner also with a water view.

• Saturday – I got up late and we just spent the day relaxing in her pool and reading.

I loved that book (though I cried through the end…)

Since I was running a race the next day, we went out for pizza for dinner (on the river this time).

We ended the evening with homemade ice cream.

Students from that school were the outdoor entertainment

Last Week –

• Sunday – Ellen’s Run.

Early wake up because even though the race started at 9 am, Barbara was volunteering at 6:30 am.

I brought my breakfast and coffee and hung out until it was time to pick up my bib and shirt.

The race raised money for breast cancer research and many of the runners were either survivors or relatives of those who had the disease.

I decided to run in memory of my friend Ava who died back in November.

Although it was sunny, hot and humid, I did my best (and walked a lot) but still won my age group.

The plan for the afternoon was visiting a winery.

The one we chose even had live music. We brought along charcuterie and did flight tasting (5 different wines). All were good.

There were even sunflowers there.

For dinner, we stayed in and barbecued steaks and had home grown corn.

• Monday – Unfortunately it was looking not to be a beach day. Cloudy, cool and breezy. Barbara also had work being done on her house.

I thought that I do a run but my legs wanted a walk and so I just ran to the water (which was nearby) and walked along the shore in both directions.

We went out for Mexican for our last dinner and then to a movie. It was an Italian movie and so good!!

• Tuesday – Last day of vacay and I needed to run. This morning I chose to go to a nearby nature sanctuary. My legs felt like lead. Too much relaxing I guess.

Since the weather was perfect for the beach, that’s where we headed.

high rip tide but perfect for surfers… I just did some reading

Then I took the LIRR train back to NYC and eventually Amtrak home.  I arrived home late but no travel snafus… phew!

• Wednesday – Back to the real world. Early wake up planned to run with Jenny. Then WFH.

Nope, it was pouring!! So I just went to the gym instead.  And it rained ALL DAY!

In the evening, I had dinner with my tennis friends.

good and good company (though our group was smaller than usual)

• Thursday – WFH again and I had no time to run with Jenny in the morning so I instead of the trails, I ran after work on the rail trail.

too hot and too tired = struggle bus

I decided to end my day on a happy note – visit to a sunflower field.

🙂

• Friday – Back to gym before work and another WFH day. I skipped mah jongg so I could wrap presents for the party the next day.

• Saturday – Last long run before my half marathon

This would normally be a taper but I skipped my 12 miler and my friends are marathon training so I’d have company.

I met Sherry and Stan for some miles and then I joined Deb for the rest.

close to 11 run/walk miles done… good enough! FYI those stones in a circle around the tree  had a nest of turtles eggs

I had to skip brunch because there was a noon birthday party for my granddaughter who will be turning two.

with a Taco Twosday theme…

Since I do have a sunflower obsession, I drove up to another sunflower farm (one that also had colored sunflowers…

• Sunday – Gym is planned and then up to the lake (if the weather forecast is wrong.)

This Coming Week on the Run – 

• Monday – walk, pickleball?
• Tuesday – walk
• Wednesday – walk
• Thursday – run, STEM zoom
• Friday – gym, mah jongg
• Saturday – Run 4 the River Half Marathon
• Sunday – gym, boating

This Coming Week on the Blog – 

• Tuesday – Ellen’s Run Recap
• Friday – Runfessions

Happy Running! Training for any big or small races this fall?  Any fun beach vacations? Is your weather cooling down? What is your favorite flower? Please share.

I am linking up with Kim and Deborah for

I encourage you to do the same. Grab the graphic, drop your link on the host blogs and play along! Please be sure to always comment on the HOST’s blogs, as well as visit and comment on as many other blogs as you can.

I do love those long summer days…  I get sad when they get shorter.

I did all my runs before work this week and it was DARK when I started. 😦

Last Week –

• Sunday – I started the day at the gym.

Although my MIL’s birthday is not until the end of September, a big party was planned for today.

Yup, she is turning 100!!!!

It was fun to see relatives that I hadn’t seen in years.

And according to Dr. Google, my Achilles issue could be due to my low heel drop running shoes… so I bought a new pair – Brooks Ghost Max 2. Lots of cushion and 9mm heel drop.

• Monday – Day Off!

My foot was feeling better so I played tennis first thing.

My running friend Heidi also had the day off so we drove to Stockbridge, Mass and had lunch.  Then we went on a pretty hike in Lenox (we got a little lost so it ended up being 4 miles.)  Before heading home, we stopped for ice cream at our favorite place in Lee (where we supposed to race last Sunday.)

I had to rush home because I was scheduled to play pickleball in the evening.

Foot felt fine after all that activity. 🙂

• Tuesday – My friend Jenny is training for Marine Corps so she recruited me to run with her early (5:30 am). I was iffy on whether I wanted to run all her miles so she asked another friend to come along.

We all ran separately.  I wore my new shoes and ran 4 miles of run/walk intervals.  Then we walked a few more miles as a cool down.

still hazy here due to the Canadian wild fires..

My foot felt ok but the real test will be a LONG run.

• Wednesday – I met Jenny again for some more early miles. This morning, she invited 2 other runners. It was a new route for me and hillier than I would have liked but it was fun.  They ran straight and I did my 60:60 intervals (and was the first one done!)  Then Jenny & I walked for 3 more miles.

In the afternoon, I went for my first PT visit. I told her my story and she assessed and examined my foot.

She concluded that I wasn’t injured and ankle stiffness was the issue. She prescribed a series of exercises to do daily and then come back next week. Hopefully there will be more mobility in my ankle and less stiffness/soreness in my Achilles.

And after dinner, I met my BFF for a walk.

• Thursday – Just some trails in the evening. I skipped the trails and got my nails done.  I felt that I needed to be rested for the next day.
• Friday – I was nervous about this week’s long run because of my Achilles issue (after the 10 miler last weekend).

I was happy that Sherry and Stan agreed to move up our long runs to today. I started at 5:30 am and they joined me at 6:00 am.

I wanted to run 8 miles (run/walk) and if things felt ok, do 11 miles.

I did 11!!!! No problems!!

saw a doe and her two babies

In the afternoon, I spent some time at the office.

my reward!!

After dinner, I played mah jongg… at my house.

• Saturday – Long Run and Brunch. I skipped the group run/walk since I had done my long run the day before. I went to the gym instead.

Today instead of our usual diner brunch, one of our running friends hosted a pot luck brunch.

lots of good food and good conversation

• Sunday – Run for the Roses 5k and then heading up to the lake.

This Coming Week on the Run – 

• Monday – gym, last pickleball lesson
• Tuesday –  run?, walk
• Wednesday – run?
• Thursday – gym or Long RUN, PT, train to NYC
• Friday –  run?, train to LI.
• Saturday – beach time!!
• Sunday -Ellen’s Run (5k)

This Coming Week on the Blog – 

• Tuesday – Run for the Roses 5k Race Recap
• Friday – Overcoming the Running Plateau

Happy Running! Training for any big or small races this fall?  Do you run alone or with others?  Which do you prefer? Please share.

I am linking up with Kim and Deborah for

I encourage you to do the same. Grab the graphic, drop your link on the host blogs and play along! Please be sure to always comment on the HOST’s blogs, as well as visit and comment on as many other blogs as you can.

Not a very exciting week and although my chiro said that I was NOT injured, I continued to doubt her… and tried to baby my foot and re-visited her. I even scheduled a few PT appts.

Last Week –

• Sunday – I was hoping to go on our boat but rain and thunderstorms were predicted.

So I limped my way to the gym and then decided to get my car inspected. It needed 2 new tires so I made an appt and when I got there, they told me the wait was 4-5 hours!  What?

I called my hubby to pick me up and left the cat there.  We did some errands and BBQ’ed on  our “new” deck.

In the evening, I met a friend for a drink and then finally tested out the hot tub.

• Monday – My Achilles was still sore so I hesitated to play tennis.  However I couldn’t get a sub last minute.

It was on clay and I didn’t play hard… I had fun and hopefully no damage was done.

In the evening (against my better judgment), I went for my pickleball lesson. Foot felt fine (but there wasn’t a lot of running since the court is so small.)

• Tuesday – I cancelled my morning run with Jenny and went to the gym instead and then after work, I visited my chiro and told her to work some magic.

This week, she worked on the tightness in my foot and told me to roll it on a golf ball.

• Wednesday – An in-person teaching day (wearing sneakers).

great start to my day (chocolate cold brew)

I survived and ended the day with dinner out with my tennis friends..

always a fun evening

• Thursday – Annual Track Day. My former co-worker and I have gone each summer for over 40 years!!

We had brunch while watching the horses warm up, bet some, had lunch, bet some more…All in all a fun day (even though I bet so little than I didn’t win more than I spent…)

• Friday – My chiro told to skip my runs for a week.

But two of my running friends were doing their long runs early and my foot felt much better so…

I did a slow run/walk and completed 9 miles…

yeah, it was sore but no worse after than before. Maybe this is my new normal?

After dinner, I  played mah jongg..

• Saturday – Long Run and Brunch. We decided to take the boat out so I skipped brunch with my running friends..

air quality wasn’t great but otherwise a lovely day and a whole book was read…

• Sunday –  Keep Moo’ving 5k but I plan to walk most of it (w/4 friends) and eat ice cream. As we speak, it is POURING with thunderstorms predicted….. (yes, again!!!)

This Coming Week on the Run – 

• Monday – run, pickleball lesson
• Tuesday –  walk
• Wednesday – run?
• Thursday –  trails, chiro appt, ZOOM STEM Bd mtg
• Friday –  gym, mah jongg
• Saturday – Long Run and Brunch, boating
• Sunday – gym, MIL’s 100th b-day party

This Coming Week on the Blog – 

• Tuesday – Keep Moo’ving 5k Race Recap Tennis & Pickleball
• Friday – Ultimate Coffee Date

Happy Running! Training for any big or small races this spring? Even go through injury denial? Do you race in the rain? Please share.

I am linking up with Kim and Deborah for

I encourage you to do the same. Grab the graphic, drop your link on the host blogs and play along! Please be sure to always comment on the HOST’s blogs, as well as visit and comment on as many other blogs as you can.