June 4, 2015 by Darlene

May Update

May Goals:

Run 3-4 times each week. YES!

Get some strength training or yoga done. Nope! Maybe someday…
Go for a walk everyday at work. Not everyday but many days.

Continue running with a training group. Yes on most Mondays but not all.

even ran with the mayor

Do long runs on the weekend to train for half marathon on May 24. Just one.

10K followed by 4 miles

Complete a 15K race. NO!! Ran a 10K and a 5k instead (due to a sore foot)

Spring Run Off 10k instead of 15k

Mastodon Challenge 5k instead of 15k

Win an age group award ~~for a 15k~~. Won for Spring Run Off 10K and for Mother’s Day 5K

1st for the Spring Run Off 10k

3rd for Mother’s Day 5k

Run a 5K with my GOTR running buddy. YES!

Run while on my tennis vacation in Florida. YES! 4 times (13 miles)

Complete Half Marathon #13. YES!!

Vermont City Marathon Relay

Complete a 5K race. YES. Four of them!

Mastodon Challenge 5K

Mother’s Day 5K bRUNch

Run my 5k and 10k races under 10 min. mile pace. YES! (Note: the 10k was the fastest.)

Spring Run Off 10k – 9:22 pace

Albany Law Day 5k – 9:25 pace

Mastodon Challenge 5k – 9:25 pace

Mother’s Day 5K – 9:45 pace

Freihofer Run for Women – 9:28 pace

Run at least 85 miles. Nope. Not even close!

What else?

We went boating for the first time this season.

I celebrated my birthday.

dinner with my former co-worker, Michele

cake with the mah jongg ladies

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dinner with my hubby

I went the annual tulip fest with Amanda & her sons.

I spent 8 wonderful days with friends in Naples, Fla.

June Goals:

Run 3-4 times each week.
Get some strength training or yoga done.
Go for a walk several times a week at work.
Run a 5K.
Complete Half Marathon #14.
Complete a 10 mile race.
Lose at least 5 lbs.
Run at least 80 miles.

Happy Running! How was your May? Anything special planned for June?

June 1, 2015 by Darlene

Monday Running Update

Last Week:

Monday- rest, ~~boating on Lake George~~ errands, dinner out with hubby
Tuesday – walk at work, 3 mile run

Wednesday – walk at work, rest, bday dinner & movie with bff

great film

Thursday – 3 2 mile run on the track at work, hair appt

Friday – walk at work, rest~~, mah jongg~~ expo

Saturday – 5k race + 7 2 more miles (& 5 miles walked)

Sunday – rest, ~~boating?~~ (RAIN), nails, errands

This Week:

Monday- 4 mile run
Tuesday – rest, tennis, dinner out
Wednesday – 4 mile run
Thursday – rest
Friday – 3 mile run, mah jongg
Saturday – rest, day trip to NYC
Sunday – 5k race. 1 mi race + more miles?, boating?

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

May 30, 2015 by Darlene

Freihofer’s Run for Women Race Recap

9:30 am

This is the only race that I’ve run every year! This is my 8th time!!!!!

My first FRW in 2008:

Due to construction, they changed the course.

They said that this course would be faster…less congested and have a less steep hill at the start and finish.

I did run parts of the new course a few weeks ago.

As with this race every year, I never know what will happen…

Anyway, I should be recovering not running a 5K. I just race a half marathon last Sunday. As you know, my feet are not what I would like them to be (but it is what is…)

But how could I miss my 8th Freihofer’s Run for Women?

And my FIRST Freihofer Training Challenge…

5 pm group at our first meeting. There are 3 other groups

Training is a loose term. I kinda just showed up. Monday runs were always after a Sunday long run and I never attended the Saturday runs. I even missed the last 2 Mondays.

But I was excited to be part of it and support all the runners who would be finishing their FIRST 5k. And see my “advanced” buddies who would hopefully PR.

As I have done every year, the day before I walked to Empire State Plaza concourse at lunch to go to the expo and pick up my race packet.

For convenience, I parked at work and walked to the start. I do this every year. However, this year with the new course, it was an even longer hike. Like 2 1/2 miles!

I bumped into a runner from the Challenge group and we chatted the most of the way. We cut through the Empire State Plaza to use real restrooms.

It was strange to walk down Madison Avenue and not see the race banners and not see the giant poster on the bridge.

pics from last year…

And the weather…it was HOT!! in the high 70’s, sunny and VERY humid. Plus the race doesn’t start until 9:30 am – too late a start with this type of weather.

We got to the race location and immediately located the Challenge Group Tent and a lot of first time 5k runners. It was pretty early but I bumped into so many runners that I knew.

Catching up with everyone made the time go by quicker.

In fact I was talking while the Challenge group took their group photo. To my defense, it was supposed to be taken at 9:00 am and they took it at 8:55.

I even met Judith, fellow blogger and Skirt Sports Ambassador. We both had yellow bibs so we walked to the start together.

Although it was very crowded, there were about 1000 less runners than last year. I’m not sure why. (new route, weather??)

Instead of the usual singing of the national anthem, the bells from City Hall played the song. Usually I am moved to tears, but not this time. In fact, the whole event, seemed to lack the usual enthusiasm and excitement.

I think changing the route from Madison Ave to Washington lost a lot of crowd support. The street is wider and there is no bridge overlook, etc.

pic from Troy Record

Anyway, with the new start, it didn’t take as long to get moving and the first hill was longer but not as steep.

pic from Troy Record

As soon as I started, I got the feeling that my legs were not as recovered as I had hoped. They were moving but so slowly.

When I got into the park and looked at my time, I was shocked at how slow it was. Usually mile 1 is my fastest. Yes, it was HOT and HUMID but we had a breeze at our backs.

I am smiling because I see my friend Allison with her camera

I continued to trudge along and couldn’t wait to walk at the first water stop around mile 1.5.

This course had you run around more of the park and it also seemed to avoid the bigger hills of the park.

You would think that I would have a faster time.

Nope. I was dying. I told myself that I would not walk until the next water stop. That was around mile 2.5.

Finally we left the park and headed downhill to the finish. Not the steep downhill that we used to have but at least it was downhill.

I ran as fast as I could. I was determined not to finish over 30 minutes.

And I did not.

I grabbed a bagel and some chocolate milk. It was definitely less congested this year. No long lines for food.

I ran into lots of runners again that I knew. Beside Holly, everyone seem to have a disappointing finish time.

with Laurie from the Turkey Trot training group.

The first time runners were so excited. That put a smile on my face. I quickly put my disappointment in the back of mind and congratulated them on their achievement.

I walked around a bit until they posted the results and then I saw some folks that I work with.

Christine, a law prof and Alicia, the Dean

The Dean went to law school with the mayor.

me & the mayor

As I left, I walked by the elites who finished the race in 15-16 minutes.

the top 5

the top American finshers

I may not have run the race that I wanted but I still enjoyed myself. And my FEET DID NOT HURT! (until the walk home)

You get what you put in. I did not do the speed workouts so I can’t be disappointed that my time was slower than last year. I also just ran a half marathon and I am no spring chicken.

Splits:

mile 1- 9:26
mile 2- 9:38
mile 3 – 9:17
14 – 7:25

Chip time – 29:22 (that was slower than the hilly Mastodon 5k where I fell 😦 )

Afterwards, I walked back to my car (uphill for 2 1/2 miles). My feet started to hurt..a lot!

I had planned to run 7 more miles.

Instead I drove to the park and shuffled my way to 2 painful miles. (Remember I have another half marathon in 2 weeks!!)

very peaceful …all the runners are gone

Guess what? I have another 5k next Sunday!!

I’m linking this post up with Tara at Running n’ Reading for her Weekend Update!

I am also linking up with Jessica from The Silvah Lining for the Race Recap Link Up.

Happy Running! Do you race this weekend? If so, how did it go?

May 28, 2015 by Darlene

My Favorite Race Changes its Course

This Thursday is for thinking… so I am linking up with Running With Spoons…

I am thinking today, of course, about my upcoming 5K race…

This is the only race that I’ve run every year!

Due to construction, they are changing the course.

So it is even more exciting?

They say that this course will be faster…less congestion and less steep hill at the start.

As with this race every year, I never know what will happen…

Will I be on the first page of the sports section again?

Schenectady Gazette 2010

that’s me 2nd from left (2010) – Timesunon

me again in the purple (2012) – Timesunon

I should be recovering not running a 5K. I just race a half marathon last Sunday.

But how could I miss my 8th Freihofer’s Run for Women?

FRW – 2008

FRW – 2009

FRW – 2011

FRW – 2012

FRW 2012

FRW – 2014

Yes, for the 8th time, I am running this race. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

The Freihofer Run for Women is my favorite race:

It is ALL women – all ages – all sizes – veterans – newbies – elites – walkers
It is a real USATF race with Olympic runners in it.
It feels so good to be a part of its excitement.
The results are printed in the local newspaper and even though I finish around 2000, I am happy if I finish in the top half.
You always meet someone you know.
Running it in 2008 made realize that I actually was a runner.
Being part of other runners’ first 5k in 2010 made me proud.
2011 was my FRW PR year.
Finishing it in 2012 (after serious ankle surgery) helped me believe that I could be a runner again.
I broke my foot at the beginning of the race in 2013 and still gutted out a finish under 30 minutes!
In 2014, I ran as part of a team to raise money for a former student who was diagnosed with breast cancer.
It ends with a downhill 🙂
Maybe I’ll make the newspapers again…

This is the first time I trained with a running group.

5 pm group. There are 3 other groups

Training is a loose term. I kinda just showed up. Monday runs were always after a Sunday long run and I never attended the Saturday runs. But it will be fun to share the excitement of all the runners who will be finishing their FIRST 5k. And see my “advanced” buddies who will hopefully PR.

In such a crowded race, it is impossible to have time goal. But finishing under 30 minutes (AND NOT GETTING INJURED) would make me happy. A race PR (under 28:14) would make me super happy!

I would love at least to reverse the “run a 5k and get slower with each one” trend.

Cherry Blossom 5k – 27:56
Albany Law Day 5K – 29:16
Mother’s Day 5K – 30:16

Happy Running! Do you have a favorite race?

May 25, 2015 by Darlene

Monday Running Update

Last Week:

Monday – 4 mile run, tennis doubles, tennis lesson, beach time, dinner party, book club

Tuesday – tennis lesson, tennis doubles, lunch in Sarasota, walking around Selby gardens, dinner out

Wednesday – 3 mile run, tennis doubles, tennis lesson, pool time, dinner, fly back to NY

Thursday – ~~4 mile run~~ walk at work
Friday -REST, mah jongg 3 mile run (pooped from my vacay)
Saturday – drive to VT, expo
met Deena Kastor
Sunday – 13.1 miles (VCM Relay)!!

didn’t run well the 2nd half but had a blast

This Week:

Monday- rest, ~~boating on Lake George~~
Tuesday – 3 mile run
Wednesday – walk at work, rest, bday dinner & movie with bff
Thursday – 4 mile run
Friday – walk at work, rest, mah jongg
Saturday – 5k race + more miles
Sunday – rest, boating?

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

May 11, 2015 by Darlene

Monday Running Update and Giveaway Winner

Last Week:

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

Tuesday – 3 2 mile run at lunch, tennis

on the track

Wednesday – walk at work, rest, birthday dinner out

a delicious dinner including creme brulee for dessert

Thursday – walk at work, 5K race

29:16 – far from my best effort but no foot pain at least

Friday- walk at work, rest, mah jongg

Saturday – 15 5K race, Tulip Fest, ~~dinner out for my birthday~~

29:14 – 2nd in my AG – tripped and fell – only hurt my pride

Sunday – GOTR 5K, dinner out for ~~Mother’s Day~~ my birthday

a slow 30:16 but got 3rd in my AG

dinner with my hubby and a view of Lake George

This Week:

Monday – 3 mile group run with FRW training group??
Tuesday – 3 mile run at work??, rest, tennis
Wednesday – rest, fly to Naples, FL
Thursday – Sunday – tennis, running, sunning, having fun

A BASIC LEVEL entry to the Skirt 13er/10k/5K Local or Virtual Giveaway which includes:

$50 gift certificate
Race #
Finisher’s Skirt (Don’t Sweat It Collection pull over skirt)
Sponsor swag

Congrats Jamie!!

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

May 10, 2015 by Darlene

GOTR & Mother’s Day bRUNch 5k Recap

This was my new volunteer gig.

I signed up to be a Running Buddy for our local GOTR program.

Here’s what it involved:

The Running Buddy provides encouragement and support to their buddy throughout the course of the season by sharing weekly notes of encouragement. These notes can be emailed or delivered to their buddy’s Head Coach.

The Running Buddy acts as a personal cheerleader for their buddy by attending the practice 5k and the end of season 5k.

The Running Buddy completes the 5k with their buddy and expresses support and enthusiasm for her accomplishment!

Girls on the Run Capital Region is a 10-week afterschool program for girls in grades 3-8 that uses running and physical activities to teach life skills and help girls develop a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness.

The 6 sites are located in Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties. I volunteered as a running buddy at Elsmere, an elementary school near my home.

This spring’s 10-week season started the week of March 9th, concluded the week of May 18th.

I was paired up with Rebecca who was 10 years old and in 5th grade. That was all I knew about her.

So each week, I wrote her a motivational letter about running and how hard it may seem and about not giving up etc. etc.

The Practice 5K was be held the last two weeks of April at the respective schools.

Mine took place on April 30. That was the day that I finally met Rebecca.

As with girls that age, she was with her friends and didn’t seem too excited to meet me. (I was told later that she was really loved getting my letters.)

We lined up together to run the practice 5K. And then she took off with a friend and the coach like a “bat out of hell.” I caught up with her to chat and found out that she is a runner and she already did the program last fall. That meant that she already had run a 5k and besides that, she was super FAST. (She obviously didn’t need my weekly motivational messages.)

So what I thought would be a slow run/walk had me running as fast as I could to keep up with her.

And I did and she and her friend (who runs track) won.

10604055_359737937568198_1484664231384016226_o

they are on the upper right pic

Then we hung out and had snacks and waited for all the other girls to finish. (I also discovered that the assistant coach was a student at the law school where I work.)

I was a little disappointed. But when she left with her father, she gave me a big hug and said see you next Sunday. That made it worth it.

11162046_359881630887162_3407774747465282734_o

Rebecca is on the left

The Final 5K was held on May 10th in Central Park, Schenectady. This was the Mother’s Day 5K that I was planning to run. I thought that it would be non-competitive so I signed up for a race the day before. (Little did I know that my running buddy would be a speedster. Oy!)

As I have mentioned, I have run this race once before.

in 2013 and I even won my age group

I had to arrive early to meet up with 80 or so GOTR participants, their coaches & running buddies for a group photo.

There were 75 girls plus their buddies and their coaches. Everyone was in green but I eventually did find Rebecca.

After we took the group photo, I quickly ditched my green cotton shirt. It was warm and VERY HUMID.

Finally we lined up to start the race.

I wasn’t sure how things would play out. Would she be faster than me or vice versa. Would we stay together??

Because of my very sore, swollen scraped knees (You can get the gory details from yesterday’s race recap), I knew that I couldn’t keep up with her. I said “Wait for me at the finish.” I am sure she was happy enough to run with her friend and the coach.

GARY MCPHERSON – MCPHERSON PHOTOGRAPHY (my buddy is in the gray shorts in front)

So the race began and off they ran. I quickly lost sight of them.

I was stuck in the middle of green, many walking etc. It was slow going but that was good.

Soon it thinned out and I was able to run and my shoe came untied. (Do I have a black cloud over my head?)

I tied it and continued on. Then my band-aids were coming off one by one. I finally stopped and took them all off.

The course was pretty varied – around the pond, through the woods, around the lake, etc.

But as I mentioned, it was quite warm so I stopped at the first water stop around mile 1.

Mile 2 was through the woods. I was very careful of the roots and uneven turf so not to have a repeat of yesterday.

Then for mile 3 we ran back in the park. That’s when I caught up with Rebecca and her friend. They had obviously gone out too fast and had run out of steam. I tried to coax them on. “You don’t want this old lady to beat you, do you?” I yelled.

But they were not interested. So I ran on and kept looking back to see if they were behind me.

Finally, I decided to just finish and wait for them at the finish line.

I also was tired and my knees were aching but after one last walk, I sprinted through the finish line.

Over 30 minutes!? WTF?

I haven’t done that since I was recovering from a broken something.

In fact I was faster yesterday when I walked up several hills and fell.

I guess this this old gal has lost her speed. At least, for now.

About a minute or so later, the girls crossed, running as fast as they could.

They were so happy and I gave Rebecca her GOTR finishers medal.

GARY MCPHERSON – MCPHERSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Then I went back inside and bumped in the older ladies that I see all the time. We chatted and headed for the food.

There was an awesome food display. In addition to cookies, bagels, bars, pastries, bananas, chocolate milk, etc.

mimosas (minus the champagne)

chocolate fountain with pretzels and fruit for dipping

chocolate fountain with pretzels, cake and fruit for dipping

I didn’t want to eat too much since I was planning to go out for lunch at 3 pm.

We waited around for the awards. Surprisedly, I came in third and actually won something this time.

That made me feel a little better about my performance.

My only goal was to have fun and finish uninjured. And I did!!

Splits:

mile 1 – 9:45
mile 2- 9:52
mile 3 – 9:25
.14 – 8:51

Garmin time – 30:09

It was not chip timed. They just collected the bottom of the bibs.

I rushed home to get ready to go out for my birthday dinner. I decided that I wanted to go up to Bolton Landing and eat with a view of Lake George.

view from our table

Afterwards, we drove to our marina and hung out on the deck with friends. All in all, a pretty good day.

I’m linking this post up with Tara at Running n’ Reading for her Weekend Update!

Happy Running! Anyone else ever volunteered with a GOTR program? How was your Mother’s Day? Did you race?

May 9, 2015 by Darlene

Mastodon Challenge 5K Race Report and My Birthday

I love to run races on my birthday so this was perfect. Although a less hilly one would have made me just as happy.

I knew it would be hilly so I was prepared to do a lot of walking.

miles 2-8 are uphill!!

But then I wimped out for the 2nd weekend in a row and decided to play on the cautious side and do the 5k. (Next year, if I am healthy, I may try the 15k.)

As you can see, this one isn’t flat either.

It was another warm day…in the 70s but at least there was a breeze.

I got to Cohoes early and found a spot in one of the parking lots. Then I walked to the park where the race began and realized that I could have parked closer.

I had time so I walked across the street to look at the Cohoes Falls.

It was so beautiful. I sat for awhile and relaxed.

And then walked around a little exploring the area.

Finally I headed back to the park. I wound up chatting with Carolyn, a runner who is in my age group. She is fast and usually my competition. She can finish a 5k in 25:XX so I am not really much of a threat to her. I thought that she was running the 15K but she has a sore knee & I have have a sore foot so we had both switched to the 5k and we spend time discussing our running injuries.

Then the 15k started and we walked farther to the start of the 5k.

We both planned to run conservatively and off we ran.

The first mile was mostly downhill but then the hills came. First not too bad but then steeper and steeper. I am not proud to admit that I walked up ALL the hills.

Eventually it flattened out and we ran though the bike trail. The course was actually very nice (if you could ignore the hills.)

Finally near the last mile, we started to go downhill slightly.

I was ahead of Carolyn for most of the race but then she passed me. I was tiring and I couldn’t catch up to her.

Then someone mentioned to look out for the uneven pavement and guess what? I caught my foot on something and went down HARD.

I just laid there hoping that I wasn’t badly hurt.

Many folks stopped to help. My major worry was that I lost my Garmin. It flew off and I couldn’t find it. Then I saw it on the side of the road. The strap had come off.

It felt like I had stopped for many minutes (but it was probably only 1 minute.)

I got up, held my Garmin in hand and tried to finish the race.

Both of my knees were cut up. In fact the blood had dripped all the way down to my sock. I also cut both of my palms and they were bleeding.

I saw a photographer or two. I can’t imagine what I looked like. I tried to run fast but I was kind of shook up and stopped to walk a few times but at least I sprinted at the end.

check out those faces LOL – the guy in front of me remembered meeting me at a 5k in St Augstine, Fla a few years ago

Yes, I did finish the race and my time wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared.

29:14 – It was faster than Thursday and I walked up the hills and fell!!

I sat down and got some ice for my knees. The EMTs then bandaged me up.

For the first time after a race, I wasn’t hungry even though they had bagels, donuts, yogurt, fruit.

When I looked at the results, I realized that I came in 2nd in my age group. Unfortunately, they only gave out awards for first.

Check out what would happened if I ran the 15k (and survived):

The good news. My feet felt fine! So I think I can get a 5k out of them Who knows if I can run more? (We’ll see on May 24??)

Splits:

Mile 1- 8:47
Mile 2 – 10:32 (hills & fall)
Mile 3 – 9:05
.14 – 7:47

Garmin time – 28:12
Official time – 29:14

I rushed home to shower & put ice & antiseptic on my wounds.

I spent the rest of the day with my mentee, Amanda and her 2 sons at the Tulip Fest. We walked (I limped) around the park for hours. They had fun & I enjoyed spending my birthday with them.

I decided to postpone my dinner out with my hubby. I was pooped.

And I have another 5k tomorrow morning..Oy!

Happy Running!

May 8, 2015 by Darlene

Albany Law Day 5K Race Recap

May 7, 2015 6:30 pm The Crossings

I’ve seen this race on the schedule each year and have been tempted. It makes sense since I do work at Albany Law School.

But it is an evening race. It’s hard to get there after work and it’s not an ideal time to race for me. And how does one fuel for a race that starts at 6:30 pm?

Anyway, a FB running friend proposed a team and I got sucked in.

Besides, I have a race on Saturday and I would be running 3 miles after work anyway.

it was 84 degrees on my car thermostat

It seems like summer has arrived but we skipped spring.

The perfect running weather never happened. It was cool and windy, then hot.

So yesterday, it was very warm and even humid.

I wore my summer outfit of a skirt and tank top. Since it was only 3 miles, I didn’t wear compression socks. And I did my precautionary moleskin wrappings and prayed for less pain than last weekend.

I did one thing you shouldn’t do – wore my orthotics for the first time in years (for a race.)

these photos are from last summer – it is prettier there when everything is in bloom

The race took place in the Crossings.

This is where I run for my Freihofer training group runs. I have done a few races here but not in several years. (Dec 2010)

I like it. There are hills and roads and trails.

There’s a pond.

I got there early so I could find parking. The race didn’t start where I thought it would – by the pavilion near the pond. So I parked in the wrong parking lot, at first.

Then I realized that it began near the pavilion in the back where my training group runs start.

I looked for my teammates – I was part of the”Asphalt Kickers.” Well, they never showed.

But I did bump into Valerie again and surprisedly a group from STEM (the survivors of Domestic Violence). In fact, two of the clients were there who ran with the group that I volunteered with this past fall.

It was so great to see the volunteers again and these 2 women and especially the mother of one of the clients who had died unexpectedly.

Valerie and I started together near the front.

The STEM group headed toward the back.

Anyway, that was the good part of the race.

It went downhill from there.

I just had a bad race.

I have many excuses.

I was hungry and had only eaten a light lunch around noon.

It was hot and the only water stop was at mile 2.

The sun was in my eyes most of the race and my contacts were burning.

But the worst part was that I couldn’t breathe – it was like I had asthma. This has never happened before. Then I was coughing and sneezing. I attribute it to the pollen and grass (I used to have terrible hay fever when I was younger.) But it was really tough to run when you are gasping for air.

So I ran and then walked. I ran and walked more. Finally I ran and walked a lot more times.

The result – the slowest 5k in a very long time.

Well, that’s how it goes sometimes.

But the good news is that MY FOOT FELT FINE!

It made the whole thing worth it.

I hung out with Valerie after I finished and had some pizza.

Then I cheered on the STEM team runners. They were so happy. I love to see people excited by their achievements. It made me forget about my lackluster performance.