merry christmas/the long road to Normandy

Merry Christmas everyone!!! Hope you have a restful week, with light training -yes, the body needs a rest, too. I would post a photo of my 'critters', as Tammy says, under the tree but I am not home. We are at my parent's house in NJ. We fly tonight (after going over to my 2 brothers' in succession for lots of food and drink)
to Paris at 10 p.m. flight from JFK. We then drive out on no lseep-not easy but nice when get to the country-- to my mother in law's big old tutor house in Normandy for 5 days (15 cousins/4 siblings will be there ==must run every day to get away from the chaos, and burn off some bread, wine and chocolate calories)), and back to Paris for one day...since I had strep last week and missed a week of running, will take it very easy next week. I hope to run in a new year's race (No Weston 5K this year-Jim taking a break), as will have been sitting on a plane all day on 12/31. Santa brought my kids toothbrushes and socks for the trip! Oh, my teenager flies out tomm with my parents to go skiing in CO. and then straight to R.I.T. from newark...:(((
I am also without an e-mail but that is another story --did open a new account, so will have to deal with that when get home..
Love from my critters:)to yours...will report back January 1.

snowed in, part 2

snow and freezing rain is in order for the morning -no xmas 3 miler...

OK -I have enough of this snow - let me in now!

why are you taking photos when you should be feeding me breakfast??

another snow day --? Mom, I'm bored...
this a.m. with the snow I put my 10 year old to work --he wrapped all the presents for the NJ cousins!! Now that I have finished the 4 illustrations had to produce it's time to focus on the other tasks --holiday cards (ugh), teacher presents,packing for week-long trip, driving andrew's ski equipment to NJ tomm night --the list is long...
depressing to miss a weekend of seeing friends --no races, and no parties. It is for the best as can't run outside for a week --doctor's orders....

snowed in

snowed in:(

no school - my 14 year old gets to spend the whole day in PJs

sleeping out the snowy day

Waiting out the snowstorm
snow plus strep throat = not a happy camper. I haven't run in 4 days:( -
in fact couldn't even swallow for 3 days -ice cream, tea and luke-warm coffee have been about all my throat can handle. I usually have a good immune system. Guess my son gave it to me last weekend during the boy scout walk when we shared food and drink (he had a bad sore throat last week). Have never had strep, and hope I never get it again. On a positive note, have gotton work (illustrations for friends to give as holiday gifts) done....not my normal self as am in pain. Won't be able to run the 15K tommorrow nor meet my friends after --I hope they make it in. Will run the waveny 3 miler if it happens!!!

Boy scout NYC 16 mile walk and dec 13-14 races

chuck, hank, alex and will in front of the Queensboro bridge and Roosevelt island

alex, will, hank and chuck at Beekman place

finally warmed up --no snow yet.

Santa caps were the costume of the day

Santa cheers on the runners
Yesterday, I ran the holiday 4 miler ONLY because had to meet the boy scouts on their annual 20 mile hike through NYC(which stopped at 16 due to cold)...figured that I could kill 2 birds with one stone --get some speedwork in and walk with the scouts. I dropped off Hank at the Greenwich train station at 6:30 a.m. ---it was 25 degrees and windy and he was grumpy and tired!! But at least 5 parents and 8 boys were waiting with him -they would take the train in, take the subway to Brooklyn and begin the walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. Most of the boys would walk 10 miles to Grand Central and go home --I was needed to walk the rest of the way (you need 2 parents) ---so, I picked up Frank and we found a great parking spot on 97th and Madison!! We found ourselves out in the elements at 8 and were reminded of the joys of winter racing -ugh. Both of us put on more clothing. I was overjoyed to see Susan B. with her boys --they were brave to run in the cold and wind!! Never found them at the finish...but sure her boys did well.
As for the race, Frank ran 26:38?, beating out Shelly and Susan's friend from Running Divas.--I could not get my legs moving ---but was happy to run the first 2 miles with John S.who was as usual dressed in singlet and shorts, at age 65. My third mile was slow (6:55?) and the last mile I focused in on finishing and ran 6;45 --so OK...
Frank left for the train and I went back to find Susan and decided the only way to stay warm was to run a few miles with my pack---then after NYRRc and car, took subway to 33rd street and met up with the boy scouts. After a fun lunch in GC, a boy scot father, Chuck, myself and 3 boys walked through beekman place and sutton place, and across 57th street to the park --we decided that since my car was at 97th, we could walk to the North end of the park and back and to the car, making it 16!!! Both Chuck and I had senior moments --we could not remember that that area of madison is called 'Carnegie Hill'!! We couldn't wait to get to the car and ask someone.
I am kind of bummed out that we didn't do the full 20, as the boys were warm and OK..
but they had done 26 last year!! and by 3 p.m. it was bitter cold..after Starbucks, we hopped in the car and drove to Greenwich train station.

Fast forward to this a.m. --Taconic RR puts on a fun relay with a pancake breakfast after in Blue Mountain reservation n Peekskill. Frank and I ended up winning!!
(all finishers got socks and a race t-shirt). Amazingly, Frank won the raffle for a homemade cheesecake...i can't think of anyone more deserving of a cheesecake than him! It was all a stroke of luck as 2 years ago we came in 3rd overall. But this year we just edged out my friend Elsie and her partner. But it's always competitive! The whole point of the race, besides the fun relay, is to socialize with TRR friends, most of whom were hungover from the Sat night party:).

weekend race report --Dec 6-7

Marty gives out some awards at the Trumbull Jingle Bell 5K!

me, greg and Ned before the 10K

Beth and I at finish of 10K --happy birthday Beth --it was fun while it lasted.

Frank and Don at start of 10K (Don wanted to run the course again but we didn't)
December is the best and worst of both running worlds --it's a rest from long runs, ultras, long races, marathons...it's also stressful in other ways --holiday shopping, sick kids, work, eating and drinking:)and it's cold and dark and hard to get running outside....so my goal is just to enjoy shorter races w/my friends and get my leg speed back. After the JFK 50 miler, didn't run more than 7 miles easy for 2 weeks--on roads with Francoise, or on treadmill at gym. -about 35 miles a week at 9:30 minute pace. on Thanksgiving, ran the hilly Gateway gobbler in an 8 minute pace with Frank, John, Karen newman, Darcy and Don ---it felt good to push myself just alittle harder than training pace!. I would have run the Bedford 5K except volunteered (and needed a break), and the Pete MacCardle x-country 15K except it was pouring rain and also my teenager was leaving for R.I.T. at noon!!
So.....this Saturday (cold but sunny) ran easy (23:30??) the Trumbull 5K with Frank and Ronnie --just to see if I could move my legs again. This is a nice rolling course that begins and ends on the Trumbull green --turns out that Ronnie won the 50s age group -yeah!! She told me that a group of crazy runners are doing the winter Leatherman's Loop next sunday.
Since I am already running the Taconic relay, decided that it would be too much!
Sunday was the Joe Kleinerman 10K and the ONLY reason I signed up was that it was the last team race of the season --but since snow was predicted, my teammates cancelled.
I went in with Frank and Don anyway and had a great time, except for the actual race.
I didn't ave any expectations, except to run a 7 min pace. The first mile was 7 minutes, and my legs felt like lead and my breathing was hard --not good!
Had to force myself to relax and not worry about pace. I finally got into the zone at mile 5 and ran the last mile in 6:45 (downhill) for 42:30?? Frank finished with me, --a great time considering he had a cold and swollen glands --I also had a sore throat and tight chest --arghhh. I fortunately don't have breathing problems in the winter --just in the spring and in the humidity...after we crossed the finish lne we ran into Beth, Ned and Greg....Don waited at a big tree for us and we all ran back to the car which was finally parked at 105th street!! When we were walking back to the car, we met up with leo, Joe and Tony from TRRC -they told me that prize money was given to the top 2 in each age group -so it appears I won $25 (coffee money for next race).. Next up, the holiday 4 miler 9for fun) and a priority race --the 15K.See Frank's blog for great photos (all the above photos taken by him -I forgot my camera)

Ike's 5th grade 'explorer' fair

Ike's friend Anna was also Diaz

Ike's classmate as Marco Polo

Francoise's daughter Mia as Ponce De leon


Ike in front of his display, complete with cape (over a Lake Waramug Ultras t-shirt)
For something else non-running related: I am really glad that my son's explorer project is over...and also glad that it was a success. As part of the 5th grade social studies curriculum, each of the students pick an explorer, and have to write a report, make a display with a hand-drawn map (all writing in Spanish and English), gather 'artifacts', a put on a costume for a special fair where parents and teachers are invited to walk around and learn about explorers.
Ike chose the Portuguese sailor Bartholomew Diaz, who discovered the Cape of Good Hope.
Sadly, Diaz drowned at age 47 in a storm on his second voyage around the tip of Africa. The fair was a real learning experience! I found out that many of the explorers perished through be-heading, diseases, drowning, fights with natives...the best part of the fair were the costumes!

my book club and La Prairie

Charlene talks about LaPrairie's miracle creme

Above --the book group ladies
I am very lucky to be part of a fun book club --we just had our December meeting at the Stanwich Club and figured that we have been meeting for almost 10 years -since April 1999! Now that most of our kids are teenagers, we want to have a mother -teen book club session (LOL)-our group is part local gossip, part talk about any current events, our families , travel and of course books. We even have 2 Harvard B-school grads, a lawyer and author (Janis is finishing a novel!!! cool). We try to pick an array of historical fiction, classics and off-beat books --we just finished 'without a map' --kind of depressing (we do like uplifting)-anyway, one of the members, Charlene, is
a vice-president at the skin care company la Prairie. I love Charlene and do try to be nice to her, as she gives me samples. And as a 50 year-old wrinkled runner/outdoor athlete, I cna use any help with anti-wrinkle creme. So last night,
Charlene gave us each 2 $200 sample jars of the new $1,000 skin creme (endorsed by Madonna and other stars) ---it's called Platinum Rare. Not sure what sales are like --think the creme works, though, and has done well in FL and CA. OK --gotta go try some now.
Bless you Charlene!!! I'd rather have this than running socks.

December CT races!

Here is a message from ClubCT with the good news about Waveny, and also with an update on the Dec. race calendar -lots going on!!
First, good news - the proposal to hold a summer theater production in the cornfields at Waveny Park in New Canaan has been withdrawn. Therefore, the public hearing on the matter scheduled for this evening has been cancelled. This is great news for runners who use the Park - our next goal is to get the town to remove the construction debris that has been stockpiled there and restore the fields to their original state as a meadow. Next, plenty of races coming up this month, with some shifts in scheduling: This Saturday, The Jingle Bell Run 5K in Trumbull, 9:30 a.m.http://www.hitekracing.com/jinglebellrun/ On Sunday, the Jingle Bell Jog, 3 miles, Greenwich. 9 a.m.http://www.threadsandtreads.com/tt_entryform.htm and on Dec. 7 Holiday Run for Kids, 5K (or so), Fairfield, 9 a.m.http://www.clubct.org/Races/holiday/Holiday.html Note these 2 races are earlier than normal Saturday, Dec 13Christmas Village 5K, Trumbull, 10 a.m.http://www.hitekracing.com/christmasvillage/ Sunday, Dec. 14 Christopher Martin's Run, 5K, New Haven, 10 a.m. http://www.jbsports.com/cmchrisrun.htm Sunday, Dec. 21 An old favorite returns - the Christmas T(h)ree Miler, 3 miles, Darien, 10 a.m.http://www.clubct.org/Races/Xmas3/Xmas3.html Finally, on December 28, the Athlete's Foot in Stamford once again hosts the Run/Walk for Cancer, 5K, 9 a.m.http://www.runwalkforcancer.com/
So, one can race every weekend...

Waveny park amphitheatre town mtg postponed

BREAKING NEWS
The Park and Recreation Commission public hearing originally scheduled for tomorrow, December 2, has been postponed.
Set to address the Summer Theatre of New Canaan's proposal to erect a temporary seasonal tent in the Waveny cornfield area, the hearing was expected to draw between 150 and 200 people, Recreation Director Steven Benko told the Advertiser Monday.
Following the Rams' win over Darien Thursday, however, a home football game and another meeting (both scheduled around the same time Tuesday at the high school) have caused parking and safety concerns. Park and Rec Chairman Scott Gress decided over the weekend to postpone the hearing to avoid forcing those attending the meeting to park a distance away.
"There's no place left to move it," according to Benko, who said Town Hall is too small, West School has a basketball game scheduled and East School is hosting dance classes.
The commission is expected to set a new date for the hearing later today.
Details will be reported here when they become available.

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