June 30, 2015 by Darlene

Tuesdays on the Run: 2015 Goals Update

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: 2015 Goals Update

6 months down. 6 months to go. So how am I doing on my 15 goals for this year??

GOALS
FOR

1. Do not get injured.

No major injuries just some nagging foot issues.

ouchy!

2. Run 3-4 times a week ALL YEAR.

Yes, for the most part.

2x before work

3. Continue fitting in tennis and/or yoga once a week.

Tennis, yes. Yoga, no!

4. Do some upper body exercises.

Just a few times. Nothing to write home about.

5. Finish all of my races under 10 minutes per mile (except half marathons)

Yes. Except 15ks and 10 milers.

Cherry Blossom 5k – 8:59
Bacon Hill 5K – 9:00
Delmar Dash 5m – 9:09
Shamrock Shuffle 5m – 9:17
Runnin’ of the Green 4m – 9:21
Spring Run Off 10k – 9:22
Polar Cap 4m – 9:24
Albany Law Day 5k – 9:25
Mastodon Challenge 5k – 9:25
Freihofer Run for Women 5k – 9:28
Betar Byway 5k – 9:28
Mother’s Day 5K – 9:45
HMRRC Winter Series #3 10K – 9:48

6. Run at least one race per month and at least 20 for the year.

Yes. 20 so far…

January – 4

February – 2
March – 3
April – 3
May – 6

June – 2

: 2015

7. Run a race in another state.

Yes. Florida, (almost California), New Jersey and Vermont

West Palm Beach Half in FL

Asbury Park Half in NJ

VCM Relay in VT

8. Run in NYC.
No. Not yet.

9. Get several Age Group awards.

Yes. 9.

: West Palm – Jan 2015

: 2015

: 3rd

: 1st

: 2015 – 27:56

: 1st

: 3rd

: 3rd

10. PR in a half marathon.

Yes.

West Palm Beach Half – 2:09:40

11. PR at another distance.

Yes. 4 mile and 5 mile.

Runnin’ of the Green 4m – 37:27

Delmar Dash 5m – 45:26

12. Join a running group or two.

Yes. Freihofer Training Challenge.

13. Volunteer.

Yes. At the HMRRC Winter Series Marathon and I was a GOTR running buddy.

14. Run over 900 miles.

Not if I don’t get moving. 5 Half marathons and only 404 miles so far. (Last year I ran 911 miles.)

15. Continue to blog almost everyday.

Yes.

So what do I focus from now until the end of the year?

Keep up the weekly runs
Continue signing up for races
Drag myself to the gym now and then
Take a yoga class or two
Focus on speed for the shorter races.
Prepare for my half marathon in October.
Find a solution for my annoying achy feet (besides surgery)
Lose those extra pounds.

That should keep me busy!!!

Happy Running. Did you set goals for this year? If so, how are you doing?

June 29, 2015 by Darlene

Monday Running Update

Last Week:

Monday – off from work, 5 6 mile run

Tuesday – ~~walk at work~~, 2 hours of tennis, dinner out after
Wednesday –3 mile run before work, walk at work, dinner out with the tennis ladies

11234054_10153937938389428_5729596745903340067_n

ate way too much at Chez Mike with my tennis buds but it was fun to see them

Thursday – walk at work, ~~rest~~ 3 mile run after work

hill repeats after work

Friday – 2 mile run at lunch, mah jongg

Saturday – rest, boating, dinner out

our boat

11692765_1618037638465063_5702450764455727256_n

our NJ friends finally came up to the lake

11149103_10153945053259428_2357226584609661579_n

at least I only ate half

Sunday – ~~5K??,~~ ~~boating~~ (rain!!), errands, cooking, shopping

my first overnight oats attempt

found these online for 50% off

This Week:

Monday- 3 mile run before work, dinner out for friend’s bday
Tuesday – walk at work, dentist after
Wednesday – 3 mile run before work, hair appt
Thursday – walk at work, rest, mall walk with BFF
Friday – 4 mile run, off from work, boating
Saturday – boating
Sunday – 5 mile run??, boating

I’m linking this post up with Tara at Running n’ Reading for her Weekend Update!

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

June 27, 2015 by Darlene

My Most REAL Race #REALwomenmove

Go to http://www.skirtsports.com/ambassadors/ to read about the awesome ambassador captains

Part of my responsibility of being a Skirts Sports Ambassador Captain is posting every month on a different topic. You can click on the links to read my posts.

In April, the topic was:

“261” and honoring the anniversary of Kathrine Switzer; the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon and

Women conquering barriers

In May, the topic was:

What REALwomenmove means to me

This month, it’s:

My most REAL race ever

Actually ALL of my races have felt “real.” Every experience was different but I learned something from each one.

Which one is the most real???

It could be my FIRST HALF MARATHON….

Half Marathon in Naples, Florida

It felt unreal at the time. I couldn’t believe that I had run 13.1 miles. I had never raced more than a 5k. I didn’t even train with a GPS watch. It is my proudest moment!

It could be the half marathon(s) that I ran in the FREEZING RAIN.

Lake George Half Marathon

Love Run

I was miserable and wanted to quit so many times but I didn’t. I stuck it out and am glad that I did.

It also could be the races where I was injured and ran IN PAIN. Unfortunately, there were several.

Runner’s World 5k with a stress fracture

Freihofer’s 5K with a broken foot

Asbury Park Half when my foot hurt the whole race

These races showed me how strong I can be and how important running is to me. (or maybe how stupid & stubborn I am.) Fortunately, none of these injuries worsened due to racing.

But I think my MOST REAL RACE EVER is the first one that I ran after I had surgery on my ankle.

I had 8 screws and a plate put in and the ortho told that I would walk again but he wasn’t sure that I could run races.

I broke my ankle on Dec 29. I had signed up for the Freihofer’s 5K (which is my favorite race) before that. The race was held on June 1. I hadn’t started running yet but I was walking. So I decided that I would go to the race and walk the 3.1 miles.

happy to be running again with friends

Your bib was colored according to the previous year’s finish time. I squeezed in with the other YELLOWs (though I thought that I should go to the end with the walkers but it was too far to walk!)

As soon as the gun went off, off I started running.

Yes, I ran!

I ran up the hill. I kept running and running and running.

I cautioned myself to go slow so that I would be able to finish the race.

Everyone was running. I felt that if I stopped to walk, I would be trampled. Yes, runners were passing me but for the most part I was keeping up at my slow pace.

I left my Garmin home since I was planning to WALK so I had no idea what my pace really was and I didn’t care. I WAS RUNNING!

As we approached the end…it was downhill. I slowed as to not FALL and then I sprinted (yes sprinted) across the finish line.

I had TEARS in my eyes. I couldn’t believe that I RAN!!!!

pic on the cover of the TU

Strangely, my picture appeared on the front page of our local newspaper. I got a lot of phone calls questioning whether or not that was really me and how did I do that??

I framed that picture and gave it to my PT guy and my ortho (who both thought I was nuts.)

No race has ever felt as REAL!!

Love this Jenny Hadfield quote:

I made a pact with myself to never complain about an event I’ve successfully finished. No matter what my finish time or pace, I will cross the line with a pocket full of gratitude. Records are meant to be broken, but those moments are far and few between. Every adventure offers an opportunity to evolve, explore, and celebrate life. And that is the gift that keeps on giving.

Be sure to drop by the Skirt Sports website to see how the Ambassadors as #REAlwomenmove!

Happy Running! What has been your most “real” race?

June 26, 2015 by Darlene

Friday Five: What I was doing 10 Years Ago

Every Friday, three DC area bloggers Mary 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 What I was doing 10 Years Ago.

So the year was 2005.

No running.

No boating.

No knitting.

No mah jongg.

What was I doing in 2005?

1. I played a lot of tennis.

I played in contracts, took lessons, played on several teams, etc.

2. I worked as a Technology Director for 40 Catholic Schools.

This was my favorite job…so rewarding…so varied…wish I could have afforded to stay there forever.

3. I got to travel and go to conferences around the country.

If only I ran back then…

in San Diego

4. I was into quilting.

I belonged to quilt guild and went to monthly meetings. I went on weekend retreats.

5. My annual trip with the tennis ladies was to Las Vegas.

We didn’t gamble but we liked to go to shows and restaurants and hike on the weekend.

Happy Running! What were you doing 10 years ago?

June 25, 2015 by Darlene

Thining Out Loud Thursday: Racing, Confidence & Walking

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

Until recently I have felt that I had been racing more than running. In fact, I know I have.
- 3-14-15 – Runnin of the Green 4 m
- 3-22-15 – Shamrock Shuffle 5m
- 3-29-15 – Delmar Dash 5m
- 4-11-15 – Bacon Hill Bonanza 5k
- 4-18-15 – Asbury Park Half Marathon (in NJ)
- 4-26-15 – Cherry Blossom 5k
- 5-02-15 – Spring Run Off 10K
- 5-07-15 – Albany Law Day 5K against DV
- 5-09-15 – Mastodon 5k
- 5-10-15 – Mother’s Day 5K (for GOTR)
- 5-25-15 – Vermont City Marathon Relay
- 5-30-15 – Freihofer’s Run for Women
- 6-07-15 – Betar Byway 5K & Morea u M ile
- 6-13-15 – Walkway Half Marathon
- ~~6-21-15 –~~ ~~Adirondack Distance 10m~~ ~~(my flight got cancelled so I missed it)~~

That’s 14 (almost 15) races in 4 months.

When I first started running, I would sign up for races as a motivator to get out there and run during the week. I knew that my race performance would suffer if I didn’t.

Once I started running half marathons, I followed a plan so I would run during the week to train for the race.

I ran in order to race.

Many runners don’t race much at all. They just run. And that’s perfectly fine.

But I need to race. I enjoy it. I am not sure that I would run if I didn’t race.

I think that I have lost my confidence! From September to March, this is what happened:

5K PR– 27:11 (Run for the Roc -9/28/14)
10 mi PR – 1:38:45 (Perfect 10 Miler – 10/26/14)
15K PR – 1:33:23 (Stockade-athon – 11/09/14)
10K PR– 57:03 (Troy Turkey Trot- 11/27/14)
Half Marathon PR – 2:09:40 (West Palm Beach Half – 1/17/15)
7K PR – 44:24 (HMRRC Winter Series #5 – 2/2/14)
4 mi PR – 37:27 (Runnin’ of the Green – 3/14/15)
5 mi PR – 45:26 (Delmar Dash – 3/29/15)

Yup, that’s a PR at every distance!! Even after several serious injuries and being OLD! What a confidence booster!

Since April, things have slowed down. I have still been racing a lot but my times have been slow! (That is slow for me. Others would complain if they ran a mile in over 8 minutes. Some would be thrilled run one in 10 minutes. We’re all different.)

I feel like I have gone backwards…to the time when I struggled to finish a 5k under 30 minutes and a half marathon under 2 1/2 hours.

Being the analytical person that I am, I have searched for the reasons…

–my feet started hurting during my April half (which was annoying to say the least)
— I have cut back on my mileage (skipped runs)
–I have been running solo (no group runs)
–It is warmer (and humid)

All are very valid reasons. I don’t expect PRs. But I would like to have a good race to bring my confidence back.

Galloway may have a point. Lately I have been reading his tips on several blogs. His most recent is about walking. If you have read any of my race recaps, you know that I DO WALK.

According to Galloway:

Compared to running constantly, the 1-minute walk break still results in runners feeling better, staying healthier, and going faster, but it can get even better! Limiting walk breaks to 30 seconds, or in some cases even less, while cutting the run time accordingly, gives all the same benefits, with even less fatigue and even faster times.

Why?

The greatest benefit of the walk break comes in the first 30 sec. Our heart rates come down, the running muscles relax, we catch our breaths, and the fatigue melts away. After 30 seconds of walking, we tend to slow down.
As fatigue sets in, that walk gets slower… This means faster running is needed to stay on pace, which creates more fatigue at the end of each running segment, so the walk will get slower, and so goes the downward spiral at the end of the race.

I do not officially use the RUN/WALK method. But I do walk.

When I first started running, my goal was to run a race without walking. I was thrilled when I could. However, I didn’t get faster until I allowed myself to walk.

Not one of my PR times above were accomplished without walking.

Of course, I wish I was strong enough to run fast and not have to walk. But unfortunately I am not.

Happy Running! Any thoughts today? What do you think about racing, PRs and/or walking?

June 24, 2015 by Darlene

My Therapy Run

I woke up Monday in a really pissy mood.

I had the day off from work. I took it off to recover from my hilly 10 mile race. If you read yesterday’s post, you know that I DID NOT get to run one of my favorite races.

I also spent most of Saturday in a plane or at an airport and most of Sunday, in a car. None of which were part of the plan.

So, although, I was extremely sleep deprived, I NEEDED A RUN!

Not just any run but a special one. So I decided to drive to Peeples Island State Park. I had run there last year once and loved it.

Of course, with unpacking, housework and laundry, I didn’t arrive there until around noon when it was sunny and in the 80’s.

I decided to run around the area first. There was a nice path after the bridge.

I also discovered another path along the river.

I stopped for some water and then continued over another bridge and headed in the opposite direction.

At this point I had run about 3 miles. After another stop for water, I finally entered the park’s trail.

There are a lot of roots and rocks so it is hard to run. I did a lot of walking but ran when it was safe to do so.

As you can see by the pictures, it’s a very relaxing place to run.

When I finished the loop around the park, I had completed 5.75 miles. Of course, I ran across to the park across the street so I would end with 6 miles!

They may have been the slowest miles I have ever run but I felt 100% better.

Happy Running! Is running ever your therapy?

June 23, 2015 by Darlene

Adirondack Distance Run DNS

Sunday, June 21, 2015 – 7:30 a.m.

A ten mile race consisting of rolling hills from Lake George Village to Bolton Landing.

adc

Last year was my first year running this race which was on my bucket list since I began running.

adr3

I loved it. Especially since it ended at the marina where we keep our boat and my friends and my hubby could watch me finish.

This year, I was really looking forward to the race even though I would not be racing under optimal conditions:

I hadn’t be running this past week.
I ran a half marathon last weekend.
I would be coming home late the night before from Denver and would be jet-lagged.

Nevertheless, I laid out my clothes before I left for my trip and planned to give it my best shot and have fun.

My flight from Denver to Baltimore left on time and even arrived early. I was psyched to not have any flight problems.

But I spoke too soon.

After I landed, it started to storm.

My flight was delayed an hour.

Many of the other flights were delayed or cancelled.

I bumped into Carol whom I knew from college & her husband. They had been visiting their son who lives in Baltimore so we hung out together hoping to fly home that night.

The flight got delayed again and again and again.

And eventually it got cancelled along with every flight going out of Baltimore.

I’ll spare all the details but it was an angry scene of thousands of passengers trying to find their luggage, re-book their flights and find lodging for the night.

We were told that all the flights were booked for the next day and the lines for re-booking were miles long and not moving at all.

It also looked next to impossible to get a cab or even find a room for the night. There weren’t even any rental cars left.

Yeah, we were screwed.

So what my friends decided to do was to have their son come back to the airport to get them, sleep at his apartment and rent a car (outside of the airport) and drive home the next day. (They couldn’t stay longer sadly because Carol had to go to Boston Monday morning for cancer treatments.)

I was so lucky to have bumped into Carol. They invited me to sleep on the couch and drive back with them the next day.

So instead of arriving home Saturday evening at 10:30 pm and running my favorite race at 7:30 am on Sunday morning, I got home at 4:30 pm on Sunday afternoon.

I am disappointed but it could have been a lot worse.

Happy Running! Do you have a bucket list race? Ever miss a race due to transportation problems?

June 22, 2015 by Darlene

Monday Running Update

Last Week:

Monday- rest, ~~walk at work~~
Tuesday – rest, ~~walk at work~~, pack
Wednesday – fly to Denver for a conference, 4 mile running tour (flight delay)
Thursday – workshops
Friday – workshops, 3 mile walk

Saturday – 4 mile city running tour + 1 mile, ~~fly home~~ (flight cancelled)

Sunday – ~~10 mile race,~~ ~~boating~~ (drive home from Baltimore)

This Week:

Monday- off from work, 5 mile run
Tuesday – walk at work, tennis
Wednesday –3 mile run before work, dinner out
Thursday – walk at work, rest
Friday – 3 mile run, mah jongg
Saturday – rest, boating
Sunday – 5K??, boating

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

June 21, 2015 by Darlene

City Running Tour of Denver

As I mentioned last week, I went to Denver for a work conference. I wanted to see the city and run but I had very little time.

So I decided to do a personalized running tour:

You choose how far you want to run, which areas and sights you would like to see, and then we customize a run specifically for you…We run at your pace, provide water, and even bring along a camera in case you’d like to capture the moment or the sights.
At the end of the run, our running guide will …provide you with a souvenir goody bag with other keepsakes to help your remember your run through the city.

These runs are perfect if you are a tourist looking to explore a new city, training for a race and interested in a running partner, or a business traveler eager to fit in a run and looking to avoid the hotel treadmill. We work with you to recommend specific routes that cater to exactly the kind of run and experience you are looking for.

So my original plan was to get to my hotel in Greenwood Village, south of Denver and then check into the conference. They were giving us 10 tickets for the light rail so I planned to use one to get to Union Station in downtown Denver to meet Melissa and start my Denver “running tour.”

My flight was scheduled to arrive at 12:40 pm and the tour at 4:00 pm. Plenty of time, right?

And as with many best laid plans, things could go wrong.

Remember how my flight to Palm Springs in March was cancelled and I missed my 5k race. Well, this time, I was stuck in the Baltimore airport for 7 hours. Instead of arriving in Denver at 12:40 pm, I arrived around 6:30 pm.

Yep, I missed my running tour!!!

Luckily City Running Tours was very accommodating and offered to let me re-schedule. The problem was WHEN?? I was in Denver to go to a law technology conference, not to go running.

So I looked at Saturday’s sessions and decided that I could miss them and they re-scheduled my running tour for 9am on Saturday with Marty, instead of Melissa.

I was very disappointed not to run on Wednesday. I hadn’t run since Saturday and all I did at the conference was eat breakfast, go to a workshop, eat, go to a workshop, eat lunch, go to a workshop, eat, go to a workshop, eat, go to a workshop, eat, go to a workshop, eat dinner. Yes, they fed us a lot and mostly sugar and carbs.

After 2 days of that, I searched out a place to walk on Friday evening. I found a park with some walking paths not far from the hotel. It was very isolated and many coyote warnings so I didn’t stay long. It was very pretty and just what I needed in terms of exercise.

The next morning, I was very anxious for my run. I had breakfast in the hotel and then walked to the nearby light rail station. The ride took about 30 minutes. I arrived about 15 minutes early and Marty wasn’t there yet.

It turned out that he was waiting at the train station not the light rail station but we eventually found each other.

I was a little nervous about the pace. It was very hot and I wasn’t used to this altitude. But my young tour guide said he was getting over PF and was glad to go at my pace.

So for the next hour and 1/2 or so, we ran, chatted about running, stopped for water at each Starbucks and for many photo ops. Marty talked about all the important sights in Denver as we passed by them. It was so fascinating.

Here are some of the sites:

And I loved the city of Denver. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to visit it while there for a conference. It was kinda good that I was leaving later that day or I may have been tempted to return instead of attending my conference workshops.

We ended the tour near where we began. Marty told me to get something to eat and drink because it was included. So we went to a coffee shop in the train station and I had a iced decaf vanilla latte and a chocolate croissant.

Since I still had an hour before I had to catch my train back to the hotel, I decided to retrace some of my steps and run some more.

So my trip to Denver started off on a bad foot but certainly ended on a high note.

A 4 mile run to see the highlights of Downtown Denver was definitely worth it to me. If you have the opportunity to take a City Running Tour, I would highly recommend it.

The only negative was that there was no souvenir goody bag but that’s ok. I have enough tee shirts!

I’m linking this post up with Tara at Running n’ Reading for her Weekend Update!

Happy Running! Anyone take a “City Running Tour?”