July 16, 2011 by Darlene

Top 100 Running Blogs

Congratulations Darlene,

Your Blog has been selected as one of the Top 100 Running Blogs for 2011!

The Team here at HealthcareColleges.net spent the first quarter of 2011 searching the Internet for the best of the best in running Blogs, analyzing them based on their post content, layout and user feedback. We are excited to award you with our seal of approval as one of the best running Blogs on the Internet!

I do recognize many of the blogs on the list and they are on my BlogRoll. There are some missing… such as Age Groups Rock and Sweat Once a Day and several others that I think are super!

Happy Running? Any of your favorite blogs missing too?

July 14, 2011 by Darlene

TTT – the Good and the Bad

The Bad:

1. I’m sick of obsessing about my foot (heel). I’ve researched my symptoms to death on the Internet. I have everything and yet nothing.

2. I’m having race/run envy. See my last post. Everywhere I look, there’s a jogger or an email or FB post about a race. Does that only happen when you can’t run??

3. This is week#2 of Half Marathon training and I’ve decided not to run again until my heel stops hurting or the doctor says I can or both. (Ultrasound is scheduled for tomorrow!!!!!!!) Marathon #3 is Sept 25 but the real crisis is Marathon#4 which is in LA on Nov 6. It’s too soon to freak out about that one, right?

The Good:

Amanda's Baby Shower

1. The girl I mentor is having a baby in 5 wks and I gave her a shower on Tuesday.

2003 HS reunion

2. Some of my high schools will be in Vermont this weekend. I haven’t seen them since in 8 yrs & we may rendez-vous.

Lake George

3. The weather this summer has been beautiful & I have spent lots of time on our boat. We’re going back up this weekend for 3 days!

Happy Running!

July 12, 2011 by Darlene

Winning…

I posted this photo of my hubby on our boat on Memorial Day to FaceBook and I won $100 in gas from Boats By George.

Of course, they used in to market their business but the money was nice as well as the half page ad in the Glens Falls Chronicle and the Lake George Mirror newspapers.

Results of my foot xrays:

NORMAL – no bone spurs…everything looks fine….

But it still hurts…ultrasound on Friday…Stay tuned!

July 8, 2011 by Darlene

The Doctor Says…

After 3 weeks of burning pain in the back of my heel when I run, I went to the doctor today.

He took x-rays which he won’t know the results of until Monday. He scheduled an ultrasound for next Friday.

In the meantime, he prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs 2x a day, ice, heel lifts for my sneakers. He said to try running to see if the heel lifts help& if they do and there are no tears or bone spurs, I may need arch supports to use when I run.

He says it’s not PF which is easy to treat but maybe Achilles strain or heel spurs. The treatment for that would be PT and no running!

So…………………. I may be walking Half Marathon #3 but I hope to be running in Half Marathon #4 (Nov 6 in LA)!!!!!!!!

This weekend, I will be ~~crying~~ having fun

playing mah jongg by the Schroon River

Hanging out on Lake George with my hubby

Happy Running! How do you stay positive when injured??

July 7, 2011 by Darlene

Thursday: Things I Do NOT Love

Several weeks ago, I posted about things I LOVE.

Here are the things I hate (or do NOT love):

snakes - hate em!

being sick or injured!!! esp if I CANNOT RUN!

YUCK!

I know - I'm strange!

Happy Running! What do you HATE?

July 6, 2011 by Darlene

Rested But Not Healed

I am back from FOUR fabulous days on Lake George!!!

dinner at our marina

picnicking on the island

enjoying my first lake swim

watching the fireworks from our boat

relaxing with a good book & a view

scenic nature walks

dining at our fav waterfront restaurant

: several painful runs

Yes, I said “painful.”

I have been in denial for 3 weeks. I have been running slow and walking hoping that the pain in my heel is just in my mind.

This is the first week of my Half Marathon training! OUCH!!

Today I decided that I wouldn’t run until I saw a doctor. The decision was the easy part. I started calling podiatrists & orthopedists. It started with the first appointment for a new patient being in September. I said “Not possible. I am a runner! ” Then it was in August, then at the end of the month, then next week. I made appts with each one hoping to get an earlier one.

Finally, I got one for this Friday!!! Then of course, I had to call and cancel ALL the other appts.

So we’ll see. It doesn’t hurt now! I only hurts when I run 😦

So the worst would be that I WALK this half marathon. I can do that in 5 hours, right?

It’s too early to worry about Half Marathon #4 on Nov 6 (and non-refundable plane tix to LA)!!! My heel will heal!!!!

Happy Running!

July 5, 2011 by Darlene

To Race or To Train or Both?

Summer 2008, 2009, 2010 – I ran 5ks almost every weekend. My goal was to try to get faster.

April 2008 – 1st 5k – 37:36
November 2010 – 27:30 (I got faster!!)

Then it all changed…

January 2011 – 1st Half Marathon
April 2011 – 2nd Half Marathon

Since there aren’t many 5ks during the colder months, I didn’t feel like I was giving up much.

: Silks & Satins 5k ’10

: Mary & me before the CRSS 5k ’10

September 2011 – 3rd Half Marathon!!

The Dilemma…

Summer 2011:

Do I race the summer 5ks? (I LOVE races.)
Do I skip the 5ks and train? (I NEED to do long runs at a HM pace.)
Do I run the 5ks and train? (I think I am too COMPETIVE to just run a race.)
Should I move my long runs to a weekday? (What about RAIN & LACK of ENERGY after a long day at work.)

Do I Race or Train or can I do Both?

Happy Running (or racing or training!)

July 4, 2011 by Darlene

Happy 4th! Happy Monday Off!

Update for Last Week:

My goal was 16.5 miles and I ran for a total of 16.5 miles. (Heel still not 100% so ran/walked most of my miles)
No Races
I played tennis 2x (lost my USTA singles match) and did yoga once.

This week’s schedule:

Mon & Tues – boating on Lake George
Wed- yoga
Thurs – mall w/bf
Fri – mah jongg
Sat & Sun – boating on Lake George or mah jongg on Schroon River

This week’s running:

Mon – 4 mi – DAY OFF
Tues – 2 mi – DAY OFF
Wed-Sat – REST my heel
Sun – 6 mi

Week Running Goal = 12 miles
July Monthly Running Goal = 70 miles, a race or 2

Yearly Running Goal = 1011 miles

Happy Running!

July 3, 2011 by Darlene

Half Marathon #3

My 3rd Half Marathon (Adirondack Half Marathon) will be on September 25, 2011 and it goes half way around Schroon Lake. (The Half Marathon will begin at the 13.1 mile marker and will end at the Full Marathon Finish Line. The runners will run on the easier section of the marathon course. The first five to six miles are flat; then there are long, gentle hills on Route 9. Time to complete this race will be 5 hours.)

Good Things about this Race 🙂 :

The course is supposed to be beautiful.
It’s local – I can either sleep on my boat in Bolton Landing or at my friend’s house in Chestertown
It has an Expo (my first Expo.)
I won’t be running it alone (Bloggers Felice, Amanda & AJH, running friends Mary, Janis & Bridget are running it too.)
No pressure – 5 hour time limit
Lots of water stops
There’s a Pasta Party the night before.
You get a Finisher Medal!

Not So Good Things 😦 :

Training in the summer heat (never have run more than a 5k in the summer)!!
Finding time for long runs in the summer with weekend 5ks and boating on Lake George!!!!!
It’s my 3rd Half – Shouldn’t I aim for a faster time?
Are there hills? (I hate hills!)
My heel still “hurts” : OUCH!