October 22, 2014 by Darlene

Giving Back

I am already a mentor to a young unwed mother of 2 but I also wanted to do something related to running.

I am grateful to all running has given me so it’s time to GIVE BACK.

Thanks to Facebook, I saw a post that said:

This is another call to arms for (STEM) Strong Through Every Mile, my domestic violence couch to 5k group. We’ve expanded to a partnership with the YWCA in Schenectady and need new volunteers! I know this is a tough time of year for racing and training but if you have a couple of hours to spend on a Monday, Wednesday and/or Friday at 9am or 5:30pm to train some well deserving women for the next two months to their first 5k, it would literally mean the world to them (even if they don’t know it yet). Any one day per week, morning or evenings would be amazing (double hugs from me if you can do more but it isn’t necessary).

ALL paces welcome, we just need enthusiastic bodies to bring running to non runners.

We’ve been really successful in Troy and are super excited to work with another organization and would love to have you join in on our expansion

Sounded perfect. I can’t do Mondays or Fridays but although I usually run on Wednesdays, I decided to pass and do this instead.

I signed up and got more info last week:

Hi all —

So we’re getting started on Wednesday this week!
Our 9 a.m. group will meet at the bike path at Schenectady County Community College. Our 5:30 p.m. group will meet at the parking lot by Alexander Field at Union College, and we’ll be running the campus.

We’ll be starting with Day 2 of the Couch to 5K training program. (http://www.active.com/mobile/couch-to-5k-app). You don’t have to download it if you don’t want to. Someone else in the group will surely have it and be able to tell you what the plan is for the day.

This is going to be a great season. It’s hard to explain how powerful this program has been for our past participants. The time you’re taking each week to run with these ladies is truly changing lives.

Best,
Jennifer Gish
Features editor/sports columnist
Times Union -Albany, NY

According to the info I received, there are 4 mentors for each session.

I was not familiar with the Couch to 5k program. When I started running with the New Boundaries program, it was a 12 week program and we basically starting running 1 mile and progressed up to 3 miles. So I looked up the Couch to 5K program online. This is basically the 9-week plan:

So after work last Wednesday, I rushed to Union College and found the meeting location (with some difficulty.)

union

People arrived little by little since no one knew exactly where to go. Without any introductions, I wasn’t sure who was who but there seemed to be 5 mentors, 4 interns/case workers, and 6 clients.

It was unseasonably warm – near 80 (unbelievable!) and humid. Luckily the impending rain held off and we were able to do our workout.

The mentors used the Couch to 5K app and spaced themselves among the clients…giving them encouragement. We did some dynamic stretches, a 5 minutes walk, then alternated 60 sec run and 90 sec walk for 25 minutes and then a 5 minute cool down followed by stretches.

The clients were, of course, skeptical about their ability to run but they did great!

The Union College campus is a great place to run – lots of paths, no traffic and lights! (I plan to run afterwards here each week.)

The STEM goal race is Jingle Bell 5K on December 6. Unfortunately I work at the LSATs that morning and already signed up for a 5k that night. (I’ll have to see how it goes and if I can go cheer them on.)

I am looking forward to tonight’s group run. They will have also run last Friday and Monday. I hope the clients don’t drop out.

It is so rewarding to know that you are making a difference in someone’s life.

Happy Running! Have you ever volunteered in a running group?

October 20, 2014 by Darlene

Monday Running Update

20140625-122436-44676505 Last Week:

Monday – walk at work, 4 3.5 mile group run

AM walk

Tuesday – walk at work, rest, tennis

AM walk

Wednesday – walk at work, ~~3 mile run~~ ~~at lunch~~, STEM training mentor (1.5 miles) + 2.5 miles after

AM walk

Thursday – walk at work, 4 3 mile run, dinner out with friends

after work but didn’t run enough to work off what I ate for dinner (see below:)

Beef on a Kummelweck

salted caramel cream puff

Friday- 2 walks at work, rest, gym, ~~mah jongg~~

AM walk

PM walk

Saturday – 10k race + 3 more miles

in the rain but got as PR!

baked 2 apple pies

Sunday – rest, duathlon spectating, farm with mentee & kids

made some chili

This Week:

Monday – walk at work, chili cook off at work, 3 mile group run
Tuesday – walk at work, rest, tennis
Wednesday – walk at work, STEM group run + more (4 miles)
Thursday – walk at work, 4 mile run
Friday-OFF from work, rest, drive to NJ
Saturday – rest, reunion lunch in NYC
Sunday – 10 mile race!

Happy Running! How is your running going? Any races ?

October 13, 2014 by Darlene

Monday running update

20140625-122436-44676505 Last Week:

Monday – walk at work, 3 4 mile group run, mall walk with BFF

getting a little chilly, at least the sun was out

fun running with a group!

Tuesday – walk at work, rest, tennis

AM walk

Wednesday – walk at work, 3 5 mile run, ~~yoga~~

AM walk

after work around and through the park

Thursday – walk at work, 4 mile run

AM walk

after work on the rail trail

Friday- 2 walks at work, rest, gym, mah jongg

AM walk

PM walk in the park

Saturday – 5k race + 6 7 more miles

lst in my AG

Sunday – ~~gym,~~ rest, last day of boating for the season :(, 4 mile hike

no willpower

This Week:

Monday – walk at work, 4 mile group run
Tuesday – walk at work, rest, tennis
Wednesday – walk at work, 3 mile run, yoga
Thursday – walk at work, 4 mile run
Friday- walk at work, rest, gym, mah jongg
Saturday – 10k race + 3 more miles
Sunday – rest, duathlon spectating, farm with mentee & kids

Happy Running! How is your running going? Any races ?

October 7, 2014 by Darlene

Tuesdays on the Run: Running with a Group

Erika @ MCM Mama Runs hosts Tuesdays on the Run with April @ Run the great wide somewhere and Patty @ My no-guilt life!

This week’s topic is: Your Choice

I chose Running with a Group

In 2010, I was asked to be part of a small group by The Happy Runner who wanted to encourage some friends to start running. We ran together every month until the Freihofer’s Run for Women 5K that year. The group has grown immensely and many of them still run together. I see them at races but don’t run with them since they run longer and faster and don’t live nearby. But it was a very positive experience. These ladies are awesome.

When I was training for the Love Run in March, I did several of my long runs with the ladies in the photo below They were training for their first half. Because they are faster and didn’t walk during their runs, it helped me a lot and running with someone else made the miles less painful. If we sign up for another destination half, I would like to run with them again.

Two people at two different races recommended this running group.

It meets on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. at Prospect Park, Troy (From November 10th on, Monday night workouts will be at RPI in Troy) and on Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. at Knickerbocker Park, Troy. (Unfortunately, I have races almost all the Saturdays so I can only do the Monday runs.)

There are 3 groups: 5k beginners, 5k intermediate and 10K. Everyone starts together. After some dynamic stretches, we take off in our separate groups.

So far, I have gone to three Monday group runs and have enjoyed them all.

The first week, we ran 2 loops of the park which happens to be very hilly. I chatted with a former co-worker and her friends and this made the hills bearable. For the most part, we ran at the same speed (I am slower on the uphills and faster on the downhills.)

The second week, I met some new runners and they were super nice. We were short one leader so it was confusing on what we were doing. We were supposed running intervals but not really timing it well and not turning around when we should have. It was a similar distance to the first week.

The third week, we had things organized. After our warm-up, we ran at race pace for 2 minutes and then jogged for 1 minute. We did this 6 times. We looped around so that everyone stayed together so we could hear the times. The hills are tough but I felt better each time I ran up them. Everyone was running close to the same speed and you always seemed to be running with someone new each lap. Then we finished with another lap for about a mile longer than the previous two weeks.

view from the park of Troy..soon we will be watching the sun set

It definitely is motivating to be around people who are enthusiastic about the same thing – RUNNING.

They also run a training group in the spring to train for the Freihofer’s race. I may join that….now that I have realized the value of running with a group…

Meet new people
Learn new things
Have a coach
Do drills
Run on hills
Run with at a faster, more consistent pace
Improve motivation

Happy Running! What is your experience with group running?

October 6, 2014 by Darlene

Monday running update

20140625-122436-44676505 Last Week:

Monday – ~~walk at work~~, 3 mile group run

sort of did intervals … it was humid & hilly…met some more nice people to run & chat with 🙂

Tuesday – walk at work, rest, tennis

PM walk

Wednesday – 3 mile run, walk at work, 4 6 mile run

Thursday – ~~3 mile run~~, ~~walk at work~~, gym ~~orientation,~~ 2 mile run

Friday- walk at work, rest, gym, mah jongg

AM walk

Saturday – 5k race + 6 7 more miles

Sunday – NYC for lunch & to see Kinky Boots with the tennis ladies

I won a blog giveaway!

winner

This Week:

Monday – walk at work, 3 mile group run, mall walk with BFF
Tuesday – walk at work, rest, tennis
Wednesday – walk at work, 3 mile run, yoga
Thursday – walk at work, 4 mile run
Friday- walk at work, rest, gym, mah jongg
Saturday – 5k race + 6 more miles
Sunday – gym, rest, last day of boating for the season 😦

Happy Running! How is your running going? Any races ?

September 29, 2014 by Darlene

Monday Running Update

20140625-122436-44676505 Last Week:

Monday – walk at work, 3 mile group run
Tuesday – walk at work, ~~rest,~~ 4 mile run, mall walk with BFF
Wednesday – walk at work, 4 mile run
Thursday – walk at work, rest, hair appt
Friday- ~~walk at work~~, DAY OFF, 4 mile run, mah jongg
Saturday – proctor LSATs, party, rest
Sunday – 5K race + 6 more miles, boating

This Week:

Monday – walk at work, 3 mile group run
Tuesday – walk at work, rest, tennis
Wednesday – 3 mile run, walk at work, yoga
Thursday – 3 mile run, walk at work, rest, gym orientation
Friday- walk at work, 4 mile run, mah jongg
Saturday – 5k race + 6 more miles
Sunday – NYC to see Kinky Boots with the tennis ladies

Happy Running! How is your running going? Any races ?

September 24, 2014 by Darlene

My First Group Run

I haven’t participated in a training group since 2008 when I started training for my first 5k with the No Boundaries program.

I’ve talked to Hollys at several races and she recommended this group.

maybe that’s what we were talking about here?

Then at my last race when I bumped into Gina, an old colleague, she encouraged me to join too.

Here is the schedule:

Monday, September 22 – Monday November 24

Mondays: 5:30 p.m. at Prospect Park, Troy (Note: From November 10th on, Monday night workouts will be at RPI in Troy. Meeting time is 5:30p.
Saturdays: 8:30 a.m. at Knickerbocker Park, Troy

Prospect Park is about a half hour from my work. I was worried about getting caught in rush hour traffic. But I got there plenty early.

It was quite chilly and breezy. I was freezing waiting for the training to start. (I even switched to capris from a skirt and added a jacket.)

I talked with Hollys and her friends while we waited.

Everyone started together. There were 3 groups: 5k beginners, 5k intermediate and 10K.

After some dynamic stretches, we took off in our separate groups. Gina got there just in time and I wound up running with her and her friends the whole time.

We chatted so it made the running go by quickly.

We ran 2 loops of the park which happens to be very hilly. I didn’t wear a watch so I have no idea about my pace or distance but I would guess that it was close to 3 miles. I even warmed up and took off my jacket and tied it around my waist.

I ran most of run. I just walked a little up one of the hills but then I passed them on the downhill.

I thoroughly enjoyed the run.

Unfortunately, I have races almost all the Saturdays so I can only do the Monday runs.

Looking forward to my next group run!

Happy Running! Have you trained for a race as part of a group?

September 22, 2014 by Darlene

Monday running update

20140625-122436-44676505 Last Week:

Monday – 2 walks at work, rest

AM walk

PM walk

Tuesday – 3 4 mile run, 2 walks at work, rest, ~~exercise class at work~~ (hated it last week, ran instead)

after work

Wednesday – 2 walks at work, ~~4 mile run~~ work event

AM walk

PM walk to the park

Thursday – ~~3 mile run~~ (there was a party at the track where I was going to run at lunch), ~~walk at work~~, ~~exercise class at work??~~ running group meeting
Friday- ~~walk at work~~, rest, mah jongg at my house
Saturday – 8.5 miles

a tough one on the Nisky bike path

Sunday – rest, ~~boating~~ (too windy) BBQ on the river

relaxing

and there was some eating of these… YUM!

Yes, I bailed on 2 runs this week!! 😦

This Week:

Monday – walk at work, 3 mile group run
Tuesday – walk at work, rest, exercise class at work??
Wednesday – walk at work, 4 mile run
Thursday – walk at work, rest, hair appt
Friday- walk at work, 4 mile run, mah jongg
Saturday – proctor LSATs, party, rest
Sunday – 5K race + 6 more miles

Happy Running! How is your running going? Any races ?

September 18, 2014 by Darlene

TTT: Exercising, Running Groups & the Weekend

1. Exercising

Community Care Physicians is a leader in the field of healthcare. With a strong focus on wellness and prevention, we are the first multispecialty medical group in the Capital Region of NY to open fitness centers that are available for little to no cost. Whether you are improving your lifestyle, restoring your quality of life due to a medical condition, or continuing a personal rehabilitation program, our gyms allow you access to the latest fitness equipment and personal training options conveniently offered by Community Care Physicians, PC.

Community Care Physicians has gym locations in Delmar and Latham. These gyms are unstaffed facilities that require you to enroll and get a key tag prior to entering. With your key tag, you will be able to access both gym locations during gym hours, Monday through Friday 5 am to 11 pm and Saturday and Sunday 7 am to 7 pm.

YAY!! FREE with my health insurance. I live in Delmar and it is 5 mins from my house on the way to and from work. Double YAY!

You see, I don’t belong to a gym. It’s matter of money and convenience and time and motivation to go. I had a treadmill in my basement but it is broken. Where I work, there is a treadmill back stage where it is dark, dreary and cluttered with junk. Yes, I use it when it is virtually impossible to run outside – thunderstorms, snowstorms, icy conditions, etc.

I know that strength training is beneficial to runners. I plan to go ONCE a week and ONCE on the weekend. I even signed my hubby up. I’ll keep you posted.

class

Speaking of exercising, they are offering an exercise class at work on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Sounds perfect, right? I wouldn’t have to leave the building.

I play tennis on Tuesdays so I went on Thursday. There were about 10 people there (out of the 25 who signed up), a few young students but mostly older women.

Well, it was total torture!!!

The young buff trainer proceeded to lead us on training intervals that involved running, hopping, jumping jacks, burpees, push ups, etc. Definitely not explaining the moves, not helping you do them at your own level…he just kept you moving like a drill sergeant.

Yea, I did sweat but I was at a loss to follow along on many of the moves and unable to do some at the level he was asking. I honestly didn’t get much out of it and vowed to never return.

Then I thought that I was too hasty and was going to reconsider until the gym opportunity arose.

2. Running Groups

10646714_711991102208905_5755445887376275963_n

Last Sunday when I bumped into an old friend, she mentioned this program. She trained for the Freihofer 5k this way and is enrolled in it for the Troy Turkey 10k. (Incidentally, she has run 5 races, is training for a half and considering a full…I must be a slow learner!!)

The training runs are on Monday evenings and Saturday mornings.

I can do the Mondays with no problem but I have races on most weekends and can only do 3 Saturdays.

I still think it’s worth it so that I can have some people to run with once a week and also for the drills that will come along with the training.

There’s an info session tonight so we’ll see but I am leaning toward doing it.

3. The weekend

I am not going to race this weekend! You know I want to…and there are quite a few races out there that I could run…

especially this one:

I was very close to signing up for this one as my fall half marathon. I know this is shallow but the deciding factor was no medal but then they changed and are giving one for the first time.

Instead of racing, I plan to do a long run on one of the bike trails on Saturday.