Freihofer's Run for Women 5K spectator report.

The Freihofer's Run for Women in Albany is one of my favorite races. It's an all-women race that draws a huge local crowd, as well as some of the best elite runners in the world.

Plus, it was the first race that the women I trained back in 2010 ever ran.

So, I was a bit sad to not be able to run this year. I wanted to. I registered. But my bum hip kept me away from the starting line. It didn't, however, keep me away from the race.

On Saturday, I was a full-on spectator with my friend, Elisa:

We positioned ourselves just before the 3 mile mark so we could cheer for all of our strong running mama friends -- and everyone else who was kicking it to the finish line.

It was great fun. I loved watching my friends run by and seeing the pride in all of the runners' faces was inspiring. It was a hot day -- 79 degrees at the start -- and you could tell the run was tough for a lot of the runners. But they ran on. Awesome.

Here's a pre-race shot of several of us from Strong Running Mamas. Everyone looks so fast. Elisa and I look so, civilian.

Ah, well. Next year I hope to be back at the Freihofer's, speeding down the Madison Ave hill instead of lamely walking it.

Fingers crossed!

Have a great week, everyone!

CDPHP Workforce Team Challenge spectator report

Yesterday evening, with temperatures creeping into the mid-80s, Conal and I made our way to the Empire State Plaza to cheer for Owen in the CDPHP Workforce Team Challenge. The 3.5-mile race is a local version of the Corporate Challenge and it attracts a huge crowd:

There were over 8600 runners signed up for the race, which made for crowded conditions on the streets of Albany!

Conal and I found Owen, after struggling to make our way through the traffic (what should have been a 15-20 minute trip took 45!).

We wished Owen good luck and he took off to line up. Then we met up with a friend so I could watch her son while she ran the race. While the runners were off sweating on the streets, the boys and I ran around the plaza:

OK, they did most of the running and I did most of the chasing and the yelling, "boys, wait!" but you get the idea. After 17 or so minutes of free-range running, we booked it to the finish line to watch the the runners come in. The winner crossed the line in 17:35 (whoa!) and I have to admit it was exciting to watch the speedy runners. Normally, I'm in the race so I don't get to see the top finishers and I always enjoy it.

We stood at the sidelines to watch Owen run to the finish and then headed back to our meeting spot so the boys could tackle each other for about a solid half hour. They never got tired of tackling. Except for when they shook it up a bit and played some sort of Sumo wrestler type thing. Bored, they were not!

It was a hectic evening but nice to see so many people out running. I'm sure there were many people who only run this one race each year and I think, good for them! Maybe they'll start to run more, who knows?

Now, we're gearing up for the weekend. It is supposed to be really hot up here -- feeling like summer!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

~ Felice

PS: I have a B-natal Therapops giveaway going on here.