Dare You To...

I'm supposed to be running a 10k right now.  I should be out on Roosevelt Island with Alec and Jen, running 6.2 miles for theNew York City 10k.  I should be feeling simultaneously fatigued and energized, on the brink of glory, as I was one month ago at my first 10k.

Instead, I'm lying in bed, drinking tea, considering what type of soup I want, and coughing up a storm.


I've been sick since precisely September 24, when I first felt the itch in my throat.  Over the following weeks, my upper respiratory infection got worse, and then better, and worse again.  Even after I felt well again, my cough persisted, and I was continuously short of breath.  As a result, I did not continue training for my next 10k, and I didn't hit the gym at all.Walking wore me out, and talking exhausted me.After too long, I finally admitted that this was more than a cold and went to the doctor.  He first tried to knock it out of me with some strong meds (which worked for only the one day after tak…

Last weekend, I participated in the Run 10 Feed 10 Women's Health/FEED Foundation 10k race!  I was super excited when I first signed up in June, but was concerned by the time September unfolded in a disastrous first few weeks that left me physically exhausted and achey.  Those stressors/fears/roadblocks were described in my Race Week Post.  Thus, my expectations were low, but I was still excited to be daring to do it.


3rd Annual Women's Health Run 10 Feed 10 Race NYC, West Side Highway, 7:00 am, 80 degrees, 6.2 miles.
VICTORY PREVIEW!
Here's how it went down:
My GOAL for this first 10k, as it was for my second 5k race, was to run the entire thing without stopping.
The farthest distance I'd done this for in the past was 5 miles (once), and even 6.2--a full 10k (but I was only semi-counting that, because I was forced to stop in place at the traffic signals in Summer Streets).  So running this type of distance wasn't quite yet easy for me, but it certainly seemed within…

Here are some snaps from this weekend's Neon Dashand the Damon Runyon 5k for Cancer Research!

The Neon Dash 5k I ran in about 31 minutes, which I thought was pretty darn good accounting for the slow-down while getting neon tossed at me and the blister I got from wearing my very old sneakers.  The excited atmosphere and pumping music kept me going.  Great intermediate race to gear up for my first 10k next month!


It was cool to do a nighttime run--very different from the usual.  Summer night are more manageable than the days, and the path wove around through an open field, so there was a nice breeze. 

It was awesome that thesky appeared to be NEON, too!




For those who plan on doing a Neon Dashin the future, three things: (1) Go in a group! (2) Dress up like crazy! (3) Know that you can definitely run, walk, or danceyour way to the finish line.  All three were popular choices for this race, which isn't even timed, so no pressure!! 


The "neon" stations--where you get "…

Hey friends!

Since I decided to get back into running and sign up for my first 10k race, I've been upping my running game a bit--not quite as much as I'd originally envisioned (yet), but a bit.  If you follow Dare You To on Instagram, Twitter, or DailyMile, you may have noticed my runs and walks.  Earlier in May and June, I was so excited to get outsidefor some open-air runs.


However, by the end of June and now in July, the heat has been prohibitive and runs were exhausting.  When the weather is right, I've still successfully gotten out in the morning or evening, trying to avoid peak heat hours. I've been able to cover my target distances, but I'm moving far more slowly than I used to!  It's hard to tell if this is due to the heat or this year's lack of training, but it's probably a combination of the two.

To give myself some extra running motivation, I signed up for an awesome race that is making its debut in New York Citythis summer:

The Neon Dash!
Au…