Running Shoes to Stiletto's

It is almost the end of October and I am officially done with my training for the year. Two weeks ago I did my 10th Half Marathon! I was pretty excited to hit double digits on this one. I ended my season with the GMAA Green Mountain Marathon and Half Marathon. This was the third time that I did this race and though not a my fastest time it was a PR for this particular course. I had a wonderful race; the temperature was perfect and as always this race offers such beautiful pieces of Vermont. There isn't much for crowd support yet I am okay with that. For the past couple years I have ended my race season with this race; enjoying the quiet country roads and the farm animals I see on the way: horses, cows and pigs!!! I love animals of coarse!

Taken by my 5 year old right before the finish line. I was excited!

This month I am participating in If Girls Ran The World. Every mile that I run is dedicated to a cause of your choice. I chose the Susan G. Komen foundation. I have always been passionate about supporting breast cancer awareness and this was just another way I could give back. Each time I set out to run, even the days I don't want to, I remember why I chose to dedicate my miles to this cause and how hard women and men fight every day to battle this awful disease. I wanted to help be a part of kicking cancers ass; because someday we will! Check out my page to see my running progress and consider making a donation. One, two or even five dollars can make a world of a difference. It takes all of us to fight cancer so let's do this!

The best part of finishing any race is seeing these two!

Tonight is also one of my favorite events: Cocktails Curing Cancer! What better way to fight cancer than with a drink in your hand! Check out the website and if you cannot make it to this event read all that this non profit does. I am in awe of how this foundation and how it has grown. It takes a person with a big heart, determination, dedication and the desire to make a difference to put this event on. I have watched this non profit grow over the years and it is wonderful to see the once small room at a bar turn into a happy hour at a country club! Tonight I will put the running shoes aside, slip on my stiletto's, and raise a glass or two to fight Breast Cancer! 

Mom and I at Cocktails Curing Cancer 2015

Speaking of stiletto's...I am incredibly excited to announce that I am a 2017 Stiletto Running Ambassador.  I love all that this brand stands for: women empowerment, motivating and lifting one another up, and inspiring one another to be the best they can be no matter what one's running level is. At the end of the day we all share the same passion, and that is to run! Shana created a line of running apparel to fit her inner "girly girl" and in her words: "Every woman should feel girly, pretty, fit, strong, sexy, confident & of course...SASSY!" 

I am elated at what a hell of a year this has been for me for running. I have worked really hard to reach my goals. It has taken many miles, dedication and believing in myself that I could do it. It's not always easy, some days are definitely harder than others. I never get back from a run wishing I hadn't stepped out the door. Each run makes me stronger and better than the run before. I am a work in progress; running for my is about growth. I will continue to set goals and push myself. The only limits that can get in the way are the ones that I create. This is my life and I RUN it! 


"The obsession with running is really an obsession with the potential for more and more life." ~ George Sheehan 

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When Fear Gets In The Way

One of my favorite things about running is my time alone. In the summer many of my runs are done as the sun is rising and morning mist meets the grass. I love the way the sunlight reflects off of it, tiny beads of water that shine like lights. The early morning sky displaying colors of pinks and reds painting the sky with it's beauty. I love the stillness in the air; the only sound is my feet on the pavement and the sound of my breath. I have said it before, the road is my church.

What happens when fear gets in the way of those runs? When it starts to scare you before you even get out there; fear that you are not safe. I practice safety on all my runs. If it is early I am sure to run main roads or neighborhoods I am familiar with. I carry mace with me in my running belt along with my phone. I am a strong woman yet that does not mean I am safe. None of it does. You can practice safety each and every day, on every run. Evil is out there and sadly none of us are ever truly safe. 

I had just finished a eight and a half mile run on Saturday morning. I was just around the corner from my house. I was so close! I had a great run this morning. I had set out to do five but found myself farther out than I had planned. I would be heading with my family to Rhode Island for the night for my bestie and her hubby's epic summer party they throw every year. I was in a wonderful mood and feeling happy. A gold car drove by soon after I finished my run. I couldn't tell you what make or model it was, but I am sure I could point it out again if I saw it. The car beeped and waved. I thought it was someone I may know in town and without hesitation I waved back. I didn't think much of it in the moment, I am a friendly person and returning a hello is important to me. (BTW, I hate when other runners don't say HI! Big pet peeve!) 

I was a few hundred yards away from where I needed to turn to get to my street when the car had turned around and was waiting at the intersection. Right away I felt nervous. Something didn't feel right to me and I can usually trust my gut. The man who was around my age, maybe a little younger, called out asking if I was Tanya. I replied no to which he creepily responded : "That's too bad." WTF! What did that even mean. I continued to walk which was only bringing me closer to the car. There was no traffic. No other walkers or runners. I felt so far from my house even though it was just around the corner. He then asked me how my run was. He started babbling about what a nice morning it was. I am not sure I heard everything he was saying. I was nervous. I didn't trust him. I did have my phone in my hand and was trying to figure out in my head what I would do if he got out of his car. It felt like ten minutes when in reality it was probably more like two or three minutes. Then he decided to drive off. He was gone and I was safe.

Who knows if this person had any intent. I hate to think that every person out there is bad, but reality is I need to be cautious, we all need to be cautious. I wish we lived in a world where there was more trust yet sadly we don't. The recent tragedies of fellow runners Alexandra Nicolette Bruger, Karina Vetrano, and Vanessa Marcotte hit close to home. All three were amazing women with so much ahead of them. Strong, independent and aspiring women who were taken from their loved ones. That could be any one of us out there running. Those women are more than just names that flash across the screen. They left their houses that day to embrace their time on the road. The one place they most likely felt at home was taken from them. They were taken from their family, their friends and from the running community. My heart aches for their families and the pain they have endured over the way these women lost their lives so unfairly.

Yes, their tragedies have put fear into me. As women runners I believe we are more of a target than male runners. Sadly, no matter how strong or fierce of the woman, evil itself is a strong force. As a woman runner I will not let this stop me from running, yet I will be sure that I do what I can to keep myself safe. I will do my best to be mindful. And always, trust my gut.

A few things we should always practice: Always carry mace! Tell your loved ones where you are running. Switch up your routes when you run. Be sure to have a phone with you. Run in areas where you will always be seen. 

I vow not to let anyone ever take my passion of running away. I would like to think I will be one of those old ladies still doing 5K's when she is 80. Will I let fear get in the way? No, I will allow it to make me more cautious and practice safety. Fear will not take away what is important to me. Running is far more to me than just a way to stay in shape. It is where I find peace and solace. Running is where I can reflect and take the time to appreciate life and all it has given. The road is my safety blanket, the one place I can be and really connect with who I am. It is where I can give back to myself while being grateful that I am able to run. Nothing can take that away from me!


Other Posts:
Running On Memories
The A,B,C's Of A Runner


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A Little Luck And A Little Training

The number Seven has always been my lucky number. It was the number I wore when I played  softball as a young girl. I wore that number on the back of my shirt and as the years rolled on I felt connected to that number. The number seven would become my lucky number for years to follow.

I am not into numerology by any means. In some ways I am superstitious I suppose; I never pick up a penny if it is on tails, I believe bad things happen in threes, and when I am passing a graveyard if I may just do the sign of the cross. This year it is not the number seven but the number five that has been the "lucky" number.

2015 has had wonderful things happen. It was 5 years on Valentines Day that Jay and I celebrated "us" at the same restaurant we have made a tradition going to each year. It was on this day this past V Day that Jay proposed to me. It has been 5 years that we have lived in our home together. We may not own this place but we have created so much love within this house. 5 years of growing, babies, and laughter; that is what makes a home. This weekend was also my 5Th Half Marathon. This was meaningful as well as spiritual for me.

Photo from RaceVermont

The Charlotte Covered Bridge Half Marathon was a first for me. I had run part of this route on a 10K that I did last year but the Half Marathon coarse was new gravel for me. It was beautiful, peaceful and inviting. This year the Half Marathon added a 5K and 10K division to the race. With that it was still a small race with around 300 people. The weather was perfect; overcast to partly sunny skies and around 60 by start time.

I felt good Saturday morning. I made sure to get everything together the night before. I only had one beer (hey, I needed one drink since it was Friday) as I got my running gear gathered up. I got to bed by 9:30PM to try and get some sleep in. With two toddlers in the house (and one in my bed) this is almost impossible. I was awakened by the 4 1/2 year old at one and four am. Lucky for him me I had gotten some descent sleep in between. 5AM was my time I wanted to be up. I always shower and eat breakfast before my races and planned to leave the house to pick up my sister in law who was running her first 10K.

This was my first Half Marathon that I didn't feel nervous. This summers runs and two previous Half Marathons this year had brought me some confidence and solace that this run would be awesome. The morning sunrise was another sign that it was going to be a great morning. I had to pull over to take a picture and savor the beautiful sunrise that God had granted me this day. It wasn't just the beauty of nature yet a sure sign that the day would be one filled with good things.

The race began a few minutes after 8AM. The start goes up a slight incline to bring you away from Shelburne Beach to Orchard Road where the coarse begins. I could feel the tears gathering in my eyes and lump forming in my throat as I heard the voices of children cheering on their mother. This was my first Half Marathon where my own children would not be waiting for me at the finish line. It is always a motivator for me as well as a sweet reward to see their faces after my races. I continued on trying to push past my emotion and fall into a pace that felt good for the first half of this race.

The first six miles I picked a couple of different runners to pace with. By the half way point of the coarse I was worried that I had maybe been going too fast. It was here that I worried about burning out. I had been running an average of a 7:30 minute mile. I was feeling really good and still felt good at the half way point but knew that I was not near done yet.

I ended up chatting with this guy Chris who I had been pacing with and started to pass as we were going up a hill. His words of "You go girl" made him my new runner friend. I held back so we could chat for a minute. I let him know I was sticking behind him and that he had actually helped me during my run. This was his 4Th Half Marathon and he didn't have a goal as he was using it for his training run for the Marine Corps Marathon which would be his first Marathon. I instantly liked this guy and even though we stopped talking I found a comfort in his presence as we continued on. Around mile ten I pushed past him and was running alone again.

By mile 11 I could feel my legs starting to get soar. I still felt good but it was getting harder. There was only a couple miles left and I was not about to slow down. I had another runner come up on me who encouraged me as I encouraged her. We both agreed the faster we went the sooner we would be done. She went on ahead but keeping my eye her helped me push myself. Then there were the two runners that were some of the first to get to the half way point and leave us all in their dust. At mile 12 I was able to smile, say good job, and push past them.

I was ready to be done. Running at that pace for an entire Half was exhausting. About a 100 yards before the finish line I heard loud footsteps pounding the pavement to reach the end. It was a woman who I had not yet seen accompanied by Chris, the guy who I met back at the half way point. They both flew by me and finished before me. She, the unknown female runner, pushed me out of the top 5 overall for women but I was too happy for Chris who had a great run and came in just seconds before me.

I finished my 5Th Half Marathon with a new PR: 1:36:43. I placed 14th out of 178 runners, 6th overall out of women, and 2nd in my age group. My average minute mile was 7:23. My children and husband may not have met me at the finish line but when I came home from work that night (yes, I went to work after!) I came home to an awesome Lobster dinner that my husband cooked on the grill. My son Chase said: "Mama, this is the best present!" He was right about that!

Maybe it was luck. Maybe it was all my training. I like to think it was a little of both and that is why my 5Th Half Marathon turned out to be the best one thus far! The only thing I would do different is apply more Run Guard! Chafing in certain spots is not what I call a reward!

Happy Running!!

Setting New Goals And Keeping A Commitment

I can't believe that we are half way through 2015 already. May and June seemed to have just rushed on by and now we are at July. I had set a goal for myself that I would run three to four Half Marathons this year. I completed one in April and my second one in May. Yesterday I committed to my third one of the year which will be the Charlotte Covered Bridge Half Marathon. This will be the first time that I have run this race as well as it being my Fifth Half Marathon. I love running in new places. There is something thrilling to me when exploring new roads to run. I do find comfort in some of the routes I frequent yet I enjoy the adventure of a new run.

May was my highest mileage month for me this year hitting 131.08 miles (not a PR for me though). June I fell short for some reason only reaching 116.01. I was pretty disappointed in that. I had thought I even put in a few extra days. I think what happened is that since I was not officially in "training" mode for another Half I allowed some of my longer runs to fall short a couple miles of where I would have liked to be. Now that I have committed to my next race in September I am hoping to start pushing myself to at least break 120 miles this month.

I am still cross training on days I don't run. I have a few video's on You Tube that I enjoy. Adding to my love for Jillian Michael's, I recently discovered and developed a girl crush on Rebecca Louise. She has a full body workout on You Tube that I have been doing along with an arm workout. We can't forget to work on our core so there are days I also do her 10 Minute Ab Workout. I do like to mix up my workouts so I am sure to work all areas of my body. I get in a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) once to twice a week as well. This is effective as well as challenging, not to mention important if you are a runner. If you want to get in a quick but effective workout look up some HIIT video's to try.

For a couple years I ran without any cross training, silly me! Cross training has indeed made me stronger for my runs. My times have improved as well as my stamina. I really wanted to sculpt my body more to gain muscle and tone my body.  I am still a work in progress. I continue to work on where I want to be physically knowing that with each workout or run I am creating a better me. I may not ever be exactly where I want to be when I look in the mirror, yet I hope to be happy with the work I have put in and being where I am at now.

Since we still have a couple of months left of summer and July and August tend to be the hottest I decided to purchase a Camelback Hydration Pack. I do not like running with anything in my hand and decided a fuel belt that holds water also wasn't for me. I figured a Camelback might be just what I need. In looking for the right one for me I knew I didn't want anything big and I would only be using it for my long runs. I was also being frugal, truth be told, and though there were other models I liked I was not looking to spend a lot. I instead used Birthday money I received which bought me my new friend. I will keep you posted on what I think about it after I get to try it out.

For me setting goals and following through with my fitness commitments is important to me. Setting the goal is the first part. Once I have set that goal I become determined to reach it or excel beyond it. It's not always easy and there are days I do not have the motivation. I always say I love to run, but that doesn't mean I always want to run. Some days require an extra push, a personal pep talk. I never regret a workout or a run afterwards. Making the commitment to a healthier and better me is one of the best commitments I have ever made.


Did you set any fitness goals for yourself for 2015? What is your favorite way to workout?

The Sweet Victory of The Finish Line

I wear a RoadID bracelet when I run. On it has my name, emergency numbers, and the quote: ALWAYS BELIEVE YOU CAN. I wear this bracelet every time I run for safety purposes, yet it also serves as a reminder to me that I can complete each run. I can run up that hill. I can go another mile. I can beat my personal PR. I did all those things on Sunday when I ran my second Half Marathon.

This race was very different from my first half marathon. I knew it would be and part of me worried how that would affect me. This was a smaller run. Approximately 750 people. There were less crowds which meant less cheering. The race went along country roads and along side the lake. The colors painted the sky. The smell of the apple orchards filled my nose. The view of the lake and mountains under a morning sky looked like a perfect painting.

As I sat in my car yesterday morning waiting for the race I tried to take time to relax. I brought a book and was able to read. I love to read and find it near impossible to do so these days. I watched other runners do their personal preparations for the race. I prayed for the strength and endurance I would need to do this race. I was nervous. More nervous than the first time. It was as if this was my first Half Marathon.

My goal was to pace myself for the first 6 miles. After that I would kick it up a notch. It is hard for me to pace myself. Even when I try not to go fast I find my legs taking me forward and I just can't seem to stop them. I also try not to pay too much attention to my GPS watch. Running this race though I did try to pay attention because I did not want to burn out the first half of my run. My focus was the end of the race. Jason was going to meet me with the boys at the finish line and the image of seeing their faces is what helps me to finish most of my runs.

Somewhere after mile 4, I heard cheering and my name. To my surprise, I looked over to see my parents, sister in law and nephew. They were there for me! I did not have a clue they would be there and as I ran by them I was filled with love and emotion. As my feet hit the pavement tears ran down my face. When it comes down to it, I could not be where I am without my family and friends. I was fueled in that moment by their love and support. I am grateful for each one of them.

The road and the earth are my personal church when I run. I think, I reflect, and I pray. This run I tried to focus on the things that make me happy and pull from that the positive energy I would need to move my feet. Toward the end of the race there was a hill. The kind with a slow incline. One that seems to never end as you are running up it. I run hills bigger than this on my normal runs but since I had tried to push myself harder the second half of my run, by the time I hit the end I was feeling my legs work for each step I took. My challenge was soon met with the sweet victory of the finish line. I had made it! I completed my second Half Marathon.

I even beat my last time by two minutes! I finished at one hour and forty two minutes. I placed 19 out of 235 female runners. I placed 10th in my age group out of 80 of my fellow female runners. It is true, you can do anything you put your mind to. Body's are made to change and be challenged. Remember: ALWAYS BELIEVE YOU CAN. Set new goals. Try new things. Life is short, run happy!

Cheap Therapy

We all have something that we do which we find solace in. Something that makes us feel good, becomes our release, and heals our souls. For me that that something is running. I like to refer to it as my therapy.

I didn't always run. I wasn't one of those people who ran in high school. I never did track.  It wasn't something I really enjoyed at first. Maybe it was that I wasn't ready to appreciate what it could offer me. Sure, I ran in my twenties here and there. It wasn't until over the past couple of years that running became something that I was passionate about.

My father has ran since I can remember. He was always going out running, and still does. My father even completed 3 marathon's in his 50's! I admire that and am proud of my father. My love for running must be handed down from him. Though there is no desire to run a marathon for this girl just yet!

I am not a huge distance runner. But I love running. I try to run 4 times a week. Weekdays I get in 3 to 5 miles a couple times and on the weekends I do longer runs. 6,7, 8 miles. Sometimes more. This Saturday & Sunday I got in 7 each day. The most I have ever run is 11. The goal for this year is to complete my first half marathon. I hope to do this with my father. We have registered for the Vermont City Marathon but now have to wait and see if we get picked since it is by lottery. Fingers crossed!! I love being a part of this race and have done so in the relay a few times. Yet running the Half is something I really want to do.

My new running shoes for the season

Running is something I do for myself. It is one of the only times I leave my children. This time becomes sacred to me. When I run I can be alone with my thoughts. Here I can think about life, myself, my family. I reflect on the things I do, the choices I make. When I run I think about the mistakes I make, and here I come to forgive myself and let go of the negative. I find myself on my runs. It is important for me to make time for this.

I try not to let mother nature interfere with this. The cold lately does make it less pleasant yet I still try to make sure I get out there, even if it is twice a week. I ran through the past couple winters and even though I hate the cold, I love my runs.

I even ran throughout being pregnant with Wesley. It was a goal of mine. I said even if it was a half mile I wanted to run until I had him, or couldn't run anymore. The last run I did when I was pregnant was 2.5 miles at 40 +1 day pregnant, pushing Chase in the jogging stroller. The last moderately long run I did was 7 miles at 37 weeks pregnant. I don't say this to boast. I tell you this because I achieved something that was important to me. I stuck with my goal. I believed I could, and I did!

I started running in my 30's. Point being, it is never to late to start something that you want to do! Find something that you are passionate about and follow through with it. Make it yours. Believe in yourself. Set goals. You never know, you might surprise yourself.