8 mile run….it went well …very pleased,  70 degree lovely morning  …

Now it’s time to celebrate Rosh Hashanah Jewish New Year

Monday    3 miles

Wednesday ..Hills 3 miles

Saturday …8 miles

 

Great start to the weekend.  Friday, my husband and I went to see  the Sugarland concert. We had a great time.

Saturday, we spent time with my family celebrating the Jewish New Year Season.

Running, this week was hard. I am avoiding the “dreadmill” as much as I can now, to allow for a   more greater variability of changes in terrain and hills.

Massachusetts was  in a heat wave.    YUCK!    At the same time, I am also trying to boost my endurance   for my fall race schedule.  

  I am training for….October Tufts 10k

 November Disney Wine and Dine challenge (6 miles on Saturday) (13.1 half-marathon on Sunday) 

Monday long run ……6 miles ….Hot   Very slow cover the distance

Thursday 3 miles hills

Saturday  3 miles    acceleration gliders speed play

Labor day 3 miles

This weekend, my youngest daughter Izzy started her Sophomore Year at U Mass Amherst.

 

At Legal  Seafood farewell dinner.

Enjoy the holiday

 

Monday……..4.5-mile morning run …… beautiful day   to start the week …not to hot 73

time to build up my endurance for fall races……. Focus on cadence, stride, less energy, no huffing and  puffing , gliding

Wednesday  3 miles  …..humid!

Saturday   3 miles  hills  …….need to do it!

 

Friday night,  my husband and I went to Country Fest at Gillette Stadium! The line up..Brandon Lay, Brothers Osborne, Dierks Bently, and Kenny Chesney.  A great show as always.

 

My family is on the way back home from Las Vegas to Massachusetts. We all had so much fun.

The best part of Vegas was enjoying family memories.  I loved the Grand Canyon, dinners, relaxing by the pool and seeing the shows Zumanity and Piff the Magic Dragon.

I am pleased to be able to maintain some level of fitness during vacation.  It was a bit hard because my asthma was flaring up due to extreme changes in weather.  Vacations are always tough on my asthma.

10 or 16 minutes, a mile is still a mile.

WORKOUTS..

Tuesday 3 miles

Wednesday 25 minutes of running

Thursday strength training

Friday 2 miles and strength training

Saturday Grand Canyon

Sunday 2 miles and strength training

Today, we visited the Grand Canyon by Helicopter!

The view and the flight were amazing and our pilot had a great fun personality.

During our flight, we flew over Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam, and Fortification Hill (an extinct volcano) before descending 3,500 feet and landing in the middle of the Grand Canyon for a picnic breakfast.

After our picnic, we flew back out.   We headed to Guano Point, an observation spot overlooking the Grand Canyon, and we also visited the Glass Walk Bridge, a bridge that extends 70 feet out over the rim of the Canyon.

On our way back, we flew over the Las Vegas Strip.

Working out In Las Vegas

The gym is awesome at our hotel. There is plenty of exercise equipment.  I would exercise in the morning, then the whole family would have a delicious breakfast, and head to the pool to relax.

Tuesday afternoon, I treated myself to a 50-minute foot and leg massage treatment. My feet needed it.

Gambling…

My husband and I don’t gamble that much. Maybe a couple hundred bucks at most.  My favorite game is the roulette wheel. I like the simplicity of the game; just place your chip(s) on  number(s), red or black ,  odd or even and hope you win. Not much thinking involved.

 

Wednesday Night, we saw Piff the Magic Dragon.

It is a  unique comedy magic show staring Piff The Magic Dragon and his loyal pup, Mr. Piffles.

It was a completely funny show! We laughed so much during his show, and his magic was terrific.

I am in Las Vegas with the family enjoying a vacation.  My husband Ed, daughters Izzy and Carrie and Carrie’s fiancé John are all having an amazing time.

We are staying at the Four Seasons, the only quiet hotel without a casino on the strip.  The hotel is beautifully landscaped.   Great service and the staff is very friendly.   Our days are spent relaxing by the pool, followed by a delicious dinner.

Running….

After a mental and physical break from running, I feel totally refreshed.  I am now training for the Disney Wine and Dine Two Course Challenge. This event combines the Disney 10k (6.2) on Saturday with the Half Marathon (13.1) on Sunday, a total of 19.3.  miles.

Last week July 22-29

Sunday 2 miles

Tuesday 15 minutes running

Wednesday 20 minutes running

Friday 25 minutes running

My girls Izzy , Me and Carrie

It been a while. I am enjoying my summer.  I have been taking a break from running …… to prevent burnout and to be mentally ready for fall running season.

During the off-marathon season, I have been Body Pumping.   Strength training has been  excellent , because it has been giving me overall muscle power and tone.  (No Middle Age Saggy Triceps here).  My 19 year older always kicks my butt with her physical strength.

Other than  running,  I have been enjoying many Country Concerts.   I love sitting outside  on a beautiful summer night listening to my favorite  songs.  I am a big fan of Country Music.

On Sundays, my husband and I   attend Classical  Concerts at Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony.   Tanglewood is  located in the  Berkshires.   We  always  arrive early to picnic on the lawn, then moving inside, with aisle  seats for the concert itself.  The concerts are broadcast on speakers and jumbotrons.  Always a fun time.

 

 

I am finally getting back into the running /workout groove.  I am also continuing with Body Pump twice a week to build more physical strength.  To help with my motivation to run, I participated in two 5k’s for charity this weekend.

Saturday, I participated in the 5^th Annual Running Well 5k in Lynnfield, MA.   The race is sponsored by the Calvary Christian Church in Lynnfield. The money collected during the event will be used to fund wells to the poorest countries in Africa. These wells provide drinkable water for schools and thousands of adults and children in surrounding villages throughout the continent.  The weather was in the 70’s at the start of the race.  The course was hilly, but I did not mind.   Hill training is good for me.  It was a nice small town race.

Sunday, Father’s Day I participated in the 19^th Annual Take the Lake 5k. The course travels around Wakefield’s scenic lake Quannapowitt. The proceeds benefit Mass General Hospital Breast Cancer Research Fund. Perfect morning to run around the lake.

After the race, I spend the day with my husband’s family enjoying a  Father’s Day BBQ  pool party.

 

Last week, June 12, I celebrated my 49^th birthday and 24^th anniversary, Yes, I got married on my birthday.  To celebrate, my husband and I had a nice delicious Italian dinner at Davio’s.  After dinner, we went to North Music Theater to see the musical Mame. The singing and dancing were fabulous.  The lead role (Mame) was played by Paige Davis, star of “Trading Spaces”. She did a super job in her role as Mame.

I hope you all had a good week and a nice Father’s Day.

 

 

Today, I ran my first 5k of the season.  It was the New England Pediatric Care 5k .  It was a good run. Now that marathon season is over,  I want to focus on improving my 5k time.     When September arrives, I want to see the 5k finish line….under 36 minutes. By late fall,  I want to see improvements with longer distances.

So, this summer, I am going to work on teaching my body to run faster and not feel like I am going to croak as I increase my speed.  This has been my biggest running hurdle.  I am afraid to run fast.   In addition, I want to increase the length of time I can run without a walk break.    Hopefully by the fall, I can have a stronger running base, tougher lungs and be a quicker runner.

Practice and have patience.

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I had a nice run. The weather was low 50’s and overcast.  During the run, I took a few  quick walk breaks  to allow my  body to be comfortable.   In the future….less walk breaks.

Proceeds …..serves children with complicated special needs

 

……………

Last week I was in Florida for a vacation.

After the Boston Marathon, my husband and I visited our winter home in South Boca Raton Florida to unwind.   Being in a warmer climate was ideal,  because  I really  needed the warmth to recover from the  Boston Cold  Rainy  freezing  13 mile run.   After the  run,  I had a dry  annoying cough that lasted a few days.

Our whole vacation was literally spent just sitting.  Every day, we either sat by a pool, television set, plus a dining table to eat.