March 18, 2014 by Darlene

The Last Long One…13 days till 13 miles

longrun

I usually do my long runs on the weekend but this was a 12 miler and I ran a 4 mile race on Saturday.

I didn’t want to add on 8 miles on Saturday after the race nor did I want to run 12 miles on tired legs on Sunday.

I wanted to run 12 miles in one shot and at my slow half pace so….

So I took Monday morning off from work.

Yes, I took time off to run!!

I had to get up early and get it done because I could only take a half day off.

To save time, I ran from my house and I planned to repeat the course that I ran for my last 11 miler but add on a mile.

I got spoiled running on Saturday in 40 degree temps.

Yesterday morning it was in the single digits with the wind chill. Brrrrrrr!

I donned my winter apparel but still froze my face off when running into the wind.

At least it was sunny and there were no puddles on the sidewalks (just ice in rare spots.)

To get the extra 1/2 mile, I added a short detour and then stopped to buy water at the coffee shop (I hate to carry anything).

photo from last week

Guess what, they had NO bottled WATER!! They also had no mini cupcakes. I was tempted to buy a larger cupcake but no one offered to give an obviously thirsty runner a cup of water, so I changed my mind. (Remember how I stashed my water there last week but forgot it….it was still there, but frozen.)

I continued down the street and stopped at Stewarts. The water was cheaper and I took a Gu (and hid the water for the way back).

passed the clock again …less snow each week,

I turned around at 6 miles and headed back.

I did another detour that was different the first and stumbled upon what might be a park with trails?

I also remembered to drink my water.

Although my pace for this run was a little better than last week’s, the first half was a lot faster than the second (the reverse of last week.) It was still slow but as I know from past experiences, my race pace is always better than my training runs.

experimenting with compression sleeves (left leg) instead of socks…$9.99 at Marshalls

I had to rush to get to work…no time to stop at Stewarts to get my $.50 ice cream cone for St. Paddy’s Day (Maybe later. 12 miles…I earned it!!)

Happy Running! Have you ever taken time off from work to run?

March 17, 2014 by Darlene

Monday Running Update

Last Week:

(It is a slow work week since the profs & students are on break, so a co-worker & I decided to walk 1 mile 2x a day.)

Monday – rest, 2 miles walked at work, tennis

1 mi 3-10-14

Tuesday – 4 miles ~~on TM~~ at lunch, 1 mile walked at work, tennis

Wednesday – 2 miles walked at work, 3 miles on the tm (rain)

Thursday – 1 mile walked at work, 4 miles on the tm (messy snow)

indoors but looking outside

TG for “Nashville”…Downton Abbey is already on hiatus

Friday – 2 miles walked at work, rest, mah jongg

indoors

Saturday – 4 m race

Sunday – rest

This Week:

Monday – 12 miles (morning off from work)
Tuesday – rest, tennis
Wednesday – 4 miles on tm during lunch, dinner out
Thursday – 3 miles
Friday – 4 miles, mah jongg
Saturday – rest, movies with my mentee (Divergent)
Sunday – 8 miles

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

March 15, 2014 by Darlene

Runnin of the Green Race Report

I ran this race 3 years ago and really liked it. It is actually my 4 mile PR (38:02). But back in 2011, I was running faster.

That is the course map. This is a very popular race. Around 800 registered and it sold out in 48 hours.

Since I have a half marathon in 2 WEEKS, I was not planning on running this race since this weekend would normally be my 12 mile long run. But I changed my mind and signed up so I ran 11 last weekend and planned to do my 12 miler Monday morning (taking time off from work.) instead.

I received an e-mail that the parking would be difficult so I left extra early. I didn’t get a spot in the closest lot but a spot on the street behind the legion hall. I picked up my race packet and hung out in the legion hall till the start of the race. I bumped into many runners that I knew and we chatted until it was time to start.

nice long sleeve women’s tech shirt

Here are some pics from the 2011 race:

You can see that you don’t run this race for the scenery. Green Island is an old factory town.

The weather seemed colder than I had thought – it was breezy and cloudy. I decided to wear my green wind breaker & tights.

with some cute socks

Right before the race started, I ditched my fleece vest (that I had on underneath my jacket) and my gloves. So glad I did. I was sweating by the end of the race. (It had warmed up to the 40s and the sun even peaked out.)

Right before the start, I bumped into some more familiar faces.

SRMs – Karen, Bridget, Felice & Gail (not in photo)

We started together. Then Felice sped ahead and I ran for a short time with Bridget and Gail.

I couldn’t keep up but just trying kept my first mile fast (for me.)

rotg3

The course, though not scenic, was pretty flat. Just lots of twists and turns – it kept the course interesting. There are just a few uphills but nothing bad at all.

J. Berkley photo

In fact, I didn’t walk at all. I didn’t even stop for water. Not I didn’t want to, but I wanted a decent time more.

I was really dragging, though, during the last mile and feeling very warm & nauseous. But when I saw Felice near the finish line, I gave it all I had.

rotg4

38:07 (net time) 38:19 (clock time) (Yay! I met my under 39:59 goal time!!)

Not a PR but much better than I thought I could run.

Split times:

mile 1 – 9:02
mile 2 – 9:36
mile 3- 9:36
mile 4 – 9:44

After you finished, you got a beer glass & a toothbrush.

In addition to age group awards, they were giving away 31 gift cards. So I stuck around chatting with some runners and munching on pizza, bagels, cookies, etc.

No chance for a AG award. This race attracts the fastest runners in the area. I didn’t win a gift card either.

I was happy with my finish time (I wish I could run this fast when I am running alone.)

Runnin of the Green is a fun race that I will probably do annually.

I almost finished in the top half (There were about 750 runners).

When I got home, I thought about running more but my Achilles felt a little tight so I decided that it would be best to wait until Monday for my long run.

I did reward myself with this:

mint/vanilla twist – Yum!

St_PatrickDay

Happy Running! How are you celebrating St. Patty’s Day?

March 12, 2014 by Darlene

The No Caffeine Challenge

Last July, I was having some minor medical problems. Nothing serious but just annoying.

After much Googling, I decided to treat myself with changes to my diet rather than drugs (with too many possible side effects.)

These are some of the foods that I eliminated:

all caffeine (no coffee or chocolate)
all alcohol (no wine or mixed drinks)
most fruits especially citrus
tomatoes and spicy foods
artificial sweeteners
carbonated beverages

The hardest: coffee.

I LOVE my coffee especially lattes.

miss this!

Instead I am drinking peppermint herbal tea with sugar in the morning. (After a several days, you really don’t need the caffeine to wake up. Really.)

I like chocolate but I can do without. There are many desserts out there that I enjoy.

bread pudding , apple pie, pastries, etc.

I am not a big drinker and not ordering drinks when out sure is a money saver. But I do enjoy a glass of wine in the evening before bed.

Instead, I have been ordering water at meals and drinking camomile tea with sugar in the evening.

As far as fruits, I have been eating a lot of pears and apples. I can eat blueberries and watermelon too. I am ok with that.

homemade apple pie!

I do love pasta and pizza but I have been eating white versions of both.

How does this relate to running?

It is really difficult to find protein bars without chocolate. All my favorites do.

here is one of the few

And try to find an energy gel without caffeine?? Almost impossible. My favorite vanilla & chocolate outrage GUs are out. I did find a few vanilla flavored in other brands (but do not like them as much.)

the only flavor GU without caffeine

I was worried about running without my cup of coffee before a race and fueling during without caffeine.

But I did run a half in October, a 15K in November and a 10 miler in January. So I guess I can survive. (Not sure if it had an negative effect.)

Giving up certain foods is tough. But if your health is involved, you just do it.

I didn’t feel better right away but eventually, I did. In the beginning when I cheated on my diet, the symptoms returned.

Now I feel perfectly fine. I have even been adding my forbidden foods back in…little by little.

a DECAF one when I was proctoring the bar exam

a creme brulee martini during my recent vacation

a salted caramel Gu during Sunday’s run

Since I am not sure which foods actually will cause me symptoms, I am leery about jumping back to eating all my favorites foods.

But don’t be surprised if I start drinking coffee again (with Splenda) instead of tea.

Happy Running! Have you ever given up caffeine or any of your favorite foods?

March 11, 2014 by Darlene

Carbs and the Long Run

There were a lot of carbs going down this past weekend.

On Saturday, I brought my car in for its 50K mile check up.

Instead of sitting around in the waiting room, I decided to go for a walk.

I headed toward this restaurant that I pass all the time when I go for my long run at the Nisky bike path but have never stopped.

It seemed close but not when I started walking. It turned out to be 3/4 mile.

First I had some delicious tea. (They had so many kinds to choose from.

Then it was too tempting not to eat… the problem was picking something. Everything was made with tea and sounded delicious. I chose pumpkin pancakes with cinnamon butter. YUM!

Then I walked back (and wished it were longer than 3/4 mile) and picked up my car.

A Summer Sports Expo was being held in Saratoga so I decided to drive up since I was half way there anyway.

Not that I need anything, but I love sales. Last year, I wound up buying a pair of Newtons for 40% off.

There were more biking, swimming and kayaking stuff than running. Most of the running booths were clubs or advertising summer/spring races. Since I run so many races, I was familiar with most of them. The expo would be really useful for a beginner runner or someone new to the are.

I didn’t buy anything but entered a ton of raffles. Fingers crossed.

Afterwards, I walked arond the town a bit. I love Saratoga and I needed to walk off those pancakes.

I rushed home because I was going out to dinner (yes, another meal out) to celebrate a friend’s retirement.

We went to Delmonicos which happens to be my favorite restaurant.

I usually order steak (their specialty) but since I had a long run planned for the next day, I ordered pasta (with chicken, mushrooms & broccoli) – Yes, more carbs! And I shared a cannoli for dessert. (I could have eaten the whole thing.)

On Sunday, I took my long run. I ran (ran is a loose term) 11 miles two weeks ago, only 4 during my Florida trip so I planned to repeat the 11 mile long run.

I knew it would be hard. I have been slacking off on my mileage. I have been skipping runs…combination of the weather and just too many weeks of long runs.

The question was where to go…

I hate running a route more than once. There is still snow and ice since the temps have been so cold. I wasn’t sure if any of the bike paths would have 5 1/2 mile clear path. (Oh, Florida- how I miss you!!)

So I decided to run into town and then back home. (I used to run this route when training for my first few half marathons.) Definitely not scenic but clear.

I got up at 8 am and believe it or not, it took me until noon to get out of the house. Reading blogs…putting away laundry…reading email..watering plants..etc. etc.

heading into town

It turned out to be a beautifully sunny day (in the 30s). Unfortunately, it was WINDY. It seems to be windy for all my long runs.

Maybe it’s me, but the wind just zaps my strength and I find it hard to move.

We still have a lot of snow but the roads are clear for the most part.

this is a sidewalk!!

The problem is that with all the traffic on this main road, it’s best to run on the sidewalks. But they are full of puddles and often have icy spots.

It’s exhausting dodging the water and trying to not slip.

Eventually I arrived around 4 miles at a coffee shop. I wanted to take my Gu but I didn’t have water so I stopped to buy some.

lemon, raspberry cupcake and salted caramel Gu – both delish!

On the counter was a mini cupcake…I was eyeing it so the cashier gave it to me.. I couldn’t refuse another carb, could I?

finally a sunny day for my town clock pic

I hid my water for the way back and more gu at mile 8 and continued into town.

On the way back, so tired of those sidewalk puddles, I detoured and ran back on a street parallel that doesn’t have much traffic.

Unfortunately, I missed the water that I had stashed and had to take my gu solo.

My run wasn’t great. It was slow and I walked when I was tired but I actually had more energy the 2nd half of the run. And as bad as it was, it was better than my 11 miler 2 weeks ago.

look who’s was anxiously waiting for me to get home!

Happy Running! How was your weekend? Do you eat a lot of carbs?

March 10, 2014 by Darlene

Monday Running Update

Last Week:

Monday – rest
Tuesday – rest, tennis
Wednesday – 4 3 miles (with a miserable cold)

near work but only 3 sneezy sniffly miles

Thursday – ~~rest~~, 3 miles on the tm at work, dinner out

catching up on Nashville

Friday – 4 5 miles, ~~mah jongg~~

in town – so nice that it was still light out

Saturday – rest, car appt, expo, dinner out

just passing the time when my car was bring serviced

Sunday – 11 miles

sunny but windy

This Week:

Monday – rest
Tuesday – 4 miles on TM at lunch, tennis
Wednesday – 3 miles
Thursday – 4 miles
Friday – rest, mah jongg
Saturday – 4 m race
Sunday – rest (long run postponed until Monday)

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

March 9, 2014 by Darlene

A Great Ad Campaign

That’s the question Mizuno Running posed to MBA students at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Kenan-Flagler Business School.

The analysis brought interesting figures to light for the U.S., including:

$130 billion in health care savings
An increase of more than $47 billion to the national GDP, with lost productivity due to sick days reduced by 50 percent, from 2.3 percent to 1.5 percent.
Nearly 2 billion pounds of total weight loss
10 percent increase in household earning potential
5 million fewer hospital visits
7 billion more hours spent outdoors
18.7 percent fewer divorces annually, and 29.3 million happier marriages.
10 percent improvement in self-esteem among kids.
200 million inches lost from waistlines.
116,000 fewer hip replacements annually.
48.1 million fewer cigarettes smoked daily.
63 million happier dogs (because many running dog owners would take their pets for jogs, too).
135 million fewer hours of TV watched each week, and 14 billion fewer hours spent online each year.
135 million more bananas consumed.
$4 billion increase in donations to charities

The “What If Everybody Ran” site – www.ifeverybodyran.com – takes individuals on a running journey to see the potential of a world of runners. The campaign anthem video, “What If Everybody Ran” campaign poster (above) and the analysis white paper further highlight the findings and reasons for Americans to run.

I wish I had these stats when I was on vacation in Florida. My friends whom I love dearly are not very active (well, not active at all) and overweight. When we were waiting for my race to begin, my friend repeated several times: “This just isn’t my cup of tea.” I know she preferred to be out having a drink rather than waiting for me to run a 5K evening race.

My hubby who is not a runner (but plays tennis) normally does not defend my running. In fact, I know he thinks I am crazy but actually said: I MAY TRY TO RUN A RACE!! A SHORT ONE.”

I was shocked. I thought that he was just trying to make me feel better. But he said he would do one with me.

I call this major progress!

At the time, I was a little upset at how unsupportive my friend was but when everyone’s phones were dead, her hubby ran back to the car to get my camera to take this photo:

And then when we got home, she took out champagne to toast my award.

1780907_10152651027314428_1262378950_n

Happy Running! Are you non-running friends supportive of your running? Does your hubby run with you?

March 7, 2014 by Darlene

I am SICK of this cold weather…

Literally and figuratively…

Feb 1 race

Mar 1 race

Which one was more enjoyable?

I was accepting of the cold. I was running in it. If it weren’t windy and icy, I was doing okay.

See: smiling

Then I went to Florida. I got spoiled for a short time.

Now I am dreading putting on the extra layers.

Plus I came down with a COLD!! Do you know how hard it is to run when you are sneezing and wiping a runny nose??

I didn’t run on Monday because I was tired and I had run 4 days in a row. I didn’t run Tuesday cuz I was playing tennis and then Wednesday, the dreaded cold arrived.

I felt like bailing but instead I googled “running with a cold” and this is what I found out:

Follow the general rule of thumb that if all your symptoms are above your neck (sniffles, sore throat, minor cough) you’re okay to exercise. “Exercise neither helps nor hurts the symptoms of a moderate cold,” says Nieman. “Don’t do anything too severe, and it should be okay.” But know your limits. Over-exertion can make symptoms last longer, he warns.

So I cut my run from 5 miles to 3 miles. And I didn’t feel any worse.

Hopefully, my cold will go away by the weekend when we turn our clocks ahead.

Maybe the weather will warm up sooooon!!!

Happy Running! Are you as sick of winter as I am?

March 6, 2014 by Darlene

Lighthouse 5K Race Report

lh5k

Well, this race took place during my vacation in Flagler Beach, Florida.

All of my running before this trip had been in temperatures between 0 and 30 degrees. So this definitely would take getting used to, especially the humidity.

Also the race took place at 4:30 pm. Again different than I was accustomed to.

The theme was Las Vegas Nights so the racers were asked to dress in costume. Not being local, I decided to forgo the costume and wear normal running clothes.

I started the day getting up to see the sunrise. My friends live 2 blocks from the ocean so that was easy.

When I got there and it was cloudy and hazy. I feared “no sunrise” pictures.

But yes, the sunrise was stunning as usual.

Then I walked home and had breakfast. And I went out for a walk. I was tempted to run but decided to keep my legs fresh for the race since I ran 4 miles the day before.

I walked on the road along the beach. The weather was similar to the day before…cool (50s) and breezier as the day progressed…but so nice to be outdoors with NO WIND CHILL and NO SNOW!!

I stopped at the pier for awhile to watch the surfers and painters and then headed home.

In the wind, it felt chilly. Unfortunately, the back of their house which is on the water was in the shade and wind. But in the sun, it was gorgeous. So I sat outside in the front of their house knitting and soaking up some Vitamin D.

Eventually my hubby joined me and we decided to go for a walk. This time in the neighborhood where all streets bordered on the water (Halifax River.)

Then we went out to lunch. I had to carb load, right? We walked back to the ocean where I had spotted a French bakery/restaurant.

Everything looked delicious. I chose a vanilla latte and marsipone strawberry grilled cheese.

with bread pudding for dessert (I shared!)

We returned home and hung out in the sun some more (This is what happens when a race is at 4:30 pm.)

Here is when it gets interesting.

My friend’s hubby & my hubby decided to go somewhere for a little while and discovered that the car had a dead battery. So they had to call AAA to get the car started. (Lucky for me that they did since we had time to spare for the race.)

With the car now running, we left for the race which was about 30 miles away. We got a great parking spot and we were there in plenty of time.

before the race

with my hubby & our friends (taken by Daybreak Studios)

We walked around near the water but it was chilly and windy.

You can see that I am wearing a jacket and so were other racers. You also should note that people were not dressed in costume either. (Glad I didn’t spend time getting one.)

lh5k2

I decided to leave my jacket off to run the race. And I was glad I did!!

Elvis started the race (taken by Daybreak Studios)

I was actually warm running. I tried to tell myself that this was fun but if you know me, I wanted a sub-30 finish as soon as I started (At least I have given up the thought of a PR for now.)

That means that I started out fast and couldn’t keep it up.

The course was flat. And scenic. There were water views. I was getting tired as I ran. I refused to stop, even for water and just willed myself to finish strong (though I felt like I was dying & nauseous.)

I’ll blame it all on the my lack of speed work, running long and slow, the wind, etc etc.

Splits:

mile 1 – 9:28
mile 2 – 9:54
mile 3 – 9:53
.14 – 8:28

So of course, when I approached the finish line and saw: 30:XX, I was disappointed. (I finished under 30 on a hilly course with a broken foot!!) The lady pushing triplets in a stroller finished 3 minutes ahead of me as well as lots of young kids. They even stopped taking photos after 29:37. So depressing!!

officially 30:17

Anyway, my friends were thrilled with my time. They are not runners (and could not understand why I would even want to be there.) When we checked the finish times, it turned out that I came in FIRST in my age group.

lh5kresults

I was happy but they were not giving out the awards until 6:30 pm. UGH! My friends were hungry and didn’t want to stick around. I didn’t want to impose so we returned to the car. And guess what?

It didn’t start!! We called AAA again and they were going to take an hour to come.

You can guess the rest.

I went back to the lighthouse to hang out with other racers. (I even met 2 men & their wives who live near me at home. And they were in my age group. Go figure!)

When it was time for awards, I asked if I could get mine first since I had to leave. They were agreeable and handed me my gold medal.

I got back to my friends just as the car was being started and off we went to get a nice dinner.

So all in all, it was an enjoyable day.

I love racing!

I love bling!

Happy Running! How have your destination races gone?

March 4, 2014 by Darlene

February Rewind

FEBRUARY GOALS:

RUN at least 3-4 times each week. YES! (though there were more 3 times than 4 times.)

around the park

around my town

around work

Start back at planks (Do it at least once per week.) YES, several times a week (1 minute before getting in the shower in the am)
Take the stairs at work rather than the elevator. Yes, most of the time.
Finish knitting another pair of socks. No but I finished one sock of the pair.

Continue to run some of my long runs with others. NO. Hard to coordinate so I have done them solo.
Run while on my mini-vacation to Florida. YES!

Feb 27

Feb 28

Run at least one race. Yes, 2 races!

Feb 1

Feb 2

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

10 miles on the Nisky bike path

10 miles on the Corning bike path

Run at least 75 miles this month. YES! 82 miles!

feb14miles

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

MARCH GOALS:

RUN at least 3-4 times each week.
Continue planks (Do it at least once per week.)
Finish knitting that pair of socks.
Spend some time with my mentee, Amanda. (I haven’t seen her since Christmas)
Run a 5k race under 30 minutes!
Run a 4 mile race under 40 minutes!
Continue running longer on the weekends to train for my half marathon.
Complete my 8th Half Marathon.
Run at least 80 miles this month.
Dedicate all my runs to John Anthony my running buddy.

Happy Running! How was your February? Anything different planned for March?

My First 5K and More…

An "Older" Runner's Blog

running

The Last Long One…13 days till 13 miles

Monday Running Update

Runnin of the Green Race Report

The No Caffeine Challenge

Carbs and the Long Run

Monday Running Update

A Great Ad Campaign

I am SICK of this cold weather…

Lighthouse 5K Race Report

February Rewind

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