Tag Archives: 5K

Monday Random Acts

9 May

So Mother’s Day was a success.   Low key and quite the way I like it to be.  I’m not into the big hoopla or going out to dinner.  I got up all the kiddies still asleep and ran a 5k “Run Like a Mother”, in Ridgefield CT.   I got a cool tee-shirt in my goodie bag which I sported yesterday and a rose at the finish line.  My time was pretty good 24:54, for a hilly course, 177th out of 1123 runners and 48th out of 271 for my age group of females 40-44.  When I got home we planted a berry patch.   Three big blueberry plants, 2 gooseberries and 1 pink currant.  These coupled with our black raspberries will be great mid summer.  I’ll let you know how that goes later in the season.   But I generally did nothing all day, which was very pleasant.  Ahhhhhh. 

However, this morning it was back to reality.  I had to get the little ones shipped off to school, my car needed to go to the shop for maintenance and I stopped into work for 2 hours for a meeting.  But on my way to work I stopped at a Starbuck’s for coffee.  As I was walking in some nice gentleman opened the door for me.  Technically he should have been first in line but he let me order.  When I went to pay I looked at the cashier and said “I’ll buy his coffee too”.  He looked stunned.  “Why?” he asked.  I said “No reason, just do it for someone else someday”.  He was grinning from ear to ear and he told the girl who handed him his coffee “Wow- I feel special”.  I just turned and walked out, also sporting a big smile. 

I was thinking in the car how little actions like that are few and far between now a days.  People are so afraid to approach people and step outside of their comfort zone.  That simple act of buying his coffee could have changed the perspective on his whole day.  Maybe his morning was terrible and this perked it up or maybe it added a light-hearted lift to his day.  I’ll never know, but I got a big smile and it made me feel good too.  Now I’m  not saying you have to buy someone a two dollar cup of coffee.   In fact there are many random acts of kindness that we can do each and every day.  You could write an encouraging note to someone you know may need a pick me up and pop it in the mail or help someone at the grocery store.  Let someone in line go in front of you if they only have 2 items and you have 15.  It doesn’t take much hold a door and give a smile.  There is a whole website dedicated to Random Acts of Kindness.  Our children emanate what we do.  Let’s show them that random acts of kindness are what can make the world a beautiful place. 

Happy Monday!

A Silver Lining…

30 Apr

Sometimes doing the right thing doesn’t always seem right in the beginning.  Take today for example…Today was going to be a fantastic weekend.  The plan had been set in motion back in November when I signed up for the NJ Marathon 2011.  It was my back up race if I didn’t go to Napa. ((which I did :) Yea!)  But I had coursed my workout warrior friend to sign up for the 1/2 in January and also another friend to do it, so the plan was a super girlie athletic weekend.  When I got back from Napa I was crippled literally from my IT band and the recovery has seemed like forever…8 weeks to be exact.  But I kept plodding along, floundering slightly, having a personal pity party some days, doing what I was told (for the most part), less running and physical therapy etc etc.  But as the NJ race got closer I decided to down grade to the 1/2 marathon.  But about 6 weeks ago my one girlfriend got sidelined by back problems.  Then my workout warrior friend became sidelined 3 weeks prior to race day with a severe hamstring pull.   I had such mixed emotions about her not running.  We had been running together and reporting out weekly mileage for weeks, but I was struggling to keep up.  Part of me was relieved for myself  but was devastated for her and all that she  has been working so hard for, her goal just within reach, now put on the back burner because of a pulled hamstring. So then I needed to decide… do I go it alone?

My chiropractor said “well Deana, you could do it…but will you run a personal best, not likely… will you be sore… most likely, your decision”.  So against what the “game on athlete” in me would do (which by the way is go and run the race) I am not at the NJ marathon this weekend.  It is a bummer because the conditions for race day are going to be spectacular.  Very different from the rain I endured my first go at the 1/2 there 3 years ago.  But I know that I have come this far back in my marathon recovery and pushing the mileage too fast and far would be dumb.  Right now I feel fantastic, actually better than before I did my first race which was NJ.  My IT band seems 100%, I am running pain-free. Yesterday I logged 6.5 miles and it felt incredible, almost like poetry in motion.

Hoof it for Haiti 5K~ Family Pics

So today to catch a glimpse of a silver lining in the weekend I signed up for the 1st Annual Southbury Hoof it for Haiti 5K.  It was a fantastic morning, blue skies, no wind and 50 degrees at race start.  My three little cherubs ran the kids fun run.  Little Griffin my 4 yo ran the 6 and under 600 yard dash.  He smiled the whole way! Sophie and Benjamin both ran in the 7-12 yo 1/2 mile race.  This was Sophie’s first race ever and she was nervous.  She cried when she was done.  When I asked her why she was crying she didn’t know why. (chalk it up to girlie hormones). 

My 5K PR: 25:47

So mommy ran the 5K.  I had my cheering section, and I met up with a few local friends at the starting line which is always nice.  While hanging out afterwards I met one of my blogging buddies, Susanne Navas from Smile Pacing.  She came in 2nd in the 40-49 division!  (Go Susanne!!) Susanne is a Connecticut runner, wife, mother, Ironman finisher and a personal life coach.  We’ve been virtual friends via our blogs and she has been a constant support emailing me through my marathon training &  recovery offering words of encouragement and even to join her in yoga to aid in stretching.   Her motto and trademark smilepace: V 1. To pace yourself by going as fast as you can with a smile on your face. 2. To gage your progress based on…happiness and fulfillment.  I think today I had that covered.  During my run I realized I just love running.  I enjoy the comrade of it.   The feeling of personal accomplishment and the energy of the event.  Everything about my run this morning felt right.   My pace felt strong, no nagging knee pain, just me and the road.  I had my garmin on but never looked at it.  I kept repeating to myself ” if it feels good, go with it, no need to look.  Who cares, your just having fun“.  I crossed the finish line with my hubby and 3 cherubs looking on, yelling and screaming, “hi mommy! go mom!”   I did a 5K personal best today 25:47, 108 overall and 5th in my age group females 40-49 yo, out of 59 runners .  How cool is that!  So in a weekend that seemed like it was clouded by bad luck and storm clouds, it looks like I found my silver lining.

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