December 11, 2014 by Darlene

Year of Running 2014

It’s that time again–time to look back at how my year of running has gone. Miss Zippy has posted this the past three years and each year, the response has grown.

How you play along:

1. Grab her button

2. Answer the following questions

3. Add a Link at the bottom of her post.

Best race experience?

Well, with over 30 races this year, it is hard to pick one…so I won’t.

The Best Destination Race was the Mayor’s Wellness 10 miler in Palm Springs, CA. It was my first 10 miler but it was awesome because of the scenery and running with my good friend, Mary.

The Best Short Race was the Bacon Hill Bonanza 5K. This was a new race and it was also very scenic. I met Hollys who influenced me to join a training group. And I also won an apple pie for 1st in my AG. I loved the course so much that I ran 3 more miles there after the race.

5k - 28:56

The Best Long Race was the Adirondack Distance Run 10 Miler. I’ve wanted to run this race for several years but something always got in the way. It is very scenic (but hilly) and ends at the marina where we keep our boat so my hubby & boating friends were waiting for me at the finish line. And since it ends on the beach, you can soak your feet in the lake after the race.

Best run?

Actually my races are always more enjoyable than my runs but I have had a few enjoyable ones such as:

in Peebles State Park – I just discovered this area, the park has trails with views of the river & waterfalls. Nearby is a lock and there are many bridges to run over.

and

along the Schroon River – I have a tennis friend who owns a house in Chestertown and when we go up to play tennis, I love to go out and run. I have discovered many different routes in the area with views of the river and lakes.

and along the ocean in Florida – I love the ocean and the warm climate of Florida in the winter. I was fortunate to visit some friends and be able to run everyday to views of the ocean.

Best new piece of gear?

This a tough one also. It is either my Mizuno Wave Rider 18s because my feet don’t hurt and I have gotten a few PRs wearing them

Run for the Roc - September

Or a new running skirt that is very comfortable and have gotten many compliments on it.

it says RUN RUN RUN in different shades of purple

Best piece of running advice you received?

It was probably from my coach Patrick during our Turkey Trot Training Group runs. He kept telling to embrace the hills and repeat “I Love Hills.” I think it has made me into a stronger runner and now I try to run up the hills rather than whine & walk up them. He also instilled in us about the importance of speed drills. We did them once a week. I PRed at 4 distances so I guess they do work.

Most inspirational runner?

Back for a repeat performance is AJH from Age Groups Rock. She continues (at my age) to compete in triathlons (even after a disastrous experience in one.) I have watched her in a duathlon and she is one fierce biker.

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be? Healthy. Successful.

Happy Running! Feel free to answer one or more of these questions in a comment.

December 10, 2014 by Darlene

Making a Difference

Now that my STEM experience is over, I can reflect upon it.

This e-mail from the coordinator probably says it all:

They did it! You did it! We did it!

We started with six ladies in our pilot program with the Schenectady YWCA this fall, and four of them crossed the finish line today. We lost one eager runner to surgery midway through the session, and we lost one other whom I’m convinced we can lure back in the spring.

Our ladies did beautifully out there despite having to run the race in freezing rain. All of them finished in under an hour, including our runner who is in her 70s. Our fastest runner finished somewhere in the 37-minute range. As they crossed the line you could see how proud they were, each sprinted to the finish. And they were singing and laughing after the race.

The impact this will have on them will be more tremendous than we can ever imagine. Two former graduates of our Troy program ran the race with them today as mentors and both of them have logged about 10 races since they began running last fall. One who was previously unemployed now works two jobs, and credits running with the tremendous transformation in her life (it took her 10 years to leave her abuser for good, and she says it was running that made her feel strong enough).

For those of you who were able to be there today, you saw the pride in these ladies eyes when they crossed the finish line. For those who weren’t there today, you’ve seen it other times along the way — when 1-minute jogging intervals became 3, then 8 then 20. And it was thanks to all your kind words and encouragement that these ladies began to have belief in themselves.

I can’t wait to see you all at the celebration on December 10 at the YWCA, where we’ll show some pictures. And we hope to be running with you in future sessions. We meet awesome women through this training program, and it’s not limited to the clients we’re helping move from couch to 5K. What an incredible group of women you are to share your time and your passion for the sport.

Lastly, I wanted to share with you this essay, written by a woman who was in our first Troy program (see below). She wasn’t asked to write this for us, it was for a project where DV survivors expressed themselves through art and writing.

Though I couldn’t be there on Saturday, below are some photos from race day:

The clients & volunteers before the race

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stem7

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after the race

You can see that despite the awful weather, they are smiling in every photo.

Yes, running is more than medals and PRs.

I hope to be part of this program again in the spring.

Happy Running! Have you ever volunteered in a Couch to 5K program?

December 9, 2014 by Darlene

Tuesdays of the Run: Show Off Your Bling!

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: Show Off Your Bling!

With over 100 races and 9 half marathons, I have a lot of medals!

Here are some of my favorites:

my first half marathon in Naples, FL

another half in Florida – my first after my ankle surgery & I love dolphins – this is my heaviest medal

a fun but wet half in Philly & a my biggest medal

my favorite 5k – I had to buy this but little did I know at the time that this would mean that I could run again (after my serious ankle injury)

a recent 10 miler in NJ – it was a PR

a recent 10K – also a PR – I loved this race

a bucket list 10 miler in Lake George

I also have a lot of Age Group awards – here are a few of the ones I like:

And for the non-medal variety:

it’s a rock

Polar Cap - 2nd place in AG

Happy Running! What is your favorite race bling?

December 8, 2014 by Darlene

Monday Running Update

Last Week: (Week 6 of HM training)

Monday – ~~walk at work,~~ ~~STEM group run + ( 4 miles)~~, 6.5 mile run after work

Tuesday – walk at work, rest, tennis

still indoors

Wednesday – DAY OFF, trip to NYC!!

Thursday – ~~walk at work~~, 3 mile run, hair appt

running on the track at work

Friday- walk at work, ~~gym~~, mah jongg

too cold outside

Saturday – proctor LSATs, (congratulations to the STEM group on their 1st 5k), ~~bake cookies,~~ 5k race at night

very wet but won 3rd in my AG

Sunday – 4 mile run?, paint & sip with my mentee (to celebrate her b-day), ~~dinner out~~, bake cookies

apple cider sangria, 4 kinds of mac n cheese & painting

pumpkin cookies, what else?

This Week: (Week 7 of HM training)

Monday – walk at work, cookie party at work, tennis
Tuesday – walk at work, 4 mile run
Wednesday – walk at work, STEM dinner
Thursday – walk at work, 4 mile run
Friday- walk at work, 3 mile run, mah jongg
Saturday – yoga for runners, rest
Sunday – 15K run, dinner out, lights in the park carriage ride to celebrate my mentee’s son’s b-day

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 ?

December 6, 2014 by Darlene

Last Run 5K Race Report

This is a very popular local race. It starts with fireworks and then you run around the lights in the park and it ends with a downhill.

Here are some pics from a previous year:

Last year, I ran this race in a blizzard.

http://mapgraphicsphotos.smugmug.com/AlbanyEvents2013/17th-Annual-Albany-Last-Run-5k/i-7jkHxRw

This year, the forecast was for heavy, cold rain. Not very inviting but this is always a fun race…so I couldn’t bail.

gray long sleeved tech shirt

I picked up my bib & shirt yesterday to save time. Then I pondered what to wear….the rain put a damper on my festive attire.

I decided to park at work and walk the mile or so to the race. I wore boots, a long raincoat & used an umbrella to stay dry until the race.

Then I wore a windbreaker, cap & running shoes for the race and stashed my wet stuff until after the race.

As I mentioned, it is a popular race and I bumped into all sorts of people — 3 ladies from my running group, Christine, a professor from work, my FB friend Judy and Andrea, my roommate for Love Run in Philly.

me & Christine

Andrea

We chatted until it was time to head out into the rain.

Yes, it was raining but not as cold as I feared. I lined up with Judy & we watched the fireworks until we ran our separate ways.

The race started with an uphill, went through the city before we entered the park.

My legs felt really sluggish. I couldn’t make any headway in the crowd. Maybe it was that I hadn’t run much this week (not at all Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday) or just the slippery road and the dampness.

I felt better once we entered the park and it was fun looking at all the lights. There were at least two hills that I remember in the park and I was proud of myself for not walking at all. I ran up them..slow but at least I ran.

The whole time I was running, I kept looking at the ground trying to avoid the big puddles and keeping an eye out for potholes (I did fall during this race several years ago.)

Finally we left the park and ran downhill to the finish. I wanted to finish fast but for some reason, I got a side stitch and had to slow it down and breathe deep to try to get rid of it.

It was dark so I couldn’t see my Garmin but I knew by the timing clocks that this wouldn’t be a PR.

The problem with getting faster and finishing your 5ks in 27:xx or 28:xx, you get cocky and expect to have a good race every time out.

Well, in a hilly wet race, this wasn’t going to be. I struggled to finish under 29. According to my Garmin, it was 28:56 but officially I finished at 29:02.

I went inside to dry off and change into my dry clothes and wait for the results. The refreshments were nothing to write home about — just chips & apples. (In the previous years, there was Ben & Jerry’s ice cream!!)

lastrun14

Well believe it not, I won 3rd in my age group.

Splits:

mile 1- 9:26
mile 2 – 9:25
mile 3 – 9:02
.15 – 7:26

Very usual for me to have negative splits.

So I beat my time from 2010 (29:15), my first Last Run. And even in the rain, I enjoyed the race.

Happy Running? How was your weekend? Do you run in a holiday race? Have you raced in the rain?

December 5, 2014 by Darlene

Friday Five – Favorites

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 Friday Favorites:

Here are my five of my running-related favorites – the cold weather version: (the last time I did this theme was in July)

1. Favorite Race(s) –

Stockade-athon – this a is a very popular local 15k race. I liked it a lot but now that it changed its course, I like it even more. The course is varied… running through a park, cemetery, bike path, historic parts of town. It is challenging but you don’t have to train as much as for a half marathon.

Troy Turkey Trot 10K – this is also a very popular local race. I’ve only run it once but it is already one of my favorites. I liked participating in a training group for the race. It is well-organized with a lot of support from the town.

10K - 57:03 - PR

2. Favorite Apparel –

Compression Socks – Still. I wear them to insure that my legs don’t get tired but now that it’s colder, I have worn them with skirts on shorter runs to keep warm and with capris so I can hold off wearing tights as long as possible.

Stockadeathon - November

Hats – in the warmer months, I wear baseball caps to keep my unruly hair off my neck and the sun off my face. Now I wear them to keep warm. And I have already had to switch to beanie hats.

ttt2

3. Favorite Shoes – it’s no secret that I am fickle when it comes to shoe brands. I have worn them all. Currently my New Balance are second to my Mizuno Wave Rider 18s. It helps that I have recently run several PRs in them.

4. Favorite Fuel –

Gu – still my favorite for before and during – peanut butter, salted caramel or root beer. It doesn’t mess with my stomach so why change.

Chocolate Milk – for after. I bring some with me to have after a long run or a race.

5. Favorite Place(s) to Run –

Nisky Bike Path is my new favorite place to run on the weekend. It is scenic with river views, flat and you usually see many walkers, bikers and runners on it.

Washington Park is my go to place after work. It has hills and scenic views of the lake. I love the gardens in the spring and the Christmas Lights right now.

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Happy Running! What are some of your favorites?

December 4, 2014 by Darlene

I Love New York!

It’s no secret. I love New York.

I have been lucky to get down to the city several times this past year –January, June, September & in October twice (Oct 4 & Oct 25).

But, of course, I had to visit during the holiday season.

Last year, my friends, Mary Pat, Eileen & I did the typical tourist things.

nyc 12-413 (7) nyc 12-413 (13)

This year, our group grew and there were six of us.

We took the Megabus down. It was drizzly and cloudy but not that cold so we walked to the restaurant with a detour to Bryant Park.

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Then we had a nice lunch – I had a delicious soup, half a sandwich and a awesome pumpkin gelato for dessert.

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Then we went to a show. (It was raining and a perfect time to spend a few hours indoors.)

The show was very enjoyable. Idina Menzel was awesome. It was a little redundant and long but still very good.

photo op at Times Square

After the show we walked around trying to see all the window displays – Sak’s, Macy’s etc. before catching our train home. The rain had stopped and it was warmer than before the show,

But it was the night of the lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center and it was soooooo crowded so we skipped Saks and walked down 6th Ave on our way to Macys.

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We had dinner in Penn Station while we waited for our train home. We all lamented about how fast the day went and how we can’t wait to come back to NYC.

It was a great day. (Almost as much fun as my day running in Central Park.)

Happy Running! What is a must-do during the holidays for you?

December 3, 2014 by Darlene

Lights in the park & My Next 5K

litp

I usually run fairly often around the park this time of year to view the lights. I can get in a full hour run before the cars come. But this year, with my turkey trot training group run on Mondays and my volunteer Couch to 5K runs on Wednesdays, Monday night was my first run through the lights.

There are more than 125 displays. Here are just a few samples:

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Here’s a virtual tour:

So now you know what my Dec 6 race course will look like?

Although the course changes from year to year, there are always fireworks at the start and you always run through the lights in the park.

I usually dress somthing like this.

This is a very popular race and sells out early. This will be the 5th time I am running this race:

2010 – 29:15
2011 – 30:47 (fell during the race)
2012 – 35:25 (1st race after stress fracture)
2013 – 33:16 (during a blizzard)

As you can see, anything can happen, especially with a race at night during December. If the weather is good, I am hoping for a course PR.

Until work’s out on Dec 19, this will be my favorite after work place to run.

Happy Running? Does your town have a festive place to run?

December 3, 2014 by Darlene

A Tale of Two Training Groups

I went from being a solo runner to running with TWO groups for 9 weeks.

And they couldn’t have been more different.

In one I struggled to run fast enough and in the other I struggled to run slow enough.

On Mondays, I ran in Troy with the Turkey Trot Challenge group. I was part of the “advanced” or 10K group which meant that these were runners who had run before..some even half marathons, I was probably in the middle, speed-wise but you know me, I wanted to keep up. And I think the drills and hills helped me get stronger and faster.

On Wednesdays, I ran in Schenectady with the STEM training group. These were women who are living in a shelter & are victims of domestic violence. They are out of shape and have never run before. Each of the volunteers usually paired up with one of the clients and started running for one minute up to 30 minutes. The ultimate goal for them to complete a 5K on Dec. 6.

Truthfully, it was hard to run that slow. I did my best, I ran circles, gave them pep talks and walked a lot. I had to forget about my own running and focus on their running. (I couldn’t think about how this 20 min pace is wrecking my training.)

So after each workout, I just ran by myself around the campus using the group run as my warm up. That worked out well.

IMG_4262-0

It was really rewarding to see how far theses ladies had come and the joy it brought them to be successful. I wish I could be there Saturday to see them at the race. (I have to work 😦 )

So both groups were enjoyable and valuable but in different ways.

One group helped and motivated me to become a better runner. In the other, I hope I did the same for others.

I plan to repeat both groups in the spring.

37th this year

There will a training challenge group for the Freihofer’s Run for Women that starts in March. And they hope to repeat the STEM program with the Troy or Albany shelter.

Happy Running! Have anyone of you volunteered in a Couch to 5k group or trained with a running group? If so, have you had similar experiences?

December 2, 2014 by Darlene

Tuesdays on the Run: How You Stayed Healthy Over Thanksgiving

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: How You Stayed Healthy Over Thanksgiving

I don’t normally run this often but the holidays are coming up and there will be busy weeks ahead when I may have little time to get out there.

EXERCISE:

Monday: 3 mile run

after work with my training group

Tuesday: 3 mile run & 1 1/2 hours tennis

but indoors after work

on the track during lunch

Wednesday: home bound -SNOWSTORM!!

Thursday: 6.2 mile race

Friday: 2.7 mile easy run

Saturday: 3.1 mile race

EATING:

Thanksgiving: It was just me & my hubby so we went out to dinner. Usually we go to a buffet but my hubby didn’t want to and I’m glad we didn’t — you just eat what you get and no seconds – so no overeating.