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.....