Change of plans

So much for taking advantage of an early start to the weekend and sneaking in a late-afternoon run.

The weather goddesses were not on my side as I pulled in the driveway today around 4 pm -- with sun shining overhead -- and dashed into the house to get hydrated and changed for what I thought would be a nice easy meander through Spa State Park. During the 10 minutes I'm in the house (we're talking Mareesa Time here, so make that 20 minutes) the sky turns overcast, thunder starts to rumble, the wind is whipping leaves around on my street and it looks like a storm is going to break any moment.

App attempts #1 & #2

I didn't need an iPhone app, or an iPhone for that matter, to inspire my first real run. I didn't need one to complete my first 5K (or three) either. But I am now a proud iPhone junkie, and the other day I felt compelled to combine my iPhone love with my running love and buy an app called Couch to 5K by Felt Tip. 

New friends

The concept is a 9-week training program of 20 to 40 minute workouts three times a week that will supposedly enable one to run 3.1 miles without stopping or walking. Sounded perfect for me. 

On Monday I giddily downloaded the app and then drove to the state park to try it out, breathing in the warm -- but not too warm -- air as a sweltering afternoon turned into a comfortable dusk.

You can start anywhere you want in the week 1-9 sessions, which gradually work you up to a full run, so I placed myself at the beginning of week three, starting with a 5 minute warm up then moving on to 90 seconds of walking and 90 of running, then 3 minutes of each. It ended with a 5 minute cool down.

The whole time, I was psyched to find out how far I'd traveled and at what pace, because when you are training for a 5K, these details are a powerful motivator to have at your disposal.

But did the app track my speed, distance or pace? Did it monitor my heart rate or calories burned? Nope! Apparently, these functions are just too much for Couch to 5K and you need another app to do them. So, I quickly downloaded RunKeeper for just this purpose, but alas, you can't operate both apps at the same time.

Now you can call me cheap, but what I got for the $2.99 I shelled out for Couch to 5K was hardly worth it. The extent of its functions was basically to give me a choice of a male or female voice (or a little beep, how novel!) telling me when to walk or run alternately for 28 minutes. Verrry disappointing.

RunKeeper was free (although there is a more sophisticated version you can purchase), so when I tried it later and it didn't work I was a.) not surprised and b.) not too disappointed.

I will continue to search for a better app and see how it works. I also have an exciting new accessory arriving in the mail any day now that should make for some fun training. Stay tuned ...

Note: This post was written Tuesday, June 22, but there was a delay in posting it until Wednesday night.

Ta da!

I am not a fast-moving person.

I never leap out of bed in the morning, gulp down a meal and make a beeline for my destination. I'm not a very speedy writer or speaker either.

I am someone, however, who spent the majority of her childhood and teenage years rushing from one parent's house to the next and then rushing to school and rushing to dance practice and rushing back home, where I rushed to finish all of my homework before bedtime. Rushing was the default mode I operated in.

At some point in college, all that rushing finally began to catch up with me, and I was moving so fast for so long that I forgot why I was doing the things I was doing. And I wasn't enjoying any of them.

Now that I am approaching a quarter of a century old, I've decided that it's time to slow down.

Hence the name of this blog, Slow Running Saratoga.

The timing of the blog's birth (I've been laboring with the decision to start it for about three months) just happens to be significant, as I've lived in the same town for exactly two years today (!), the longest I've inhabited any one place in eight years. I've been employed at the same newspaper, also, for exactly two years.

In this space, I will attempt to post regularly about my adventures, both training and racing as a new runner, and as someone who has finally slowed down long enough to notice the beautiful people and scenery that have always populated, and, for some reason unknown to me, continue to populate the course of my life.

As a new runner -- and as someone whose body was not built for the purpose -- being slow is no problem. Today I can run a 9 minute mile if I push myself hard, which is a big improvement over December 2008, when I went for my first real run and averaged a 13 minute mile.

Obviously though, the eventual goal is to run fast, or at least faster. Specifically, I'd like to run a 5K (3.1 miles) in 25 minutes or less. At my first race, in April at Saratoga Spa State Park, I only hoped not to die before crossing the finish line, and crossed my fingers I would do it in 30 minutes. I ended up finishing in 28:27.

Here I am slowly sprinting the last .1 mile past some random guy:


May 23, I cut my time down by 22 seconds at the SPAC Rock and Run, which was also held at the state park. But this time some of the course was on the grounds of Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). It was a lot hotter and a lot more crowded than I was prepared for. Still, I didn't die.


Now I'm preparing for the Read Run 5K for Literacy on Saratoga's East Side, on Sunday morning. I'm delighted to once again be joined by my friends and coworkers, Kellen (in the race), and Eric (taking photos).

So that's it for tonight, with the exception of some major gratitude:

Thanks to Bill Callen, a wise journalist and (now) PR guy for providing the spark and lots of writerly encouragement!

Thank you, Eric, for taking photos of the SPAC race and letting me use one here as the header.

Thanks, Kellen, for agreeing to come along on the runs and for giving me something to strive for. (6 minute mile? Me? As if..)

Thank you to my family, for cheering me on from afar and for not asking if I was joking when I first told you I went for a run and I liked it.

And thank you, Andrew, for cheering me on from the sidelines, helping with the blog design and for so expertly leading the way.