This is our 7th trip together to Naples, Florida. (For some of us, this is our 15th tennis trip – 1 Palm Springs, 5 Las Vegas, 1 Dominican Rep, 1 Delray Beach)
There are 10 of us and we rent 2 villas (from the same lady) in World Tennis Center.
I will be playing tennis everyday from 8-11 am and be the busy the rest of the day with a variety of fun activities.
I am bringing my running clothes. Will I run??? I hope so!!
I won’t have a computer so no posting or reading running blogs for 8 days!!!
If you asked me 5 years ago if I would run in a 5k race, I would have laughed in your face. If you asked me one year ago if I would run a half marathon, I would have done the same. I am thankful that I am healthy and have friends and bloggers that support my craziness.
This Week’s Question: What kind of set-backs have you experienced when it comes to your sport? Have you had an injury, financial issue or other stress that has interfered with your training and how did/do you handle it?
I am pretty lucky to not have had major injuries. I have had a slight knee issue and a foot problem. In both cases, I just cut back my running and paid more attention to icing & stretching & ibuprofen. I know if I had to stop running for any length of time, I would be totally bummed.
Both boating and tennis have greatly impacted my running time. My hubby has so far been agreeable to let me work around our weekends on the boat & I have been able to squeeze in my training runs and my summer 5ks. I will also try this summer to schedule my long runs on Thursdays.
Tennis is another story. I try to not run & play on the same day so my body doesn’t fall apart. But sometimes I have to. I also don’t play on many teams anymore and I have to explain to my friends why I want to run rather than play on their team.
My husband was forced to retire before we were financially ready so I have been conscious about the cost of races. Racing is important to me so I try to cut back on other things.
Last week update:
My goal was 13 miles and I ran 4 times for a total of 13 miles. YAY!! I ran a 5Krace.(actually it was 3 mi) and had a BIG PR!! I played tennis twice.
Goals for the next 2 weeks:
This week’s schedule:
Mon – tennis after work
Tues – tennis after work
Wed – leave for Naples, Fla
Thurs – tennis, beach
Fri – tennis, beach
Sat – tennis beach
Sun – tennis, beach
Next week’s schedule:
Mon – sightseeing
Tues – tennis, beach
Wed – return to Albany, NY
Fri – mah jongg
Sat – my hubby’s b-day
Sun – my belated B-day dinner w/BF
This week’s running:
Tues – 3 mi before work
Thurs – 3 miles before tennis
Sat – 3 miles before tennis
Sun – 3 mil before tennis
Next week’s running:
Tues – 3 miles before tennis
Thurs – Workforce Challenge 3.5 mi Race
Sun – SPAC 5k race 2 Week Running Goal = 21.5 miles
May Monthly Running Goal = 60 miles, a race or 2 or 3 or 4
I got up at 6 am in order to get to my first USTA tennis match. I was acting captain so I had to set the lineup, collect the money, etc. Our team is the defending champs but we lost our first match. However, no one really wants to play at 8am on a Sunday (not even the captains) so we didn’t have our best players. I paired myself up with someone I didn’t know (I’m too nice, I know). The first thing she said to me was: “Did the captain tell you about me? I ‘m the weak link on the team. I’m not very good.” Well, that wasn’t good way to start things off. Unfortunately although I tried to boost her confidence. She was right. She wasn’t very good and we lost. I hate to lose!!!!!
After tennis, I went out to breakfast with some friends on the team. I couldn’t wait to get home and go for a run to clear my head.
My hubby had other plans. He wanted me to go to Lowes to help him pick out a new mailbox. So I did.
Finally I got out there. It was a gorgeous day. In the 40s but felt warmer because of the sunshine.
before my run
I decided to just run straight for 5 miles or so and then run back to my car (that was parked at work). I was fine for 4 miles until I hit a huge hill. I could barely walk up it but it was fun running down it on the way back. I ran my half marathon pace (11-12 min/mi) and was pleased that my first and last miles were the fastest. 10 miles in 1:48— I added on another 1/2 mile to get some coffee at Starbucks.
after my run
One thing I love about running is that you set your own goals. You don’t have to depend on someone else to reach them. I wanted to run 10 miles today. I wanted to to do it in under 2 hours. I wanted to finish it with a lot of energy and without any aches or pains. So although at my tennis match I was a loser, at running, I won!!! (I decided to use today’s run for the 13K of the Shake Your Shamrock Virtual Race since I was wearing “Green.”)
On another note – I want to congratulate my best friend’s sister, Ellen who ran the LA Marathon today in the pouring rain!! (1000s were evaluated for hypothemia!!!)
It’s Virtual and I have from March 14-March 26, 2011 to run 26.2 miles. I think I can do that….
After 3 days off (but 3 days of playing tennis), I ran today. The Daylight Savings Time is killing me because when I have after work commitments, it is too dark in the morning to run outside. Today it was raining, too.
So off to the gym to run 3 miles on the treadmill (23.2 to go). The Good Wife is on hiatus so my new favorite show is Fairly Legal.
Yesterday, I ran a 4 mile race and then 6 more miles, watched a tennis match, went grocery shopping, did laundry and went out to dinner.
I deserve a day to just relax.
So today I got up at 6:30 am (which was really 5:30am) and played tennis for an hour and a 1/2 with 3 guys. My hubby has a tennis match today and he begged me to sub for him. I thought I would be intimidated but the guys were nice and I had fun.
I went home & changed and then went to Paneras to have brunch with Mary, my running friend. I haven’t seen her since Nov. She has had a pulled calf muscle, hip problem, and now a stress fracture in her leg. She is so depressed but vows to run the half with me in Lake George on Apr 23.
After I got home, my mah jongg friend called to remind me that I promised to go to a new intro yoga class with her. So I changed my clothes again. The yoga class was just OK. Too much emphasis on breathing and not enough stretching. I’m going back to my Wed nite class.
I went home and changed my clothes for the 4th time to go watch my hubby’s tennis match. He won in a 3rd set tie breaker. YAY!! (He’s not a good loser!)
I can’t wait to go to work tomorrow. This rest is exhausting!!
Another new race for me. Not a new distance because I already ran a 4 mile race last month. So I was hoping to have a better time.
That is the course map – but had no idea if it would be hilly or flat. This is a very popular race. Around 800 registered which was a record.
The forecast was: Cloudy periods with scattered wet snow and/or rain showers. Nothing heavy. Highs 43-48
I was hoping for an hour of dry weather. (I’m a wimp about rain!!)
It was a challenge to decide what to wear and not be over dressed. I decided to wear tights, shorts, a turtle neck under my lime green half marathon shirt and bring a green sweatshirt, hat, gloves, just in case.
I received an e-mail that the parking would be difficult so I left extra early. I got a spot in the closest lot and hung out in the legion hall till the start of the race. I bumped into several runners that I knew.
I took some pics before the race and didn’t have a pocket to carry my camera during the 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 damp and cloudy. I decided to wear my green sweatshirt, cap & gloves for the race. I was fine – just a little warm toward the end.
The course, though not scenic, was pretty flat. I thought that I would not race since I had planned to run 10 miles today. But as soon as the race started, I wanted to do well. I also wanted to do better than my last and 1st 4 mile race. So I just ran!!!
When you finished, there was a screen with the LIVE results – mine said: 37:56.
My splits according to my Garmin were:
mile 1 9:06 mile 2 9:46 mile 3 9:40 mile 4 9:24
I got nervous after the 1st mile than I would run out of gas so I slowed down. Then I wanted to PR so I sped up during the last mile.
My Garmin time was 37:56 but the clock time was 38:02. I’ll take it. It’s a PR by 2 minutes 9 sec.!!
You can watch me cross the finish line on video (at 2:35):
I grabbed some food and water and left to complete my long run.
I parked my car at work and ran into Albany and ran around Washington Park and through the streets for 6 more miles.
The St Patrick’s Day parade had ended and there were a lot of drunk people and people wearing funny green outfits & accessories! Pretty entertaining.
I didn’t continue at my race pace, of course. (The 6 miles were all over 11 min/mi) But it is my best long run ever. I didn’t need to walk much. I think the 4 mile race was just what I needed.
Last week I ran 9 miles in 1:54. Today I ran 10 miles in 1:45!!
To celebrate, I stopped at Starbucks. A cocoa cappuccino and a tiramisu cake pop – YUM YUM!!!
On the way home, I stopped to watch my USTA tennis team play its first match of the season. We lost 3-2 (in a tie breaker). I play next Sunday.
Now it’s time to spend time with the hubby – restaurant and maybe a movie.
Life before running was tennis tennis tennis and more tennis. I played almost everyday. I played on at least 4 teams. My friends were mostly tennis players.
USTA 2.5 team 2002
USTA 3.0 team 2010
In 2008, 2 of my tennis friends introduced me to running through the No Boundaries program. Ever since, I’m been obsessed with running.
Slowly, my tennis time has decreased and my running time increased.
Now I play tennis only once or twice a week. I play on one team.
I run 4 time a week. I run in at least 15 races per year. I have even run a Half Marathon. When I go into a sports store, I leave with running clothes and running shoes instead of tennis clothes. I now have running friends.
I don’t keep up my tennis blog but post almost daily in this blog.
So tonite was the kick off dinner for the USTA season. I sat with all my friends and they talked about the upcoming season & how we hope to win it all.
Me? I thought about my run tomorrow morning and my next half marathon.
Now that that’s clear. I need to decide if I am running the half on Apr 23, sign up and increase my weekly mileage.
Monday, I didn’t feel like getting up early but played tennis after work. No miles!
Tuesday, I ran 3 miles outside before work dancing over the ice patches and played tennis after work.
Wednesday, I didn’t feel like getting up early but planned to run after work.
BUT I couldn’t move forward, the wind was so strong. I went to yoga instead. No miles!
The yoga class was GREAT!! I felt so good afterwards but when I back out to my car (parked by the curb on a 4 lane street), someone had knocked the side mirror off my car!!!! My hubby took it for an estimate – almost $600 to fix. Ouch!
Today when I got up, it was -4 with the wind chill and there was a light coating of snow on the ground. Off to the gym I went to run 4 miles on the treadmill.
To make matters worse, they predict rain for the weekend (My long run of 9 miles is scheduled!!) I think I’d rather be cold than wet for hours 😦 HELP!!
My First 5K and More... 
