December 7, 2010 by Darlene

Running in the Snow!

7 am on Dec 6, 2010

I got up yesterday and planned to run 3 miles outside. Then I looked outside and it was SNOWING!!! It was too late to go to the gym & run on the treadmill & get to work on time.

So out I went. I was 25 degrees (& 14 with the wind chill) but I didn’t feel cold at all!! The problem was that it was slippery.

I ran slowly so I wouldn’t fall and closed my eyes since the snow was blowing into my contacts!

It was actually quite refreshing. The only time it was treacherous was when I saw a big dog running at me and when I tried to stop, I started to fall. The dog broke my fall. (Lucky he was friendly.) The owner laughed.

This morning the weather was the same so I am opting to wait til after work since I want to run more than 3 miles.

I brought outdoor clothes so I can run near work (I think there’s sidewalk & lights). I also brought indoor clothes in case I decide to go to the gym and run on the treadmill.

Which will it be?

Outside

OR

Inside

Happy Running! Inside and Out!

December 6, 2010 by Darlene

Brain Exchange #21 & Monday Goals

This Week’s Question: What activities do you enjoy outside of swim/bike/running? Are you a winter sports person or summer sports person? Do you enjoy team or individual sports? Do you participate in more alternative activities during the off-season?

Answer:

I am definitely a summer sports person! I LOVE the sunshine and warm weather.

I am an avid tennis player. I’ve been playing on a team and with friends for about 10 years. I have made some very awesome friendships through tennis that have led to permanent friendships outside of tennis.

But what I like about running is that it is an individual sport where you can have personal goals!!

Recap of last week:
My weekly goal was 19 miles. I did 21 miles! Yay!
I ran a 5K !! (not my best but under 30 min.)

This week’s schedule:
Mon – tennis after work
Wed – movie w/friends
Thurs – mall w/friend
Fri – bday dinner
Sat – quilting party
Sun- Mentor party

This week’s running:
Mon– 3 miles before work
Tues – 5 miles after work
Thurs – 3 miles after work
Sat– 10 miles

Weekly Running Goal = 21 miles
December Monthly Running Goal = 70 miles, a 5k race, half marathon training schedule

Yearly Running Goal = 300 miles ( I passed it, New Goal is 600 and I passed it too!!!!)

Happy Running!

December 4, 2010 by Darlene

Jingle Bell 5K Race Report Plus More

This was my 2nd year running this race. Last year it was 9 degrees and I FROZE!! I knew it had to be better.

Today was my long run day since I had a work Holiday party last night and I am going to NYC with my Mah Jongg friends tomorrow. I was torn on how to get it in but I decided to run the race and then add 6 miles to it later.

the party "look"

Though I didn’t drink last night, I danced for 2 hours in HIGH heels and my legs felt it this morning!!

Ready to "Race"

The weather seemed to be similar to my Turkey Trot so I dressed accordingly but added some accessories to go with the spirit of the race.

Before the race I bumped into some old running friends – Amanda (the amazing recent marathoner), Felice (the speedy new Mom), and Jen, Brigid & Janis (the news runners from the spring).

Jen, Janis, Brigid & Felice

with Santa & me

We all started the race together. It was very crowded at the beginning and it was very difficult to get going and get by a Grinch, do, & lady with a cap.

Felice flew ahead. She didn’t seem rusty after just having a baby just 2 mos ago. I knew I couldn’t keep up. Then the rest of the group eventually passed me but Amanda & Brigid were always in sight.

I found the course more difficult than I remember. The hills kept coming and I battled the wind was in my face.

I didn’t have the energy to PR and something in my brain kept repeating that “You’ve got to run slow because you have 6 more miles to do when this is done.” But I really wanted to run fast!!!!

The clock flashed 29:31 when I crossed the finish line. At first I was disappointed but then I remembered that all my times at races on this course have been over 30 minutes.

Everyone did well. Felice finished under 26 minutes!!!! We hung around and had pizza and chatted about racing. Everyone was encouraging about my half marathon plans. In fact, Janis & Brigid plan to run one in April. I know Amanda will also.

No one won an award since they only gave out medals for the top 3 finishers. No age group awards! Darn! I would have won 3rd or 1st!!

After everyone left, I took off my bells and exchanged my Santa cap for a beanie. I grabbed my ipod/Nike + and set it to 3 miles.

I decided not to do the race course because of the hills but to head out and run for 3 miles and then head back.

Glad to be done with 6 mi!

Stats:

lst 3 mi = 31:24
2nd 3 mi = 33.29

9 miles= 1:34:24

So that’s positive splits but I didn’t walk so that’s an improvement. Actually I felt better during the 6 mile run than during the race.

Happy Running!

December 3, 2010 by Darlene

Tis the Season…

Tonight is my first Holiday Party – my work party – it is always very lavish & lot’s of fun (even more if I didn’t have a race tomorrow morning.)

I also signed up for Run With Jill’s Blogger Gift Exchange (deadline 12/8)

and Finishing is Winning’s Blogger Card Exchange (deadline 12/6).

My house is decorated…with snowmen everywhere! I plan to work on card writing this weekend.

unedited card pic1

unedited card pic2

Happy Running! Good Luck to Those Racing This Weekend!

December 2, 2010 by Darlene

3 Things Thursday

I found this quote in the December FleetFeet newsletter:

“You’ve got to have goals in life or you wither away.
It’s no disgrace to fail, only not to try.” – — Jon Mendes Age 90, on his plan to run/walk the 2010 NYC Marathon

Need I say more…

I definitely HATE the treadmill. It’s so stuffy in the gym and I run so slow, it takes forever. I also am not motivated to not walk when I get tired. SO my plan is to get up early and run outside before work. But if I can’t (or it rains like yesteray), I’ll have to do the dreadmill after work.
Tomorrow is a rest day because I have a 5K on Saturday – the Jingle Bell Run which I did last year. It’s The Happy Runner’s return to running after having a baby – YAY! The problem is that I signed up before I was training for a half. What do I do? Do the 5k and then add 6 more miles??

Happy Running! It’s snowing on my Blog!

December 2, 2010 by Darlene

Hanukkah & the Half

As I said in my previous post, this was my Hanukkah present to myself. I used my USAir miles to book a flight into Ft Myers, Fla. after work on Jan 14. I booked a motel near the race. (They even gave me $10 off per night when I mentioned I was running the race.)

My hubby’s sister now lives in Florida and he’s never visited her. A former co-worker of his lives there and one of our LG friends will be there at that time. I always go on vacations and my hubby never does. He doesn’t complain because he prefers to stay home & relax. I, on the other hand, am always on the go and LOVE to TRAVEL.

For his Xmas gift, I booked him a flight to Florida on Jan 10 and rented him a car. He will visit his sister & friends, go deep sea fishing, etc and then pick me up at the airport on Jan 14.

We will stay in Naples together until Jan 18 (I have Jan 17 off). He can watch me in the race and I can show him around my favorite spots in Naples (where I been 7x).

CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!!

I’ve cheated a little. I’ve actually been secretly training. I am on week 6 of the schedule below. I started the day after my 10K fiasco. It may sound crazy that I’ve never run more than a 5k race and I’m training for 13.1 miles. So be it!

I am making changes as needed. I have to fit running in around tennis, work, and other activities. So I am trying to run 3x a week plus one long run on the weekend. Cross-training will probably be tennis or walking.

HALF MARATHON TRAINING
Week	MON	TUES	WED	THURS	FRI	SAT	SUN	Total
1	3	Cross Train	3	3	Cross Train	7	REST	16
2	3	Cross Train	4	4	Cross Train	7	REST	18
3	3	Cross Train	4	3	Cross Train	8	REST	18
4	3	Cross Train	4	4	Cross Train	8	REST	19
5	3	Cross Train	4	4	Cross Train	9	REST	20
6	3	Cross Train	5	4	Cross Train	9	REST	21
7	3	Cross Train	5	4	Cross-Train	10	REST	22
8	3	Cross Train	5	4	Cross Train	11	REST	23
9	3	Cross Train	5	4	Cross Train	12	REST	24
10	3	Cross Train	6	4	Cross Train	13	REST	26
11	3	Cross Train	6	4	Cross Train	8	REST	21
12	3	Cross-Train	Rest	3	Cross Train	Rest	RACE DAY!

I’ve gotten some good tips from this site: http://www.marathonrookie.com/half-marathon-training.html

Happy Running! Happy Hanukkah!

December 1, 2010 by Darlene

I did it…

Yesterday I registered for my FIRST HALF MARATHON!!! Happy Hanukah to Me!!!

Event Details:

Run along a fast and very flat out-and-back course through the area known to locals as the “Olde Naples” section of town, the Naples Daily News Half Marathon takes runners through the city streets, residential neighborhoods and waterfront districts of this south Florida city that lies near the state’s southern tip and just a short drive from perhaps its greatest ecological treasure, Everglades National Park.

Sponsored by the Naples Daily News local newspaper and the Gulf Coast Runners athletic club, the race is a longtime tradition in the Naples area and features both natural and man-made scenery, from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the architectural beauty of the multi-million-dollar homes runners pass on their way along the race route.

Following an out-and-back course that starts and finishes in Naples’ Cambier Park, runners leave the starting line at 7:00 AM and begin heading first west and then southward along Gordon Drive, which they follow for the next three and a half miles all the way down to the turnaround point at the lands’ end spot at the end of the road. There, they turn around and head back along the course they’ve just run until they hit Kings Town Drive, where they turn and head into the Champrey Bay and Galleons Cove neighborhoods.

Thanks to the race’s multiple turnaround points, at the end of Gordon Drive and inside the neighborhoods, runners get a chance to view the elite competitors in the race multiple times and see any friends who are running either ahead or behind them at several points during the race, past participants say. After the stretch of the race along Galleon Drive and the turnaround, runners then head back out of the neighborhood and onto Gordon Drive once again for the reverse route back toward Cambier Park and the finish line festivities.

One of the race’s really interesting and unique traditions takes place along the stretch on Galleon Drive, where a clergyman at Trinity-by-the-Cove Episcopal Church blesses the runners passing by (all runners pass by the church twice during the race) with holy water, which has become a landmark many runners look forward to in the race each year.

Why Run Naples Half Marathon?

The best distance course in the state! Certified! Flat-Fast-Shady-Loop!
FREE Pasta party
Great 4 color Coolmax shirts
Unique quality medals to all finishers who finish within race time limit of 2:45
Awards 5 deep for 27 age groups
Door prizes including weekends at beach front hotels
$15,500 cash awards – Open – Masters – Grand Masters – Senior Grand Masters
Special $3,500 cash awards for US citizens
Cash awards for course records overall & age group

Why Should I?

I love Naples! I go there to play tennis every spring and just got back!!
The race is on my 12th wedding anniversary.
The day after is Martin Luther King Day – a work holiday!
I can use my frequent flier miles to fly for free!
I missed my first 10K.
I am running longer runs on the weekends (already ran 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 miles).
I still have 6 1/2 weeks left to train.
I should run a half before my knees die & my body quits…

So I am…

And I am NERVOOOOOOOOUUUUUUSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Running! Happy Hanukah!

November 30, 2010 by Darlene

November Ends…

Recap of November:
Goals – 65 miles, a 5K race & a PR

I ran 66 miles . I ran 2 5k races, both under 29 minutes and a new PR!!!! I did my first volunteering stint. A GOOD MONTH!!

December Monthly Running Goal = 70 miles, a 5k race, finish under 30 min., follow my half marathon training schedule (scary, huh?)

Yearly Running Goal = 300 miles ( I passed it, I even passed 500 – New Goal is 600 and I’m almost there!)

Happy Running and Happy Holidays!

November 29, 2010 by Darlene

Brain Exchange #20 & Monday Goals

This Week’s Question: How do you manage diet and exercise during the holidays?

Answer:

I basically continue my usual running schedule. I try not indulge other than at the Parties – I have 7 holiday celebrations and 2 birthdays. YIKES!!

Recap of last week:
My weekly goal was 18 miles. I did 18 miles! Yay!
I ran a 5K and had a PR!! WooHoo!

This week’s schedule:
Mon – tennis after work
Tues – tennis after work
Fri – work Xmas Party
Sun – NYC

This week’s running:
Tues– 3 miles before work
Wed – 4 miles after work
Thurs – 3 miles after work
Sat– 5K race + 6 miles

Weekly Running Goal = 19 miles
November Monthly Running Goal = 65 miles, a 5k race, a PR
Yearly Running Goal = 300 miles ( I passed it, I even passed 500 – New Goal is 600)

Happy Running!