More than a half

There is a wonderful article on the More half-marathon experience published in today's Manchester Journal newspaper. Take a look at it here: http://www.manchesterjournal.com//ci_8959230?IADID=Search-www.manchesterjournal.com-www.manchesterjournal.com

Linda Maness, the author of the article, traveled with us to NYC to document the experience. I think she ended up with a lot more than she bargained for! In fact, she may be inspired herself to join the 2009 group next year.

Yep, some of the women are already talking about running the race next year - faster, of course. Or perhaps running instead of walking. Or riding the bus and staying in the hotel with the group to have a more complete (and fun) experience. People in town stop me to ask how they can sign up for next year's race and training program.

Who knew a 13-week training program and a half-marathon would have this much impact on so many women?

Running at night

I don't usually run in the evening, for a variety of reasons. I'm cooking dinner, talking with my kids, winding down from a busy day, it's too dark, it's too cold - the list of reasons NOT to run goes on and on.

But now I'm leading a training group for the More half-marathon in NYC, and one of our weekly sessions starts at 5:30pm. Last night it wasn't quite dark as I drove to our meeting site, but by the time we headed out the door 15 minutes later, full darkness set in.

What a great run! It was lightly snowing, there was about 1/2 inch of fresh snow on the sidewalks, and it wasn't too cold (about 25 degrees). It was almost surreal to run along, hearing your footsteps crunch in the snow, and see your breath puffing in and out in the cold air. The time and miles flew by, and I felt like I was floating along above the snow.

As one of the women said, the hardest part about running is that first step out the door. Take that step, and the rest is easy and a joy.

Favorite run

Today I took advantage of a dentist appointment to run one of my very favorite routes, along River Road in Arlington, Vermont. River Road runs along - you guessed it - the Batten Kill River, and is a gorgeous dirt road filled with rolling hills. I saw only one car during the 40 minute run, and passed only one other runner.

Lots of people walk and/or run on River Road, but usually early in the morning. I started at 11am, just as a misting rain began to fall. I listened to the birds chirping, watched the river flowing swiftly along its course, and let my mind wander.

When I lived in Arlington I would often run this route, but since I moved 12 miles away to Manchester three years ago, I rarely run this way. During the summer and fall I biked along the highway on the other side of the Batten Kill at least once each week, but I haven't made the effort to run on the dirt road for quite some time.

It's amazing the difference it makes running on a quiet country road versus a paved town road. I ran right down the center of the road without worrying about traffic. Running is my outlet from a busy day, but running on a quiet dirt road along one of the most beautiful rivers in Vermont is something to savor.

Marathon training update

I'm planning on running the Houston marathon witih my sister on January 13th, so yesterday was my last long run, the 20 miler. 20 miles is a long way - just measure it out the next time you're driving and you'll see what I mean. Running 20 miles also takes me a fairly long time, because I'm not a particularly fast runner. It takes me even longer in the winter, when I have to slow down to blow my nose, take off my mittens to get my Gu open, and walk around the icy spots.

Enough with the whining. While I don't look forward to running for 3 1/2 hours, I enjoy it once I get started. How often do we have 3 uninterrupted hours to think about whatever we want? To just let our mind wander? In my life, running is the only time this ever happens.

Yesterday I thought about Christmas when I was a kid, and when my teenagers were little (they used to kiss the Christmas tree goodnight). I thought about my sisters and parents, and what they were doing this year for Christmas, and how much fun it would be for all of to be together again for the holiday. The last time was 1992, and I'm hoping that in 2008 we'll be able to swing Christmas holidays together again. I thought about the More 1/2 marathon training group I'm putting together, and made a mental to-do list for our kickoff meeting on January 3rd. I ieven thought about the topics for various freelance articles I have in various stages of production.

Sure, I was interrupted: by a flock of geese that lives down by the Battenkill and were waiting to cross the road. What the heck they're doing here the end of December, I'm not sure. But that was the only interruption during the entire 3 1/2 hours.

I bet your life is as full of interruptions as mine. You don't have to run 20 miles to enjoy the freedom of your thoughts. Even 20-30 minutes on a regular basis will give you time to yourself. You don't even have to run, although I DO encourage you to get outside when you let your mind wander.

Running in new places

I spent the past few days in Washington, DC, with my sister who was receiving the National Distinguished Principal award for elementary schools in Texas. Whenever we travel, we manage to fit in runs and walks through the city, both as a way to explore the area and also to whip the cobwebs out of our brains after a day of meetings and sitting.

Two mornings we ran before 7:30 am through the streets of DC. We started running past the White House, which is peaceful and quiet early in the morning. No busloads of tourists or school groups are out at this time, and we had the view to ourselves - and the bike police. We ran past the Red Cross building and down the Mall toward the Washington Monument. The first morning we ran to the Korean and Viet Nam memorials, where we slowed to a walk to remember the men and women who served in those conflicts. The second morning we headed up to the Lincoln Memorial, where we walked up the steps. Alone with the two national park police who were getting ready for the day, we silently read the Gettysburg Address and walked around the quiet memorial.

Both mornings we continued on toward the WWII memorial, again slowing to a walk as we slowly circuled the fountains. Then it was on toward our hotel, fresh fruit, and bagels.

Saturday was wide open, so we started by taking the bus to Georgetown so we could run on the old C and O canal towpath. What a treat! The crushed stone path felt great on my legs after running on sidewalks in DC. The Fall colors were beautiful, and we could often see the Potomac through the trees. It was a peaceful alternative to running in the city, even when we had to squeeze past a couple of donkeys pulling an old-time barge loaded with tourists along the canal!

The next time you head to a new city, or on vacation, or maybe just to visit relatives or friends make sure to take advantage of the running, walking, and biking opportunities. Sometimes, like in DC, we just head out with only a vague idea of where we're going. Other times we have a route planned. Either way, you'll meet friendly people, see parts of the area you otherwise would have missed, and get an entirely different perspective on the area.

Enjoy!

Nashville here we come!

It happened in less than a week.

I emailed my sister in Houston about the possibility of running the Country Music Marathon together in Nashville the end of April. It morphed into asking our dad and stepmom to come to Nashville with us. They love country music and Nashville, and haven't seen us run a marathon in years. Then my dad decided the youngest sister simply had to come along as well, and walk her first half-marathon. It's a done deal!

We decided making the travel plans, coordinating flights and hotel, takes more time than actually running the marathon. We're now back to training plans, fitting running and walking into our busy schedules, and taking ibuprofen for sore muscles.

But we have a goal, and even better, we're all going to be together for a fun weekend of running, walking, and checking out the country music bars (my dad's contribution). When was the last time you made family vacation plans that center around exercise? It doesn't have to be a marathon or half-marathon, although why not? Canoeing, kayaking, biking, hiking - they all are a great way to experience a new location and have fun together.

Country music marathon, here we come!
Lynn

Running with my sister

My sister and I ran the Philadelphia marathon on Sunday, November 19th. This was our 5th marathon together. We started in Chicago in 1999 (we grew up outside Chicago, and our parents came to watch), then ran NYC in 2001 (2 months after 9-11; this was a very emotional run), the inaugural Rock n Roll Phoenix marathon in 2004 (wicked hot, but a great course), and the Marine Corps in 2004 (who couldn't love a marathon filled with history?). We threw in the Runner's World 1/2 Marathon last April just for fun.

We run about the same pace, and our goal is to stick together throughout the race. It's so much more fun to run with my sister than alone. When I'm hurting, she cheers me up. We talk about lives, our work, our kids. The miles fly past, and we always run across the finish line together.

The Philly course is beautiful; it starts in the older part of the city, then heads out to Fairmount park, and finishes along the river. The weather even cooperated, with temperatures in the 40's and partly cloudy skies.

But the best part of running a marathon with my sister is just that: being with my sister. We have fun at the race expo and pasta dinner before the marathon, then support each other during the race. Afterwards we celebrate with a good dinner, and often a movie (this year the DaVinci Code), and of course some wine. She lives in Houston, and I'm in Vermont. We both lead busy lives, and even though we stay in touch via email and phone, it's wonderful to spend an entire weekend together. We motivate each other through the months of training, and share our water bottles and Gu.

Now our youngest sister, who lives near Detroit, started thinking about walking the Disney 1/2 marathon, or even the full marathon. We can't wait for all three of us to do this together!