running

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Last Long Run

It’s funny to say that I am officially in Taper mode.

I started training on August 15.  In those 12 weeks, I have run 2 half marathons.  I also have had long runs of  10, 10.5, 12, 13. That’s six 2 digit runs!!!

On the surface, it appears that I am so much better prepared for this half marathon than my first two. (1-16-11 & 4-23-11)

Not so!!! 

It’s deceiving because  all of the long training runs this time have been mixed with walking.  All except the last half marathon (10-23-11) have paces over 12 min/mile. 

I feel that because of my injury, I have been tapering during all of the training runs. 

I am pain-free now so I am okay with that.  Running slowing is much better than not running at all.  (I will repeat this to myself often.)

So today was my last long run.

We had some snow on Thursday and some yesterday.  Yes, it’s still October.  Those are the joys of living in the Northeast.It was unseasonably cool today (in the 30’s) but at least it was not snowing or raining!!!

4" on the ground this morning

So I headed into town to do at least 8 miles.  However, the sidewalks were still snow-covered and slippery so I decided to go some place new.

I heard that the Corning Trail was an awesome place to run – flat & scenic.  I usually do not feel like doing extra driving but today I had the time.

I parked at Riverside Park and headed toward Troy.  The whole way you had a view of the Hudson River.

It was chilly but I definitely was overdressed.  I started with a hat & gloves & jacket.

The trail was indeed flat. The sun came out and melted the snow on the trail.

It was neat to see snow on the ground & leaves still on the trees.

I turned around at the 4 1/4 mile mark and little by little took off my hat, gloves, & tied the jacket around my waist.

I haven’t reached a verdict about the new shoes – yes, they have more support & the bottoms of my feet don’t ache but they are heavier & it feels like running in cement boots (unless I was just tired & hungry).

warm enough for boating

When I got back, the weather was so nice & the scenery so beautiful that I continued in the other direction.

Done!!

I wound up doing 9.5 miles (though there was walking at the end & lots of photo stops). I’m definitely going to add the Corning Trail to my list of running routes.

I’m not sure how much or if any running I’ll get done this week.  Tennis 2x, yoga, nails, hair appt, flight to LA …NO TIME!!

Happy Running! Do I need to run this week?

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Eight Days Out

That’s means it’s time to stress out about the Weather and the Outfit:

I have no control about the weather.  I’m fine as long as it doesn’t rain.

Santa Clarita forecast

But do you see a trend??? California must know that an Upstate New York girl is coming West. What they don’t know is that it is cold in the Northeast & I HATE it!!  I like warm weather…. 

The outfit? 

Definitely compressions socks and a cap.  Those are a given. Possibly the outfit that got covered up during the rainy cold Lake George Half last April.

Maybe this outfit instead:

However, given that the temps will not be the 70’s or 80’s that I had hoped for…I will  have to bring  a short-sleeved shirt…either white, pink or green and a jacket. (I know will over pack!!)

Other important things:

book to read on the plane

 

new toy for blogging

Happy Running! Any advice in packing for destination races?

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First Lunchtime Run

where I work

 
I’ve never run during my lunch break before.  One of my colleagues told that she runs 7 miles at lunch.
 
Well, she’s fast. She has her own private office.  She doesn’t have to leave her office at a moment’s notice to help faculty or staff.
 
But the forecast of impending rain and or snow for the next few days made me decide on Tuesday to take my first lunchtime run.
 
It wasn’t the best day to do it.  It was cool (so I didn’t sweat) but VERY WINDY.  My QUADS were screaming “No, don’t do this!!”  (I was also going to be playing tennis after work.)
 
It did it anyway.  I wore my running clothes under my work clothes and at my cubicle, I changed, added my sneakers, Garmin, cap.
 
I snuck out and slowing ran 3.5 miles and then grabbed something to eat & ate it at my desk.
 
Will I do it again?
 
Maybe if we have another nice day & I am busy after work.  Though, once we turn the clocks back, I will probably run before work.
 
Happy Running! Anyone else run during their lunch break?
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Wednesday Words

Thanks to Finishing is Winning for reminding me about what is important!

Of course, if only I could remember this when I race…

Happy Running!

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Weak Quads

After Sunday’s Half Marathon, I pleased to report that my feet, heel, calves, knees, and legs feel fine!  But my QUADS…that’s a different story.  I can barely walk down the stairs.  The last time they felt like this was when I volunteered last November at the Stockade-athon and spent 1 1/2 hrs cutting off chips at the finish line.

I guess it was the hills!!!

I sit at my desk all day and my exercise consists of tennis, running & yoga.  But I don’t bike or hike or or exercise or use any machines at a gym. Obviously, I need to strengthen my quads!!

Happy Running!  Any advice on dealing with weak quads?

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Inaugural Fall Foliage Half Marathon Race Report

Sunday, October 23rd in the iconic Hudson Valley town of Rhinebeck, NY.

Be a part of this beautiful day as participants run through historic downtown Rhinebeck and journey to the shores of the Hudson River in neighboring Rhinecliff.

With the New York City Marathon just two weeks away, this is the perfect opportunity to do a final training run or spend a weekend in the country running in this gorgeous setting.

A portion of the proceeds from the race will be donated to support Riverkeeper, a New York-based organization dedicated to defending the Hudson River and its tributaries and protecting the drinking water supply of nine million New York City and Hudson Valley residents.

Race Highlights:

  • Certified Half Marathon Course with B-Tag Chip Timing
  • Former NY Ranger Goalie and Olympian Mike Richter to run on behalf of Riverkeeper.org
  • Late 10 AM start to allow travel time for people from NYC, Westchester, Albany, etc.
  • Tech shirts for all runners

 Sounds pretty good, right?

Looks like a pretty course.

Hills!!!!!!!!!!! Yikes!!

So I guess I should have looked at the elevation chart before I signed up for this race!! (Look how the race ends!!!)

I thought my friend Mary who is training for the Philly Marathon would run this with me but she decided to do her 20 miler on Sat instead.  Then I thought my hubby would come and hang out at the Aerodrome because he loves planes but he played tennis instead.

I was solo.

According the Google, it was going to take 1hr 17 min to get there so I got up nice & early and prepared to leave at 7:30 am so I would be there by 9am (for the 10 am start). However, my GPS said it would only take 1 hour and it did! The ride was nice…the foliage was awesome!

I had plenty of time to kill before the race.  There were real bathrooms in addition to porta potties.  That’s always a plus.

The weather would be perfect…a little chilly at the start but warm when the sun would come out.  I walked around & took some pics.

Mike Richter, former NY Rangers goalie

I decided to leave my jacket behind (actually near a tree by the start) and I was glad I did.  There were about 400 running the Half Marathon & about 100 running the 5K. The weather was perfect for a race and the scenery was beautiful. I also bumped into local blogger, Jen at the start.

That’s the good part.

As I said before, I wasn’t going to race this race just use it as a training run.  Famous last words.

I started out too fast.  My 1st 2 miles were in the 9s and in fact, the 1st 6.5 miles were all under 11.  I felt good and of course, I started thinking PR.

I was on course with covering the 1st half in just over 1 hour.  (My fastest half was 2:22)

Then came the hills!! I means steep hills — after hill after hill after hill.  The total ascent for the race was 2099 ft (that’s 300 ft more than Schroon HM).

My pace slowed.  I NEVER TRAIN ON HILLS!  I probably should but I hate them. As my hopes of a PR vanished, I walked and took some pics.

along the Hudson R.

The race of course, ended with huge hills.  I walked until I got to the finish line and forced myself to sprint across it.

Official time: 2:32:50
Garmin time: 2:31:49   13.20 miles!

Here are some more pics from Jen‘s blog: THANKS JEN!

 

 

 

The refreshments were lacking: half bagels (no cream cheese or butter), bags of chips, water.  The medal wasn’t metal – engraved (etched) plastic.  There were no awards or results printed.  No photographers.  Hardly any spectators along the course.  I guess that’s what you get for an Inaugural race.

So I headed home.  The ride again was pleasant due to the beautiful scenery.

So there you have it…Half Marathon #4 is in the books. (Half Marathon #5 is 2 weeks away!!!!!!!!)

Not sure if it was a good decision to do it (training runs are free!!) but you never know until you try. It certainly was a challenge.

I did achieve all my goals:

  • Finish. Yes I did!
  • Do not get injured. I don’t think so…we’ll see the next time I try to run!
  • Beat my last (untrained one) time of 2:45. (by 14 minutes!)
  • ENJOY it.  In a strange way…I always enjoy competing!

Happy Running! Any advice for running on hills or staying with it when your race starts to suck?

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Mentoring & HM Goals

I’ve kinda been an absentee mentor.  I’ve been working, running or boating & have seen Amanda very infrequently since May.

So today I decided to take her & her 2 sons to Ellms Family Farm. We went there 2 years ago and had a lot of fun.

It was chillier than I would have liked.  Probably walking around a farm all day was not the besy way to rest but we had a good time.  There were a lot of fun things to do:  corn maze, zipline, rides, hayride…cider donuts, etc.

Can one have goals for a half marathon that is only a training run? Sure.

  • Finish.
  • Do not get injured.
  • Beat my last (untrained one) time of 2:45.
  • ENJOY it.

Happy Running! Enjoy this fall weekend!

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Update on Half Marathon #4

This year the Santa Clarita Marathon Race Committee will be using the newly open trails along the San Francisquito Creek to be part of the 2011 Half Marathon. The new trail system will be used for the majority of the race and will reduce the amount of street closure on McBean Parkway.

Uh oh.


I’ve never run on trails! Will that be a problem?

Happy Running!

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Running on the Boardwalk

My hosts were great.  Linda had to go to work but her husband Chris made me oatmeal (with raisins) and a Cafe Latte.

Yes, that’s my pre-running breakfast!!! And with a view!!

So I said my good-byes and headed for the beach.

This is where I grew up.  Jones Beach is where we went all the time during the summer.  During college, I even worked there as a usherette at the theatre.

This time of year, there was NO TOLL! ($10 saved).

It was also pretty deserted.  There are many parking lots and almost all were closed.  I finally found one and parked my car.

ready to run

It was a gorgeous day – high 60’s & sunny (with a breeze). I headed for the boardwalk and found that they had set up a 4 mile run.

So I did it.  I started in the middle so I actually wound up running 5 miles!!!

There weren’t many people around. So I walked around on the sand for awhile.

I even put my feet in the water. BRRRRR!

There were quite a few large shells so I kept a few as a souvenir.

Reluctantly I headed back to my car.  As I was leaving, I noticed another parking lot open and there were cars parked there. 

I found out why.  There was a restaurant open and people were eating at picnic tables. 

I ordered a Nathan’s hotdog with sauerkraut & fries and ate it on the beach!  I just had too!

Then I headed back up north (with a detour past the house I grew up in). 

Happy Running!  Where is your favorite place to run? (I just discovered that mine is the boardwalk along the ocean.)

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Those were the days…


This past weekend I went to my high school Reunion.  We had a 20 yr reunion and now 20 years later, we have our 2nd reunion (thanks to Facebook).

I went to East Meadow HS on Long Island, NY. There were 960 people in my graduating class – yes, it was HUGE!  I knew probably 60 and was close friends with probably 10 of them.

At this Facebook-organized reunion, there were about 70 plus a few spouses in attendance.  Believe it or not, I knew quite a few people. There were mmy close friends, those in some of my classes, some that I rode the bus with, etc.

It was held at Borellis, our favorite pizza hangout back then, from 11-4 pm on Sunday. 

It wasn’t a fancy Sat nite shindig like the last one.

me, Linda, Don, Nancy, Sue & Joyce at our 20 yr reunion

It was casual.  Everyone chatted and chatted and reminisced. There was a buffet of Italian food and an open bar.

me, Linda, Don, Sue, Joyce & Nancy 20 years later

 Do you think we’ve aged?

I got to see my close friends which was great but I also got to see friends that I hadn’t seen since high school.

Gail (on the right) lives in Vancouver

Lots of picture taking. Cake for dessert.

Afterwards, a bunch of us went back to Linda & Chris’ house (where I would be spending the night). We had dinner and chatted some more.

Linda, Joyce, Gail, Sue & me

 After everyone left, Linda, Chris & I hung out in their hot tub, glasses of wine, looking at the water (Their house is on the water in LI.) and the stars.

What the life!!

Stayed tuned. 

Monday was an even better day because….. (I’ll let you guess!)

Happy Running!