Now that my first race is under my belt and I actually managed to finish the Race for the Cure with a halfway decent time, I decided to try again on Saturday, September 18th, downtown D.C. in the 'America Races for Strong Women', a benefit for the National Osteoporosis Foundation. My goal is to beat my last time (this darn competitive nature is gonna kill me yet!!) and if I can do so in the top 10%, I'd be REAL happy!
National Race for the Cure, June 5, 1999 STATS
Total Participants = 66,000
Total Runners = 45,926
M & F 50-59 yr Age Division = Ranked 219 out of 4,923 = 4%
Females - all ages Divisions = Ranked 4190 out of 33,855 = 12%
Overall (M & F all ages) = Ranked 8247 out of 45,926 = 18%
Yes, I'm happy finishing in the top 4% of my age group -- for a first race!
An old friend once asked me why I started running.
And this 4%, my dear friend, is the reason why!
Initially, this was going to be a "Running" page but since I love ALL sports and just being outdoors, I decided this would be a general fitness page instead. Now that fall is here and the heat and humidity level have dropped along with all the leaves, I'm running outside at lunch time, usually a few times a week at 3 to 5 miles per run, but will also continue to cross train at the local Golds Gym a few times a week to keep the overall fitness level I've achieved. Having a Golds Gym close to work and another one close to home sure makes it easy to fit in a workout. I also found running and exercising with my friend/co-worker, who is 20 years my junior, has definitely been an inspiration to me. Even with the age difference, we are pretty well matched in endurance and ability and the encouragemment and support we give each other really helps. We enjoy going to the gym after work for an hour or so for a good cardio workout then using the circuit training equipment. It certainly has helped my endurance level which in turn will help my running times. There's just nothing like running outside in Virginia in the autumn, enjoying the crisp fall air. My son Chris has also taken up running - Virginia Tech is a beautiful area for a solitary 5 miler. Shawn has also joined Golds Gym along with his girlfriend Diana and he's taken up the treadmill and the elyptical trainer and they both also seem to enjoy it.
Chris decided it was time for some serious Mother & Son bonding time. This experience was climbing Cannon Mountain in Franconia, New Hampshire. This trip was even better than the last mountain climbing trip 5 years ago, as this time I got to drive my Miata up & back. The weather was perfect for climbing. The first day, it was 38° on top. The second was a bit warmer at 46°. We hiked up Cannon on the Kinsman Ridge Trail and it only took us about 2 1/2 hours. When we reached the top, it was so great and we still felt pretty good so we decided we just had to do more the next day. I tried talking Chris into Mt. Washington but he didn't think he was ready for that so we decided to save that for next summer. The next day we went back to Cannon and took the Lake Trail from Lafayette back (1 1/2 mile up) to Lonesome Lake. From there we went over the Dodge Cutoff (this was some very serious rock climbing at about a 65-70° angle!) to the Hi-Cannon Trail and back across the Kinsman Ridge Trail to the summit of Cannon. Originally we had planned on taking the tram back down to the base lodge but decided to hike it back down instead. By the time we reached bottom & walked an additional 3 miles back to the car we were pretty tired! It was about a 9 hour hike altogether but well worth the effort. What a feeling looking back up at the mountain and knowing WE DID IT! Little did Chris know it would have been easier and about 3 hours LESS climbing if we had done Tuckerman Ravine at Mt. Washington!! He is now ready to do that next summer! I'll just have to keep at that running and cross-training!!! To climb above the tree line and make it to the top of the Mountain and be able to look down over the other mountains and lakes (Lonesome Lake, Profile Lake and Echo Lake) and enjoy the panoramic view is so totally exhilarating!! You literally feel on top of the world!!
Visit some of my favorite Running sites:
Since childhood, winter has always meant Ice Skating, sledding, and when I grew a bit older, downhill skiing in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the Green Mountains of Vermont, then the ultimate; Austria.
Visit some of these great ski links for New England. Sharp edges are a necessity for skiing New England due to the ice factor that's usually present, however, it never stopped me from accepting the challenge of the expert trails since I learned to ski in Vermont.
A couple of good sites to look at if you're thinking of skiing Austria are:
The following are ski resorts in Austria that I have skied at and would most definitely recommend: (Even managed to make it down some of the expert trails without broken bones!!)
Our local Reston Town Center Ice Skating rink has opened, and I've already had the opportunity to try it out. A co-worker and myself have decided that as long as the weather is halfway decent (not raining or below 25°, we'd enjoy the rest of the winter by spending our Friday lunch hour ice skating. No matter how old I seem to get, it's still the same wonderful feeling and it certainly brings back memories of living in Stuttgart, Vaihingen, Germany and walking two blocks to a local pond to skate with the boys. In my immediate area (Ashburn, VA), they've just opened a rather large, indoor facility, but there sure is something magical about ice skating outdoors with the cold air stinging your cheeks.
After living in Europe for six years, the bicycle was not only a common mode of transportation but also a way to really enjoy the outdoors and meet terrific people. Northern Virginia has miles of bike trails and certainly the weather to make good use of them. While living in Germany, I purchased a great bike and I couldn't count the number of hours I've enjoyed on the WO&D Bike Trails. Now that spring is here again in Northern Virginia, it's time to break out the bikes & hit the trails. I usually try to find time on weekends to take my bike out for a spin. It's a great place to ride and enjoy the fresh air.
URL: http://www.geocities.com/bettyannet/sports.html
Date Modified: 11/25/08
