September 30, 2012 by Darlene

My Weekend of Rain, Running and Mah Jongg

I was right about the weather…rain Friday, rain Saturday, rain Sunday, rain tomorrow!!!!!!!!

If you read my last post, you know how I feel about it.

So Friday after work, I ran a slow 3 miles on the treadmill while watching the season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy.

I hated every minute of it!!!

Saturday, I headed north for my annual Mah Jongg weekend in Chestertown (on the Schroon River).

I love it there. I especially love running there (as I did last weekend.)

Well, the weather didn’t cooperate. We walked around town in the rain for a while.

at a local gallery

Then we spent the rest of the day playing Mah Jongg, eating, and socializing. Several ladies couldn’t come but we had a perfect foursome.

the Sat. group

I was actually planning to do a long run on Sunday. I got up before everyone and had coffee & oatmeal. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just raining. it was pouring!!

I was already dressed so I headed out with my camera and umbrella.

Brant Lake – there is a duck race there next Sat.

I found a new route (in the opposite direction) and wound up at Brant Lake. Whenever the rain let up, I would fold up my umbrella and run.

yes, there’s an umbrella in my left hand

The foliage was really pretty and the route very interesting. I saw some wild turkey and beautiful views of the river and different types of houses.

I was almost back when I bumped into the other ladies who were out for a rainy walk.

drying out at the Sunshine (how ironic) Cafe

We took a hilly route so I impressed them by running up the hills.

my friends are holding umbrellas

I covered at least 6 miles total (but only ran for a mile or so…)

When we got back, 2 other ladies had arrived. We spent the rest of the day playing Mah Jongg.

Sunday mah jongg

The rain stopped for a little while but it returned with a vengeance for the ride home.

group photo

All in all, I had a great time. I even won quite a few games.

Happy Running! Did you have a dry weekend?

September 28, 2012 by Darlene

Weather Woes

I HATE RAIN!!

Yes, I do.

I will deal with it today because last night, I purposely did not watch TV:

I plan to use the treadmill at work (on the dark, stuffy behind the curtains of our gym stage) and watch TV on my iPad.

Tomorrow and Sunday, I am going back to Chestertown for a weekend of mah jongg playing.

and I baked it myself & used freshly picked apples

When the mah jongg ladies take a break to play tennis, I was planning to go for a run (and preferably a long one.)

me running in Chestertown

Rain does not fit into my plans!

I know I will have a great time with my friends but adding a run would make it perfect (Besides I will feel less guilty about all the food consumption.)

Happy Running! Anyone else a rain wimp?

September 25, 2012 by Darlene

Sof Sole Review

According the website:

The Athlete™ features a neutral arch position, making it suitable for most foot types, as well as additional gel cushioning in the heel and forefoot without any extra bulk. Built with our exclusive IMPLUS® foam, the Athlete™ also provides superior moisture management.

I received a pair of these in the mail and they couldn’t have come at a better time.

I am particularly hard on my running shoes. I either stomp or drag my feet – who knows?? But I go through shoes. After a few months, they no longer feel cushiony and the bottom of my feet start to ache.

Saturday after 5 miles or so, my feet felt the way the do at Mile 12 of a half marathon – that achy burning feeling on the bottom of my feet. And my shoes are only a few months old.

So I decided to try out the Sof Sole insoles. I was a little hesitant since I usually wear orthotics but I put them in my Brooks Ghost neutral shoes and my hubby & I went hiking on Sunday. They felt great.

Yesterday morning was the real test. I ran 3 miles before work. My feet felt super. I could have run more if I didn’t have to rush off to work.

I may have to ditch my expensive orthotics in flavor on these insoles.

Last night, I played tennis and used this opportunity to test out Coolmax Lite socks by Sof Sole. Although I don’t need cushiony support for playing tennis (as I do for running where I wear compresson socks), an hour and 1/2 of running around on the court makes your feet sweat. In the past, I have gotten blisters from wearing heavy non-breathable socks. However, these socks were very comfortable. They are light but not too light.

Thumbs Up for Sof Sole!

Happy Running!

______________

*I was sent these products free of charge. I have not been compensated for my review, my opinions are my own.

September 25, 2012 by Darlene

I Want to Reach 65

That when I will be able to retire (and receive SS) so I can run whenever I want.

Only kidding.

I am trying to increase my running miles and it hasn’t been happening.

I am determined to do it this month. That is reach 65. And each month even more until I reach 100.

Thats means I have to schedule it:

Tues after work – 4 miles
Wed – supposed to rain – nail appt, walk with friend at the mall
Thurs before work – 3 miles
Fri after work – 4 miles
Sat – supposed to rain – mah jongg with the ladies
Sun – 6 or 7 miles

17-18 miles scheduled

Ta Da!

Happy Running! What do you do to motivate yourself to run?

September 22, 2012 by Darlene

Helper’s Fund 5K Race Report

For several years I have wanted to do this race because I love the area. My friend has a house there. It’s beautiful in the fall and it’s close to our boat. Each year something has come up that I couldn’t do it. So this year I was glad that I could.

The plan was to spend the night before the race at my friend’s house on Schroon River (so I wouldn’t have to get up early.)

This is also the weekend of the Adirondack Balloon Festival. They launch 100 hot air balloons in the air and I haven’t gone in many years. Unfortunately, I got out of work too late to see them Friday on my way to Chestertown. Instead, I decided to stop in Lake George Village. There was going to be a Moon Glow (hot air balloons lit up) and fireworks

there were 3 balloons lit up in the distance

There was too much traffic to see them close up but I watched them from across the lake. And to my surprise, 2 of my friends walked by and we watched the fireworks together.

me & Tina watching the fireworks over the lake

I wound up getting to my friend’s house just in time to go to bed.

The race didn’t start until 9:30 am and I got up at my usual 6:30 am. I decided to go get coffee (they had pumpkin spice creamer – yum!) and pick up my race bib.

view of the river from the living room & bedrooms

It turned out that the race start was only 5 minutes from the house. So I was able to have my coffee and oatmeal and relax.

pre-race meal & a view

I wasn’t sure what to wear with the conflicting weather forecasts. It was overcast, windy and cooler than predicted. I opted to wear shorts & shirt rather than the skirt & tank that I had planned.

ready to head to the race

The race was both a 5K and a 10K. You could tell by the bib colors who was who. There were about 100 runners in the 5k and a little less in the 10k. Although it was cloudy, it seemed like the rain would hold off so I guess I should have done the 10k.

As with many local races, the atmosphere was so friendly and casual. The race started at the town hall (where there were real bathrooms) and you could park across the street at the Grand Union. Unfortunately, there was no chip timing. They just pull off the end of the bibs in order.

Although I said that I wasn’t competitive and just wanted to do my best, that was a lie. I really wanted to break 30 minutes and win a AG award.

And I did neither!!!! But I still enjoyed the race.

I started out well. I ran the lst mile too fast at first and slowed down. But the 2nd mile had hills. I do not do well on hills. I walked at the frist water stop and then I walked during another hill. That was my downfall. I was tired during the 3rd mile but managed to finish strong.

road heading the toward the finish

I was disappointed when I saw that I would not break 30 minutes. I finished in 30:08.

another 5k is done

The age groups awards were in 10 year groups & I finished 4th.

I would have been 1st if they did 5 year age groups. Oh well.

my splits

I must say that they had the best refreshments – homemade cream puffs, homemade bagels, breads, cookies, brownies, Greek yogurt, fresh fruit – watermelon, grapes, oranges. cantaloupe, oranges, bananas and more!

post-race snack

I met many nice people and I will definitely try to do this race again – maybe even the 10K.

Before heading home, I stopped at a new quilt shop in town. I used to quilt a lot and want to get back into it. The owner was super nice and I even signed up for an applique class on Oct 7.

my next project?

Since it still hadn’t started raining, I decided to run some more. I went back, changed my shirt and took a 3.3 mile leaf peeping run.

the river & the foliage

enjoying some fall running

It obviously wasn’t going to be a boating day. I decided to be nostalgic and drive up to Schroon Lake. Last year at this time I was getting ready to run the Adirondack Half Marathon.

I went to the expo and boy did it make me want to run a half marathon again. Anyway I did buy some cool things – 2 pairs of gloves for $3, a ponytail headband and some gels in great coffee flavors.

just love these flavors

Then it started to rain!! So I ducked in and out of shops. Just one more purchase.

it’s pink

Finally, I headed home as I drove south, the sky turned blue and temperature rose. It turned out that it was a nice day at home. Darn unpredictable weather!

Happy Running! Did you enjoy your first day of fall?

September 14, 2012 by Darlene

Healthy Friday

I bet you never thought you’d hear the word HEALTHY here.

But this has been a healthy week.

On Wednesday, my work sponsored a potluck lunch:

I made Broccoli Slaw Salad and I won for “Best Use of a Super Food.”

It was a great idea. I tasted some great (healthy) food and got some new recipes (which I may or may not use.) Two of my favorites were Tomato Soup Cake and Veggie Pasta Toss (which also had broccoli slaw in it.)

(Truthfully, I don’t have time to cook 😦 and I just won a FREE week of the Standard Fruit & Vegetable Subscription from FieldGoods)

Anyway, here’s my recipe if you are interested:

Ingredients:

1 package broccoli slaw mix
2 packages chicken flavored ramen noodles (crushed)
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup unsalted peanuts
1 cup sunflower seeds
½ cup white sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup vinegar
optional – dried cranberries

Directions:

Combine in a large bowl slaw, noodles, green onions.
Whisk together sugar, oil, vinegar, ramen seasoning packets.
Pour mixture over salad and toss.
Add peanuts, sunflower seeds (& cranberries)

This week also I was selected as a Sweat Pink Ambassador (SPA) from fitapproach.com.

Here is their mission:

We believe that kicking ass is best done in pretty shoes. We’ve learned that real women sweat, and sweat hard. We know that assertiveness, strength, and ambition are the ultimate feminine qualities. We concede that sometimes it takes hours to get ready, but we’re also no strangers to just rolling out of bed and going. We’re convinced that we run faster in pink shoelaces. We believe in pushing ourselves, and we believe in giving ourselves a break, too. We’re all about the rush of endorphins and the thrill of the challenge. We’re all for looking great and feeling even better. We’re committed to finding our best fit, and making it stick…

in pink

That convinced me (and that I wear pink often to run.)

in pink again

If you are interested too (and like pink shoelaces), check out their website and apply.

Now about my running this week…

Sun – no running but biked
Mon – no running but played tennis
Tues – no running but walked around NYC
Wed – ran 3 miles and walked around the mall
Thurs – no running but walked at lunch
Friday – no running but will walk at lunch

5 days of NO RUNNING and I am NOT INJURED. WTH?

I wonder how that will affect my race tomorrow!!!

Happy Running! Do you eat healthy? Do you ever get sidetracked and skip running?

September 11, 2012 by Darlene

Guess Who came Back?

My Russian friend, Anna!

with Anna in Albany, NY Oct. 2002

When she last visited the US in 2003, she said that she would be back. I went to Russia in 2002, 2004 & 2006 but she wasn’t able to return until this past May (& I only saw her for 2 days.)

with Anna in Lake George May 2012

She said she’d be back to see the US Open. I thought she was joking.

Nope, she returned to NYC last Friday and went to the US Open on Sat. & Sun.

I couldn’t afford to go to the semi finals at the US Open but said that I would take a day off and go to NYC to see her.

That was yesterday. 9-11 in NYC (What was I thinking?)

Anyway, I took the Megabus to NYC (only $5!!)

We met at Grand Central and took the Metro North to the Botanical Gardens.

She was agreeable and since I love flowers and anything French, this was perfect.

Monet is my favorite and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I think she did too.

The waterlilies were great…I won’t bore you with the tons of photos I took. Here’s just two:

We spent so much time chatting over lunch that we never got to the paintings.

Hopefully she will come visit me this weekend.

So I biked on Sunday, played tennis on Monday and walked on Tuesday…3 days without running!!!

Tomorrow I hope to drag myself 3 miles 🙂

Happy Running! Am I the only one that has life getting in the way of running?

September 8, 2012 by Darlene

MBPA 5K Race Report

on Sept 8, 2012 at 8:30 am

Well, I signed up for this race to feel better about my running. That is was my goal. (We know also that to feel better would be to run well and improve my speed.)

I knew nothing about the course except that they changed it back to the first year’s course (the one with the hill.)

At least it started early so the day wasn’t shot.

The weather was far from perfect. It was VERY humid, in the 70’s and VERY VERY windy. It felt like a hurricane was on the way.

I got there about 20 minutes early…just enough time to get a parking spot and put my swag bag back in my car. I bumped into the same 2 ladies from last week’s race. (They do 5ks every week.) Otherwise I didn’t know anyone else. (Most of my running friends are running long runs while training for half or full marathons.)

heading toward the start/finish line

As I said in a previous post, I didn’t really have any written goals. In the back of my mind was the wish to finish under 30 minutes but with the wind and the fact that I only ran 2 lackluster training runs this week, I would be just glad to finish strong.

The course meandered around the campus (which they said before the race started was worth $4 billion!!!). There were some uphills but nothing really steep.

I tried not to look at my Garmin but they called out times at every mile so I knew that I was running under 10 minute miles. I was surprised at that since it was hard running into the wind. I felt at times like I wasn’t even moving.

There were 2 water stops. I stopped at the first one and walked a bit and then ignored the 2nd one (I did think about it, though.)

When I came toward the finish line, I heard the announcer say “If you run faster, you can still finish under 30 minutes.”

And so I did – 29:53!! Another post-injury PR.

The refreshments were very nice: bagels, cider donuts, whole oranges, bananas, chocolate milk, orange juice.

I hung around with those 2 ladies who always win because they are in the next age group. And sure enough, they did and I did not. I came in 7th in 50-59 and would have come in 2nd in the next age group.

They gave the winners $25 gift certificates to a local diner and they randomly gave huge gift baskets to runners who finished 100. 115, 200, 350, etc.

race swag – lst time I’ve gotten a towel

So 5K #6 is done and at each one I am a little faster. I guess that’s progress. And I left the race feeling better than before I started (mentally, that is.)

my splits – all under 10 min 🙂

after the race in the windy parking lot

As I did last week, I stopped at the Mohawk Towpath to run some more.

It was very windy but I decided to just grin and bear it – take it slow and walk if necessary.

I headed west and ran along the trail along the Mohawk River.

When the trail ended, instead of running along the road, I took a path which turned out to be great since the trees shielded me from the wind.

I turned back at 1.5 miles and ran the same way back to my car (including a brief stop at a garage sale.)

running on a new path

On my way home, I stopped at Target…love Target! (needed only a few things and spent almost $200)

Now I am watching the US Open on TV and waiting for the storm to arrive.

Happy Running! Did you get any rain or did you race or both?

September 7, 2012 by Darlene

Foto Friday

In case you don’t read my blog often — I ran with Joan Benoit Sanuelson last Wed.

Here is some proof:

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photos by: Peter Thomas (who took 100+ )

Happy Running! Enjoy your weekend!

September 4, 2012 by Darlene

Christmas Comes Early on Lake George

Past celebrations:

2010 – brr!

2011 – hot!

This year, on the day before Labor Day, the weather was perfect – not too hot, not too cold.

boats lined up and tied together

floats tied together and pulled around the bay

This is an annual party in Log Bay on Lake George. It’s like a tailgating party but on boats. Everyone comes out and there is even a live band.

me & my hubby hanging out on top of our friend’s boat

some of our friends dressed up for the holidays

having fun on a beautiful day

There were maybe 100 boats!! Some stayed until dark.

We went back to our marina. There was live music followed by fireworks. Afterwards, we went out for dinner & drinks. A long fun day.

On Labor Day, I got up early planning to run. But we had decided that we were going to get a site on an island rather than hanging out in a bay. A little more coordination involved.

So like last year, I decided to forego the run in favor of a hike.

last year’s hike to the top of Vista

We got to the site on Commission Point early and I set off on my hike. To make a long story short, I never found the path to go up to the hike so I just continued on the trail north along the east side of the lake.