February 9, 2014 by Darlene

What I am Enjoying Now

1. SUNSHINE

Yes, it was cold… I waited until it warmed up to the 20s and the sun was shining.

I headed to the Corning Bike Path because I heard that it was clear.

And it was except for a few icy patches.

Although my long run was crappy (I walked a lot, my on and off bunion pain came back), I extended my planned 8 mile run to 10 miles.

It is supposed to cloud up and snow a little, then get colder. What else is new?

2. The OLYMPICS

I love the Olympics. I am not a TV watcher but for the next 2 weeks, I will be glued to the TV.

Sage Kotsenburg winning Gold

It’s not that I ski or snowboard or ice skate. I don’t do any winter sports.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White helping US win bronze

Figure skating is my favorite. But I enjoy watching everything.

And finally, I’ve traveled to Russia 3 times and I love the culture and its people.

with Anna, my favorite Russian

Happy Running! Are you following the Olympics?

February 5, 2014 by Darlene

Snow Day and Winter Running Mojo

It is definitely not as rewarding as when I was teaching but it still is awesome.

Though I was meeting my bff for dinner last night, I had to squeeze in a run before today’s big storm (who knows when I’ll be able to run outside again?)

I tried out the Nike+ app..not bad for fun but during a race or long run, I like the Garmin on my wrist.

Today I had the whole day free (and my hubby had to work). I got so much done:

did a plank (woo hoo!)
did my taxes (not happy about how much we have to pay 😦 )
worked on my knitted sock
read a bit
watched the last episode of Downton Abbey
made a casserole for dinner (I don’t cook much)
went to the movies (This month’s RW magazine made me want to see this Bruce Dern movie. Did you know he was a serious runner?)

it was good!

Quite a productive day. The snow has stopped…we have at least 12″ and tomorrow I will be back at work. I’ll probably opt for the treadmill and venture out on the road on Friday.

This weekend I have a long run planned…will the bike path be plowed?

so will it feel like 18 miles instead of 9?

So how to you stay motivated to run in the winter?

Buy proper winter running clothes – tights, hat, gloves, jacket. It is not fun running when you are too cold. Also, dress for warmer than it is. It is also unpleasant to run when you are overdressed. Wear layers so you can shed one if you are warm. New clothes that are fun and bright are motivating, as well.

my tights, jacket, hat & gloves were bought at Target

Run somewhere scenic – a park, a bike path. Vary your routes. Running on the same road gets boring.

love this bike path along the Hudson R

Grab a running buddy or join a running group. Chatting makes the miles go faster. Having to meet someone gets you out the door.

some new running partners that help get me out there

Put some new music on your phone or iPod. Playlists gets stale. It’s nice to have some new tunes to motivate you on those cold days.

music

Join a challenge such Run with Jess’ Winter Miles Challenge. They are free. You can also win prizes.

Screen shot 2013-12-20 at 8.24.21 AM

Sign up for a spring race. I signed up for a half marathon on March 30. Knowing that this race is coming up pushes me through these cold months to stay in running condition.

092713-loverun1

Have a plan B. I always bring outdoor clothes to run after work but I also have clothes there to run indoors on the treadmill. So I have no excuse. I can do either. So if the roads are too slippery, I run on the treadmill.

Use the treadmill for short runs only. Go outside no matter how cold to do your longer runs. More than 4 miles on the treadmill makes me go insane. The hardest part about running outside in the winter is the first step out the door.

Buy Yaktrax or something similar if you live somewhere where it snows a lot and often. They really work. You can run on snowy roads and you won’t slip.

Rewards work too. How about a hot Caramel Flan Latte at Starbucks and a cake pop after a cold run.

Yes, I ate both cake pops

Happy Running! Did you have a snow day? How you stay motivated to run in the winter?

February 1, 2014 by Darlene

January Update

JANUARY GOALS:

RUN (regularly)!!! Yes!
Do not overdo and listen to my body! Yes!
Attend at least 2 yoga classes! Nope.
Walk or run at least 1 mile a day while at work. Some days but not every.
Cut back on the sweets and eating out now that the holidays are over. I think so (except for in California.)
Run before work at least once a week. Nope.
Continue to run some of my long runs with others. I did once.

8 miles with Adrienne

Complete my first 10 mile race. YES!!!!

1:49:55 and 3rd in my AG

Run at least one other race. Yes!

Continue running longer on the weekends (to train for January 10 miler and March half marathon) Yes! Ran at least 8 miles each weekend.

Run at least 70 miles this month. Yes! 78!

January 2014

Dedicate all my runs to John Anthony my running buddy. Yes!!

What else?

I spent New Year’s Day on Lake George.

cruise with my hubby & friends

I went to NYC for a day.

to the NY Boat show & other holiday sites (with my hubby)

I visited La Quinta, CA to see my friend Mary.

at Indian Wells Tennis Garden

I went to an Ice Bar in Lake George.

I read many good books including Wild, Eleven Minutes, the Alchemist, Gold, My Husband’s Secret…
I played tennis at least once or twice each week and went out to dinner with some of the tennis ladies (that I don’t get to play with regularly.)

I finally finished knitting this pair of socks!

FEBRUARY GOALS:

RUN at least 3-4 times each week.
Start back at planks (Do it at least once per week.)
Take the stairs at work rather than the elevator.
Finish knitting another pair of socks.
Continue to run some of my long runs with others.
Run while on my mini-vacation to Florida.
Run at least one race.
Continue running longer on the weekends to train for my March half marathon.
Run at least 75 miles this month.
Dedicate all my runs to John Anthony my running buddy.

Happy Running! How was your January? Anything different planned for February?

January 31, 2014 by Darlene

Half Marathon Training

I am usually so anal about training that I would normally be posting about my progress week to week.

This has been my typical training plan for my previous half marathons:

However, the last 2 half marathons that I ran came after injuries so just finishing was the goal.

Well, this is where I am on the plan for Half Marathon #8:

1-3

So I am currently on week 4 but you can see that my long runs did not start at 3 this time.

Since my last half marathon in October, I have continued long runs of 6-8 miles. This was basically due to the fact that I wanted to be prepared for a 10 mile race on Jan 11.

I guess the rest of the plan may look something like this:

4-12

Hopefully having more long runs will make a difference in my final results at the race on 3/30/14.

I want to PR but I want to remain healthy. The 2nd being more important.

PR???

Happy Running! Do you follow a strict plan when you train for a big race?

January 20, 2014 by Darlene

Monday Running Update

Last Week:

Monday – rest, fly home
Tuesday – 3 miles on TM at lunch (too tired, too busy), tennis
Wednesday – 3 4 miles, ~~yoga~~ (still sore)

no snow or ice and 40 degrees

Thursday – ~~rest,~~ 3 miles on the TM at work, haircut
Friday – ~~4 miles~~, rest, mah jongg
Saturday – ~~rest,~~ 8 miles

on the Corning Bike Path with a new friend

Sunday – ~~8 miles~~ rest, movie

enjoyed it

week 2-15 miles

This Week:

Monday – Day off from work, 4 miles, tennis
Tuesday – rest, tennis
Wednesday – 3 miles, yoga
Thursday – rest
Friday – 4 miles, mah jongg
Saturday – rest
Sunday – 15 K race

Happy Running! How is your running going? Any races to start off the new year?

January 19, 2014 by Darlene

Running For Meg

I had been planning to do a long run anyway this weekend. My 2 new running partners proposed Saturday. They have been running together in preparation of their first half in Philly but I have not run with them since November.

Adrienne & Heidi on Nov 13, 2013

Then I heard about Meg. Running on the road in the morning and killed by a drunk driver. It could happen to any of us.

We decided to run 8 miles in her honor and wear blue since that was her favorite color.

At the last minute, Heidi had to cancel but I was still meeting Adrienne at the Corning Bike Path. On FB, I heard that other runners that I knew were going to be there too.

The forecast was for snow overnight but it never appeared but it was cold (but not as cold as it has been or is going to be.)

When I arrived, it was still cloudy. I immediately spotted runners. They were finishing their runs.

Then Adrienne arrived.

We decided to run together for as long as we could (she is faster than me). The plan was to go out for 4 miles and then head back. Ahead of us were some other runners that I knew (SRMs) who were running faster and fewer miles. It was great to bump into them.

Adrienne & I talked the whole time which made the run bearable. As usual, I was fine starting out but I got very warm when the sun came out.

The path was mostly dry but every now and then there were patches of ice. I made sure that I was VERY CAREFUL and slowed down looking for snow to run on. I am not used to running without any walking so I was kinda grateful for the ice.

But I did run the whole time with her. (I even ate my Gu while running.) It was a struggle but I was able to keep up with her until the last 1/2 mile. My back was starting to hurt and I told her to run ahead.

So I am pretty pleased. There’s something to be said about the pressure of keeping up with a running partner. This was about 10 minutes faster than my usual run/walk 8 mile runs.

And the snow never arrived!

What a great way to start off the weekend!!

Happy Running! Did you run any miles for Meg?

January 6, 2014 by Darlene

Weekly Running Update

Last Week: (Off from work ALL WEEK!)

Monday –~~rest,~~ 3 miles, tennis

in town and around the golf course

Tuesday – 4 3 miles (tennis cancelled), New Year’s Eve dinner out
Wednesday – ~~rest,~~ 3 miles, cruise on Lake George, (yoga cancelled)

in the neighborhood

on Lake George

Thursday – ~~4 miles~~ rest – too cold and snowy

we got about a foot but the temps were sub-zero

Friday – 3 miles on the treadmill at work, mah jongg
Saturday – rest, bus trip to NYC with the hubby for the Boat Show, lots of walking miles in NYC

Sunday – 8 slow slippery miles

on the Corning Bike Path – just did it slow as to not fall.

This Week: (Back to work 😦 )

Monday – rest
Tuesday – 3 miles on TM at lunch, tennis
Wednesday – rest, fly to Palm Springs
Thursday – 3 miles?
Friday – rest
Saturday – 10 mile race!!
Sunday – rest
Monday – rest, fly home

Happy Running! How is your running going? Any races to start off the new year?

January 4, 2014 by Darlene

Long Runs

I found this on Pinterest and thought it appropriate to post here:

Long Runs…
….at times, a confidence booster,
and other times
…..an ego crusher

….show you how far you’ve come,
or how much farther you need to go
….a chance for mental cleansing,
or a time for “chatter brain” to be unleashed

….time to connect with running buddies,
or much needed “me” time
….done just as the sun is rising,
or chasing the sun to bed
….allow you to shed all the roles you wear in life,
except for one
….Runner

last summer

last Saturday

Happy Running! How would you describe your long runs?

December 31, 2013 by Darlene

December Rundown

DECEMBER GOALS:

RUN (regularly)!!! YES! At least 3x week!

in the park

in town

in the neighborhood

on the bike path

Do not overdo and listen to my body…Do NOT run if foot pain gets worse. YES! Only ran 1 mile on rest days of the streak and then added my rest days back. Foot pain is much improved.
Attend at least 2 yoga classes! YES! Attended 3 classes!
Walk or run at least 1 mile a day while at work. YES on most days! Thanks to my co-worker Sherri.
Cut back on the sweets and eating out. I doubt it. It is the holiday season!

ate lots of cookies

and desserts

Start knitting again (socks or something else)

working on a pair of socks

Run before work at least once a week. Not often! Too cold!

would you run?

Run a new route. Yes, sorta. I haven’t run this route in 3 years.

in town and around the golf course

Continue to run some of my long runs with others. Nope. Just couldn’t coordinate our days. I usually run on Saturday and they run on Sunday. Definitely plan to do it next month!
Run at least one race. YES!

Continue running longer on the weekends (to train for January 10 miler) YES!

8 miles on the Corning bike trail

Complete the RW Running Streak (run at least 1 mile everyday from Thanksgiving to New Year’s) NO! I decided to quit after 10 days straight.

Run at least 70 miles this month. YES! 86 – my biggest month this year!

I also visited NYC with 2 friends.

I spent some time with my mentee Amanda and her sons. In fact I saw them 3 times this month.

I celebrated quite a few dinners out – 5 birthdays, 2 tennis parties, Christmas & New Year’s Eve. Holy waist line!

tennis friend Suzy’s b-day

former co-worker Cheryl’s b-day

college friend Judy’s b-day

tennis party

I went to see several very enjoyable movies: Philomena, Catching Fire, Book Thief, American Hustle, Saving Mr Banks.

I also read some good books including What Alice Forgot, the Aviator’s Wife, the Orphan Train.

JANUARY GOALS:

RUN (regularly)!!!
Do not overdo and listen to my body!
Attend at least 2 yoga classes!
Walk or run at least 1 mile a day while at work.
Cut back on the sweets and eating out now that the holidays are over.
Run before work at least once a week.
Continue to run some of my long runs with others
Complete my first 10 mile race.
Run at least one other race.
Continue running longer on the weekends (to train for January 10 miler and March half marathon)
Run at least 70 miles this month.
Dedicate all my runs to John Anthony my running buddy.