Fun in Florida: Post Boca Raton PAL 1/2 Marathon

Florida was a great treat after that freak
October Snowstorm in NJ

It was great to go down to Florida - I got to see my Dad and Step-Mom. They are hysterical - they say that everyone around them "old". Mind you, they are only in their 70's!

The weather was truly enjoyable - especially after spending a week in my 50*F house 'cause we had no electricity!We stayed in Ft. Lauderdale. When we arrived, we had fun walking up and down Las Olas Blvd.! This one cheese store was so cute! I wonder if they really sold "whey cheese" - usually the whey is removed in cheese making. Whey cheeses are brown cheeses and ricotta cheese - they include the whey, which is the part of the milk serum that contains lactose (a good to know for lactose intolerant peeps, since it is often used as a food additive).

My kinda "Recovery" Place!

After the race, we went to Miami for some interesting people and car watching. A must go: The Clevelander in South Beech! I was sooo good - I only had one drink! Okay, my stomach dictated that one!

Wing-man and Mini-man at The Clevelander!

Only in Miami are these old cars restored and kept in prime condition. In NJ this car would be destroyed by the snow and 1,000 of pounds of salt they pour on the street!

More people watching ....

Can't really see the Drag Queen Strutting her stuff in front
of this restaurant - she was pretty entertaining
- as was the guy in the pink shorts on the left!

Next stop ...of course, The Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla. Lots of walking around Miami after my Boca Raton Pal 1/2 helped to "milk" all that lactic acid out of my sore, stiff leg muscles.

What do you do to help your muscles recover after running a race?

TRAIN SMART TODAY!

Boca Raton PAL Half Marathon

Mini-Man, Me and Girlfriend!

The Boca Raton PAL Half Marathon was hopping! 

I picked up my packet the day before at the Runner's Edge store in Boca Raton. You have to get there before 12Noon to pick up your packet! It was a good thing I called - I wanted to see when the store closed and when I could pick up the packet. That's when I found out - the two didn't sinc. They had packet pick-up until 12PM - and they weren't kidding. I was shopping for a light jacket (none on sale) and stayed a couple of minutes past 12PM. That's when I heard a person come in looking to pick up their packet - they were shocked to find that the packets were already on the truck, loaded for the next day's race. Thank goodness I called before we got on the road to check out the University of Miami for Girlfriend! You really need to pick up the packet before the race because the race starts at 6:30AM! This was the earliest starting time of any race I have ever run!

The next day, we got to Spanish River Park at about 5:45AM. It was dark and it started to pour rain. Yes, we, Wing-man and the kiddies woke-up and came out to support me!

I DID tell you that the race started at 6:30AM! 

I swear I did!

Wing-Man realizing the race starts at 6:30AM

You have got to be kid din' me, Mom!

Girlfriend, so not happy to way-up at 5:30!

Thanks guys! I love you, tons!

So, we waited in the car for about 10 minutes, before the rain stopped. Then, I started to jog and warm up. Before I did my sprints, I wanted to use the bathroom - this was the only race I have ever been to that DID NOT HAVE ANT PORT-O-JOHNS! What were they thinking?

Anyway, after the potty-line that was 15 women deep - I did four 100m sprints to wake-up my fast twitch muscles. I felt the humidity hanging on me - it was going to be a hot race. I was not prepared - I thought it was going to be about 65*F. It was probably hotter than 72*F. Good thing it was windy - the race runs along the A1A Highway and the ocean breezes were strong. In fact, in some parts of the race, the wind made it difficult to run.

At the start of the race - they sang "The Star-Spangled Banner". 

I love starting races with "The Star-Spangled Banner"! I always pray for our service men and woman who serve our country so unselfishly to protect our freedoms. There is no better time to say a heartfelt prayer for them than standing at the start of a 13.1 in another state with hundreds or thousands of strangers, all running in this great country - because we can!!

The race started and I was hanging in there - about 7:30'/M pace. But about 3-4miles into the race, I did not feel strong. I felt very tired and my legs felt heavy. At about mile 5, I had to stop and walk. I got very dizzy. The runners on the course that past me were all so nice - they kept asking if I were okay. I felt nauseous and my stomach started to act up. Crohn's can be seasonal and for me, November is my worst month. The two times that I was hospitalized for Crohn's were both in November. And the last couple of weeks have not been fun. I guess the stress of losing power, rolling my ankle, having a midterm and two papers due this past week also did not help. Oh, well. I turned off my iPod and just tried to concentrate on pushing it out as best as possible ...a lot of praying, meditating and mantras! When I stopped, I focussed on who was around me. I saw a man with a blue and white shirt and for the next 8 miles, my goal was to try to catch up to him. I did ...and at mile 11, I passed him! Still, I was really tired.

This race seemed to go on and on. Last year, I ran the New Jersey Sandy Hook Half Marathon - it was a flat race, too. These flat races can be a little monotonous after awhile. It must have especially felt that way for some people - one of the race volunteers sent some people 1.8 miles out of there way! OMG - I would have been livid! The race directors really did a great job of holding it together! They were apologetic, calm, cool and collected! They must have felt awful for those people! I know I did.

I was happy to finish! My stomach was shot!

Boca Raton PAL Finish

The breakfast party was well run. Mini-man stuffed his face with pancakes, Girlfriend had a mini-muffin and I gobbled up lots of orange slices. I was really Jonesing for some coffee - their excuse, "No Power". I say their sponsor, Mr Coffee, should have had a generator percolating some of that great coffee! I can hear my Wing-man, "Should you be drinking coffee? It's not good for your stomach!" Aah, the race started soooo early, I had to go without my morning coffee - maybe that's why I felt tired!

Still, I took first for my age group at 1:41:14.

Isn't that Fire Truck DJ Booth so cute!
Not my best time ...one day I will break that 1hour and 40minute ceiling!

Fake smile, I want COFFEE!

Thank you Boca Raton PAL. I've got to hand it to you  - you really handled the mix-up with all those runners that ran an extra 1.8miles very well! No one should be discouraged about this - I encourage signing up for this race, the prizes at the end were incredible: Multiple $100gift certificates, lots of free Asics Sneakers and Six Month Memberships to a Masters Swim Club (which I won and gave to a mom who was standing by me with her children - I thought the kids would love that!). I was super impressed.

Well, my ankle did not hurt - at all! I guess that tart cherry juice worked! Off to Miami for some interesting people watching, unique cars and some protein to rebuild those leg muscles ...

TRAIN SMART TODAY!

Girlfriend's favorite pic of the day ...Florida Spiders are huge!

Terri Roemer Paramus 10K Run Recap

I done good!

1st Place in my Age Group!

Just finished the Terri Roemer Paramus 10K Run and I am happy with my time. It feels so much better to say that after my last, very frustrating 13.1 in Connecticut.

I did not meet my 7:25'/mile pace goal, but I did get close: 7:26'/mile pace. I like the 7:20'mile pace my watch displayed - I think I may need a new watch - I have so so many problems with this watch - but that's another story...

The Terri Roemer Paramus 10K Run was so well organized. They weren't kidding when they said that the goodie bag was chock full of stuff: coupons to Sports Authority, a water bottle, a chip bag clip, a red flashing light for night-time running and coupons galore! Wow!

It felt good to run in this 10K, too - the proceeds support scholarships for graduating Paramus High School students. So far, they have provided over $500,000 in scholarships.

Wow, I hope I can say that one day - I give a scholarship, in my late husband's name, to graduating seniors who have financial need and plan to study either finance or music - two of my late husband's passions in life.

The people in the town were so nice - they were yelling and cheering everyone on - one woman yelled, "Thank you so much for running in this race!" Awww - What great community support!

Even the community businesses lined the parking lot of the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Bonefish Grill Restaurant. There were booths galore: Kessler, Core Fitness, Gold's Gym, Smart Tea, Trader Joes ...

And the other runners were so friendly! I met someone who made my day - she thought (from behind - which makes it even greater!) that I was this 17year old that she sees running around the resevation by where she lives!  Wow! That has to be the greatest compliment ever - she was so full of energy and so pretty - I had to get a picture of her, her husband and their friend ....

The runner on the left is now one of my favorite all time peeps!

I also met some incredible "Masters" from the NJ Master's Runners Association. What a great bunch of people! They had a collage of runners in their group - some of which were in their 70's and 80's - I was in awe at how remarkably young they all looked! Their secret .....

.... You got it ....RUNNING!

There was just one oxymoron to the whole set up and that was the Wendy's BBQ.

Why?

I must admit - the burgers absolutely smelled delicious - but at about 19 grams of fat for a cheeseburger - 7 of which are saturated fat - I passed!

Overall, it was great Sunday here in New Jersey - and a great day for a run race!

Stay Well 

and

Train Smart Today!

Terri Roemer Paramus 10K Run

It's Pumpkin Weather in New Jersey!

And I just signed up for the Terri Roemer Paramus Run10K on October 16th. I couldn't find a half marathon that made sense with my insane schedule and my coach said I needed to run at least one race in October. Of course, I do - this is the absolute best weather to run in...Pumpkin Weather!

In the Spring, I had Cherry Blossoms

The last 10K I ran was in April - I ran in the Newark Cherry Blossom Race; It is always such a beautiful race. My pace was 7:35'/mile, but this Sunday, my goal pace is 7:25'/mile. Hopefully, I will come in the top 10 in my age group - there are some pretty fast ladies out there!

Today, I started to scale back a bit - I only ran 3miles at an average 8:30'pace with faster times for eight 200meter intervals at 41seconds for a total of 1.5miles. Friday, I will only run 4 miles.

Aaaagh - It's hard to scale back mileage on these cool NJ October days - the weather is so cooperative - the temperature is about 55-65*F and the humidity drops - it is perfect running weather! It's also so great for the hair - less frizz!

These are not fake!

This Sunday's Terri Roemer Paramus Run should be fun - this will be the 33rd year for this run! I did not plan that - I signed up for the run first, and then read the details! Yup, my late husband, John, is always with me - every time I see a 3, 33 or 333 - I think of John. So when something like a '33' pops up  - it's a great reminder that he is always around!

Got my sights on the 33rd Annual 10K!

Train Smart Today!

Niantic Bay Half Marathon: 9/25/2011

At the risk of sounding like I am repeating myself, I couldn't get to sleep and I couldn't stay asleep. I always have pre-race jitters! Once we got to our hotel, I made sure I didn't forget anything:

I am always afraid I am going to forget something!

1. EnduroxR4 Recovery Drink, check
2. Gatorade, check
3. Water, Check
4. Roctane Gu, check
5. Garmin watch and heart rate monitor, check
6. Hat (Forgot my shades!), Check
7. Vaseline, for "The girls" and "The Armpits"! No chafing here! CHECK!

We stayed in the Marriott in Norwich, Ct. It was very nice, very clean - and even though they do a great deal of business with the casinos, noise levels were also fine!

The Room was Clean and Comfy

I think I wound up sleeping a total of 5 and 1/2 hours. Not what I planned, but I couldn't stop thinking...Beat 1:40, Beat 1:40, Beat 1:40. That was the time I was shooting for because  Coach told me on Wednesday,  "Beat 1 hour and 40 minutes! Your strong. You can do it!"

So at 6AM, I started my mantra, "I can do it! I can do it! I can do it!"

Finally, got out of bed , got dressed and went to the lobby area where they served breakfast.

Not a bad little breakfast buffet!

Wing-man Securing Our Coffees!

Breakfast of Champions

Wing-man and I both had oatmeal. I also had some fresh fruit. The Marriott served Starbucks. I should have bought a cappuccino - I don't really like Starbucks regular coffee. It's too strong.

This is My Speed of Coffee!

Wing-man and I are DD fans! Thank goodness there was a DD truck at the half!

Anyone else on the same page with us, here?

The Niantic Bay area was beautiful:

The run was very scenic:

Rocky Neck State Park

And the people of Niantic came out in droves. They were cheering and waving everyone on  - it was so nice! All you saw throughout the entire race was hundreds of people working together to make sure runners were hydrated and safe. The community outreach was beautiful! (Even though there was no National Anthem at the start of the race - you all know how much I love to sing the National Anthem at the beginning of a race!)

The Pavillion at the Start of the Race

My only other pet peeve, besides no National Anthem, was that after we walked a few hundred feet to the Pavillion, we all noticed there were no Port-O-Johns! Aaagh! Everyone was doin' a Jay-Wow in the woods!

In their defense - there were portable toilets on the race  - something I don't ever remember seeing before. And the race was really well-run and very organized.

Well, after my own Jay-Wow experience, I was feeling so Jersey Shore...

C'mon honey, make a nice face...

OKAY....

Ready to break that 1hour and 40 minute ceiling!!!!

On your mark, get set, go.... 

The start of the race was a bit hectic, as everyone tried to funnel into Rocky Neck State Park and onto the footpath. About 1/2 mile in, it got a little better.

At the start!

I kept a 7:30 pace for the first seven miles, then, the heat and humidity started to take its toll. My pace dropped down to a 7:40. I even dropped to 7:50 during mile 8...and I was really pushing myself. I kept praying that I would find the strength to finish strong and finish fast!

Whatever I did, I had to catch this woman:

Andy! 

I introduced myself to her after the race, of course making a fool out of myself, "Do you remember me? I was yelling at you about how great you look!"

She smiled. I asked her if I could interview her - she was great - and agreed. I totally screwed up my ipad (I'm new at this). All I got was:

I am so very sorry. I so wanted to share with everyone what great shape Andy was in - and what a total inspiration she was to me during the race. I tried to catch her throughout the race - I just had to catch this woman who's body was that of an olympic athlete! Of course, during the race I did not know she was ten years older than me! WOW!

All I knew was that she ran her ass off, her form was great and I was going to keep up with her! Congratulations Andy for placing in your age group - I am so sorry I screwed up the ipad Interview :,(

After screaming to Andy how great she looked, I focussed on cutting more time off my race. I really pushed.

Wing-Man was screaming, "Your close, you can do this!"

I was close to breaking that 1 hour and 40 minute goal! 

I sprinted so hard during that last 1/10th of a mile that I was foaming at the mouth when I crossed the finish line. And what did I see: 1:40:XX.

I kept jogging for another 50 yard and then I lost it. I broke down and cried. I was sobbing like a little baby! I gave it my all...and I couldn't break 1hour and 40minutes! Aaaagh! How utterly humbling!

Aaah. Sixth in my age group with all I had! Wing-man and I decided to walk around while I drank my EnduroxR4 recovery drink. I am sure glad I brought the powder in the mixer because my hamstring and my calves started to cramp up on me. I just added some water and I was good to go exploring more of the park.

Rocky Neck State Park Picnic Area

Since my bib time got messed up, my time couldn't be recorded accurately - but The Granite State Race Services employees wrote down the top 20 females - and, I was one of them, so at least my finish was recorded - It wasn't the time I saw crossing the finish, but at least I got credit for the race!

Thanks Guys!

Train Smart Today!

World Trade Center Run to Remember Recap

Yesterday was great. Of course, it started out with me oversleeping and waking up in a panic. The alarm was set for 5:59, but it never went off. I can't believe I forgot to switch the alarm to "ON".

Add caption

My hands were shaking. As I rushed to get dressed - I thought, 'What was all that stuff I blogged about this week - something about planning?' Hah! God always has a great way of having the last laugh!

Well...at least I had my clothes set out, packed my Side-Kick's bag the night before - and bought my fresh Panella the day before for my "Runner's Toast".

"Runner's Toast" is whole wheat Panella, sliced, toasted and topped with about a 1/2tblsp. peanut butter. For those who do not know what Panella is ... I am sorry. No, really, I feel really sorry for you - you are missing out on some great Italian bread.

I am serious about my Panella!

Panella

Panella is a round Italian loaf bread which, if you bought it fresh from an Italian bakery and planned to use it for toast or for sandwiches, you would need to ask them to slice the loaf before you purchased it. It is excellent toasted with some jam and a cup of coffee. But, when I have a track work out or a race, I eat it with a spread of peanut butter - so now, my Side-Kick calls it, "Runner's Toast".

Anyway, since we were all either running or walking in the WTC Run to Remember, my Side-Kick made "Runner's Toast" for everyone. I packed our extra clothes, water bottles, my caffeinated Clif Shot Bloks, Wet One's for the Port-O-John experience (yeay) and ran out the door. 

We had to drive down town, park on Water Street and catch a ferry to Governor's Island. It was 7:15 - the 7:30 Ferry was out! I thought, "Okay, calm down, we will go for the 8:15 ferry."

We got to Water street by 8:00AM - but there was no way were we going to make the 8:15 ferry. We ran to get on this very long, Magic Kingdom, Disney-like line. Then, I heard it, it was angelic, a voice, it was calling me, from far away - from somewhere towards the front of the line - could it be - yes, it was my sister-in-law - she was up further on the line - so, without any remorse or conscience - and no looking back - we cut the line! Damn it, I was going to make that 8:15 ferry and run in that race!

Top Level of the Ferry

Even though the ferry was very full, I was surprised at how many more people the ferry could fit. I started to not feel so bad for cutting the line!

Over the past three years, this race has grown. There were so many people on the ferry - both levels were very full.

Bottom Level of Ferry

We settled in:

The Girls!

Mini-man and My Side-Kick

 and took in the beauty around the NY Harbor:

Lower Manhattan

Governors Island is a 172 acre island, about 800 yards from lower Manhattan in the NY Harbor. It was used for about 200 years as a military base. In 2003, the federal government sold most of the island to the people of New York. About 22 acres was declared Governors Island National Monument. The northern 92 acres of the Island are open to the public for picnics, tours, concerts and biking. About 80-acres in the southern part of the Island is undergoing demolition and is currently closed for redevelopment.

The views from the island are spectacular. You can see lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and three bridges: The Manhattan, Brooklyn and Williamsport Bridge. Oh, and you can see Jersey City and Staten Island, too.

Once we got off the ferry, we all had to walk to the starting area.

So we walked . . .

...and walked.

My daughter decided that she wanted to walk with the rest of our family - so my son took her place and ran the 5K with me.

Mini-Man and His Mom

Mini-man and I warmed up - I ran about 1 mile and then together, we did 4 ten second sprints with 20 second rests. Then, we jogged over to the start. 

I took one look back at our forever changed skyline and the new Freedom Tower currently under construction and thought of my husband John - 'like everything I do, John - I will try my best in this 5K, so I can make you proud'... It was an a honor to be with my family - we were all wearing his name on our race bibs - it was a very emotional day, but I felt very blessed to have my family want to participate in this event with me.

Once at the start, a beautiful rendition of The Star Spangled Banner was sung - and, as always, we were off.

Coach wanted me to run a 6:40/mile pace. Even if the weather cooperated, I don't know if I could have pulled that off - it was 85*F and very humid. Although I didn't set a new PR for my 5K at 22:25 - I know one day I will reach my goal time of 21' ... One day, one day.

I was so excited when I saw that I came in 1st in my age group, and took 3rd Overall Masters:

Woo-Hoo!!!

Third Place Overall Masters Female

Although not everyone could join us after the awards, a few of us headed back down town for the Third Annual WTC Run to Remember After Party at Mudville 9.

The Gang at Mudville 9 post WTC Run to Remember

It was a great day, overall! I even got a sort of commitment to run from my nephew - he told me that he was going try to run with me next year! Yeay! I hope so! I told them all, they gotta follow my blog - then they can learn how to ...

Train Smart Today!

... and keep up with their old Aunt!