NYCM Training: A Sweaty Week 5

Another week down! There's still plenty more to go, but as of Saturday, Aug. 6, there are only THREE MONTHS until the NYC Marathon!!! YAY!

So with that, a recap of last week's glorious workouts:

• Monday: 30 minute yoga session
• Tuesday: 3 mile run, Total Body Conditioning
• Wednesday: 6 mile speed run
• Thursday: 3 mile run (sans Garmin and iPhone! So freeing!)
• Friday: rest
• Saturday: 6 mile run
• Sunday: 12 mile run (9:17 pace)

Total mileage: 30

Tuesday also included a happy hour with some lovely people in the NYC Marathon Facebook group (if you're running it, join!) at Swift, a bar I'd been very interested in trying since it has many, many beers. (Check out Theodora's blog for a cute picture of the group!) I almost didn't go to this event -- I was tired, wanted to go home, etc., but I decided I probably wouldn't regret meeting new people with similar interests, so I went. I'm so glad that I did! Laurel, Maggie, Theodora, Sue and everyone else were SO nice and fun to talk to. I am sure there will be more happy hours to come!

I also registered for two races last week... I've run some NYRR borough half-marathon since I started running (Queens in Sept. 2009, Brooklyn in May 2010), so I signed up for the Staten Island Half-Marathon on Oct. 9. I also signed up for...

SunTrust Rock'n'Roll Marathon in DC! My friend Christina just registered for it, too, and I'm already looking forward to it! It'll be on March 17, 2012, and if St. Patrick's day wasn't reason enough for a few beers, running a marathon ON St. Patrick's Day certainly is...right? Right.

In other news, I went home to Alexandria, Va., this past weekend, which meant running on the treadmill we have in our basement on Saturday (followed by picking crabs in Essex, Md.!):

Not the best for carbo-loading, but
delicious nonetheless!

...and doing my long run on the Mount Vernon Trail, which is actually more pavement than trail, and goes along the Potomac River in Virginia. It also meant that I had to DRIVE to my running destination, something I don't ever have to do here in NYC! Luckily, I got there at 7am when there were plenty of parking spots, so I parked, hopped out of the car, and got going.

Toto, I don't think we're in Central Park anymore...

I didn't bring my CamelBak home with me, so I left my water in the car and decided I'd run a few miles away from the car, then back, hydrating whenever I passed by the car (and I stopped every single time to get some H2O and electrolytes in my system!). There were also a couple of water fountains along the trail (thank goodness!), as well as a breeze and tons of shade, so while it was hot and very humid, it wasn't unbearable by any means. I ran two miles north, turned around and went back, got some water, then three miles south from the car, turned around and went back, got some water, then one mile north and back to the car. It reminded me of the Potomac River Run's 6.5 mile loop in a way, but it was only 12 miles instead of 26.2. And the terrain was a little different from the towpath:

There are a few bridges on this path -- pretty cool!

By the end I was a sweaty mess, and my shorts were literally DRIPPING. I had to squeeze out the extra moisture AND sit on something so I wouldn't soak the seat. You can't really see it, but these shorts were actually soaked:

Sweatsoaked to the bone. But NO CHAFING.
Lululemon shorts FTW!

Needless to say, I was happy to be done with the run.

Check out those beads of sweat on my nose.

I was even happier when I got into the car, blasted the AC, and chugged my Smart Water. 

Map:

And splits:

• Mile 1 - 9:32
• Mile 2 - 9:17
• Mile 3 - 9:12
• Mile 4 - 9:15
• Mile 5 - 9:26
• Mile 6 - 9:35
• Mile 7 - 9:12
• Mile 8 - 9:32
• Mile 9 - 9:20
• Mile 10 - 8:57
• Mile 11 - 9:10
• Mile 12 - 8:56

Total time: 1:51:32, for an average pace of 9:17

I took a two-hour nap after that run. I felt I'd earned it. Two hours of running = two hour nap, right? Right. 

Before heading to the bus back to NYC, I also stopped by Pacers to stock up on Gu, Clif Mojo bars, and some new Superfeet inserts. My mom and I also couldn't resist picking up some cheese in Old Town Alexandria, and stopping by Target for wine and other necessities. Some wine and cheese (and a Panera sandwich...mmm...) were just what I needed to get me through the 4.5 hour bus ride back to NYC!

All in all, a great week! And week 6 is already looking pretty good! Hope your training is going well too :)