2010...by the running numbers!

2010 was really a great year for me!

• I ran 6 races including 2 half marathons!  
• I PRed the 5K at 28:05.  My goal for the year was to break 30 in a 5K.  
• I also ran a 2:13 half marathon.  My goal time for the half was 2:20...another PR!  
• I also scored PRs in the 10 mile Broad Street Run and the 10K...but given these were my first races at these distances, I can't legitimately claim a PR.

According to my Nike+ chip, I ran 656 miles in 2010 and burned over 70,000 calories.  We know the stats are slightly off because sometimes I didn't wear it, sometimes it needed to be recalibrated, etc.  Generally speaking, we can say I ran about 700 miles!  WOO HOO!

I finally got out and ran yesterday after a week and 1/2 of being sick.  I logged 6 miles at a total time of 1:02.  I hope to get a 9 miler in tomorrow to finish the year strong and ensure I can eat and drink without regret on Friday night.

Happy New Year!

Dare I say...a bit better!

Whew...I finally am starting to feel back to myself. I love the fact that I can breathe threw my nose again and don't wake up with the sahara in my mouth!

Headed out to spend some kiddo gift cards today & out to lunch. It'll be a nice Mom and kid day! ML went to work (he missed yesterday) and will go to the game tonight.  Company for dinner...

That's all from our neck of the (frozen) woods.

Christmas recap...

The kids had a great day....ARL got her much coveted ipod Touch and JAL got a lot of bakugan and wii games.  The whole family got a laptop.

As for me, I survived...but miserably.  I hate being sick on Christmas.  I couldn't taste any of my food and really didn't have much of an appetite.  My family assures me all the food was hot and good.  The beef was able to be cut with a table knife.  Honestly, I would say (based on others comments) that it was really good...not $300 good...but, really good.   We could have done petite filet and lobster for $300.

I fell asleep on the couch at 8:30 and went up to bed at 9.  Being sick sucks.  Oh well, here's hoping I'm healthy for new years.  I got some drinking to catch up on!!

I feel horrible for my poor hubby.   He will get no help from we with shoveling tonight.  Plus, our neighbors are away, so he has 2 houses to do.  8-12 inches with no help...no fun.  Thankfully, the Eagles were smart enough to reschedule.  Sorry, Joan...looks like it'll be another girls night (+ JAL).

A not so merry Christmas...

I will try my best to be joyous, but it's gonna be tough...

I'm sick...can't breathe out of my nose, ears constantly popping, annoying cough...yeah, it's fun.

My hubby lost his job.  They told him on 12/21.  12/20 was his birthday....At least they didn't ruin his birthday.

The sump pump froze yesterday, the oven broke today (and I'm hosting Christmas tomorrow...see the Beef post!)  Can't wait to see the emergency repair bill for the oven.

Lovely.  Hoping everyone else has a great day!

What a game! The Eagles gave us an early Christmas present today!

BEEF...it's what's for (Christmas) dinner!

Quick apology to all the vegetarians/animal activists out there...

Traditionally, we have turkey every year on Christmas.  There's nothing wrong with turkey...I just wanted to change up the menu a bit this year.  I was inspired by friend Danielle who really knows how to throw a party.  Soooo, I went a "googling" and found this recipe.

First, know that I love Guy Fieri!  I could watch Triple D for hours straight (and gain 5 lbs while doing so because I keep hitting the fridge).

Second, any recipe that has 63 Five Star Reviews has to be unbelievable.  People are so critical these days.  For not one person to give it less than 5 stars...well that's just impressive!

I ordered the hunk of beef from our local butcher.  I knew it was going to be pricey, but $301 later, I was still shell shocked.  Despite the price, isn't it gorgeous?

The roast was a bit bigger than we needed.  It was 21 lbs and we only needed 14 lbs.  So, I got out our super big, extra sharp (watch your fingers) Henckel and cut off 1/3 of it.  The knife carved through it effortlessly!

Step One of Guy's recipe is to wash, pat dry, and wrap in 3 layers of chessecloth.  Here's our baby after Step One:

Off to the refrigerator for night one of dry aging.   Tonight, We'll remove the cheesecloth and re-wrap with a fresh piece.  Then it goes back in the fridge to sit undisturbed for 9 more days of dry aging.

I'm so excited for my Christmas roast....almost as excited as the kids are about their presents.  Family who reads this blog...I hope your mouth is watering with anticipation!

Weekend report!

It was a great one... JAL scored in his game on Saturday helping to bring his team to a 3-0 record.  ARL performed in her winter holiday recital and danced beautifully! 

During the holiday season, I try to remind myself how fortunate we are.  I'm thankful for my two beautiful, talented, happy children.  We are already looking forward to next weekend...JAL's team is going for another win to make their team 4-0 and ARL is performing 3 shows of 101 Dalmations.  She plays Patch.

Thanks Kids for bringing me so much joy every day.

The cold gets you movin'!

Nothing like a brisk (and I mean downright cold) run to get your day going! I did my regular 3 miles in 29 minutes. Not quite a PR, but good enough for me!

I've been a bit "punchy" all week since I have not run since Sunday. It has just been too cold and windy. Granted it was cold today (it's 24 out there), but the wind really does make all the difference. Bring on the weekend...I saw 40s and 50s on the forecast!

Blog readers...if you haven't already done so, please check out my website:  www.eternalmemorycandle.com and like me on http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eternal-Memory-Candle/116916075040535!  The business has officially launched!

8 miles today...felt great!

It's been nice running without pain. Really nice.  At that to my list of things to be thankful for.  This week's tallies include a 3 miler, a 4 miler, and 8 today.  I'll try to get out for 6 or 7 tomorrow. 

Life is busy, but good.  This week brought a few proposals at work (one was for $350K...keep your fingers crossed for me on that one) and the near finalization of my website (www.eternalmemorycandle.com).  All I need is a picture on the product page and the website will be done.  I'm starting to approach retailers now!!

Kiddos are good...ARL keeps busy with friends, chorus, drama, violin and homework!  JAL spends most time playing bakugans with a neighbor!  Mike is out on a run now clocking his miles for the weekend!

NOT broken!

WOO HOO!

Looks like I'll be able to run with my old crew at Fleet Feet in the morning. I will definitely need to log some miles to work off all the pumpkin pie from yesterday and the gnocchi I'm making tonight.

Happy long weekend everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone has a great day of wonderful food and great friends/family to share it with.

So, I still don't have my damn xray results back.  One would think it should be back in a day...two at the most.  Apparently, my foot must be complicated. 

Anyway, I was a bad girl and ran on Tuesday.  It was 60+ degrees here in Philly and I was itching to get out.  It had been over 2 weeks.  I NEEDED to run.  I couldn't wait any longer on the x-ray.  I ran my regular 3 mile route and felt like I did well.  I was stunned (and not in a good way) at my time.  31 minutes.  WHAAAATTTTT....when did I cross back into over a 10 minute mile pace.  I thought I was faster than that.  My last 5K was a 28:05.  That's what taking two weeks off will do to you.

This morning I headed out for 6 miles.  More running = more pumpkin pie later!!  I felt great until it started sleeting on me the last mile.  I did it in 59 minutes at a 9:43 pace.  Much better.  It is now snowing and absolutely gorgeous! 

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Black Friday Madness

Wow...where did November go?  I can't believe it's Thanksgiving already.  I am looking forward to some time off to enjoy some good food with family and friends.

One thing I won't be doing...Black Friday.  I have no desire to get up at the crack of dawn (or not even go to bed) to go to stores and fight the crowds/traffic/rude people.  I am just losing my patience, I guess.  Ask me about my Babies R Us experience...and prepare yourself for the onslaught because it still makes me mad and it happened nearly 2 weeks ago.  Nope, I'll be sleeping in on Black Friday.  Once the whole family rolls out of bed, we'll put up our tree and all our decorations.  Then, our friends Bill, Jen and their son Tyler are coming for dinner.  I doubt I'll ever leave the house.  And you know what, that's fine with me!

Is it broken?

Notice the lack of posts? It's because I'm not running. I've taken the week off to see if my left foot would start to feel better. It didn't. I went for xrays yesterday. I will find out on Monday.

I HATE not running. I'm not happy when I'm not running. I'm grumpy, bitchy, and it makes me feel bloated. I get even more pissed when I'm driving to work and one of the songs on my running play list comes on. It makes me want to run even more.

Keep your fingers crossed it is just a tendon issue and it will heal soon.I don't think I could bear 6 weeks of this...I may end up like Beth at Shut Up and Run!  Her posts on her new life in the pool are hysterical.  Check them out.
 

Why can't I stay on my 'effin feet?

I fell again. Yes, again. This is the third time I have fallen on a run. The first was the worst...remember the nasty spill this summer (see injury report here).  The second time was during the last 1/2 marathon I ran on halloween.  This fall was totally explainable because we were on a rocky trail covered by fallen leaves.  There is no excuse for the third one that happened this weekend when I was out on a 6.5 mile run with my friend Wayne.  I just tripped.   Damn, I'm a klutz.

We had a great weekend in Baltimore with our friends Wayne and Michelle.  Thankfully, not nearly as eventful as our last visit (see Putting it in Perspective).  We ate (Michelle is a great cook), drank (a lot) and just relaxed.  The kids played great together.   I got in two nice runs...they live in a hilly area so I really appreciated the challenge (despite Saturday's fall).  Coupled with my 11 miler on Thursday, I estimate I did 20 miles in 4 days!

Back to work, back to school, and back to reality.  Only a few more days until Thanksgiving.  Fall really does fly by.

Another PR!

Yesterday's Free to Breathe was cold...but I think the cold helped me run faster! We had a record turn out and donations! 

The race began at 8:30.  The first km was tough with jockeying for position and running room.  I hit the 1 mile mark at 9:27.  I new I needed to step it up to get in my goal time of somewhere in the 28s.  I hit the 2 mile mark at 18 and new I had this in the bag!  I finished at 28:05.   That's 1:05 faster than my last 5K from the summer!

Free to Breathe TOMORROW!!

The Philadelphia Free To Breathe 5k is tomorrow!  This is how my whole running career began!  With a simple google of "walks for lung cancer".  Who knew it would turn me into a runner??  This race will be my second year on the planning committee and running it.  Last year I was recovering from bronchitis and got a 31:33.  Not bad for a sickie.  I hope to come in somewhere in the 28s tomorrow. 


A lot of people say their life changes after they lose a loved one.  For me, that would be a huge understatement.  My Dad has motivated and inspired me so many times since he's passed.  I've created a product as a result of his passing.  I'm pursuing a dream in bringing this product to the market to help folks celebrate and remember their loved ones.  I've become a runner whose completed two 1/2 marathons.  Every run provides a quiet time to reflect on my wonderful memories of my Dad.

Life is short.  Seize each day and make a difference. 

Oktober Lauf Fest 1/2 Marathon Recap

Quick Version: 

Beautiful, crisp, fall day in upper 50's.  Gorgeous, scenic course in PennyPack Park with no traffic, but beware of hidden rocks on the trail.   Finish time of 2:13:33...12 minutes faster than my last 1/2 marathon!!

Long Version:

My goals for this half marathon were to finish the race, run the whole race, and seek redemption from my failed 2:20 goal in the Rock N Roll Half Marathon on 9/19.  I was disappointed in my 2:25 time at the Rock N Roll half...recall that I had a horrible side stitch and right side quad cramp and walked most of mile 11.  As a result of my cramping issues at the Rock N Roll half, I adjusted my race strategy for this 1/2 by drinking electrolyte (NUUN) from the beginning of the race and doing shot blocks at the half way point.  I guess it paid off!

We started out in grass and quickly moved onto a paved trail.  It was a small field of about 170 runners.  The field thinned quickly and I never felt like I had to jockey for position like you do in larger races (like Broad St and the Rock N Roll Half).  I settled into my happy pace pretty early on and was quite comfortable rockin' out to my newly created playlist.  The course has some really steep hills (although quite short).  I was cruising nicely up (and down) them and was feeling great.  I was thanking my running buddy Jeff for all the hill training he drug me on...especially when I was passing folks who were walking the hills!  I caught up with two women ahead of me and were chatting with them as we approached 1/2 way.  At 6.5 miles I was at 1:03 which is PHENOMENAL for me.  I chomped my shot blocks and continued on.  At about mile 7, there was an aid station.  I refilled my water bottle and headed off into the trail portion of the course.  And then the hell began....

They warned us at the start that there were lots of rocks on the trail and that the falling leaves were covering them.  I slowed down immediately on the uneven ground.  I HATE unstable footing.  I kept focusing myself on watching my feet and trying not to get lost in the music or the beauty of the scenery.  I rolled my right ankle twice with bad foot placement.  Somewhere after mile 8, my left foot hit a rock in a bad way and I fell.  I got up, brushed off, winced in pain, and realized I needed to keep going.  Those first few steps were painful until the adrenaline & endorphins kicked in and my body realized I was going to run through the pain.  I paid extra careful attention to my footing the rest of the trail.

I was never so happy to see a paved path again.  I put my head down and took off.  At mile 10, a woman next to me told me we were at 1:42.  WOW...again, much faster than I anticipated.  How could this be with a fall and a sore left ankle?  For comparison, my Broad Street time was 1:50 and my 10 mile time in my previous 1/2 marathon was 1:45.  At this point, I'm smiling because I know I have 2:20 in the bag. 

I plowed through the last 3 miles.  As I approached the finish, I smiled ear to ear when I saw Mike and the kids had decided to come and surprise me at the finish.  2:13:33!  WOO HOO!  So proud.

The foot was pretty swollen and red yesterday and I had quite a limp.  Today, it seems noticeably better.

One Word....REDEMPTION!

2:13:32.  12 minutes quicker than my previous half on 9/19/10. And, I even fell on the trail part of the course.

I couldn't be more proud of myself.  Full race recap (including the fall) coming soon...for now, I'm going to sit in the hot tub.


All for my Dad who is smiling down on me today.  He continues to inspire, lead, and motivate!

Rocking Horse Ranch!

We're back from an absolutely wonderful (albeit exhausting) weekend at Rocking Horse Ranch (www.rhranch.com).  Here's what we did in 3 jam packed days....(deep breath in)....

Rode (1 hour trail rides), saw a blacksmith make horse shoes & a horse get horse shoes on, Bungee jumped (on a trampoline), rock climbed, moon bounce, peddle boats, 1.25 mile pedestrian walkway over the Hudson river surrounded by the beautiful fall foliage, horse drawn wagon ride, bonfire with marshmallows, magician, juggler, indoor water park, stable tour, spongebob trivia, wii room, karaoke, archery, and ate, ate ate.

A few pictures...since words are not sufficient to describe our great weekend!

Another week...busy, busy, busy....

Lots going on again (what else is new)....quick summary to keep everyone up to speed....

•  Running:  I did 12.4 last Saturday including conquering Shawmont!  For those non-locals, Shawmont Ave is a 300' vertical climb that is 1 mile long.  It's considered a rite of passage around here...I did it on my first try (without walking) and then proceeded to run another 10 miles after that.  I won't lie...I was sore on Sunday.  I ran another 6 on Tuesday (my fastest 6 miles ever) and will go 3 more tomorrow.  I will probably do one more long run (10 miles) before the 1/2 marathon I'm doing on Halloween morning.
• Family:  Kiddos are good.  Hubby is good.  All our healthy and happy which is the way I like it!  ARL got a new part in the play...She's now Patch (instead of Spot) and picked up some more lines.  JAL is really doing well in soccer...they are on a winning streak!  
• Work:  BUSY!  But, busy is good!  I'm picking up some new clients and absolutely adore my new boss.  He's a great leader and truly believes in growing his people.  No, he doesn't read my blog...so I'm not kissing up!  
• Entrepreneurial Venture:  Website is a work in progress.  Logo is finalized (see previous post), prototypes are being made and will begin retailer solicitation soon.  I love that my new business now gets mail!  It makes me smile every day when I see mail in the mailbox addressed to EMC!  I guess someone figured out how to buy LLC and EIN records!  They must be public domain somewhere!

All for now...I've got a proposal to write before we go out in the hot tub!

Finally....

My dream is becoming a reality.  October 12 marked the official birth or Eternal Memory Candle!  Stay tuned for more information.

New sneaks, shot blocks, and one more training run....

I've been having some minor pain in my right arch lately. I really should learn to listen to my body...when the arch starts hurtin', it's time for new sneaks. I went to Fleet Feet (the best running store ever) and got a new pair of my favorites...Brooks Adrenaline. I took them out for a spin on the sidewalk and the difference is amazing...NO ARCH PAIN!

I also picked up some shot blocks in orange.  I'm going to do two things differently for this 1/2 marathon (not counting the new sneaks)...

-I'm going to hydrate with electrolytes from the start (previous 1/2 marathon I didn't start until the 1/2 way point)
-I'm going to do shot blocks at the 1/2 way point

I'm hoping these two things will help prevent the side stitch and quad cramp I got last time.  Funny thing though...I never had a quad cramp or a side stitch in my training runs prior to the 1/2 (or in my trainng runs since, for that matter).  Think its mental?

12 or 13 this weekend and then the taper begins.

That wasn't so bad...

12 miles in 2:08.  It's actually a tie for my fastest 12 mile time ever.  I've run 12 in 2:08 only once before.

A big thanks to my running buddy Jeff who keeps me going.  He says we're doing 13 next week. 

I see pizza and drinks in my future tonight! 

12 miles tomorrow morning

Tomorrow AM, I will be running the first of my long runs in preparation for the OktoberFest 1/2 marathon. I'm kinda a geek, but the clothes are already laid out in the bathroom (so I don't disturb sleeping hubby while getting ready), the alarm is set (and double checked), and the ipod and breakfast area all ready for me.

I'll start at 6:30 and be done by 8:40.  I can't wait!  I still am surprised I'm doing another 1/2 marathon (especially so quickly after the last one).  In 12 hours from now, I'll be a sweaty & exhausted, but smiling nonetheless.

Have a great weekend and good luck to all who are racing!

What am I thinking?

I signed up for another 1/2 marathon. 

It's on October 31...26 days from today.

It's a fundraiser for lung cancer, so I couldn't resist. 

So much for enjoying my leisurely runs...my runs that were when I wanted to go for whatever distance I felt like.  Back to the schedule...back to the training.

Why do I do this to myself?  (You know I'm smiling as I right this...this running bug has really got a hold of me.)

Busy weekend ahead!

My poor neglected blog. I have been so freakin' busy this week that I don't have time for it anymore.

I've been enjoying "casual" runs again...no setting of the alarm, no being forced to go X miles at Y pace.  Just getting out and running for fun.  I did 8 miles on Saturday, 4 miles on Monday and 6 miles on Wednesday.  I'll get a quick run in tonight before we head to our friend's house for dinner.

I keep making progress on the biz...had a logo design meeting this week with a graphic artist and my webpage designer. 

Kiddos are good...ARL was picked to be Spot in 101 Dalmatians and JAL won his first soccer game last weekend.  2 soccer games this weekend, company picnic in NJ, dinner with my sister, drama practice, and a long run (10+ miles) all in store.  

Where the heck have I been?

It seems like just yesterday I was blogging about the 1/2 and here it is a week later and no posts. Some may call me a slacker, my daughter may call me lazy (she'll never make that mistake again), but in reality, I've just been BUSY!  Busy doing what, you ask?

Working a full time job, being a mom and carting my kids around, volunteering and fundraising for the National Lung Cancer Partnership, and launching my own company. Yup, you read that right...launching my own company!  I even have an EIN number...not that I'm bragging or anything. Stay tuned...more on my entrepreneurial venture coming soon.

My poor hubby and cat...they didn't even make the list of what's been keeping me busy.  :(  

I went on my first run post 1/2 marathon this morning.  3 miles in 29 minutes....not too shabby for these tired legs!

Happy Friday!

I did it!! WOO HOO!!

Philly Rock-n-Roll 1/2 Marathon Recap:

The day started off uneventful...just how I like race mornings to go.  We got to the city early, I met my 1/2 marathon training group with no problems.  I didn't have to wait in any porta potty lines or go in a gross porta potty since I had access to the VIP Brooks "Potty Like A Rock Star" trailer.  These bathrooms are freakin' awesome!  Hard wood floors, real toilets that flush, running water to wash your hands...I loved it!  Definitely worth it to buy Brooks gear to get the sticker that gets you in!

I was in Coral 14 to start.  I ran into one of my daughter's friend's Dad.  It was nice to talk to him to take my nerves off waiting to start.  I crossed the mat with 17:14 already on the clock.  I like to keep this number in my mind to get a more accurate idea of my chip time as I start clocking off the miles.

Mile 1 was right at a 10:14 pace.  I was fine with that.   I really get paranoid about going out too fast.  Mile 2 was a 10 minute pace.  Two really nice people offered me inspiration and commented on my shirt between miles 1 and 2.  For those new to following my blog, I was running today in memory of my Dad.  He passed away after a short battle with lung cancer on 4/29/08.  Today, 9/19, would have been his 67th birthday.

Miles 3-6 were very uneventful.  I was keeping a nice 10 to 10:10 pace.  My 5K split time was 31:31.  My 10K split time was 1:04:14.  I was feeling strong and really good about my progress.  I kept going strong miles 7-10.  I stopped to refill the water bottle at the water station after mile 7.  I crossed the mat at 10 miles at 1:46:17.  This made me smile as I shaved 5+ minutes off my Broad Street finish (10 miler) back in May!

Between Miles 11-12, I had a horrendous side stitch on the left.  I had to slow down, walk, and breathe through the pain.  I started to run when I thought I had it controlled.  However, the walking didn't help my right quad which then cramped up.  It was hard as a rock and I was really in pain and mentally feeling down.  I was walking  a good bit...My Nike+ chip tells me I clocked a pathetic 16 minute miles between 11 and 12.  Lovely.

I started running again when I saw the Mile 12 sign.  That's when the nicest guy started talking to me.  He was encouraging me and getting me to talk about my Dad.  He left me for a little bit commenting that "he had to go back and check on his other girlfriend who he noticed was walking again".  He came back to me again during mile 12 and kept encouraging me telling me how proud my Dad would be, how proud he was of me, and to keep going...we had less than a 1/2 mile left.  This guy is my hero...he was so nice and offered so much encouragement.  Wish I had gotten his name...

My hubby was right after the Mile 13 marker and captured this great pic:

I finished with a finish time of 2:25:02.  Not quite the 2:20 goal I had in mind...but not bad for my first 1/2, either.  Did I just say that...my FIRST 1/2?

How's this for some bling?

I came home and sat in our hot tub for a bit.  Now, I'm gonna sit down and relax before we have to head out for our fundraiser dinner tonight.  Our family is hosting an event to raise money for our team, Team Charlie's Angels, for the Nov. 7 Free To Breathe 5K.  All proceeds benefit the National Lung Cancer Partnership!

Happy Birthday Dad...Love you...Miss you!  We're working hard to keep your memory alive and help others afflicted have a better shot at survival.