June 1, 2011 by Darlene

June already?

May Recap:

Goals:

60 miles – ALMOST – 57.5 (This is my lowest mileage month this year but also the lst month without half marathon training and I was on vacation for a week.)
running 3-4 times per week – YES!
a 5k race (finishing under 30 min) or 2 or 3 or 4 – YES! 3 5ks – all under 30 min and a 3.5 mi race – that’s 4 races!!

Highlights of May:

My Tennis Vacation in Naples, Florida:

: after a run one morning

Memorial Day Weekend on Lake George:

on the marina dock after a morning run

Goals for June:

70 miles
running 3-4 times per week
adding some longer runs
a 5k race or 2 (finishing under 29 min)

Happy Running!

May 31, 2011 by Darlene

Monday Goals on Tuesday

Update for Last Week:

My goal was 15 miles and I ran 6 times for a total of 15.5 miles. YAY!
No races.
I played tennis 1x and did yoga 1x.

Goals for next week:

This week’s schedule:

Mon – boating on the lake
Tues – tennis after work
Wed –yoga
Thurs – belated b-day dinner
Fri – mah jongg
Sun – NYC to see Memphis on Broadway

This week’s running:

Mon – 3 mi near the marina
Wed – 4 mi after work
Thurs – 3 miles before work
Sat – Freihofer’s Run for Women 5k + 4 more

Week Running Goal = 17 miles
June Monthly Running Goal = 70 miles, a race or 2

Yearly Running Goal = 1011 miles

Happy Running!

May 27, 2011 by Darlene

Work and Racing

On June 22, I am going to a conference in Milwaukee, WI.

Look what is going on in Milwaukee at 7pm on June 22:

Wouldn’t it be cool to run this race?

The problem is that my flight (if it is on time) doesn’t arrive until 5pm and then I have to take a (20 min) shuttle to the hotel, check-in and grab a cab to the race…

I still say: Wouldn’t it be cool to run this race?

My conference is at the Marquette University Law School and I’m staying 15 min from there at the Hyatt City Center.

I think it’s not too far from the river. I’m hoping I can squeeze in a run in the evenings. Anyone ever been to Milwaukee?

Happy Running! TGIF!

May 24, 2011 by Darlene

Lucky Numbers?

The bib numbers for my last 3 races were:

May 8 (Mother’s Day Race) – 82
May 19 (Workforce Team Challenge) – 288
May 22 (SPAC Rock & Run) – 82

Coincidence?

Apparently in China, the number 8 is considered a very lucky number since it sounds like the word for prosper when it is pronounced.

My next race is June 4 – Freihofer’s Race for Women. I wonder what my number will be?

[Update: My FRW # is 2984!!]

Happy Running!

May 22, 2011 by Darlene

SPAC 2nd Annual Rock & Run 5k Race Report

I ran this race last year and it was my fastest 5k at the time. I have since gotten faster so I was excited to have a good race. PR? Maybe?

I remember the course being shady & flat with music and timing clocks along the course. It was also predicted to be the first dry day in over a week. YAY!

at home before I left

The race was scheduled to begin at 10:30 but I headed up to Saratoga early to avoid the crowds. It was sunny when I left but it turned cloudy with a slight breeze and temps in the 60’s. My boss Chris was supposed to be there but I didn’t see him but I did bump into Dede, a professor that I work with (She was supposed to race Thurs but didn’t).

I was a little chilly but opted to leave my jacket behind and run with just my tanktop. (I was glad I did since it was very humid.)

There were over 700 runners at the race. I started near the front. The problem with trying to PR is that I knew I had to run faster than 8:51/mi. I started fast but couldn’t keep it up. Then when you know you can’t PR, you get depressed.

photo from The Saratogian

The course was a fun one. There were local bands playing all throughtout the park. There were electronic timers at each mile and 3 water stops (I drank at all 3!).

Although I was running faster than usual, everyone was passing me by including Dede who finished in 23 min. (Who knew she was a runner?) I crossed the finish line at 27:48!!

Splits:

mile 1 – 8:46
mile 2 – 9:22
mile 3 – 9:04
.1 – 7:15

Not a PR but a good race. I am very happy with it. Last year I ran this course in 29:12 and I thought that was awesome.

They had bars, bananas and donuts (I ate 2!) but most of the good stuff (cupcakes, ice cream, pizza) cost money & I didn’t bring any.

They had the same photo booth as last year and I took some ugly pics of myself.

I stuck around the the awards ceremony. Unfortunately, the awards were given for 10 year age groups not 5. I came in 6th for 50-59 but 1st for 55-59.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and I then added another (slooow) run of 2.9 miles before a belated birthday celebration with my BF- Blue Spice, Thai for dinner and then a movie – Water for Elephants.

Happy Running! Hope you enjoyed a good weekend of running/racing!

May 20, 2011 by Darlene

Foto Friday

As promised, here are some photos from my wonderful vacation in Naples, Florida:

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Now that vacation is over, I’m back to running!

3.5 mile race last night and a 5k race on Sunday.

Next half marathon training does not start until July 4 but I have to decide whether or not I am going to do the 10 miler on June 26. If so, I need to start running more than 3 miles!!

Happy Running! Good luck on any races you are doing this weekend!

May 19, 2011 by Darlene

CDPHP Workforce Team Challenge Race Report

Finally my job has decided to enter this race. There are many staff members and professors who run but it was not easy to get a team together. First the coordinator left for a new job and then many had childcare issues and others just didn’t care to participate. In the end, we had 10 who committed to run.

Even I was hesitant being on vacation for 8 days prior to the race. Would I be prepared? Would I be tired? Who cares…It should be fun, right? I had no goals for a PR.

The race is 3.5 miler and the course is similar to the Freihofers and Susan Komen but 1/2 mile longer.

There were 8,654 runners and 449 participating companies/organizations in the 2010 race!! And even more this year!!

As I mentioned, I just got back from vacation late last night and I didn’t read my email during those 8 days. I brought all my race stuff to work because there would be no time to go home before the race. I thought we were wearing our Komen Team shirts which were the school colors, maroon & gray. Of course, I matched all my accessories to it.

When I got to work and read my email, I discovered that they ordered race t-shirts and there were white with lime green writing on them. They were very see through also. My black sports bra was not going to work nor my maroon & gray accessories.

So I rushed home during lunch & changed my shorts, socks, hat and added a tank top under my shirt.

The prediction originally was for thunderstorms. But it seemed that the rain would hold off – it was near 70 degrees and very HUMID!!

The race was to start at 6:25 pm. My boss & I left our cars at work and started to walk to the start of the race around 5:15 pm. Halfway there, I realized that I forgot my knee braces and ran back to get them (Psychologically I still need them.)

Holy cow! I’ve never seen so many runners in one place!!! Over 9000 – CDPHP, the sponsor had a team of over 200 runners themselves.

I still arrived early and met our team captain who gave out our numbers. There were no timing chips – too many people. unfortunately no one brought a camera so we could not take a team photo.

The announcers kept trying to get the runners to the start so I finally squeezed myself in somewhere toward the front (so I thought). As I was waiting, I was getting really sleepy – I definitely prefer morning races!!

photo from TU

Finally the horn sounded and the race started although no one was moving. It took me about 1/3 mile to get going. The whole race was crowded but I just kept moving and increasing my pace steadily.

photo by DM Cyndi

Some more pics – http://www.flickr.com/photos/altuwa/sets/72157626637494599/

I loved that the race ended with a downhill but I had no aspirations for a PR so I was pleased with my negative splits:

mile 1 – 10:36
mile 2 – 9:47
mile 3 – 9:34
.50 – 8:27

Garmin time – 33:41

I gave my time to our team captain who wrote it down and then went to collect my t-shirt and bag of goodies. It was very well organized considering the number of runners.

I walked back to my car and took a photo:

sweaty & tired

It was perfect timing – my friends had gone to see Bridemaids (which I had seen during my vacation) and I met them afterwards for a well-deserved dessert.

Happy Running! Happy to be home & racing!

May 18, 2011 by Darlene

Back from vacation!!

I’m

The trip was great! If you are from the NE, you know that it has been raining eveyday! So just having sunshine and warm weather was a boost for me!

I will post photos at a future time but here’s the vacation summary:

Tennis Lessons – 5 days of clinics from the awesome Billy Bob
Tennis Playing – 6 days of doubles- so much fun playing with my friends
Days at the Beach – 5 – sunshine, slight breeze, water temps 85, what could be better?
Dinners or Lunches in Restaurants – 5 – Yum Yum – most included drinks & dessert
Entertainment – 1 show (Beehive, music from the 60s), 1 Movie (Bridesmaids – hilarious) & touring/shopping in Sarasota
Shopping Purchases – 1 tennis skirt, 2 tennis tops, 1 running shorts, 1 running top, 1 pair of sandals, 1 shirt for hubby
Running – 3 times – 3 miles each time – too hot, too humid, needed to be fresh for tennis lesson, my friends wouldn’t run – enough excuses??
Books Read – 1 1/2 – no time – having too much fun
Scrabble Games Played – 4 on the beach
TV Shows Watched – 1 (The Good Wife finale)

Tomorrow I have 3.5 mile race…. and Sunday a 5K!!! Yikes!!!

Happy Running! Glad to be home!

May 9, 2011 by Darlene

It’s Monday and My Birthday!

Yup, I am 58 years old today!!

If you asked me 5 years ago if I would run in a 5k race, I would have laughed in your face. If you asked me one year ago if I would run a half marathon, I would have done the same. I am thankful that I am healthy and have friends and bloggers that support my craziness.

my proudest moment

Finishing is Winning‘s Brain Exchange #35:

This Week’s Topic: Handling Set-Backs

This Week’s Question: What kind of set-backs have you experienced when it comes to your sport? Have you had an injury, financial issue or other stress that has interfered with your training and how did/do you handle it?

I am pretty lucky to not have had major injuries. I have had a slight knee issue and a foot problem. In both cases, I just cut back my running and paid more attention to icing & stretching & ibuprofen. I know if I had to stop running for any length of time, I would be totally bummed.

Both boating and tennis have greatly impacted my running time. My hubby has so far been agreeable to let me work around our weekends on the boat & I have been able to squeeze in my training runs and my summer 5ks. I will also try this summer to schedule my long runs on Thursdays.

Tennis is another story. I try to not run & play on the same day so my body doesn’t fall apart. But sometimes I have to. I also don’t play on many teams anymore and I have to explain to my friends why I want to run rather than play on their team.

My husband was forced to retire before we were financially ready so I have been conscious about the cost of races. Racing is important to me so I try to cut back on other things.

Last week update:

My goal was 13 miles and I ran 4 times for a total of 13 miles. YAY!!
I ran a 5K race.(actually it was 3 mi) and had a BIG PR!!
I played tennis twice.

Goals for the next 2 weeks:

This week’s schedule:

Mon – tennis after work
Tues – tennis after work
Wed – leave for Naples, Fla
Thurs – tennis, beach
Fri – tennis, beach
Sat – tennis beach
Sun – tennis, beach

Next week’s schedule:

Mon – sightseeing
Tues – tennis, beach
Wed – return to Albany, NY
Fri – mah jongg
Sat – my hubby’s b-day
Sun – my belated B-day dinner w/BF

This week’s running:

Tues – 3 mi before work
Thurs – 3 miles before tennis
Sat – 3 miles before tennis
Sun – 3 mil before tennis

Next week’s running:

Tues – 3 miles before tennis
Thurs – Workforce Challenge 3.5 mi Race
Sun – SPAC 5k race

2 Week Running Goal = 21.5 miles
May Monthly Running Goal = 60 miles, a race or 2 or 3 or 4

Yearly Running Goal = 1011 miles

Happy Running! Florida here I come!

May 8, 2011 by Darlene

Mother’s Day 5k Race Report

This is the 4th year that I have run this race. That’s the most for any race!!! It is near my house and they give out great gifts!! It is a flat course, too.

My times have steadily improved – 40:43, 37:40, 33:08… but before this year, it was a 3 1/2 mile race.

After I registered, they changed it to a 5K. That’s odd. So I didn’t know how they changed the course.

I was looking forward to this race since I know several women from the running group who were planning to run as well as my tennis friends.

Felice, Amanda & me after the race in 2010

with my tennis friends after the race in 2008

You can see from the photos that sometimes the weather is cold (2010) and sometimes it is hot (2008).

This year, the weather was beautiful – not too hot and not too cold!!

My goal was to beat my time from last week which was 29:45!!

My hubby dropped me off and went to visit his mom. Iimmediately I bumped into my 2 tennis friends & snapped a pre-race pic.

me, Mary Pat & Pat

Then I found my running/blogging friends and took another pic.

Bridget, me, Felice, Amanda & Tami

Finally I found my running buddy, Mary and we headed to the start.

This was a flat course and the weather was perfect so this was my chance to have a great race. I decided to listen to Felice & just go for it the first mile and not worry about crashing & burning.

So I did. My first mile was 8:49 and that’s with stopping to tie my shoe (yes, I do double knot them!!!)

They called out my time as 7:07 and at that point I was wondering if the course was correct…

looking strong

I slowed downed my 2nd mile & stopped for water so it was 9:04 which is still fast for me.

Still going...

I was ahead of Amanda & Bridget until the shoe lace incident and then was behind them for a long while.

I passed them during mile 3 when I decided to pick up the pace and this mile was at 7:57.

Here we come!

According to my Garmin, I crossed at 25:51 but the clock said 25:54.

The problem is that it was NOT a 5K, the course was short – only 3 miles!!! (Now they’re saying 2.9 😦 )

Boo! Hiss!! Do I still get a PR??? My fastest 5k before this was also in Delmar – 27:30.

I am thrilled!! In my book, it’s a PR!!

Everyone else did great!! Especially Felice who came in 5th overall!! Amanda & Bridget PRed too. Mary returning from injury finished 5 minutes faster than last week.

: Bridget & Felice after the race

MaryPat & Pat after

After the race, I rushed off to pick up my mentee, Amanda & her son. I really wanted to spend time with them today (since I don’t have kids of my own.)

We spent the rest of the afternoon in Washington Park for the Tulip Fest – admiring the flowers, playing on the rides, riding a pony, petting the goats, etc.