Moms on the Run 5k - 2015

FIRST RACE OF THE 2015 SEASON!!!

Thanks to Moms on the Run for sponsoring.  All proceeds of the event goes to the charity 68 Hours of Hunger.  I recommend checking them out!

Picking up bib numbers at the pre-registration tables.

Soooo, it's done.  Wasn't a great time, but I wasn't sitting on the couch, either.

Things runners need to know about Dover, NH road races.  First of all, the weather is mercurial at best.  On a previous Mother's Day race, SwimGirl and I ran in long leggings and sweatshirts and were not in the least too warm.  This year, warmth was NOT an issue.  Being the proud owner of a "pasty, white girl" complexion, I ran in a long-sleeved wicking shirt in order to avoid getting burned.  Bigbigbig mistake.  While comfortable standing around in said shirt at 8:30 in the am, once I started running.....TOO HOT.  And I'd ever-so-brilliantly pinned my number on it, so there was no taking it off during the race.  I was a sweaty, red mess by the end of the run.

Next thing about Dover - IT'S BLESSED HILLY.  As in the old time-y saying, "Had to go uphill both ways to get to school."   Yup.  That about sums it up.  Hills.  Big hills, little hills and everything in between.  Hate them.

Gotta remember another thing about racing/running in New England states...in most areas, sidewalks are optional.  This loop was well-planned by the race coordinators, as they both are SERIOUS athletes, and sidewalks were available most of the time, not to mention the Dover Police Department had done a nice job setting out traffic cones to make additional street-side room for runners.  However, not every stretch had sidewalks, requiring runners to deal with running on sandy shoulders and having to maneuver around decomposing macadam shoulders.  Gotta love suburban trail running!

On a personal venting note, I do have a small beef for some of the runners.  THIS IS NOT THE OLYMPICS.  Some of us are leisure runners who run so we can enjoy carbs.  We are out for the exercise and fun.  We KNOW to start away from the front and to STAY OUT of the way.  Got that - no prob.  Please remember kids 12 and under are running.  They need to be educated about race protocol and given guidelines, not run over.  'Nuf said.

The race/run is fun, family-friendly, and spirited.  A family friend won the women's age group for 65 & over!  So cool!  It's a great way to start a Mother's Day.  I caught up with friends I hadn't seen for months, watched SwimGirl enjoy herself immensely, and my husband happily took pictures all morning.  Great start to a beautiful day.

Getting ready to step off!

Starting Anew.....

Sooooo, I'm no longer 39.  Nope, I'm 45.

Starting over is not exactly what I'm doing.  Instead, I prefer to think I'm starting anew.  I realize speed is an issue; hills just about destroy any pacing I even thought of having.  However, getting a run in means less couch sitting and guilt.  My goal is to stay in my clothing and not purchase new pieces because I can no longer button them.  To my utter disgust, I discovered something while out on runs the past week...catcalls have nothing to do with age, speed, or condition.

I couldn't believe it.  My grey-haired, ponytailed, middle-aged self  received CATCALLS.  Wait....WHAT?!  Yup.  From late-teen-to-mid-twenty-year-old "men".  These souls took up residence outside of one of Dover's local day labor sites, 2-liter bottles of Coke and cigs in hard, slouching and trying to look "cool".  These "men" took up the entire sidewalk regardless of those attempting to walk by.   Car doors open over the sidewalk with work boots sprawled in the faces of passersby.  Catcalling.

You.  Have.  Got.  To.  Be.  Kidding.  All I wanted to do was finish my run.  Dover is made of hills - all hills in all directions.   No matter how carefully a route is planned,  runners will encounter numerous hills, as I did knew I would find on my last mile towards home.  The last thing I needed was to be insulted by oversized children while sweaty, red, and panting.

I called out, "Good morning - excuse me!", as I went by.  Sounds polite enough, right?  I am now the proud recipient of jeers and yelling.  Seriously?!

So go around, yes?  No.  I live here and this is my most direct route home.

Go at a different time?  No.  The time I chose to run is the time that works best in my day.

Ignore them?  Not gonna happen.  One of my favorite quotes from Fried Green Tomatoes states, "I'm older and I have more insurance."  So, I'm taking my frustration to the blogosphere.

Note to those standing in line - please do the following to make life easier for those sharing the sidewalk:

1. Stand closer to the door of the establishment you're using.  
2. You have the right to smoke; I also have the right to breathe.  Don't blow smoke at me.
3. Keep your opinions to yourselves.  You don't look cool, you look uneducated, particularly when you insult me with poor grammar.
4. If someone says, "Good morning!", a simple nod will suffice.  At least pretend to be polite and who knows, your own day might improve.

On the flip side, as I ran past the other day labor site, the men sitting outside that establishment nodded and smiled at me, obviously thinking, "Crazy woman!"  However, they kept their thoughts to themselves.  Why, perhaps?  Dunks is directly across the street - caffeine makes early morning better.

Community Supported Agriculture

In an effort to shop local and be healthy, Team Runnermom has joined the localvore movement and invested in a CSA (community supported agriculture). We paid for a full share in Wiggin Farm in Stratham, NH, which we found through Seacoast Eat Local, an organization which provides the NH/ME Seacoast communities with Farmers' Markets throughout the year.

Before heading to the gym for a run (toooooo hot today to run outside! Yowza!), I stopped at our local Chamber of Commerce to pick up our share. YUM. We received a beautiful bunch of Swiss Chard along with 2 bulbs of spring garlic - I promptly turned that into dinner - along with spring turnips, baby bok choi (YUM, redux), kale, a beautiful head of lettuce, tat soi (gotta look that one up), and popcorn(??). All was bunched and ready to go. Wiggin also provides the CSA folks with discounts on eggs and flowers, from which I held back today.

Bravo to Wiggin for delivering to our Farmers' Market. Convenient and fresh. Supporting a local farm. Trying new things.....what is a tat soi anyway?

Fabulous NE weather we're having

May ended with a heat blast; June started with a blow.

The last 2 days have not been wonderful for outdoor training. The mere mention of a tornado in NH simply sent me inside. With my luck, as soon as I was halfway down my selected route, a wind and/or thunderstorm would wreak havoc on the landscape. Therefore, I chose to exercise inside.

I knew I had to get a good run accomplished, as SwimGirl will participate in a 3-day swim meet starting today. SwimDad is stepping up his officiating responsibilities and will be working doubles, hence no kid coverage at home, equaling limited opportunities for me to get exercise Sat/Sun. Yesterday, I worked hills and a little sprint attempt.

Running inside, while it may be safer, is also BORING. I didn't get the machine I like, but instead got a treadmill (I have an acquaintance who calls them "shredders" - LOL) pushed over to the wall. Grumble - I couldn't see Dr. Oz - if I have to be inside, at least I want to be entertained by medical quackery. So instead, I put on a Meatloaf and Melissa Etheridge running mix and counted how many seconds I needed to run for each burned calorie. Woo-hoo! Ain't I a hot date?! However, run accomplished, and I was able to enjoy La Festa pizza guilt free!

Shameless plug:

Uphill battles

The weather has changed. A week ago, all in Northern New England (I capitalize our sweet NH/VT/ME area since we are quite different from the south) bundled up against the cold rainy outside. Now, not so much - the tide has turned and I find myself looking at our thermometer which states 93 on our porch. Yoiks!

I bring up the change in weather as the topic directly relates to today's post, which is a 2-in-1 blast. I meant to write about the Red Hook 5k yesterday, but was distracted by a Fisher Cats game in Manchavegas (Manchester.......hee, hee!). Hothothothot. How hot? A new runner just missed the finish line because she fell down, seizing. Big, strong men, as well as newbie runners, fell prey to the heat and the Portsmouth Fire Department was on hand for help - GO PFD! We also had a friend help out; he happens to be a racing RunnerDad and a firefighter for a different town!

SwimGirl did well, placing 3rd in her age group. She was pretty pleased, as the amount of running she has been doing is much less than last year, as she is spending MUCH more time swimming. I did well, too, considering the heat, bettering my not-so-fab finish at the Children's Museum 5k by about 30 seconds. However, neither of us had done much (me=no) training in the heat. At one point, I literally thought my head would explode I was SO HOT. Blech.

Therefore, today I did 7+ miles at 8am. Now, the temperature had not yet reached its zenith, but still had some power, being 75+. I also trained running down from lovely Dovah into southern Maine. (Yes, I live close enough to the border to run into Maine....yeesh.) I mention this only because those familiar to the area have a strong awareness of the HILLINESS. I figured I might as well get the best use of my time as possible and ran hills in the heat. I then went home and discovered a pair of my "little" shorts fit without tightness - SCORE!

The pain, she pays off! Woot!

Running Buddies

Went on a run yesterday with a group of teacher-mom-runners. What happens when we run together? So much more fun!

Ordinarily, I exercise alone. I don't want to intrude on anyone or slow anyone down. SwimGirl will occasionally run with me, which is nice, but she's 11. She, by mood or inclination, will either grumble she's "about to die" from a cramp or alternatively, kick my butt on every hill/straightaway and laugh as she waits for me to catch up. I love her dearly, but she's not a peer.

Running in Dovah can be a huge challenge due to the sheer number of hills in the city. I have trouble making others believe, but I have found routes which actually are uphill BOTH ways. While our group attempted some good-natured avoidance tactics, we all threw down and conquered the hills. For some of us (me.......), the downhills are harder than the reverse. By the end of the 4 (+/-) miler, we had 6 women who felt accomplished and slightly fitter.

My favorite part of this group is the acceptance. A long-time friend, who is a new runner, generously brought me into the group. A run is planned......and then all are welcome to run at their own pace. I feel like Planet Fitness' "No Judgement Zone"! SO NICE not to hear all the competitive stuff from other runners I hear at races, ex: I've already done a 5k for warm-up, I threw down a 20-miler last week, I haven't trained & I hope to do OK, yada-yada-yada. We start together and meet up at the end to chat about what went well, which hills were totally brutal, and which nasty dog barked as we jogged past.

Run on RunnerMoms!

Groan....

Gray, grungy, and bleak. The aforementioned pretty much make up the sum total of the day. Seriously? Who needs this weather?

I loathe running in the rain/sleet/snow and won't do it unless I have a race. I read all the FB posts from the hardcore among us who state, "Put on my Yak Trax and went for a run in the blizzard - what a rush!" Groan........really? Perhaps I have a cat-like desire to avoid wet and cold? Also, I have no desire to trash the following:

• My knees
• My only decent pair of sneakers (at +/- $90 a pop, I'm not ruining my "good" sneaks!)
  
• My dignity after I wipe out in front of traffic
• Expensive running attire

I went to the gym, due to the drizzle, and put in 90 minutes on an ArcTrainer. I don't love the machine, but it gets the job done and allows me to still have an adult beverage in the evening. The running clothes still get used and the money spent on membership to the local high-brow club doesn't get wasted. Win-win!

A soft 50 degrees and gentle afternoon sunshine need to arrive sooooooooon. Outside is good - inside is bad.....