Tunnel 2 Towers 5K and One Lucky Labradoodle

05. September 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: fundraising, labradoodle, running, Uncategorized · Tags: , , , ,

So funny thing…..I’ve been participating in road races of all distances since 2006 EXCEPT for 5k! That’s right! After 40+ scored events, I have yet to do a 5k! There have been 4 milers, 5 milers, 8ks, 10ks, half marathons and marathons but somehow I missed what’s usually the first distance.

Anyway, that will all change on September 29th. I’m officially signed up for the Tunnel 2 Towers 5K.

siller

My friend Lisa lives right near the start and has been doing this for a few years now. I’ve usually backed out because I’m not such a fan of tunnels. But this year she coaxed me into it. I figured it was time to face some silly phobias head on before turning the big 40 next month.

As I filled out the online registration there were a few optional sections. You could donate money to the organization that runs the event and you could also run in honor of someone. I mentioned back in this post about my friend Gina’s dad who was killed recently. Ordinarily if given an option to run in honor of someone I usually put my husband’s name in. But this run is about heroes. It’s to honor and remember the heroes of 9/11 that sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. I just felt my friend’s dad was the perfect person to honor for this run. Because he was HER hero.

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As she turns 40 this week, it’s my small gift. (she might even run it with me which would be so awesome. Maybe if everyone left encouraging comments below it would help her decide to do it!). If you want to donate you can do so here.

After 5 days straight of running I gave myself 2 days off which gave me the extra time in the mornings to take the doodle for some outdoor fun time. (I’ll get back to running later today actually with a 7 mile tempo). Duncan enjoyed a walk in the woods and some sprints on the soccer field. I enjoyed my coffee!

photo 1

my love (coffee) and my dog. lol!

photo 2

soccer field sprint

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i like the mystical magical forest!

Hope everyone’s week is moving along nicely.

Questions: What was your first race? 5K? 10K? Marathon? Did you follow a plan or just sign up and run? Who is your hero? 

 

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Naming Your Training Runs

31. August 2013 · 1 comment · Categories: labradoodle, running, Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

Hi all,

Happy final day of August (How does it happen that in a blink of an eye 8 months of the year have flown by?!!!) I’m in the middle of 5 straight days of training runs. It’s my last push of training before my Center of The Nation Series (5 half marathons in 5 days). You can read more about that here.

So I decided for fun I’d name each of these runs.

Thursday started off with the Bouncy 7:

sports bra fail

sports bra fail

Apparently my sports bra has reached the end of the line. It’s lost it’s hold!

bouncypost

My pace was a perfect. Not too fast, not too slow. I stopped for water and to eat a few energy chews which slowed me down a bit between miles 5 and 6. I normally don’t fuel unless it’s double digits but I want to get in a groove now for my big events in a few weeks.

Friday’s run I named Run for Pi! Nope that’s not a typo. Do you remember the math symbol Pi (π) ? Pi = 3.14

MMMM Pi?

MMMM Pi?

Another run with exactly the pace I was hoping to keep. I’m planning on 11 min miles with perhaps a few slower walking miles each day  so that my final half finishing times will be between 2:30 and 2:45.

Today’s run I’ve named Fight the Funk 4.4. I’m not sure why I have been feeling a bit blah lately. Oh and apparently I timed my neighborhood run perfectly after garbage pickup. Seriously, garbage juice and stinky cans for the entire 4 miles! Good job Sally!

day3

foul and funky 4.4

Tomorrow I’m planning somewhere between 16 and 20 miles in NYC with some friends. And monday I’ll eek out another 3-5. Stay tuned for the next post to see what I end up naming those.

In other news, Duncan’s been my one true thing lately. And I’ve been making sure he knows just how much I appreciate his unconditional love.

There was a little romp time last night…

doodle cuteness

doodle cuteness

A trip to Petco for more superheros

Ironman completes the set

Ironman completes the set

And then, today we went to support our local dog park where they were having a big fundraiser called the Summer Fun Dog Wash to raise money for some necessities for the park. (I designed the nifty flyer).

photo 1

Duncan didn’t get a bath but I donated some money for a frisbee and 3 homemade cake pops…I ate 2 of them already luckily i remembered to take this pic of the last one!

photo 4

Now it’s time for chores (phooey!). Hope you enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

Question: Cake pops? Have you tried them? Do you like them? Anyone running anything special this weekend?

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Adirondacks Running and Relaxing

23. August 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: labradoodle, running, Uncategorized, vacation · Tags: , , , ,

8/23

I’m in Westport NY which is in the Adirondacks just north of Lake Placid. (Ironman country). It’s so beautiful here. I’m relaxing and enjoying sitting by the lake with Duncan.

chillin' doodle

chillin’ doodle

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my favorite dog (s). get it? lol!

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happy, relaxed and kickin’ back

But of course I did go for a run earlier this morning. It started with a brisk 4.5 mile walk with the pooch and my friend Donna and her nieces. I then ran the same route right after. So a total of 9 miles. It’s extremely hilly here.

hilly

hilly

 

But the weather is beyond perfect and I enjoyed the extra effort. 🙂 Some scenery from my running route:

i love signs

i love signs

mountains and fields and fluffy clouds

mountains and fields and fluffy clouds

my kind of mailbox

my kind of mailbox

quintessential farm shot

quintessential farm shot

Aren’t vacations glorious? Heck even though its only a 48 hour trip it’s so worth it. My WOW for today. If you can get away even for a small amount of time don’t think twice….just DO IT!

Last night we had a lovely dinner and I made s’mores dip for dessert (sorry my photo didn’t come out). I follow this woman’s recipe. She’s got great photos of the dip there too! I also had some traditional s’mores too. You can never have enough melted chocolate with marshmallow and grahams.

s'mores! I also went the traditional route with these s'mores

s’mores! I also went the traditional route with these s’mores

We’re leaving in the morning. So sad. A few more pics of my trip…

adirondack chair selfie

adirondack chair selfie

blue is his color

blue is his color

getting ready to start my run!

getting ready to start my run!

just take the bloody pic already lady!

just take the bloody pic already lady!

Question: Going anywhere relaxing anytime soon? I highly recommend a little romp with nature!

 

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A Walk in the Park and Training Schedule Tweakage

15. August 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: recreational fun, running, Uncategorized, vacation · Tags: , , , ,

Happy Hump Day!

How goes it? We’re having AMAZING weather here in NYC this week. Today it was 62 degrees at sunrise. Um, hello? It’s August! But I’m not complaining. This is my kind of weather! And it’s also Duncan’s favorite weather. At first I thought I’d take him out to run the doodle mile once or twice with me. But then I decided he deserved to have a nice off leash “sniff-like-there’s-no-tomorrow” walk in the park.

off to sniff out the squirrels

off to sniff out the squirrels

What a treat when I found some honeysuckles still out. They usually only last through June.

so fragrant!

so fragrant!

We had such a nice walk that after work I took him back for another walk before sunset.

photo 3

I REALLY needed both walks….probably more than the doodle (ok maybe it was a tie). I’ve been struggling lately with a whole boatload of “small stuff”. Well really, it’s more than small stuff. It’s more like big decisions I need to make when it comes to life/work balance. We all know I am quite runner-centric but walks are really just as important to me.

Training Tweakage: So I took a look at my calendar and noticed i’ve got a very busy second half of August. Next Thursday I’ll be headed to the Adirondacks for a few days. So I shuffled around some of my runs. Instead of doing my long run on Saturday, I’ll move it until Sunday when I’m home. That leaves me with a 6 miler that would normally be on Thursday morning but i’m starting my road trip at 6am and I don’t really want to run at 4am. So, since my Saturday run is moving to Sunday i figured that i could move Thursday’s run to Friday. Now the only snag is that I like to join my friend Donna (who I will be staying with) for long walks in the morning. Usually 4 miles. And it’s my favorite part of going there (well second favorite…..making S’mores is my favorite=). We talk and enjoy the beautiful vista of mountains and meadows. This pic was from last year’s trip….

Westport NY in the Adirondacks

Westport NY in the Adirondacks

So My 6 miler might end up being a 3 or 4 mile run either before or after our 4 mile walk =)

It’s always good to make a plan. Don’t ever let your training schedule surprise you. Re-arrange proactively and you’ll feel calmer and more in control.

Tomorrow i’ve got a 6 miler to bang out. I’m so excited that the weather will be a repeat of today.

Question: Any tips for how to fit in your exercise/training schedule and not letting life get in the way? 

Sweat Out the Small Stuff

 

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