Hi all! It’s been a while….hope you’ve enjoyed your weekend (holiday weekend for all the US peeps)

This winter has been one wild ride! We’ve been hit with storm after storm. Somehow I’ve managed to maintain just about every workout. I’ve been very crafty 😉

Saturday morning some of my glorious running peeps came to Staten Island to run the Cold Feat 10K, a local trail race. We ran it together last year and had so much fun that it was a definite to have a repeat performance. In the world of overpriced races this is a breath of fresh air. $30 and you get lots of great swag and hot chocolate too….great volunteers and a really tight knit community of runners. If you’re local and interested you can learn more here.

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swag! instead of a t-shirt we got nice fleece ear warmer/headbands

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Lisa, Mike and me at the start

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Me and Elvia along the course

Mind you, last year it was warmer and MUDDY! This year, snow….LOTS OF SNOW! Fresh fallen snow on top of older snow. Probably at least a foot on the ground (although the trail we ran on had been packed down some from the runners in front of us) and just as we began the run it started to snow even more! My Garmin said we actually only completed 5.66 miles but it felt like forever. As a matter of fact it took me an hour and 27 minutes to complete but I felt like I had been sprinting. Effort level was through the roof. The race director said we’d feel as if we ran a marathon in the sand when we were done. He wasn’t kidding.

Both Mike and Elvia placed in their age group (50-59)

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Winning! (3rd place)

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Winning! First place

And Lisa gave new meaning the to event title. Cold Feat became Cold FEET. She had some major foot carnage. Multiple blisters led her to make the dramatic finish by removing her sneaker and sock. I think she was trying to one-up Mike from his blister situation last fall when we were running in Nebraska on day 5 of the Center of The Nation Series.

ouchie!

ouchie!

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the start/finish area…this is actually a golf course. so pretty.

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there were some fallen tree limbs. Lisa opted to climb over. I crawled under =)

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after the race. snowflakes still stuck to my hair.

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A great shot of Mike almost at the finish. Photo by Neil Flip (King of the Mountain Events)

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Stepping gingerly…Photo by Neil Flip (King of the Mountain Events)

After the race we came back to my place for lunch. Eggs, Bagels, chips, nuts, fruit and coffee.

Yesterday morning I started the day off with a walk with the dog in the woods… I let him streak naked (no winter coat) out in the snow. He doesn’t complain about wearing a coat but when I leave it off he’s definitely happier!

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i stepped in something cold ma!

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mmm it tastes delicious too!

Then, around 11am when the temps warmed up to the mid 20s I finally set out for my 14 mile training run. I have to admit, it wasn’t anywhere near as hard as I was expecting it to be. Thank god! It’s nice and flat there (a national park/beach area). The running paths weren’t cleared so I just ran on the street like I did previously. I had to do 4 round trips of the same route to get to 13.75 and then ran a quarter mile past my car to hit 14.

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i was still trying to decide which sneakers to wear.

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This boat name describes my run perfectly.

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hello happy!

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looks like about a foot of snow. LOL!

photo 3 photo 4 photo 5I averaged a 10:51 pace. And that’s even with walking through some slushy areas that were a bit slippery. Flat makes things so much easier. And since I’m training for a marathon that’s pretty flat I don’t have to feel bad.

With all the running, navigating uneven snowy and icy terrain, and shoveling I spent since being on vacation I’m actually exhausted and sore and can’t believe I go back to work tomorrow!!!! I plan on getting to bed super early and I’m skipping my run tomorrow. I’ll try and just take a walk instead. Must recharge.

So that’s my long weekend recap. How was your weekend? What exciting things happened?

Happy Wednesday…

I am officially on vacation until next Tuesday. I have lots to do around the house so it’s going to just be a STAYcation…and the timing is perfect because we’re getting a blizzard starting after midnight tonight.

Last night I received not one, not 2, but 3 packages!

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I knew that my replacement running capris would be arriving soon and I knew my sister-in-law had ordered me an Otterbox iPhone case for my new phone (foreshadowing), but the Run Like a Girl medal holder was a total surprise! We were talking about how the 2 medal holders I have were filling up and she wanted to make sure my 2014 bling would have a home. I love her!

I hit the mall this morning at 10am when they opened to go to the Apple store and finally upgrade to the new iPhone. I brought the new case like a parent would bring a car seat to bring baby home. LOL.

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welcome to your new home iPhone 5S. I will love you forever two years

I used some gift cards I received over the holidays and then forked over the balance. Considering my phone is probably the most valuable thing after my dog and my running sneakers I’d say it’s worth the money because I get every penny’s worth and then some!

Next up was a pit stop to Dicks Sporting Goods for a stash of Sport Beans and HoneyStinger chews now that my long runs will be 14+ miles.

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And then to the Dr. for my follow-up and pathology results. Benign! Benign! Benign! I am so relieved.

I hit up Trader Joes for some groceries so I won’t starve tomorrow during the storm.

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note the most important item, the chocolate covered almonds!

And then I met my dear friend Doreen and her Dogues (the Turner and Hooch dogs) for a nice long walk.

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watching the bird formation. they are gettin’ the heck outta dodge before the storm

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walkin’

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can we stay here forever ma? i’m having so much fun.

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over here guys! i think i found a mouse

We let them off the leash to romp in the snow a bit since not a soul was around. It was great! And that’s how I started off this STAYcation..

I’ll be shoveling tomorrow for some cross training I suppose and probably will move my run to Friday…but not Friday evening. That would be pathetic. Well maybe not….spending Valentine’s day running is love for sure….

Question: What music are you loving lately? I have lots of iTunes gift cards and want to buy some new stuff while I’m snowed in. How is life with you these days? Happy? Healthy? I sure hope so

Life can’t always be a bed of roses. I’ve been having some good days lately but I have some friends who are hurting. I’m no stranger to sadness. My BIG sadness happened almost 15 years ago. My husband died of cancer. (If you’ve not seen my Dicks Sporting Goods “Every Runner Has a Reason” video yet you can see how running filled a void…)

I’ve got a good friend (she’s part of my Wolf Pack!) who just passed the 6 month mark since her dad was killed. It was tragic and instantly her life was changed. She’s still gripping the fact that he’s gone. It was so sudden. I have another friend who has 2 dogs (brothers from the same litter) that are his world. It’s complicated but long story short these dogs pulled him through a sudden loss 3 years ago. Well one of these boys is now very sick. He has cancer and we’re at the point that we can only hope for a miracle. He’s only 4!

Meet Angus, the cancer patient. Please say a prayer for him.

Meet Angus, the cancer patient. Please say a prayer for him. Please!

I can relate to seeing how cancer can deteriorate lives and spirit. So yesterday when I set out for my run I knew I needed to feel it in my heart and my head as well as in my legs! I wanted to channel those endorphins and clear my head and really strengthen myself both physically and emotionally. Mission accomplished. That’s what I love about running. It doesn’t let me down. I just felt so strong and in control. I may not be able to create miracles but I can make sure I’m strong and healthy so that I can be there for my friends. Life comes full circle….always.

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some snowy and ice visuals for ya

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I wore more shades of pink and blue than a box of crayons.

This morning I slept in with this guy:

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five more minutes ma!

Then made myself a big ole’ pancake with bananas and walnuts.

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starting the day off right!

I’ve got some cleaning and other non-fun stuff to get done and then I’m headed out to my brother’s house to spend time with family.

Hope you had a great weekend. Hope you’re feeling strong. And I hope you treated yourself to something delicious for breakfast today.

Question: Who’s watching the Olympics? Favorite sport? I am so amazed at some of them Those freestyle snowboarders flipping in the air for so long. It’s insane. Awesomely insane.

OK, maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but lately I’ve actually enjoyed running on the treadmill (with the exception of that almost fainting episode of course).

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I busted out 6 miles (which is close to the longest distance I’ve ever done on a treadmill. I think 7 is my max) and I felt strong the entire time. I focused on my form and kept looking straight ahead focusing on the exit sign above the doors at the entrance to the gym. It was like I was in a trance….in my zone….I kept to a 10min/mile pace for most of the run but added in a few short bursts in the in the 8:30min/mile range here and there just because I felt I was holding back. This was supposed to be an “as you feel” style run so I went with it and honestly it was awesome!

Remember a while back I mentioned in this post that I bought two pairs of my favorite brooks running capris on sale. Well they arrived and I wore one pair a whole lot already. But the second pair ripped on the seam as I was putting them on for the first time.

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This is actually the second time I had a pair rip on the seam. The first pair ripped during the very beginning of a 20 mile run. I didn’t know at first until I felt burning and pain and looked down to see blood about 10 miles into the run. The rip was along the seam in the inner thigh and i ended up with major chub rub.

ouchie!

ouchie!

I emailed Brooks customer service and after submitting a claim with a pic they sent me a replacement pair. So I emailed them again for this pair and they are sending me a replacement for these as well. So happy. They stand behind their slogan “Run Happy”.

Meanwhile I randomly found this fortune on my desk at work yesterday.

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Not sure how it got there since I have never ordered chinese at work. But I think I’m going to follow along and relax the rest of today. I love my Thursdays off. =)

Question: Do you love or hate the treadmill? Do you eat fortune cookies or just break them open for the fortune and then toss the cookie?