Running

Run. Run. Sick.

10/28/2011

I’d been doing pretty well with my running. We were getting up at the crack of dawn and getting out there, and Sunday I even managed a 5-miler on rolling hills. I hadn’t run 5 miles in a while so I wasn’t sure how this would go, but it ended up being ok. The first two miles were tough, tough, tough, but once we got into a rhythm, the second half of the run seemed easier and I felt good at the finish. On this run, we run out from a beach, through a  beautiful neighborhood and end back at the beach. You can’t ask for more than that. The weather up until yesterday has been really cooperative from a running perspective. Cool, but not freezing, and still short sleeves weather. I think though that’s done. Tomorrow, it’s supposed to be rainy and cold. Maybe even snow flurries. Ugh....

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Early in the Morning

10/12/2011

Early in the morning before the sun comes up, before the birds start singing, before the majority of the people I know are out of bed, I’m out there running with Jen. On Tuesdays anyway. It’s our new routine. We started, I want to say five, six weeks ago? I should say I started because she’s been doing this early morning stuff much longer than that. Other than the fact that I’m ready for bed by noon, I’ve really come to enjoy this run time more than any other running that I do. It’s with my friend and we always have lots to talk about. Did I mention I can actually spit out a few words now when I run? That’s an improvement, believe me. Where we run is nice and flat. I go faster (because she’s faster than me and I need to keep up), and it’s dark....

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A Hurricane, New Sneakers and Post-Race Running

08/31/2011
A Hurricane, New Sneakers and Post-Race Running

I did what I thought would be my last triathlon of 2011 on Aug. 21, but it looks like that may change. This tri was challenging, hilly and hot. HOT has been a theme in my races this year. So I think I’ll go back and try this one again in October. I owe you a race report and you’ll get that soon. After this race, I spent a week, doing, well, nothing. I went for one walk. That was hot too. And humid. Hurricane Irene blew through Long Island on Sunday, and even if she was a tropical storm by the time she got here, she did her damage. We fared well by my house (lost a small tree and lots of branches), but others on LI and the other areas in her path had a tougher time. I’m just grateful it wasn’t worse than it was. Behind...

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From Running To Runner

05/26/2011
From Running To Runner

I have been running for almost two and a half years now. Slowly. I started with Couch 2 5k and now I can run 5-, 6-mile distances as long as I keep my pace, although 3-4 is still my favorite distance. I’ve been running for more than two years. The thing is, I didn’t start running to become a runner. I started running so I could compete in a triathlon. I have resisted the running along the way. Almost always, I would start out on a run, wishing I was home already, wishing I could walk, feeling the twinges in my knees or hips. Running was a chore with fleeting moments of serenity or accomplishment. Running has been about finishing a run. Being done for the day. During my St. A’s training, in the freezing cold, I had to practice running without headphones, I had to make sure I...

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Look Ma, No iPod!

03/28/2011
Look Ma, No iPod!

When I run, I like my music. I rely on it to get me through the dips, to drown out the negative voices that tell me to walk all the time and to cover up the sound of my breathing when it gets ragged. The iPod is a tool that makes getting out the door to go running just a little easier. Because as much as I enjoy running once I’m out there doing it (or maybe more accurately when I’m done), getting out the door is still a challenge. It’s much easier to stay cozy on the couch, especially when it’s cold and windy. Unfortunately, USAT doesn’t allow iPods in any leg of a triathlon. So…. if I’m going to have some fun in this race, I have to get used to running without my  iPod. Today I did. I went out for my run and left my...

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Awesome Run Day!

02/06/2011
Awesome Run Day!

I’ve been complaining a lot about the weather, about training indoors, about having trouble staying on track. Today is a different post. Today was an awesome run day! It rained here yesterday, all day. Yay for rain! Not that I love a rainy day, but it’s better than snow. Seriously better than snow. Today, I woke up to sunny skies, above freezing temperatures and streets with shoulders, thanks to the rain yesterday which cleared some of the snow away…finally. I was almost happy to get out of bed and get ready for a run. I say almost because I’m never completely thrilled about getting out of my nice warm bed on a Sunday morning for anything. Today though, I was taking advantage of the temperate weather . Today, I was going to shed the treadmill and run outside! And run I did. 5 miles worth. An hour out in...

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Snow, Snow Go Away… and really, you don’t need to come back

01/13/2011
Snow, Snow Go Away… and really, you don’t need to come back

I was supposed to be in Atlanta this week for work. But Atlanta was an ice skating rink. And the day we were supposed to take off? Lots more snow in New York. Canceled flights. Canceled trip. But the snow? I’ve had enough. Just when I thought I’d conquered the cold for outside runs and got prepared with all of my warm weather gear to run and bike outside, the snow hit. It hit hard. And it keeps hitting. I can only run outside either in the early morning during the week or at night because it’s winter and I have a job. I don’t really like to run at those times, but I do it. Problem is, early in the morning or after dark, the roads get icy, and right now, the shoulders of the road are buried under two feet of snow again in my neighborhood. We...

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Snowball 5-Mile Run: Race Report

12/13/2010
Snowball 5-Mile Run: Race Report

Not a 5K. 5 miles. Five long, hard miles. This was, by far, not my favorite racing experience. But I went, I saw, I ran, I finished. Very close to last. But that’s ok. I finished. No snowballs by the way. Not even any snow, although there were a few flurries the night before. I have been feeling like my running has been getting better, and actually it has. I went into this race with some nervousness (this would be the first time I’d take on this distance without any stops, ever). I ran 5 miles once a year ago, but it was a neighborhood run and at the 3-mile mark, I was able to stop home to pee, swig some water and head out again. I woke up with what felt like a cold coming on (stuffy, sore throat, cough kind of thing) but figured I could power...

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Hesitation

11/11/2010

Hesitation? How many of us let this get the best of us? I know I do. After some time away from healthy eating (no I didn’t pull it back together right after Halloween like I’d hoped) and a few weeks away from running, I feel like I’m finally getting back on track. It was tough. But not because I can’t do it. It was tough because I convinced myself it would be. With the running especially, I find that if I take some time off from it, getting back to it gets me nervous. It’s almost like I forget how good it feels to finish a run, and instead focus on how hard it is to start one. I went for my first run in two weeks last night. Now mind you, it’s not that I’ve been doing nothing. I’ve been walking long distances and working out in other...

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Faster, Faster…

09/26/2010

I know I’ve been talking about running a lot lately. That might be because running is always my challenge, and often, my triumph. There are runs where getting out the door is difficult and every step feels like a chore, and three miles takes forever. Today was not one of those runs. I’d been thinking about today’s run since last night and I didn’t even think about not running as I got dressed and got ready to go. The weather was cool and cloudy, I had new music loaded on my iPod and I was ready to roll. I started out fast, which usually doesn’t last long, but this run was different. Surprisingly different. When I run hard (which is still slow), I can usually maintain that pace for a half mile, sometimes three quarters of a mile, and then I have to slow down and/or walk. Today, I...

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