Going early, going long.

Some days, I don't even know who I am.

Some days, it seems, I'm an early morning runner. That is not me. Not at all.

Except for when I am training for a marathon. In the middle of the summer. Then, apparently, I turn into that strange being that is the early morning runner.

And I don't mind it -- mostly. So odd, right?

Now, I usually do all of my long runs in the morning and some other runs as well. But when I've done those long runs, they've been at fairly civilized times. 7:30, perhaps. Or 8:00. Times that allow me to sleep until at least 7. Nothing crazy.

On Friday, though, I had 16 miles on the schedule and one of my running pals had to get in to work after the run. So we needed to get out early. Which meant I woke up in the 5s!

Nuttiness.

But I did it. 16 hilly, early-morning miles. Done. The first 10 miles were with Bridget and Elisa and they were full of conversation. The last 6 miles were done alone. Miles 11-14 were run right around marathon goal pace (8:51).

The last two miles were run right around barely running pace. I was dragging. With a mile and a half to go, I wanted to scrap the whole thing. Not just the run but the whole marathon training.

I gave myself a virtual slap upside the head, got back in the game and ran on. I finished the whole 16  miles. And the benefit of starting so early? I still had the whole day ahead of me.

Then, on Tuesday, I got up in the 5s again! This time, to meet a neighbor for an easy run.

We ran a little less than 4 miles together and I ran a mile on my own. I hadn't run with my neighbor since before my half marathon in May so it was good to catch up. Even if it did mean seeing these numbers on the clock when I woke up:

Who am I?

Still the same happy runner, for sure. Just with the renewed ability to bust out some miles early in the morning!

That's what marathon training does, I guess!

Enjoy the rest of your week, everyone!

The Spring Runoff 10K.

So far, this here month of May is shaping up to be a good one.

On Saturday, I ran a 10K. Not a goal race, not even a race I'd been planning to run. Just a 10K that had been on my mind for a bit and that I decided earlier in the week to run.

I went to the race with Bridget and Janis and we met up with Kara at the registration table and set out to run 2 miles before the race started. We did -- but those 2+ miles were goofy. We ran with our goody bags back to Bridget's car. Break. Then we ran for about a mile until we hit the bathrooms. Another break. Then we ran toward Kara's car -- only we couldn't get there because we went the wrong way and it ended up that there were train tracks in our way and we had no interest in jumping them! So, another break.

Finally, we hit the starting line warmed-up from our almost 2.5 miles.

I said good luck to my friends and kept my eye out for my cousin, Kate. I found her and her boyfriend, Felix, and their friend Kyla just before the race started. After the start, I ran with Felix for about a minute before he sped off (and finished in a wicked fast 45:14 -- 7th overall!).

Look at me, hanging with the 20-somethings --

Me, Kate, Kyla, Felix

I had it in my mind that I would try to run 8 minute miles and that I would restrain myself and run a slower first half than second.

Now, if you've ever read one of my race reports, you know that I am just about the worst race starter there is. I start too fast. Pretty much every single time I race. Seriously.

On Saturday, though, I paced myself and ran a smart, strong, solid race. Check out the splits for my first 3 miles:

Mile 1: 8:00
Mile 2: 7:50
Mile 3: 7:51

The race was an out-and-back course, going out for a 5K and then turning around at a cone and going back to the finish for 5K. At the turn-around, a nice volunteer yelled out our 5K splits. Mine was 24:39.

Heading back, I got to see all my friends who were racing and give them some high-5s. It was so invigorating! I think that boost helped me run a faster second half. Well, that and holding myself back for those first miles.

Here are the rest of my mile splits:

Mile 4: 7:45
Mile 5: 7:46
Mile 6: 7:47
last .2: 7:43 pace

Hello, negative splits! I love it.

My friend Elisa made me smile with about a half mile to go.

 
It was a great race. I felt like I was definitely pushing myself, but also running well within my capabilities. The only downer was that my wonky pelvis couldn't contain itself and I felt discomfort in my right hip and hamstring for most of the race. Not cool.

I didn't dwell too much on that because I was busy cheering enthusiastically for my friends and family as they crossed the finish line!

Strong Running Mamas! Jennifer, Janis, me, Kara, Bridget, Elisa

Bridget, Janis and I had to book-it home so we took off before wishing friends -- including our best cheerleader, Elisa -- good luck in the 5K. And then we took our racers' highs out into the world of baseball games and birthday parties. You know, the regular weekend mom stuff!

Here are my race stats:

Overall time: 48:56
Overall pace: 7:53
Age group (F 40-49): 1 out of 15
Overall female: 5 out of 76
Overall place: 15 out of 127

Oh! That's right, I was first in my age group. How's that for a good race?

Now, I'm feeling all kinds of ready for the half-marathon. Just 3 weeks to go!

Thanks for stopping by -- and have a great week!

Strong Running Mama: Diane Montes Harris

Today's Strong Running Mama will prove to you all that you should never give up.

For real. Just check out this story . . .

Diane Montes Harris is a 46-year-old mother of two (Calvin, 20, and Elaine, 19) who works in sales. Both her husband and her son are in the New York Army National Guard -- her son is currently stationed in Kuwait and her husband spent 2012 in Bahrain.

She is also fast. Diane has a marathon PR of 3:53:33 and right now, she is training for the Boston Marathon and will run seven half-marathons in the first half of 2014. Check out her fast times (PRs):

Marathon, 3:53:33
Half marathon: 1:47:22  
Army Ten Miler: 1:20:42 
5K: 23:01

Impressive, right? Yes, for sure. However, even more impressive (to me, at least) and extremely inspirational is where Diane was before she posted her speedy times.

In 1999, Diane was skiing with friends at West Mountain in icy conditions. As she says:

"I volunteered to check things out and determine the safest route down. I stopped at a juncture and did a 'Suzy Chafee swish' (if you ever saw the old Chapstick commercials). My right leg and ski turned. My left leg turned -- but not the ski. There was lots of incredible pain. After a stretcher run down the mountain, they took me to Glens Falls Hospital where they pumped me with A LOT of morphine and determined they didn't know where to start."

Diane would later learn that one place they started was to consider amputation.

Fortunately, that didn't happen:

"I didn't know about the original prognosis or plans until after the heavy sedation lifted. I was not in decision-making mode; luckily the orthopedic surgeon had a plan. It involved dealing with acute compartment syndrome (swelling due to trauma) and an external fixator (looks like a bird cage, they will use this to treat spinal/neck injuries in motorcycle accident victims, for instance). I was only 'freaked out' when, after a couple of weeks, the doctor said I'd never run again and would always walk with a limp! That was unacceptable to me. My kids were 4 and 5 1/2 at the time . . . I was a single mother then, and there were many things I both needed and planned to do with them that involved a high activity level! I never learned the status of my ACL or MCL; I asked, and the doctor said, 'You don't want to know.' That was probably the right answer."

Diane was in the hospital for two weeks with a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula, and shattered tibial plateau.  She spent six months in an external fixator and seven months on crutches. Gradually, she was able to walk without crutches or a cane.

"First it was .1 mile (I remember that one in particular). Then .25 miles. Then a half mile. Eventually I worked up to walking 4-5 miles a day. One day I walked about 12 miles, just because. Then I joined a gym and in addition to weight training I walked on the treadmill. Then I wondered if I could run .  . . worked up a walk/run pattern for a while and got to 2 miles straight.

Eventually I started running outside and about the same time talked to a couple of family friends who were running the SEFCU Labor Day 5K. One of these friends and I then ran a 5K together every month for the following year except either January or February. Later that year (2010), I tried the Great Pumpkin Challenge 10K. Then another friend talked me into the 2011 Mohawk Hudson Half Marathon.  That was so much fun, I had to do a full. I bombed that at 4:10 (injured, sister with breast cancer, husband deployed in Bahrain, more excuses available if needed) so to redeem myself I then ran 4 marathons in 4 months in 2013 (Feb through May), and became a Marathon Maniac before running last year's 5th in October.

So I credit/blame my friend Frank for encouraging me to do my first series of 5Ks, my friend Cynthia for getting me into distance ("why bother with the Boilermaker 15K? Just do a half marathon!") and my husband for buying me a Garmin."

Smiling her way through the Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon

Pretty awesome -- for anyone, let alone someone who almost lost her leg and who was in an external fixator for six months!

Diane has had to deal with some running injuries as well. Last fall, before the Mohawk-Hudson Marathon she had really bad Plantar Fasciitis for which she went to a physical therapist for intense calf massage that helped get her through.

Some of Diane's favorites:

Running gear: "Yaktrax (Pro version) – they have made winter running possible!"

Place to run: "Anywhere flat. I live in a hilly area, so anytime I can get a break from hills I’m happy!"

Race:  "Army Ten Miler"

Time to run: "I'm almost exclusively a morning runner – except when including hill/speed workouts with training partners. It’s easier to prioritize when running early in the day – the rest of the world may change what happens as the day goes on, but early mornings are mine." 

 

Most memorable running achievement: "I ran four marathons between February and May 2013, qualifying as a 'Marathon Maniac' and the March marathon yielded a BQ time!"

 

Yeah, that would seem a bit memorable to me!

One thing that has helped Diane run all of these marathons is having training partners. 

"For my first half marathon in 2011, I trained with a woman who became a good friend – and remains one of my dearest friends.  She suggested I join a training team for my first marathon; many of the folks from the 2012 training group are still my training partners and good friends, and we now travel together to other races.  There’s something about the support, motivation, camaraderie – something that happens as you go through the trenches together – that makes the finish line so much more special.  Not only are you celebrating your own accomplishment, but the triumphs of those around you.  And on rough days or after a rough finish, you don’t have to explain yourself -- you know that someone understands exactly what you’re going through."

As someone who used to run alone all the time, but now values running and training with friends, I believe Diane is right on!

Speaking of running with friends . . . I asked Diane what "strong running mama" means to her:

"To me, that means two things: First, a woman who’s willing and able to give herself the gift of fitness, health, strength, accomplishment – not at the expense of family responsibilities, but as an integral part of who she is/her identity within the family (it’s very easy to always put everyone’s needs first and run out of time for oneself); second, we all know our kids learn by watching what we do, not what we say.  Placing a value on physical activity and health, and demonstrating how to work that in as an important part of life is a HUGE life lesson.  (i.e., my daughter completed the Mohawk Hudson Half Marathon in 2013!)"

Yup. Totally agree.

And I am sure that Diane has set a great example for her kids -- and probably for most of us who've read her story! I'm sure there are many people who would have accepted their doctor's word that they'd never run again and would only walk with a limp. But not Diane. She had a busy life to lead so she sure proved that doctor wrong!

Let's hope we could all be that strong.

Thanks for sharing this, Diane. You're an inspiration!

Have a great week, everyone!

 

A running hurrah.

Two years ago, I ran the New Jersey Marathon. I trained through a mild winter with some great friends -- some long-time friends, some new ones -- and ended the training cycle with a memorable New Jersey weekend that will forever live in my mind as one of those really, really awesome times of my life.

Cheers! It was such a fun weekend!

One of the women I got to know while training for the marathon was Gail. We ran together some before the marathon and then had that super marathon weekend away. After the race, we continued to run here and there. And, as it goes with running, when you're out there running 10 (or however many) miles, you talk about pretty much everything. You get to know people on the run and I thoroughly enjoyed talking with Gail whenever we ran together.

Fittingly, Gail is right in the middle.

Now, though, Gail is taking off. She's moving away sniff, sniff so her dear friend Elisa put together a running "last hurrah" for her on Saturday.

I think there were 12 of us who came out to celebrate Gail, including most of us from the NJ Marathon crew (and that includes Melissa, who just had a baby!), and a few other running pals. We ran a little more than 9 miles, starting together, but then spreading out over the miles. We all came back together at the turn-around where we chatted for a bit and then spread out again as we got running. We were back together again at the end:

Gail's Last Hurrah! Post-run -- Lara, Heidi, Elisa, Gail, Mike, Ginny, Melissa, Bridget, me, Janis (missing Sheila, Melissa D, and Karyn). Running friends rock!!

 
Elisa did a super job organizing the run and making the whole thing special. She even got the weather to cooperate . . . how nice of her!

It was the perfect way to send off a running friend -- with a run. We'll miss running with Gail, but we're all so happy for her!

So, cheers to Gail! And cheers to running friends! Mine sure are awesome.

Have a great week, everyone!

A week of running.

Finally. A week of good running for this happy runner!

Following the Runnin' of the Green on Saturday, I took Sunday and Monday off to rest my legs. On Tuesday, I was fortunate to get a quick 4.25 mile run in, before my little guy got sick that evening. I am no kind of fan of the stomach bug, that's for sure. But, I am happy that the rest of us avoided getting sick. Phew!

Wednesday was all about taking care of my patient, and he was such a good one, even though he felt lousy.

Smiling through the stomach bug -- but look at those sad eyes!!

Thursday was back to normal and I went to my physical therapy appointment and then for another quick 4.25 mile run. At my appointment, my PT taped my injured area with KT tape so I'm giving that a try. So far, so good!

On Saturday, the boys started swimming lessons -- which they loved -- and I sneaked in a sunny-but-windy run later in the afternoon.

And that brings me to today.

It was cold. It was windy. The route was hilly. We started early.

Yes, this morning I ran 10 enjoyable miles with Bridget and Janis, plus a bonus of 4+ with our friend, Elisa. They were tough miles, but we covered them at a 9:44 pace. Go, us!

Overall, I ran 22.5 miles for the week. That's my highest weekly mileage since the first week of January. January! Sheesh. Yeah, I'm happy to be getting back on track.

My hope now is that I stay on track. I could use a long stretch of good, solid training.

And, with that, I'm off. Have a great week, everyone!

  

No worries.

Here's why I should never worry about running and racing:

On Friday, I worried that overnight snow  would wreck my Saturday morning running plans. But the weather people were wrong. We only got a dusting of snow, not the 2-4 inches that had been predicted. I didn't need to worry.

So, I was able to get 7 miles in with Bridget and Elisa. It was a great run, sure, but it also included a little worry. See, earlier in the week we, and our friend Janis, had emailed and talked about spring half marathons. We all wanted to run one but couldn't find one that was going to work with our schedules. We chatted about it on the run, and bemoaned the fact that none of the races were going to work out.

And then, probably 5 miles into the run, we figured it out. It all fell into place. JustLikeThat. We didn't need to worry.

Now, we're all registered:

Boston, here we come!!

I'm so excited to have this race on the schedule. Our friend, and super-awesome runner, Sheila has run this race the past three years and says it is a great one. Can't wait to find out!

The race is in late May, so I have plenty of time to continue with my easy winter running before starting to train in February. Just be prepared: You'll probably be hearing a lot more about this race from me!

Now, tell me:  Have you run Boston's Run to Remember? 

Do you know anyone who has? Have any thoughts or suggestions? 

 I'd love to know!

Thanks for stopping by ------