Take a Moment

Following the footsteps of Dawn...

Forget the complaints, the whines, the things going wrong in your life. Let’s take a moment to list a few things that are great.

1. I love my summer job because my co-workers are amazing people. They make me laugh every day.
2. The farmhouse. I have all the space I need, with a screened-in front porch--perfect for summer.
3. Running partners like Michelle and Dianna who get me out the door every Saturday morning.
4. My non-running friends who (usually) understand why I eat pasta and leave early on Friday nights to get enough sleep for my long runs the next day.
5. Yoga and Tennis
6. The Running Blog Family—for your advice and encouragement.
7. The endless possibilities of what this fall will bring.
8. Long weekends in Pennsylvania to see my wonderful sister and cousin. (Kia register for the Hartford Half. I Know you can do it!)
9. The anticipation and ability to train for another race.
10. My church--and the list could go on and on.

What's on your list?

Crossing States with the RBF

Tonight I met David (his wife and son) and Bill at Arcadia Park. After a few quick hellos and introductions (David’s wife was very sweet and they are a perfect match) we hit the trails. Bill led the way through the woods as the four of us chatted about running and life. Before we knew it, we were back at the parking lot and then on to the roads, crossing the Rhode Island/Connecticut state line.

I think we came close to 5 miles. A good run and great company! I bet you are thinking, how can I meet some of the RBF members?
There is a 20k race opportunity for a Northeast RBF gathering in New Haven over Labor Day weekend. It is one of my favorite races of the year and you know all the ‘cool’ runners will be there. :)

I’m off to Pennsylvania for the weekend. I will be visiting my sister and going on a blind date. Wish me luck.
Have a wonderful weekend!

And the winners are…..

5 points to Dianna, Bill and Anne!

I accidentally left my gummi bears in the car and they melted into a sugary mess.

Thanks for your refuel suggestions, Happy Running!

Five points if you can guess what is in the bag. I will give you a hint, it’s running related and semi-connected to my last post.





Can someone please stop me from buying Hamburger Helper? I feel disgusting after eating it and it doesn’t even taste good. I have about 5 boxes of it in my kitchen and yet I bought three more tonight. (buy one box, get 2 free). It’s probably the only way the store could get it off the shelves. :) How could I resists? I love finding a bargain.

I can only think of one solution–I need to marry a chef!

Saturdays long run was relatively uneventful. I was supposed to meet Dianna, Michelle and the wac runners at 6:30 but I overslept, so I met them at the turn-around point and ended up running the last few miles on my own. It was hot and sunny, which made me slow as a turtle, but it was a good run, because I love the heat. I had a few stops along the way: 2 for the bathroom, at least 3 to refuel and 1 at the top of a hill.

I tried a GU Energy Gel and it was the most disgusting thing I have ever eaten. Had it not been for Dianna standing next to me, I would have immediately spit it out. The taste was bad, but the texture was even worse. I think I may have to try Susie's Clif Shot Blocks. Any other suggestions?

R-U-N-N-E-R

I am finally back to yoga. I took a few months off while I was teaching because of scheduling conflicts, but since I now have normal working hours, I can easily fit yoga into my schedule and I love it. During last nights class, while I was 'attempting' to do one of the hamstring stretches, the instructor walked over to help me and said, "You have runner written all over you". I don't think it was meant as a compliment, but I took it as a compliment. Yes, it's true--I am a Runner. Not a jogger or a walker, but a Runner.

A friend from college was married this past weekend. It was a beautiful, small, outdoor wedding with a fun reception, which lead to starting my long run on Sunday with Dianna.....
- on 5 hours of sleep
- with a slight blister from dancing in my cute new shoes
- a night of wedding food and two slices of cake
- bad hydration

Despite the odds against me, it wasn't a terrible run. It certainly wasn't the best run, but it added miles to the running log and made me stronger.

Allyson and Dave

Allyson and Dave 

The Bridesmaids 

Let Freedom Ring!

Indulging on Chinese food last night, I had no thought of racing today. When I woke up, I had two bowls of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and still no thoughts of racing.

I wanted to put in 5 miles today, so I called the running chicks to find out their running schedules. Since they were both planning on racing in the Boom Box One Mile Road Race, I quickly threw on my running sneakers and within five minutes I was on my way to the race (with a quick stop at a store to buy patriotic ribbon to tie around my ponytail—hey, it’s the 4th of the July after all!)

The race was uneventful and it seemed to be over before it started. I was almost passed by a runner with his dog, but I caught him at the very end and finished in 6:23. (I’m hoping that is the correct time. Online it said 6:23, but it also said I was 20 years old and that certainly isn’t true.) :)

Dianna, Michelle and I all placed in our divisions and we received little metals. What a great day!
Happy 4th of July! God Bless America!

Running Chicks, Boom Box Mile Race 

It's a new day!

Instead of making new years resolutions on January 1st, several years ago I read an article in Time magazine which inspired me to start July 1st resolutions. I read a quote by Nancy Gibbs which said, "The time to turn over a new leaf is when the leaves are full."
I later wrote in my blog, "Today is a beautiful day, flowers are in full bloom and the sun is shining. Today is the day I will "turn over a new leaf" and with that I started my resolutions.

2004
1. start a blog - check
2. train for a half marathon - check
3. eat healthier (give up donuts and soda) - check, 2 years later I am still soda & donut free :)
4. learn how to pace myself while running - I tried


2005
1. train for a marathon - check
2. eat healthier - It's a process, right?
3. donate blood - sadly no
4. take a vitamin everyday - almost every day

2006
1. complete a marathon in 4 hours
2. drink more water
3. volunteer at a race
4. donate blood at least once (hopefully this will be the year)