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.

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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.

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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.

my last two 5ks were at a 9:00 pace. This was slower than my 10k last weekend.

I actually came in 2nd in my age group but they only gave out medals to first place.

Splits:

mile 1- 8:53
mile 2- 9:34
mile 3 – 9:52
.14 – 8:04

So this was supposed to be a training run. And it was a good one with sprints thrown in.

I guess I have something to improve upon. Was I getting cocky with all those PRs? Yup.

I’m linking up with Jill Conyers for Fitness Friday! Be sure to check out what all the other bloggers are up to today.

Happy Running? Ever run a race as a training run? Do bad races get you down?

May 7, 2015 by Darlene

My Birthday Race

So I’m linking up today with Amanda for Thinking Out Loud Thursday.

And my birthday is Saturday.

Saturday, May 9, 2015

This race is a new one for me.

Normally I run my birthday race every year on Mother’s Day. I will be this year but as a running buddy for the GOTR program.

So this is my serious race and I can’t think of a better way to spend my birthday.

This is how the course is described:

Both races start at the Cohoes Falls in a park named after a heroic Vietnam War Veteran – Colonel Robert Craner – Craner Park.

After that we take you:

Past the Historic Harmony Mills – now luxury loft apartments,

By the Restored Cohoes Music Hall which produces some of the best entertainment this side of Broadway!

By the business district, with great architecture

Past a historic Armory soon to be turned into a Brewery/Restaurant.

Next, you run through a park and on the old Erie Canal Towpath which brings you up to

The Mohawk Bike Trail (where the whole thing started!). The path is shaded this time of year, but don’t get comfortable because the hill that brought you to it is just the beginning.

Once you are off the path, you pass by wonderful schools, parks and neighborhoods but they come at a cost.

From there you run up 4 hills that hurt and lots of inclines along the way….don’t worry – we have 8 water stops and entertainment along the route to keep you going. From church groups to Boy Scouts and schoolchildren, to the High School Band… we are here to welcome you and make this as painless as possible. Our volunteers are at every corner and they are so excited you can’t help but appreciate their enthusiasm. Watch out for paper mache mastodons on the sidewalks!

Once you hit mile 7 and 8 you are golden! We take you back to the shade of the Bike Path and down a couple of hills with the mist from the Beautiful Cohoes Falls ahead of you.

Sweet.

Challenging.

Cohoes Falls

Yes, it does sound challenging. The question was whether to run the 5k or the 15K?

I chose the 15k (for now.)

But with my foot issues and a 5K on Sunday, I am seriously thinking of downgrading (AGAIN) to the 5K…

Either way, my goal to enjoy running and not worry about my finish time.

Happy Running? Do you race on your birthday?

May 6, 2015 by Darlene

Not Really Blisters

I originally thought it was a blister (and I do get blisters) but this time it is not…

What it is? (My diagnosis)

Metatarsalgia causes inflammation and burning pain in the ball of the foot. Symptoms may also include numbness and tingling that gets worse when running.

Yup, it burns when I run and swells.

Cause:

Most metatarsal problems mainly occur due to the foot impacting hard surfaces while walking or running and poor biomechanics that affect the way weight is distributed in the foot. This can put extra pressure on the metatarsal bones, which leads to inflammation and pain, especially in the metatarsal heads–the rounded ends of the bones that connect with the phalanges (toe bones). Metatarsalgia also can be caused by the following:

Intense training or sudden increase in activity level. (I just ran a half marathon, duh?)
Your foot shape. A high arch can put extra pressure on the metatarsals, which causes more weight than normal to be shifted to the second metatarsal head. (I used to have high arches but my foot has flattened with age.)
Bunions. A swollen, painful bump at the base of the big toe can develop due to hereditary factors or from wearing high heels or shoes that are too small. A bunion can weaken the big toe, putting extra stress on the ball of the foot. (Although, the one on this foot doesn’t hurt, I do have a bunion which pushes my big toe toward my 2nd toe.)

Treatment:

Maintaining a healthy weight prevents undue stress on the feet. (I’m ok here)
Shoe inserts reduce the impact to the forefoot and stress on the feet.
Properly designed shoes that have toe boxes that are sufficiently wide and high to allow the toes to spread. (My running shoes have a wide toe box)
Padded socks with shoes with non-slip outsoles and any inserts or orthotics prescribed or recommended by a doctor. (I have orthotics that I got several years ago after my inflamed achilles but they SQUEAK!)
Ice and rest can often relieve metatarsalgia symptoms. (Ok, I’ll try ice)
Over-the-counter pain relievers and anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin help reduce pain and inflammation (I can do this too)
Avoid sports and other vigorous activities while you recover. (What?!)

So what will I do?

wear a Moleskin pad on the bottom of my foot or I may try wearing my orthotics again
wear toe spacer between my big toe & 2nd toe
wear Experia padded socks
ice after running
take ibuprofen after running
cut back on training runs esp. on hard surfaces
see a podiatrist?

Well, I have races scheduled for:

May 7 – 5k
May 9 – 15k
May 10 – 5K
May 24 – Half Marathon
May 30 – 5k
June 13 – Half Marathon
June 21 – 10 miler

So you probably think that I am crazy to run them… I do not want to waste money and DNS so yes, I will run them conservatively.

And I will be in Florida May 13-20 playing tennis on clay courts and spending a lot of time on the beach. Hopefully, this will help to relieve my foot pain.

Fingers crossed.

Happy Running!

May 5, 2015 by Darlene

Tuesdays on the Run: Best Race You’ve Ever Run

Erika @ MCM Mama Runs hosts Tuesdays on the Run with April @ Run the great wide somewhere and Patty @ My no-guilt life!

This week’s topic is: Best Race You’ve Ever Run

I’m going to pick 2 – the best short distance and the best long distance…

My Best 5K:

I loved the course – you ran around the Saratoga Race track.

I loved that you got a personalized bib.

I loved the “Roc” age group awards.

And of course, I loved that I got a PR even though I walked twice.

My Best Half Marathon:

I loved running with a view of the sun rising on the water.

I loved the course – along the water but also in the neighborhoods of West Palm Beach

I loved that although I had blisters, I toughed it out and kept my pace.

I loved getting a PR and winning my age group.

Happy Running? What is your best race?

May 4, 2015 by Darlene

Monday Running Update

Last Week:

Monday – 4 mile group run with FRW training group resting in my foot
Tuesday – ~~rest~~ 3 miles on the track at lunch, tennis

Wednesday – walk at work, 4 3.5 mile run after work

Thursday -GOTR practice 5K

my running buddy is one of the 2 fastest girls!

Friday- rest, walk at work, pasta dinner, mah jongg

Saturday – 15 10K race + 4.5 miles

58:19 – 1st in my Age Group with a painful foot

Sunday – rest, boating !!

first day on the lake this season

This Week:

Monday – 3 mile group run with FRW training group?? mall walk with BFF
Tuesday – 3 mile run at lunch??, tennis
Wednesday – rest, birthday dinner out
Thursday –5K race
Friday- rest, mah jongg
Saturday – 15K race, Tulip Fest, dinner out for my birthday
Sunday – GOTR 5K, dinner out for Mother’s Day

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

May 4, 2015 by Darlene

Mother’s Day Giveaway

As a SkirtSports Ambassador, I am happy to offer my readers this amazing giveaway:

A BASIC LEVEL entry to the Skirt 13er/10k/5K Local or Virtual!

The beauty with all Skirt Sports races, the registrant not only receives their race packet including Finisher’s Skirt (or bra or top depending on race), race #, and sponsor swag but ALSO a gift certificate to spend right away on the Skirt Sports website, in the boutique or at an expo attended by Skirt!

The runner can run the 13er, 10k, or 5k and can use this entry for the local race on June 14th or run it virtually on the same day.

So here are the details for this giveaway:

Basic Entry ($85) which includes:
$50 gift certificate
Race #
Finisher’s Skirt (Don’t Sweat It Collection pull over skirt)

Sponsor swag

Click HERE to enter!

The giveaway ends at midnight on May 10, 2015.

Good luck!

Happy Running!

May 2, 2015 by Darlene

Spring Run Off 10K Race Report

I signed up for the 15k which was to begin at 8:30 am. The 5K would begin at 10 am. I was tempted to switch & sleep in or switch to the 10K.

I was afraid of a repeat of what happened to my foot last weekend and make my foot worse.

last year at the 10K

This is my second year running this race and I am familiar with the course. It is where I do a lot of my long training runs.

with Judy here a few weeks ago

Last night this race included a free pasta dinner & packet pick up.

The food was really good. It was catered by D’Raymonds, a local Italian restaurant. There was salad, bread, pasta, wine, and lots of homemade desserts. It wasn’t a buffet. They actually served you. I ate A LOT!!

Last year I got invited to sit with two lovely older runners. We had some great discussions….about running, of course and have seen each other several times since.

pasta dinner before the race above

This year, these ladies couldn’t come so I sat with some older runners that I know since we run many of the same races. It was fun.

Then all of a sudden I got cold feet about running the 15K. So I did it – I SWITCHED TO THE 10K!!

I know you are surprised but I didn’t want to run 9.3 miles on a sore foot. I would have switched to the 5k if it was run at the same time.

Anyway, we lucked out with the weather – sunny, no wind and warm. I even wore a tank top and brought a jacket just in case.

I wore my new shoes, thorlo padded socks, moleskin pad under my foot, etc and all other precautions against blisters and foot pain. (Spoiler alert: it didn’t work.)

I arrived early to make sure I got parking and to look for people who I knew. I found parking in the closer lot and then walked over to the start.

I immediately ran into Barbara whom I met on FB.

We hung out and chatted. In fact, we had to wait quite a while for the race to start.

chatting with Barbara. Valerie is on the right.

Apparently they were blasting a bridge that we would have to run under.

At least the weather was nice but THERE WERE NO BATHROOMS. There are some in 2 nearby locations but they were locked.

So we waited and were entertained by music.

and the timing workers dancing

Finally the race started (about a half hour late). The 10K and the 15k started together. Same course, the 10Kers just turned around sooner.

I started toward the front but not too near the fast runners.

I went out fast of course because I knew that I would slow down – bad attitude, right?

The course is lovely. You run along the Hudson River but unfortunately, my foot did not cooperate again.

I was already walking through the water stop at 1.5 miles.

This was a sign that the race would be going downhill.

I willed myself to keep up an even pace until the turn around of this out and back course. (In fact, I was at 28 minutes at the 3.1 mark – PR pace.)

You would think that there would be water then but nope not again until about mile 4.5. It was warm and I was thirsty.

Finally, I decided to have some Gu to get more energy around mile 4.

I walked twice during the first half but at least twice that during the second half.

My foot was hurting and it really sucked!! I hate running in pain!!

But I decided to just walk/run until I finished. I knew that I would not PR (even though it was an easier course than the one I did PR for).

As I approached the finish line, I tried to finish under 58 minutes but could not.

I crossed at 58:19

So it wasn’t a PR but it was actually my 2nd fastest 10K ever. Just think of what I could have done if my foot was not killing me?

Race Splits:

mile 1 – 8:53
mile 2- 9:15 (water stop)
mile 3 – 9:17
mile 4 – 9:53 (walking has begun)
mile 5 – 9:52 (water stop & lots of walking)
mile 6 – 9:38 (less walking)
.2 – 8:19

I had some refreshments and waited for the 5k to begin. Homemade cookies, brownies and cakes – YUM!

I stayed because I wanted to cheer on my new friends and some SRMs that were running it.

with Laurie from the Turkey Trot training group

I also began to feel better about my race. My time wasn’t bad. I beat my time from last year in this same race!! And now that I was done, my foot felt fine!

It was fun cheering the 5k finishers. I rarely do this because I usually only go to to races when I am running in them.

3 SRMs

Being a small race, it seemed that almost everyone got age group medals.

I was glad that I switched from the 15K. Since it was a new race, they didn’t give out medals for the 15K- just trophies for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place. I would have been pissed if I ran 9.3 miles and got nothing.

waiting for the results (with Laurie)

Last year. I got 3rd. This year, I got FIRST place!

In the 5K, Valerie got 2nd and Laurie got third – We were all winners!

All in all, not a bad race but not what I hoped. I wished that my foot was feeling better.

Because it was such a nice day, I decided to test my foot further. I walked back to my car and then ran/walked 2 miles, rested my foot and then ran/walked back to my car. My pace was about 13 min/mile. But I got the miles in and I went home and iced my foot. Hopefully it is not worse and I can find a way to heal quickly!

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

Happy Running! How was your weekend? Did you run or race?

May 1, 2015 by Darlene

Friday Five: Race Day

Every Friday, three DC area bloggers Mary at Mar On the Run, Cynthia at You Signed Up For What?! and Courtney from Eat Pray Run, DC to host the Friday Five linkup. Anyone can join with their own Friday Five post (yes, it must be a Friday Five!!) They encourage you to visit other blogs on the linkup, comment, share and engage!

This week, the theme is Race Day.

If you are a runner, who doesn’t love “race day.”

Here are 5 important things in my race day:

1. Have a good breakfast