Five things Friday.

1. My arms hate me. So does my chest. And my back and my hamstrings. They all hate me for making them so sore. Sore in a good way, I think. They think differently, I guess. How long can I keep this push ups/cross training thing going?
2. I was able to run outside during the day today! Yes, 4.7 miles of happiness. Happiness, I tell ya! So cool.
   
3. I reviewed the Thriv racerback tank over at my other site. Check it out here.
4. Upstate NYers!!! Two things: 1) I'm looking for favorite running routes in Albany/Rensselaer/Saratoga/Schenectady counties for an article I'm working on. Have a fave? Please email me! (felicehalf at yahoo dot com) Or leave a comment. 2) Thinking about racing this weekend? My pick of the week is here.
5. Obviously, I don't have much today. So #5 is a bit weak. In fact, it is nothing. A bullet full of nothing. Sorry. Maybe next week I'll be more creative or, perhaps, if we're all lucky and the stars align properly, more interesting. One can only hope.

Have a terrific weekend, everyone!

~ Felice

OK, arms. The party's over.

Once upon a time, I participated in the hundred push ups challenge. I worked hard to do tons of real, straight leg push ups. I made it through week 5 (of 6) by repeating weeks 3, 4 and 5 over and over. It was tough. I never got to week 6 and never was able to perform all 100 push ups consecutively.

But all was not lost because my arms (and core) had gotten a lot stronger just by doing the push ups three times a week. So, really, it was a win. And I took that win, patted myself on the back, and gave up on push ups for a good year or so.

Sure, I would do them when working out with Jillian Michaels and her Shred girls. That was about it, though. I rarely, if ever, did them just to do them.

Well, the time has come to get back to kicking my own butt. Bring on the push ups!

Lisa over at Chasin' Bunnies wrote about how she's doing the challenge and invited others to join her. I seem to not be able to pass up a challenge because I signed up. I'm in. Get ready, arms! Today, I did the initial test and was able to squeeze out 15 good form, straight leg push ups. I almost made it to 16 but that one was crud and my back was all archy, so it didn't count.

Yes, 15 is a far cry from 100 but I'm not so worried about getting to 100 this time around. Lisa is all low-pressure with this challenge so it's more about building strength than actually reaching a certain number. That should work well for me.

Now, speaking of Jillian Michaels (because we were, right?), I went back the Shred last night. I did Shred level 3 using 6lb weights and I feel a little sore today. I'm going to cut myself some slack because a) I've hardly done any cross training in the past few months and b) Jillian and her girls use 3lb weights. So I'm practically a rock star hoisting my mighty 6lbs. Ha!

Right. So, it's almost Friday! Woo hoo! Enjoy it, everyone!

~ Felice

Night runnin', night runnin'.

With apologies to the Bee Gees* . . .

Night runnin', night runnin'.

We know how to do it.
Gimme that night runnin', night runnin'
We know how to show it.

Since the time change, I've been night runnin'. Running in the pitch dark. I know, I know. It's only been since Sunday but here's the thing: Last year, I avoided dark runs and took refuge in the fluorescent safety of my basement treadmill. This year, I'm toughing it out. Running in the dark. And when it gets colder, I'll run in the cold, too. No wimping out this season!

And so far, so good. There is something almost soothing about running in the dark. There are fewer people out and about, for one thing. No lawn mowers. No dogs. Fewer cars in the neighborhood. When I'm running, there's little to distract me. I hear my breathing and the rhythm of my foot steps.

Sure, the fire hydrants still appear to be serial killers squatting on the side of the road, just waiting for me to get close enough so they can drag me into the woods. And, I'm considering getting a headlamp to avoid mistaking everyday objects for murders. But, overall, my night runs have been peaceful.

So, dark I can handle. Can I handle the cold? That will be the real test. Maybe we'll have a mild winter? In upstate New York? Not likely . . . but a girl can dream!

We'll see how it goes. For now, enjoy a little night runnin', everyone! Night runnin', night runnin' . . .

~ Felice

* For the real thing:

(When will someone bring the medallion-over-white-turtleneck look back?)

Let's hear it for the moms!

It felt like the Olympics all over again.

A late 30-something mom won the marathon yesterday. The New York City Marathon, that is. Like in the 2008 Olympics, when 38-year-old mother Constantina Tomescu-Dita won the gold, I felt a surge of pride when Derartu Tulu crossed the finish line first yesterday. Tulu is 37. She has two birth children and four that she has adopted. She ran the NYC marathon in 2:28:52. She's one fast mother!

It didn't stop with Tulu, though. Lyudmila Petrova, a 41-year-old who is also a mother, finished second. There were other moms banging out awesome times, too (Paula Radcliffe, top American Magdalena Lewy Boulet and Salina Kosgei, all of whom finished in the top 10).

Way to go, moms!

Granted, these aren't regular moms. They are superstar runners. But they are also moms. And from my vantage point as a mom who runs, I think they are superstar cool. They show that you don't have to hang it up (whatever it happens to be) just because you have kids. And Tulu and Petrova show that you can continue to rock it (again, whatever it happens to be) even as you creep up there in age.

Of course, the take-away is that I guess you can't use age (or kids) as an excuse, either!

Watching the marathon made me so happy that I run and reinforced that I want to do this as well as I can for as long as I can.

I had a little extra pep in my step during this evening's run. Thank you, NYC Marathon!

* * *

Wondering how all those celebrities who ran the marathon finished? I did the research for you. Check out my Examiner.com article for the finish times.

~ Felice