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You Can Do It All (But Not At Once)
Posted on January 1, 2015

“Not being able to do everything is no excuse for not doing everything you can.” ― Ashleigh Brilliant It’s been months since I shared something here. Last I wrote, I was ending a 10-week fundraising campaign in honor of my father’s loss to cancer. In retrospect, that sums up the theme of my 2014. There were […]
Return To Running: Week Nine
Posted on February 12, 2014 2 Comments
Week nine was full of treadmill running. Alter G. Woodway. You get to know the difference in treadmills when you’ve been using them for weeks on end. With the bridle path an icy mess, and trying to limit the amount of pounding my foot takes on the road, it’s been interesting doing every type of […]
Return To Running: Week Eight
Posted on February 3, 2014 Leave a Comment
Week eight was a great running week, for me. Mileage is continuing to build back steadily. Got a few runs in outside, which felt fantastic after so many frigid days and treadmill workouts. A return to the Central Park hills felt much better than last week, proving the body generally does, in fact, remember what […]
Return To Running: Week Seven
Posted on January 28, 2014 1 Comment
Week seven was a big thumbs up in my book! Mileage is building back up slowly, and pace is coming down. I had a full schedule of physical therapy, cross-training, back-to-back runs, a tempo, and intervals. Braved the cold on Saturday for my “long” run, and even though the hills reminded me I’ve work to […]
Return To Running: Week Six
Posted on January 20, 2014 2 Comments
Week six was a milestone week, post-injury, for two reasons: 1) return of the tempo run (hooray!); and 2) first back-to-back runs since October ’13 (huzzah!). Feeling good, moving forward, getting stronger and going longer. Monday Run: Tempo. First attempt at a gentle tempo run. Coach said one mile no faster than 7:30 pace. Ran […]
Return To Running: Week Five
Posted on January 12, 2014 Leave a Comment
Week five saw a lot of indoor running on the Alter G because of bitter cold temperatures in the northeast. It was also the week of my longest continuous run since Chicago Marathon, and the much-anticipated return of (easy) intervals. Progress! Monday Run: Easy Intervals. The morning started at 50F, steadily dropped throughout the day. […]
Return To Running: Week Four
Posted on January 5, 2014 Leave a Comment
Week four was another week of juggling workouts; but, happy to see my runs gradually getting longer. Still pain-free! Monday Rest Day. (Scheduled: 30-min run) Was not able to get my run in today, per schedule. Tuesday Run: 30-min Run. (Scheduled: 45-60 min spin w/ surges) Was scheduled to spin. Since I wasn’t able to get my […]
Return To Running: Week Three
Posted on December 30, 2013 2 Comments
Week three required a little bit of juggling workouts to fit with my personal schedule. But, I’m happy to have a week that more closely resembles what I’m used to – five workouts including running and spinning. Not to mention I’m elated to be running pain-free while slowly rebuilding mileage. Monday Run: Easy. (Scheduled: 45-min Easy […]
Return To Running: Week Two
Posted on December 30, 2013 1 Comment
Week two included some treadmill running, one gorgeous outdoor run, and physical therapy. Monday Run: Easy. Plan called for a 2-mile run with a 5-min walking break in between miles. Since I was at Finish Line PT, snagged some time running on the Alter G treadmill. First time running on this, and it’s quite an […]
Return To Running: Week One
Posted on December 17, 2013 Leave a Comment
Week one marked my return to Coach Kevin’s running workouts! I was officially cleared to run on December 6, so back up we start! I’ve also embarked on Physical Therapy to help rehab my foot and correct my running form moving forward. It’s humbling to start up again running a mile at a time, but […]
What’s Next: 2014 Spring Season
Posted on December 5, 2013 6 Comments
“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” Walter Elliot ~ After the Chicago Marathon, and while my stress fracture healed, I began to wonder: what’s next. With every marathon I’d run, I immediately had the next 26.2 lined up. Until Chicago. Not only did I not have […]
Giving Thanks
Posted on December 2, 2013 1 Comment
“Anyone who ever gave you confidence, you owe them a lot.” Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s ~ Yes, it’s indeed time to make some decisions about spring goals. As I look forward, I’d also like to express my profound and heartfelt appreciation to those who support me. Their continued encouragement is not only amazing, but […]
Closing The Chicago Chapter
Posted on November 29, 2013 7 Comments
“Each goal achieved is equally a dream destroyed.” Reinhold Messner ~ Thank you kindly for the introduction, Reinhold. I should add: my marathon dream is still very much intact. The Chicago Marathon was a beautiful race on a day made for marathoning. The conditions were ideal, and I lined up feeling confident. My mind was […]
CPTC Founder’s 5K
Posted on July 28, 2013 13 Comments

Coach: So you’re ready to run fast tomorrow. Me: Believe so, Coach. Coach: That wasn’t a question. You are ready. A few weeks ago, Coach Kevin requested I get a 5K race on the calendar. The intent being to benchmark my current fitness, and fine-tune my Chicago Marathon training paces. This made me giddy. I’d […]
NYRR Scotland Run 10K
Posted on April 6, 2013 1 Comment

The Scotland Run’s always one of my favorite NYRR races. Let’s face it: it’s scattered with kilts and bagpipes – two things of which I’m quite fond! If only they were part of every race… Last year’s Scotland 10K was a PR for me. That’s not saying much since I’ve never properly raced this distance. […]
Love is Generous
Posted on February 16, 2013 5 Comments

We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love. Mother Teresa ~ This past Thursday – Valentine’s Day, a holiday of which I’m less than fond – I stumbled across Generosity Day. I actually first read about it on researcher Brené Brown’s blog, Ordinary Courage. The idea took root and […]
To Lora V…The Girl Who…
Posted on January 26, 2013 5 Comments
So began the subject line in a recent email from a dear friend. In its entirety it read, “To Lora V…the girl who never lets the snow stop her.” Attached to the email was this fabulous surprise: the above portrait, illustrated by the incredibly talented (and dare I say beautiful) Sam Smith, who’s recently launched […]
2013 Spring Marathon Season: Eugene
Posted on January 18, 2013 5 Comments

“You must not only aim right, but draw the bow with all your might.” Henry David Thoreau ~ I’m not a New Year’s resolution kind of person. There’s nothing about the calendar hitting January 1 that drives me to make changes. When I see fit, I change. When I need to, I change. And, when […]
NYC Runs Central Park 10-Miler
Posted on January 13, 2013 13 Comments

Today was the NYC Runs Central Park 10-Miler, my first official timed event of the year. While I hesitate to classify this as a true race recap – I went in decidedly not racing the course – it was a great way to usher in spring marathon training. When Ashley mentioned running this together, I […]
2012 By The Numbers
Posted on January 2, 2013 9 Comments

Running without my Garmin’s nearly unimaginable. That being said, my Garmin obsession pays off at the close of each year. After ringing in 2013 with the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run, there’s now some run data to be analyzed! Since I only started running in 2009, I still get a massive kick out of seeing my […]
Running In 2012: Q&A
Posted on December 24, 2012 8 Comments

The 2012 year-in-running Q&A caught my attention after being mentioned by three amazing runners – Ashley, Jess, and Melissa. The questions got me reflecting on the year’s experiences. Since it was quite unpredictable and unprecedented (for me), I decided to follow suit and offer up a few words to give the year its due credit. […]
2012 Fall Season Conclusion: Pensacola Marathon
Posted on November 17, 2012 12 Comments

Write injuries in dust, benefits in marble. Benjamin Franklin ~ To start with the obvious, this training and racing cycle was full of unprecedented and unpredictable events. A hurricane swept in the week before the NYC Marathon and wreaked havoc on the five boroughs. The race was on! The race was off! Never before had […]