Tag Archives: running

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Duathlon Success!

I spent Sunday morning competing in a ridiculously fun event. I competed in a duathlon, which consisted of a 5K run, 25K bike, and 5K run. So altogether, that’s about 6 miles of running and 16 miles of biking.

I had actually done this race last year. This year, I finished in 2 hours 17 minutes, which was 20 minutes faster than last year. w00t!

There are two other reasons why this race was exceptional this year. First, the weather was amazing. I couldn’t have hoped for better. Second, the organizers changed the bike route. It was so fun! I felt like I was 10 years old, zipping down the biggest hill by my parents’ house (underneath the train tracks). I can’t wait to do it again next year!

I hope you all had a fun weekend too! Today is rainy and I’m headed to jury duty. But the whole time I will probably be thinking about what a wonderful time I had on Sunday. 

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Fun Running Infographic

Who doesn’t love an infographic?? I saw this one about female vs. male runners, and I just had to share.


Running Music for a better running experience!

The one I don’t understand is people who don’t run year round. I live in Connecticut, and we get some pretty miserable weather. But I run every month of the year. It sucks, but if I stopped running routinely, I may never start again. Which is good! Hooray for routines!

Also I only bought one pair of shoes in 2011. Who needs more than three pairs of running shoes a year? Imagine all that waste!

Do you run? Does this capture the essence of your running experience?

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Hyannis Half results and new training

If you have been following my posts over the past couple of weeks, you may remember that I ran a half marathon this past Sunday. I wanted to recap how that went, because hey – I ran a half marathon in February! 

The race day started out well. I woke up early, got all of my things in order, and arrived at the race about 50 minutes before the start. It was in Massachusetts, so the weather was always a wild card factor. I think we really lucked out – high 20s F or low 30s F with some flurries. Loads better than rain.

The race started promptly at 10 AM.  I finished in 2 hours 29 minutes, so about 11 minutes and 24 seconds per mile.  This was certainly not any kind of record, but I am happy that 1) I finished, 2) I trained throughout the winter, and 3) I am in good shape to start training for my next race.

I want to compete in a duathlon in May. After I gave myself a few days of rest from exercise, I set up my training schedule for that event. Filling in the calendar, I realized that I should start training this week. Perfect timing! I ran today and plan on getting in some good workouts this weekend, although it might be a week or two before I can get my bike out from the snowed-in shed.

Reflecting back on the race (and how sore I was afterward), I realized that I hadn’t weight lifted enough during training. So I actually have lifted twice this week, right on schedule with my training. I forget how much I love it!  It feels so good to have strong, sore muscles.

That’s where I am at. What do you guys do to stay in shape in the winter?  Anyone want to share their training stories?  Shout it out.

Oh, and Happy Weekend!

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My idea of a good time on a Sunday

Yesterday afternoon, when the temperature was about 34*F, I ran 8 miles.  I really try not to be one of those crazy runners, but let me tell you, that was one of the best things I had done all week.

Why running is fun and awesome:

1)  I feel amazing after a good workout.  Like take-on-the-world, superhero, nothing-can-stop-me amazing.

2) Running is the simplest form of exercise.  All you need are a pair of shoes, socks, and weather appropriate clothes.  Compared to cycling, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, etc., it’s so easy.

3)  The world is a beautiful place, and I appreciate it so much more when I’m on my own two feet.  Iced over brooks, crunchy leaves, ducks in the pond, sparrows darting through the trees.  Gorgeous.

4)  It’s fun to see other people (and dogs!) out and about.

5)  I am training for a half-marathon in February, and I need to stay on top of my training program.

What did you guys to this weekend to re-charge and re-create?

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Because of the holiday this week, I’m going to abridge my normal schedule.  I will post today, put up Links I Love tomorrow, post on Wednesday, and Show & Tell on Thursday.  I will post again on Monday, December 27.