Community Foodbank of NJ – Southern Branch

This morning was my first day as a volunteer for the Community Foodbank of NJ–Southern Branch (CFNJSB).  CFNJSB is located on the Black Horse Pike in Egg Harbor Township – near the Shore Mall. I arrived at 9:45 a.m., and met a host of characters who are sure to make my time spent there quite lively. Each volunteer had exceptionally high spirits, and we joked and laughed as we filled orders and stacked shelves with food that was donated from various people, organizations, and companies. Rod, one of the volunteers, showed me the inside of a large freezer full of poultry …

“This is stupid,”

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John, my husband, said after he shut off the alarm at 4:30 a.m. I laughed. I had already been up since 4 a.m. I always have trouble sleeping the night before races. “We’re up at 4:30 on a Saturday morning, and we’re going to go pay to exercise,” he continued as he pulled on his shorts. While early morning starts might not be his thing, John has been training for the VT50 ultramarathon, so a triathlon was not in his training regimen. But, after I signed up for the Sunset Lake Olympic Distance Triathlon, he decided he wanted to do …

Sunset Lake Olympic Triathlon, Bridgeton, NJ

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Tomorrow, I will participate in my first Olympic distance triathlon. The Sunset Lake Triathlon, in Bridgeton, NJ (https://www.lin-mark.us/page.asp?prmName=EventDetail&prmEventID=139), which includes a .9 mile swim, a 25 mile bike, and a 6.2 mile run. This triathlon will be my longest to date, and I’m looking forward to it as a key element in my training for the “A” triathlon race: the Bassman Half Ironman (October 4). Strangely, I’m not nervous–especially not when compared to my first triathlon, which was the Hammonton (NJ) tri (http://www.dqtridu.com/ham.htm), held on May 23, 2009. I had a complete panic attack during the teeny-weeny 1/4 mile swim. …

My First Marathon

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I ran my first marathon on October 19, 2008. The 50th Annual Atlantic City Marathon was a small event with just 250 runners. It was perfect for my entrance into the experience of marathon running. The course was my home turf. I spent the summer and early fall of 2008 completing my long runs up and down the Atlantic City Boardwalk, with the ocean as a constant companion. Other “companions” included the bleary eyed gamblers leaving the dark hole of the casino floor for a quick smoke in the early morning hours, a group of older gentlemen who met in front of the Ocean …