Running 2013 so far April and May 5k's

A good amount of time was spent
this spring as a baseball mom.

Running 2013 so far

As I mentioned in my Superhero Half race report my training was not strong in the first half of this year.  I ran when I had the time and thoughts of running did not consume me. I would think about it and in my head say "I really should run today".  But most times I did not.  There were many Sunday mornings when I simply just slept instead of running.  Perhaps this was a sign I needed a break or perhaps I just didn't mind if I didn't run.  I kept my race calendar full and enjoyed several small local runs despite my lack of training. 



5k's are not my thing but apparently this is the year I am to run a bunch of them. 

Healthy on the Hudson 5k
I was roped into a 5k by the AP at my school.  She knows I am a runner and there was no baseball game scheduled that day so it was hard to say I could not do it.  She had recruited a group of us to run as team knee socks.  I had absolutely no expectations for this race except to have fun and be a part of the school community that I work in.  This race was exactly that, plus it was not measured out correctly it was defiantly longer than 5k. Minor frustration, but the point is,I ran, I socialized and I wore my blue school spirited blue socks.  I left soon after the race to go to my son's baseball practice and did not stay for the booths and awards.  Apparently I should have because I received a text from a teacher friend who told me I came in third my age group!

Jailbreak for Home 5k
We live 5 miles away from both a Prison and Minor League Baseball Stadium.  For years I had been hearing about this race on the radio and this year on the Pitch for Kids facebook page.  It is a charity run that starts out just outside the prison gate and loops through some neighborhoods over to the ballpark warning track, down the third baseline with the finish line being home plate itself.  I was able to manage my kids morning activities in such a way that I could attend this event this year. 
It was a crazy hot day and again 5ks are not my fave.  But the atmosphere was great!  I met up with my new running friend Michele and we hopped the bus to the prison and hoped for the best.  I ran my heart out as the sun beat down on me and had a good time.  I had to hightail it out of there once again to tend to my normal Mommy duties.  I looked for picture on their facebook page and saw the distance issue.  Measured as 3.2 the day before.  Ooops once again a 5k that was too long.  As I checked the results later in the day lo and behold I once again place in my age group!  A week later I received an envelope in the mail with a medal and a $50 gift certificate for a salon!  Nice prize! This along with all the other freebies included in that race registration was well worth it. 

MHRR Woman's races 5k
There was no way I was going to run this race.  My son had his communion at 11am this day and the Superhero half was the next day.  I was bummed because I ran the inaugural race 10k last year and PR'd in a big way.  I During the week leading up to the race I was texting back and forth with Beth. 

H:I'm thinking about the 5k.  It would be less than a half hour.  Should be able to be home by 9:45
B: U r right.  should not take that long.  What time is the church?
H:  11. he needs to be there by 10:30.  No way I could do the 10k be cutting it too close
B: do it.  I will too. yes 10k too close. 
H: how long do you think it would take me to get dressed for the church
B: y'll b fine. 

And so it was that I found myself up and out the door on a harried morning to run another 5k. 
5k race out and back on part of my regular rail trail route. Got myself the pretty purple women's cut tech t-shirt and lined up to run.  We started out about 5 min late after the 10k began and man was I sweating that!  This race was measured out by the local Road runners club and I was pretty confident that it was in fact a legitimate 5k course.





All in all it was great and I made it to the church for my B on time!

Superhero Half Marathon

Superhero Half Marathon May 19th,2013

From the moment I registered for this race on New Years Eve I worried about the weather.  Any race in the late spring has the potential for crazy hot weather I worried it would be gross and I would be slow.  Well as it turns out my worries were not what I thought they would be.  Yes the weather would be less than ideal and by my standards I would be slower than I wanted. But nether for the reasons I originally thought. After the Manhattan Half my running crawled to a hault.  I ran the races I was registered for in February and March.  Was pulled into a 5k at work and added two more just to get running in April and Early May.  My running Motivation had gone. I never did register or commit myself to a spring Marathon so the miles were very low.  I never ran more than 55 miles in Feb-May.  This race was always on my mind but the excuses just kept creeping in.  Baseball season was in full swing and this year my boys were on separate teams.  That meant we were at the ball park at least 5-6 days per week.  It was hectic and running just didn't happen like it had in the past. 

 

 

My son received his first Holy Communion the day before this race.  So the whole weekend was crazy.  How would I do it? Well register for a local 5k three hours before the church of coarse.  (Only way to get the pre-half miles in right)? Two races in one hectic weekend for sure sounded exciting.  Sure to get me excited about running right?  Honestly I wanted to ladies cut purple race T that was associated with the race.  If I had the time I would have run the 10k distance that I PR'd at last year but time was short and I was happy I did something  before my son's big day!

 



Two Drown Rats Post race

But anyway back to the Superhero Half.  I looked forward to not only running but looking the part of the superhero.  I had purchased a batgirl dress at Walmart on clearance last Halloween.  It would be perfect over shorts and a sports bra.  But I needed something else.  Socks.  Socks with capes to be exact! I loved these things.  Well the day arrived at it was raining when  Beth picked me up at 5am.  Raining turned to pouring the whole drive down to New Jersey and it never stopped.  So I guessed it would not be too hot.  I never considered rain.  It would slow to a drizzle and then rain full force.  But what the hell it was going to be fun.  There were so many cool costumes and Superhero's everywhere!  How often do you run with Underdog and Mr. Incredible in front of you?  I had come to grips with the fact that I should have no expectations of a good time on this run.  Only that I run under two hours.  The course was a double loop through a nice NJ neighborhood and into a wooded trail.  the crowd support was great considering the weather and I enjoyed every minute of it.  I finished out with a little energy to sprint in the end and I finished one second slower that my first half marathon three years ago.  I was content even though it was a full six min slower that the Manhattan Half.  Just goes to prove you must work hard to be rewarded with good times.  I had not done that at all.  Onward to the summer and focusing on NYC for the fall.  Getting the motivation back is a must! 

 

Manhattan Half Marathon

Manhattan Half Marathon January 27th,2013

My first race of the year was the Manhattan Half Marathon.  I decided to run it to keep me motivated and on a plan in the new year. 

The winter was pretty bad here in New York.  I didn't get all of my workouts in during the six weeks prior to this race but I felt pretty good about it.  I was also participating in a planking challenge at this time where you did one minute of plank for each day.  I was going along pretty well.  Sneaking in planks behind my desk at work and all about the day.  As the month progressed my knee started to hurt during the planks. Not running but during the planks.  It was weird.  So on the 26th day of the challenge, just a day before the Manhattan Half I simply just stopped.  It hurt too much to get the 25 planks in the day before and I really was just not going to risk my knee and this Half in front of me.  So bright and early on the 27th my father drove me down to the NYRR offices to pick up my bib and T-shirt (wait til race morning and you only get the really large size).  Then he dropped me of near the start in Chilly Central Park.  I was wearing an assortment of throwaway layers and my best gloves and hat.  This weather was no joke cold. Snow and ice had been on the ground all month and today was no exception.  Like any NYRR event there were mobs of people.  Somehow the pace projected on my bib was in the 7 min mile range! so I ended up with a Yellow bib! that is way in front.  Don't know how that happened.  I must have reported my fastest 5k time on the registration.  No way that was going to happen.  That would be a total PR and I was not in PR shape AT ALL! 
 My plan was to run as best as I can and as always not do any worse than I had before.  We started out packed in the corrals and like I expected they never quite thinned out.  I was passed quite a bit since I started so far up but I felt pretty good.  The water stops were pretty dangerous since spilled water= ice in January!  This race was a double loop around the park which included some pretty big hills for NYC.  I always read about them but think hey I live in Dutchess county, how big could these hills be? But you know what they are pretty long.  I ran a respectable 1:51:38.  Felt great for the amount of training I had given it. 

I was disappointed to not receive a medal at the end of this race!  Apparently that is what happens with the Manhattan Half.  So I took my bagel and apple and wrapped  only in a space blanket I headed to Grand Central Station.
I should have planned better because who wants to walk 4 miles to a train in January after a half marathon? But I made my way bought my metro north ticket and then rewarded myself with hot coffee and Cannoli

NO Medal so I bought a Cannoli

Wordless Wednesday- The Rest of My break

 

 

 

 

Wordless Weekend

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank You

5k Run For the Children of Sandy Hook

I am a mother of two children ages 7 & 9 and a School Counselor.  To say Friday hit me hard was an understatement. We let the boys sleep with us on Friday night we were so happy to have them.  Yesterday I wrote an e-mail to my boy’s school because I thought they deserved Thanks. 

Hello,

I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for being a part of my children’s lives. Words cannot describe how we all have been feeling since Friday afternoon.  As I heard the news on Friday morning from my Assistant Principal I could not help but picture XXXXX School and the classrooms that my boys have been in. The first picture I saw on the internet had  a tall skinny boy with glasses in the middle of the line and it looked like my Mikey. It really hit me.   But at the end of that line I could see a teacher, someone those kids can count on when everything did not make sense. The teachers that brought them to safety.    

My entire career as an educator has taken place post Columbine.  At the high school level I have unfortunately run the scenarios in my mind countless times. Knowing there is always the possibility that a crisis might arise and a split second decision would have to be made.  I have thought about how many kids I could squeeze into my office and even under my desk.  Never have I thought about it happening in an elementary school.  I am a member of my school CERT team.  I have prepared and taken part of lock down, lock out, hold in place and emergency evacuation drills.  Most of the time I am annoyed that the young adults in this building don’t take them seriously enough. When my husband and I spoke to the boys this weekend, there were so many things that we worried about.   I was happy to hear that my boys knew what to do in a lock down and a number of other scenarios that have been practiced.  Xxxxx has been a wonderful place for Michael and Brendan. It means a great deal to me that my children feel safe while they are at school, and they do.  You are all to thank for that. 

Thank You for the teaching them to read and learn math.  Thank you for your call and emails of concern when they seem a bit off.  Thank You for the calls when erasers “fall” into someone’s ear.   Thank you for listening to a mom’s concerns.   But mostly Thank YOU for keeping my boys safe every day. 

I know so many teachers, administrators, nurses and aides that deserve the same thanks.  This could have happened anywhere. 

Knight of Columbus Holiday Run

After some dismally low miles in November I was determined to start December off and running again. 

ON December 1st, for the third year in a row I signed myself up for the Knights of Columbus holiday run.  It starts off just a mile away and is one of my regular routes.  The one I call "Five mile race the school bus" .   

This year the boys decided that they would like to run the kids race and I couldn’t be happier.  Mikey had recruited his BFF Dom to run with him and Brenny was going to be running his first one mile run ever. 

Pete placed a little wager in front of B.  He challenged him to beat his older brother and his friend.  The Prize was $5 from Daddy.   

Brenny in the Red, Mikey a Blur in Black out ahead early.

 

 

 The boys took off in a flash and headed through the neighborhood streets.  I handed off my jacket to Pete and took a loop to warm up and to meet up with the boys as they came into the finish.  Mikey’s friend was struggling a bit and they had slowed to a walk.  As soon as B saw me he ran to meet me and I knew he was determined to win the five dollars his father promised him.  He finished in less than 9 minutes!  First in his age group too. 

 

 

I had a nice run too. It was a nice cool day.  Perfect for running and I felt good despite very few miles in the past month.  Its always amazing how fast you can be in a race.  No PR but I did improve my time from the Turkey Trot by two minutes!  And then there is this picture of me flying along the creek.  It might be the socks.  I don't know.  Just sayin.
 

Photo credit Charlotte Kopp