April 16, 2014 by Darlene

Who Keeps You Healthy?

The American Recall Center is a brand new site devoted to providing health and wellness news in simple, straightforward terms. Their ultimate goal is to help their readers take complete charge of their health by being fully informed!

hh2
This past March, they reached out to a group of other bloggers to create a blog post that included an explanation and photo of who in their life kept them healthy. In other words, who’s their “Health Hero“? Because of the fantastic response and the relatively small number of bloggers that participated, they are running this campaign again for the month of April.

Like they did in March, they will feature a collage of all of the images from every participant in their Community Section.

My Health Hero:

1780622_10152467190128787_257397848_n

My health hero is my co-worker Sherri. Where I work, our jobs are mostly sedentary. In other words, we sit at a desk all day and work on the computer.

Sherri, who has severe neck & back problems (that require PT and cortisone shots) and recently had a hysterectomy, is more active than anyone I know.

She arrives early each day so she can walk before work. For her 15 minute morning break, she walks a 1 mile inside when the weather is cold (which his most of the time in the NE) or outside around the track in the nicer temps.

For her lunch hour, she rides the exercise bike or walks on the treadmill.

And for her 15 minute afternoon break, she repeats her morning routine. If that weren’t enough, she has free weights at her desk so she do upper body strength exercises in preparation for kayak season.

Before I met Sherri, I would sit at my desk all day! I even ate lunch at my desk. Now at 11 am, she stops by my office and encourages me to accompany her on her 15 minute walk around the school.

I am a runner but she walks almost as fast as I run. I struggle to keep up but I am so happy that she gets me out of my chair once a day. She may even motivate me to leave my desk for lunch, too.

465871_10151894718984428_648596612_o

Happy Running! Do you have a “Health Hero”?

April 15, 2014 by Darlene

I Suck at Hills

Hills are my downfall in running. I avoid them at all cost. As a result, when I encounter them in race, I am unprepared. Then what do I do? Walk, of course. And there goes my race pace.

Here are some strategies that are supposed to make hill running easier:

Lean into the hill from your hips with your chest out.
The steeper the hill the more you lean.
Shorten your stride and lift your knees.
Think of picking up your feet more and stepping lightly.
Drive off your back foot.
Pump your arms but no need to exaggerate the action.
Look straight ahead and try to focus on something a few feet in front of you. This will help pull you up the hill.
Try to run relaxed, you mightn’t feel this way but don’t worry you’ll soon be at the top.
Keep an even and steady rhythm.
Try to maintain the same breathing rate as you would on the flat. Of course on very steep hills you’ll probably be breathing harder.

from: http://www.women-running-together.com/hillrunning.html

So my goal is to get better and…

And the only way that is to happen is to practice.

Hill repeats, here I come!

I have some hilly races coming up this summer so hopefully I can get more comfortable with hills.

Happy Running? Do you do hill repeats? Do you practice running on hills?

April 14, 2014 by Darlene

Monday Running Update

Last Week:

Monday – 1 mile walk at work, rest, tennis

still indoors

Tuesday – 1 mile walk at work, ~~3 miles on the TM~~ (too tired), tennis (instead)

indoors again

Wednesday – 1 mile walk at work, 3 4 mile run

reward

so windy

Thursday – 1 mile walk at work, 4 mile run

first walk outdoors

warm but windy…on the rail trail

Friday – 1 mile walk at work, pizza party, rest, mah jongg

ate 4 slices of pizza for lunch. I don’t think 1 mile was enough to burn it off but it wasraining

Saturday – 5K race + 3.5 more miles

Sunday – rest, day with Amanda & sons

at the butterfly exhibit

at the park

This Week:

Monday – 3 miles at lunch, Passover seder
Tuesday – rest, tennis
Wednesday – 5 miles
Thursday – 4 miles
Friday – rest, mah jongg
Saturday – 4m race
Sunday – rest

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

April 13, 2014 by Darlene

Spring is Here (at least for a short time)

spring

Finally a day that feels like spring!

As I said yesterday, it was too beautiful outside to not run some more miles. And the area where the race race took place was so nice that I decided to stay put and run there.

I heard that the 10k had better views so I decided to go that way. I wasn’t going to run 6.2 miles — just maybe 3 more.

It was farmland and mountains in all directions.

No traffic at all.

A sign that I was not in the city any more.

Definitely a dairy farm area.

I miscalculated and wound up with 3.5 extra miles.

I think I made the right decision to run the 5k. I won a pie and I got my miles in as well.

Afterward, I decided to take a different way home. On my run I saw a sign for a yarn store and a zoo.

Well, I found neither but I did take a delightful ride along the Hudson River.

At one point, I had to stop and take the pictures above. The spray of the water was breathtaking.

I continued on my way and arrived in familiar territory — where my hubby and I used to fly his plane (it got destroyed by ice several years ago). And I stopped at our favorite ice cream place – Bubbles diner.

coffee raspberry twist – yum!

At that point, I headed back to the highway toward home to do some mundane things like grocery shopping, laundry, etc.

Today, was another spring-like day. I had promised to take my mentee’s kids to the the butterfly exhibit at a local museum.

We had a lot of fun with the butterflies.

As well as the other fun hands-on science activities.

After a stop at Mac Donald’s to pick up lunch, we headed to the park to eat and play on the playground.

It was warm but quite windy. Perfect for flying kites.

What warm day would be complete without a stop for ice cream on the way home. So we did.

This was my rest day but boy am I tired!!

Happy Running! What did you do to enjoy the warm weather?

runner-sig

April 12, 2014 by Darlene

2014 Bacon Hill Bonanza 5K Race Report

bacon hill

I am not sure why I registered for the 10K instead of the 5k. Maybe cuz they were both the same price or that it was more worth the drive.

10 K

Anyway, the 10K would be downhill for the first half and then uphill for the last half but the 5k was an out and back and would be mostly flat.

So I changed my mind. I switched to the 5K and then planned to run 3 miles after.

This was a new race for me. There were other closer races but first place male and female winners for each age group (5 year increments) would receive a homemade pie, second place age group winners homemade cookies, and third place homemade muffins. The finish line would also feature homemade chili and other goodies for all runners. Enough of an incentive for me.

The race started at 10 am which was good since it would be an hour minute drive.

Again the weather was tricky. What to wear? It was cool in the morning (low 40s) but scheduled to warm up to the 60s. I opted for a long sleeve shirt (the one I got from last week’s race), skirt & compression socks. I brought a jacket just in case.

I got to the race early and found a parking spot in a field next to the church. The race started at the church in the town of Bacon Hill, a small farming town with awesome scenery. (It reminded me of Vermont.)

This was the second year for this race but the first year for the 10K. There were a little over 200 for the 5k and a little over a 100 for the 10K (nice numbers for a small town race.) I bumped into a lady from my age group that I know from previous races but she was running the 10K. It seemed that the faster runners were doing that one. Good for me!!

It was chilly. First I had my jacket on, then I put my race shirt over my other shirt and then I put them both back in my car. (Right move, it got warm!)

love the pink tech shirt, men got neon green

I hung out and started chatting with a guy and his wife. They were from my town and we have done most of the same races.

First there was the kids race – one mile. They were so cute. I told the organizers about my running buddy and they gave me this medal (I usually mail him my race shirts but I doubt he would want a pink women’s shirt.)

Soon it was time for the race to start. The pastor read a prayer and the church bells rang and we were off.

The 5k was an out and back. The 10k veered to the right and supposed had hills and breath taking views.

I decided to go out fast. I have have negative splits so why try. It wasn’t as flat as I thought. The hills were bad but I felt like I was running up. I didn’t walk up any!!

There were volunteers on the course calling out times. I occasionally glanced down at my Garmin to make sure I was running in the 9’s. Eventually we turned around and head back….INTO THE WIND!!! Tough running into the wind for 1.5 miles but again I didn’t stop for water and I didn’t walk up any hills. I just pushed myself. I even found myself passing people.

As I approached the finish line, I realized that not only was I under 30 minutes, I could finish under 29 minutes. Unfortunately I had no gas left and I barely made it. Not sure what my official finish time was but my Gamin says: 28:53!! I was pleased. First 5k under 30 minutes since last November.

I immediately made a bee line for the chocolate milk. Boy was it good. I think I had 5 cups.

They had great food – the usual food but also chili and homemade muffins & cookies (including gluten free ones).

Someone that I met at the Malta 5k last September recognized me. We had chatted a lot after that race. Holly is just a year younger than (different age group – YAY!). We talked while waiting for the results.

results for me and my new friends (I beat the “guy”)

I looked and saw that they had my age wrong: 59 not 60. I told them and they changed it but they had a lot of ages wrong. This meant that we had to wait a really long time for the awards. It was nice to have someone to wait with. They were giving out homemade pie & cookies so everyone was waiting. And I won a pie!!! (Love my age group!) Holly won 3rd and cookies.

I put the pie in my car and changed into my race shirt. I really didn’t feel like running more but I promised myself that I would.

I had planned to head home and stop at one of the bike paths on the way. But this area was so nice, I decided to stay and run. (More about it in my next post.)

All in all, I loved this race. I will definitely do it again…maybe even the 10K.

Splits:

mile 1- 9:00
mile 2 – 9:32
mile 3 – 9:33
.1 – 8:09

(yup, positive splits – can I blame it on the wind?)

Goals:

run the whole thing without stopping – YES!
finish under 30 minutes – YES!
keep each mile’s pace under 10 minutes – YES!
win an AG award (they’re giving out baked goods!) – YES! 1st!
have fun! – YES!
stay healthy! – YES!

Happy Running! Are you running or racing this weekend?

April 11, 2014 by Darlene

Why Do You Run?

I was running in the first annual Runners World 5k in Bethlehem PA while visiting my best friend from high school & college. Can you tell from this photo that I was in agony? I was running with a stress fracture in my foot. I could hardly walk but I was running AND I was happy. I forgot about my pain. I was approaching the finish line and my friend was there cheering me on.

I am not saying that I was smart to run with an injury. But what I am saying is that when I have problems and things aren’t going well, running boosts my spirits.

strong

I was 60 years old in this photo. I was recovering from another injury. This time, a broken foot. Since I started running, I have felt stronger and more fit. If I have an injury, I know that I will recover. I think that because I am a runner, I recover faster. I also feel younger and healthier. That doesn’t mean that I always eat healthy because I don’t. But running has kept my weight in check, despite my love for all things carb.

proud

When I seriously broke my ankle and needed surgery, the ortho said I may not run again and if I did, not long distances. Well, I did run 3 half marathons after that injury. (The first one is this photo.) And I am proud. I am proud that I tried and proud that I succeeded. There may come a day that I can’t do it. I am proud that I still can.

So on the subject of running, I have another race tomorrow. I had signed up to the 10K and then chickened out. I want to work on speed and the 5K is flatter so I switched. I promise to do a 10K in May.

My goals are similar to my last race’s and will be the same for upcoming short distance races:

run the whole thing without stopping
finish under 30 minutes
keep each mile’s pace under 10 minutes
win an AG award (they’re giving out baked goods!)
have fun!
stay healthy!

Happy Running! Why do you run?

April 10, 2014 by Darlene

#TBT

I’ve been friends with Andrea since Aug 1973 & Judy since Aug 1974.

Wow, that’s a long time. (Probably most of you reading this were not even born.)

We shared several apts together and did a lot of partying in the old days of our youth.

Andrea lives in NJ (and I only see her sporadically. Thank God for FB.) Judy lives locally. (I see her all the time.)

None of us did any fitness/sportswise when we were younger (unless bar hopping a sport.)

Now Andrea is avid skier and biker. Judy plays tennis.

They don’t run but they also don’t think I am crazy for running. (In fact, I may stay with Andrea when I run a race next fall.)

Nov 2013

May 1975

Happy Running! Do you still keep in touch with old friends? Are they runners?

April 9, 2014 by Darlene

1st Quarter Report Card

report-card1 3 months down and 9 to go. How am I doing on my 2014 Goals?

1. Do not get injured. So far, so good.

happy legs and feet!

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

even in the freezing cold

3. Continue fitting in tennis and/or yoga once a week. Tennis YES, Yoga NO.

my instructor returns from maternity leave on May 7.

4. Finish most of my 5K races under 30 minutes. No, but only ran one 5k.

30:17 @ 9:45 pace

5. Run at least one race per month and at least 20 for the year.Yes! 6 races so far.

HMRRC 15K in Jan.

Polar Cap in Feb.

Runnin of the Green in Mar.

6. Run a race in another state or even a NEW state. Yes, Mayor’s Wellness 10 miler in CA, Lighthouse 5k in FL and the Love Run Half in PA. But they are not new states.

Lighthouse 5K in FL.

7. Run at least 10 NEW races. 4 so far- Mayor’s Wellness 10m, HMRRC Winter Series #3 15K, Lighthouse 5k, Love Run

first annual Love Run

8. Run in NYC. No, not yet.

This is as close as I have gotten

9. Get an Age Group award. Yes! 3rd at the Mayor’s Wellness, 1st at the Lighthouse 5K

Mayor’s Wellness 10m

10. Run a 10 mile race. Yes! Mayor’s Wellness 10m

Mayor’s Wellness 10m

11. Run at least one half marathon. Yes! The Love Run.

12. PR in a half marathon. Yes! at the Love Run.

4 sec PR

13. Run over 800 miles. 256 miles so far. I’m on my way.

lst quarter

14. Continue to blog almost everyday. Yes!

So I am doing pretty good so far.

I am expanding GOAL #3 and adding upper body & core strength exercises (planks & weights)

these sit on my desk & I have begun to use them as well doing planks in the am.

and changing GOAL #4 from 5k races to all races (except 15ks & half marathons) to under 10 min. pace per mile.

4 miler in 38:07

Things to work on the next 9 months:

start yoga
finish a 5k under 30 minutes
race in a new state
run in NYC
continue to race each month
continue to sign up for new races
STAY HEALTHY

Happy Running! Do you have yearly goals? If so, how are you doing so far this year?

April 8, 2014 by Darlene

Demystifying the Destination Race

Guest post by Arianna at http://ariannaknowsbest.blogspot.com

We’ve all seen the ads for fun races in exotic locations. Want to run a marathon in Hawaii? You can do that. Want to do a triathlon in Cozumel? You can do that too! Combining racing with travel is a perfect way to kill two birds with one stone and make your big race an even more memorable experience.

If the logistics of a destination race seem daunting, fear not! I’m here to help. Last year, I traveled to Philadelphia for the Feel the Love 5k and learned a few things. Here are some tips to help make your next race in a far off locale a big success!

Choose the right race: Picking the perfect local race can be hard enough but when you start looking at out of town events, there is even more to consider. How far can you realistically travel? Is the location difficult to reach by your preferred method of transportation? Are there activities for your family to do during your race? If you pick a place with lots of options for entertainment, a destination race can actually turn into a mini vacation for the whole family!

Make your travel arrangements: Decide if you are driving or flying and if you will need a rental car. When choosing your lodging, consider staying as close to the race site as possible. It might cost a little more but it can make life a whole lot easier! If cooking your own food is important, you may want to consider renting a house through a home rental site such as VRBO. Accommodations during big races can fill up quickly so it’s best to book your lodging as soon as possible.

Make plans for your pets: Traveling with your pets can be a lot of fun but if you are planning on bringing them along, there are a few things to consider. Do your accommodations allow animals? Is your family willing to wrangle them while you are busy with the race? If you decide to bring them with you may want to find local dog boarding to care for them on race day. We were able to find a last minute sitter who was willing to take Brodie, our lab, that night and for the majority of race day. Remember that most races start early so you should arrange your plans for your pet at least a day before to avoid a crazy morning before the race.

Plan your pre-race meals: Think about what you will eat in the days leading up to the race. Pre-race food is unique for every runner and by this point you should have figured out what works best for you. Make sure you have access to that food! If you are relying on the hotel for breakfast, be sure that the food will be available early enough for you to eat and digest it before your race. Some runners prefer to carb load and others rely on just a protein bar to hold them over. Before a shorter run, I will do a bit of fresh fruit and a protein bar, as I don’t want a heavy stomach during my run.

Pack wisely: Make a list and check it twice, three times if need be! When making your packing list it may be helpful to mentally go through every part of your race day. Start first thing in the morning: What will you eat for breakfast? What will you wear? Visualizing your day can help ensure that you don’t forget anything important. Check the forecast but be prepared for any type of weather- light clothing that layers easily usually work best in any uncertain situation.

Don’t overdo the pre-race sightseeing: You’ve worked hard to get here and you’ve probably spent the last few weeks training. Don’t over exert yourself with too much walking! A little walking is a great way to loosen up after a long travel day but don’t overdo it. Save the bulk of your sightseeing for after the race. For our race, we booked a hotel for 3 days: the day before, race day, and the day after, that way I had enough time to prepare and enough time to relax after.

Arianna is a full-time mom and a fashion-lover, world traveler, animal lover, and family woman extraordinaire. She loves to cook and bake, travel to new places, share great fashion finds, and spend time doing crafts and projects at home with her kids. She’s got a crazy busy life, but she wouldn’t have it any other way! Follow her blog at http://ariannaknowsbest.blogspot.com/ !

Thanks Arianna. This advice will be very helpful to me (who loves to plan race-cations) and to my other readers.

Happy Running! Anything that you would add to this list?