September 26, 2015 by Darlene

Runfessions September – a day late

This month I’m linking up again with Marcia’s Healthy Slice for Runfessions.

I runfess.

I haven’t put a new battery in my scale. That means I haven’t weighed myself since early May. I have upped my mileage as I train for my Oct 10 half marathon. And I wear dresses to work and anywhere else and running skirts to run.

So I am in weight lala land.

I runfess.

My FitBit is making me poor.

I get depressed if I don’t hit 10,000 steps each day. It’s easy if I run or play tennis but on those other days, when I sit at my computer work, it’s tough.

So I try to go for a walk every day. Unfortunately, I pass a Starbucks on the way to the park and I have no willpower.

An iced grande vanilla chai tea latte with soy is almost 6 bucks! Ouch!

but I do get to see beautiful flowers…

I runfess.

I love Fall food especially apple or pumpkin anything – the more calories the better.

pumpkin donuts

apple cider donut

I have eaten several of the above and fall started started on Wednesday. (Maybe I better buy a battery for that scale.)

I runfess.

I invited a college friend up for the weekend to go to a concert on Saturday and boating on Sunday. The concert starts at noon and I have a race in the morning. I would have to miss my last long run (12 miles) before my half in 2 weeks,

That means that I am definitely racing for fun not time.

I runfess.

I have not gone to the gym or a yoga class since …since I can’t remember.

this was taken in July

No surprise here. I am just not into strength or cross training.

Happy Running! Any Runfessions?

September 25, 2015 by Darlene

Friday Five: Favorite Fall Activities

Every Friday, three DC area bloggers Mar at Mar On the Run, Cynthia at You Signed Up For What?! and Courtney from Eat Pray Run, DC to host the Friday Five linkup. Anyone can join with their own Friday Five post (yes, it must be a Friday Five!!) They encourage you to visit other blogs on the linkup, comment, share and engage!

This week, the theme is My Five Favorite Fall Activities

I love fall especially living in the Northeast.

So here they are my five:

1. Running

I love running when the temps are cool and the leaves have turned colors. These are some of my favorite places to run…

the rail trail

in Washington Park

along the Schroon River

on the bike trails

along Lake George

2. Eating & drinking anything pumpkin

Yup, I love pumpkin everything…

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No, I didn’t buy them but I was tempted

3. Racing

Racing in the cooler temps is the best! Even better is a race in a scenic locale…here are just a few that I have signed up for…

Apple Run 5k

Great Pumpkin Challenge 10k

Stockade-athon 15K

4. Going to farm activities

There are several around here but Ellms Family farm is my favorite. I always take my mentee and her sons. We go on rides, do corn mazes, pick pumpkins, pet the animals, eat cider donuts…so much fun!

5. Hiking

I don’t hike a lot but I do enjoy it and plan to do more this year. These are some places that I go…

Thatcher Park

Five Rivers

Prospect Mountain

Peebles State Park

I haven’t done this hike in Lake George in a few years…hope to do it again.

view from Buck Mountain

Happy Running! What are your favorite fall activities?

September 24, 2015 by Darlene

Thining Out Loud Thursday: All’s well that ends well

So I’m linking up today with Amanda for Thinking Out Loud Thursday.

Sometimes things happen for a reason.

Yesterday was supposed to be my first run mentoring the STEM group (a Couch25k program for women who are victims of domestic violence). I volunteered last fall and it was a very inspiring experience. It’s amazing how you bond with these women after only 9 weeks.

I said I that I would help again on Wednesdays but they changed the location and time. I tried but with the traffic, I arrived too late and the group was gone.

I was bummed so I drove home and then on a whim, I stopped at Stewarts to get bread and got the run urge (or maybe it was that my FitBit hadn’t buzzed yet.)

That’s where I usually park for my runs on the rail trail. I always run toward Voorheesville which is 1.9 miles. The other direction has been under construction for years.

Guess what? It’s done. It’s a beautifully paved path that goes all the way to Albany. That should add another 3 miles.

So I wouldn’t have discovered this new route (near where I live) if I ran with STEM.

This morning, I was about to apologize for missing the run when I got a message that they needed someone to run with the Albany STEM group. I said that I would do Wednesdays and it is closer so it should work out better.

And another thing…

There are two 10ks that I considered signing up for this weekend.

There’s a local one that my tennis friend is doing. I actually owe her since she got me started running. But it’s a boring 5k loop done twice.

Then there’s a scenic one in Chestertown along the Schroon River. My friend has a house there where I could stay the night before and it is 10 minutes away from our boat.

I choose the scenic one. However, my friend got the dates mixed up and offered her house to someone else.

Darn! I had already taken Friday off from work but I could drive up that morning or do the local race.

But it was another lucky day for me. My friend called to tell me that her friend changed his mind and won’t be staying in her riverhouse. I can stay there!

What else?

The race…. maybe I’ll get lucky here too.

I ran this race 2 years ago and my time was 1:06:10. I was recovering from a broken foot and it is a hilly course.

still won 2nd in my AG

My 10K PR is 57:03 and my most recent 10K time (on a flat course) was 1:00:39.

So my hope is to finish under 60 minutes but my realistic goal is to finish around 1:02 and win a AG award.

And hopefully have enough left in the tank to finish my long run here in the Adirondacks:

photo from this weekend 2 years ago

Happy Running! What’s on your mind this Thursday?

September 23, 2015 by Darlene

Wednesday Word: Comparison

Every Wednesday, the Deb from Deb Runs will be providing a word about which to blog. Kind of like a nice little blog prompt. Posts can be fitness or health related, but don’t have to be, so really anyone can play along. Just be sure to link up with InLinkz on Deb’s main post, and share the love by reading and commenting on other’s participant’s posts.

This week’s Word is COMPARISON

Comparison is a natural impulse, especially for women.

I wish I had thinner thighs like ….

I wish I had bigger boobs like…

I wish I had a flatter stomach like…

Yes, comparisons to others will make you crazy. There will always be something about our looks that we are unsatisfied with.

And what about runners? Do we compare?

Of course.

There’s the “I wish I could wear that when I run” to “if only I could run that far or that fast.”

We all try to run faster than the runner ahead of us.

We check the race results and compare ourselves to the other runners in our age group.

Yes, we want that award.

In the end, we can’t get carried away with the comparisons to other runners.

We are ALL RUNNERS and we are who we are.

Happy Running? Do you compare yourself to others?

September 22, 2015 by Darlene

Tuesdays on the Run: I Won’t Run Without…

Erika @ MCM Mama Runs hosts Tuesdays on the Run with April @ Run the great wide somewhere and Patty @ My no-guilt life!

This week’s topic is I Won’t Run Without…

A Running Skirt

I don’t like the way I look in shorts or capris. A skirt is so much more comfortable. Of course, when it gets cold, I”ll wear a skirt over tights.

A Baseball Cap

My hair is very thick and unruly so I always wear a cap and in the winter a wool hat.

My Phone

It’s a safety thing. I got burned once when I got injured and didn’t have my phone. So now, I always carry it.

Comfortable Running Shoes

You can’t run when your feet hurt. I know that all too well.

Happy Running! What won’t you run without?

September 21, 2015 by Darlene

Monday Running Update

Last Week:

Monday– It almost felt like Fall. Went for a windy 3.5 miles after work and then met my BFF to walk around the mall (over 15,000 steps on my newly acquired Fitbit)

Tuesday – Temps were warming back up. Went for a walk to the park at lunch. Played tennis after work for 1 1/2 hours indoors.

still lots of flowers in the park ❤

Wednesday – Knowing it was going to be warm again, I decided to run before work. I was tired from going to bed too late the night before but managed 3 miles in the neighborhood. It was even kinda chilly.

In the afternoon, I went for another walk to the park.

feeling more like summer than fall

Thursday – More warm weather predicted for the afternoon (mid 80s for Sept??) got me out of bed early for another before work run. This time for 4 miles. I took a new route but there was so much traffic that it wasn’t a good choice for this time of day.

so foggy

Took of advantage of the sunshine and warm temps for a walk in the park. Those flowers will eventually be replaced by snow.

Friday -Just a normal work day. My Fitbit (and the weather) has succeeded in getting me out of my chair with a walk to the park.

Saturday – I was really torn on what to do today. I ended up getting up early and running 11.5 miles. Judy was nice enough to accompany me. Then since the boating season is winding down, I drove up to spend one more day on the lake with my hubby. Afterward I headed up to Schroon River to spend time with my mah jongg friends. (Unfortunately, there was no water at the house so they headed home and I headed back to the lake.)

best long run of this training session!!

Sunday – Spent the day on Lake George with friends. Starting to feel like fall… sad to see the summer go!!

22 miles for the week with only 3 rest days and 4 days of running. Half Marathon is 3 weeks away!!! Getting excited!

This Week: (Week #10 of HM training)

Monday- 3 mile run (first run with the Turkey Trot Training group)
Tuesday – rest, tennis after work
Wednesday – 3 mile run after work (first time mentoring the STEM -survivors of domestic violence group)
Thursday – 4 mile run after work
Friday – rest, DAY OFF from work
Saturday – 10K race + more miles
Sunday – rest, boating

I am linking up for the Weekly Wrap hosted by Holly @ HoHoRuns and Tricia @ MissSippiPiddlin. See rules here.

Happy Running! How is your running going? Any races ?

September 18, 2015 by Darlene

LSD, Boating & Mah Jongg

It was a busy weekend but I got it all in.

First what I thought would be a long solo long run on Saturday turned out to be with a nice run with Judy. She decided not to run with her running group so I lucked out.

We picked the Nisky Bike Path since it was convenient for both of us. Judy thinks that she runs too slow for me but for long distances, I struggle with speed so I was fine with her company.

before our run

The weather was perfect for running – sunny but not too warm.

We started in the opposite direction from my last long run here.

I was running naked – no Garmin, no running app on my phone. Nada. I had no idea of my pace. No idea of distance. So relaxing. Judy was in charge. I did what she planned. We ran 4 minutes and then walked for 30 seconds.

I am used to running a lot faster and walking more often and longer. So sometimes I just slowed up to take photos and ran fast to catch up to her.

Running with someone else and chatting definitely made the miles go by faster.

At 4 miles, we turned around and headed in the opposite direction.

We passed our starting point and continued about 2 miles before we turned around again.

Finally we were done – 11 miles!

We walked a bit and chatted and then I asked Judy to take my photo running.

Yes, I chicked these guys.

Since we still weren’t at our starting point yet, I decided to run some more to get closer to my planned 12 miles. I think I got to 11.5.

Then we took photos at this NEW gazebo.

So happy to finally have a good long run!

I felt great after this run. Not tired at all. I didn’t even break a sweat. Nothing hurt. (I did get a blister but didn’t notice it until I took off my sock.)

passed this twice so had to take a pic

Maybe the pace was too slow but it felt so nice to not feel like dying during a long run and to not to have to worry about pace or distance. Thanks Judy!!

After the run, I was off to meet my hubby who was waiting for me on our boat.

In front of marina, there were wood boat races so we hung out for awhile and watched.

Then we headed out and hung out and relaxed on an island.

The plan was for we to head up to Schroon River to spend the rest of the weekend with my mah jongg ladies. But when I got there, they were leaving. There was NO water! My hubby came up to see if he could fix it but he could not. So we went out to dinner and headed back to our boat. So disappointing!!

Today, it was sunny again but a lot cooler. I think swimming on the lake is over for the season.

we are following our friends boat

We decided to get sites on a picnic island with 2 other boats, barbecue and spend the day there.

No mah jongg but still an enjoyable day.

Happy Running! How was your weekend?

September 18, 2015 by Darlene

Friday Five: Favorite songs to pump up a workout

This week, the theme is 5 Favorite songs to pump up a workout:

Here are my top 5 motivating songs to run to since I don’t work out:

1. Fight Song (Rachel Blatten)

I recently downloaded this one onto my phone. I love these lines:

Starting right now I’ll be strong
I’ll play my fight song
And I don’t really care
If nobody else believes
Cause I’ve still got
A lot of fight left in me

Perfect for those tough miles.

2. Don’t Stop Believin’ (Journey)

Any oldies but goodie. At my age, if you want to keep running and even run half marathons, you “gotta believe!”

3. Don’t Stop (Rolling Stone)

Another song to keep you going when those legs want to stop.

4. Running Down a Dream (Tom Petty)

Every race that I enter, I am “running down a dream.)

5. Best Day of my Life (American Authors)

Any day that I am healthy enough to get out there and run is “the best day.”

Happy Running! What are your favorite running or workout songs?

September 17, 2015 by Darlene

Think Out Loud Thursdays: Weekend Plans

Thursdays are for thinking… so I am linking up with Running With Spoons…

So here’s what I’m thinking…

How can I fit it all in this weekend?

My friends have scheduled a Mah Jongg weekend at a house on Schroon River.

Unexpectedly, we have summer weather in mid-September.

So boating season continues. It’s so short and the winter so long that I really want to be out on the lake one last time.

And then there’s half marathon training…3 weeks to go before my race.

I was planning to run 11-12 miles….

I even considered running a local half marathon on Sunday but quickly decided that it was stupid to spend $65 for the company of other runners (and there was also a chance of rain on Sunday.)

So what am I going to do?

All three!!!

Get up early on Saturday and do my long run.
Drive up to the lake and spend the day on our boat.
Afterwards, head up to Schroon River and join the ladies for mah jongg.
Spend Sunday with the mah jongg ladies.

Yup, it should be a busy, fun weekend!

last year’s Sunday group

Happy Running! What are you thinking about this Thursday?

September 16, 2015 by Darlene

Wednesday Word: Cautious

This week’s Word is CAUTIOUS

According to the dictionary, cautious is someone who is “careful to avoid potential problems or dangers.”

That is not one of my strong points.

I usually do and then think later.

I don’t do crazy things like jump out of an airplane (…yet.) but I have run in ice and snow.

I have traveled to Europe alone several times.

I have taken many race-cations on my own.

in West Palm Beach, FL

In fact, I have 2 upcoming races where I am staying in Air-BNB apartments by myself – one in Brooklyn and one in Manhattan.

And yes, I have raced with a stress fracture – actually twice.

why am I smiling??? it hurts!!

I have completed a race with a broken foot.

post Freihofer 5k

I have run a 5k after being sidelined after ankle surgery and not having run at all for 5 months.

definitely not cautious

Do I stretch for or after a run?? Of course not. Do I use a foam roller or stick? Nope. And yes, at my age, I should be more cautious and think about preventing injuries…

But that’s not me.

I grew up with a cautious Jewish mother who worried about EVERYTHING. Maybe I am rebelling.

Happy Running! Are you “cautious?