So you think I can dance?

Boston, in all of it's Spring time glory, was a magnificent; blue skies and a crisp New England air that always spurs a feeling of nostalgia. I LOVE Boston!!.. and more specifically, running in Boston. However, what I don't like (or appreciate) is when my nagging hamstring pain disrupts my (close to spiritual) time spent running on the Charles river. As I barely made it through my four mile yesterday, I thought what could I have done to make my leg hurt this badly again?
.

Suddenly, a light bulb went off!!! Visions of what can only be described as an "unruly" Saturday night dance party came flooding into my memory. For some strange reason these memories were repressed during my agonizing Sunday recovery. And it wasn't until documentation (in the form of a Kodak picture gallery) of the night's debauchery surfaced that I really was able to put my finger on the source of this recent increase in pain.
.
Must I now do away with the other main joy in my life? Must I hang up my dancing shoes too? Oh,... I just won't do it! And anyone who knows me in the least will also know... that it's just NOT possible! As the amazing Patrick Swayze once said, "Nobody puts baby in a corner". Did I really just quote Patrick Swayze in reference to my uncontrollable addiction to dancing. Why yes, yes, I did!

And as I have said now a few times over, regardless of pain, this chick will continue to Run (and DANCE) on! :)

Philly Runner with a Mission!

Fellow Philly Chick, Anne Mahlum seems to have her heart, mind and feet moving in the right direction.

Anne recently launched a program called "Back on My Feet" to engaged homeless men and women in running as a way to get them active and litteraly back on their feet. This program has already proven to be a success. As the CNN article, Runner gets homeless on right track states, "The first day, Mahlum led nine shelter residents in a mile-long run. Today, Back on My Feet has teams in three Philadelphia shelters, including 54 homeless members and more than 250 volunteers. The group has logged more than 5,000 miles."

The article quotes Anne as stating, "Running really is a metaphor for life" and that "You just have to take it one step at a time." Well, Anne, I couldn't agree with you more. One step at a time, one day at a time, one race at a time... through the ups and the downs, you just keep charging ahead! Running can be great therapy no matter how big or small your issues may seem. I firmly believe that the dedication and support of running and being a part of a running network can help you get through the most difficult of times.

This is a fantastic idea which hopefully continues to inspire and motivate for miles and miles!

Week #4 Training - Full of Surprises!

Review of Week#4 Training Schedule -(March 10 - March 16):

Monday: AM: 5miles, core strengthening routine, PM: 60min YOGA
Tuesday: AM: 7miles
Wednesday: Hamstring hurts like hell - OFF
Thursday: Hamstring still in pain - OFF
Friday: Traveling... hmm? off? Yes, OFF AGAIN! ugh!
Saturday: Savannah - 6 miles, 4 X 20 sec striders - still in pain!
Sunday: Savannah - 5mile run
Totals: 23miles (ugh!) + 60min YOGA



Thoughts: Well, as far as week #4 training goes, there's not much to talk about. My hamstring is sh*t! I'm not sure if it was the kickboxing or high repetition yoga that threw things completely out of whack, but something made things take a turn for the worse. I've been dealing with pain in my left hamstring for years but this was on a whole new level. So, I'm hitting the pool today and tomorrow for a few kick a*s workouts! I need to keep up my fitness level this week, and getting in a few good interval pool runs will help me out a bit in that department (while also allowing me to not put added strain on my hamstring.)



Additional thoughts: Week #4 brought it's fair share of surprises. First my hamstring went on the fritz, then I witnessed the Saint Patrick's Day festival madness in Savannah Georgia. Crazzzzy!! I also was in downtown Savannah during the blackout caused by tornadoes in the area. Walking through the city in the pitch-dark was a bit freaky!

But the ultimate surprise was when my boyfriend proposed to me in Forsyth Park after we finished up our run on Sunday evening. It was a beautifully warm & sunny day in Savannah.... and finding a fiance and ring of sparkling diamonds at the end of my run was so much better than any pot of gold!! So despite the training downer this week, the luck of the Irish was very much still alive! Erin Go Bragh!! :)


Training Plan: Week#5 -(March 17 - March 23):
Monday: OFF
Tuesday: AM: 5miles, core strengthening routine -
Wednesday: Pool Workout- TBD
Thursday: AM: Pool Workout - TBD, PM: YOGA?
Friday: Traveling... Yes, AGAIN! Try to get in 5miles in the AM
Saturday: 6 miles, 4 X 20 sec striders
Sunday: 7 miles run - depending on hamstring
Totals: mileage.. we'll see! + 60min YOGA

Getting Down Irish Style in the Dirty-Dirty

Ahhh.. it's vacation time! As Christian Siriano on Project Runway said, I am in need of a little "Breaky-Break". So, I'm currently maxin' and relaxin' down in Savannah Georgia.

Yesterday, Savannah held their renown Saint Patrick's Day Parade and post parade festivities down on River Street and in City Market. Wow! What a fantastic time!! Savannah is beautiful and it's just flippin' spectacular to be wearing flip-flops for a few days. Yesterday was so much fun despite the fact that it felt like it was three days long. We walked over 8miles throughout the day (yes, I'm a dork and I tracked it.. ha!) And in order to go along with the normal tradition of the day, we just HAD to start drinking in the early afternoon... But hey, I can do that kind of stuff.. I'm on vacation!! It was complete MADNESS down on River Street last night. Prime opportunity for people watching and I got some fantastic pictures!

Training Update: I'm way off my training schedule for this week and sort of bumming about it, but I think staying off my hamstring for a few days was well worth it. I feel a bit better today so I'm heading out for about 5-6miles. I really irritated it after Tuesday's run and what was originally one day of backing off (sadly) turned into three. I'm a bit upset about the whole situation since I was making great progress, but I'll have to just get back on the horse again and see if I can charge forward. I also made an appt to get an MRI on my hamstring, which is LONG overdue.

I plan to take some pictures on my run and post to whereirun.blogspot.com. I'll post them when I get back next week. For now, I'm off for a run and then some more green beer. :)

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!

WANDERLUST!!!

As fellow Blogger, Bob commented a few weeks back on my February 4th post, "ahhh so much info online, so little time".... Well, Bob I honestly couldn't agree with you more. But if anything, pointing each other in the direction of a few valuable resources does save some time (at least I think... or hope!).

I was stumbling around the web yesterday when I happened upon this site, http://www.runtheplanet.com/It's pretty flippin' cool! Especially for someone like me who loves to travel and also stay fairly active on my trips.

A few things that really caught my interest on this site was the World Wide Running Club - finder (awesome!) and the World Wide Race Calendar (because you KNOW i love race calendars.. ha!). The site is definetly a temporary fix for my sometimes overwhelming wanderlust. As destination racing is becoming "all the rage", I'm sure we'll be seeing an increase in sites such as this one which will include international races and running groups.

Anyone want to do a training run with the Berowra Bushrunners in Sydney, Austrailia or run the a marathon at night in Cavaliino, Italy (the heal of the boot!)?

Oh well, at least this RuNNeR ChIcK can dream!

Pretzel City Sports & Philly Love

As some of you know, I'm a Philadelphia native. I frequently return to the Philly area and therefore do quite a bit of running in Philly and the surrounding areas. The last road race I completed in Philly was Fighting Irish 5k in one of my old stomping grounds, Chestnut Hill, PA. The race, originally held the weekend prior to St. Patrick's Day (fittingly), was postponed last year to the end of September, which is when it will now be held each year indefintely. Smart choice by race directors since now they do not have to compete with the other 50+ local road races held around that time. Great race if you're in Philly late September. VERY hilly, but fun!


So, the point of mentioning the this race is actually because it was at The Fighting Irish 5k where I discovered Pretzel City Sports, "Events with a Twist" (how cute!). Pretzel City Sports is a great local database for Philadephia (and Southeastern PA) road races. They have some excellent road and trail races posted for the coming year. It looks as though they recently updated their site so there's still a few things missing.


I recommend using this site as a great resource for Philly local races, however be sure to heed my warning and DO NOT sign up for the newsletter. The "newsletter" which arrives in your inbox and is a ridiculously lengthy and somewhat spastic plain text e-mail riddled with poor and sometimes distasteful jokes, is way too confusing. You're best off just visiting the site and viewing the race calendar. It seems that Pretzel City Sports President, Ron Horn means well, but he has an off the wall sense of humor and I don't get the relevance of half his jokes. Who knows, maybe it's just me. But hopefully they'll set up a blog soon!

And why we're on the subject of Philadelphia pretzels (ok, somewhat random), I want to take a second to school a few of you on what a REAL philly pretzel looks like (see below). Mmmmmm! The crispy, soft, doughy goodness! Nothing like one of these after a 5 or 10k! ;)

"I Love that dirty water....

Oh, oh Boston you're my home!"

Ok, so Boston really isn't my home (anymore), but this weekend I came up here to visit my best friend. I try to visit her at least 3-4 times each year, however I'd be lying if I said that a BIG part of me doesn't get overwhelmingly excited just for the opportunity to run on the Charles River. Don't get me wrong, I love my best friend, but I also have quite an affinity for the streets of Boston and the Charles River loop.

I lived in Boston from 2002-2004 for grad school and during that time I did quite a bit of running as I was training for my first and second marathons. This city is wonderfully run-able and any runner who visits and doesn't take advantage of exploring it by strappin' on their shoes and heading out for some decent mileage is just foolish!!


Today's Workout: 45mins (out and back along the Charles River-Cambridge side to Boston, over the Mass. Ave Bridge, 4x 20sec striders, core work (from below...yes!))