May 18, 2011 by Darlene

Back from vacation!!

I’m

The trip was great! If you are from the NE, you know that it has been raining eveyday! So just having sunshine and warm weather was a boost for me!

I will post photos at a future time but here’s the vacation summary:

Tennis Lessons – 5 days of clinics from the awesome Billy Bob
Tennis Playing – 6 days of doubles- so much fun playing with my friends
Days at the Beach – 5 – sunshine, slight breeze, water temps 85, what could be better?
Dinners or Lunches in Restaurants – 5 – Yum Yum – most included drinks & dessert
Entertainment – 1 show (Beehive, music from the 60s), 1 Movie (Bridesmaids – hilarious) & touring/shopping in Sarasota
Shopping Purchases – 1 tennis skirt, 2 tennis tops, 1 running shorts, 1 running top, 1 pair of sandals, 1 shirt for hubby
Running – 3 times – 3 miles each time – too hot, too humid, needed to be fresh for tennis lesson, my friends wouldn’t run – enough excuses??
Books Read – 1 1/2 – no time – having too much fun
Scrabble Games Played – 4 on the beach
TV Shows Watched – 1 (The Good Wife finale)

Tomorrow I have 3.5 mile race…. and Sunday a 5K!!! Yikes!!!

Happy Running! Glad to be home!

May 11, 2011 by Darlene

This Blogger is Going on Vacation!

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!!!

I will post pics when I return.

Happy Running! I will Miss you all!

May 10, 2011 by Darlene

Post B-Day Post

Unfortunately, I had to work yesterday (since I am taking 6 days off for vacation starting tomorrow). But I did have a nice birthday:

I ran 3 miles after work – no Garmin, just enjoyed the sunshine!
I had a free Coconut Mocha Frappuccino & mini cupcake at Starbucks (found a Starbucks card in the road while running)
I played tennis (doubles) and won both sets
I received so many birthday wishes (thanks to Facebook)
I talked my husband out of getting me an iPhone and got a Pandora bracelet and gift certificate to a bookstore

That’s my motto...I’m going to continue to enjoy an active life as long as my body lets me.

Happy Running!

May 9, 2011 by Darlene

It’s Monday and My Birthday!

Yup, I am 58 years old today!!

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.

my proudest moment

Finishing is Winning‘s Brain Exchange #35:

This Week’s Topic: Handling Set-Backs

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 5K race.(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

Yearly Running Goal = 1011 miles

Happy Running! Florida here I come!

January 21, 2011 by Darlene

Naples Half Marathon Post-Race Report

The next day I had to pinch myself because I was not sore. Did I really run a Half Marathon? I found my medal and smiled!!!

my bling

We decided that we would go for a long walk while the weather was good. (They had predicted showers for the afternoon).

First we headed down 9th St No (or Rte 41) to the Porsche/Bentley/Mazerati car dealer. My hubby LOVES cars!!

Then we turned down a street that went toward the Gulf and walked through the neighborhoods.

It started to cloud up so I decided that it would be a good idea to take a trolley tour so my hubby could see ALL parts of Naples and learn about the history of the town (and stay dry in case it started to rain.)

We bought lunch in Tin City while we were waiting. I even found a bar that sold my favorite drink, a CHELADA!!! (it’s Bud light & clamato juice – sounds gross but I love it!)

We had a really nice time and when we got back to the hotel, it started to rain. So we sat on the balcony and chatted with our neighbors (from Ohio.)

Tonite I made reservations to go out to celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary. (It actually was yesterday but I was afraid I would be dead after the race!!)

We went to my favorite spot on the Gulf, the Turtle Club, at Vanderbuilt beach). It was still raining and overcast when we got there so it wasn’t crowded and they gave us a table looking out onto the beach.

Then suddenly, it cleared up and the sunset was awesome!!!

After the sun had set, we enjoyed our dinner.

a turtletini - yum!

anniversary key lime pie

After dinner, we walked around Fifth Avenue and even, had ice cream.

When I got up the next day, I though about running but opted to be cautious and REST!!

We decided to go to the Naples Dock, walk around the Bayfront area and eat in Tin City and then take a boat ride on the Naples Princess.

Bayfront area

After the boat ride, we headed to the beach to soak up the sun on our last day.

On the way to the airport, we drove through some more sections of the city for one last look.

Pelican Bay

Fifth Ave

When we got to the airport, I found out that our flight from Charlotte to Albany was cancelled due to an ice storm. We ended up getting a beautiful suite at the Hilton (distressed rate of $89) for the night and then had a huge breakfast at the hotel.

We arrived home that night to snow and frigid temps!!!!

But all is good. I AM A HALF MARATHONER!!!

Happy Running!

January 15, 2011 by Darlene

I’m in Florida!

I scheduled this post so I hope I am really in Florida…

I’m not sure if I am more excited about leaving frigid, snowy Albany, NY

Albany Weather Forecast

and going to warm, sunny Naples, Florida

Naples Weather Forecast

or running a Half Marathon!

Happy Running!

December 2, 2010 by Darlene

Hanukkah & the Half

As I said in my previous post, this was my Hanukkah present to myself. I used my USAir miles to book a flight into Ft Myers, Fla. after work on Jan 14. I booked a motel near the race. (They even gave me $10 off per night when I mentioned I was running the race.)

My hubby’s sister now lives in Florida and he’s never visited her. A former co-worker of his lives there and one of our LG friends will be there at that time. I always go on vacations and my hubby never does. He doesn’t complain because he prefers to stay home & relax. I, on the other hand, am always on the go and LOVE to TRAVEL.

For his Xmas gift, I booked him a flight to Florida on Jan 10 and rented him a car. He will visit his sister & friends, go deep sea fishing, etc and then pick me up at the airport on Jan 14.

We will stay in Naples together until Jan 18 (I have Jan 17 off). He can watch me in the race and I can show him around my favorite spots in Naples (where I been 7x).

CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!!

I’ve cheated a little. I’ve actually been secretly training. I am on week 6 of the schedule below. I started the day after my 10K fiasco. It may sound crazy that I’ve never run more than a 5k race and I’m training for 13.1 miles. So be it!

I am making changes as needed. I have to fit running in around tennis, work, and other activities. So I am trying to run 3x a week plus one long run on the weekend. Cross-training will probably be tennis or walking.

HALF MARATHON TRAINING
Week	MON	TUES	WED	THURS	FRI	SAT	SUN	Total
1	3	Cross Train	3	3	Cross Train	7	REST	16
2	3	Cross Train	4	4	Cross Train	7	REST	18
3	3	Cross Train	4	3	Cross Train	8	REST	18
4	3	Cross Train	4	4	Cross Train	8	REST	19
5	3	Cross Train	4	4	Cross Train	9	REST	20
6	3	Cross Train	5	4	Cross Train	9	REST	21
7	3	Cross Train	5	4	Cross-Train	10	REST	22
8	3	Cross Train	5	4	Cross Train	11	REST	23
9	3	Cross Train	5	4	Cross Train	12	REST	24
10	3	Cross Train	6	4	Cross Train	13	REST	26
11	3	Cross Train	6	4	Cross Train	8	REST	21
12	3	Cross-Train	Rest	3	Cross Train	Rest	RACE DAY!

I’ve gotten some good tips from this site: http://www.marathonrookie.com/half-marathon-training.html

Happy Running! Happy Hanukkah!

November 21, 2010 by Darlene

Vacation is Over!

Fantastic!!! I had a great time in Naples, Florida!!! It was sunny and warm (80’s) EVERY DAY!!!!

Summary
Sunday – arrived, dinner by the water
Monday – ran 3 miles, played tennis, beach, shopping, sunset, dinner by the water
Tuesday – ran 3 miles, day trip to Sarasota, visit to the Botanical Gardens, shopping, sunset, dinner
Wednesday – tennis, tennis lesson, beach, shopping, dinner
Thursday – ran 3 miles, tennis, tennis lesson, beach, dinner
Friday – tennis lesson, tennis, beach, shopping, dinner
Saturday – tennis lesson, ran 3 miles, beach, sunset, dinner by the water
Sunday – left

Photo Highlights:

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Happy Running!

November 14, 2010 by Darlene

This Blogger/Runner is on VACATION!

dinner at Naples Tomato

This is our 6th trip together to Naples, Florida.

Normally we don’t go to Naples in the fall. We have gone to Las Vegas 7x, Dominican Republic 1x and Delray Beach 1x. However, the Naples trip is easy to plan and I am the planner. And besides, it’s too difficult to find running routes in the other locales. Now that I’m a runner, that’s important!

There are 6 of us going this time. Normally we are 10 and rent 2 villas each April (from the same lady) in World Tennis Center. This time several cannot go so we are renting 2 condos in WTC, instead.

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??? That’s the plan!!

I won’t have a computer so no posting or reading running blogs for 8 days!!! I will post pics when I return.

Here’s another photo from our Naples vacation last April:

Tennis at WTC

Happy Running. Enjoy your week. I’ll miss you!

November 13, 2010 by Darlene

Last Run Before Vacation

Still on a high from Thursday but very busy since!

I went to the newly opened Dinosaur Bar-B-Que last nite and then to my Mah Jongg group.

I am going to Naples Florida tomorrow morning with my tennis friends and not returning til next Sunday evening.

As any runner would, I worry about fitting in RUNNING!!

Being part of a tennis group who plays doubles from 8-11 and then goes to the beach. This time of year (unlike the spring), it gets dark early too.

That being said, I may not be doing a lot running. 😦

Today, I had a hair appt, then went shopping for last minute items and then I had to run!!!!

The weather cooperated. It was sunny and 60 degrees!! (Didn’t it just snow a few days ago!?) I wore capris & a long sleeve shirt and was SWEATING!

I ran the same route as I did several weeks ago – the 8 mile (with a snack break in the middle) loop. This time I walked while I drank a bottle of water and ate a donut.