My 2009 Resolutions

I can not believe that a whole year has gone by and that we will be bringing in another year soon. I am lucky enough to say that I did accomplish all of my 2008 resolutions and am hoping to stick to my 2009 resolutions. My 2009 resolutions are:
* I will run another half marathon in March in Virginia Beach
* I will run a two hundred miler relay through Vermont in June
* I will run the Vermont City Relay with Ed, Mel, Laura, Dan and myself.
* I will do a triathlon this year.
* I will.......... Drum Roll Please-------------------Run a Marathon!!!! ( 26.2 miles)
* I will run 1000 miles for the year.......
I hope that next year at this time, I am lucky enough to say that I accomplished all of my 2009 goals.....Wish me luck!!!

December 20th, 2008 (ARE Banquet)

What a magical night! So much to say. First my dress. I bought a beautiful little ( Size 4) dress. I have never had a little black dress before. When you are a size 18, you don't wear little black dresses. I loved the idea of having this dress. I went and had my nails and my hair done too. I went all out for this special night and I felt so good, so beautiful! Ed booked us a room at the Best Western Hotel so we could enjoy our night with no worries since the banquet was at the hotel. We went to the banquet and met up with all of our running buds. Everyone looked so amazing. Usually they are in running gear with hair in ponytails and sweaty. Tonight was the running ball! The night began with good food and awards. Awards! I was the Grand Prix Trail Running winner for my age category. Yes, me, the person who would have never thought of running three years ago - A GRAND PRIX WINNER! What does that mean? All summer I did trail running. When you trail run through Albany Running Exchange you earn points for your finishes. I just happened to earn enough points that I took first for my age category (40-49). The winner took home a back pack with ARE Grand Prix Winner on it, a running shirt with the same logo, socks and a bottle of wine with my name and the same logo. Great prizes that I will cherish forever. After the awards, the music began. What can I say, I have the absolute best dancing partner in the world. Ed will dance every dance with me. We danced so much that our beautiful clothing started to look like our running gear with all the sweat dripping off. My beautiful curls were gone. We danced the whole night! We had so much fun. After the banquet was over we were invited back to Deb and Gary's room for an after party, party. Then off to our room we went and enjoyed one more very small party for two. What a great night!

December 20th, 2008 10 miler

A very cold Saturday morning. The morning after a snow storm that still continued to flurry. I lost my mind! Melanie and I met up at 9:15 am with a group of other people to run from Tollgate Ice cream Parlor in Delmar to Thacher State Park (10 Miles). Ed was in a support vehicle just in case we were killed by a snowplow or froze to death. He also carried water and snacks for us and another group that left SUNY to do a 15 miler. We were all to meet up at Thacher Park. The run started out slow, but once Mel and I got going we did well. We came to the LARGE hill at Thacher and then all the way to the entrance of the park. We had ice on our hair and our faces when we got to the top. Once at the top, Ed picked us up in the car and I looked in the mirror at my extremely red face and thought ... oh shit! ... tonight is the banquet. Ed and others tried to convince me that my face would stay red all night long, but it didn't. THANK GOD!

HMRRC Winter Series Race #1 of 5

Sunday Morning and I find myself getting ready for another year of Winter Series. I went over to SUNY and met up with Melanie and Dan. We decided to run the three mile loop twice instead of the 15k. The first three went very smooth. We came in and recorded our time and persuaded Dan to come with us for another three and off we went. Dan complained that he was missing the cookies and should have never came out with us a second time. (Don't worry, Dan got his cookies) It was great to see all of our running buddies again. Another good run!!

ARE Adventure Race

December 6, 2008

Albany Running Exchange hosted a race up at Dippen Kill. This is the same location that the Froogy Five was held. I thought the Froggy Five was a tough race, will.......I haven't seen nothing yet! The mileage was never told by ARE. They kept you guessing. They advertised $10.00 and you can dance with the Devil. They were not kidding. Arriving up at Dippen Kill we discovered three inches of snow. ( Remember, this is a trail run) After checking in and signing a waiver stating that we might die and nobody can sue ARE, we were off and running. I think the the first 2 in a half miles were straight up hill. We climbed boulders, we ran over frozen ponds, we had tree limbs smacking us in the face over and over again. THEN, we had to climb a cliff! Straight up with one rope to share for all...I looked up and was wondering how the heck I was ever going to get up that cliff. I did have alittle help from some of the ARE members with a good push on my butt and up I went. Oh my god, it was amazing. We ran through the most beautiful scenery, breath taking ponds and forest. The Adirondacks are just beautiful! We finally came to the finish. It was a outstanding race. I did dance with the Devil, but I won!

Troy Turkey Trot....November 27th, 2008

I have made it full circle! My first official race and my first 5K was the Troy Turkey Trot one year ago. My 2007 time was 29:28. I have ran so much since that race that I was hoping to go out and run a 25: something. Ed suggested that I start up near the front to get a good start time so I did. Now let me tell you that I was so close to the start that I was toeing the line with 4300 people behind me. Not a good feeling!!! I did get right up front like he suggested..( I also thought it was a great idea) then they told everyone to move back alittle so they did...that ended it for me toeing the line with three rows of people be ahead of me. The official starters continued to tell people to push back which left me and others being totally squashed. I got a very nervous feeling. I could be trampled at any time. Finally the start! I went out strong and fast to get away from the crowd...(remember 4300 people or more) You really don't get away from that many people with those kind of numbers, but I felt more comfortable after a few minutes into the race. I really never got myself together enough that I felt good during running. I felt exhausted by the second mile - not a good run! I did finish with a personal best for the turkey trot with a time of 27:32, but definitely not what I wanted. I have decided that next year I will be running another 5k on Thanksgiving...way to many people at the turkey trot.

November 9, 2008 33rd Annual Stockade-athon

This was my first road 15K. I have completed two trail 15K's. The weekend started with an Expo on Saturday at Proctor's in Schenectady where Ed & I worked the HMRRC booth for an hour. Then we got a chance to check out all the booths at the Expo. Ed was the refreshment coordinator for the Stockade-athon so he had a lot on his shoulders. This race is very well known for having good food after the race and Ed kept that reputation going for another year. I ran again with my running buddy Mel. With a crowd close to 1200, I ended up losing her right before the start. I was excited running this race in Schenectady because of the route. I ran through the Stockade section of Schenectady which is just beautiful. Older row houses along the Mohawk River. Then, off through a very large hill on State Street that I was not looking forward to and then through Vail Cemetery which has alot of older, historical plots. I felt very good through most of the run, until, the last mile. I have no idea how I finished this race. I felt awful at the end and just wanted to start crying at the end. I really believe that if Melanie wasn't with me I would have walked into the finish line. After the race, all of the people that volunteered were invited to a party at Fireside on Eastern Ave. My time was 1:25:52.... I rock!!

10/26: ARE's Squirrelly Six Mile

On Sunday October 26th 2008, I went out for another race. Every time I race I think WOW that was fun, but this time I thought "Oh my god was that crazy, fun, ridiculous, absurd, outrageous" There really is no one word to describe the excitement I had for this run. Sometimes I think " Roxanne, your forty-five what the hell are you doing?" Then , I realize "I'm enjoying life!" We started the day very early...(5:30) eating breakfast and getting Ed in his vampire makeup. We headed up to Thatcher State Park to help out with registration. People started coming in dressed up as Scarecrows, Tin Men, Dorothy, Frogs, Witches, 80's girls, Gorillas, Chainsaw man, Brides, of course a Squirrel and many other strange characters. As race time came closer, I started to prepare. I changed out of my winter coat and sweat pants into my shorts. I did a short warm up run, then got ready for the start. Walking to the start, Ed told me to toe the line. What does that mean you ask? You actually get to the front and put your toes on the start line. So I did....(LOL)
Ok.....now lets talk about Josh. Josh is the founder of Albany Running Exchange. He is an amazing machine...I call him a machine because he never stops amazing me. He is a computer teacher, a runner, a dancer, and just a jack of all traits. He makes every ARE event something you want to be apart of. (Back to the race) He did this incrediable start song and then off we went. I laughed in the beginning...remember, I was toeing the line. All of the fast, young runners went by me in a flash...Within the first mile of this run I was soaked. Yep, soaked! We ran through puddles that came up past my knees. My first intial thought was "Oh my god , my toes are frooze." then, they would warm up. I ran through other large puddles and so much mud. As we ran creatures jumped out and scared us. We ran up very large hills (which I walked up) and then through more mud and puddles. (toes freezing again) When you are tring not to fall in mud you use different muscles that you don't normally use when running. Then we came to the finish line...at the finish line there were many people waiting for their runner's to come in, including our own Gorilla...(Frank) Once we finished, off we went to a fabulous cookout and prizes. We also got to enjoy the beautiful day with people we have have meant through running. What an awesome day...Thanks Josh!

Marine Corps Half Marathon - October 12, 2008

I did it!

Let's start with the preparation of the half marathon on Saturday. Saturday afternoon Ed and I helped with the registration and packet pick up at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Albany. That's when the excitement really started to sink in. Watching all these marathoners (about 650) and half marathoners (over 700) from all over the country coming in to pick up their packets. And I was one of them! Saturday evening, Ed and I met Melanie and Dan out for a pasta dinner at PizzaGram restaurant. We talked about the half and other races we've done or would like to do. Had a great evening and then after picking out our running clothes we went to bed. Surprisingly, I was able to get to bed early and had a good nights sleep.

Woke up Sunday morning, nervous and sick to my stomach not believing I was going to run 13.1 miles. Had my routine oatmeal and banana and packed my G2 and GU and a bagel for the road. Went to the Crowne Plaza to catch the bus to the starting line. While I was waiting, I had a cup of coffee as we watched all the other runners come in and getting ready for their big run.

Arriving at Colonie Town Park, the starting line, we met up with a lot of our running friends. Temperature was 44 degrees and we chatted, did bathroom runs and tried to keep warm while waiting for the start. The start was a quick airhorn and off I went.

The first 2.5 miles I felt incredible. Better than I have ever felt in the beginning of a run. Like I was built to run. After that, it became a little more strenuous but at a good comfort level for me. Running the bike path to Cohoes was nice and colorful with the tree leaves turning. Then I hit the Cohoes and Watervliet stretch with a couple of great downhills and water stops. My mom and my oldest son Donald were there rooting me on, taking my picture and providing me with a much needed water.

Felt good heading into the Corning Preserve, the last 4.75 miles of the run. I always thought I would like this stretch the most - running along the Hudson. This time, I found it almost boring because I was starting to feel it. I came across the 11 mile marker and that's when I had to tell myself that I could do it. I was hurting. My quads ached and my left foot hurt and it would have been easy to talk myself into walking but I didn't give up. I got to one point where I knew I was closing in on the finish and I got a second wind.

As I entered the last 2/10 of a mile, my adrenaline kicked in and I was determined to finish strong. I saw the finish and I saw another runner in front of me and I wanted to pass her before the finish line. I did and I came in under 2 hours at 1:57:49 !!!!!!!!!!!! I would've never expected to finish under 2:15. What an accomplishment.

Now that I have accomplished all of my 2008 goals, I am brainstorming on what's next. Got any ideas out there? I need a good challenge.

Getting Ready for my last New Years Resolution..

October 7, 2008

Ok... I have been slacking on my blog...not updating everyone on my training for my Half Marathon, which is coming up this Sunday October 12th. Well, I am running it and I am pretty sure I am ready. Ed and I have been running 4-5 miles two days a week and running 10-11 miles on weekends. We have followed the regimen since August. How do I feel you ask? Well, I feel sick to my stomach just typing this...I am so excited that I am capable of running 13.1 miles but on other hand it is so scary thinking I have only gotten up to 11 miles and I have 2.1 to go. The race starts at Colonie Town Park at 8:30 am and ends at The Corning Preserve. My goal.....TO FINISH! and have fun running it. Wish me luck...

Cape Cod Running..... September 19-22, 2008

Ed and I took a vacation out to The Cape. We rented a house in Dennis. It was beautiful! We were a short walk from the ocean although a quick run. While in the Cape we ran a couple of times. We did one of our long runs (10 miles) along the ocean. We also ran a four miler the next day. People who can run along the ocean any time they want are the luckiest people in the world. What a peace of mind you get while running. We had such a incredible time.

SEFCU Labor Day 5K September 1, 2008

This is a 5k where they were giving an ipod to every 20th finisher. I can't remember how many people ran this race, but let me tell you it was alot! I went out pretty quick and felt pretty good. As I rounded the 2 1/2 mile mark, I started pooping out....(I should know better to not start out so fast) I finished the race with the time of 27:59. Still not a personal best. SOMEDAY.....Oh yeah...I did not win an ipod either...

Pictured are Josh, Ed, Myself & Marilyn

August 7th, 2008 Gall Bladder Surgery

After my 9.3 mile run on Sunday, I came home feeling wore out. More than usual, as the day continued I became sicker and sicker running a temp and feeling flu like symptoms. I went to bed and woke up Monday feeling the same but again as the day went on I got worse. I went to the doctor's and was told I had a 48 hour bug. Tuesday morning I actually got up and went to work. Big Mistake!! I came home feeling worse than before...burning up. Ed took me back to the doctor's and they drew blood and sent me on my merry way still running a temp of 103.9. On Wednesday morning enough was enough, so I asked Ed to take me to the emergency room. To my surprise I needed to have my Gall Bladder removed. Who would have thought? No symptoms ever before. My thought was....."How long would I be with out running???" (This is the sicko in me....) "I am planning on running the half marathon in October...." GREAT! Will less than two weeks after my surgery, I am back to running. It is alittle tough but I am going slow and I will run that half in October!!

Thacher Park Trail Run.....August 3rd, 2008

Hudson Mohawk Road Runner's Club 9.3 mile Trail Run was an incredible run for me. I was so ready for this one. I was pumped! We ran through mud, small flooded areas, up extremely muddy hills and beautiful trails. I ran with my newest running buddy Melanie. We had fun running together, although, she went back out and ran another 3.5 miles. (CRAZY!!!) After the run we all enjoyed a BBQ picnic of chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs. After the picnic the drama began....read next blog entry....

ARE Summer Trail Run, July 24th

ARE has their Thursday night trail runs no matter what! Rain or shine...Mud or swamp....Ed and I headed up to this run after a steady down pour in the afternoon. We knew the course could be alittle muddy. Mud? Who cares...We took that run on..It was a blast! We ran through mud and we ran through swampy conditions. we took time out for some good old fashion mud fights. Alittle scrap on the knee and another fun night of running....

July 20, 2008 - Dippikill Froggy Five Miler

Dippikill Froggy Five Miler....

was the hardest thing I have ever done! This was a trail run that was very technical..Put it this way, I ran up boulders...Yep. HUGE rocks. I also ran down very steep hills twisting my ankle alittle. No falls this time! It was incredible...We ran with The Albany Running Exchange. They had the run following three days of trail running camp that I did not go to. I will next year though. It sounded like they had a great time. When the race started we were told to come back with a frog. I had no clue as to where I was going to find a frog and if I did how the heck I was going to carry it out of the woods..to my amazement, just before the finish, there were frogs all over the ground. Stuffed frogs...but frogs. Another fun run with The Albany Running Exchange.

ValleyCats 5K Home Run - June 21, 2008

Take me out to the ball park! Take me out to the crowd ... This race began and ended at the home of the ValleyCats, a local baseball team that plays at Joe Bruno Stadium in Troy, NY, on the campus of Hudson Valley Community College. Another hot, sunny day and I was trying once again to beat my 5K personal best. Started out strong but had a hard time catching my breath. Well, as you can probably tell, I didn't beat my 26:46 time although I had a good run in 27:50 and a great time afterwards with hot dogs, popcorn, watermelon, ValleyCat cookies and great people.

Summer Solstice Trail Run - June 18

ARE Crew after the Summer Solstice
Although not on my goal list for the year, I completed my first 15K (that's 9.3 miles!) I went down to the race in a van with Albany Running Exchange members. My finish came with a cost. It was an evening trail run near New Paltz, NY and about 3 miles in, which was all up hill, I took my eye off the trail for the spectacular view and fell face first onto the rocks of the trail. Ouch! My nose was cut, my eye was swollen, I had a lump on my forehead and my knee was scraped bad. But I finished in 94:09! Great race. Beautiful. Would highly recommend it. Just don't take your eyes off the trail! Next race - the ValleyCats 5K Home Run

HMRRC Father's Day 5k

June 15, 2008

I decided last minute to race The Father's Day race at The Crossings. I feel like I have been slowing down a little so I thought it would be a good opportunity to see if I was right and guess what? I was right!! My 5 k time was 28:44...my worst 5k time so far. Not sure why, although it was a very hot day with no shade. I was not very pleased. I will be racing The Valley Cats 5k on June 21 st so I'll see if I can improve then.

HMRRC Distinguished Service Award

37 th Annual HMRRC Distinguished Service Race 8-Miles Albany, NY June 08, 2008 9:00 am Weather: Sunny, 85 degrees

What can I say about this run? I went out ready to run 8 miles. I was warned not to do it because of the heat, but of course I was not going to listen. I am a tough chick, the heat will not bother me....WRONG!!! I ran 4 miles of the 8 and came to my senses...I decided I like life enough that I didn't want to kill myself. Oh my god it was hot!!! Never again in that kind of heat.

Wednesday Night Running Group....June 4, 2008

Our Wednesday night running group is the best! This Wednesday we got together and ran 3-4 miles and then had a potluck picnic. Susan, Suzanne, Tina, Marilyn W, Marilyn, Ellen, Kelly and myself were there. We had such a nice time. We are such a great group of ladies! Next time we get drunk...LOL...No pictures this time..

Vermont City Marathon...Burlington VT...May 25, 2008

I was asked by Debbie Robinson if I would take her place for The Vt City Marathon Relay. Debbie injured her knee and will be having surgery on it in June. I was thrilled to death that she asked me to take her place. I wanted to run this relay but didn't think it was a good time due to my move. Things worked out and I was able to go. I ran with four of the nicest ladies. I only did the 5k part of the relay. I couldn't believe I was running through Burlington. Burlington has so much history with my family that I had a feeling of WOW! while running....We went up the day before and walked Church Street. That evening, Albany Running Group had a pasta dinner for the runners at a local restaurant. We stayed at a Main Stay Hotel on Shelburne Rd. The next morning we joined all of the People from Albany Running Group at Battery Park. The race began at 8:05 am. After the race ARE had a tent set up for their members at Memorial Park. We lounged around for 4-6 hours waiting for the Marathoner's to come in and relaxed with them. We had a blast.......

Hot Moms- (Roxanne Wunsch -3.1 miles, Linda Cure -5.6 miles, Mary Dewey- 6.4 miles, Linda Hayen - 5.5 miles, Alison Rhodes-Devey-5.6 miles) 4:00:35- complete time.

ARE STRS- May 22, 2008

Albany Running Exchange is a local running group. They are a great group of people who love to have fun and are very supportive of their running friends. They kicked off there Summer Running series May 22 with a cookout after. The run was a 3.1 loop that you could do as many as you wanted. Of course I only ran one loop and went right for the food....."My mama didn't raise no fool....."

The GHI Workforce Team Challenge, May 15 2008

GHI was so much fun! In order to run this race you had to be part of a team from where you are employed. I am working part time at the YMCA so I ran with that team. It was a very nice night. the race took place at 6:25 in the evening and was 3.5 miles. There were 7,186 people running. It was crazy. The first 22 seconds of the race you were walking and then it was a slow run until people started to scatter. The race started at The Empire State Plaza in Albany. It was one of the funest runs I have had so far. After the run the YMCA put on a little dinner for the employees that ran.

May 7, 2008 Craig Ryder 5k run at The Crossings

Roxanne 45 F Rotterdam NY 26:46 8:37

Our Wednesday night running group entered a 5k race this week. The race was The Craig Ryder 5k for The American Cancer Society. We had great support from our running group. We had some new 5k runner's like Lisa & Mike then we had some new Wednesday night runners like Ed & John & Mike. Then, the regulars. We has such a good time. The weather was alittle overcast but in the 70's. I beat my personal best with the time of 26:46. I ran a 8:37 pace. Our group is so great!

April 30th, 2008 Wednesday Night Running Group

Another great Wednesday night....Again some new people and some of the same. Susan, Tina and Suzanne went crazy running this week doing 6.74 miles, I did 5.5 and others did 2-4. Next week some of us will be running the Craig Ryder 5k race at The Crossings and some of us will be running the regular run.

20th Bill Robinson Master's Championship 10K..Guilderland NY

One Of My 2008 Goals!

I ran 6.2 miles !!! Yep...6.2. This was a huge goal of mine.

I had a great run. The weather was perfect although when I first got up it was pouring rain and my thoughts were oh s... but then the sun came out and it was beautiful. I felt great the whole run. The first 5k went very smooth then we turned around and had a huge hill to conquer and it killed me. When I got to the top of that hill I caught my breath and went for it. My time was 55:38. I amazed myself! I took a third place finish for my age catagory. I ROCK!! I ran with my buddy Ed. Monique was going to run with us but is out due to injury.

Wednesday Night Running Group..April 23rd, 2008

Wednesday Night Running Group is going well. The weather was perfect! Here are some of our runners.. Every week the crowd changes...

Dodge The Deer 5K Trail Run...April 20th, 2008

My First Trail Run.....

It was so much fun! I ran with Marilyn, Ed, Elaine & Bernie. Monique came to root us on for she is not running due to injury. My time was 28:23, I finished 169 out of 383. I am not sure about trail running although I am more than willing to try it again. ARE sponsored the race. The Albany Running Exchange are such a fun group of people.

Runner's World

Can you believe that Elaine and I made Runner's World?

Kidding....Elaine made the cover from a picture someone found from The Delmar Dash.

How cute are we?

Wednesday Night Running Group

April 16th, 2008

It's Official ! We are no longer a women's running group... Two men showed up and of course I forgot my camera. It was a beautiful night...Our first warm, windless evening. Half of us were in shorts. Again, Kelly took off and ran laps around us but this time she had alittle competition with Joanne. They probably ran 7-8 miles. Dave and myself got in a good 5 and the rest were around 3-4. We had our biggest group of runners to date. Eleven.....

Come join us next week...6pm at THE CROSSINGS

I am running Sunday...a 5k...Dodge The Deer..I'll update Monday

Wednesday Night Running Group

April 9th, 2008

Our running group is off and running for the spring. We meant again on Wednesday. The weather forcast sounded perfect but then the wind kicked up and made it alittle tough. Some of us ran 2-3 miles and others ran 3-6.34 miles. No men this week..We did invite them.... I think they are afraid us women might out run them.

Remember we meet at The Crossings in Colonie on Wednesday nights at 6pm if your interested.

Picture to Follow

20th Annual HMRRC Delmar Dash

April 6, 2008

397 13/40 Roxanne 45 F Colonie NY 45:20 9:04

Today was a five mile race. I feel like I did a spectacular job! This was my first five miler on a clock. I did do the relay 5.7 but was not individually timed. First let me say it was a beautiful day. You could not have asked for better running weather. I ran with my bud Elaine for the first three miles then I zoned out and went ahead all alone. I was determined that I was not going to walk any of this race and I didn't. YEAH for me!!!! As I came into the finish line I was greeted by so many wonderful people cheering me on... Ed, Josh, Joe, Penny, Dana, Bernie, Tom, Ginny and others. I love to run.... But most of all...I love all the support I get from the other runners...

They are great people.....

Pictured are Elaine, Bernie & myself.....

Monique & Myself

My 10k is April 26th...Another Goal I had set for myself for 2008

Wish Me Luck !!!

Reading Suggestion

A friend recommended a very good book to me.. So now I am recommending it to you...

ULTRA MARATHON MAN

Confessions Of An All-Night Runner

By: Dean Karnazes

I have the book if you would like to borrow it...

Girls Running Group At- The Crossings Colonie, NY

April 2, 2008

The Girls Running group meant for the first time and sorta the last time. It was a great turn out, their were nine of us all together. Susan, Suzanne, Monique Marilyn, Tina, Kelly, Barbara, Erin & of course myself. All different level runners. Some of us ran 5 miles, some of us 2-3, and then there were the elite ( Kelly) who just ran and never tires out. It was a windy night but a beautiful night. Monique, Marilyn and I went out for ice cream after.

The reason I said "it is sorta the last time" is because.. it is now open to ALL MEN..Yes, I said "ALL MEN!!" Men have been inquiring about our group and the women voted and we will welcome any man that would like to join.

We run at The Crossings at 6pm on Wednesday evenings. We meet at the playground area. We run at any speed and level. We include anyone that has a shining personality.....we also like to get ice cream after.. So if your new be ready to buy. (LOL) If your interested and want to email me. Rmonahan63@yahoo.com

Guilderland YMCA Indoor Triathlon

March 30th, 2008

One of my 2008 goals was to accomplish a triathlon. Today I completed an indoor mini triathlon. It was almost the same as a triathlon except, it was a 15 minute swim, 15 minute stationary bike and a 15 minute run. It was a blast!!! Kelly & Marilyn participated in it with me as did many other people from the "Y". I did pretty good considering....I did not practice swimming in the pool much, only two times. Every time I got in I froze. In the bike portion I completed a distance of 8.54 miles. My running distance was 1.66 miles and my swim portion was 612.5 meters. I kicked butt in the bicycling portion of the tri with second place of all the women. I ROCK ! I am so proud of myself that I did this. It gave me the courage to go on and want to do the real triathlon when it comes up in the summer. I'll keep you updated on that event.

DIVA NIGHT OUT AT FLEET FEET

March 13, 08

The shoe store where I buy my running shoes hosted a Diva Night for their female customers. I asked my running buddies Monique & Marilyn if they would like to go. When arriving Charles Woodruff Owner, handed out raffle tickets for door prizes. Fleet Feet had wine tasting, massages, cartoon caricatures, bra fittings & a DJ. I won an awesome pair of Nike sun glasses! It was a very nice night that Fleet Feet gave us!

My Upcoming Events

I have some things planned for the end of March and alot planned for April.

First- Mini Triathlon at the Guilderland YMCA on March 30th. This will be a fifteen minute run on a treadmill, a fifteen minute swim in the pool and a fifteen minute ride on one of their spinning bikes. I am not ready for the swim at all. I have not really practiced so I think I will bomb that portion of the tri.

Second- I have The Delmar Dash planned for April 6th. It is a five mile run

Third- I have Dodge The Deer planned for April 20th. It is a 5k run

Fourth- The Bill Robinson 10k masters run on April 26th. This was one of my major goals I set for myself for 2008. It's getting close..Wish me luck!

The Runnin' of the Green

The Runnin' of the Green (Island) Four Mile Green Island, NY

March 08, 2008 10:00am

Another Four mile race under my belt. I am definitely becoming a better runner. Today I beat my personal best again with a time of 36:02. My last four mile was 38:27. I did not have to walk at all today and I did not feel sick to my stomach at the end. I ran with my running buddies Elaine & Monique. Monique kicked butt again with a time of 33:22 and Elaine with the time of 36:57. We had a good time. I still can't believe that I am running and liking it. Just amazing!!!!

Alittle History Of A Marathon

DID YOU KNOW.... ?
The modern Athens Marathon commemorates the run of the soldier Pheidippides from a battlefield at the site of the town of Marathon, Greece, to Athens in 490 B.C.
Legend has it that Pheidippides delivered the momentous message "Niki!" ("victory"), then collapsed and died. 24.0 miles

AND THEN.........
At the 1908 Olympic Games in London, the marathon distance was changed to 26.2 miles to cover the ground from Windsor Castle to White City stadium, with the 2.2 miles added on so the race could finish in front of royal family's viewing box. This added two miles to the course, and is the origin of the Marathon tradition of shouting "God save the Queen!" (or other words relating to the Queen) as mile post 24 is passed. After 16 years of extremely heated discussion, this 26.2 mile distance was established at the 1924 Olympics in Paris as the official marathon distance

Relay Marathon With Kelly & Ed

Twenty-Second Annual HMRRC Winter Marathon Relay Albany, New York

February 24, 2008

The Relay Marathon was a blast!

I had such a great day with Ed & Kelly. They are great people...

Kelly went out first. Remember she did not feel so good the week prior and was a touch nervous. She was amazing!! She ran her 9.2 in 1:06.

Then it was my turn..boy was I ever nervous. 5.68 miles ahead of me. I went out not being able to catch my breath for the first mile. Then I got into my zone and collected myself and went with it. I had a great run! The best run I ever had. I always say "I hate running while I'm running but.. I love it when I'm done" But this time I loved the whole run. Then, the biggest run. Ed had his 11.3. I came in and tagged him and he went out. He looked good! He had to do two of the inner loops. He came back from the first one in under an hour. When he went out for the second loop Kelly and I hung out, ate some soup, bananas & cookies then went back out to wait for our team mate. Kelly and I had fun making fun of other runners while waiting for Ed.( Kidding) just the American flag man..INSIDE JOKE. We were estimating how much longer we thought Ed would be and we looked up and to our amazement there he was way faster then we expected. He looked awesome. If only.. one of us were two seconds faster...we could have qualified for The Boston Marathon.

WE MADE AN SPECTACULAR TEAM !!!

The Night Before My Relay With Kelly & Ed

The night before my Relay Marathon with Kelly & Ed and I am very nervous! I think it is the word MARATHON that is getting to me. I am only running the 5.7 mile part of this thing so I can imagine what Kelly and Ed are thinking. Actually Kelly has a touch of the flu and called me to tell me she is going to still run the 9.2. Ed is running the 11.3

I ran alot this week to prepare.

Monday I ran 6.2 miles

Tuesday I ran 4 miles

Wednesday I did a spinning class

Thursday I ran another 4.5

Friday I did the elliptical for 45 minutes

Saturday I walked a mile and ran a mile..(I did not want to tire myself out the day before) plus, my manager/personal trainer would have been upset with me. I also did major weights this week...Someday, pictures of my pipes will appear on this blog..LOL

Now that I wrote what I did it doesn't seem like I ran enough. Oh, am I nervous... Wish us luck...

HMRRC Winter Series Race #5

February 10, 2008 10:00 AM SUNY/Albany New York 33 degrees, Wind South 12, snow flurries, slippery roads
7K Race

The last of the Winter Series! 4.37 miles. The forcast was calling for a windy cold day. It turned out to be a beautiful morning. It started with snow flurries which made it alittle slushey. I ran with Elaine, Ed & Monique. Monique finished second in her age catagory. Ed ran a faster pace then he expected and Elaine and I tried to out do each other. Again, I love my running buddies! We Rock!! My running time was 40:42. It was a good run....

***Time to get ready for my Relay Marathon on February 24th with Kelly & Ed.

I'm getting nervous about running 5.7 miles......

2008 Polar Cap Trophy

I received my trophy from the Polar Cap. My third place trophy.

There were seven women in my age category of 45-49 female.I should say there were 70 women in my age category but that would be lying.

I'm still excited about earning a trophy!!!

Polar Cap Run, 4 Mile, Lake George NY

This was my first 4 mile run. My time was 38:27. In my age category, 45-49 year old female. I won a third place trophy. We raced around the lake near the Million Dollar Beach. It was the first time I saw the lake in the winter. It was beautiful! I had a fabulous day..I really hate racing while I'm racing but I love the feeling when I am done. There is no better feeling when you have completed a race. What a high!

Picture of trophy will follow..