52 Miles this Month

It sometimes amazes me: a month with lots of no running days and I still managed to put in 52 miles of running! I have been finding it hard to adjust working along with bad weather to get into a rhythm of training. Lots of ups and downs this month. Some really great training runs; setting a PR in a race but yet it was also fraught with days of no running because of work or weather.  2 weeks of races in a row also seemed to take their toll. I was especially tired after the 10k.  But....today I ran 5 miles and it was easy and pleasant. Perhaps it was because the sun was shining and it was not snowing or raining. This weekend was one of cold icy rain, sleet, and snow...oh and did I say wind also??  It was not a pleasant introduction to winter but, for sure, it was an interesting month for running.

OCTOBER 22, 2011 10K

This morning was a very early and chilly start, but a beautiful day to run. About 40 degrees F. The Big 8 10k Race had a late start due to a fender bender on the course.  The 8am start was 30 minutes late. Not much fanfare other than an air-horn to begin it.  This was definitely a challenging race.  Small uphill, downhills to start, and then mile 3 and mile 4 were totally uphill. It seemed like it would never end. At one point I had to do a little bit of race-walk; then I regained my uphill pace. I read somewhere that you should just try to maintain on the uphill and then use the downhill to make up time. When we finally got to the downhills, I certainly felt the speed increase. I just wish I could have kept it up!! The last mile was uphill! It was a bit of a grind but I decided to dig in a bit.  Some one on the sideline was shouting..."Don't quit! Keep it up! Dig in and turn it up!" I know it was not my coach....but I was encouraged to try and turn it up some more. Overall, it was a great race and totally satisfying to see my time as I reached the finish line!! Because...my last race (flat course)  was 1:04:04 and today I got a PR!!  1:02:15  That is a minus 2 minute difference on a challenging course. Yes...it was a great day for a race! I am more than pleased!

It's still September!

So, today is the last day of September. This month was exceptionally busy since the work/school year has started again. Training has been a bit of a juggle to try and find a rhythm. The summer was great. Get up early (later than a work day) run, have a leisurely breakfast and get on with the day even when it was hot and humid. But my work day means up at 6am out the door by 7ish. For me, personally, I cannot get up earlier to run. I know me, it would not work out at all.  So, now it is trying to get mentally prepared at the end of the day to go out and run after standing on my feet all day.  I know I will have to try to work on leaving school a bit earlier whenever possible!  

And now for the September running report.....

Overall, some how September has added up to 58.5 miles of running. It amazes me! 

September 11th I ran a 10k. A bit more hilly than I expected. The route was behind Jericho HS in Brookville. It was really pretty with beautiful homes and rolling hills. My time was actually better than I expected: 1:04. I was totally satisfied. I realize that a 10k does take a toll on me. I was extremely tired the next day and yoga was difficult as well. I absolutely need rest time to refresh my legs, refresh my mind and repair the muscles. Somehow, in the midst of a busy start to the school year I have managed to put my miles in and stick (almost completely) to my coach's plan. Training, I have surmised, is always a work in progress. 

So, now I am gearing up for October. I plan on doing 2 races this month: 5K and a 10K.

I certainly feel ready but I know that after the 10K I will need that rest, refresh and repair and then continue to run. Today, the last day of September I ran 4 miles in beautiful temperate conditions this morning. Clear, minimal humidity, about 65 degrees. I think I'm looking forward to Fall running. Lots of Halloween decorations and fall colors to view as I run through my neighborhood.

August...even tho it's September!!

August is gone.......and September is here already. I had a busy running month in August. My coach and I finally have a cadence with training. Every week I send a schedule with my work/personal commitments and he sends me back a training plan for the week. I think we have both learned to be flexible to find the right combination.  It has worked well for the past 5 weeks. 

Altogether this past month I ran a total of 66 miles! And I way surpassed my goal this month to run 50 miles in 30 days. I am getting close to my previous all time high mileage of 75 miles. And that was about a year ago. I feel like I am definitely in a better place with my running.  I practice stretching pretty religiously; almost always before or if not, then afterward. This month was full of weather issues; an earthquake, awful heat and humidity; oh and a hurricane with torrents of rain!  It is amazing how I got 66 miles in; but I did.

I also realized that I cannot run and do yoga in one day. It took a toll on my body when I did that in August. Lesson learned! Rest day are for rest and/or yoga not to add in a long run! I can't believe I'm looking forward to some nice fall days to run. After our horrendous winter of tons and tons of snow I thought summer would be refreshing.  I only ran 2 races this summer. One in July......I had to actually wallk for a few minutes it was so hot......and one August 13th.  Sprint for the Sands Point Preserve 5k. This was a trail/paved path race. My first race with trails. It was definitely challenging! I ran on paved paths, sand, dirt, grass, rocks, dirt paths with roots and lots and lots of uphills...funny there seemed to be very few downhills!!  Not my best 5k time but satisfied with it since it was a new terrain to contend with during a race. Time: 33:55.6  My coach said to find something different to run...and this was it.  I did enjoy it alot especially because the vista was so beautiful looking either out on the Long Island Sound or at the beautiful grounds of the 'castle' at the preserve.  With all that said, August shaped up as a pretty good running month as well as an interesting one. Hopefully, all that training will help with making my 10k race tomorrow an enjoyable one! I'm looking forward to it! 

Now, I am officially ready to begin week #6. My 19th year of teaching has begun and my 3rd year of running.  I can truly say I am a runner; a runner for life. No matter how fast or slow, how long or how short I will always be lacing up my running shoes and going out for a run. I love it. It is a wonderful feeling of freedom. Oh! and besides yoga...it's a wonderful way to "take out the trash." I'm truly lucky to have my son as my coach. Adam...you're the best!

Stay tuned for my September running updates!!

JULY 31st

I can hardly believe it is the last day of July.....where did this month fly? A grad class, visits from the Colorado family, a bad cold from my grandson, an injury and some redecorating...of and of course running. July proved to be a very very hot and humid one. Temperatures up to 100 plus and humidity that made it unbearable to even venture outside let alone run.  I did accomplish one running goal this month; I ran 40 miles in 30 days. I wasn't sure I could do it...but it proved easier than I thought. 30 miles in 30 days last month was actually easy! An that's interesting because there were a lot of non-running days because of a variety of issues.  So, starting tomorrow I'm on to the next goal:  50 miles in 30 days. July I ran 41 miles so I really think I can get to 50. This month was also fraught with an injury, albeit, short lived, heat and humidity and a bad cold. I decided to ride my bike...for 45 minutes. Not a good idea since it really does not fit me properly and I used muscles that were not properly stretched or used in quite awhile! I spent 4 days convalescing. But........with that said.....I'm back on track. Today I ran 4 miles early in the morning. That is the longest I have run in awhile. I've been kinda stuck on the number 3.  I'm now waiting for my coach to come up with a plan for the month of August. I need to improve my endurance. I have been running at what seems to be a slower pace. Improvement is an important component to my running now.  I say...bring it on. I'm looking forward to it!

OMG...It's June 30th!!

I thought I'd better get a short blog in today.....as it IS the last day of the month. I truly am trying to keep up with my goal of one blog a month. Running has been great.....up until yesterday. Got up early...7am... to run...but 1.5 miles in my leg got a cramp...my foot also!! I just stopped and started to walk...felt better and then after about 5 or 6 minutes ran the rest of the way home...LOL that was only about 1/2 mile.
I think it was a combo of not enough hydration for an extremely hot, humid morning. Running in the summer....when it is humid is awful. So, I'm taking off 2 days to rest and recover to get ready for perhaps a nice easy long run on Saturday or Sunday. I also pulled a muscle in my shoulder trying to coax a big bag of mulch into the car! Not so smart of me! Other than yesterday, my runs have been really nice and relaxed, albiet, a bit hot and sweaty!! Duh...it is summer. I plan a route by every available sprinkler! I find it amazing how the sweat just pours out of runners AFTER they stop running. So...the plan for July is to find a race or 2 and enjoy the runs! Oh! And hope for some less humid mornings!

Gotta get a plan

Yes, it really is May. I can't believe for 2 months I've had trouble posting in the right month just once!  May 1st was my 2nd ever 10k race. Even though my coach says,"ok..get over it" it still is a big deal for me that I ran it.......and ran it well. I was 9th out of 31 in my age group, and 688 out of 1,260 people in the race. Not too shabby especially since this was my first race after 3 months of PT for my piriformis muscle. The continuing training since the race has been sort of sporadic. I haven't run any long distances but more or less 2 or 3 mile runs. This past week was the not great; and I'm not really sure why. Last Tuesday my usual 2+ mile easy run was awful. After about 1.5 miles Marlena got a stitch and my legs felt like lead weights were attached to my ankles!! Finally, we both looked at each other and simultaneously said.....let's walk. I guess some days you just chalk it up and plan for a better run. And that run was yesterday! I needed to prep my room for a AU  visit on Monday. But, the dog needed to be walked first...so home I went. I decided I'd better put on my running gear before I went back to school;  no matter how long I was going to be at school, I was determined to get a run in that day. It was 5:45pm.  I told myself: ok.....2 miles for sure and then see how you feel.....I felt great and was cruising. I ran about 3.5 miles and cut my pace down to 10:30 from the usual 11:15 or 11:30.  It didn't even matter that I ate dinner at 8:30pm it was a really enjoyable run. I definitely was a happy runner on Friday. Of course, the weather for tomorrow, Sunday looks dismal..... thundershowers all day.  No matter, we will see how it goes. Since after the 10k, nothing felt great about any of the runs I had done; I just feel so much better now about my training. 

So, are you there coach? Next up for training? Gotta get a plan! 

APRIL FOOLS...IT'S REALLY MAY

April, is the first month I did not write a post! But, nevertheless I will do it now, in May.
April was not a particularly nice weather month. Cold, chilly, and lots of rain. At least one week of it was spent in Denver, Colorado where it was certainly warmer than New York. I tried to keep up with the miles this month, but the weather was a big factor. (Note to coach: no matter what torrential downpours are not for running) Even with that said, I racked up about 39 miles so I'm not disappointed at all. Running in Colorado was great. I was surprised that I acclimated so well so fast. In the past, it would take a day or two just be able to climb the stairs in my sister's house. This time, on the second day, I ran about 3 miles, and not too breathlessly. The fact that it was warm was even sweeter. Once I got home it was right back to work and some how got the energy to run on Thursday even after getting home later than I had planned. I was determined to get 4 miles in as preparation for the 10k race on Sunday. So stay tuned for the next installment:  LI Festival of Races 10K and the race day report!

Mach Madness

I cannot believe how crazy busy this month has been.....I have made a promise I truly want to keep...a blog @ month.....so more to follow.....on march madness..... :)

*March 26th.....Last week I thought I had my running on track and ready to start training.  I ran 3x and felt great.  Everything tanked this week. Today was the first day all week that I ran.

March also brought awful weather....cold, snow, rain, icy rain, sleet.....just name it. That along with setting up a big exhibition in our school gallery took over everything else! Running took an unfortunate back seat.  Guess my excuse could be the miserable weather we had!  March 28th was the opening and now...it's no longer March...but April 3rd the gallery is complete until the take down next Monday. It was a rousing success and I am so proud because it was done in collaboration with my son.

I am really glad that March is behind me.....even though it brought so much craziness yet wonderful things as well.   Now I'm back on track to start an earnest plan to run 6.2 miles by May 1st for the local 10k. Perhaps I'll even have time to write 2 blogs in April.

Time for a New Start!

It has been about one and a half weeks since my last PT session. That session went well. And it really seemed appropriate that it was my last. I felt like it was not where I needed to be anymore! I stretched, did my exercises, warmed up on the elliptical. Then I ran for about 25 minutes and got a awesome massage. Yes, it was time to say goodbye and get on with running on my own.  Friday, February 18th was a beautiful day. About 60 degrees and perfect for less layers and my first real run in the neighborhood. Although I felt great and my hip was also, I noticed the decrease of running time over the past few months made a difference in my endurance. My breathing was noticeably, although not uncomfortable, more labored and harder to get under control.  But I did run! I took care afterward to do a little bit of stretching and used an ice pack for about 10 minutes. The next day revealed no particular ache!  I ran two days later another 2 miles. Yesterday, I ran longer, 2.8 miles in about 30 minutes. I felt that was just the right amount of time. I know as I accumulate the miles I will feel better and my breathing will improve. This has been a long long winter. My running got cut short in November. 3 months of PT and limited running. Health-wise my cholesterol levels (always an issue) are great as well.  I am hopeful that I will be able to ramp up the mileage so I can run the 10k Long Island Festival of  Races. I have a goal in front of me and I'm ready to begin once again.  It is time for a new beginning.

February! On the road again!!

I has been a long wait to get on the road again; running. The last time I ran was back in November. Then became the arduous PT and the road to repairing a hip injury.  But, after 2 months of PT and consistent and persistence, I finally went running outside on Friday and again on Sunday! I thought I was a patient person but this was long. I imagine it is probably a short recovery to some runners.  I am glad that I absolutely listened to what the PT said I should and should not do. I diligently waited for recovery. It has been a long time, for me, to be with out my stress reliever, exercise, and healthy outlet: running. Funny, but if I had read this a mere 2 years ago I would have thought I was crazy! What me run? For more than a minute? Around the block was equivalent to a marathon!

So, on Friday because of no access to the preferred treadmill (the PT wanted me to use but was not opposed to the road altogether) I decided it was time to get outside. The weather cooperated for once in New York. It was actually sunny (sunglasses required) and a very warm 40 degrees!! Good thing I did not overdress. (yes, coach, I really did dress properly) I did patiently did all 3 stretches...which is about 10+ minutes....then a 5 minute warm up walk.....and then a 20 minute run. But this first run was fraught with some issues. The PT said to take it slow....so I kept trying to adjust my stride and pace to what I thought was slow. Not a good idea. My hip started to get funky and I was really not totally comfortable.  But no really big issues and I completed the workout. The next day I was sore. Sore in the hip, sore in the quads and sore in my calves. Ugh! 

Saturday, I took the day off to recover. By Sunday, another really nice day in New York, I was ready to get outside and run again. This time I decided to just go easy but run my comfortable stride and pace. Everything felt a whole lot better! I really felt like I could have run longer but resisted the temptation in lieu of keeping my recovery on the right track.  Good news.....today I feel fine even after a really tough yoga session tonight. Tuesday, I will do a power walk with my running partner as we both work back to our past running workouts. Wednesday will bring me up to my next to last PT session. I am looking forward to it but finally see how I have truly recovered and will be released out on the road, running. 

Just like all runners, I assume, we are cranky about getting out there...but once we've finished a run, we remember how much we love the achieved endorphins, the freedom of just running and the stress that just seems to disappear as we put one foot in front of another.

Quick PT Update

This was the best week at PT! After a week fraught with frozen pipes, being inundated with tons of snow and feeling like I've been hibernating like a bear I finally got to PT on Wednesday. No stim or heat packs...I got right on the elliptical as my warm up! About 15 minutes of that at a nice pace and it was on to stretching my muscles. With that complete, I hit the treadmill for 3 minutes walk, 5 minute run, 2 minute walk and 15 run...YES...and 3 walk. I know it was cardio because I was sweating! Then it was on to a bunch of quad and calf strengthening exercises....and a massage and ice. Yes! It was a great workout and I felt so good after I was done. Although, next time I'll wear shorts! My PT said we should be closing in on a half an hour very soon! And today my hip feels just fine! I only have 3 more PT sessions until I can pick up the pace and start a training schedule once again. It has been over 2 months since my last run on the pavement which is now covered with snow and ice! But that's another story.........

Hiking in the Snow

Stillwell Trails

He is probably correct; if my son did not ask me to hike the Stillwell trail during a snowstorm, albeit a light one, I would not have gone. As a matter of fact, although I have lived close by for more than 5 decades I have never been there. It truly is a small hidden treasure on our overpopulated highly congested island. Off a main road next to a shopping mall is a non descriptive, basically unmarked parking lot, where the trail head begins. As you begin the hike the roar of traffic is present, but the further you go into the woods it disappears behind you. And then it is quiet with only the wind and crunch of snow and ice beneath your feet. Along the way were beautiful boughs of branches dusted with snow. It looked postcard perfect. And the presence of other hikers were no where in sight. There is a spot where civilization reappears and you cross a road (on which no one will stop at the crosswalk for you) to begin the 2nd half of the trail. On the way back, my son noted an imprint of a sneaker in the snow. Gauging by the imprint and the length of stride, a runner had recently been on the trail. We also saw a dog's paw print but did not see or hear any animals. We hiked about one and a half hours out and back. It's not the Colorado Rockies; not even close, but it's what we have close to home. I'm glad we went. I truly enjoyed it! Another activity I've enjoyed while I'm waiting to be cleared for running. Perhaps, I will have to try and run the trail this spring when the snow and ice are gone and I'm back on the running track again.

Remaining optimistic !

I have decided to add in blogging to my athletic routine so to help me remain optimistic about returning to running soon.  This week I did a dumb thing......as someone who now needs cardio as part of my daily routine...like brushing my  teeth LOL....yes Adam you are reading this correctly......

I decided to jump rope.  Well, it wasn't running I just forgot about the impact part....the next day my hip told me how dumb I was to do that!! Good news is that the ache only lasted for a day. PT this week went really well....I got to do 10 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes running in place on a trampoline. The trainer also noted to me that it is great core work as well. I actually think I began to break a sweat. Next week I get to try out the treadmill....can't believe that I 'm excited about that! Of course I have to see what my hip thinks about all this exercise....tomorrow!

2011....Yeah! It's a New Year!!

Today starts a brand new year! 2011! I'm looking forward to a renewal of running and cardio and hoping I will keep my new year's resolution of going swimming. This year has started with an improvement of my hip and piriformis muscle overuse. 
I only have 3 more PT sessions left. After that, I am looking forward to when the PT says......1 easy mile to start. Updates will follow at the end of the week after PT!