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I’m “Stylish”

The  blogger know as  Thirteen Point One Miles has awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award! Thanks so much!! I  love getting awards almost as much as winning giveaways!

You should check out her blog. Stacie is training for a Half Marathon like me!! Her blog is so much fun to read!

There are 4 duties to perform to accept this award:

1. Make a post + Link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 5 recently discovered great bloggers (or 15 or as many as you’d like)
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them they’ve won!

About ME:  (If you are a long time follower of my blog, you may already know these things about me.)

  1. I am an avid Mets fan (even when they are losing). I listen to their games whenever I can.
  2. I have been mentoring a teenage unwed mom for the past 2 1/2 years.  Her 4 year old son Richard is a joy!  I love Amanda like a daughter.  (She is pregnant again 😦 and due Aug 20.)
  3. I have NEVER eaten peanut butter. (That means I’ve never had a P & J sandwich. I don’t even eat Reese’s.)
  4. I love to play tennis although I don’t play it as much since I started running almost 3  yrs ago. I used to play everyday now it’s only a once or twice a week. I may even enjoy running more!? But some of my best friends are ones that I met through playing tennis.
  5. I spent my junior year of college in Nice, France and taught French for many many years (until I discovered the world of technology – now I’m a geek). I still love anything French and would move to Paris in a heart beat.
  6. I am addicted to Mah Jongg.  I have played it for over  2 years on Friday evenings.  It’s a game my mother used to play & no one wants to be like their mother but it’s a lot of fun and it keeps your mind young (I hope).
  7.  I have seen Les Miserables (the show) at least 12 times and would see it again if it came to town. I have also read the book & seen the movies but it’s the music that I love!

I read a lot of running blogs.  Here are the ones I’ve chosen:

  1. Dutch Girl Gets Healthy
  2. Asthma & the Gift of Running
  3. Fit & Fabulous After 40
  4. Grammie Gets a Life
  5. Lee on the Run

They are all inspirational and have something in common…Guess what!

Happy Running!

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Wednesday Winnings and Woes

The Good News:  I won another giveaway!!! Two pairs of socks from AJH.  I love socks!!!

My husband arrived in Florida on Monday where it is sunny and almost 80.  Here in the NE, we are having a BIG snowstorm. Luckily my neighbors have promised to plow out my driveway. We may have a foot by the end of the day!!!

I played tennis last nite – 1 1/2 hours and no foot pain!!! (Can I run in tennis sneakers!?)

The Bad News: I ran my tapering 3 miles on the treadmill yesterday morning with my loose, barely tied new sneakers & my right foot STILL hurts.  It stops hurting when I stop running so……….

Do I skip my last 3 mile run and rest my foot till Sunday?? Or do I follow my training plan (3 miles tomorrow) and grin and bear it??

Happy Running!  4 Days till….

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My “Old” Feet

Yup, 5 days till my Half Marathon and my feet still hurt.

I haven’t talked about it because it’s too depressing. I try to ignore it in hopes it will go away.

The other day after the Chi Running workshop, when I complained that my feet hurt on the inside, the instructor asked me, “Do you have bunions?”

I said “Maybe, take a look.” and then she said “Yup, looks like you’ve got bunions forming.”

Oh no, I thought. I’m OLD. Only old people have bunions!!

She told me to stand and then she said that  to compensate for the bunions that I refuse to have, my stance can throw off my gait and lead to hip problems, knee problems, back problems.  I have them all.

According to the Internet, bunions are “painful swellings that usually develop on the inner side of the foot near the base of the first toe (hallux).” Often genetic (thanks, Mom!); usually found in women; thought also to be caused by high heels (Yes, I love high heels), or flat feet (but I have high arches).

 So, I have these disgusting bumps and they rub against my shoe.  That’s why my feet hurt!!

Solutions I have tried:

  • wearing flat shoes during the day (well, I’ve only done that recently- I think the damage is done)
  • wearing toe spacers
  • wearing bandaids on my “bunions”
  • ice after running
  • ibuprofen
  • new running shoes (my arches feel much better with these but not my “bunions”)
  • tying my shoes loosely and unlacing the top  rows also as shown  below:

 In doing some “Bunion” research, I  found out that  Paula Radcliffe suffered from bunions.  Hers were so painful that she had surgery and then won a Half Marathon 6 months later (after 9 weeks off for recovery, ouch!)

Radcliffe running with pain

Do I buy another pair of running shoes? They say the Asics Gel 3010 features a new bunion window:

ASICS Women's GEL 3020 - Dick's Sporting Goods

Then again, it could be worse— stress fracture?? (Am I a hypchrondriac???)

Pain or no pain, I’m running (or walking) my Half Marathon!! I’ll see about my foot (the right one hurts worse) after that!!!

Happy (Painfree) Running!

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Monday Goals

Last week Update:

 My goal was 19 miles and I ran 19,5  miles!!

This week’s schedule:

Mon – dinner w/friend
Tues – tennis
Wed – dentist
Thurs – help a friend
Fri – fly to Florida
Sat – pick up race packet, pasta party

This week’s running:

Tues– 3 miles before work
Thurs – 3  miles before work
Sun: HALF MARATHON!!

Weekly Running Goal = 19 miles
January Monthly Running Goal = 50 miles, a half marathon

Yearly Running Goal = 1011 miles

Happy Running!

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Last Long Run and a Windy One

Yesterday I woke up to 8 inches of snow so I decided to postpone my last long run till today.

I had signed up for the HMRRC Winter Series 10k but I was debating whether or not I wanted to do it.

Yes:

  • It’s free
  • I know a lot of runners who are doing it
  • I missed my last 10K
  • I’ve never done a 10K (so it’ll be a PR)
  • Snowless running route
  • Free refreshments

No:

  • I don’t know the course or its difficulty
  • I’ll run faster than my long run pace (because I’m competitive)
  • If I don’t run fast, my time will suck (& I’ll be bummed)
  • I’ll have to run at 10am
  • I’m supposed to do at least 8 miles today
  • What if I get injured?

I got up and got dressed to run it but…

I checked my e-mail and my husband who is leaving for Florida tomorrow had a flight through Charlotte.  Charlotte is expecting a blizzard & it was recommended that passengers switch flights. Well, I spent over an hour on the phone with USAir and finally got him booked on a flight thru DC that leaves at 5:50 am.

Yup, I missed the race but instead I went out and did my LAST LONG RUN!!!

It was supposed to be 8 miles but I only ran 10 miles this week instead of 13 so I decided to stretch the run to 9.5 miles.

It’s not getting easier.  It was cold and it was very WINDY!!! Half of the route, I was running into the wind and felt like I was getting no where and it made me tired.  Another factor, I chose to go straight and wound up with a hILLY route. I walked up all the hills so that I could have the energy to run the rest.

I love my Garmin!  It tells me exactly what my pace is and what it is for each mile.  I have it set to beep when I’m running fast (under  9 min/mi) and also when I’m running slow (over 12 mi/min).  Of course, it beeped when I was running down the hills and when I was walking.  Whenever,my pace near the end of a  mile was slow, I just sped up.

My feet still hurt, but my legs and knees feel great. I finished the 9.5 miles in about 1 hr 45 min – I was very SLOW but my half marathon goal is to finish under 2 hr 45 min. So I think even if I walk a lot, I can do it. 

This week I taper – just two 3 mile runs.  I think I will use the treadmill since in Naples, it will be warm & humid (like the gym!).

Happy Running!

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Chi Running & New Sneakers

Tuesday after 2 days resting my aching feet, I went to FleetFeet with the Saucony ProGrid Omnis (that I used to wear all the time & wore during my 12 mi run) and my Mizuno WaveRider 12s (that I was saving for the half).

Verdict:

  • Sauconys are worn & not appropriate for running longer distances
  • Mizunos run smaller than Sauconys & are 1/2 size too small.

I tried on Mizuno Waverider 14s, another pair of Saucony (similar to Mizunos) and a pair of Brooks.  All felt great. It was hard to choose but my gut feeling was to buy the Mizunos. So I did.

I tried them on the treadmill for 3 miles yesterday – no pain.  (Well, it was painful but not on my feet.)

This morning, although it was 20 degrees (10 with the windchill), I layered up and took my sneaks on the road – 4 miles – felt great!! Woo Hoo!

Tonite I went back to FleetFeet for the workshop described below.  My tennis friend/runner, MaryPat came too..

FleetFeet sponsored this workshop:

Does a simple walk tire you? Are you afraid to run because of past injuries? Want to get moving but don’t know how? Attend this interactive seminar to learn how ChiWalking and ChiRunning techniques, based on the principles of Tai Chi, can help you run or walk with increased energy efficiency and fewer injuries. Discover how focusing on your posture and relaxing your limbs can give you a burst of energy, without that post-workout slump.

The cartoon below about sums it up:

It was an excellent workshop. The teacher was very hands on.  We got up and down and tried everything she taught.  She critiqued each of us individually.  She also looked at our feet and told us to email her for personal  exercises.

Basically it’s:  posture, lean, loose ankles.  It’s supposed to prevent injuries and make running seem effortless.  I’m not sure I can do it but I’m going to try tomorrow (if it doesn’t snow).

Happy (Chi) Running!

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McMillan..McSchmillan

Someone mentioned that the McMillan Calculator can help you  figure out what your finish time & pace would be at different races.  So I tried it.

It says to put in your best time at a distance you run (which is 5k for me).  Here’s the results:

No way I will finish 13.1 miles in 2:07:07!!!

So I put in my average time over the course of my 5ks.  Here’s the results:

2:18:40? I don’t think so but it would be nice.

Then I put in the pace I think  I will run a 5k at this distance.  Here’s the results:

2:37:10. Now that’s more like it!!

Of course, I didn’t need the McMillan Calculator  to predict that!

Happy Running!

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It’s a Small World

It’s 11 days til my half marathon so I logged onto the website and checked out the list of participants and what did I find???

What are the odds that someone from Albany, NY (where I work & near where I live) is running a half in Naples, Florida??

So what did I do?  I googled him, of course.  I found the website where he works and it turns out that he lives in Albany, is originally from LI and is an avid Mets fan.  JUST LIKE ME!!!!!

Cool and the site had a chat room and he was even online at the time!!! We had a great online conversation!!! It is his first half marathon.  Hs wife is going but doesn’t run.  He normally does not run in the winter but thought this would motivate him.  He plans on running a 12 min mile (normally he runs 5ks at a faster pace) and his only goal is to finish!!

Who does that sound like??

 He ran 12 mi on Sun and is now tapering…. We exchanged phone numbers and hopefully we’ll meet up at the race.

Speaking of tapering…I’m giving my aching feet a rest & rethinking the shoes.  I’m playing tennis in the evenings and plan to return to running Wed. Thurs, Fri for short runs and then 8 mi on Sunday.

Happy Running!

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New Year, New Month, New Week

Recaps:

2010 – My goal was to run 300 miles and I ran 678.5 miles – Woo Hoo!
2011 – I have a lofty goal of 2011 miles – it’ll be fun trying!

December – My goal was 70 miles, a 5K race, half marathon training and I ran a month high total of 95 miles, ran two 5k races, hosted a giveaway, won 2 giveaways, and completed week 10 of  HM training – YAY!!

Last week – my goal was 24 miles and I ran 24 miles!!

This week’s schedule:
Mon – tennis
Tues – tennis
Wed – Mentor meeting
Thurs – ChiRunning workshop at FleetFeet
Fri – Mah Jongg
Sat – dinner & cards w/friends

This week’s running:
Wed– 3 miles 
Thurs – 4 miles 
Fri – 4  miles 
Sun – 8  miles

Weekly Running Goal = 19 miles
January  Monthly Running Goal = 50 miles, a half marathon

Yearly Running Goal = 1011 miles

Happy Running!

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It’s Over…Back to Work Tomorrow!!

Parties are over for awhile!

Last Wed, we had our annual tennis party – with lots of food, entertainment and a Chinese grab bag…(I got a martini glass & shaker.)

Thursday, I went out to dinner with a friend and then to play Mah Jongg.

Friday, I went out to lunch with friends and then for New Year’s Eve, we went out with some friends in Lake George – we had champagne, hors d’oeuvres, more champagne, dinner, danced and then more champagne…

I played tennis and danced Friday – that’s cross-training, right?

Yesterday was a recovery day. NO EXERCISE!!! My hubby & I went to the movies to see The King’s  Speech. It was really good!!! (I Love Colin Firth).  Then we went out to dinner.

Today was my last LONG run before my HM, my longest run EVER , my first run of 2011, and my first long run with my Garmin!!!

12 on 1-2! in 2:22 

 It was difficult but I survived— my feet hurt the whole time (I wasn’t wearing my Mizunos but my Saucony) – painful every step of the way.  It was almost 40 degrees and when the sun came out and the wind was at my back, I was warm and then when the sun went in and I was running into the wind, it was chilly.  I took it slow and whenever I was tired or running uphill, I walked.  It wasn’t about time, it was about stamina. I wanted to see if I ran/walked,  would I still be under 2:45.

I think I can do it!!

Feet don’t let me down now!!!

Update

 

 wk 1 – 18 miles – long run – 8
wk 2 – 21 miles – long run – 9
wk 3 – 11 miles – long run – 8 (strained quads)
wk 4 – 12 miles – long run – 3 (on vacation)
wk 5 – 18 miles – long run – 8.5
wk 6 – 21 miles – long run – 9
wk 7 – 21 miles – long run – 10 * (without stopping)
wk 8 – 22 miles – long run – 9 * (without stopping)
wk 9 – 23 miles – long run – 11
wk 10 – 24 miles – long run -12*
wk 11
wk 12

TWO  WEEKS TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Running in 2011!