March 4, 2013 by Darlene

Getting Closer

Week 10 Update:

Mon- Tennis
Tues – ~~3 mile~~ 6 mile run after work
Wed – ~~6 mile~~s 3 miles on the TM after work (RAIN!!)
Thurs – REST
Fri – 4 5 miles on the TM (3 at lunch & 2 after work)
Sat – REST
Sun – 12 MILES

next to last long run in the COLD

Week 11:

Mon- Tennis
Tues – 6 miles after work ( or rest if my ankle still hurts)
Wed – day in NYC (lots of walking)
Thurs – 3 miles on TM at lunch, haircut after work
Fri – 4 miles after work
Sat – REST
Sun – 8 MILES… taper begins!!

Happy Running! How do you Taper?

March 3, 2013 by Darlene

LSD Run

Long and Slow Distance run…12 miles to be exact.

As they say: “If it were easy, everyone would be doing it!”

And it wasn’t easy!

I always seem to struggle with What is the weather going to do? and Where should I run for a good 12 miles? And of course, Will my foot hurt worse? and Will my ankle be more stiff?

I thought running was supposed to be enjoyable!!

And it is when the weather is nice & I have no pain. Unfortunately, this half marathon training period has not gone as hoped.

So the positive is that the half marathon will be so much more fun!!! I can’t wait!!

I want to run here!

not here…

Of course, it was cloudy & cold and windy…like every LSD I have done this winter. The forecast was for snow showers. Fun fun.

So to mix things up, I wanted do run the route that I used when I was training for my other half marathons (running from my house into town and back I did not discover the bike trails until Nov 2011.)

When I got up it was in the 20’s, the teens with the wind chill and snowing! My hubby convinced that it would be too dangerous to run in the road with the snow so I drove to the Corning bike trail.

Though the snow wasn’t sticking to the roads, it was sticking to the trail and it was snow-covered and very slippery.

So Plan B: back to Delmar and run in the roads.

not too thrilled with this weather

I ran on the roads for 3 miles and turned around.

pretty dreary – the road was wet but clear of snow

I usually run shorter distances in these neighborhoods so this run took me to roads I had never been on.

saw farms

who knew?

After 6 miles, I was half done but felt totally done. I stopped at my car for water & fuel and then headed out for 6 more. This time I ran in the other direction for 3 miles before turning around.

I must say that the first 6 miles were painless but now my right foot started to hurt. As always, it was bearable and the pain would come and go. But at mile 9 (my turn around point), my ankle started to hurt… a lot. It hurt in the front and was getting stiff so it was hard to run without limping. Yes, I should have walked at this point but somehow I made my way back to my car.

12 painful slow miles done!!! It took me 2:26:xx and the 2nd half was a lot slower than the first.

This long run made me wonder whether I was capable of doing a half marathon. Was I in lala land about my ankle??? Could I really run long races ever again??

I went home, took ibuprofen and iced it… it was still sore.

To take my mind off of it, I went to the movies with my running friend Mary (she is running the same half). She tried to boost my confidence. And she did. If my ankle hurts, I’ll rest until the half and then the for the race, I will walk as much of it as I have to. I will get that medal!!

we saw it because we love French movies but it was SOOO depressing!

On a shopping note – look what I picked up yesterday:

look what I picked up yesterday...I was supposedly stopping to buy dinner!

…I was supposedly stopping at Hannaford’s to buy dinner! They came in handy today (a change from my GU) I liked the cliff shots gel but the powerbar energy busts made me nauseous.

a new shirt...it was on sale & I had a coupon...at least I didn't buy another pair of running shoes

and a new shirt…it was on sale at Olympia Sports & I had a coupon…at least I didn’t buy another pair of running shoes

Happy Running! Did you do LSD this weekend?

February 28, 2013 by Darlene

3 Things Thursday: Winter, Diet & Anna

Reverse the roles: my hubby is the women & I am the guy

1. The forecast again was for snow yesterday and rain today so although I had worked 11 boring hours at the bar exam on Tuesday, I dragged myself to the bike trail (it was nearby) and ran (sorta) 6 miles. It was late and I was extremely tired but I just had to do it.

It was getting dark when I arrived so I brought a flash light. Then it got really dark (there are no lights) and kinda creepy to be alone on this trail.

So after 3 miles, I got back in the car and finished my run under the street lights of Delmar. I am so glad that I did it. On Wednesday, I woke up to snow.

It quickly turned to rain and my run turned into 3 ugly miles on the treadmill after work.

2. In the theme of healthy eating, my work had a Salad Bowl Potluck lunch yesterday. Everyone brought a salad ingredient and you just added what you wanted to make a big salad. It was fun.

so yummy!

It would have been even more healthy if I didn’t have this snack before lunch.

I was happy until I read that it had 480 calories and didn’t really taste that good.

And I went out to dinner with friends…at a Lebanese restaurant. The food was great, too. (The waiter took a liking to us and gave us free appetizers and free coffee.)

I had Mixed Schawarma (and took 1/2 home)

3. Anna from Russia is Back in the USA for a short vacation. She arrived in NYC on Tuesday. She is going to DC and then returning to NYC. I plan to see her next Wednesday. Can’t wait!!

here we are last May at the NY Botanical Gardens

Happy Running! Are you as ready for spring as I am? Are you a healthy eater?

February 27, 2013 by Darlene

Wordless Wednesday: HM Motivation

This is the 2013 finisher’s medal – largest in Florida! Can’t wait to wear it!

And if that doesn’t motivate me to drag myself 13.1 painful miles…

A girl can dream.

All joking aside, my motivation is the feeling of “pride, satisfication and just plain awesomeness” in completing 13.1 miles.

Happy Running! What motivates you to finish a long race?

February 25, 2013 by Darlene

The Countdown is On!

THREE MORE WEEKS = 2 MORE LONG RUNS!

Week 9 Update:

Mon- Tennis
Tues – 3 mile run on the TM at work
Wed – 5 windy cold miles after work
Thurs – ~~REST~~ 4 miles on TM after work
Fri – ~~4 miles after work~~ REST (on a nice sunny non windy day)
Sat – ~~REST~~ 11 MILES
Sun – ~~11 MILES~~ REST (BTW: the storm was an bust!)

twice in one coldy windy week

Week 10:

Mon- workin at the Bar exam, Tennis after

Tues – workin at the Bar exam, 3 miles afterwards??
Wed – 6 miles after work
Thurs – REST
Fri – 4 miles after work
Sat – REST
Sun – 12 MILES…oh my!

toe spacer & bunion pad didn’t work…tried skipping the top eyes when lacing

Happy Running! Anyone training for a big race?

February 23, 2013 by Darlene

Rescheduled Long Run

My plan was:

3 miles on Tuesday
5 miles on Wednesday
REST on Thursday
4 miles on Friday
REST on Saturday
11 miles on Sunday

However, another winter storm was predicted for Saturday night into Sunday…not a lot of snow, just a wintry mix which I would not want to run in.

So I decided to change my plan and do my long run on Saturday which meant 4 miles on Thursday and REST on Friday.

Since I didn’t plan on running Thursday, I did not have my outdoor running stuff. Luckily, I do keep sneakers, shorts & a shirt at work. 4 miserable miles on the treadmill was done…and my 3rd day in a row of running which makes TIRED legs.

taken on the treadmill

Friday, of course, was the only non-windy and sunny day of the week and I was RESTING!!

So today would be my long run. I checked the weather and it wasn’t supposed to start raining until 2 pm (if you can believe the Weather Channel app.)

It was windy, of course, but not too cold…in the 30’s.

Although the long path was icy several weeks ago, I thought it might be clear so I headed for the Nisky bike path. I planned to run toward Colonie for 3.5 miles and turn around and refuel. Then go 2 miles toward Schenectady and back.

The path was clear & I was happy. My legs were tired right from the start. My foot ached. I knew this would a tough one.

clear so far

At this sign, I wanted to quit. Not a good sign (forgive the pun.)

must be used for the Marathon

I am not a quitter and I knew that I had to run 11 miles today so I continued. And then came the ice.

ice…ice..and black ice

I walked for awhile and tried to find dry spots. Eventually I realized that I had to find a detour. It was too slippery. There was no way that I was risking breaking an ankle!!

another view from the trail

So I went off the trail and continued to run on the road. My legs were even more tired but the wind had died down and my foot stopped hurting!!

Finally I had run 3.5 miles and came to the end of a road.

I turned around and returned to the trail to head back.

With 4 miles still to go, I stopped at my car for some GU and water. I didn’t get inside this time. I wasn’t really cold and my legs wanted to quit but I wasn’t going to let them… even if I had to walk the 4 miles.

The weather wasn’t getting any better. It looked like rain so I rushed back out on the trail.

dreary looking day…where is the sunshine?

I headed in the other direction which I knew was totally dry. I dragged myself 2 miles and turned around. I ran and walked and walked and ran. The wind picked up so did my foot pain and then it started to rain…just light rain.

But I FINISHED 11 MILES!!!!! It took me about 2 hours 10 minutes and it’s done.

When I looked at my pace, I realized there were more mile splits under 12 min than last week and my fastest was next to last. (The walking on the icy trail slowed me down!)

Believe it or not, I didn’t go to Target or Starbucks. I went to Shoprite to do grocery shopping and refueled with all the free food samples.

Happy Running! Do you schedule your long runs based on the weather?

February 22, 2013 by Darlene

Love the Bling

I just got my medal for completing the Sandy Hook Memorial Virtual 5k. (But more importantly was that the money went to a great cause!!)

Of course, I don’t run races for the bling but it is fun getting it!! Each of my medals tell a story.

This is 2012 - supposed to be the largest in Florida!

This is the 2012 Sarasota Half medal – supposed to be the largest in Florida! I wonder what 2013 will look like? It will the one from my 1st half after a year of injuries.

My most precious:

it’s from my FIRST half marathon…you can never have another FIRST

Here’s a few more:

from my 1st race 5 months after ankle surgery…they said I could NOT run for 6-9 mos.

from my 1st 10K…I had not run more than a 5k since ankle surgery

I ran this one for a friend’s charity and my Russian friend was there to watch me run

I ran this 5K with a stress fracture and my BFF in PA watched me cross the fnish line

my 2nd half marathon where I almost did a DNS…30 degrees, sleet & freezing rain in April…poured for all 13.1 miles

my 3rd half but untrained due to an achilles injury…was a great race due to so many friends running it

was supposed to be a PR half however it wasn’t…it rained for 1/2…but got to race in CA with my BFF’s sister

Happy Running! Does the bling figure in your decision to run a race?

February 21, 2013 by Darlene

Sick of Winter

This is what happens when you sign up for a March half marathon. You have to deal with winter in the Northeast.

I am sick of the words: WIND CHILL, BLACK ICE, SNOW, SLEET, FREEZING RAIN, WINDY, COLD, FREEZING…

running during a snowstorm 😦

I am also tired of looking for places to run that are plowed, have no ice.

nope…not plowed

I hate having to plan my runs around the weather…esp. long runs. Do I do my long run on Saturday or Sunday!!! UGH!!!!!!!

so they say..but I’d rather not do it outside in this!!!

And I HATE THE TREADMILL!!

So next year, my half marathon will be Jan 5, 2014 so I will be done training by the worst of the NE winter weather!!!!

This is my preferred running weather!!!

Happy Running! How do you feel about training in the winter?

February 19, 2013 by Darlene

Two for Tuesday – 100 Miles & My Weird Foot

1. Last week, I hit 100 miles for the year. And it’s only February. Yeah, I know a lot of you run that in a week or a month but last year, I didn’t hit 100 miles until July!!

2. My foot is acting weird. (The one with the bunion thing…) Sunday night, I had this burning pain ALL night (It kept me up). I got up the next morning, it went away. I walked around the mall, played tennis…NO PAIN! So last night, I couldn’t sleep. I think I was waiting for the pain and the pain NEVER came!! So what’s up with that? Today I am going to run a little on the TM. We’ll see. Not sleeping is more frustrating than running with pain.

Now on a good note: Facebook keeps posting these awesome photos of the Sarasota Half Marathon course!!