June 20, 2013 by Darlene

My Bucket List Race

Nope it’s not a Half Marathon.

It’s a 10-miler. Rolling hills from Lake George Village to Bolton Landing. And it is THIS WEEKEND!!!!!!

I always wanted to do this race but:

June 2008, 2009, 2010 – 3.1 miles was the longest I was running back then
June 2011 – strained achilles
June 2012 – recovering from broken ankle
June 2013 – broken foot (and this year I actually registered for the race 😦 )

Here are some views of the course (route 9N) from previous summer runs:

Race Info:

Packet pick up: Sunday 6:00-7:15 a.m. at Lake George Firehouse on Ottawa Street.
Pre-Race Transportation: Race Day-Buses leave Bolton Landing, Town Hall Office , Main Street starting at 6:00 a.m.
Last bus leaves at 6:40 a.m. (I could sleep on my boat and take this bus to the start)

Race Start: 7:30 am at Lake George Firehouse on Ottawa Street.

Post Race Transportation: Buses leave from Main Street beginning 9:00 a.m. through post award ceremony 10:45 a.m. (I could sleep at home or at my friends’ in LG and take this bus back to my car)
Awards: Awards ceremony 10:00 a.m. Overall top 3 male and female. Awards to fastest time for each individual age. (That’s different! Last year I was the only person with my age!!!!) Raffle prizes.

The Course:

yes, rolling hills – steeper the first half but not easy the 2nd half (I know)

When I am done with the race, I am next door to my boat. Perfect, right?

Bolton Landing Marina

So maybe next year??

Happy Running! Do you have a bucket list race?

June 19, 2013 by Darlene

Mostly Wordless Wednesday – Staying Positive

On a positive note, I can walk/limp without my crutches (wearing my flat-bottomed shoe.) I do it at home. I still bring my crutches to work but at least now, I can open doors and carry things. PROGRESS!

today’s shoe color is purple…

Happy Running! Do you have any other quotes to help a runner through those non-running times?

June 17, 2013 by Darlene

And the Doctor says…

At my first ortho appointment I was told that I sustained a stable fracture of the fifth metatarsal (not a Jones or avulsion) and to wear the flat-bottomed shoe and use crutches.

Now, I am back TWO weeks later for more x-rays.

I was hoping to receive good news this time like “you can ditch the crutches and wear a walking boot” or “you can start walking on it in a few weeks” … (or it wasn’t broken and you can go back to running…ha ha).

Well, this is what he said:

The fracture hasn’t moved
No surgery will be necessary
It is healing
Come back in two weeks
We’ll x-ray it again then

This time I asked more questions and got more information:

It is a mid-shaft fracture
It is not from a stress fracture
It is spiral (and diagonal)
I can start putting some weight on it with the shoe & crutches
I will run again
I am a klutz – that’s why it broke
He won’t give me a date for ditching the crutches because he’s afraid I’ll hold him to it.
Maybe in 2 weeks, he’ll tell me when …

today’s shoe color is green

So that’s it…

For now, it’s different running socks and different sneakers on the other foot each day to match my outfits! (I have grey, pink, blue, green, purple, yellow…)

Happy Running!

June 16, 2013 by Darlene

Father’s Day 2013

My hubby (on the right) spending the weekend on Lake George with his friends

And yes, I am home (depressed) with my cats & my books.

I can’t complain too much. This is me on Mother’s Day.

As they say, “This too shall pass.”

I will be back on the boat before the end of the summer!

Happy Running! Hope all the Dads out there have a great day!

June 15, 2013 by Darlene

Broken Foot – Week 2

But at least my broken foot & I have been a little more active:

Played Mah Jongg
Visited with Amanda, my mentee
Went to the drive-in (saw Star Trek)
Went out to dinner with some tennis friends
Had coffee with a good friend
Read lots of books – The Reliable Wife, The Girls From Ames, The Descendants, The Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Unorthodox, The Snow Child
Got my nails done
Had my hair cut and colored

heal baby heal

Looking forward to my 2 week ortho appointment on Monday. Fingers crossed that things are going well.

Happy Running! Enjoy your weekend! Reading any good books?

June 13, 2013 by Darlene

Three Things Thursday

I have been asked to share this post- 27 Blogs With Tips For Getting the Most Out of Running. It is very informative (especially if you are a beginning runner.) Check it out!
It has been raining a lot – doesn’t bother me a bit. Sorry!
I.HATE.CRUTCHES!!

Happy Running!

June 12, 2013 by Darlene

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Running! Are you grumpy when you can’t run?

June 9, 2013 by Darlene

The Starfish

A Starfish or actual a Sea Star as they are often called (since they are not really fish but animals) has the ability to regenerate an amputated limb.

First it must first undergo a repair phase to heal the exposed wound.
Once the wound is healed, the sea star can begin to generate new cells, which in turn, sparks new growth.
Regeneration can take anywhere from several months to years.
Cell proliferation that results in the growth of the new limb occurs in the final phase.
If the final phase is interrupted, the resulting new limb may be deformed.

So what does a Sea Star have to do with my broken foot?

No, my foot has not been amputated. But I cannot use it. It is useless.

First, my foot must go through the repair phase to heal the broken bone.
Once the bone is healed, I can slowly place weight on the foot.
Slowing I will be able to walk, bike, run short distances, play tennis…
Returning to running form could take weeks to months.
Increasing speed and distance while running pain-free is the final phase.
If I am not patient and run too soon, too fast, too long or ignore any pain, the result may be a stress fracture or another injury. My return to races and tennis will be interrupted.

When I was cleaning out a jewelry box, I found this star fish necklace. It is just costume jewelry (not even sterling silver) but I am wearing it in hopes that my running will get regenerated at some point in my future.

heal foot heal

Happy Running!

June 8, 2013 by Darlene

One Week Post Injury

One week ago, I was excited to run my favorite race of the year.

me, Courtney and her aunt MaryPat my friend)

I am smiling not knowing what would happen next.

I had a great first mile which is the hardest part of the race because it is uphill and crowded. Then there was that misstep but I continued to run (through the pain.)

crossed at 29:41 and met my under 30 minutes goal.

A visit to the xray machine led to this for at least the next TWO weeks (but most probably 8 wks.)

A lot things happen the first week of an injury:

feeling that I should give up running
feeling that I will never give up running
trying to stay busy watching TV and reading books
difficulty navigating a 2 story house on crutches
trying to be self-sufficient by cooking, doing laundry and emptying the dishwasher
realizing that I need help by having groceries delivered to my home (Shoprite – free delivery if you spend over $100 & you get flowers)
going to a funeral and realizing that breaking my foot is not the end of the world
realizing that I have a lot of friends who care
knowing that my non-running friends will never understand when I say that I will run again
feeling that maybe I should give up running
knowing that I will try to run again
feeling sorry for myself
realizing that the world of hard to open doors are not made for crutching persons
being not embarrassed to crawl around on my hands and knees.
matching my sneakers to my outfits
being happy when it rains
everything takes longer when on crutches
watching the muscles in my leg slowly disintegrate
my hubby is a saint (hope he stays that way when he realizes boating maybe difficult or impossible)
reading EVERY website about a broken fifth metatarsal
~~hating~~ jealous when I see people running
trying to eat healthy and not eat ice cream more than once a day
feeling grateful that I am not in any pain
feeling glad that I can drive to work and do most of my tasks at my desk
feeling lazy, inactive (no yoga, walking, biking, tennis, RUNNING) and fat

And so yes Ryan, I will try… to be more positive.

Happy Running!

June 5, 2013 by Darlene

National Running Day

National Running Day, held annually on the first Wednesday in June, is a day when runners everywhere declare their passion for running. Wherever we are and whomever we’re with, we run—fast or slow, alone or with others, all over town or just around the block. It is a coast-to-coast celebration of a sport and activity that’s simple, inexpensive, and fun. It’s the perfect way for longtime runners to reaffirm their love of running and for beginners to kick off a lifetime and life-changing commitment.

I cannot run today 😦

But I would if I could.

So if you can, please run for ME!!