Quick Note

I'm off to NYC in the morning! The hubby and I visited New York last year and loved it, so this time we're staying for a couple days! I hope to have a million wonderful pictures to share when I get back.

I had a great run with my sister this morning! Usually I'm struggling just to keep up with her, and she's encouraging me to keep trying. This morning, I was the one with more energy, and I was trying to encourage her. We both have good days and bad days, and I feel so lucky that I have her with me on my long runs.

Oh yeah, and I'm totally 80s today...

Still Here

Hi there! I'm still here. I'm taking a tiny break from running...I promise I'll start up again! I feel like I was starting to neglect other things in my life, and running was starting to feel like a chore, so I'm taking a little break.

The holiday weekend is almost here, and I'm excited to say that I've got no plans! I want to hang out and enjoy the sunshine. I'll be running with my sister tomorrow morning, and I hope I can keep up with her! (Which reminds me, I owe a race report from last weekend...the short version is that we both rocked!)

What I'm most excited about is my upcoming mini-vacation. I'm going to New York City for three days with my husband and brother-in-law! I can't wait to set foot in the city that never sleeps. We visited for a day last year, and one day is just not enough! I'm most looking forward to Central Park (and trying to convince hubby to take pics of me jogging, lol) and the wax museum. I'll probably have lots of pics to share!

Volunteering at a 10k Road Race

The Coal Cracker 10k is a local road race that's been going for 30 years now. When I found out the race date, I knew that I wasn't quite fit enough to run it, but I wanted to be involved somehow. I e-mailed the race director and asked if they needed any volunteers. He said that they could always use more help, so I showed up on race day and said, "How can I help?"

They gave me a stop watch and a couple 5-gallon water jugs (which they didn't think I was strong enough to carry, but I proved them wrong!). I manned a water stop at the 5k mark by myself. I didn't have a table, so I had to put the cups of water on my car. I filled the cups as quickly as I could and started handing them out as the fastest runners were going by less than 20 minutes after the start! I dropped a couple of the cups as I was handing them out. There's a skill to giving water to runners! Note to self: you spill a lot less as a runner if you take the cup with both hands.

It was a relatively small race, with 130 runners. The organizers were really happy with the turnout. It's not advertised that well, so it's mostly a community race, with a lot of the runners running it every year. The course is tough, with many grueling hills.

Let me tell you, it feels really good to have 100 people say thank you, one after another. I did the best that I could to make sure everyone who wanted water got a cup. There was one woman who was running toward me saying, "hurry, hurry!" She wasn't quite yelling at me. I think she was anxious to get the water, and she may have been telling herself to hurry.

The race director also ran the race (and got second place in his age division), and he even thanked me again while he ran through the water station. They wouldn't have had a water stop at the halfway point if I hadn't shown up. I'm really glad that I helped out.

After the race, they gave me a free t-shirt (is it bad luck to wear a shirt for a race that you didn't run?), and invited me to the "after party." They gave out trophies made of coal to the winners. They had a lot of awards to give! In addition to the usual age division awards, they gave an award to the 30th finisher (because it was the 30th anniversary of the race), the oldest and youngest finishers (age 77 and 18 respectively, I believe), the "Clydesdale division" winner (weighing over 190 pounds), and my personal favorite, the "clock stopper" award to the last finisher. There were two men there who ran the race every single year that it was held.

The race was sponsored by Mrs. T's pierogies, among other local companies. So each runner (and volunteer) got to eat pierogies after the race, and we were also offered beer and birch beer. It really felt like a run community event. It wasn't the type of race where people don't stick around if they didn't win an award. After the awards were given, people hung around and partied for a while.

I was thanked several times by a bunch of people, and they even joked that I should get a special award for helping out. They said that I was a lifesaver. I brushed it off and sid that I was happy to help. I didn't want any special recognition. I was just proud to be involved. It felt really good to help, and I have to admit that their thanks and compliments made me feel good about myself.

My sister and I have a goald of running the race next year. Part of me wants to volunteer again! I wish I could do both. The only thing I can think of is to try to recruit someone to help out at the water stations next year.

Although I do love running races, I can't wait to volunteer at one again!

Coal Cracker 10k

Ooh, I'm a bad blogger! I haven't written in months!

I found out that the Coal Cracker 10k race was June 12, and I knew that I was not ready to run it, so I suddenly had an idea: Why don't I volunteer? So I e-mailed the race organizeer (and found out that it's my neighbor!) and asked if they need volunteers. He said that they could always use extra help, so I'm volunteering this morning! I'm not sure what they'll ask me to do, but I'm going to show up at 9:00 am and help out in any way that I can.

I'm trying to think of some good encouraging comments to give the runners, like, "You look strong!" and, "Good job, keep going!" Eh, I'm not that good at comments...but I know enough not to say, "You're almost there!"

I don't even know what the route is, but I'm going to have fun! I'm going to bring my camera, but I'm not sure if I'll have time to take pictures. If I'm handing out water, the runners might get mad at me for taking pictures of them instead of giving out water. lol!

So, in other running-related news, recently I decided to train for a half marathon...and then I decided not to. lol. I think I'm just being too ambitious right now. I should focus on what's directly ahead of me, which is The Loop 5k on June 26. I'm sooooo excited about this race! First of all, it was my first ever 5k race last year, so I want to try to beat my time. Second, my sister is running it with me! She started running this year, and she's getting so much better than me! We've run together a bunch of times (which is a lot of fun!), and she doesn't get out of breath as quickly as I do, and she can run faster! I'm jealous, because I've been running longer, but mostly I'm so happy for her! She is so ready for this race!

After the 5k, we might train for a 10k in August. We're going to work on increasing distance and see how it goes. I'm having foot issues lately. I have so many random pains when running! First it was my shins, then my hip flexor, and now my right foot! My foot goes numb, once it started hurting a lot in my instep and was sore for a few days, and the other day it went numb and I got a blister. Maybe it's a shoe problem? But I've had these shoes for a few months...

In non-running news...I have to have minor surgery on July 16. I won't go into the details, but I have to have a polyp removed from my uterus. The doctor says that it's pretty common, and I'll be able to continue running as soon as I feel better. Hooray!

Also, I'm planning a trip to New York City! Last year, the hubby and I finally got to take a vacation week together, and we did a bunch of day trips, including Niagara Falls, New York City, Wildwood, and a local brewery. We loved NYC and vowed to come back to see more. We might stay overnight one or two nights this year! It's so exciting (but a little stressful) to plan a vacation!

Okay, I think we're all caught up now. Pretty much...I'll be posting pictures from the race later, if I get to take any pics.

Have a great day!

Interval Running

I read in Maxim that in order to lose weight, you need to focus on high intensity, rather than long sessions at a lower intensity. Well, I enjoy a challenge, and I'm always looking for ways to change my routine, so I decided to try the intervals in the article.

Warm up walk: 3 minues
Sprint: 1 minute
Walk: 1 minute

Repeat sprint/walk intervals 8-10 times. I repeated 8 times, because I didn't want to injure myself on the first try. They didn't define "sprinting" but they did say that if you're not out of breath after a minute, then you're not running fast enough. I ran at a 9:40 pace, which for me is pretty fast, but I think I was still holding back a little. I was afraid I would either wear myself out too quickly or injure myself. By the last two sprint intervals, I was pushing the speed up a little, just to see if I could handle it. I'll try a little harder next time.

After the intervals, I still had some time to kill at the gym, so I kept doing intervals, but at more of a "jogging" pace of about 11:00 minute miles. The funny thing is, that's a fast pace for me, too! My usual "training" pace is about 11:30 to 12:00. But after running fast intervals, it was really hard for me to slow down. I wanted to keep running fast!

Good news: I haven't had shin splints for a long time!
Bad news: Hip flexor pain pretty much every time I run...

More good news: I ran with my sister on Saturday! It was the first time I'd ever run with another person, and I really enjoyed it! The time went by really fast, and I think we both ran a little faster because we had someone to compete with. I hope we can run together again soon!

A List of Things About Myself

I'm snowed-in again today. This happens in PA in February. No running for me. I'll probably lay on the couch and watch Smallville on DVD all day. With a break in the middle to do an EA Sports Active workout. Now for a different kind of entry...

10 Bests

1. Best Meal Ever - When my husband and I celebrated our first year of dating, we went to a local seafood restaurant for dinner. We were the only ones in the restaurant, and it made the evening so romantic! I don't remember much about the food (although I'm sure it was good), but I loved the atmosphere.

2. Best Sleep Ever - These questions are tough to answer! (And I'm only on number 2!) I used to go out to see bands, and sometimes I'd be out all night. I'd usually drink something with caffeine, which would help keep me awake for the long drive home, but it would disrupt my sleep once I actually got home. So I'd sleep maybe a few hours and feel like a zombie the next day. But the next night, I'd have the best sleep ever. (Looking back, I really miss those crazy nights hanging out with bands, but I don't miss being so tired all the time.)

3. Best Cup of Coffee - I was going to say the one that I'm drinking right now, but I thought of something else. Last August (I think), I tried to go a whole month drinking only water. I think I made it a few days before I gave in and drank a cup of coffee. That was the best cup of coffee ever.

4. Best Romantic Moment - When my husband surprised me with roses. It wasn't a holiday or anniversary, so I wasn't expecting it at all.

5. Best Childhood Memory - Ooh, tough one! I'd have to say, any time I went camping. Especially with my Gram. She would wake up early and make the best breakfasts.

6. Best Moment of Your Life - It would be nearly impossible for me to pick the best moment. Graduating from college, getting married, driving to Chicago for a conference, driving to Delaware to see a band, seeing Muse for the first time, seeing The Drama Club for the first time, finishing my first 5k race. Oh, and the first song I learned to play on my grandfather's electric organ. There are probably a million moments that could qualify.

7. Best Moment of Revenge - Getting to tease my husband for falling asleep at work. He teases me all the time, and I finally have something on him! lol

8. Best Thing that Someone Has Done for You - Love and support me unconditionally

9. Best Thing You Have Ever Done for Someone - see #8

10. Best Life Changing Moment - Probably finishing my first 5k. That's something that, through most of my life, I NEVER thought I could accomplish, and I knew that it would change how I felt about myself for the rest of my life.

Shin Pain

Sorry for not blogging much. I keep having shin pain, so it's keeping me from running. I'm seriously doubting that I'll be ready for that half marathon.

Today's run was depressing. I ran for 4 minutes and had throbbing, aching pain in my shins (mostly the right one, but also the left), so I stopped and walked the rest of the time that I had. Depressing...but I'll try again. I'm wondering if I should see a doctor about my shin pain. I'm also wondering if I'm wearing the wrong type of shoes...