May... Where did it go?

Where the heck did May go?? It was here literally a few minutes ago!!!

This month has been the best and exciting month yet! It was full of friends, family and supporting causes! There were many celebrations especially with my family. We celebrated the Bat Mitzvah of my little cousin Holly, family members had birthdays, and I completed my second year of riding the American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure. This year my father joined the Titanium Riders team and we all rode together. It was so nice being able to raise money for a cause that means so much to us and ride as well. It was a BEAUTIFUL Sunday and we could not have asked for a great route too!! All together my mother, father and I raised $775.00 to help find a cure for Diabetes!

In addition to the ride, I ran the Cox Half Marathon in Providence on May 12th with my running partner, Kara. Since the Marathon Bombing, security has been very strict and you see more and more SWAT personnel and police men and women in the area of the start and finish line. While waiting for the race to start, there were many security personnel on top of the hotels and other building with binoculars and guns ready looking into the crowd to see if there was anything suspicious. After finishing the race, I've decided that Providence and I will never get along while running. I finished the race with pain. So, I think I will practice more in Providence to prepare for the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in September. Out of all the races I have done and received medals for, this one had the most interesting design. It was in the shape of an anchor and had a sneaker footprint, and the state house. It was WICKED cool :-) It was so nice to be able to cross the finish line and see my parents and sister there cheering us on!!!


Well, let's say in the month of May, I now added two more half marathons to my checklist. This past weekend I ran the Boston Run to Remember Half Marathon. I was afraid it would be a miserable race due to the rain that was anticipated but it turned into a very nice day. We all started near the seaport area and ran through Boston and the main part of the course was on Memorial Drive in Cambridge. Throughout the run I formed some amazing memories. The first one was how everyone who ran for Boston Children's Hospital was very supportive of one another. Anytime someone or myself would see a team member, we would throw our hands out to clap, tap on the shoulder or give a thumbs up and yell, "YEAH CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL!!!" It was such a good motivational thing to have along the course! The second favorite memory would be when we crossed under the bridge onto Memorial Drive, there were about 30 police cars parked at an angle with their lights flashing and the Policeman and State Troopers standing in front clapping for us. I decided to put my arm out and high five them and say "thank you!" They were cops from Bedford, Cambridge, MIT, Arlington & Boston... Even further down at the next underpass/bridge on Memorial Drive you had cops whistling and cheering for us. It was such a great feeling. Finally after crossing the finish line, I went inside to get some water and a bagel, I was surprised to see that this year they gave out wicked nice medals with a nice ribbon that had the American Flag on it. They did not just hand them to us, they placed them on us. It was a great gesture. I am looking forward to the next month and see what it has to bring. I know that it will not be as crazy as this month for sure but maybe we can spice it up with new tricks or races :-)

I think this is an oxymoron....

Refuel!

Ok, first off I promise to be a lot better about posting. I've been slacking and I do apologize! I finally made it to Washington, D.C. and I am loving every minute of it!! Granted has been a long day, I have had a great time walking all over DC and exploring what the city has to offer. Every single Musuem we visited has definitely given me a different perspective on things... ESPECIALLY the United States Holocaust Museum. That by far was the most touching and interesting feeling I have felt since I was in Israel and walking through the cemetery of all the Israeli Defense Force fallen soldiers.

Back to my race, the USA Rock and Roll half marathon was a great course! Totally would run it again! I will be more prepared for the steep hill between miles 6 and 7... BOY did that give me a run for my money!! I said I can either walk the hill or sprint it. I was not going to run/jog it because then I would not get anywhere. So I sprinted as fast as I could and as I got close to the top, I had to walk up the rest... As we were getting closer to the finish line people were doubling in crowd size... I mean TONS of people! I ran through the finish line and loved how everyone cheered! I love the second wind you get when you are close to finishing and you just sprint!! Ahh so good!!

Say what?

Well, it has been a while since I posted last! Every time I try to sit down and write a post or even log my run in my journal, I have something else that needs to get done. Here I am... Sunday night and it is past my bed time (probably because I cannot sleep) and I am finally writing a new post.

Last week, this weekend have been a crazy whirl wind but I wouldn't trade it for anything! Last week I ran the Black Cat 10 Miler with a ΦΜ sister, Juliana and we both started and finished together. It was a great course and the weather was great! Most of the route was flat and in the downtown part of Salem so of course there were cars in the way but we were safe and there was a ton of police around!

This past weekend was a double run! I had a 5k on Saturday and Sunday. Saturdays run was the St. Pats 5K in Providence and there were over 4 thousand runners! I ran with Kara (we are running all over the US this year and have one coming up in Washington DC. I definitely like to run with her because she runs a little faster than me so I push myself more to become a consistent runner! I loved crossing the finish line on a downwards hill because I was able to sprint the last tenth of a mile. Even the weather was beautiful considering it snowed the day before! Today's run was the Ras na hEiren 5k in Somerville. I know this course well, so I knew what to expect. The one thing I need to pay attention to is the ground. Right as we turned the first corner, I slipped in a small pot hole and landed on my foot wrong... I ended up walking for a little but continued and was able to complete it in a reasonable manner. I ran with another ΦΜ, Teresa who ran her first race of the year with me! We stuck together and motivated one another!

Ok, I have carb up this week and get ready for the first half marathon of 2013!! I have never been to DC and I cannot wait to see all the sights!! I really like having running partners because it makes the race THAT much more fun!!!

Feels like the first time...

Today was great! It was amazing to be surrounded by hundreds if people who are in the running spirit! I loved being around everyone and seeing who has why sneaker and what is the new style or new gadget to have. Everyone today had the same reason to run this morning... To kick cancer's A$$!

Even though I have ran before, today felt something for the first time I have not felt in a long time. The feeling of having a goal and running without stopping. Yes, I did have the wind and snow against me but that was not going to stop me.

Buzzer goes off and BAM! I am off running and setting my own pace. I almost cried because I was not sure if I'd ever be back on a race course. I'm running and I finally set a pace and stick with it. There were many points I wanted to just stop and walk but I kept telling myself I could because I wanted to cross the finish line on a strong foot. I had the running app keep track of time and milage so I know for next time what I needed to beat.

Right at one hour I cross the finish line and just start smiling. I can't control it and I'm just happy to have crossed the finish line!

So here is a cheer to more races and more crossing with finish line on a positive foot ;-)

It's all about preparation

Well, tomorrow is the day I have been waiting for... My first race in four months. This past month I've been running and training to get back to where I left off. I am more than excited to be with hundreds of people and hear the blower ring to start running. The best part is that this race is for cancer! So to everyone who has survived and to everyone who has list someone, I am running for them!

Happy Saturday!
- SparkleRunner

On my way to something new!

So I've finally made a dent in my training plan. I've stuck to more runs in a week than I did a year ago... THANK GOSH!

Tomorrow I am going to be running for the last time in January and I am going to make it a good one! I feel that I can finally run with a steady pace and keep my stride almost to a perfect step. One thing that I've done was look at all my past race photos and look at the way I land on my feet. The first thing I noticed was that I landed flat foot and not on my top part of the foot. Well, that was the main problem and now that I focused on landing I now feel a difference.

Another positive outlook on this New Year, New Me is that I'm running more hills. Out of all my goals that I listed before, I forgot to add that I want to run now hills and build up the strength for a Heartbreak Hill Run in April. I hope to run the HBH Mile race in under 10 minutes.

Lastly, I would really like to make this year of races fun! If you are interested in joining or even cheering me on, I would love for you to come out in support! Let me know!

SparkleRunner