Races

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My First (Marathon) Giveaway

Training for a Half  Marathon is so overwhelming that I am sure I will not run a Marathon ever!!  So…

Instead I am hosting my FIRST (Marathon) Giveaway!

One lucky blogger will win:

this BONDI BAND

this LIFT YOUR SOLE Necklace

3 packages of GU

this TRAINING TAG-ALONG

this RACES2REMEMBER Grace Band

To win all of the above, here’s what to do:

Mandatory-

  • Subscribe by Email or Follow the Feed to my My First 5K  Blog (+1 comment)
  • Tell me why you want to win this giveaway. (+1 comment)

Extra Credit –

  • Like  My First 5K in FaceBook (+1 comment)
  • List my blog on your Blogroll (+1 comment)
  • Like BondiBand on FaceBook (+1 comment)
  • Like Gu on FB (+1 comment)
  • Like Lift Your Soul on FB  (+1 comment)
  • Like  Races2Remember on FB (+1 comment)
  • Share this giveaway on your blog, Twitter and/or FaceBook (+1 comment for each)

Deadline is Dec. 22. Winner will be announced on Dec 23. 

Happy Running and Good Luck!

 

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This Week’s Lucky Number is 21!

Amanda turns 21

If you’ve read my blog, you know that I mentor a young mom named Amanda. She’ll dealing with a lot of issues related to her job, her  family, money, etc but last night I tried to make her 21st birthday special and took her out to dinner at The Melting Pot.

Amanda, me & Hannah enjoying our chocolate fondue dessert

This week I ran

21 miles!

3 miles on Monday, 4 miles on Tuesday, 4 miles on Thursday and

10 miles today!!

In addition to being the farthest I’ve ever run, it’s the first of my long weekend runs that I’ve done without stopping in the middle.

This week has been extremely cold.  During Thursday’s after work run, it was 15 degrees (0 with the wind chill) and even with my layers, I was freezing for the first half (my fingers were numb!)

Today it was sunny & a balmy 40 degrees.  I wore my cheap Walmarts compression socks under tights, a turtleneck, fleece, hat, and was too warm to wear my gloves. I drank water before I left and carried gummy bears in my pocket so I would not have to stop.

I decided to chunk my run into four 2.5 mile segments so it wouldn’t seem so daunting. Also my Ipod/Nike plus seems to die after 3 miles.

It worked well. I left my car at work and ran my usual route (on the sidewalks) that it is flat.  At 2mi, I took a right turn and this was the worst part.  It was very hilly and steep hills (so I walked here) but eventually I turned right and it was flat again for the rest of the way.

I ran past the park (where there was the tulip fest in May) where I’ll be racing next Sat. and then turned left where there was a  race earlier (see photo below) and a crafts fest (Winter WonderLARK on Lark Street).

Santa Speed Sprint this am

Darn!  I should have left my house earlier.  I stopped and turned around at 5 miles and headed back the same way.


They were offering free trolley rides today around the city. When I saw it,  I was tempted .

Again, the street with the hills slowed me down and I switched from the sidewalks to the road during the last 2 miles.  (That concrete is hard on the feet!)

 And I survived…it took me roughly 1 hr 50 but I didn’t stop my ipod when waiting to cross the street.  That’s a 11 mile pace which is my target for my first half marathon..

5 weeks from tomorrow!!!

Happy Running!

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Brain Exchange #21 & Monday Goals


This Week’s Question:  What activities do you enjoy outside of swim/bike/running?  Are you a winter sports person or summer sports person?  Do you enjoy team or individual sports?  Do you participate in more alternative activities during the off-season?

Answer:

I am definitely a summer sports person!  I LOVE the sunshine and warm weather.

I am an avid tennis player.  I’ve been playing on a team and with friends for about 10 years.  I have made some very awesome friendships through tennis that have led to permanent friendships outside of tennis.

But what I like about running is that it is an individual sport where you can have personal goals!!

 


Recap of  last week:
My weekly goal was 19 miles. I did  21 miles! Yay!
I ran a 5K !! (not my best but under 30 min.)

This week’s schedule:
Mon – tennis after work
Wed – movie w/friends
Thurs – mall w/friend
Fri  – bday dinner
Sat – quilting party
Sun- Mentor party

This week’s running:
Mon– 3 miles before work
Tues – 5 miles after work
Thurs – 3 miles after work
Sat– 10 miles

Weekly Running Goal = 21 miles
December Monthly Running Goal = 70 miles, a 5k race, half marathon training schedule

Yearly Running Goal = 300 miles ( I passed it, New Goal is 600 and I passed it too!!!!)

Happy Running!

 

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Jingle Bell 5K Race Report Plus More


This was my 2nd year running this race.  Last year it was 9 degrees and I FROZE!! I knew it had to be better.

Today was my long run day since I had a work Holiday party last night and I am going to NYC with my Mah Jongg friends tomorrow. I was torn on how to get it in but I decided to run the race and then add 6 miles to it later.

 
 

the party "look"

 

Though I didn’t drink last night, I danced for 2 hours in HIGH heels and my legs felt it this morning!!

Ready to "Race"

The weather seemed to be similar to my Turkey Trot so I dressed accordingly but added some accessories to go with the spirit of the race.

Before the race I bumped into some old running friends – Amanda (the amazing recent marathoner), Felice (the speedy new Mom), and Jen, Brigid & Janis (the news runners from the spring).

Jen, Janis, Brigid & Felice

 

with Santa & me

We all started the race together.  It was very crowded at the beginning and it was very difficult to get going and get by a Grinch, do, &   lady with a cap. 

Felice flew ahead.  She didn’t seem rusty after just having a baby just 2 mos ago.  I knew I couldn’t keep up.  Then the rest of the group eventually passed me but Amanda & Brigid were always in sight.

I found the course more difficult than I remember.  The hills kept coming and I battled the wind was in my face.

I didn’t have the energy to PR and something in my brain kept repeating that “You’ve got to run slow because you have 6 more miles to do when this is done.”  But I really wanted to run fast!!!!

The clock flashed 29:31 when I crossed the finish line.  At first I was disappointed but then I remembered that all my times at races on this course have been over 30 minutes.

Everyone did well.  Felice finished under 26 minutes!!!! We hung around and had pizza and chatted about racing.  Everyone was encouraging about my half marathon plans.  In fact, Janis & Brigid plan to run one in April.  I know Amanda will also.

No one won an award since they only gave out medals for the top 3 finishers.  No age group awards! Darn!  I would have won 3rd or 1st!!

After everyone left, I took off my bells and exchanged my Santa cap for a beanie.  I grabbed my ipod/Nike + and set it to 3 miles.

I decided not to do the race course because of the hills but to head out and run for 3 miles and then head back.  

 

Glad to be done with 6 mi!

 

Stats:

lst 3 mi = 31:24
2nd 3 mi = 33.29

9 miles= 1:34:24

So that’s positive splits but I didn’t walk so that’s an improvement. Actually I felt better during the 6 mile run than during the race.

Happy Running!

 

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Tis the Season…

 
Tonight is my first Holiday Party – my work party – it is always very lavish & lot’s of fun (even more if I didn’t have a race tomorrow morning.)

I also signed up for Run With Jill’s Blogger Gift Exchange (deadline 12/8)

and Finishing is Winning’s Blogger Card Exchange (deadline 12/6).

My house is decorated…with snowmen everywhere!  I plan to work on card writing this weekend.

unedited card pic1

unedited card pic2

 

Happy Running! Good Luck to Those Racing This Weekend!

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3 Things Thursday

  1.           I found this quote in the December FleetFeet newsletter:

    2. “You’ve got to have goals in life or you wither away.
    It’s no disgrace to fail, only not to try.”  – — Jon Mendes Age 90, on his plan to run/walk the 2010 NYC Marathon

    Need I say more…

  2. I definitely HATE the treadmill.  It’s so stuffy in the gym and I run so slow, it takes forever.  I also am not motivated to not walk when I get tired.  SO my plan is to get up early and run outside before work.  But if I can’t (or it rains like yesteray), I’ll have to do the dreadmill after work.
  3. Tomorrow is a rest day because I have a 5K on Saturday – the Jingle Bell Run which I did last year.  It’s The Happy Runner’s return to running after having a baby – YAY!  The problem is that I signed up before I was training for a half.  What do I do?  Do the 5k and then add 6 more miles??

Happy Running! It’s snowing on my Blog!

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Hanukkah & the Half

As I said in my previous post, this was my Hanukkah present to myself.  I used my USAir miles to book a flight into Ft Myers, Fla. after work on Jan 14.  I booked a motel near the race. (They even gave me $10 off per night when I mentioned I was running the race.)

My hubby’s sister now lives in Florida and he’s never visited her.  A former co-worker of his lives there  and one of our LG friends will be there at that time.  I always go on vacations and my hubby never does.  He doesn’t complain because he prefers to stay home & relax.  I, on the other hand, am always on the go and LOVE to TRAVEL.

For his Xmas gift, I booked him a flight to Florida on Jan 10 and rented him a car. He will visit his sister & friends, go deep sea fishing, etc and then pick me up at the airport on Jan 14. 

We will stay in Naples together until Jan 18 (I have Jan 17 off).  He can watch me in the  race and I can show him around my favorite spots in Naples (where I been 7x).

CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!!

I’ve cheated a little.  I’ve actually been secretly training.  I am on week 6 of the schedule below.  I started the day after my 10K fiasco.  It may sound crazy that I’ve never run more than a 5k race and I’m training for 13.1 miles.  So be it!

I am making changes as needed.  I have to fit running in around tennis, work, and other activities.  So I am trying to run 3x a week plus one long run on the weekend. Cross-training will probably be tennis or walking.

HALF MARATHON TRAINING
 Week MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT SUN Total
1 3 Cross
Train		 3 3 Cross Train 7 REST 16
2 3 Cross
Train		 4 4 Cross
Train		 7 REST 18
3 3 Cross
Train		 4 3 Cross
Train		 8 REST 18
4 3 Cross
Train		 4 4 Cross
Train		 8 REST 19
5 3 Cross
Train		 4 4 Cross
Train		 9 REST 20
6 3 Cross
Train		 5 4 Cross
Train		 9 REST 21
7 3 Cross
Train		 5 4 Cross-Train 10 REST 22
8 3 Cross
Train		 5 4 Cross
Train		 11 REST 23
9 3 Cross
Train		 5 4 Cross
Train		 12 REST 24
10 3 Cross
Train		 6 4 Cross
Train		 13 REST 26
11 3 Cross
Train		 6 4 Cross
Train		 8 REST 21
12 3 Cross-Train Rest 3 Cross
Train		 Rest RACE DAY!  

I’ve gotten some good tips from this site:  http://www.marathonrookie.com/half-marathon-training.html

Happy Running! Happy Hanukkah!

 

 

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I did it…

Yesterday I registered for my FIRST HALF MARATHON!!! Happy Hanukah to Me!!!

Event Details:

Run along a fast and very flat out-and-back course through the area known to locals as the “Olde Naples” section of town, the Naples Daily News Half Marathon takes runners through the city streets, residential neighborhoods and waterfront districts of this south Florida city that lies near the state’s southern tip and just a short drive from perhaps its greatest ecological treasure, Everglades National Park.

Sponsored by the Naples Daily News local newspaper and the Gulf Coast Runners athletic club, the race is a longtime tradition in the Naples area and features both natural and man-made scenery, from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the architectural beauty of the multi-million-dollar homes runners pass on their way along the race route.

Following an out-and-back course that starts and finishes in Naples’ Cambier Park, runners leave the starting line at 7:00 AM and begin heading first west and then southward along Gordon Drive, which they follow for the next three and a half miles all the way down to the turnaround point at the lands’ end spot at the end of the road. There, they turn around and head back along the course they’ve just run until they hit Kings Town Drive, where they turn and head into the Champrey Bay and Galleons Cove neighborhoods.

Thanks to the race’s multiple turnaround points, at the end of Gordon Drive and inside the neighborhoods, runners get a chance to view the elite competitors in the race multiple times and see any friends who are running either ahead or behind them at several points during the race, past participants say. After the stretch of the race along Galleon Drive and the turnaround, runners then head back out of the neighborhood and onto Gordon Drive once again for the reverse route back toward Cambier Park and the finish line festivities.

One of the race’s really interesting and unique traditions takes place along the stretch on Galleon Drive, where a clergyman at Trinity-by-the-Cove Episcopal Church blesses the runners passing by (all runners pass by the church twice during the race) with holy water, which has become a landmark many runners look forward to in the race each year.

Why Run Naples Half Marathon?

  •  The best distance course in the state! Certified! Flat-Fast-Shady-Loop!
  • FREE Pasta party
  • Great 4 color Coolmax shirts
  • Unique quality medals to all finishers who finish within race time limit of 2:45
  • Awards 5 deep for 27 age groups
  • Door prizes including weekends at beach front hotels
  • $15,500 cash awards – Open – Masters – Grand Masters – Senior Grand Masters
  • Special $3,500 cash awards for US citizens
  • Cash awards for course records overall & age group

Why Should I?

  • I love Naples! I go there to play tennis every spring and just got back!!
  • The race is on my 12th wedding anniversary.
  • The day after is Martin Luther King Day – a work holiday!
  • I can use my frequent flier miles to fly for free!
  • I missed my first 10K. 
  • I am running longer runs on the weekends (already ran 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 miles).
  • I still have 6 1/2 weeks left to train.
  • I should run a half before my knees die & my body quits…

    •  

So I am…

And I am NERVOOOOOOOOUUUUUUSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Running! Happy Hanukah!

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November Ends…

Recap of November:
 Goals – 65 miles,  a 5K race & a PR  

 I ran 66 miles . I ran 2 5k races, both under 29 minutes and a new PR!!!! I did my first volunteering stint. A GOOD MONTH!!

December Monthly Running Goal = 70 miles, a 5k race, finish under 30 min., follow my half marathon training schedule (scary, huh?)

Yearly Running Goal = 300 miles ( I passed it, I even passed 500 – New Goal is 600 and I’m almost there!)

Happy Running and Happy Holidays!
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Brain Exchange #20 & Monday Goals

This Week’s Question: How do you manage diet and exercise during the holidays?

Answer:

I basically continue my usual running schedule.  I try not indulge other than at the  Parties – I have 7 holiday celebrations and 2 birthdays. YIKES!!

Recap of  last week:
My weekly goal was 18 miles. I did 18 miles! Yay!
I ran a 5K and had a PR!! WooHoo!

This week’s schedule:
Mon – tennis after work
Tues – tennis after work
Fri  – work  Xmas Party
Sun – NYC

This week’s running:
Tues– 3 miles before work
Wed – 4 miles after work
Thurs – 3 miles after work
Sat– 5K race + 6 miles

Weekly Running Goal = 19 miles
November Monthly Running Goal = 65 miles, a 5k race, a PR
Yearly Running Goal = 300 miles ( I passed it, I even passed 500 – New Goal is 600)

Happy Running!