by

Inspiring

Other runners are always inspiring me.

I never thought that I would inspire someone else.

But I have, I think.

I have been playing Mah Jongg for 5 years.  I am the only runner in the group. (There are 8-12 of us… many do play tennis.)

We play on Friday nights.  Usually on Saturday, I either have a long run or a race.  That means I don’t drink and sometimes I even leave early.

My Mah Jongg friends always pretend to be interested in my running and races.  But I know they think I am crazy.

Then last week, Natalie, says during Mah Jongg game:  “I think I want to start running.”

Natalie is in the middle in both pictures:

I am thrilled and tell her about No Boundaries and how I started running. I offer to help her train and/or run  with her.

at the Freihofer’s in 2008 – my NoBo mentor is on the left

Then on Facebook, there was a post from FleetFeet about signing up for the spring No Boundaries program. So I told Natalie about it.

Look at the email I just got:

=============
Darlene,

I signed up for FleetFeet yesterday….very excited.

Natalie

I’m excited too.

She starts the program April 7 and her first 5K is June 21. (I’ll keep you posted on her progress.)

So maybe I inspired her.

It will be fun to have another runner in our mah jongg group.

Happy Running! Have you even inspired someone to start running.

runner-sig

by

Monday Running Update

 

20140222-161624Last Week:

  • Monday – tennis
  • Tuesday – 4 miles, mall walk & dinner out with bff
20140204-215154.jpg

last outdoor run before the storm

  • Wednesday – rest, mall walk with bff SNOW DAY
  • Thursday –  4 miles on the tm
dreadmill

an episode of “Nashville” got me through it

  • Friday – 3 4 miles, mah jongg
20140207-175736.jpg

around Washington park

  • Saturday – rest, proctor LSATs
  • Sunday –  9 10 miles
20140209-142914.jpg

on the Corning Bike Path

Screen shot 2013-12-20 at 8.24.21 AMweek 5- 22 miles

This Week:

  • Monday – tennis
  • Tuesday – 4 miles on the TM
  • Wednesday – 3 miles
  • Thursday – 4 miles
  • Friday – rest  mah jongg
  • Saturday – 10 miles
  • Sunday –  rest

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

runner-sig

by

What I am Enjoying Now

1. SUNSHINE

20140209-143013.jpg

Yes, it was cold… I waited until it warmed up to the 20s and the sun was shining.

20140209-143023.jpg

I headed to the Corning Bike Path because I heard that it was clear.

20140209-143002.jpg

And it was except for a few icy patches.

20140209-142930.jpg

Although my long run was crappy (I walked a lot, my on and off  bunion pain came back), I extended my planned 8 mile run to 10 miles.

20140209-142944.jpg

It is supposed to cloud up and snow a little, then get colder.  What else is new?

2.  The OLYMPICS

I love the Olympics.  I am not a TV watcher but for the next 2 weeks, I will be glued to the TV.

Sage Kotsenburg winning Gold

It’s not that I ski or snowboard or ice skate.  I don’t do any winter sports.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White helping US win bronze

Figure skating is my favorite. But I enjoy watching everything.

And finally, I’ve traveled to Russia 3 times and I love the culture and its people.

wiht Anna in Lake George May 2012

with Anna, my favorite Russian

Happy Running! Are you following the Olympics?

runner-sig

by

Rotate Your Shoes!


I used to think I had a problem:

20130710-133631.jpg

Brooks Adrenaline – broke my ankle wearing these 2 years ago, wear them to walk & bike now

Camp Chingachgook Challenge

Mizuno Wave Inspire – sometimes feels to narrow in the toe box – used to like them

20130701-122501.jpg

Brooks Ghost – comfy but neutral not enough support??

coffee

Brooks Adrenalines – they’re ok & I wear now in bad weather

20130717-195808.jpg

Saucony – ran my half in these, also ok

20130724-192745.jpg

Brooks Glycerine – kinda heavy -sometimes weigh me down

capris = spring

used to LOVE these but I turned my foot and broke it the last time I wore them… not enough support?

20131123-123053.jpg

my newest Brooks Adrenaline – I wear them for long runs & races

running in the dark with my new "white" shoes

my  newest Mizuno Sayonaras – they’re light & I wear them for shorter runs

(and in the past I have also worn Asics, Nike, Reebok & New Balance too!!)

What shoes do I wear??

Right now…I wear them all (except the Newtons.)

Back to the fact that I used to think I had a problem wearing so many different running shoes.

Not anymore, a new study suggests that runners who rotate among more than one pair of running shoes are significantly less likely to get injured than those who wear the same model of shoe on every run.

Yay me!

The study also showed that participation in other sports activity also reduced the risk of injury.

tennis1

so I guess I’ll keep up with the tennis!

(If you don’t have access to the full text, you can read both  Craig Payne at Running Research Junkie and Scott Douglas at Runner’s World who have covered it in some depth.)

Happy Running!  Do you rotate your running shoes?

runner-sig

by

Foto Friday

20140201-172003.jpg

20140201-171953.jpg

???????????????????????????????

20140201-171944.jpg

Don’t these pics make you feel cold? Doesn’t it make you want to stay inside??

Runners, Be tough!

Happy Running! Stay warm!

runner-sig

by

Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna

Attention:  This is a non-running post. It’s an eating post.

I recently went to a Chinese New Year’s Party and tasted the most awesome lasagna.

I love Butternut Squash and I love Lasagna.  This was really tasty and light.

I’m not a big cook but I asked for the recipe anyway.

Here it is:

Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna
Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream (The one I tasted substituted half n half)
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups)
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 1 1/4 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
  • Fresh Lasagna Noodles, cut into 4-by-13-inch strips and cooked, or store-bought dried noodles, cooked
  • 4 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/4 cups)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss squash, oil, and 1 teaspoon salt on a baking sheet. Season with pepper. Bake until light gold and tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool.
  2. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Combine ricotta, cream, yolks, mozzarella, and a pinch of nutmeg in a medium bowl. Season with salt.
  3. Melt butter in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. As soon as it starts to sizzle, add sage, and cook until light gold and slightly crisp at edges, 3 to 4 minutes.
  4. Place squash in a medium bowl, and mash 1/2 of it with the back of a wooden spoon, leaving the other 1/2 in whole pieces. Gently stir in sage-butter mixture and stock. Season with salt and pepper. (The one I tasted had all the squash pureed.)
  5. Spread 3/4 cup of ricotta mixture in a 9-cup baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1/2 of the butternut squash mixture over noodles. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1 cup of ricotta mixture over noodles. Repeat layering once more (noodles, squash, noodles, ricotta). Sprinkle Parmesan over ricotta mixture.
  6. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until cheese is golden and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Source: Martha Stewart Living, October 2008

Happy Running!  Have a favorite (easy) recipe to share?

runner-sig

by

Snow Day and Winter Running Mojo

It is definitely not as rewarding as when I was teaching but it still is awesome.

Though I was meeting my bff for dinner last night, I had to squeeze in a run before today’s big storm (who knows when I’ll be able to run outside again?)

20140204-215154.jpg

I tried out the Nike+ app..not bad for fun but during a race or long run, I like the Garmin on my wrist.

Today I had the whole day free (and my hubby had to work).  I got so much done:

  • did a plank (woo hoo!)
  • did my taxes (not happy about how much we have to pay 😦 )
  • worked on my knitted sock
  • read a bit
  • watched the last episode of Downton Abbey
  • made a casserole for dinner (I don’t cook much)
  • went to the movies (This month’s RW magazine made me want to see this Bruce Dern movie. Did you know he was a serious runner?)

it was good!

Quite a productive day.  The snow has stopped…we have at least 12″ and tomorrow I will be back at work.  I’ll probably opt for the treadmill  and venture out on the road on Friday.

This weekend I have a long run planned…will the bike path be plowed?

so will it feel like 18 miles instead of 9?

 So how to you stay motivated to run in the winter?

  • Buy proper winter running clothes – tights, hat, gloves, jacket.  It is not fun running when you are too cold. Also, dress for warmer than it is.  It is also unpleasant to run when you are overdressed.  Wear layers so you can shed one if you are warm. New clothes that are fun and bright are motivating, as well.
polarcap1

my tights, jacket, hat & gloves were bought at Target

  • Run somewhere scenic – a park, a bike path.  Vary your routes. Running on the same road gets boring.
20140118-113831.jpg

love this bike path along the Hudson R

  • Grab a running buddy or  join a running group.  Chatting makes the miles go faster.  Having to meet someone gets you out the door.
20140126-124043.jpg

some new running partners that help get me out there

  • Put some new music on your phone or iPod. Playlists gets stale. It’s nice to have some new tunes to motivate you on those cold days.

music

Screen shot 2013-12-20 at 8.24.21 AM

  • Sign up for a spring race. I signed up for a half marathon on March 30. Knowing that this race is coming up pushes me through these cold months to stay in running condition.

092713-loverun1

  • Have a plan B. I always bring outdoor clothes to run after work but I also have clothes there to run indoors on the treadmill.  So I have no excuse. I can do either. So if the roads are too slippery, I run on the treadmill.

20140123-194449.jpg

  • Use the treadmill for short runs only. Go outside no matter how cold to do your longer runs.  More than 4 miles on the treadmill makes me go insane. The hardest part about running outside in the winter is the first step out the door.

20140105-144826.jpg

  • Buy Yaktrax or something similar if you live somewhere where it snows a lot and often. They really work.  You can run on snowy roads and you won’t slip.

  • Rewards work too.  How about a hot Caramel Flan Latte at Starbucks and a cake pop after a cold run.

Yes, I ate both cake pops

Happy Running!  Did you have a snow day?  How you stay motivated to run in the winter?

runner-sig

by

Monday Running Update

20140222-161624Last Week:

  • Monday – rest
  • Tuesday – 3 miles on the TM at work, tennis
  • Wednesday – rest,  3 miles on the TM at work, dinner out with tennis buddies
dreadmill

this week: Revenge & Downton Abbey on the iPad

  • Thursday – 4 miles
finally got outdoors

finally got outdoors

  • Friday – rest, mah jongg
  • Saturday – Polar Cap 4 mile race, 4 miles in town, Winter Carnival in Lake George, Chinese New Year’s party

20140202-141744.jpg

20140202-141751.jpg

  • Sunday – HMRRC Winter Series #5 4 mile 7 K race

20140202-122145.jpg

Screen shot 2013-12-20 at 8.24.21 AMweek 4- 22 miles

This Week:

  • Monday – tennis
  • Tuesday – 4 miles
  • Wednesday – rest, mall walk with BFF
  • Thursday –  4 miles
  • Friday – 3 miles, mah jongg
  • Saturday – rest, proctor LSATs
  • Sunday –  9 miles

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

runner-sig

by

HMRRC Winter Series #5 7K Race Report

photo by Bill Meehan

during last week’s HMRRC ‘s COLD race (photo by Bill Meehan)

This week’s free HMRRC Winter Race Series offered 4 mile, 10 mile and 20 mile options.

Since I ran 8 miles yesterday, I decided to run the 4 miler. (I was tempted to choose 10 miles since I ran 9.3 last Sunday but I decided to be on the cautious side.)

To me these are just training runs with lots of people and free food.

When I woke this morning, my ankle ached, my foot was sore and my knee felt weird. Most normal people would stay home and rest.

Nope.  Not me. It was most 40 degrees!  We may never have temps this warm until April.

So I wore compression socks and a band under my knee and off I went.

I left early enough to get a parking space in the nearest lot. And I did.

There were a lot more people this week at the races compared to last week.  Weather-related, I am sure.

I immediately bumped into Brigid, a fellow SRM.  I also saw Sue, who reminded me that I beat her yesterday.

Brigid & I chatted until it was time to head to the start.

The 4 milers and the 20 milers started together (though in between they ran a different course).  The 10 milers had a different starting line.

I knew that I should take it easy on this race.  I didn’t even attempt to keep up with Brigid on her speedy pace.

It was interesting when all of a sudden while I was slowly running my race, the 10 milers sped by me.   Then during the race, there were times that the 20 milers were speeding by me.

HMRRC 7K

(photo by Bill Meehan)

As I was running, I was reminded about how much I hate this course.  Besides being all concrete and parking lots, it seems that you are constantly going uphill but never enjoy a downhill.

I walked quite a few times during the course…more times as the race went on…even stopped for water.  Nothing really hurt, I was just worried about overdoing.

Approaching the campus, when they said 4 milers go left and 10 milers go straight, I was happy that I had chose the shorter race.

20140202-122121.jpg

the finish line in the distance

Well, it turns out that the race like last year was really a 7K or 4.34 miles.

20140202-122129.jpg

me & Brigid afterwards

I crossed the finish line at 44:24.  This was, of course, slower than yesterday but it was faster than I did last year on the same course.

Splits:

mile 1 – 9:56
mile 2 – 10:42
mile 3 – 10:30
mile 4 – 10:39
.4   –          8:51

I definitely enjoyed yesterday’s race and felt a lot better. But I got free food and company running.  I never regret a race.

20140202-122138.jpg

chicken noodle soup – yum!

The rest of my day will be grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning and maybe a movie before the Super Bowl.

Happy Running!  Are you watching the Super Bowl?  If so, who are you rooting for? (Me, I watch for the commercials & the half time show.)

runner-sig

by

Polar Cap 4m Race Report

pc

I ran this race with blogger AJH 3 years ago and it was a tough hilly one but still fun.

Polar Cap - 2nd place in AG

Here we are winning AG awards

Then I ran it again last year.

AJH got 2nd place...we won a lunch bag which matches the race shirt

AG awards again

AJH is running it again and I was looking forward to seeing her.

1506650_10153636242015174_1540176668_n

This year, however, they changed the course. A different start and end..to me it looked hillier, too especially at the end.


1477725_10153637064185174_1866777151_n

All week I have felt that I was coming down with a cold…sneezing, teary eyes, head achey.   Yuck!

Also the weather forecast wasn’t great – snow flurries/snow but warmer (high 20s-30s).  I was hoping that the heavy snow would hold off till later in the day since I had to drive 1 hour to the race.

But when I got up, my cold was gone (must have been allergies) and the weather looked good.  22 degrees…heat wave! And no snow or rain…yet.

I left early for the race in case  it started to snow.

When I got there (at the new location), AJH was already there. (She is hard core – drove all the way form VT with her hubby.)

20140201-171828.jpg

We chatted and hung out inside until the race was about to start.

20140201-171816.jpg

cute tech shirt if you registered early

I felt a little pressure to run fast since I won an AG award in my 2 previous Polar Cap races.  But you never know what will happen when you enter a new age group (AJH enters too.)

2011:  40:11
2013 – 41:40

I have not been doing any 5ks or any speed work at all. I was prepared for a slower time.

Andrea left me in the dust from the start but it was expected.

photo by AJH's hubby

photo by AJH’s hubby

The race started going uphill and my legs felt sluggish. Luckily they felt better as the race went on.

polarcapa

I walked after the first mile when there was a steepish hill but then I didn’t walk again till near the end.

the frozen lake

the frozen lake

I just plodded along admiring the scenery and trying for a consistent pace.

20140201-171953.jpg

the national park

20140202-204346.jpg

At some point during mile 3, I was running next to a familiar face…a local lady(Sue) in my age group who runs a lot of the same races.  We chatted for a while then she ran ahead. She was ahead of me for quite a bit but I could still see her.

20140201-171850.jpg

it’s steeper than it looks

Unfortunately, the last half mile of this race is straight uphill!

20140202-081938.jpg

here comes AJH (photo by her hubby)

I think I walked twice on that hill because I wanted to finish strong.

DSC03918

Sue is the one in green

Believe it or not, I caught Sue, passed her and finished several seconds ahead of her!!! Yay me!

polarcap1

polarcap2

I crossed according to the clock at 40:10.

DSC03922

I was generally happy with the race.  I ran it faster than I thought I would.

20140201-171858.jpg

happy to be done!

We hung out and ate waiting for the age group awards.

There was soup and fruit and baked goods – I am a sucker for home-made stuff and ate quite a few cookies.

20140201-171907.jpg

3rd!

We moved up to a new age group and AJH won 3rd which meant that I was 4th… It wasn’t close. I am happy that one of us won and AJH kept up her winning streak.

Splits:

mile 1 – 9:39
mile 2 – 10:14
mile 3 – 10:12
mile 4 –  9:57

Garmin time – 40:03 (I beat both my 2011 & 2013 times.)

After AJH left, I was debating on changing my clothes and leaving or running more.

But the weather was too nice not to run.  It was now in the 30s.  So I decided to run to the Winter Carnival in town.

20140201-171926.jpg

This was the first day of the event which is held every weekend in February.

20140201-171936.jpg

I visited with friends who were volunteering.

20140201-171919.jpg

The outhouse races were beginning but I didn’t stay to watch.

20140201-171944.jpg

I ran around the lake and through the town and then back to my car.

4 + .97 miles can count for this race too

I covered 4 miles in total – but there was stopping and walking and for the last mile even my foot started hurting.  Still I was glad I hung around and added some miles (in case it rained the next day.)

20140201-172003.jpg

view from the highway heading into BL.

Next, I drove north  to Bolton Landing.

I had considered going back to the Sagamore to the ice bar but the parking lot was very crowded. (The nice weather must have attracted a lot of people.)

Instead, I parked in town and stopped at Bolton Beans for a latte and something to eat and then I stopped at another store. (I bought a bathing suit for 50% off!)

I would normally stop at the outlets on my way home but I had to get home in time to go to a  Chinese New year’s party (My wallet is relieved!)

Tomorrow there is another free race. I may do the 4 miler or I may just run on my own or I may REST… We’ll see how these old legs feel and what the weather is like.

Happy Running! Did you run or race this weekend?

runner-sig