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Boilermaker 2018

Every year I sign up to run the local 15K road race and end up regretting it come race weekend. Why? Because the anxiety of racing makes me miserable. The reason for this pre race anxiety is a mystery. One can only assume it is the anticipation of discomfort that comes with putting it all out there. Self talk helps a little but ultimately end up with the same old question “Why am I putting myself through this? “ Enough about that. What matters most that in the end, I get to the starting line and run the race and [...]

By Joanne|2018-07-13T15:25:19-04:00July 13, 2018|Races, Running|Comments Off

Soldier On: Running Off Pace

I recently read Kara Goucher's recap of her New York City marathon back in November, 2014. If you ran that marathon you know the wind that day had to be factored into any planned pacing strategy. I feed off the determination and strength of our elite runners, often wondering if they ever hit the wall because they seem to just keep going no matter how beat up they look. Kara's recap, as is most of Kara's writing, makes her seem more like one of us average marathoners, suffering the way we do along the marathon road with feelings of defeat [...]

By Joanne|2015-04-10T15:05:10-04:00April 10, 2015|Running|2 Comments

Delta Lake Triathlon 2014

The day was perfect. The water for athletes was perfect. And the participant’s shirts were pretty darned perfect. ATCEndurance Ted had a good event, getting a beer glass for third in his age group. Time 3:09 His swim was probably slower by a minute or so than usual for the Olympic distance. In fact his comment as he ran past us to transition was “That seemed to take forever”. At one point, a woman swam over the top of him. That would slow me down. He transitioned well and onto the bike course, 24 miles. Does he look as if [...]

By Joanne|2014-07-20T14:53:16-04:00July 20, 2014|Triathlon|Comments Off

Greenlakes Triathlon 2014: Family Fun

The Greenlakes Triathlon Syracuse YMCA couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day in upstate New York. As usual, this event received an A+ in every area from organization, enthusiastic volunteers, spectators, to the finish line fun and food. A little bit about this event from the website: livestrong at the YMCA Green Lakes Triathlon & Race Weekend It's three races in an amazingly beautiful venue, including the 35th-Annual YMCA triathlon. These races are run entirely by volunteers, meaning that 100% of the money raised supports the charitable work of the YMCA, particularly the YMCA's free programs for cancer survivors. [...]

By Joanne|2014-06-07T18:44:04-04:00June 7, 2014|Triathlon|4 Comments

Obsession or A Case of Overachiever-ism

People driven to overachieve are motivated by an unhealthy compulsion to show they are worthy. "Overachievers have an underlying fear of failure or a self-worth contingent upon competence," says University of Rochester psychologist Andrew Elliot. "Rather than setting and striving for goals based on a pure desire to achieve, their underlying motivation impels them out into the world to avoid failure." SOURCE Does that sound like you? Personally, I’m getting scared. How about this… Why Motivation Matters There are three basic ways to go after an objective. Approach-mastery goals are pure, focused on self-improvement for its own sake and predictive [...]

By Joanne|2014-02-14T14:42:36-05:00February 14, 2014|Health and Nutrition|Comments Off

Mohawk Hudson River Marathon 2012

I thought “you don’t have to run this race. you got your PR for the year 3 weeks ago at Air Force so WHY do you want to stand here freezing this morning?!” Then I decided since my number and shirt had been picked up, and since I liked the shirt so much, in order to wear it, I better run it. Let’s see how it goes. Ted drove us to the start instead of having to wait for the bus in Albany. We spent 45 minutes before the race in a nice warm car, only having to endure the [...]

By Joanne|2012-10-08T10:10:35-04:00October 8, 2012|Races|11 Comments