Sunday, April 25, 2010

What a beautiful weekend

How does one spell happiness? SUN.

Life doesn't get any better than today. The wind is a little brisk, but the day is a truly beautiful 62 sunny degrees. I was able to get a guilt-free 6-miler in today, as SwimGirl has a playdate at a DanceFriend's house and DaddyMan needs to mow the lawn.

I do have an item to ponder, however. How do many runners manage to keep their sunglasses from falling down their faces while running? Maybe I sweat too much, but I just don't understand. My shades have an annoying habit of totally falling down my face while running anytime the temp is above 65 degrees. I'm totally gonna end up with serious crow's feet from squinting on sunny days.

Sigh.............

Saturday, April 24, 2010

First race of the season - Completed!

Seacoast Science Center (located in Rye, NH's Odiorne Point) hosted its 2nd annual Whale of a 5k today. This particular 5k happens to be primarily trail running - up and over the old Fort Dearborn bunkers, in the BEACH SAND, by the shore and on through wooded areas.

Runners could not have asked for a better day. The nearness to the shoreline allowed the 400+ runners to enjoy a gentle on-shore breeze, just enough to blow away all the nasty black flies which have been making outdoor activities tedious lately. The route, since the bulk of the running was done in the woods, had beautiful shade. The air temp boasted a 62 degree mark, perfect for those of us who normally seem colder than the general population.

SwimGirl ROCKED the race, not only beating her time for the race last year, but also making a personal best time of 24:36. Unfortunately, as this was not a "chip"'d race, the timer was unable to handle 4 runners entering at the same time (UGH) and clocked her for 24:40 tying her old P.B. We know she beat her old time. The fact she gained a P.B. on a trail race I find seriously impressive.

I did OK, beating last year's time by over a minute. The knee is holding up pretty well, no swelling yet. I had a brainstorm yesterday and called for a massage, which I hope helped to make the circ system kick into gear to keep fluid outta the old joint. I do need to work on my IT bands - tired, tired.

I think SwimGirl really only participates in races for the "playdate" atmosphere, as one of her older swim buds runs most local races, too. Other enticements? Prizes and raffles - she LOVES raffles. She really wanted to win the massage and was truly bummed when an adult won "her" prize. Very cute.

DaddyMan was able to meet us at Odiorne at the conclusion of the race, since he finished his 58 mile bike this morning. He decided to make a trial ride on next week's route, so he could ensure finishing the fundraiser. Make sure to take a look on the American Lung Association's Cycle the Seacoast site for donation information - support healthy lungs AND a rider!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Running with SwimGirl

What a beautiful day to run outside~

As the temperature rose to 60-something degrees on a sunny NH Day, I took SwimGirl out for her first biggish run of the season, a 4-miler. I understand a 4-miler is not a terribly long run.....except SwimGirl has only turned 10 within the last month.

She did a fantastic job. She chugged up Whittier Hill without a whiny word, which won her kudos with the ol' Runnermom. Therefore, we ended our lovely run with an ice coffee at Adelle's. (Team Runnermom supports LOCAL businesses - NO Starbucks for us!)