Races

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Valatie Veterans 5K Race Report


I’ve been going through withdrawal – no 5k races in over a month. I’ve been doing longer runs on the weekend in preparation for the 10k that didn’t happen. But this race fit right in because it was on a Thursday when I usually run 3 miles anyway.  The problem was that I work and we don’t have Veteran’s Day off like most offices.

So I asked for the morning off and contacted my runner friend Mary and asked her to run with me (& taper for her half/recover  from her 15k).  She was skeptical about the idea but finally agreed.

Another new race and a new course:

The Course: Run will begin at Glynn Square and proceed up Church St. and north onto Route 203. A right onto Garrigan Rd. and a right on County Route 28A brings the runners onto Main St. with a final right up Church St. (the only hill on the course) to the finish line.

I had decided not to have a goal for new races but just go out and enjoy the experience (even if the race ends going up a hill!)

This race also counts for
Average Adventure Virtual Race Logo

I hadn’t run since Saturday.  I can’t remember the last time I had 4 days off.  But my quads hurt so much, I thought it was best to rest them.

They felt so better this morning but not 100% and I decided I would run cautiously.

Unfortunately, my friend Mary pulled a calf muscle running on the treadmill and is out for 2 weeks.  Her friend Kelly would be there, though.

The weather was beautiful!!!! Sunny and cool (37 degrees when I left).  I wasn’t sure what to wear but decided that the sun would keep me warm and wore a running skirt and a long sleeve cool max shirt. 

Although my GPS got me to the right street in the wrong town, I managed to still arrive early. I immediately bumped into Kelly and we took a photo before the race.

This was a small race – probably about 100 racers. 

Getting ready to start the race

 

And we're off...

I was cold at first but other than my hands (which I tucked into my sleeves), my rest of me was fine after the race started.

I said that I would run the race cautiously and not try for a PR – That’s a lie!  Though Kelly immediately left me in the dust as well as did other runners, at mile 1, they called out: 8:35!  That’s fast for a 10 minute mile girl!  I tried to slow down but there were no water stops or any other timing available so I just ran.

The course was supposed to be flat but it always seemed that we were running up hill (not steep ones) until the last mile.  The last mile we had 3 real hills and then the steepest one was the END.

I yelled: “What race ends with a hill?” They replied: “This one!”

I was struggling but refused to walk and figured that my time would be slow.  I was shocked when I saw that it was under 29 minutes.  I am sometimes under 30 minutes but only once before under 29 minutes!!!

I don’t know my official time but it seemed to be around 28:53 or so.  Not a PR but close and it could have been. (At my 1 mile pace, I would have finished at 26:40)

(The official time is 28:59)

I was supposed to be working today.  Only a real runner, takes time off from work for a race!

Since my time was decent, I hung around.  There were Veteran’s Day ceremonies followed by the awards and raffle prizes.

 

 

waiting for the results

I WON FIRST PRIZE IN MY AGE GROUP!!! I got a ribbon – not a medal but it still made me feel good.

 

I love races!

 Happy Running and Happy Veterans Day!

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Two for Tuesday & My Quads

My Quads hurt…

  1. I ran 9 miles on Saturday and I felt fine.  I ran 1 mile on Sunday without my knee brace for the 1st time in 18 months and felt fine. Yesterday, I got up and my quads were very sore!!! Why?? I conclude that 1 1/2 hours of getting up & down to cut off timing chips may be the reason.
  2. I have never cross trained.  I’ve walked, run & play tennis. At the gym, I only have used the treadmill.  Do I need to cross-train to strengthen my quads??

Next race is Thurs, a 5K…quad pain go away, please!

Happy Running!

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Brain Exchange Week 17 and Monday Goals


This week’s  Question: Where was the best place you have ever raced and why?  Where is your dream place to race?

I’ve only done 5ks at this point but my favorite place is race is Saratoga.  The State Park is beautiful.  I’ve run several races there.  The horse race track is very famous and the old mansions in the city are beautiful.

Silks & Satins with AJH

I also really enjoyed my 2008 Boilermaker experience.  It is a very famous race and although, I ran the 5k not the 15k, it was fun being in the midst of the festive atmosphere – the music, the beer, the food, etc.  This was the race that FleetFeet Albany’s No Boundaries program was training us for and they rented a bus for us, had a pasta party the nite before, etc.

 Dream race – I’m hoping to run a half marathon some day in another state maybe Florida. I love the warm weather.

me approaching the finish line at the Boilermaker

 

Recap of  last week:
My weekly goal was 20 miles. I did 21 miles! Woo Hoo!

This week’s BUSY schedule:
Mon – tennis after work
Tues – tennis after work
Wed – dinner w/friends
Fri eve – Mah Jong
Sat – hair appt
Sun – leave on vacation

This week’s running:
Tues– 3 miles before work
Thurs – 5K Race
Sat –  9  miles

Weekly Running Goal = 15 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!

 

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Volunteering on World Run Day

 

Well, this was my first volunteer experience. The Stockade-athon is a big event – the oldest 15k in the country!

 It was a chilly morning and since I wouldn’t be running, I dressed warmly. I arrived about 15 min. before the start of the race, and Schenectady’s Central Park was packed.  I had to park quite a distance away.

I immediately ran into my friend Mary and gave her a good luck hug.  I then walked around looking for information on what to do as a volunteer.  I bumped into another finish volunteer and we chatted and waited together.

After the race started, we finally were given a free tee shirt (long sleeve coolmax 🙂 ), our clipper, collection bin and instructions.

And we just waited… We were able to see the runners at mile 1 and I spotted Mary:

Mary & others at mile 1

Finally the elite runners came into view!  The winner ran it at a 5 minute mile pace WOW!  It was fun to see him cross as well as all the others.

The Winner

I even got to cut the chip off of the winning female! 

I never realized how important a volunteer is until now.  These runners were drained at the end of the race and I can’t count how many said “Thank you for volunteering!”

One guy said to me: “This is my 1st long race & my 70th birthday.”

Finally I saw Mary and she ran to me to cut off her chip & then I took her photo:

Mary & Kelly after the race

I met Mary in June when she was struggling to finish a 5k.  We have run 5 5ks together since then.  She used to call me her “inspiration” because I was faster & could finish in under 30 min.  She finally did that too in Oct.  Since then, she has run several 10ks, a half marathon and a 15k!!!! Now she’s my inspiration.

After all the runners had crossed the finish line, we left and were invited to the Fireside Pizzeria for free pizza, wings & drinks!

I highly recommend volunteering!  It is so rewarding!  It does make you wish you were a runner in the race.  For me, the decision was easy: I haven’t run this distance before and the times were fast.  However, next year, I may run it but I will definitely volunteer again at some race!

Since today was World Run Day and I signed up for it & got a tee shirt.  My REST day turned into a 1 mile neighborhood loop:

before my 1 mile "World" run

 

The day ended with a dinner to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of my Mah Jongg group:

dinner celebration at PF Chang's

Happy Running! Congratulations to all those NYC Marathoners!

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Bloggers are Great!

This is why I read blogs:

Check out these motivational quotes from Lesley –  http://racingitoff.blogspot.com/2010/11/time-to-motivate.html

Check out this post on Why I Run Races from Jen –  http://www.jenisgreen.com/2010/11/02/why-i-run-races/

I’m wordless today.  These two bloggers said it all!

Happy Running and Happy Blogging!

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400th Post and the Naples Half Marathon

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!!
  • 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 weekend (already ran 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 miles)
  • I still have 10 weeks left to train (see plan below)
  • I should run a half before my knees die & my body quits…

Suggested – HALF MARATHON TRAINING SCHEDULE
Revised – MY HALF MARATHON TRAINING

So how’s that for a 400th post?  Going out on a limb and thinking beyond 3.1 miles 🙂

 Happy Running and THANKS for your input!

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Brain Exchange is Back (Week 16)

     

This Week’s Question: 

What do you miss most when you are in the heat of training or gearing up for a race?  Do you skip late nights out?  Do you give up goodies and alcohol?  What is the first thing you crave when training is over?

Answer:

I really haven’t done a lot of training but I hope to start.  However, the day before a race (even a 5k), I try to eat pasta and drink a lot of water, go to bed early.  If I go out, I don’t drink alcohol.  This is a little tough, since I play mah jongg on Friday evenings.  My friends play until late & I always go home early. Sometimes, I don’t go at all. They drink wine & I drink water. It’s worth the sacrifice!!

Happy Running!

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The Dunkin Run

Nope, it’s not a race report.  I didn’t do the Dunkin Run 5k/10k in September (which used to be the Bruegger’s Bagel Run).

It was a cool fall afternoon, sunny when I started. I’m still debating my distance running future so on the weekend I’m trying to do a long run, if possible. Today was 8 miles…

At around 3.5 miles, there was a Dunkin Donuts so I stopped and bought a bottle of water, a French toast Bagel twist (yum) and a pumpkin donut hole.  I’ll call it my re-fueling stop.

I continued to the shopping plaza a 1/2 mile away and then turned around and headed home. It was cloudy most of the way, drizzled for a while and then the sun came back out.

I tried to look periodically at my Nike+ to check my times. I wish I had had a Garmin now (The Garmin 205 was ion sale at Amazon for $98 the other day & I hesitated & missed it.)

Stats:
5k = 31
10k =1:04
8 mi=1:23

All in all, I felt great.  I only walked at the hill at mile 7.

Now I have have to get ready to go to a Halloween party in Lake George.

Happy Running, Happy Halloween & Good Luck to all those running in the Marine Corp Marathon esp Amanda!

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Volunteering

This is a week of firsts:

  • 1st DNF – actually did not start
  • 1st EKG
  • 1st Cat Scan
  • 1st 7 mile run
  • 1st Volunteer Assignment

Yep, I will be volunteering at the 15k Stockadeathon in Schenectady on Nov. 7.  If you are racing, I will be at the finish line pulling off those chips!

As much as I would like to be running in this race, I still have not raced in a 10K so I don’t think it would be wise to try a 15K – at least not yet!!

My blood pressure has been normal, my headache is gone but I still have a stiff neck.  I played tennis last evening and felt fine.  I plan to run after work today!! The weather has been crazy.  Today it’s supposed to be 70 degrees!

I’m still contemplating my racing future….there’s are a few 5ks coming up on Saturdays (Oct 30, Nov 6, Dec 4).  I could sign up for them.  But then again, I’m trying to run short distances during the week and a longer run on Saturday just in case…you know what?!

For now, I’m a volunteer!!

Happy Running!

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Monday Goals

Recap of  last week:
My weekly goal was 17 miles. I did 16.
10K Race – too sick to do it! 😦

This week’s schedule:
Mon – tennis after work
Wed – dinner with a friend
Fri – mah jongg after work
Sat – eve. halloween party
Sun – Lake George am.

This week’s running:
Tues– 4 miles after work
Wed- 3  miles before work 
Thurs – 4 miles after work
Sat –  7  miles
Weekly Running Goal = 18 miles
October Monthly Running Goal = 60 miles
Yearly Running Goal = 300 miles ( I passed it – can I make 500?)

Happy Running!