April 1, 2014 by Darlene

March Update

MARCH GOALS:

RUN at least 3-4 times each week. YES!!

Continue planks (Do it at least once per week.) YES!! Several times each week.
Finish knitting that pair of socks. YES!!

my 5th pair. What shall I do next?

Spend some time with my mentee, Amanda. YES!

lunch, a movie & ice cream

Run a 5k race under 30 minutes! Nope…

30:17 😦 but won 1st place in my AG

Run a 4 mile race under 40 minutes! YES!

Runnin of the Green – finished in 38:07!!

Continue running longer on the weekends to train for my half marathon. YES!!

Complete my 8th Half Marathon. YES!!

despite the torrential rain…a 4 sec PR!

Run at least 80 miles this month. YES!! 96 miles!! (2nd highest mileage after 102 in Oct 2011)

mar 14

Dedicate all my runs to John Anthony my running buddy.YES! YES!

ja posater

APRIL GOALS:

RUN at least 3-4 times each week.
Continue planks (Do it at least once per week.)

this is not ME!

Walk at least once a day at work.

indoors until the weather improves

Use those 5 lb weights on my desk.

Spend some time with my mentee, Amanda’s 2 sons.

haven’t seen the boys since Christmas

Find a new knitting project.
Focus on speed rather than distance. (Next long race isn’t until Jun 22.)
Run a 5k race under 30 minutes!
Run a 5 mile race under 50 minutes!
Run a 4 mile race under 40 minutes!
Run at least 70 miles this month.
Dedicate all my runs to John Anthony my running buddy.

Happy Running! How was your March? Anything special planned for April?

March 31, 2014 by Darlene

Monday Running Update

Last Week:

Monday – rest, tennis
Tuesday – 1 mile walk, 4 mile run

inside at work

outside after work – still COLD but sunny & less wind

Wednesday – 4 3.5 miles on the TM

too WINDY to run outside – The Good Wife OMG!!!

Thursday – ~~3 miles on TM~~, 1 mile walk at work, rest, hair appt.

walking with a co-worker

a good substitute for the treadmill?

Friday – 1 mile walk at work, rest, fly to Philly

RAIN!!!!!!!!!!! Indoors again!

Saturday – rest, LoveRun expo, touring around Philly in the rain

the group minus Heidi & Kevin

Sunday – Half Marathon!!!, fly home

in the cold windy rain but a 4 sec PR!!

This Week:

Monday – rest, mall walk with BFF
Tuesday – rest, tennis
Wednesday – 4 miles
Thursday – 3 miles
Friday – 4 miles, mah jongg
Saturday – rest
Sunday – 5 m race

**Don’t forget to enter my PocketFuel giveaway!

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

March 28, 2014 by Darlene

The Important Stuff…The Outfit

Philly Forecast

Of course, I have been obsessively checking the weather and hoping for a warm up. It has been a COLD week!!

I have run 6 out of 7 of my previous half marathons in warm weather (at least 60-70 degrees except for the Lake George Half weather debacle.)

Naples, FL

Lake George, NY

Schroon Lake, NY

(black short sleeve top, pink skirt)
Rhinebeck, NY

Santa Clarita, CA

Sarasota, FL

Albany, NY

So what to wear for this half marathon in Philly?

I bought a new pink skirt:

skirt

I have another pair of black compression socks:

socks

I would love to wear my Lululemon tank:

tank

with a pink baseball cap:

cap

and my Brooks shoes:

shoes

If only it were 60-70 degrees. It looks like it will be in the 40’s with WIND and RAIN!!. (The forecast gets worse every time I check…it started out as being sunny and in the 60s.)

mar 30

Do I need to add a jacket, gloves & tights to my outfit?? Probably YES. UGH!!!

Fingers crossed. Praying that there is NO RAIN!!!!!

**Don’t forget to enter my PocketFuel giveaway!

Happy Running! Is your running outfit important?

March 27, 2014 by Darlene

The Countdown is on…

092713-loverun1

My 8th Half Marathon is in THREE DAYS…gulp!

I shouldn’t be nervous, right?

Well, I never feel confident about my running.

Yes, I know I can and will finish. I knew after the first one that I could run 13.1 miles.

Though I started running in 2008, 2011 was the first year that I ever even considered running a Half Marathon and I did 5 that year! Yes, I got hooked.

My first was the Naples Half Marathon and my time was 2:28:27 (gun time) and I was thrilled finishing under the 2:45 cut off.

1st

My second was the Lake George Half Marathon. It was pouring freezing rain the whole race and my time was 2:22:39. I didn’t wear my Garmin and there were no clocks so I was shocked at this PR.

2nd

A strained Achilles delayed my training for #3 which was the Adirondack Half Marathon. With my longest training run being 6 miles, I finished this race by walking the second half. My time of 2:44:59 was much faster than I expected.

3rd

My 4th, the Fall Foliage Half Marathon, was just a spur of the moment long training run. It was VERY hilly and I was happy with my time of 2:32:50

My supposedly PR race was the Santa Clarita Half Marathon, my 5th. It was in California & pouring for the first 6 miles. I was very disappointed with my time of 2:30:12. I felt that I trained well but I fell apart the second half of the race 😦

5th

Unfortunately, after the 5th, I broke my ankle, then had a stress fracture so when Half Marathon #6 came 16 months later, I was just glad to finish. My time for the Sarasota Half Marathon was 2:33:59. My ankle & foot held up and I was elated.

6th

Half Marathon #7 was supposed to be the one where I would be seriously training and get a PR. Then I broke my foot. With a late start to my training and my weekly miles not what I would like, again this half marathon was just “I’ll be happy to finish.” My time for the Mohawk-Hudson Half Marathon was 2:24:14, actually my second fastest time.

7th

So for Half Marathon #8, I am trying not to put pressure on myself.

lr medal

My main goal for this half is to ENJOY it (It is the largest half marathon so far in 2014… my first BIG one.)

And though I would be satisfied with D, happy with C, I would be ecstatic with A.

GOAL A: under 2:22:39
GOAL B: under 2:24:14
GOAL C: under 2:30:12
GOAL D: finish smiling and uninjured

keep-calm-it-s-only-a-half-marathon-2

**Don’t forget to enter my PocketFuel giveaway!

Happy Running! Do you run Half Marathons? Do you train for them or just enjoy them?

March 25, 2014 by Darlene

My 6th Blogoversary

March 25, 2014

I’ve been blogging for SIX YEARS!! That means I’ve been running for SIX Years!

Year 1 – starting to run for the first time and completing many 5ks
Year 2 – after taking the winter off, running again and completing even more 5ks (Anniversary post)
Year 3 – running through the winter, completing 5ks (and a 5k PR), 4 milers and my first Half Marathon (Anniversary post)
Year 4 – completing some 5ks, a 5 miler, my first 15k and FOUR more half marathons (plus an achilles injury and a broken ankle 😦 ) (Anniversary post)
Year 5 – recovering from a broken ankle, running my first 10k and some 5Ks, suffering a foot stress fracture, running my 6th Half Marathon
Year 6 – a few 5ks, then a broken 5th metatarsal, then more 5ks, several 10Ks, my 7th Half Marathon and a 15K

Mohawk Hudson Half Marathon

Monster Scramble 10K

Malta 5K

me, Courtney and her aunt MaryPat my friend)

Freihofer 5K

Mother’s Day 5K

Stockadeathon 15K

Mayor’s 10 Mile Race

Lighthouse 5K

Year 7: ???

I am again hoping that this next year (lucky 7?) brings NO INJURIES and lots of running and racing…

Happy Running! Thanks for stopping by!!! How many years have you been blogging?

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March 24, 2014 by Darlene

Monday Running Update

Last Week:

Monday – 12 miles (morning off from work)

Tuesday – 1 mile walk at work, rest, tennis

our new course record

Wednesday -1 mile walk at work, 4 mile run on tm during lunch, dinner out with tennis buddies

this time is was Revenge on my iPad

Thursday – 1 mile walk inside and then a 2 mile walk outside, 3 mile run

oops…the walk involved a Shamrock shake

spring? lake is still frozen but it was 40 degrees!

Friday – 1 mile walk at work, 4 3.5 mile run, mah jongg

3-21-14

Saturday – rest, lunch, movie & ice cream with Amanda

they did a good job adapting the book

kurver

Sunday – 8.5 miles

cold and VERY WINDY

10K plus virtual run (spring fling seemed more like a winter fling)

This Week:

Monday – rest, tennis
Tuesday – 4 miles
Wednesday – 4 miles
Thursday – 3 miles on TM, hair appt.
Friday – rest, fly to Philly
Saturday – rest, LoveRun expo
Sunday – Half Marathon!!!, fly home

March 30, 2014

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

March 23, 2014 by Darlene

Taper Time

taper-time

For me, it doesn’t really feel like a taper because I don’t feel that I trained hard. I didn’t really increase my mileage. It stayed around 3 miles with some 4 milers thrown in. Some outdoors and some on the treadmill. (It’s been a tough winter to train.)

On the weekends, my long runs started early. After my half marathon in October, I started preparing for a 15k in November, then a 10 miler and a 15K in January. That means I had many runs of 9-10 miles. None were without excessive walk breaks. I also skipped a long run when I was in Florida. But I did 2 -11 milers and a 12 miler.

My running schedule looked something like this:

Week	Date	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total Miles
1	6-Jan	0	0	0	3	0	10	3	16
2	13-Jan	0	0	4	3	0	8	0	15
3	20-Jan	4	0	3	4	3	0	9.3	23.3
4	27-Jan	0	3	3	4	0	4 + 4	4.3	22.3
5	3-Feb	0	4	4	0	4	0	10	22
6	10-Feb	0	4	0	4	4	0	10	22
7	17-Feb	3	0	4	0	0	11	0	18
8	24-Feb	0	0	0	4	3	3.1	4	14.1
9	3-Mar	0	0	3	3	5	0	11	22
10	10-Mar	0	4	3	4	0	4	12	27
11	17-Mar	0	0	4	3	4	0	8	19
12	24-Mar	0	4	3	0	0	0	13.1	20
	races are blue							3/16 run was 3/17	240.7

So I don’t feel ready but then again, I don’t feel tired or over-trained. We’ll see how it goes. I am pretty confident that I will finish. How fast?? Haven’t a clue.

Today, I ran only 8.5 miles (yeah only 8!). It was another SLOOOOW cold WINDY one (what else is new?)

almost track season

will the snow ever melt?

last long run in Delmar…bike trails should be almost clear

This week, I am just taking slow …getting some runs between the rain and wind and the sun (and tennis & hair appt), making sure that I stay healthy.

Happy Running! Do you enjoy tapering? Any advice?