Have a Good Run

Sickness and demon treadmills

2012-01-29T21:29:00.002-05:00

This week did not go as planned. I was supposed to get in my first week of marathon training, wrap up week 5 of P90X strong, and hang out with my brother who was visiting. Instead, I got knocked on my butt by a terrible sore throat that woke me up long before my alarm did on Monday morning and only got worse as the week went on. I did manage to get in one run on Tuesday night (3 miles), before the chest coughs kicked in on Thursday, at which point I decided that running would need to take a back seat and getting healthy needed to be my focus. The doctor said it was a virus I'd just have to let pass...love that.

I spent a lot of time with these guys this week:

Cough medicine, tissues, Sudafed and OJ

Not to mention plenty of chicken noodle soup. I saw my brother for a bit on Friday since I was home sick, and on Thursday we treated ourselves to Shake Shack (that custard felt so good on my throat...the burger? Probably not the most healing dinner, but it is delicious!).

On my run on Tuesday, I was forced to wait in a very long line for a treadmill, so I took whatever one opened up first, which was not the kind I typically like to run on. (We all know we have our favorite treadmills...) I turned my iPad to my book (The Night Circus, so good!), set it to 6.0 mph, and off I went. Two minutes later, I wanted to die. I felt like I was running uphill, in the middle of the day, in 100% humidity. I somehow persevered through 1.5 miles, but I couldn't go any farther. I don't know what it is with these demon treadmills, but as soon as I switched to a different brand of treadmill, I felt like I was running on clouds. It was glorious, and I finished up the 3 miles easily.

My demon treadmill, by Precor

Does this happen to anyone else? Actually, I know that it does. My friend Lani and I have long discussed waging war on the demon treadmill. It's great because it makes you work harder, but it's terrible because you want the treadmill to spontaneously break throughout your run. I think it may have to do with the fact that it faces a wall so it gets little to no air circulation (even with the fans on), and someone suggested that perhaps I hadn't been properly warmed up, but seriously? I've hopped on a treadmill at 6am before doing anything else and had better runs than this one. I am going to be avoiding this demon treadmill at all costs in the future. Not worth it to me, especially when I can run on a non-demonic treadmill without wishing I could fall off.

Other than my single run this week, I did manage to keep up with P90X. I felt that it was easier on my body than running, and there was no cardio involved so my cough wasn't a problem. I took two days off completely, but today I doubled up with the workouts, doing Legs & Back and Kenpo X. I'm still really enjoying it, and while I'm not really seeing any visible improvements or changes, I do feel great overall and know that I am getting stronger. (I also held crane for even longer yesterday - woo!) I'm psyched to keep it up for two more months and see if there are any more changes! 35 days down, 55 to go!

That's it for this week... How about you, any demon treadmill experiences or tips for juggling sickness with working out?

Good news

2012-01-23T22:31:00.000-05:00

I got some AWESOME news on Thursday morning. First, I waited for an hour in the waiting room, followed by some more waiting in the exam room. But it was soooo worth it! Dr. Metzl came in, asked what I'd been up to, poked around on my leg a bit and cleared me to run again! Six weeks was a long time to take off, but I'm glad it got me into P90X and taught me to be smarter the next time.

So did I dash off to Central Park the moment I was cleared to run? No, no I didn't. I somehow reined in my excitement and waited TWO WHOLE DAYS before running. I know, crazy. Thursday I was lucky enough to be invited to a free session at Pure Yoga, and I decided to go for an 8pm Forrest yoga class.

Source

Description from the site:

Forrest Yoga is an inspiring yoga method that engages the core through strong abdominal exercises and builds flexibility, intelligence and strength. Forrest Yoga uses heat, deep breathing and vigorous sequences to awaken the senses, sweat out toxins, release emotions stored in body tissues and deepen connection to spirit. Erica's classes are fun and challenging, with special attention given to alignment and breath.

It was just what I needed after a busy week at work (yes, it was only a four-day week, but it was busy!). I really loved this class. There was a breathing method that I'd never done before (kind of closing the throat some and breathing in and out through the nose, so (as Erica put it) you can "hear the ocean"). During savasana, she asked us to look deep inside and allow words to float to the top. They did so for me, and it made me feel so relaxed and clear-headed. Like I said, it was just what I needed. Too bad I probably couldn't even afford a membership, but I'm so glad I can take advantage of these offers that they have from time to time.

Friday was Core Synergistics, which is actually a really fun P90X workout. I swear, the hour flies by, and my core was hurtin' the next day! Oh, and Friday was also game night at my friends' apartment.

Wine, boardgames and friends, what's not to love?

We played Cranium, Taboo and some other games I forget. There were probably 15 people there, and we had a great time. I hope we do it again soon!

Saturday was the day I finally made it to the gym to run a very easy 2 miles...but not before venturing into the snow to meet up with some friends and see the 3D version of Beauty & the Beast. Belle is one of the best Disney princesses (bookworm and brave? And can see inner beauty in a really mean beast? What's not to love?!).

Shawna, me and Katie, 3D glasses ready to go!

I don't think I got to see it in the theater when it originally came out, so it was fun to go and see it with friends. (And in case you were wondering, we were the only people in the theater who were not there with kids...)

Afterward, Shawna and I hit the gym nearby and I ran my first run in six weeks. And it was awesome. I walked a quarter mile, then ran 2 miles easy, going from 6.0 mph to 6.4 mph. I felt great the whole time, and wanted to go for longer, but knew it would probably be smarter to just go 2 miles. I was happy the whole time, and was just sooo happy to be back to running! Nothing felt weird, I didn't feel like I needed to relearn how to run, and I was just so grateful that I could run again! YAY!

Next up: a half-marathon on March 17. A week later, P90X ends (what will I do with myself?!), so till then I'm going to be running three days a week and continuing with P90X as usual. I think I'll be able to do both...fingers crossed!

P90X, Running, and Chili

2012-01-16T18:39:00.003-05:00

I'm now three weeks into P90X, and have started week 4, which is kind of like the pullback week of marathon training. Instead of the strength workouts I've come to know and love, there are two yoga sessions, one Kenpo (kickboxing) session, two stretch sessions, and two days of a new exercise that I haven't tried out yet called Core Synergistics. From what my dad has told me, Core Synergistics is no joke. It looks tough, but I'm excited to switch things up this week!

This week marks another exciting (hopefully) event - my followup appointment with Dr. Metzl is Thursday, and I expect he will give me the go-ahead to return to running! I can't believe it's been six weeks since my last run...seems like much longer than that, but luckily I've had P90X to distract me.

With my return to running (and half-marathon in just under nine weeks - yup, I dropped down to the half for the DC Rock 'n' Roll race) but continuation with P90X, I've started to think about how I'm going to combine the two workouts. I want to do P90X over the 90 days, but I also want to run so that I can build up some mileage and avoid collapsing in the middle of the race. I feel that I've done a good job of keeping up my cardiovascular strength both by doing the P90X workouts and by supplementing them with workouts on the StairMaster, elliptical and treadmill, as well as spinning. Hopefully running will become a natural part of my P90X workouts!

If I've learned anything from previous injuries, it's that I can't take on too much volume. Running is going to only take place three to four times a week for the foreseeable future. I think that leading up to this race, I probably won't run more than three times a week - I'm just coming off of an injury, and I've got P90X to finish up!

My plan: If it's possible, I'd LOVE to do both workouts in the morning - just get them done for the day. But that's pretty unrealistic, so instead, I think I'll try to run Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. I'll probably try switching between running in the morning and doing P90X after work, and doing P90X in the morning and running after work. Long runs will be Saturday. Assuming I get cleared to run on Thursday (fingers crossed!), here's what that next week will look like:

Monday: AM 2 mile run; PM Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Tuesday: Plyometrics
Wednesday: AM 3 mile run; PM Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Thursday: Yoga X
Friday: Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Saturday: Kenpo X, 4 mile run
Sunday: Stretch

Miles are guesses...I'll probably run this weekend too, just because I'll be able to!

As you can probably tell, I pretty much love P90X. (I even convinced my friend Summer to do Kenpo with me since she was staying with me for the weekend, and she loved it and found Tony Horton to be very motivating!) I've been discussing its benefits with my friends, so I'll share a few of the things I've been loving about it here, too:

P90X motivates me to get up in the morning. I don't have to leave my apartment and venture into the cold. I don't have to wear a zillion layers. I don't have to think about making sure my Garmin is charged, whether I'm going to be too hot or too cold on a run, if I have my headphones with me so I can watch the news at the gym, etc. I just get up, throw on some clothes (though I sometimes even do some of the less sweat-intense workouts in my PJs...), and pop in my DVD of the day.
I do a workout for at least an hour a day. Yes, I also walk to and from the subway, which ends up being a 2 mile walk per day. That gets me moving, but doing P90X means that I have a 1+ hour per day workout. When I did strength training on my own, I was pretty diligent about it, but I would do a full body workout for about 20 mins two or three times a week. With P90X, I dedicate a whole hour to a part of the body, which ensures an awesome workout.
I do a different workout every day. Legs one day, arms the next, yoga, plyo, the list goes on... Muscle confusion is one of the cornerstones of P90X. Each phase introduces new moves and workouts, which help to make sure you don't plateau. Trust me, you will not get bored with this workout!
I'm doing things I never thought I'd be able to do. I held crane for eight full seconds today - my previous record was zero seconds. When I first did Ab Ripper X, I could not do oblique V-ups. Now I can do them all.
There's always room for improvement. You can up your reps or weight, go deeper in the squat, hold the pose for longer, etc. I find that I can do new things with each workout, which is always awesome.
I feel awesome. I'm eating better and cleaner - I just don't really crave sweets the way that I did before P90X. I feel energized during the day. I feel proud of myself for doing these tough workouts. I generally feel pretty darn happy!

Just my two cents. Thoughts?

This weekend was a long weekend, which was great. Not only did I get a lot of sleep, but I also had a ton of fun singing karaoke and running around the city with a friend who was visiting. Today was very low key, but in addition to doing Yoga X, I also cooked a big old batch of sweet potato chili, inspired by Kelly at Meals for Miles.

Recipe (very similar to Kelly's):

1/2 T vegetable oil
3 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup of frozen corn
1 clove of garlic
2 T chili powder
1 t cumin
1 t salt
3 big handfuls of spinach
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a pot and add the chopped sweet potatoes. Saute for 6-8 minutes, until tender. Add the corn, garlic, chili powder, cumin and salt, and saute another 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans and spinach. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Eat and enjoy!

Bright and spicy vegetarian chili

So delicious! So spicy! I love this chili, and I will be making it again soon.

I've got my first Core Synergistics workout in the morning...my muscles are already confused!

Bring it.

2012-01-08T21:24:00.002-05:00

"Bring it" greets me every time I pop in a P90X DVD (along with the sometimes annoying but usually not that bad Tony Horton). I've now officially completed two weeks of P90X, the extreme home fitness program developed by Tony Horton. My fitness inspiration (my dad, who's in his 60s) bought it for me for Christmas and so far, I totally love it.

P90X is broken into three phases involving three weeks of intense training and one week "off" (but still looks tough!). Every workout is at least an hour long, and even on days when it's just legs or just arms, I still find myself sweating (even on days when the heat is off in my apartment).

My first two weeks have looked like this:

Monday: Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X - This involves a ton of pushups and pull ups. It's challenging for me, and I'm not even doing "real" pushups or pull ups. I'm doing most of the pushups on my knees and I simulate pull ups with a resistance band. Ab Ripper X is a 17-minute ab workout that makes you want to die
Tuesday: Plyometrics - Plyometrics is a lot of jumping around, getting the heart rate up. Admittedly, it's probably not the best for my injured leg, but it's only once a week so I think it's OK
Wednesday: Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X - Shoulders and arms is different types of bicep curls, shoulder presses and tricep workouts. I use resistance bands for this one too, since I only own 5 lbs dumbbells and I don't think that's heavy enough!
Thursday: Yoga X - 90 minutes of yoga! 45 minutes of flow, and 45 minutes of yoga stretches. It's really tough, but I always enjoy it
Friday: Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X - Squats, lunges and pull ups galore! I don't find this day to be all that tough, but my legs are pretty strong after running so much and amping up my strength workouts before starting P90X
Saturday: Kenpo X - This is basically kick boxing. It's a nice change from all the strength, and I definitely work up a sweat doing this workout. It's not my favorite, but I don't mind it
Sunday: X Stretch - An hour of stretching. Much needed after a week of kicking my own ass!

Since there's no trainer to kick your butt, it's really up to you to make the most of it - up the reps, up the weight, push yourself. I can't run for another two weeks, so this has been an awesome way for me to feel like I'm staying in shape. My dad really benefited from it and improved over the 90 days, and I hope I can do the same!

I like it because it makes me do strength training, and at an hour at a time (and honestly, the workouts fly by)! Before starting this, my strength workouts were either done during Total Body Conditioning (which I stopped doing during marathon training...not smart!) or in a 20- to 30-minute workout I did on my own. One thing I don't like is that on the straight-up strength days, I don't get much cardio. Yes, I'm working hard, but I like to SWEAT.

I <3 Sweat!

So we'll see how it goes. I hope these next 76 days go by just as quickly!

Other than P90X, some other fun has been had this week. First, I received 96 ounces of Chobani in the mail, a giveaway I won from Megan at Runner's Kitchen!

Massive box with a massive styrofoam cooler and cold packs!

CHOBANI FOR LIFE!

I've entered plenty of giveaways in my time as a blog reader, but this was the first time I won anything! Greek yogurt is a pretty darn good thing to win if you ask me. I don't know WHAT I'm going to do with all this Chobani, but I know some will be used for baking, and some will make a regular appearance in my day as a snack!

Friday night I went out to dinner with four college friends. We wanted to go to Tertulia, but the wait was two hours so we went to Extra Virgin instead. It. Was. Delicious. I have no pictures, but we had some pinot grigio and a delicious bread basket. For dinner, I had the pistachio crusted goat cheese salad with roasted beets, endives, water cress and a Granny Smith vinaigrette, along with a side of Brussels sprouts. YUM. I hope I can get back there again to try brunch!

Yesterday was pretty great, too:

59 degrees and sunny?! Amazing. I may have slept till 12:30pm (P90X really wears me out!), but I got up and walked across the (very crowded) park to get to Trader Joe's to pick up the fixings for curried cauliflower soup (which I made today - delicious!).

And today? Today I went to Madison Square Garden for the Professional Bull Riders season opener. My friend Jessica has a discount for it, and since another goal I have for this year is to say yes more, I decided to give it a shot.

Jessica and me - flannel shirts for PBR!

I'd heard of a few other friends going to it and heard that it was really fun, so I figured, why not? Jessica managed to convince her sister and our friend Allison to come along too, so we had a good little group.

Bucking bull

It was SO much fun!!! I never expected to have so much fun at a BULL RIDING event, but this was really something else, and not something I would have EVER done otherwise.

It was a great week overall, and I'm also looking forward to another week - my friend is coming to visit and it's a long weekend!

Have you ever done P90X or other "extreme home fitness" workouts? What did you think of them?

2011/2012

2012-01-01T23:33:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!!! I kind of can't believe that 2011 is over -- it was a big year, with lots of travel and exciting changes.

In February, my family took a 2 1/2 week trip to China, Thailand and Hong Kong. These were all new countries that I got to tick off while visiting my brother who's teaching English over there until July. We visited during Chinese New Year, which was awesome. We went to Beijing, Dali, Kunming, Phuket and several islands around Phuket, and Hong Kong.

Chinese New Year fair in Beijing

Me in Dali

An island somewhere off of Phuket

Long tails off of an island

My brother and me at Victoria Peak

As you can imagine, it was pretty much the best vacation ever.

The next big event of 2011 was running my first marathon on May 1 along the C&O Canal in Maryland. It was an exhilarating experience, and I worked my ass off to run a 4:13:12 marathon.

Super excited!

Even better? I trained injury-free for 18 weeks. Yes, two of those weeks were spent in Asia, which probably didn't hurt in helping me avoid injury, but it was pretty great to train for a marathon and never have an injury. Next time I hope I'm as smart as I was then...

After the marathon, I took a trip to Seattle and Portland with Lani and Emily for our annual trip. We met when we transferred to the same college at the same time, and now we take a trip someplace new every year.

Pastry from Piroshky Piroshky near Pike Place

In 2008 we went to South Dakota and Wyoming, 2009 was Vegas, southern Utah and the Grand Canyon, and 2010 was Boston. We're hoping that we can make 2012 an international destination (even if it's just Canada) for the fifth annual ELM trip.

In June, I started a new job and geared up for more marathon training. I didn't blog at all in June, but I took Core Fusion classes for two weeks through a Gilt City deal I got. It was a nice change from running all the time, but come July I was ready to train!

(Most of my pictures from the summer involve sweaty pictures of myself that I've already posted here, so I'll spare you...)

But I fit in some fun, and in July my friend Jennifer (who lives in Zurich) came to visit. It was so fun to show her around my city and spend time with her. I saw Sufjan Stevens in concert, ate crabs in Maryland, and went to Coney Island for the day. On the running front, I ran Summer Streets, took many pictures of gorgeous sunrises, and drank a lot of coconut water.

In October I turned 27 and PR'ed at the Staten Island Half Marathon, finally running a sub-2 hour half marathon and clocking in at 1:58:59. Before I knew it, November 6 was there and I ran the New York City Marathon, PRing in that race with 4:06:31.

Sweaty and happy

As you've read, this was pretty much the best day of my life. I absolutely loved this race, and I plan on finding a way to run it in 2012. I will definitely be doing the 9+1 program again this year for guaranteed entry into the 2013 NYC Marathon.

After the race, I treated myself to a 10-day adventure in Europe, stopping by London and Zurich (Part 1 and Part 2) and squeezing in a couple of runs there as well. When I got back, I found out that I had a stress fracture and have put running on hold (only 2 1/2 weeks to go till I can run again!).

But just because I can't run doesn't mean I can't stay fit. The doctor said I could do absolutely everything except run, so I've been hitting the elliptical and StairMaster, spinning, and walking on the treadmill for cardio, and taking yoga classes and doing strength workouts as well. Just last week, I added P90X to the mix and so far I'm loving it (though we'll see how I feel in 83 days...).

And as for my goals for 2012? (Yup, goals, no resolutions here.)

Finish P90X - this will happen
Run a sub-4 marathon - ohhh how I would love for this to happen...
PR in the half marathon - it'd be icing on the cake!
Be totally injury-free all year - I know what I did wrong, and I know how to avoid injury in the future
Do 9+1 - this shouldn't be a problem
Go to a new country/state - already planning my 2012 adventure! Spain? Portugal? Somewhere else?
Go to the Astoria beer garden - this has been something I've wanted to do since I moved to New York. I WILL do it this year!
Explore as much as I possibly can in New York - see new things, try new things, meet new people

There are probably more, but I think this is a good place to start!

I hope you all had a wonderful 2011. Mine was pretty great, and I think 2012 is going to be an awesome year!

It (was) Christmastime in the city

2011-12-27T13:03:00.001-05:00

What does a girl who can't run around the city do with two days left before she goes home to Virginia to Christmas?

Why, she walks!

Admittedly, I've been a bit of a slacker when it comes to taking in the Christmas things of the city in the past couple of years. The first year I was here, my friend Caity came to visit around Christmas so we visited Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park, taking in the sights and the shops and anything else that was Christmas-y in NYC (though I still haven't seen the Radio City Christmas Spectacular). I also worked in Midtown West and could visit the Time Warner Center's pretty stars just about every day.

Source

The next year, I was living in the East Village, so getting to the Union Square Christmas market was pretty easy. I went with my roommate, visiting the different stands, taking samples as they were offered, and drinking apple cider.

Source

That Christmas, I got lazy. I decided I didn't really want to fight the crowds. Did I really need to see the Rockefeller Center tree? I asked myself. And decided that no, no, I did not. I was perfectly happy to watch it on TV.

Last year? I didn't even visit a Christmas market. I don't exactly remember why, but living on the Upper East Side and working in Midtown East made the west side seem sooooo far and inconvenient. (It really isn't, but that was my excuse...)

I still haven't gone to the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, and I've never gone ice skating at any of the rinks (hope to change that in 2012!), but this year I decided I would make my way to Bryant Park and Rockefeller Center. I was gonna get in the holiday spirit and I was gonna like it, dangit!

The green and red Empire State Building inspired me
to get my holiday on

I didn't plan my outing very well though. Last weekend I didn't do much of anything, and it was so cold outside that I just wanted to stay nestled on the couch at home, watching "Love Actually" and sipping mulled wine. I was busy on Monday and Tuesday nights, so Wednesday was really my last chance to make my way to Midtown West. So after work, I took the B train (a train I used to take to work every day my first year in New York!) to Bryant Park and wandered around the shops. I didn't buy anything, but I did see a gorgeous tree and lots of people ice skating!

Bryant Park Christmas tree!

Then I made my way up Sixth Avenue to Rockefeller Center to check out the tree there:

Nothing says Christmas like the Rockefeller Center tree!

Yes, there were about a gazillion people around the tree, but I offered to take pictures for a few people (holiday spirit, what?!), took a ton of pictures, and definitely felt much more Christmas-y.

Lots of lights

I checked the map app on my phone and saw that it was a mere two mile walk back to my apartment. It was cold, but I thought, What better way to see New York's Christmas than along Fifth Avenue? And so I walked!

Cartier ready for the holidays

A Trump building all lit up

The Tiffany star, sparkling away

A bizarrely awesome window at Bergdorf Goodman

Two-point-something miles later, I was high on holiday cheer and happy to have gotten in a workout for the day. I turned the corner to get home and was greeted with the most lovely lights that I think I've seen in the city:

I wish they left up these lights all year!

Two days later I was packed up and ready to go home for the holidays (my office is unofficially closed for the week between Christmas and New Year's). My parents had bought a tree, but were waiting for me to get home before they decorated it. So Christmas Eve, we pulled out the decorations and stockings, hanging the ornaments from my first Christmas, my brother's first Christmas, and those that were more recent. I have to say, despite the gorgeous trees that I saw in New York, this one is the best one there is:

Christmas at home!

I hope you all had a very happy holiday and got a chance to up your holiday cheer wherever you may be.

Off to use one of my Christmas presents...P90X! Today's just day 2, but so far, so good! Looking forward to taking advantage of it, especially while I'm injured (three weeks down, three weeks to go!).

Happy holidays all!

Oops...

2011-12-18T21:10:00.002-05:00

...I did it again.

Stressed.

Another stress fracture. In the same leg. My poor left side has really gotten a beating throughout my life -- I broke my left collarbone at age 5 and at age 10. At age 16 I had knee surgery on my left knee. At 25 I had my first stress fracture in my left tibia, and now at 27 I'm onto my second. At least the injuries seem to be making their way down my body and hopefully will be out of my life forever soon -- crossing fingers that this one is the last one!

When this pain first started (maybe a month before the marathon) I really didn't think it was a stress fracture. The pain was in a completely different place than it had been in when I had last one, my tibia wasn't sore or tender to the touch in the least, and I was convinced it had something to do with a tendon.

But it didn't get better, and actually felt like it was getting worse. I went back to Dr. Metzl in early December and he decided I needed an MRI, which I had almost two weeks ago (side note: December is flying by way too quickly). I got a call from the doctor's office the day after the MRI and they told me that the doctor wanted to see me and also that I was not to run...definitely an indicator that something worse than tendinitis was going on.

I went in last week and got this lovely image that indicates the stress fracture. Crazy as this might sound, I actually like to see that the stress fracture shows up on the image exactly where the pain is -- it tells me that the pain I had wasn't imaginary!

I got in a few great runs when I got back from my trip, so I'm definitely grateful for that! And I got through the NYC Marathon with a PR, so that's pretty awesome, too. And honestly? I wasn't feeling all that excited about the March marathon. I mean, I'd come up with a good training plan and was going to run the crap out of the race, but I was feeling a little bit burned out on running. But I still got in a few awesome runs before this happened -- including a really great tempo run in Central Park and a run around my beloved reservoir. For those, I am grateful.

I have to take off six full weeks from running (a week and a half in! Only four and a half weeks to go!) and have another doctor's appointment. Stress fractures are tricky though, because even when it's "healed", it will still show up on an MRI as not fully healed -- it's not as black and white as an X-ray that will show when a bone has healed from a break. It's more about feel, so in 4.5 weeks I'll see how I'm feeling and see what the doctor says.

I asked him WHY this keeps happening and what I can do to prevent it in the future. He asked me a few questions about what I did in training for the NYC Marathon, and when I said that I was running five days a week, he said he thought it was definitely more related to volume and that I should just run four days a week in the future. Easy problem to fix!

In the meantime, he says I can do everything except for run. Which is awesome! Because last time I had to wear my sneakers everywhere I went (including work!) and could only ride the stationary bike and swim (which I did ummm once...) for two full months. And that was not great. This time, I can spin, elliptical, swim, strength train, etc.

So I feel like I'm in a pretty good place with it! I've still been getting my sweat on five or six days a week and am staying upbeat and positive about the situation. I can't defer the race to another year, but I will probably switch to the half-marathon. Fingers crossed!

Another thing I'm doing in the meantime? Baking. And cooking. My latest creation is a pear and prosciutto pizza with Swiss and mozzarella on homemade whole wheat crust.

YUM.

I also made some delicious pumpkin bread (no idea where the recipe came from...it was so amazing though! I'll link it if/when I find it).

So that's what's going on in Have a Good Run land. I'm going home for Christmas Dec. 23-Jan. 2 and I'm definitely looking forward to it -- baking, cooking, sleeping, Christmasing, etc. Should be great!

Have you had an injury before? How did you deal with it?

Adventures in Europe: Part 2b

2011-12-11T19:43:00.001-05:00

Where did I leave off? Ah yes, the Insomnium concert!

The day after the Insomnium concert, Jennifer and I decided to go back into town, with our hearts set on muesli from Henrici, which Jen says is some of the best she's had. Granted, Jennifer makes a mean bowl of muesli (and heavenly lattes), as evidenced by my daily breakfast...

Yogurt + apple + banana + muesli + coffee = happy Margaret.
I even brought home some of this muesli!

...but Jennifer really thought I should try Henrici's. Unfortunately, we arrived there too late and they were completely sold out of it! I guess it really IS that delicious there! Luckily, they were not out of the flammenkuchen, which is basically paper-thin crust covered in bacon or pancetta, cheese, onions, tomatoes...it was basically the most delicious "pizza" I think I've ever had (and yes, I did use a LOT of superlatives when I was in Switzerland -- it really was that amazing of a place!).

One of the flammenkuchen that we shared

Finally full, we set out on a walk around town, full of cheesy pictures of me standing in front of churches and city scenes (I'll spare you most of these pictures).

View from below

View from above

Jennifer and me on the city wall

We made our way to the city wall which had amazing views, before heading toward the funicular that took us up to ETH, a university in Zurich. From there we had a pretty view of the city and the sunset.

Up at ETH

Afterward, we couldn't resist a walk over to Cafe Peclard for a hot chocolate and more festive decor.

Nothing says "it's the holidays" like hot chocolate in Switzerland

From there, we headed home and prepared for the next day's journey, which would involve a trip to the Alps!

We started our day with proper fueling for any trip to the Alps -- coffee and monkey bread.

Ignore the ugly part on the far end...it was my responsibility
to flip the pan onto the plate and I failed miserably

SO tasty. Jennifer had a mix that we used, but I'd love to try the recipe I linked to above!

Once we'd filled our bellies, we set out for Säntis. In case you were unaware (which I was until just now), Säntis is the tallest mountain in the Alpstein massif of northeastern Switzerland at 2,502 meters/8,208 feet! It took us three trains, a bus and a cable car to get there (with a little stop from the nicest train conductor EVER since we had gotten on the wrong train...), but as you can imagine, it was well worth it. I mean, when in Switzerland, one must visit the Alps!

I'm just going to let the photos speak for themselves...

It was absolutely beautiful! I am so glad that I made the trip out there. It was the perfect way to end my trip to Zurich. As soon as we got home, we had another delicious fondue dinner, and a party with a ton of Jen and Fred's friends. It was so much fun, and I really hope to make it back again...maybe in the warmer summer months? I think it's really only fair to see a place in the cold AND warm months before you decide how much you like it, right?

As I flew out of Zurich on my way to London (I had to fly to Gatwick, then get on a bus that took me to Heathrow five hours before my flight back to the US...needless to say, I spent a LOT of time pacing the concourse and making unnecessary trips to the Harrods shop!), I got one last glimpse of the Alps:

The Alps from my window!

Sigh. See you again soon (I hope), Zurich!

Regularly scheduled Have A Good Run posts to resume next week!

Adventures in Europe: Part 2a

2011-12-04T23:24:00.001-05:00

Zurich

Ahh Zurich! Such an amazing city. I'd been to Switzerland before, but had never been to Zurich so I was excited to stay with Jen and Fred who'd been there for eight months and who could show me around.

As soon as I got to Zurich, we wasted no time in getting dinner and going out for drinks with their friends. I love nothing more than arriving in a new city and trying the local restaurants and bars. We had dinner at Kurrywurst, which basically involved a chopped up sausage smothered in a delicious sauce and topped with curry powder. French fries and beer were the perfect side dishes. I just found out there's a similar-sounding place (wait, no, there's another!) here in New York that I think I'll have to try out. It might sound kind of odd, but I promise it's delicious!

Mmm Kurrywurst...

The next day Jennifer and I set out for the city center and were greeted with a wonderful market at the train station (Switzerland has an amazing above-ground train system -- unless we were on the tram in the city, we literally took it everywhere and it was SO convenient!). We walked around some before we headed to Cafe Peclard, where we filled up on the most delicious croissants and mochas. The cafe was ready for Christmas with baubles, lights, and seasonal treats.

Cafe Peclard

You should definitely go there if you ever find yourself in Zurich!

Walking across a bridge

Next up we visited the Kunsthaus, which is a really impressive museum -- while the museum was on the smaller side (at least compared to the Met, which I'm more used to...), it had a great range of pieces. I especially liked the Impressionists (I'm a sucker for them ever since I studied abroad in Paris!) and the statues by Alberto Giacometti. You'd know his stuff right away if you saw it.

Of course, I needed a snack before dinner, so Jennifer kindly (cruelly? I have been craving one of these ever since I left...) introduced me to Brezel Konig.

Taking a bite out of Switzerland

SO GOOD. If you find yourself in Zurich, please treat yourself to a pretzel. I did on more than one occasion and I did not ever regret it.

If the pretzel is the third-best food in Switzerland, then fondue is the second (after chocolate, of course). Jennifer and Fred have a fondue pot (actually they have two...I almost stole one to take home with me) and we made the most amazing fondue right in their kitchen. I must re-create this at home!

Fon-DO! So good!

The next day Jennifer convinced me to go on a run. I don't know if I was still filled with cheesy goodness, if it that we were at higher elevation than sea-level New York, or if my leg was just being rude, but I found this run to be TOUGH! Hard as it might have felt, the view more than made up for it:

Limmat River

I told Jennifer it was the most beautiful run I had ever been on, and while she didn't quite believe me, it really, truly was. Sure the Reservoir can be pretty, as can Central Park and even the West Side Highway at some points, but nothing can quite compare to this run. And the fact that I ran it with one of my oldest friends made it all the more special. We covered around 4.2 miles in a little over 42 minutes and I loved every minute of it.

And obviously I wore my NYC Marathon shirt...

Afterward we visited the Viadukt shops where I once again ate a delicious buttered pretzel (the chocolate is better in Switzerland, but I swear, even the butter is better there...fluffy and salty and delicious...) and we made our way to the Freitag tower, which is a shop made out of old shipping containers but it has made its way into the guidebooks!

Freitag tower

We headed home afterward, stopping to admire the graffiti and the view along the way.

Zurich has a ton of graffiti

View from another bridge of the Limmat River

That night was a first for me...we went to a Finnish melodic death metal concert in Aarau.

Insomnium doing their thing

As far as death metal concerts go, I actually quite enjoyed myself! (Fred used to work with one of the guys in the band, which is how we ended up there. Ville is actually also a scientist on top of being a guitarist in a Finnish melodic death metal band!) So yes the music was loud, and no I didn't realize that they were singing in English, but I really did have a great time doing something completely off the beaten path for a typical European vacation!

Jennifer and me pre-concert

What did I do my last two days in Switzerland?! I know, the suspense is killing you, but this post is getting long. I'll post part 2b later this week! Features include the Alps, more fondue, and a recipe for monkey bread! Stay tuned...

Adventures in Europe: Part 1

2011-11-27T23:29:00.001-05:00

I got back from London and Zurich last Sunday, and between recovering from jet lag and recovering from Thanksgiving, I haven't had a minute to sit and write out a post about my trip! So here goes...

London

Big Ben!

London was lovely. I literally did not stop smiling for the first 48 hours that I was there (and when I stopped smiling, it was only because I'd finished my scone). I had two wonderful hosts, Sarah (my friend and old roommate from college, who just moved in London not too long ago) and her boyfriend Ricardo.

Sarah and me

We wasted no time and as soon as I arrived, we set out for the nearest pub in search of fish, chips and ciders. We made our way to Trafalgar Square, the National Portrait Gallery, the Horse Guards, Whitehall (where the Queen laid a wreath to honor veterans the next day), the Winston Churchill museum and Cabinet War Rooms (SO cool...if you go to London, you really should go there!), the Thames, had mulled wine in Covent Garden, walked around Somerset House... I saw a lot, and absolutely loved it.

Christmas tree in Covent Garden!

String quartet playing at Covent Garden

Next day we had a traditional English breakfast (baked beans, sausage, bacon, toast, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, tea) and walked over to Portobello Market. We walked along the market, to the pastel houses, through Hyde Park to Kensington Palace, and finally to Harrods.

Notting Hill

Why yes, I AM a tourist, how could you tell?!

Monday and Tuesday I was on my own since Sarah and Ricardo had to work, but I definitely kept myself busy. Monday I visited London School of Economics and London Business School, and treated myself to tea -- a pot of tea, a scone, and clotted cream were all I needed to be in heaven.

Tea at Clifton Kitchen

Afterward, I went to Trafalgar Square, then walked along Old Bond Street and New Bond Street to get to Fortnum & Mason (this AMAZING specialty food store), then walked along Oxford Street to take in the holiday decor, which was definitely in full swing!

Department stores ready for the holidays

Pretty lights on Oxford Street

Before I knew it, it was my last day and it was definitely time for a run! I really lucked out with gorgeous weather during my trip (except at night, when I'd come out of the tube station to a misty rain...what's up with that?!), and went for a quick jaunt along the canal that was near Sarah and Ricardo's apartment in Little Venice.

A path along the canal similar to
the one I ran along

We'd done a lot of walking around, and it was lovely to get outside and run!

I hope you enjoyed this recap of my trip to London! Next up: Zurich!

Dear New York...

2011-11-10T22:55:00.001-05:00

Dear New York,

We've been together now for over four (sometimes rocky) years. But you've always been there for me, especially last weekend when all I wanted to do was stop and you just wouldn't let me, teasing me with your crazy marathon course and making me leave my beloved park before going back to cross that finish line. Yup, you sure can be difficult sometimes, but I love you all the same.

This week, though, I'm leaving you. I'm leaving you for nine full days, jetting across the pond to spend four days in London and five in Zurich before coming back and leaving you all over again when Thanksgiving comes around. (Sorry I'm not sorry -- I love traveling almost as much as I love homemade apple pie.)

I promise I'll get some runs in while I'm gone, but I can't promise they will ever measure up to the awesomeness of Nov. 6, 2011. I'm really just not comfortable admitting that that could even be a possibility, so for now we'll just say that nothing can ever compare to that day, that race. I think my smile and crazed look really prove that:

FINISHED.

Crazy face.

But thanks again for a seriously awesome, kickass weekend last weekend. I won't soon forget it.

xoxo
Margaret

New York City Marathon: If you can make it there...

2011-11-08T13:20:00.002-05:00

...you can make it anywhere. So goes the song that serenaded us as we prepared to cross the start of the 42nd New York City Marathon!

Does my face show how excited I am?!

I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!
And/or insane.

Seriously though, this was one of the best days of my life. This race and day was one for the books and one I will not soon forget.

Thursday night after work I went to pick up my bib number. I didn't have much time to linger though, because I was going to the NY Flyers pasta party where THE BART YASSO would be speaking. While the food was pretty boring, the company was lovely and Bart's speech and slideshow were a great way to kick off marathon weekend.

Friday night my parents came in from Virginia and we went to dinner at Georgia's Cafe on the Upper West Side. I was sure to request an extra bread basket that was devoured in addition to the pita bread that came with my main dish. I also got a dried cherry pumpkin oatmeal cookie that played an important role in my carbo-loading for the race. I probably wouldn't have gotten through mile 20 if I hadn't had that cookie.

Saturday I laid low while my parents went to some museums. On top of relaxing and getting in a two-mile run, I also met up with Janae and 10 or so other bloggers/Hungry Runner Girl readers at 16 Handles (conveniently just up the road from my apartment!). (A big thank you 16 Handles for getting me through mile 21.) Let me just say that Janae is the sweetest, most hilarious girl -- we all had a blast talking about the race and running and everything in between!

Clearly I should not stand in the back row!
And I shouldn't wear a ponytail with a headband.
(picture courtesy of Janae)

Afterward my parents came to my apartment and we got ready to go to Uva for dinner. Dinner was super delicious -- we started with bruschetta and a killer bread basket, which I chased soon after with a whole wheat farfalle dish, filled with delicious sauce, mozzarella, and spinach. (Uva got me through mile 22, for sure.)

I attended to some very important business after dinner -- decorating my nails.

Disregard the accent nail - I ran out of zebra print.

I used Sally Hansen nail decal thingamajigs that were zebra print to remind me A) that I am an animal, and B) to run like a zebra running from a lion. I also wrote a mantra on my hand that I saw every time I looked at my watch -- "Think strong. Be strong. Finish strong." It helped.

I went to bed around 11pm, full and happy and totally ready to wake up and race the crap out of the NYC Marathon. I set three alarms and while I didn't wake up every hour on the hour like I'd expected I would, I did wake up once at 2:34am and checked to make sure that my iPhone had, indeed, fallen back with the time change. At 5am my alarm went off and I LEAPT out of bed, popped a bagel in the toaster, and threw on my race outfit, fleece throwaway pants and top, ear warmer and gloves. I grabbed my UPS bag and went outside in search of a cab -- of which there were none. Luckily I ran into two other girls who were also searching for a cab to Midtown (I took the 6am bus from the NYPL), so we headed to 3rd Ave. in search of a cab -- which we finally found!

The bus pickup at the NYPL was seamless -- there were a ton of people, but no pushing or shoving or worry that anyone would be late. As soon as one group of buses was full, they would take off and another group would file in. It took about an hour, but I made it to Staten Island around 7:15 and immediately located the portapotties and my start village (not to mention Dunkin' Donuts coffee). The whole thing was rather uneventful and quite solitary for me -- I chatted with a couple of people, but was mostly inwardly focused on getting my head in the game and trying to control my excitement.

At the Staten Island Half Marathon, I'd eaten my normal pre-race fuel, but I still felt empty and like I didn't fuel enough before that run. This time, I tried to stay very in tune with what my body needed. I had my traditional bagel with peanut butter on the bus and drank a lot of water all morning, but I knew I'd need more to eat. I had a banana at some point, then grabbed a free bagel that I nibbled on throughout the morning. My body felt strong and happy and not empty in the least throughout the entire race, so I think I did a great job of listening to it and fueling it well. I ended up drinking water and Gatorade every other aid station (note that running and drinking WILL result with Gatorade going up your nose), and taking a gel every six miles.

Before I knew it we were lining up in our corrals, and I heard "New York, New York" and the cannon sound for the first wave. Slowly we made out way up, and all of a sudden it was our turn to take the city by storm and run the biggest marathon in the world. I took a Gu and reminded myself that THIS was what I came for (a mantra that I repeated many, many times throughout the race).

Sea of people

The race, according to my Garmin (which was a bit inaccurate, but hey, let's go with it):

Miles 1, 2 - 9:58, 8:45. I did well in the first mile, and let my legs fly running down the Verrazano Bridge. I did my best not to weave and just keep a strong, steady pace.

Miles 3, 4 - 9:13, 9:06. Oh man, it was SO GREAT to get into Brooklyn. The crowds early on were mostly people on their stoops and hanging out. It was also around here that I ran into two NY Flyers whom I'd met at the previous Three Bridges Runs, and they also happened to be aiming for a sub-4 hour marathon. (I ended up sticking with them through mile 17!)

Miles 5, 6, 7 - 8:55, 8:48, 8:51. Wow. A little quick there, Margaret. I got a little taken away by how great I felt and how wonderful the crowds were in Brooklyn. I was actually very blown away by the crowds that showed up, and the support that they showed; from signs to cheers to high-fives. This was one of my favorite parts of the race.

Miles 8, 9, 10 - 9:13, 9:06, 8:57. My legs felt good, the crowds were still great, and I was having a hard time not letting my legs go as fast as they wanted to go. I just let them fly! It also helped that I had two other people to run with and listen to and chat a bit with. Somewhere in here I also saw Johnny, who I met through the NYCM Facebook group and hung out with before the Staten Island Half Marathon! Who knew I'd run into so many people I knew among 47,000?!

Miles 11, 12, 13 - 9:12, 9:07, 9:10. This was somewhat familiar territory for me -- the Three Bridges Run had passed along here on the way to Queens and the Pulaski Bridge, so I felt comfortable at this pace. It was right around my goal pace of 9:09, too.

Miles 14, 15, 16 - 9:20, 9:21, 10:10. Unremarkable miles through Queens. I hit the halfway mark at 2:00:25, which would mean I'd have to negative split to break four hours. I suspected this was unlikely, but just kept trucking. Mile 16 was uphill on the Queensboro bridge -- I'd heard this was a terrible part of the race because it's just sneakers hitting the ground, so I focused on the views of Manhattan to my left and just putting one foot in front of the other and preparing to head into my borough.

Miles 17, 18, 19 - 9:29, 9:14, 9:26. MANHATTAN! Whew! I was definitely NOT greeted with the "wall of sound" that everyone talks about so much, so that was a bit of a letdown. My feet also started to HURT, so I kept repeating, "Your feet hurt because you're kicking so much ass!" to myself, which actually really helped! I knew that my parents and friends would be along 1st Ave. though, so I stuck to the left side and kept an eye out for them. At 17.5 I saw Becca and Portia who I know from college -- we were all in the same sorority and they actually made a bright pink sign with ∆∆∆ and "MARGARET" written on it. I couldn't miss it, and screamed out their names so they'd know I saw them! It was a bit before then that I lost my Flyers buddies so it was exciting to see people that I knew when I was getting a bit tired. At 103rd St. and 1st Ave, I saw my parents, which was SO awesome. They saw me, too!

So happy to see my parents!

Miles 20, 21 - 9:39, 9:30. Heading up into the Bronx I didn't really know what to expect. I'd never run up there, but I'd heard that Willis Bridge was a toughie. Since I'd lost my running partners back at mile 17 and I was starting to need an extra push, I put on my headphones, pumped my arms as hard as I could, and made my way through the Bronx. I thought the crowds in the Bronx were actually pretty impressive, and before I knew it I was back in Manhattan.

Miles 22, 23 - 9:29, 9:28. I unexpectedly saw my friend Eileen along 5th Ave., but completely missed two big old cheering squads of friends. They saw me, but I was on the other side of the street and completely oblivious. I think I had some sort of a marathoner blackout (which sounds bad, but trust me, I didn't feel dehydrated or sick or anything) where I just don't really remember much and was 100% focused on getting through the last few miles.

Mile 24 - 9:58. Hello, 5th Ave. incline. I did not enjoy you. Not one little bit! But the PARK!!! Oh, it was so wonderful to enter my park. The crowds in the park were really wonderful, too. (I have a Powerbar gel to thank for getting me through this mile.)

Mile 25 - 9:35. Big downhill along Cat Hill. I'd been warned about this hill, not to take it too fast so as not to thrash my quads (oh, but my quads still feel quite thrashed today!).

Mile 26 - 9:38. Slight uphill exiting the park, followed by a great crowd on 59th St. I remember thinking that Columbus Circle looked so. far. away. But I don't remember much else. Other than being SO HAPPY when I was suddenly AT Columbus Circle and making the turn back into the park for the final 0.2 mi. I might not remember the last couple of miles terribly well, but I do remember making that turn.

Last 0.2 - 9:15 pace. Thank goodness I picked it up, but let me tell you, it was NOT easy to do so. I was struggling at this point, begging my legs to go faster, take me closer to the finish, complete the marathon that I'd spent the better part of two years mentally preparing for. Crossing that finish line was indescribable, and I almost cried, I was so happy.

Final time: 4:06:31, for an average pace of 9:25! A personal record by 6 minutes and 41 seconds. A personal record I am so, very, incredibly proud of. A personal record I set in my city, New York City, among 47,000 others (not to mention the 2.5 million spectators).

It is a feeling I will not soon forget. It is a race I will always remember. It was my first New York City Marathon, but it will not be my last!

Full of pride, happiness, and beer.

I'm a New York City Marathon finisher!

2011-11-06T21:23:00.001-05:00

Medal on. Beer in hand.

AND I PR'ed -- 4:06:31!!! (A 7-minute PR! Which is also how much I PR'ed by in the Staten Island Half Marathon! Lucky number 7 indeed!)

More to come in an official recap, but suffice it to say that this was a race of a lifetime. I had an absolutely amazing time (even when I was hurting!) and wouldn't change anything about this race.

Fittingly, this is also my 100th post here on Have A Good Run -- and the NYC Marathon is a perfect way to celebrate it!

Thanks to all for your supportive tweets, comments, texts and cheers along the course! I appreciate every single one :)

NYCM Training: IT'S ALMOST HERE!!! aka Week 17 of 18

2011-10-31T00:27:00.003-04:00

Holy moly! I'll have run the NYC Marathon by this time NEXT WEEK!!! With any luck, I'll have also stretched, taken an ice bath, showered, downed a beer or two (accompanied by loads of food, DUH), and hopefully have kept both of my legs intact following the marathon. I'm really hoping to be able to walk down the stairs with minimal pain after just one day instead of last time's two days...

But first! Week two of tapering, aka week 17 in the training:

Monday: sick day
Tuesday: 4 mile run
Wednesday: sick day
Thursday: 5 mile run
Friday: rest
Saturday: 3 mile run
Sunday: 8 mile run

Total mileage: 20. Pas mal, as the French would say. I'm quite all right with it considering I was sick. As I mentioned in my last post, as fun as Boston was, it decided to give me a lovely cold as a souvenir. Really, Boston, the 2011 HOCR shirt was enough, but thanks for being so considerate! Ugh. Needless to say, I felt quite awful for a number of days this week, but I wasn't hacking up a lung (the cold seemed to just stay up in my head, which was very nice of it) so I kept running. I'd planned on running four times a week instead of five during the taper when my leg started acting up, and with a cold on top of it, it all kind of seemed to work out.

The weekday runs were unexciting and were all done on a treadmill -- not ideal! I went home to Alexandria, Va., for the weekend, and while Saturday's run was also done on a treadmill, the day was made more exciting by a Halloween party my friends Lani and J threw in Northern Virginia. Naturally, I dressed up as a pirate:

I'm MARRRRRgaret!

I've never been a pirate for Halloween. As my brother Tom remarked, "Amazing that this costume took 20 some years to figure out." True. I actually figured it out in May when I was on my annual girlfriends trip with Lani and Emily, and they suggested it! Clearly, I am not the most creative when it comes to costumes, which is why I leave it to my friends to help me out. I'm not usually one to love Halloween, but having a costume that I liked did make it more fun!

Sunday I had my last long run of training. It snowed on Saturday in Alexandria, so I was a little worried about the weather for the weekend. But Sunday was absolutely beautiful -- and ideal for a marathon! Let's hope NYC gets the message and delivers perfect race conditions on Sunday!

I planned on taking this run easy and getting in a few miles at race pace, but I felt way too good and ended up having a pretty speedy run:

Mile 1 - 9:15
Mile 2 - 9:07
Mile 3 - 8:50
Mile 4 - 8:41
Mile 5 - 8:31
Mile 6 - 8:38
Mile 7 - 8:40
Mile 8 - 8:57

Total time:

1:10:39, for an average of 8:50/mile. AWESOME.

The views weren't too bad either:

Falllll foliage!

Pretty colors

Seriously, how gorgeous?!

It's kind of funny, almost all of my 8-mile runs have been in the 1:10-1:11 range during this marathon training. Which is good, of course, but also kind of frustrating -- am I just running at a comfortable pace? Should I be pushing myself more? This close to the marathon, pushing myself definitely NOT a very smart idea, but it's giving me something to think about next time around -- I think I can improve, and could spend some more time on speed rather than running along on what's comfortable.

ANYWAY! Last week of training! Big plans? Nope! Tomorrow I'm taking it easy, Tuesday I've got a deep tissue massage session, Wednesday is girls night with college friends, and Thursday is the NY Flyers pasta party! I've never attended a pre-race pasta party, but BART YASSO is going to be at this one and I think it's going to be worth it just for that! (However, I had a dream that he canceled at the last minute and was replaced by some "famous" coxswain...this is what happens when two sports collide!) Oh, and the pasta. Duh. Carbo-loading is KEY in the last taper week.

So, goals for the week:

Sleep. Get lots and lots of sleep. Rest as much as possible.
Hydrate. Drink loads of water, keep taking Emergen-C, etc.
Eat well. Complex carbohydrates are important, but so are fruits, veggies, etc. I'm going to try to eat realllly well this week!
Stay positive. Corny as it sounds, I plan on visualizing the race as much as I can. And filling my week with fun (but not too rowdy!) events and activities.
Did I mention sleep?

A little more about staying positive -- on my run on Sunday I thought a lot about the marathon. I kind of took the 8 mile run as a mini-practice for the race -- I tried to keep my face relaxed (i.e. no squinting) when I ran in the sun; I reminded myself to keep my shoulders back and loose; I reminded myself to ease into the pace and start out a bit more relaxed in my pace; I reminded myself of how good it is to just RUN and how much I love it.

Notice a pattern with any of these reminders? There's no use of negative words -- slow, don't, shouldn't, etc. Something I learned as a coxswain was to reduce the amount of negative words in what I say because the rowers won't hear the "don't"; they'll hear the "dip your hands at the catch". So instead of saying "DON'T start out too fast," I'm going to tell myself "DO start at a more relaxed pace." See what I'm doing there? Tricky, tricky!

With that, I should probably follow my own advice and hit the hay. I might even pop in with a midweek post to keep my mind occupied and not filled with nerves.

If you have any awesome race mantras, I'd love to hear them!

Here's to the very last week of training for the New York City Marathon!

NYCM Training: It's Taper Time!

2011-10-26T00:41:00.002-04:00

Not gonna lie, I'm pretty excited about the fact that it's TAPER TIME! over here. My running has been OK, but I'm finding the motivation to get up in the morning to actually get a workout in is definitely lacking. I'm still getting (most of) the workouts in (I ran four times last week instead of five...), but I'm just so TIRED lately. Anyway, here's how last week (week 16!!!) shaped up:

Monday: walking
Tuesday: 5.6 mile run
Wednesday: walking
Thursday: 6.3 mile run
Friday: walking
Saturday: 4.3 mile run
Sunday: 12 mile run

Total mileage: 28.2.

Not terrible, but not the 32 I was shooting for. I've come a long way from when I first started running and felt that I had to get in every single run OR ELSE... (not knowing what that OR ELSE... really was) so I'm definitely not going to beat myself up over "missing" a run. My mileage was strong, the runs were solid, and I was experiencing some not-so-fun muscle pain in my left leg...the same leg that suffered a stress reaction last summer, an injury that sidelined me from running the Chicago Marathon.

Needless to say, I was a little worried. I mean, it didn't feel like a stress fracture, but I didn't know I had one last time either! At first, I was just going to ignore it. The marathon is so close, there's no WAY my doctor will be able to see me, I've put in months of training, and I'm not going to NOT run this marathon! But after more than a week of nagging pain, I called my doctor's office, pleading for an appointment with Dr. Jordan Metzl, whom I saw last year about my stress fracture. When I mentioned that I was running the New York City Marathon in two short weeks, I had an appointment on the books for Monday!

I went in, mentally prepared for the worst, ready to be told that I'd have to defer to 2012 because the worst had happened and I had another stress fracture. But no! A little hopping up and down on one foot, then the other, and some poking and prodding, he diagnosed me with a weak butt (must step up the strength training), minor sciatica, and muscle pain in the calf. A prescription for deep tissue massage and an NSAID should put me back together again in no time. I took that NSAID as soon as the prescription was filled, and I swear that within a half hour, I was a completely new person. Walking down stairs didn't hurt! I could walk pain-free! There was no limp! A trip to Eastside Massage Therapy for an hour of intense deep tissue massage was the icing on the cake. As soon as I said my doctor had mentioned my poor, weak piriformis and sciatica, the masseuse said she was going to "go to town on this left butt cheek", which she did and I cannot thank her enough. Since yesterday, my leg has felt great. I even went out on a run today, and noticed a massive improvement! Needless to say, I'm a very happy runner :)

Back to last week! It was a good week. My "walking" workouts are really just me walking to work from the subway and back, a 1.5 mile roundtrip. I've been awfully lazy about cross training...maybe that's why I've got a weak butt and sciatica... Anyway. On Tuesday and Thursday I changed into my running clothes at work and ran along the West Side Highway. My office is literally a block away, so I took advantage of the great temperatures and close proximity, and just ran from the office! The track on our roof is only 1/10th of a mile, and running around that thing 50 times is just not appealing (though I'm sure the views would be amazing!).

On Saturday and Sunday, I was in Boston, coxing Head of the Charles for a team from Sacramento. It's a long story of how I got involved with them, but I coxed for this team two years ago and they needed a coxswain again this year, so they got in touch with me and I said I'd do it! Here are a few photos from the weekend:

Saturday morning I ran from our hotel to the start line before
our race - here are some crews getting ready!

A nice trail along the Charles

The one-mile marker on the three-mile course

My setup in the bow of the boat - cox box to the left,
steering mechanism on the right

Nice and comfy in the bow!

My view during practice on Friday afternoon

It was a great weekend in Boston, and my boat even qualified for automatic entry into the same category for next year! Just to give you an idea of what my job is in the boat, I am basically the coach in the boat, and I steer the boat. I tell the rowers what to do when, motivate them, and keep them going. Head of the Charles is the biggest headrace in the world, with crews coming from all over the world to participate in it. It's also one of the most difficult races for coxswains to steer, due to the curvy course and six bridges you have to navigate. Not to mention the many boats that are involved in each race (our category, women's club 4+, had 45 crews racing). Here's the course to give you an idea:

This course is not straight.

It was a great race, and I really hope I get to go back again next year, if not to cox then at least to volunteer.

Sunday I woke up a bit later and set out on an exciting 12 mile run through Boston. I checked out Tina's blog to see if she'd done any 12 mile runs with routes, and I found one that I adapted to meet my needs. Here's the map:

And the splits:

Super impressive? No, especially since I recently ran 21 miles at a quicker pace than this. While my leg did hurt for most of the run, it was the kind of pain that I could run through and I felt pretty decent for most of the run. I also spent a lot of time with my iPhone making sure I didn't get lost and end up in Roxbury. And one guy even mentioned I had a "nice pace" going when I passed him, which is always a nice thing to hear, even from a 60-year-old man. (Note: That was when I was in the 9:07 range.) There were quite a few hills in this (mile 10, I'm looking at you), and a lot of running through somewhat crowded sidewalks (miles 2 and 11), but overall it was a really fun run with some interesting sights!

Beautiful day for a RUN!

A run through Boston Common? Why not?

This Colonial re-enactor also thought it was a great day
to be in Boston Common

A beach! In Boston! I never would have known!

This was my trail for a few miles

Near South Station - note the lack of blue sky...it got chilly!

And this would be an important building of historical significance, obviously...also known as the Statehouse

I had a great time running through Boston. I always enjoy running through New York, but it's so great to test out a new city and see how its running is. I give Boston two big thumbs up for being awesome in general (seriously, I have such a huge crush on this city...can you believe I never even looked at a single college here when I was applying?), but also for being hospitable to both rowers AND runners.

While I had my foot in two sports this weekend, I had quite a few realizations. First off, the race that the rowers did? It was three miles long. It took us 21 minutes. And then we had to keep rowing to make sure no other boats crashed into us. I know it's completely different from running, and uses all sorts of muscles we don't even think about when we run, but it just seemed like...really? Only 21 minutes? I mean, I ran for over three hours just two weeks ago. And tomorrow? I'm going to run for two hours. It's not all about the amount of time that you spend doing a sport or a race or whatever, of course, but I just thought it was so interesting. In rowing's 2k sprint races, done in the spring, you go ALL OUT for 7 minutes -- I guess that's a runner's equivalent to the 400-meter dash or something along those lines. And afterward, you're EXHAUSTED -- you put everything you had into those 7 minutes. It just doesn't seem like that much time! (Rowers -- don't get my wrong, I have intense, insane, ridiculous amount of respect and love for the sport. But compared to a marathon? It just seems like such a small amount of time!)

I also noticed that just as runners LOVE to talk about running when they're around other runners, rowers LOVE to talk about rowing when they're around other rowers. It's just a thing that athletes do. (OMG did I just refer to myself as an ATHLETE?! Well, I mean, I didn't do any physical activity, but I did gain a varsity letter for rowing at UCLA...just sayin'.) Since I'm a ways out of the rowing world, I didn't have much to contribute to this conversation, but people were talking about split times and erg times and their last races, and if I could have talked about running instead of rowing, I would have fit right in!

There's more to mention, but this post is getting wicked long (I'm so Bostonian!) and I'm tired.

Do you do any other sports?

For Your Amusement

2011-10-20T22:47:00.001-04:00

I thought these pictures were just too hilarious not to share...usually I'm pretty good at spotting the cameras and putting on a happy face, but that just did not happen this time!

Clearly displeased with my time

Squinting and sweating.
At least my arm looks good.

No idea what this face is...
I think I mostly just look confused

SO glad to be done-slash-
possibly dying

I'm off to Boston for the weekend before the sun even rises. I'm coxing Head of the Charles for a friend's old rowing team that's coming in from Northern California. They needed a coxswain, I was available, so I'm helping them out. I coxed a 4+ for this team two years ago, and hadn't coxed in five years, and had never been on the Charles, which has many turns (and while we all know I'm not good at running tangents, I can steer a shell around the tightest corner if needed!).

It was my first time in Boston, and while there was a cold snap that made me have to wear a zillion layers at all times, I completely fell in love with the city.

This weekend's weather is looking good:

This was my view from the boat:

Bow-coxed 4+. Ready to race!

Along with this:

The beautiful Charles River. It was beautiful this day, but
the rain and cold (and SNOW!) came soon after!

Ahhh and this:

Fall foliage!

I can't wait!

Have you ever been to Boston? Any fun plans for you this weekend?

NYCM Training: The Last Big Week

2011-10-16T21:54:00.001-04:00

OMG I can't believe it's TAPER TIME!!! But first, what happened this week:

Monday: walking
Tuesday: 5 mile run
Wednesday: 8 mile tempo run
Thursday: rest
Friday: 1 hour elliptical
Saturday: 5 mile run
Sunday: 21 mile run

Total mileage: 39! It was supposed to be 43, but I missed a 5 mile run on Thursday because the flu shot made me sick (better than the flu though!). I've also been battling what might be tendinitis in my knee, so I figured missing one little run wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. I foam rolled and Aspercremed the afflicted area after an easy elliptical session on Friday, and I totally felt like a new person!

Unfortunately I had another picture-less week -- I didn't bring my phone with me on any runs, all of which were outdoors done on pretty picture-perfect days. In the two five-mile runs I did this week, I incorporated a bit of the NYC Marathon race course as part of the run. On Tuesday, I ran up to 94th St, then west to 5th Ave (which, by the way, is 100% uphill from 2nd Ave to 5th Ave!), then into the park around 90th and down over to where the finish line will be. Saturday's run was up 1st Ave to 110th St, over to 5th Ave (flat, thank goodness!), south to 90th St and into the park, and back home on 72nd St. It was good practice to run down 5th Ave, especially because I had a massive headwind on Saturday, and who knows what the weather will be like on race day?

Today was a big day...last big, long run, with the New York Flyers. I ran 1.4 miles over to Jack Rabbit on the Upper West Side at 6:45 a.m. after consuming a delicious whole wheat cinnamon raisin bagel with peanut butter -- SO good at keeping me full and energized. My 9:30 pace group left around 7:15, heading to Riverside Dr, up to 91st, and south along the West Side Highway. There was a helluva headwind, but it was nothing compared to Saturday's wind tunnel along 5th Ave. Like the last NY Flyers 20 mile run, we cut over to the Brooklyn Bridge at Warren St., went north across the Pulaski Bridge, across the Queensboro Bridge, into the park, and back to the store! Here's the map:

And my splits!

Mile 1 - 9:26
Mile 2 - 9:31
Mile 3 - 9:29
Mile 4 - 9:31
Mile 5 - 9:25
Mile 6 - 9:25
Mile 7 - 9:31 (Gu number 1 and a water stop)
Mile 8 - 9:27
Mile 9 - 9:40
Mile 10 - 9:08 (water stop)
Mile 11 - 9:12
Mile 12 - 9:15
Mile 13 - 9:12
Mile 14 - 9:50
Mile 15 - 9:22 (Gu number 2, plus a water stop)
Mile 16 - 9:55 (hello, Queensboro Bridge)
Mile 17 - 9:48
Mile 18 - 9:37
Mile 19 - 9:59 (getting a bit lost in the park -- it was the Avon Walk and it was MADNESS)
Last 0.78 - 7:03

Total time: 3:07:45, for an average of 9:29 per mile!

Today was SUCH a great run. And although my Garmin read it as being less than 20 miles, a Google Maps course shows that the run was definitely farther. Either way, I ran over 21 miles today! I felt really good on this run -- my leg didn't bother me at all, and I got to chat with two really sweet girls the whole way. Chatting always makes the miles tick by so much more quickly -- every time I heard my Garmin beep I was surprised and incredibly happy. Like most of my other long runs, I broke it up into smaller runs that made it more manageable.

I'm feeling excited and ready for these last few weeks of tapering, and I'm definitely ready for 26.2 in three weeks! I don't know if I'll PR, but I'll work out that stuff later on. I'm glad I'm practicing the bridges and finish line area, but who knows how it'll all play out on race day? I'm just going to plan as best as I can, and go with the flow for the rest of it. That's all you can do, right?

Tonight I'm spending some quality time with three of my best friends:

Compression socks to increase circulation

SportsCreme for sore muscles

THE STICK for massaging my poor beaten up legs

Wild night, I tell ya! FYI, Saturday night looked eerily similar to this, but at least I got my butt to Hoboken for my friend's Oktoberfest party, which involved a delicious beer (I swear it helps, or at least doesn't hurt, before a long run!) and many German pretzels and pastries. Yay carbs!

"A Race Like No Other"

I can't end this post without writing a quick review of a book I got for my birthday that I couldn't put down all week.

This book...I don't know how to describe it. It is just amazing, inspiring, sad, exciting... It's all about the 2007 NYC Marathon, Paula Radcliffe's first marathon back after having her baby and taking off two years. The author, Liz Robbins, doesn't just focus on the elite athletes though; she takes you mile by mile through the race, through the stories of multiple runners -- a recovering alcoholic, a young man who's also a cancer survivor, a 60-something-year-old grandmother -- weaving all of them together through the miles. It also contains some history of the marathon, how it came to be the race we know it as today -- things I definitely did not know!

I don't know much about elite athletes -- who they are, where the train, how they came to be where they are, etc. This book contained the stories of four or five of the elite men and women, which was very eye-opening and interesting to read. Just as interesting? The stories of the "ordinary" runners Robbins profiles.

This will sound incredibly cliched, but I laughed, I cried, and I absolutely could not put it down. I definitely almost missed my subway stop more than once because I was immersed this book. I was completely caught up in the moment of every mile and every story that was shared. It got me incredibly excited to run this race in three short weeks -- if you're running the NYC Marathon, you simply MUST read this book!

So, last three weeks. Time to step it up in the eating, hydrating, and sleeping departments...speaking of, I think I hear my bed calling my name...today's hourlong nap was just not long enough after the 21 mile run!

NYCM Training: A Half-Marathon PR!

2011-10-09T21:52:00.006-04:00

Big week, friends. I had some great runs, enjoyed the beautiful fall (and the weekend's summer) weather, turned 27 (eek!), AND PR'ed in the half marathon by more than seven minutes! It was a great week! And here's how it turned out:

Monday: walking
Tuesday: 5 mile run
Wednesday: 5 mile run
Thursday: birthday 5 mile run!
Friday: rest
Saturday: walking/shopping/carbo loading
Sunday: Staten Island Half Marathon!

Total mileage: 28 miles!

First, the birthday was excellent! It involved a beautiful morning run around the reservoir (no photo I'm afraid, but it was absolutely perfect out), presents that I opened as soon as my run was done (I'm already 100 pages into "A Race Like No Other" and I don't think I'll be putting it down anytime soon),

free Starbucks, surprise cookies that Eloise sent me from Insomnia Cookies in the middle of the day,

margaritas and friends at MxCo,

It's true, sometimes I don't wear running clothes!

and cake!

Wishing for a sub-2 hour half marathon...

It was a really great birthday!

I took Friday and Saturday pretty easy (aside from walking up a storm on Saturday, going from shop to shop with a friend who was visiting from DC) and didn't go out at all. I slept 11 hours on Friday night and Saturday I was in bed before midnight with a 5:30am wake-up call for today.

I wanted to get on the 6:30am ferry so I wouldn't have to deal with the madness of the 7:30 ferry to Staten Island, and also so I could pick up my bib since I was lazy and didn't pick it up yesterday (too busy shopping, what can I say?). I met up with Johnny who I met through the NYCM Facebook group that Theodora started, and also saw Dave who I met at the NYC Flyers 20 mile run last week.

I hadn't really heard much about this race, so a few people who had run it before offered some "wisdom" about the course. Example: It's pretty flat! Ummm, this is incredibly incorrect and false. It's hilly! Very hilly! I'd been warned of a few hills in there, but I wasn't quite as prepared for the hills as I thought that I was.

For breakfast, I had my usual half-bagel with peanut butter, but I just don't think it was enough for me this morning. I didn't feel as strong as I'd have liked, and ended up taking a gel pretty early on in the race (mile 6). I ended up drinking a lot more Gatorade than I usually drink during a race this distance because a) I felt I needed more calories, and b) it was HOT so I was sweating even more than usual...attractive, I know.

It was a beautiful day for a PR though, and PR I did! My three half-marathon times before were 2:06:38, 2:06:11, and 2:06:10. I was DETERMINED to break two hours this time, which would mean a 9:09 average. The race started out fine -- my legs felt pretty good and I got into a nice groove, I think. I walked through every aid station and picked up the pace again once I finished my drink.

For me, the tough parts were the hills (I slowed down a lot, and didn't really try to push it) and some mental demons that tried to get me to turn this into a training run instead of a PR. I fought them pretty well though, and near the end when I realized that I WOULD be able to PR, I pushed it and worked my ass off up the hills, down the hills, and to the finish line, to an official time of 1:58:59!!!

View of Manhattan from Staten Island - beautiful day!

One thing I need to work on (aside from pushing out those discouraging thoughts) is tangents -- according to my Garmin, I went 13.24 miles...which is a full 0.14 mi more than I needed to run, which means I ran a lot more than I should have. If I'd just run 13.1 mi, that time would have been at least a minute and a half faster than my finish time! So yeah, I mean, trust me, I'm incredibly pumped about my time and could not be more thrilled about breaking two hours! But it wouldn't be a race without having a learning experience and finding something that I can improve on for next time, right? Right!

Here's the map and splits:

ARGH TANGENTS. I must learn to run the tangents. Anyone have any tips for this? I tried to be aware of it for part of the race, and for a little bit I was doing OK with it, but clearly I got lazy and just ran... Ah well. A PR is a PR, and I'm damn proud of this one!

I celebrated the half marathon with the five S's: stretching, shower, sleep, and Shake Shack. I have a tradition of having a burger after every half marathon, and this one was no different! I've been mostly vegetarian since April, but it's more because I like the way it makes me feel and I like that it makes me more creative in the kitchen. It's also cheaper! But I just had to have a burger and fries today...it was necessary after losing all that sweat in the race!

Today really made the marathon seem REAL. Yes, it's been on my mind since last year when I was running those nine races with NYRR, working toward automatic entry for the race, but I'd been kind of worried that I'd re-injured my leg (seems that I haven't since I ran pain-free!) so I was wondering if I'd have to defer to next year. But um, nope, seems that in four short weeks I'll be back in Staten Island, and I thought of that today as I saw the Verrazano Bridge looming in the distance. I'll be on that upper deck, with my orange bib, preparing to run the biggest marathon in the world with 45,000 other people.

And I simply cannot wait to be a part of it.

NYCM Training: 20 Miles and a Wedding!

2011-10-04T22:51:00.000-04:00

Another week done! I can't believe how quickly the marathon is creeping up on me. It seems like everything is happening all of a sudden -- my birthday's on Thursday (27 AAAHHH), then the Staten Island Half Marathon on Sunday (really hoping to break 2 hours), then another 20 mile run (whee!), then I go to Boston to cox Head of the Charles Regatta (can't wait!), then I go to DC for Halloween (my friends are having a party!), and then it's the marathon (YAYYY)!

Oh, and then I go to London and Zurich for a (well-deserved) 10-day vacation.

Every single weekend is planned and I think that'll make the marathon come up even more quickly than it already feels like it is. Which is good, I think.

Here's how week 13 shaped up:

Monday: yoga
Tuesday: 5 mile run
Wednesday: 8 mile tempo run
Thursday: 5 mile run
Friday: rest
Saturday: 5.5 mile run
Sunday: 20 mile run

Total mileage: 43.5! If I do say so myself...DANG! Highest mileage yet!!!

I think last week I got a little of my running mojo back, which was exciting for me. I had a great tempo run on Wednesday, and unexciting 5 mile runs on Tuesday and Thursday.

Check out the scene from Wednesday morning's run around 6am:

Across the reservoir -- looks more like midnight than 6am!

Thursday night there was another NYCM Facebook group happy hour at Swift, which was fun as always!

Johnny, Sue, me and Theodora! Photo from Theodora's site

Saturday I met my friend Shawna in the park for a little jaunt around the 4 mile loop (plus running there and home).

Sunday was the BIG day. I ran my first 20 mile run (I have another one Oct. 16) with the New York Flyers on their 3 Bridges Run and I have to say, it was overall an absolutely amazing run.

Was it easy? Um, NO. I'm proud of myself for keeping up the pace and finishing strong, but I definitely struggled a bit in the middle miles and kind of wanted to die at a few different points. I pushed past it though and thankfully got a second wind. I chatted with other runners pretty much the entire 3+ hours we were running, which was a great distraction.

The run itself was SO well organized -- I was completely blown away. There were three different stations where they had water, Gatorade, pretzels, and gels. Everyone was incredibly nice and friendly, and I actually went home and joined the Flyers right after the run!

No pictures (I was iPod-free), but here's the map:

And my splits:

3:09:17, with an average of 9:28! Pretty exciting!

We had a pacer, hence the relatively consistent splits. Mile 16 was across the 59th Street bridge, which I frankly did not think was as terrible as people made it out to be. Everyone who had run the NYC Marathon said it was "straight up" and totally terrible, so I was naturally completely terrified. But it really wasn't that bad! Maybe it's because we were going at a slower pace? I don't know. But hey, I survived, so I think that's a good indication that I'll survive on marathon day.

A few people mentioned that coming off of that bridge where there are obviously no spectators, just the sound of thousands of running shoes hitting the pavement, and then you get to 1st Ave. and there's a massive cheering crowd. It can give you a huge adrenaline rush, but there are still 10 more miles to go. So I must remember to keep stay relaxed and just take it all in!

After the run, I foam rolled and stretched and ice bathed before a highly anticipated 50% off, 60-minute deep tissue massage at Exhale Spa. It. Was. Amazing. I mean, my legs were incredibly tender, but the work she did on my back was SO needed.

From there, I went off to a wedding (yes, it was on a Sunday)!

Nice grainy picture Misty and me!

And topped off a fantastic day with some dancing (in heels, mind you) and delicious wedding cake:

Yum!

All in all, it was a great training week and an incredibly fun weekend. I'm looking forward to this weekend's Staten Island Half Marathon, and I'm hoping I can break 2 hours. I've literally run three half-marathons in 2:06, and now I'm so much faster and stronger -- I think/hope that I can do it! Cross your fingers for me!

NYCM Training: Running, Cooking, Baking, Beering

2011-09-27T23:12:00.001-04:00

Another week down! And this was a toughie. It was a pullback week, but I wasn't feeling well for a few days. Eventually all calmed down enough for me to have a pretty normal week in terms of training (as exhausted as I was!). I think a perfect storm of staying super late at work, having a crazy busy wedding weekend, and not sleeping as much as I should all came together to knock me on my butt for a few days. So I took care of myself, slept a lot (aka a 4.5 hour nap on Wednesday, followed by a 10pm bedtime and an 8am wakeup), and still managed to get in all my runs, with a little adjustment to my training.

Here's how Week 12 ended up looking:

Monday: 35 mins elliptical, 22 mins StairMaster
Tuesday: 5 mile run; strength workout (two sets of 50 squats, 25 bicep curls, 25 tricep extensions, 25 shoulder presses, 25 lunges each leg, 50 hip extensions each leg; plus ab work)
Wednesday: 5 mile run
Thursday: rest
Friday: 5 mile run
Saturday: 8 mile run
Sunday: 13 mile run

Total mileage: 36. Not bad for being sick!

I was pretty pleased with my strength workout on Tuesday -- I was even sore! 100 squats are no joke. Getting to Sarina's Total Body Conditioning class can be tough on days when five miles is on the training schedule, so I've just been doing these little 25-minute strength workouts when I can. It's not nearly as much cardio as Sarina's class, but I get that in by running!

I only got outside for two runs this week, but it was so humid out that I felt like that's not too bad! I'm SO ready for fall weather -- and I think it's coming this weekend, just in time for my first 20 mile run in this training! The high for Sunday right now is 59, which would be perrrfect for this run. I'm actually looking forward to running 20 miles!!!

This week...unexciting runs. Frankly I felt like I'd lost my running mojo a little bit this week. I didn't feel terribly motivated to go out and run, but I did it anyway. Maybe I'm getting a little burned out? Maybe (hopefully!) it's just because I was sick? Not sure. This week I do feel better (both physically and in terms of mojo), so I think/hope that it was just an off week.

My long run was pretty good though! It was 13 miles of heat and humidity, but I stuck it out and lived to tell the tale.

Map:

I felt I'd been neglecting my beautiful Central Park, so I visited it first, then swung over to the West Side Highway for some quality time. As I've done in the past, I mentally broke this run up into a 5 miler, 4 miler, 4 miler. For whatever reason, it totally tricks me into thinking the run isn't that long. I mean, at this point, 13 miles isn't THAT long, but it does take two hours to get that run done! Two episodes of This American Life and a little TSwift for the walk to the gym for post-run foam rolling got me through!

Splits:

9:19 for an average -- not bad! I'm really really REALLY hoping that this non-racing 13 mile run means that I'll be able to break 2 hours when I run 13.1 FOR REAL on Oct. 9 in the Staten Island Half!

Picture from the run:

Upper West Side running

I love running on this path. It's so beautiful, there are interesting sculptures, usually a nice breeze, and not SO many people. It can get a little hairy down in the West Village, but for a short stretch on the Upper West Side, there's just peace and running.

Sunday was a beautiful day, and luckily there was a pretty nice breeze going, but it was humid and hot, too. I definitely did my shorts and racerback tank tan lines no favors that day. Summer may be over, but those tan lines aren't going ANYWHERE.

Aside from running, I also got in some cooking AND baking in this weekend! I'd been itching to make another Mama Pea recipe, and when I saw her Thai fried quinoa a couple of weeks back, I bookmarked it, ordered all the necessary supplies from FreshDirect, and cooked it Saturday afternoon after my 8 mile treadmill run.

Quinoa cooking in coconut milk and veggie broth,
scallions, peas and pineapples in the skillet

It was one of the easiest recipes I've ever made, and one of the most delicious (if I do say so myself!). I'm still working my way through it for lunch this week, but it is so tasty and so simple! Definitely make it soon!

On Saturday, I noticed a picture of some delicious looking cookies by Kelly pop up in my Twitter feed with the comment that cookies have been fueling her NYCM training. Instantly, I decided I needed more cookies in my training, so I commented on them and started searching her blog for the recipe. But before I could even find them, she responded with the link to the cookie recipe! So as a reward to myself for an awesome week of running, and in the spirit of fueling for this weekend's 20 mile run, I baked a batch.

OMG SO DELISH

Seriously, these are some amaaaazing cookies. Also easy, kind of healthy (applesauce replaces some of the butter, agave replaces the white chocolate, and everyone knows oats and dark chocolate are good for you!), and absolutely delicious. I've been helping myself to ~~one~~ three every day. Definitely helping my running, I'm sure!

Topping all of the running, cooking and baking?

Pumpkin ale!

What? Beer drinking is good for running recovery! It's science!

NYCM Training: On missing runs (and not apologizing about it) (aka Week 11)

2011-09-23T21:26:00.005-04:00

For the first time since I started training for the NYC Marathon on July 4, I missed two running workouts. In one week. Sure, I've missed a couple of cross-training workouts over the past 11 weeks, but not a single run. The old runner me would have scolded me, tried to make up for missed miles, insisted that I wasn't SO hungover from the wedding that I couldn't run 8 measly miles! But the new(er) runner me is one who missed two whole, entire weeks of training when she was in Asia visiting her brother and still ran a 4:13 marathon. The newer running me recognizes that celebrating the marriage of two good friends takes precedence over my silly training plan, and this marriage will happen once, there will be plenty of more runs for me to do throughout the next six weeks. (Luckily I squeezed in my 18 mile run before the festivities began on Friday!)

When I was training for my first half marathon, I was religious about getting all of my runs in, but didn't do much else -- Total Body Conditioning class fell to the wayside, I didn't do yoga or really spend any time on the elliptical. As I've become a more knowledgeable runner though, I've learned the benefits of going with the flow, incorporating cross-training and strength workouts into my training, and actually enjoying my training. It's OK to miss runs! (Just try not to miss the long runs...)

With that, last week wasn't too exciting interms of training. I only had three runs, two of which were on the treadmill.The 18 mile run, though, was SO good, and definitely was NOT done on atreadmill.

Here's how last week shaped up:

Monday: 5 mile run
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: 8 mile speed workout
Thursday: rest
Friday: 18 mile run
Saturday: dancing at my friend's wedding!
Sunday: lots of walking around DC

Totalmileage: 31

I got to DC late on Thursday night, after anextremely long workday on Wednesday (hence Thursday's missed run). Since myparents have HBO and I don't, I obviously thought that an excellent use of mytime would be to finish the most recent season of True Blood (and it was an excellent use of my time...that season finale was crazy!).However, this put my bedtime past midnight, and I was getting up at 5:30 to run18 miles before L's bridesmaid luncheon, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, etc. Plus,it was going to be in the 50s when I started this run, and I had no coldweather running gear with me. Needless to say, I did not have high hopes forthis run and was ready to cut it short if I had to.

But then I saw this:

Hello, sunrise

And this:

Beautiful morning!

And this:

On my way over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge!

Yep, I ran over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge! Kindof cool because the bridge goes through Virginia, DC and Maryland! Two statesand one district in one day!

All three in one bridge!

View of Old Town Alexandria

Afterthe fun bridge adventure, I ran through Old Town and along the river. Ihappened upon an old stomping ground of mine:

Oronoco Bay Park

My first race EVER, a 5k, ended at Oronoco BayPark. I didn't even realize that I'd be running through it when I started onthis run, but it was so much fun to happen up on it!

Ibasically just kept running...until I hit Reagan National Airport. THE AIRPORT!That's like four stops on the Metro from my house. It's a lot of exits off theGW Parkway. It's THE AIRPORT!!!

THE AIRPORT!

Seriously backlit Reagan National Airport

I'dalways seen people running by the airport, and I'd always wondered, "HOWdo they get there?!"And last Friday, I was one of those people running bythe airport! It was pretty fun. I ran back to the car after that, and was SOthirsty pretty much the whole time. As soon as I spotted a water fountain bythe waterfront, I sprinted and gulped as much water as I could.

Therun ended up being really great! Here's the map:

Andsplits:

Mile 1 - 10:03
Mile 2 - 9:34
Mile 3 - 9:22
Mile 4 - 9:22
Mile 5 - 9:20
Mile 6 - 9:17
Mile 7 - 9:27
Mile 8 - 9:07
Mile 9 - 9:17
Mile 10 - 9:10
Mile 11 - 9:10
Mile 12 - 9:05
Mile 13 - 9:09
Mile 14 - 9:15
Mile 15 - 9:16
Mile 16 - 9:17
Mile 17 - 9:02
Mile 18 - 8:42

Totaltime: 2:47:04, average pace of 9:17!

I may have missed a couple of runs last week,but I had a great long run and a wonderful time at the wedding!

NYCM Training: Eight weeks to go!

2011-09-11T23:11:00.000-04:00

Today was a great day for a run. Not only was it an important day for our nation and the world to reflect, but it was a day that made me incredibly proud to be a New Yorker. I ran along the edges of this little island, from the Upper East Side, down along the East River, through Battery Park, up along the West Side Highway to Riverside Park, and finally, after the run ended on the Upper West Side, I walked home through Central Park. More on that run later, but first, this week!

Monday: 45 mins elliptical
Tuesday: 4 mile run, 25 min strength workout
Wednesday: 8 mile tempo (8:51 average!)
Thursday: 4 mile run
Friday: rest
Saturday: 8 mile run (8:49 average!)
Sunday: 17 mile run (9:13 average!!!)

Total mileage: 41. FORTY-ONE AAAHHH. This is the farthest weekly mileage I have EVER done. Even in my last marathon training, I didn't go above 36 miles in a week. And as of today's run, I've put 475 miles on my current pair of Brooks Ravenna 2s. Which means I went shopping today!

Hello, gorgeous...love the snazzy blue laces!

I actually bought two pairs. I still have two months till the marathon and don't want to run the race in shoes that have over 250 miles on them (yes, I've still got 250 miles of training to do till the marathon...actually, 259...). So I got two of the exact same pair of shoes, and I'll alternate them every week. Can't wait to break in these babies!

I also signed up for a run with the New York Flyers that sounds really fun called the Three Bridges Long Training Run. It's a 20 mile run on Oct. 2 (the exact date I have my first 20-mile run planned!) that starts at the UES Jack Rabbit Sports and snakes around, crossing three bridges (including the 59th Street Bridge, which is the bridge that takes you to Manhattan during the NYC marathon!). I am SO psyched for this run! I haven't run any bridges during my training yet (bad, I know), and it sounds like this run will help to prepare me for it. It's only $10, so if you're running the marathon, sign up!

Back to this week's workouts: This week was a really great week. After last week's rather torturous runs, it was a much-needed confidence boost to have a week of excellent runs, especially on Wednesday, Saturday and today (my mom even told me how proud she is of me after I told her about today's run...aww). Last time I trained for a marathon, I did most of my midweek mid-mileage runs on the treadmill (maybe because it was the winter and it was dark?), but I've gotten much better about getting these done outside, and now that the weather's more bearable, I'm much more motivated to run outdoors.

On Wednesday, I did a tempo run in Central Park. It was a little rainy, and very dark, but I was so glad I did this run outside. The weather ended up being kind of perfect (despite my belief that I needed a jacket...I swear, every time the seasons start to change I have zero idea what to wear and dress completely inappropriately for at least two weeks), and a slow start picked up and I felt great by the end.

Yesterday's run started off a bit slow as well, but in miles five and six (8:27 and 8:32 average pace!) I felt SO speedy and SO good. My legs were fresh and I was happy to be out there. There were tons of other runners in the park, too, which made for great people watching. After the run, I had an excellent brunch at Le Pain Quotidien (please try their ricotta and fig tartine...it is amazing!), and then dashed off to Long Island for the day for a friend's bridal shower. My belly was full of delicious food, and I've decided that sangria and strawberry margaritas may be the perfect recovery drinks! A slice of cinnamon-chocolate cake probably didn't hurt either...gotta have those carbs!

Today I woke up a bit later than anticipated, but luckily the weather was still quite cool. I had half a bagel with peanut butter (my usual pre-long-run fuel), but was lacking a little motivation. Maybe it was the 9/11 memorials on TV, but I was just not feeling up to it. A quick call to my mom pepped me up pretty quickly though, as I realized this would be a perfect day for a long run. I'd get to see all of Manhattan, enjoy the weather, and feel accomplished afterward -- what more motivation could you ask for?

Here's my route:

The perfect tour de Manhattan!

And my splits:

Mile 1 - 9:41
Mile 2 - 9:28
Mile 3 - 9:22
Mile 4 - 9:26
Mile 5 - 9:21
Mile 6 - 10:12 (my Garmin always goes super wonky when I run under the bridges along the East River)
Mile 7 - 8:40 (this would be my Garmin realizing that the last mile's average probably wasn't right, and so it should make up for it)
Mile 8 - 9:12
Mile 9 - 9:11
Mile 10 - 8:58
Mile 11 - 8:52
Mile 12 - 9:01
Mile 13 - 9:00
Mile 14 - 8:57
Mile 15 - 9:01
Mile 16 - 9:04
Mile 17 - 9:14

Total time: 2:36:48, average pace of 9:13! Almost exactly six months ago, I ran 17 miles and my pace was 9:48. It's so exciting to see improvement!

Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan

Around mile 7, I happened upon this gorgeous art project in Battery Park meant to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The idea was to tie a "ribbon of hope" with words of hope written on it to a standing structure. At first I was just going to snap a photo and keep running, but when a volunteer asked if I wanted to fill out a ribbon, I happily took a few minutes from my run to write something out and participate in this beautiful display. They actually said I was the first runner to stop -- I'm very glad that I got to be a part of it!

Can you spot my ribbon of hope?

Several of the many panels they had up

There were a few other memorial installations around, including this amazing flag display:

This is only a small number of the flags that were in the area

After that I continued on my way, stopping for a moment to take a picture of the World Trade Center, draped in our flag:

WTC

I don't mean to dwell on this too much, but it was an inspiring day to be out and about on the streets of New York, and I was honestly rather overwhelmed with the feeling of my connection with this city, especially considering where I was 10 years ago -- in my junior year French class in high school...I'd never visited New York, and I didn't have the ability to fully understand what was happening or how this would change the world. I definitely took a few minutes during my run today to silently think of the people who lost their lives on that day and since, to thank the people who have worked to keep our country safe.

Phew. OK. So yes. It was an excellent run. I listened to a little This American Life and some music during this run, which I think helped me out both mentally and in my pacing (hello, consistency in that second half!). I also used a little trick that helped to break it up some: after the first five miles, I broke up the remaining 12 miles into three four-mile runs. It helped me stay focused and helped the miles fly by!

I'm pretty sure I'll be doing this every week now, but here's the countdown: Eight more weeks! I can't believe it!

Ohhh we're halfway there!

2011-09-07T00:09:00.002-04:00

Nine weeks down, nine to go! I can't believe I'm halfway through with marathon training...feels so good to know it and I just know the next nine weeks are going to fly by, too. Here's a recap of my week:

Monday: rest (Hurricane Irene made me leave DC on Monday instead of Sunday, so I slept in and worked instead of waking up early and working out...)
Tuesday: 4 mile run, Total Body Conditioning
Wednesday: 5 mile run
Thursday: 4 mile run
Friday: rest (well, I did walk a mile and a half across the park just to go to Trader Joe's...)
Saturday: 7 mile run at race pace (actually did it below goal race pace, around 8:51!)
Sunday: 12 mile run in some serious humidity

Total mileage: 32

This week was another pullback week, but that doesn't mean it wasn't tough. The weekend runs were especially painful -- there were about a billion times when I thought about giving up on Sunday's 12 miler, but I stuck it out and as always, am glad that I did. I did learn a valuable lesson in that run though -- the Bridle Path and I do not mix. I almost fell or twisted my ankle countless times, but I caught myself before the Bridle Path could take me down. But now I've made a new enemy in my running journeys around New York City, which will join the 72nd Street staircase in Riverside Park (note to self: take the ramp when you run there; it's much less painful and much smarter than taking the staircase).

So something I noticed this week: both of my weekend runs sucked. I literally got home and was SO glad that they were over. I was also glad that I did them, but OMG did they suck during. On Saturday's 7 mile run, I had to stop every mile for the first half to stretch out my legs (note to self: foam roll more often and more aggressively. Also, schedule a massage. ASAP), but they loosened up for the second half even if my pace dropped off a bit. Sunday's run was especially hard. I left around 9 a.m., but the heat and humidity were already kind of terrible. I wanted to change up my route a little, so I tried out the Bridle Path/ decided to see where a cute guy with a neon arm cast was headed on his run (note to self: do not follow people, it's creepy and you might end up on the Bridle Path), which was a terrible mistake. I don't know if it still reminds me too much of the uneven towpath that was a new terrain on my first marathon, but it was very much UNFUN and I will not be returning to it soon.

One nice thing I can say for the Bridle Path?

Hello, Upper West Side

Looks shady and cool...is not.

It does offer some pretty views when the reservoir path is too packed with people, as it often is on a Sunday morning...

Here's how my route ended up looking:

One big loop and one smaller loop

And my splits:

Mile 1 - 9:52
Mile 2 - 9:16
Mile 3 - 9:15
Mile 4 - 9:38 (Harlem Hill)
Mile 5 - 9:19
Mile 6 - 9:19
Mile 7 - 9:32 (oh hey there Bridle Path, thanks for messing with my head)
Mile 8 - 9:23
Mile 9 - 9:31
Mile 10 - 9:09 (probably a downhill somewhere...)
Mile 11 - 9:25
Mile 12 - 9:56 (consistently repeating to myself, "You can go as slowly as you want to, just finish it up!")

Total time:

Not TOO shabby...

For an average pace of 9:28. Could've been worse, but UGH this was a very tough run!

Despite how difficult this run was and how many times I thought about stopping and finishing up on the treadmill (I decided EH! What's the difference...I'm already out here so I might as well keep going!), seeing this did make me laugh a bit though:

Yes, that would be two men "cross-country rollerblading".
Yes, their poles are neon orange. Yes, I was very impressed.

I touched on this a couple of posts ago, but lately I've been running without music quite a bit...no This American Life podcasts, no Girl Talk, no Taylor Swift (I do watch Morning Joe when I run on the treadmill though...some things just can't be done to silence, and treadmill running is one of them for me). Part of it is that I get super annoyed at my iPhone jiggling around in my SpiBelt, but part of it is that I want to listen to my body and want to not NEED music just to get through a tough run. It's been a challenge for me (and it's also making me very out of touch with what the kids are listening to these days...note to self: check out the iTunes top songs just in case you decide to run to music again soon), but I've mostly enjoyed it.

But I wonder, if I'd just stuck in those headphones and cranked a little TSwift, Britney or Kesha (or hey, why not all three?), would I have been able to push a little harder, gone a little faster, finished the run on a higher note? Maybe, but maybe not. At the same time, I think it's important to train without music -- your iPod could die during the race, your race might ban headphones (the NYC Marathon "strongly discourages"using them), or you might be crazy like me and want to see just how tough you are and whether you can handle the run without having to rely on music. I think I can...

Note to self: You're one tough cookie. If you can train these nine weeks injury-free (KNOCK ON WOOD!) in these tough weather conditions and mentally tough runs, you are probably gonna rock the 26.2 November 6. Which is two months away. Which means your birthday is one month away. Which means you deserve a cupcake, for all the hard work you've put in:

Pumpkin spice cupcake from Sugar Sweet Sunshine.
Perfection.

Here's to another nine amazing weeks...

NYCM Training: Week eight update!

2011-09-02T20:11:00.001-04:00

I'm WAY behind on posting... Hurricane Irene really put me off my game! But I got in all my runs and had an excellent eighth week of training:

Monday: 45 mins intermediate PocketYoga
Tuesday: 4 mile run, TBC
Wednesday: 7 mile speed work
Thursday: 4 mile run
Friday: 15 mile run
Saturday: rest
Sunday: 7 mile run

Total mileage: 37! Whoa!

Tuesday was a nice, easy run on the treadmill followed by Total Body Conditioning class, which was tough as always. Wednesday I hit snooze a few too many times and woke up an hour after my 5:25am alarm, but I still managed to get a great speed workout in, running around the reservoir in the park a few times and killing my time goals for the speed portions. Thursday was an easy 4-miler along the East River, Friday was a 15 mile run before boarding a bus to DC for the weekend (it seems I have a thing for running long distances prior to boarding some type of transportation), and Sunday's 7 mile run was done on the treadmill at my parents' house as soon as the power came back on, with True Blood on in the background (perfect distraction!).

I didn't really map out the 15 mi run beforehand, but it ended up working out pretty well. I was a little off of my game though... My stomach felt off at the beginning and I was going really pretty slowly, especially for the first half. It wasn't the best run by any means, but I am SO glad that I got through it! Plus, it was a pretty morning:

New World Trade Center building

Empire State Building off in the distance

Splits:

Mile 1 - 10:30
Mile 2 - 9:46
Mile 3 - 10:25
Mile 4 - 9:16
Mile 5 - 9:33
Mile 6 - 10:09
Mile 7 - 9:35
Mile 8 - 9:11 --> took a Gu somewhere in here
Mile 9 - 9:14
Mile 10 - 9:17
Mile 11 - 9:13
Mile 12 - 9:12
Mile 13 - 9:18
Mile 14 - 9:43 (evil 72nd St. stairs!)
Mile 15 - 9:17

Total time: 2:23:46, average pace of 9:35. Hello, inconsistent splits in the first half!

Map:

So yeah, definitely not the worst run in the world, but I stopped at pretty much every single water fountain and felt a litttttle dizzy at times, but I listened to my body and if I felt like I shouldn't continue, I definitely wouldn't have done so. I brought my Metrocard with me too, in case I decided to cut it off at 12 or 13 miles and finish it up later at home in DC, but luckily I didn't have to do that. I also ran into a guy who was in my Total Body Conditioning class when I lived near Union Square, and saw Theodora and Gia on their long training run, too! I'd seen on the NYCM Facebook page that they were doing their long runs on Friday, so it was fun to run into them for a hot second. On the bus, I rocked my hot pink compression socks, took a nap, ate a Clif bar and a yogurt (gotta get that protein in post-long run!), and thanked goodness that even though I was running late, I made time to shower before boarding the bus. I'm sure my seatmate was equally grateful for that.

So yeah. Week eight was a good one. Now week nine is pretty much done, which means I'm almost halfway through this marathon training thing. CRAZY. In week 10, I run 41 miles. FORTY-ONE MILES. The last time I trained for a marathon, the highest weekly mileage I had was 36, which I surpassed this week. This time around, I'll get up to 44. Kind of crazy. Kind of exciting. I kind of can't wait for the New York City Marathon! NINE WEEKS!

Other things I'm excited for: fall weather, my friend's wedding in September, another friend's wedding in October, my birthday Oct. 6, the Staten Island Half-Marathon Oct. 9, baking with pumpkin, oatmeal for breakfast, fall in general...can you tell I love fall?

Here's to a great second half of marathon training!

NYCM Training: Lucky week 7

2011-08-22T23:08:00.003-04:00

Seventh week done! It was a great week, too. Work was crazy, but I still got all my runs in. I did miss cross training on Monday though...ah well, can't do it all!

Workouts:

Monday: rest
Tuesday: 4 mile run
Wednesday: 7 mile tempo run (8:33 pace!)
Thursday: 4 mile run
Friday: rest
Saturday: 14 mile run (9:14 pace)
Sunday: 7 mile run

Total mileage: 36

I realized that I missed weeks 7 and 8 of training when I trained for the May 1 marathon, so I'm pretty excited that I'll get those weeks in during this round of training. I hope it'll help me out in going sub-4!

This week was pretty similar to last week, but I had an awesomely speedy tempo run on Wednesday which was a huge confidence boost. This view from the reservoir helped speed me up, too:

Pre-sunrise

15 minutes later...

...and another 15 minutes later

It was SO pretty! And all of these pictures are slightly crooked!

I switched my Saturday and Sunday runs since I had a big night of birthdays Saturday night and didn't want to have the long run hanging over me on Sunday. Plus it was the last Summer Streets weekend, and I wanted to take full advantage of it!

Voila, le map:

et les splits:

Mile 1 - 9:07
Mile 2 - 9:57
Mile 3 - 8:54
Mile 4 - 8:58
Mile 5 - 9:09
Mile 6 - 8:50
Mile 7 - 9:00
Mile 8 - 9:13 --> Powerade gel around 8.5
Mile 9 - 9:12
Mile 10 - 9:19
Mile 11 - 9:22
Mile 12 - 9:16
Mile 13 - 9:54 (EVIL 72nd Street staircase!)
Mile 14 - 9:02

Total time: 2:09:25, for an average pace of 9:14! Pretty good!

This run was definitely tough. It was hot out, but I just kept repeating "Go as slow as you want, but just finish the run", which kept me going. I'm so glad I got it done!

Sunday was a 7 miler that was meant to be at goal race pace, but it was slightly slower than that. It was raining, and for the life of me I couldn't get me legs to move any faster. I now totally see why the 7 mile run is on Saturday and the long run is on Sunday.

I've been running without music lately, including on Saturday's 14 mile run. Wednesday's speedy run was done to the tune of last week's This American Life podcast (which was about working at an amusement park and was awesome), but other than that I haven't really been listening to music on my runs. I think it depends on my mood most of the time -- sometimes I just want to zone out for a 3-mile run, and sometimes for a crazy long run I just want to take in what's going on around me. I've heard people say for longer runs it's important to run without music so you can listen to your body and your breathing (which I actually paid a lot of attention to -- three steps breathing in, three steps breathing out. It's a good little rhythm!). I think it's a good thing, but there's definitely something to be said about getting pumped up listening to a song!

Before the marathon, I was chatting with a few people and we were discussing what makes you a "real runner", and one of the things that one of the girls mentioned was running without music (which she said she never does). I can't remember the other things, but she was shocked that I'd done long runs (including 19 and 20 mile runs) without music. There's SO much to look at on the runs, and you get to think about crazy things during runs that you wouldn't usually think about if you were listening to music...for example, my friend Shawna thinks about the possible zombie apocalypse and how, since she's a running, she'd be able to outrun all of the zombies that might chase her during said apocalypse. It's true, your mind goes to some weird places during runs, but it can be so refreshing to see where your mind wanders. Sometimes I definitely sing songs in my head though...and might utter "Two more miles, you can do it!" under my breath when I'm losing motivation and want to stop. While I don't think it's what makes you a "real runner", I think running without music is a good skill to have -- that and running along from time to time. (I actually do nearly all of my runs on my own, which I'm SO glad I did last time I trained for a marathon since I was totally alone for most of the race!)

So...what do you think makes someone a "real runner"?

NYCM Training: Six weeks down!

2011-08-19T00:12:00.003-04:00

Late in the week post...work has gotten crazy busy, but I've still gotten in all my runs! Last week was a pull-back week, but the runs were tough.

Here's how week 6 shaped up:

Monday: Cardio mash-up including 35 mins elliptical, 5 mins weird stair thing, 5 mins incline walking, 15 mins StairMaster
Tuesday: 3 mile run, Total Body Conditioning
Wednesday: 5 mile run
Thursday: 3 mile run, CNW workout
Friday: rest
Saturday: 6 mile run down Summer Streets
Sunday: 9 mile run (9:17 pace) in the rain

Total mileage: 26

Most of the runs were uneventful, but Thursday's early morning run involved a beautiful sunrise...

The always lovely East River

...and a run by Mayor Bloomberg's house:

Gracie Mansion

I actually only recently learned that this is where the mayor lives. I knew it was on the Upper East Side, but I just didn't realize that I ran by it every time I run on the East River!

On Saturday I was tired, so I slept in and didn't get out to run on Summer Streets till 11am, when it was already crazy hot and the streets were FILLED with people. It was definitely fun, but the cyclists were kind of aggressive. I feared for my life a few times and was pretty close to yelling at someone for biking in the running/walking lane.

Park Avenue - closed down!

I ran all the way down to the Brooklyn Bridge and thought about running across, but there were just too many people. It was still so cool to run in the streets rather than the usual Central Park or West Side Highway.

Headed downtown

I was trying to figure out why I'd never done this before, and I realized I didn't do this last year because I was injured, and the year before I thought I didn't like to run outside (I was still pretty new to running...how wrong I was!). I plan on heading out there this weekend -- I've got 14 miles on the docket!

Sunday it was raining, but I read someone's tweet (I think it was Kelly) that said "A run in the rain beats a run on the treadmill any day!" It was just what I needed to hear to get me running. I decided to run in Central Park since I knew there'd be plenty of crazies like me out there who would be running in the rain and they'd provide excellent company. The first mile was kind of uncomfortable, but once I was fully soaked I just went with it and felt good. (Better than a humid sweaty run like last week!)

Map:

and splits:

Mile 1 - 9:27
Mile 2 - 9:09
Mile 3 - 9:27
Mile 4 - 9:20
Mile 5 - 9:26 (took a Gu somewhere in here)
Mile 6 - 9:16
Mile 7 - 9:17
Mile 8 - 9:11
Mile 9 - 8:56

Total time: 1:23:35, average pace 9:17

I definitely thought about cutting the run short, but I figured, "What's another 9 minutes?" Plus I was already completely soaked, so a little more rain wouldn't hurt.

So glad I finished the run!

Goober.

I look so silly in my hat but I swear that people totally wished they'd worn a hat in the pouring rain. It really helped!

Once again...soaked.

It was a great little running week!

NYCM Training: A Sweaty Week 5

2011-08-09T11:59:00.001-04:00

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 :)

NYCM Training: Speedy Week 4

2011-08-04T22:05:00.003-04:00

I'm sensing a pattern here...

As in previous weeks, training went very well in week 4. I stuck to the training (flip-flopping Thursday and Friday), ran quickly (very quickly for me, actually! Those pullback weeks do wonders!), ran outside, inside, upside down (OK, maybe not), and really enjoyed the week overall.

Here's what week 4 looked like in terms of training:

Monday: 35 minutes elliptical, 18 minutes StairMaster

Tuesday: 3 mile run, Total Body Conditioning

Wednesday: 6 mile tempo run

Thursday: rest

Friday: 3 mile run

Saturday: 6 miles at race pace

Sunday: 11 mile run (8:53 average pace)

Total mileage: 29

Per usual, the treadmill runs (Tuesday, Friday and Saturday) were pretty uneventful, and also per usual, Sarina kicked my butt in Total Body Conditioning on Tuesday. I have to say though, I totally love the double workouts. It's a great way to get my strength training in, but I know I should probably do it twice a week...same with yoga! I really want to incorporate more yoga into my training. Sure, I do downward dog after every run, but I don't think that's quite the same as a good hourlong session.

ANYWAY, I have to say, Wednesday's tempo run was ahhh-mazing. Three weeks earlier when I had another tempo run around the reservoir, I remember struuuuggling to hold an 8:52 pace for the middle three miles of a five mile run, and this six-mile tempo run was just glorious. I thought about doing it on the treadmill, but apparently the crazy side of my brain was working when I woke up, and I couldn't get my mind off of running Central Park's hills. I ran the half-mile to the park from my apartment, did the lower five-mile loop, and ran back for six miles in just under 52 minutes! The middle four mile averages were 8:39, 8:35, 8:17 and 8:19...sooo unlike me, but I will totally take it! I was feelin' good, so sadly there are no photos except for this exquisite one that I took as I waited to cross 5th Ave.:

It's beautiful, I know

Sunday's 11-miler was really good, too, despite the fact that I was up till 2am on my friend's rooftop. Luckily I was not hungover for this run. I did the whole thing in the park because it was shaded and not incredibly hot. I considered the West Side Highway, but I just did not feel like having the sun beat down on me for almost two hours. Plus there were some badass triathletes out in Central Park, kicking ass and taking names, and watching them swim/bike/run totally motivated me to keep at it. I saw one woman running in a one-piece swimsuit (which looked incredibly uncomfortable), and while this dude was not participating in the triathlon, I did see a truly amazing and talented runner JUGGLING THREE BALLS WHILE RUNNING. I mean...COME ON. Who does that?! Almost as random as the time a bird flew into my head...except he has a talent. I just have a head that looks like a lovely nest to a bird.

So here's Sunday's map:

I started out going clockwise, and for whatever reason started to feel "uneven" at some point, so I turned around before I'd completed a full loop to even out. I think it helped.

And the splits:

Mile 1 - 9:18
Mile 2 - 8:50
Mile 3 - 9:04
Mile 4 - 8:51
Mile 5 - 8:56
Mile 6 - 9:05
Mile 7 - 8:54
Mile 8 - 9:05
Mile 9 - 8:45
Mile 10 - 8:54
Mile 11 - 7:54

Total time: 1:37:44, for an average pace of 8:53.

It was speedy, and I definitely took a Gu at mile 7.5 when I started to feel like I was falling off a bit. It definitely helped and I had a great run overall!

One thing I'm struggling with is the long run pace...I mean, I know that you're supposed to run much slower (a minute slower than your goal pace or something), that it helps to build up endurance and makes you get used to being on your feet for long periods of time. Sometimes I do try to slow down, but my legs just say "nope, sorry," so I go with it. I feel good and I've been enjoying it, but I'm wondering if I'm somehow hurting myself by not running more slowly? Does that even make sense? I've run a marathon so I know how it feels to be on my feet and move my legs and arms for more than four hours, so I don't really need to practice that. If anything I might want to practice running longer distances at a faster pace since I'm trying to get faster, right? I don't know... If anyone has any input on this, please let me know!

After a successful long-run sweat session (sans photos once again, I know you're disappointed!) I picked up a Zico coconut water, foam rolled my leggies, and treated myself to a day at the beach with my fellow runner friend Shawna (actually the first person who I went on a run with many years ago in college when I first considered getting in shape...I eventually abandoned that effort), who also accompanied me for a few miles on my marathon!

We hit up Coney Island:

It was a lonnng trip from Harlem to
Coney Island, but SO worth it!

where I immediately craved (and got) a giant veggie sub from Subway, sat near some amazingly leathered up juiceheads,

This photo does not capture the true leathery or
muscular nature of these people

took a dip (yes, in the water at Coney Island...it's perfectly safe!), napped,

Lovely runner's feet!

and enjoyed some delicious Italian ice from Uncle Louie G's. It was so so so so SO so good. I love that place.

My week 5 update will be up before you know it!

NYCM Training: A Nice, Easy Week 3

2011-07-26T20:37:00.001-04:00

Kind of funny how 22 miles this week is considered "easy", but hey, I'll go with it!

Three weeks down, 15 to go! Last week was what I like to call a pullback week, with lower mileage and no tempo/speed runs. Here's what last week looked like:

Monday: 1 hour elliptical
Tuesday: 3 mile run, Total Body Conditioning
Wednesday: 5 mile run
Thursday: 3 mile run
Friday: rest/ walking all over Manhattan with my friend who was visiting/ melting in the 100 degree heat/ drinking lots of iced coffee (fine, and beer)
Saturday: 5 mile race pace run (9:06)
Sunday: 6 mile run

Total mileage: 22 miles

I was talking to my dad about my workouts and he reminded me that my first race that I actually "trained" for was a 5k. Now I do two 3-mile runs a week (soon those will be 4 milers!), plus three longer runs. Crazy how far I've come! But it goes to show, if I can do it, ANYONE can do it. Seriously. Just check out my story.

Anyway, I only made it outdoors for two runs this week, but the heat was terrible so I figured the treadmill at the air conditioned gym was a safer place to be than outdoors!

I did get up early to get my Wednesday morning run done outdoors where I was greeted with this lovely sunrise:

Hello, pretty East River!

One of my training goals is to run all of my long runs outside though, so I ran outside for 5.4 of the 6 miles before I finished up on the treadmill and attacked my legs with the foam roller.

Sadly, I got no yoga in this week. It's built into the schedule I put together, but sometimes I'm just exhausted and want nothing more than to pass out as soon as I get home and eat dinner. So, in addition to running my long runs outside, another goal is to work yoga into my week, even if it's just for 15 minutes.

This week's long run took me to the East River, where I not only got a great breeze, but I also ran by a jet ski party on the water!

It's a little hard to see, but there were a bunch
of jet skis partying around this boat!

After a few days of oppressive heat and humidity, it was warm but breezy on Sunday and I was glad I ran outside.

Here's the map:

And my splits:

Mile 1 - 10:08
Mile 2 - 9:06
Mile 3 - 9:10
Mile 4 - 8:59
Mile 5 - 8:49
Mile 6 - 0.4 mi at 8:54 pace outside, 0.6 mi at 9:10 pace on the treadmill

Total time: 55:19, for an average pace of 9:13. Just fine considering the heat!

I've decided I need to be less of a wuss and do more runs in Central Park. Hills don't scare me! And those bridges in the NYC marathon will totally kick my butt if I don't practice running hills. I'll get stronger and faster, too! Win-win.

No sweaty picture this week. You're welcome.

NYCM Training: Week 2 Recap

2011-07-17T18:34:00.004-04:00

Week two of marathon training is done! Woo hoo! It went really well and I can't say I've really had a bad day yet. Those are sure to come eventually but for now it's great to feel fast and have my legs feel great.

Here's what my week looked like:

Monday: 1 hour Core Fusion Bootcamp
Tuesday: 3 mile run (out in the hot, humid weather)
Wednesday: 5 mile speed run (1 mile warm up, then alternated between 6.5 mph and 7.2 mph till I hit 5 mi)
Thursday: 3 mile run, 1 hour Core Fusion Open
Friday: rest
Saturday: 5 mile run
Sunday: 9 mile run (9:08), followed by a 3-hour nap (I told you I'm fun this summer!)

Total mileage: 25

My Exhale Spa pass is up but I took advantage of all the classes and really loved Core Fusion Cardio...I'm thinking I'll need to buy that DVD.

Today I set out on a 9-mile run at 8am. I had set my alarm for 6:30am last night, but since I didn't get to bed till around midnight after a fantastic evening on my friend's rooftop, I decided I'd sleep in an extra hour. It was definitely an excellent call.

I set out unsure of where I'd go...the reservoir? Bridle path? Big loop and a half of Central Park? I brought my Metrocard and ultimately decided to run across the park and over to the West Side Highway, running as far as I needed to before taking the subway home. Once I went down the treacherous steps, I headed north for about a mile before turning around and heading south and into the wind. Running north I was DYING, with the wind behind me it was just super hot. Once I turned around it was windy, but at least I had a breeze! I went music-free, though I did bring my iPhone and headphones with me in case I changed my mind. My SpiBelt has never been a problem, but today was driving me absolutely nuts, bouncing all over the place...I think it's time for a smaller iPod. But then how would I take pictures?!

This picture doesn't really show it, and I took it after I finished my run, but the West Side Highway was full of people out running. Apparently Heidi Klum has been hitting up the West Side Highway quite a bit recently too, so you know it's the cool thing to do.

West Side Highway. I promise there were lots of people out!

Here's the map:

And my splits:

Mile 1 - 10:11 (Garmin was a little wonky, I don't think I was that slow!)
Mile 2 - 9:13
Mile 3 - 8:58
Mile 4 - 9:10
Mile 5 - 9:05
Mile 6 - 8:59
Mile 7 - 9:00
Mile 8 - 8:55
Mile 9 - 8:40

Total time was 1:22:14, average pace was 9:08, which I was totally happy with.

Squinty and sweaty

Afterward, I walked up to W. 11th St. and decided I needed something to drink. Clearly, I lost a lot of water with all that cute sweat, so rehydrating was a priority. I stopped at a Duane Reade, and while I usually go for a Vitamin Water Zero, today I decided to try this out:

Coconut water!

I was a little wary of the taste at first, but it grew on me very quickly. The benefits are pretty outstanding too!

All natural
More electrolytes than leading sports drinks
More potassium than two bananas -- potassium keeps your body properly hydrated and prevents cramping (I actually had a blood test a year or so ago that said my potassium levels were low, so this is great to know!)

I thought the electrolytes note was especially interesting -- I'd heard that coconut water was great for hydration, but I didn't know HOW good it was!

Great second week...ready for week three, which will be a lower mileage week. It's the perfect week for it because this week I have the wonderful Jennifer visiting me from Zurich and I'd like to spend as much time with her as possible!

NYCM Training: Week 1 Recap

2011-07-10T19:36:00.002-04:00

Here we go again! Marathon training is about to take over my life (oh wait, it kind of already has...) so get ready for Party Margaret all summer long (that is, only if you define "party" as staying in and taking multiple naps per day)! I'm actually really excited about it, and hope hope HOPE (crossing fingers, knocking on wood, etc.) that I can stay injury-free the whole time. I will be stretching a lot, incorporating more yoga (at least once a week!), cross training, and resting on rest days. If this first week was any indicator, it's gonna be a good 18 weeks!

I've started updating my training log for this week, and I'm also inputting workouts to Daily Mile if you want to keep up!

I had some excellent runs and took part in some awesome classes at Exhale Spa as part of a two-week pass I bought through Gilt back in September. Normally I wouldn't double up on workouts nearly as much as I did this past week, but I'm definitely enjoying trying something new and mixing it up. Here's how my week looked:

Monday: 1 hour elliptical, 1 hour Exhale Vinyasa Flow yoga
Tuesday: 3 mile run, Total Body Conditioning, Core Fusion Open
Wednesday: 5 mile run (1 mi warm up, 3 mi tempo ~8:52, 1 mi cool down)
Thursday: 3 mi run, Core Fusion Open
Friday: rest
Saturday: 5 mile run (9:07 average), Core Fusion Cardio
Sunday: 8 mile run (9:11 average), Core Fusion Yoga

My favorite class has definitely been Core Fusion Cardio! It reminded me a lot of the total body conditioning class I take Tuesday mornings, but with more mountain climbers. Fun, challenging, and definitely sweat-inducing. I loved it.

This is the first week I've run five times instead of four in...I don't even know how long. I'm testing it out to see how I do on Hal Higdon's Intermediate 1 plan, but week 1 seemed to go well so I'll try it out again week 2.

Today's long run was really great! I was super awesome and stayed in last night (don't worry, I was social for a full two hours on Friday night!) so I could get up at 6:30 and get running at 7am before the heat set in. The park was full of people who probably had the same idea, and my playlist helped the run fly by (many thanks to T Swift and Miley...by the way, I totally need some new music!!!). I ran clockwise and found it to be very conducive to people-watching. It also helped me not get passed by a ton of people, since everyone seems to run counterclockwise. I ran the big loop once and OWNED Harlem Hill (OK, it might have owned me just for a little bit) and then kept going till I got to 8 miles. I was definitely a sweaty mess by the end, and my splits were kind of all over the place, but I had a great time and am already looking forward to future long runs (especially when it's no longer 80 degrees!).

The map:

And the splits:

Mile 1 - 9:42
Mile 2 - 9:19
Mile 3 - 9:23 (oh hey there Harlem Hill!)
Mile 4 - 9:11
Mile 5 - 8:59
Mile 6 - 9:14
Mile 7 - 8:54
Mile 8 - 8:42

Total - 1:13:29

Believe it or not, this photo was not retouched. I really am that sweaty.

I am totally thrilled with this run and if anything, I might have to reteach myself to slow it down a bit in these long runs. It's all about building up endurance!

A few lessons...

2011-05-17T22:25:00.000-04:00

In successfully training for the Potomac River Run, I learned a lot from my previous mistakes and I think I turned into a better runner because of it. This is just what worked for me!

First up: Make sure you're wearing the right shoes.

For me, it was the Brooks Ravenna with green Superfeet orthotic inserts. This goes beyond going to a reputable running store and having them watch you run and tell you what kind of shoe to buy. I did this and was told I didn't overpronate, so I needed neutral running shoes. I bought them, but sometime always seemed a bit off...I felt like my arch wasn't getting enough support, and I'm pretty certain this is at least part of what led to my tibial stress reaction. If something feels off, it probably is, so return the shoes if you think you need something different. Most stores will do whatever they need to to make sure you leave happy and confident that you're wearing the right shoe.

Next, your training plan should increase your mileage 10% per week, with one "pull back" week where you do less mileage. I followed (and LOVED) Hal Higdon's Novice 2 marathon training plan for this marathon.

I really enjoyed this plan and would highly recommend it. In the past I followed the Smart Coach plan on Runner's World, but since I got injured while I was following it back when I was training for the Chicago Marathon, it felt a bit tainted to me this time around. Someone recommended Hal Higdon's plan to me and I have to say, I thought it was perfect. I just made sure to alternate mid-week runs between tempo runs and speed runs (à la Smart Coach). The plan is free, it's easy to follow, and it's from a world-renown running coach. What more can you want?

Well, I'm the type of person who wants a little bit more -- I like to have splits to focus on and having a speed goal in mind helps me. That's where the McMillan Training Calculator came in handy for me -- you input a recent race time (or goal race time) and it spits out the pace you should run for your speed workouts, recovery workouts, long runs, and more.

It's almost too much information, but I loved having it available to me. Runner's World's Smart Coach also has this feature (there's a free iPhone app for it too), but I feel like the McMillan one is more tailored to your time and has many more options.

I did my best to follow the plan, but I had a 17-day vacation about a month into training where I missed two full weeks of training. This was all part of my go-with-the-flow attitude, and I didn't freak out about missing a run here or there throughout the training. (I did, however, run all of the long runs, except for the ones that were on the training schedule while I was in Asia!)

Those were the main training-related things that I did, and guess what? I didn't get injured! I think something else that helped me was taking daily vitamins and calcium and vitamin D supplements. I can't say it helped my running, but it probably helped my bones stay strong and free of stress fractures. I also gave up meat for much of my training (and am still doing my best to remain a vegetarian), but I will probably write a separate post on my nutrition needs during training another time.

Right now, I'm following Hal Higdon's recovery plan and so far, it's been great. I'm running about four days a week, including a long run of 6+ miles over the weekends, and my legs feel great. In fact, I feel faster than ever! The first two days after the marathon were absolute hell (living on a fourth-floor walk-up was NOT easy when the time came to leave the apartment...ouch), but I feel like I've bounced back and am ready for more.

After this recovery plan, I plan on coming up with a workout routine that includes more yoga, more strength training, and some other fun cardio, like spinning and other classes (like cardio jam, which I'm attending tomorrow with my friend Katie!).

Another summer goal? To feel confident enough to run in just a sports bra. I think I can do it...

I DID IT!!!

2011-05-03T00:09:00.005-04:00

I ran a marathon on Sunday...and it was awesome. Official time: 4:13:12, which I could not be happier with!

I set a few goals for this race, including not dying, getting under 4:20 if possible, and if not possible, under 4:30. It's safe to say I am still alive AND I crushed my time goal! Basically, I'm on cloud nine and nothing can bring me down :)

The morning started at 4am when my alarm went off. I took a 5am cab, which was organized by the race director, with three others from Arlington to Carderock Park, MD, and arrived at the race site about two hours before the start. This race had two starts, a 6:15 and a 7:15, and since 7:15 was the default start time, I stuck with that instead of switching to an earlier start. I mostly hung out, checked Twitter and messed around on Facebook while trying not to freeze before the race started. Though I was wearing sweats, it was still a bit chilly! When 7:00 rolled around, I headed to the start line with everyone else.

The race was small, only 199 people ran the marathon and 59 ran the half-marathon, so the start wasn't too bad. It was, however, a little bit old school -- there's no chip for this race; instead when the gun goes off exactly one hour after the early start, that's your start time, and when you pass through the finish, you tear off the bottom part of your bib and hand it to someone and hope they get your time right. Not high tech at all, but it's still a Boston Qualifier!

When I started out, I had a goal time of 4:19 in mind, which meant holding a 9:54 average pace for 26.2 miles. I started out slow:

Mile 1 - 9:52
Mile 2 - 9:35 (when I saw my parents and got a liiiittle excited!)
Mile 3 - 9:42
Mile 4 - 9:52
Mile 5 - 9:44
Mile 6 - 9:42 (gel #1, Gu vanilla; turnaround at mile 6.5)
Mile 7 - 9:42
Mile 8 - 9:46

Hi parents!!!

Pretty consistent and pretty reasonable. Definitely faster than my goal pace, but when you're feeling good, you just want to go with it! Every so often I'd remind myself that I had 26.2 miles to run, to reel it in and slow it down. I did not want to go out too fast in the first half and finishing strong was a main objective for me. And then two of my friends from college showed up, somewhere around mile 10:

Mile 9 - 9:37
Mile 10 - 9:39
Mile 11 - 9:36
Mile 12 - 9:43
Mile 13 - 9:38 (gel #2, strawberry banana Powerade gel; turnaround at mile 13)

This was when my friends Shawna and Anne joined me. I wish there was a picture of when I spotted them, because I was beyond ecstatic! I knew they were coming, but I had no idea they would be running with me! They ran toward me, and I thought I recognized them but wasn't sure...as soon as I knew it was them, I literally skipped and the smile I'd been running with the whole time got even bigger.

My running entourage, Shawna and Anne!

We laughed and chatted and it really helped elevate my mood and my adrenaline. I was feeling good and was so happy to share this experience with two friends!

The next few miles were QUICK:

Mile 14 - 9:24
Mile 15 - 9:20
Mile 16 - 9:19
Mile 17 - 9:27

There's something about reaching that "less than 10 miles to go" feeling that can't be beat. Getting to the single digits was a huge motivator for me and got me psyched for the last 90 minutes of the race. But I started to slow down a bit. I can't remember exactly why...it might have been me trying to reel myself in and keep a strong pace to the end, but it also might have been that my hips were feeling incredibly tight.

Mile 18 - 9:38 (gel #3, strawberry banana Powerade gel)
Mile 19 - 9:39 (turnaround at mile 19.5 aka 6.7 miles to go!)
Mile 20 - 9:36

Oh, mile 20...you will hold a special place in my heart forever. The farthest I ran before this marathon was 20 miles, and at mile 20.1 a song that had played on my iPod two years ago during my first race, a 5k, came on, and I nearly cried. Yes, I was THAT RUNNER, with tears welling up and feeling overcome with emotion. (The song, by the way, was "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield. Not gonna lie, it really motivated me during that first 5k, and it had a similar effect for me on Sunday!) At mile 20, there's only 10k to go, 6.2 miles, and I was on my last lap and heading to the finish line. No more turnarounds! And trust me, at the last turnaround, I yelled out, "LAST LAP!!!" I couldn't have been more excited.

Mile 21 - 9:30
Mile 22 - 9:31 (gel #4, double latte Gu)
Mile 23 - 9:43
Mile 24 - 9:39
Mile 25 - 9:46
Mile 26 - 9:35
0.3 (according to my Garmin) nubbin - 2:35

And you can believe that I ran my heart out to that finish line.

Running to the finish!

Almost there!!! This is the look of exhausted elation.

This is called, "HOLY SH*T I JUST RAN A MARATHON AND MY LEGS MIGHT FALL OFF"

Soon followed by "I'm the happiest girl in the world!"

Seriously. SO happy.

Also, confused. Did I REALLY just run my first marathon in 4:13:12?!?!?

Yes. Yes, I did.

And then I took an ice bath.

Even more amazing than the ice bath? The meal I had afterward - French toast, eggs, salad, potatoes...and a beer, of course! All soon followed by ice cream and a chocolate chip cookie for good measure.

So, I obliterated my goal. I can't tell you what an amazing feeling that is. But it was probably the toughest 4 hours and 13 minutes of my life, both mentally and physically. The race was very small, so there were few spectators to cheer on the runners. In fact, I found that I was probably the biggest cheerleader on the course (aside from Shawna and Anne who cheered on passing runners as we ran), clapping for people and "woo!"-ing a lot (and I mean A LOT). I ran by quite a few people who were walking, who seemed like they'd given up or were too tired or over it to go on. It was tempting to join them, but I had a goal to accomplish, and finishing the marathon in under 4:30 was one of them. It made me incredibly grateful that I'd trained by myself and knew how to run those long miles alone.

I'm so thankful for the running mantras I've picked up that motivated me. I can't say I ever really used them during my long runs, but in this race, I used them quite often. "Pain is weakness leaving the body" and "your limits might not be where you think that they are" were repeated many, many times. There were tough miles that made my muscles ache and made me want to pull over for a quick stretch or just walk for a bit, but I decided against that (perhaps I should have stretched, who knows?) and just kept trucking.

My legs are pretty mad at me today and are making simple things like walking down the stairs of my fourth-floor elevator-less apartment building an impossible task, but I am so psyched to be able to call myself a marathoner now that I don't even care. As a new-to-me exercise mantra says, "It never gets easier. You just get better", which to me says that there's always going to be pain, and that's just because I'm getting faster and stronger. My limits are being pushed and I'm feeling that.

And I'm not gonna lie...I'm kind of loving it.

Full stats here:

Nearly there...

2011-04-21T15:03:00.001-04:00

I've been super MIA lately, I know. I've had a bunch of great runs lately, but this morning's run on the East River was especially beautiful:

This view makes it all so worth it. Let's hope the Potomac will look just as beautiful when I run the marathon in 10 days!

And I'll try to post my 12, 20, and 12 mile long runs soon!

Pre-flight workout

2011-03-29T21:24:00.001-04:00

I went on a trip this past weekend out to Missouri for my friend's bachelorette party, and I knew that I'd have to get my 19-mile run in before I left (particularly because I knew we'd be visiting some wineries and running wouldn't exactly be a priority!). I've loosened up about missing runs since I first started training for races (and I actually missed a 5-mile run last week), but it's really not very smart to miss long runs like those (of course, I missed two full weeks of training while I was overseas, so...). This close to the race, I just didn't want to miss an important long run.

I thought about splitting the run on Thursday (8 miles in the morning, 11 at night, or something...), or running it on Sunday in St. Louis (where I'd be spending about six hours with my friend after another friend's bachelorette party), but neither of those sounded like too much fun. Finally, I decided to run it before my noon flight on Friday. I knew it'd be tough and I'd have to get up at the crack of dawn, but I knew it'd be worth it to do it and get it over with.

Turns out I was right! I left just after 6am, and since the sun hadn't risen yet and I wasn't 100% sure of where I was going, I decided to start my run sans iPod.

View uptown from the East River

Hey hey Lady Liberty! It was windy...check out those choppy waters!

It was so quiet along the river, and there were so few people out. Even the West Side Highway, which is usually swarming with people on my weekend runs, had just a handful of people out walking their dogs at that hour. The city was serene and quiet (except for that one time at mile 13 when I literally yelled out "ONE MORE HOUR!!! YOU CAN DO IT!"). It was unlike anything I'd seen or experienced before in this crazy town, so I kept running without music...for 15 miles.

And until I reached this:

THE 72ND STREET STAIRS. These are TOUGH. I've fallen at the top, and they're really not fun to tackle after running 15 miles. I knew I needed a little something to pump me up for this, so I switched on a little TSwift, Rihanna and Girl Talk to motivate me through the last four miles.

As you can see, it was a neat little tour of Manhattan:

Maybe I should start to give running tours of NYC?

Splits:

Mile 1: 10:24
Mile 2: 9:31
Mile 3: 9:34
Mile 4: 9:44
Mile 5: 10:01
Mile 6: 9:30
Mile 7: 9:32
Mile 8: 9:41 (Powerade gel)
Mile 9: 9:44
Mile 10: 9:43
Mile 11: 9:32
Mile 12: 9:43
Mile 13: 9:39
Mile 14: 10:08
Mile 15: 9:39 (Gu)
Mile 16: 9:32
Mile 17: 9:48
Mile 18: 9:16
Mile 19: 10:02 (I swear I was running faster than this!)

Total time:

3:04:55, with an average pace of 9:44! Woo hoo!

It was a great run, and one I was proud to finish. I even made my flight on time! (And lucky for me, a girl who was at the bachelorette party is training to be a power yoga instructor and she led me in THE BEST yoga session I'd had in quite some time. It was amazing. I definitely need more yoga in my life.)

Typically I run indoors during the week and run outside for the long runs, but this run made me excited to run more outside, especially once the weather improves! This weekend I have 12 miles, and the following weekend is 20...my farthest distance before the marathon on May 1. I know I can do it!!!

My own half marathon

2011-03-20T20:26:00.003-04:00

Today was the NYC Half Marathon (which I definitely want to do next year!). The course starts in Central Park, goes down 7th Avenue, cuts over to the Hudson at 42nd Street, and ends downtown in Tribeca. Running through Times Square is not something you get to do every day, and in my daily life I avoid it at all costs -- too many tourists, too many people, too much!

I had 13 miles on the schedule for Saturday, but when Saturday rolled around, I just wasn't feeling it so I decided to run it on Sunday. I had a noon brunch date with my friend Eileen, so I knew I had to get this run in early, and the thought of getting up early on a Sunday and running 13 miles before brunch made me oddly excited (yes, I'm a weirdo runner girl. I admit it). So I went with it, opting for 50 minutes and upper body weights on Saturday and a Sunday Runday.

I set out at 8:45 this morning, and got to Central Park when it seemed like most people were on their second lap nubbin of the CP loop (there's one full loop, then 2 miles down to exit the park at 59th and 7th). I somehow successfully crossed the wave of people and headed west, where I thought I'd just run a couple loops of Central Park and head home, but I decided at the last minute to head for the West Side Highway. I ran down the steps (must remember to take a picture of them next time I run!), and headed north. The wind was insane -- I felt like it was holding me back in running but I kept a great pace and just counted down till I could turn around and have the wind at my back. I ran two miles up, close to 116th Street, then headed south. It was so cold running north against the wind, and running south I felt totally overdressed and HOT!

Pretty scene heading south -- yachts, NJ and lower Manhattan

I ran down to 23rd Street, and at 42nd Street I had my second run-in with the NYC Half Marathon! There was some interesting entertainment (Brazilian dancers I think?), bands, and a few runners pushing it to the end.

Go runners!

There were many supporters encouraging the runners still in the race to keep at it, but I also saw quite a few people who'd completed the race running up the West Side Highway after the race...crazy, but totally something I would do if I had to get a long run in!

I ran a half marathon on my own today, opting to go for 13.1 instead of just 13, and I set a PR of sorts (which I won't count as a PR since I had to stop once to tie my shoes and snap a photo!). I ran 13.1 miles in 1:57:47 -- nearly 9 minutes off my last half marathon, which was 2:06:10. I've been itching to run a half since then to try and break 2 hours, and today proved to me that I can do it and one day soon, I will do it.

It also let me know that I am faster than I give myself credit for. Oftentimes I hop on the treadmill at set it to 6.2 mph because I know I'll break a sweat and I'll also feel like I accomplished something. I can't say I've ever run more than a half-mile at 6.7 (a 9-minute mile), but now I know I shouldn't be afraid to. (However, I will say that while some people feel they are faster on the treadmill than they are outside, I think I tend to be a person who's faster running outside than I am inside...what can I say, I love the fresh air!)

Here's my map and splits for today:

Splits:

Mile 1: 9:14
Mile 2: 8:37
Mile 3: 9:33
Mile 4: 9:19
Mile 5: 9:13
Mile 6: 9:02
Mile 7: 8:55
Mile 8: 8:47 (Powerade gel)
Mile 9: 8:51
Mile 10: 8:59
Mile 11: 8:57
Mile 12: 9:03 (evil steps at 72nd St.)
Mile 13: 8:23 (running my guts out)
0.1 nubbin: 0:50

Total time: 1:57:47, wich an average pace of 8:59. The last time I had an average pace of 8:59 for anything over a half mile, I ran a 4 mile race in just under 36 minutes. I have to say, I'm pretty damn proud of myself for pushing my limits and running like hell. It was really a VERY good run!

After the run, I stretched very quickly (need to get on the foam roller again tonight!), showered, and headed to the Upper West Side for a much-needed brunch, free Rita's water ice (free every spring equinox), and free macarons! I wandered around the UWS before walking back across the park and feeling incredibly grateful to be a New Yorker.

So pretty in the park!

I also found myself totally coveting an awesome home just off of 5th Avenue:

The one with the light blue roof...so Parisian!

Sigh. Maybe one day.

18 miles and 16 Handles

2011-03-15T23:34:00.001-04:00

On Saturday, I was meant to run 18 miles. As I'd indicated on Twitter earlier in the week, I had a weird pain from my lower back to my upper hamstring that made it hurt to sit, and I even woke up in the middle of the night a few times throughout the week. It got better as the week went on, and stretching definitely improved it. I always make sure to stretch and foam roll after every run, especially after getting injured last July, so I thought it might be something worse when Saturday rolled around and I still had a twinge of pain. I decided to not take any chances (especially after reading this article about a pain in the butt) and hopped on the elliptical for an hour, making sure to stretch a lot afterward.

Honestly, I'd been dreading this run all week, and even woke up from a dream one morning thinking, "I don't WANT to run 18 miles today..." even though it was only Tuesday. For some reason, I'd woken up feeling PUMPED about running 17 miles, but 18...I don't know, I just couldn't get excited about it, which definitely contributed to my thinking I might be on my way to a debilitating hamstring injury. I must remember to always think positively, but I think I was also feeling some sort of pain, so it was good for me to listen to my body and not push it when it didn't want to be pushed.

Sunday morning rolled around though, and even after a fun night out with friends, I braved Central Park for a shot at 18 miles. For some reason, it seemed I didn't read the weather very well. I thought it sounded like it would be similar to the previous weekend, so I wore an almost identical outfit with just an extra tank top under my T-shirt. I figured if I was chilly I'd warm up soon enough.

Ten miles later the chill hadn't warn off. I was freezing and thought I'd swing by my apartment to grab a long-sleeved shirt before continuing on. But then I had a more brilliant idea -- run to the GYM and finish the run up there! It would be warm and I still had another Gu and water in my CamelBak! So I ran two more miles to get to 12, then finished up the final six on the treadmill.

Splits:

Mile 1: 10:11
Mile 2: 10:22
Mile 3: 9:54
Mile 4: 10:03
Mile 5: 9:53
Mile 6: 9:46
Mile 7: 9:52
Mile 8: 9:51
Mile 9: 9:48
Mile 10: 9:31
Mile 11: 9:42
Mile 12: 9:30

I ran the 12 miles in 1:58:29, for a 9:52 average. I didn't stop to take any pictures in the park, mostly because I was cold and didn't want to stop for anyone or anything (including any birds that might come my way*).

And here's a blurry iPod picture of the treadmill:

Also a 9:52 average! Go figure.

None of this run was pretty, but I got it done and I couldn't be happier about that! I rewarded myself with a manicure and a trip to 16 Handles for some much needed frozen yogurt and bountiful toppings. It really is the perfect reward after a tough run, though really, I could have totally used a full body massage...maybe next week.

This morning I was meant to pump some iron at Total Body Conditioning, or just do a weights workout on my own, but these options did not tempt me. My legs hadn't had a break since Sunday (I ran 5 miles on Monday) and they begged me not to torture them with squats. Instead, I clicked open ExerciseTV and did Bethenny Frankel's yoga. I was skeptical at first because I thought she might be leading the video, and as much as I enjoy her show, I didn't see her as an instructor. Thankfully, there was a totally likable yogi master instructing, and the hour flew by. It was challenging but interesting, and I really enjoyed the video. It helped open up my hips and stretch out my hamstrings, which I really needed. I think I'll be doing it again in the near future!

*I think I identified the type of bird that flew into my head! I had a look when I was running in the park, and I believe it was a starling:

Source

which, naturally, has an interesting factoid connected to Central Park:

"The year was 1890 when an eccentric drug manufacturer named Eugene Schieffelin entered New York City's Central Park and released some 60 European starlings he had imported from England. In 1891 he loosed 40 more. Schieffelin's motives were as romantic as they were ill fated: he hoped to introduce into North America every bird mentioned by Shakespeare." - New York Times article

Who knew?

Done and done

2011-03-06T20:39:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was kind of a big day for me. I ran the farthest I've ever run at one time, and I'm pretty pumped about it. I woke up feeling excited but nervous about what the day held: a 17 mile run. I ran 12 miles last week, and those miles were TOUGH. I knew going into it with a good mental attitude would help power me through those 170 minutes of non-stop running, so I stayed positive. I also did something new with my music, listening to two episodes of NPR's This American Life before switching to some pump-up tunes. The TAL episodes helped the first two hours go by quickly but didn't psych me up/make me run super fast like some songs can do. I felt like my pace was manageable for 17 miles, and in the end, it definitely was!

I decided that instead of doing almost-three loops of Central Park, I would go back to running in one of my favorite spots, the West Side Highway. It was a beautiful day and I set out in a T-shirt and cropped running pants around noon. Everyone else seemed to have the same idea though, and it was pretty crowded out there. I was dodging strollers, dogs, and other runners the whole time, but it was really a great run. I made it almost to the tip of Manhattan before I turned around at 8.25 miles, and added some mileage on the way back by running out on some the piers/parks.

At 14 miles, I was elated -- it was the farthest I'd ever run and I was still going! It was definitely a motivator to keep going. At times, I thought to myself, "You know, it'd be OK if you just ran 15 or 16 miles instead of 17. 17 is FAR." I'd usually counter that with, "Well, it'd only be 10 or 20 minutes more if I just run 17, so why don't I just run 17?" That definitely did the trick!

Here's my map:
Splits:

Mile 1: 10:04
Mile 2: 9:33
Mile 3: 9:50
Mile 4: 9:54
Mile 5: 10:00
Mile 6: 9:49
Mile 7: 9:56
Mile 8: 9:54
Mile 9: 9:56
Mile 10: 9:42
Mile 11: 9:43
Mile 12: 9:37
Mile 13: 9:22
Mile 14: 9:43
Mile 15: 9:45
Mile 16: 10:11 <-- running/falling up the stairs to get from the river to street level
Mile 17: 9:35

Average pace: 9:48. I took two Powerade gels with me, and took them around miles 8 and 14. They definitely help -- though I had my usual breakfast, I could feel that I needed some calories and these little guys really do the trick. Along with the gels, I was pretty darn geared up:

Post-run with SpiBelt, CamelBak, iPod and headphones. Not pictured: Garmin

I sometimes feel super lame when I'm out running with all this STUFF...like maybe other runners are calling me a nerd runner for having all this gear, like maybe they think I'm just running three miles and am overdoing it a bit...but I just keep on going, knowing this stuff is useful to me. I don't usually run with my CamelBak, but I bought it this summer for fall marathon training and found it to be useful then. Since I didn't want to go 17 miles without any hydration (water fountains are still turned off on the West Side Highway!), I thought it would be a good thing to have...and it definitely was!

Here are some photos from my lovely run:

Oh hellooo there Statue of Liberty, aren't you looking liberated?

View of the Empire State Building from Tribeca

Today I did some yoga to help stretch me out. Even though I spent 20 solid minutes stretching yesterday, I knew more stretching wouldn't hurt, and it's nice to do something active the day after a long run.

Next week: 18 miles. Woo! I'm now infinitely more confident that I can do 18 now that I've successfully tackled 17 miles.

BK to UES

2011-02-26T18:29:00.002-05:00

It all started when my boss emailed me asking if I'd like to run a race in Brooklyn for his friend who had signed up for a race but realized she would be out of town and didn't want it to go to waste. I said yes -- I mean, I had to run anyway! He suggested I run back home after the race, which would up my mileage to my planned 11- to 12-mile run, which sounded great. Central Park is beautiful, but it can get a little old...perhaps a change of scenery would do me good?

The night I agreed to do it, I had second thoughts...Brooklyn is pretty far from my apartment, it might rain, it was cold...excuse after excuse. Lame! The next day, I nearly backed out of it, but finally decided I'd see how I felt Saturday morning. I'm getting used to Eastern Standard Time after a two-week vacation in Asia, so I've been going to bed super early and getting up early pretty easily, so I woke up at 6am today with no problem.

Then I had an internal debate...

AAAHHH it's soooo far to go to Brooklyn (it really is an hour-long trip).
...but you'll get to change up your route and have a fun!
OMG but it's soooo dark outside! I definitely cannot go to Brooklyn in the dark.
...but it'll be sunny soon enough! And it'd be better to get the run done with now!

So I decided to go. I grabbed half a bagel with almond butter and half a banana and ate it on the go. The E was running on the F line, but not all the way to Brooklyn, and the F was running on the A line for a while...it took some time, but I got there on time! I ran 4 miles in the race in Prospect Park, followed by a 9 mile jaunt to Manhattan, 8 miles of which were run and 1 mile walked. It's nice to see my Garmin map look different!

Splits:

Mile 1 - 9:40
Mile 2 - 9:25
Mile 3 - 8:48
Mile 4 - 9:19
Mile 5 - 9:32
Mile 6 - 9:26
Mile 7 - 9:32
Mile 8 - 10:29 < -- I got a bit lost trying to find the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge
Mile 9 - 9:12
Mile 10 - 11:12 < -- I think the Garmin went a bit wonky...I was definitely running faster than this!
Mile 11 - 9:26
Mile 12 - 9:12

Average pace: 9:36. I'll take it! After a two week break from running, I was pretty pleased that I finished 12 miles! It was so fun to change up my route. After the race, I ran along Prospect Park West to the top of the park, then to Flatbush Avenue, then across the Manhattan Bridge to Chinatown, up Bowery, over to 2nd Ave, and up to my home on the Upper East Side. Across the bridge I had some fun views too:

On the bridge itself

View of the Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan from the Manhattan Bridge

Next week is my farthest run yet though...17 miles. And since I missed a 14- and 15-mile run while I was on vacation, it'll be interesting to see how it goes.

You can't make this stuff up

2011-01-29T20:55:00.003-05:00

Today marks the single most bizarre running experience I've had in my two years of running. I'm sure we've all had strange things happen to us while running, but this is one for the books. If you have had something comparable to this happen to you, please share. I need to know I'm not alone.

First, the run! I had 12 miles on the agenda today, and since it's my last long run before I go on vacation, I knew it had to be a good one and I knew running with a friend would make it all the better. My wonderful friend and marathoner Shawna agreed to join me and we set out around noon to tackle 12 miles in Central Park. Even though it was in the chilly low 30s, after the first mile I actually said it felt so much warmer than last week! But really, anything would be...it was frigid last week!

It was so great to have someone to talk to while I ran -- it gave us a chance to catch up and do something together that Shawna actually first introduced me to. She was the first person in college I remember going for runs, and she was the one who told me I really needed to run outdoors to get better. She ran the Chicago marathon in October and is in general a badass runner. Unfortunately, she's been suffering from an injury and had to stop after the first six miles (definitely a smart move! Better to stop when it hurts than keep going and risk further injuring it!).

After Shawna dropped off, I kept going. At 6.5 miles, the most bizarre thing that's ever happened to me while running occurred. I was running by The Boathouse and sort of noticed that there were a bunch of birds starting to fly. Assuming, as most people would, that they would avoid running into people (when have you ever seen a bird run into a person?!), I kept running.

*THUNK*

A (rather large, from the sound and feel of it) bird FLEW STRAIGHT INTO MY HEAD AT FULL SPEED. Flew. Into my head. HIT ME ON THE SIDE OF THE HEAD. As far as I know, that bird is now dead, because it FLEW INTO MY HEAD. Let me tell you, that thunk was LOUD. At that, I just started laughing. WTF?!?! What kind of bird flies directly into a person? Sure, I can understand getting sucked into a jet engine, but birds seem to be generally quite good at avoiding people, poles, even windows! Perhaps I was just running so fast that it didn't have time to avoid me...yes, that MUST be it.

I kept going and just started laughing and asking, "What the hell just happened?" I mean, what else can you do? My head hurt, like someone had thrown a rock at it, but when something like that happens, you just have to laugh. And of course, I was not alone by The Boathouse when this happened. First, a guy ran by me and asked if I was OK, expressing that that was truly a strange thing to have seen, and then a girl ran by saying pretty much the same thing. I said I was OK, that it hurt, and gave a general WTF face. I had 5.5 more miles to run though, so I kept going. I know a bird pooping on your head is good luck, but can a bird flying into your head be even better luck? Let's hope so.

Here's today's run from the Garmin:
Splits:

Mile 1 - 9:45
Mile 2 - 9:29
Mile 3 - 9:39
Mile 4 - 9:32
Mile 5 - 9:38
Mile 6 - 9:23 (had a Gu at mile 6)
Mile 7 - 9:22
Mile 8 - 9:14
Mile 9 - 9:32
Mile 10 - 9:15
Mile 11 - 9:09
Mile 12 - 8:53

Clearly, the bird flying full speed into my head gave me some additional speed!

Every Friday I wonder which day I'll do my long run, and I'm always glad when I do it on a Saturday. Shawna and I had discussed running on Sunday, but I woke up today thinking it would be better to get it done on Saturday so I could focus on last-minute errand running on Sunday (I leave for China on Friday!). It was definitely the right choice -- I love feeling like I accomplished something so big and can relax and not worry about it for the rest of the weekend.

As I mentioned, I'm going on vacation on Friday, visiting my brother in China with stops in Thailand and Hong Kong with my family. I think the hotels in the cities should have gyms, but I definitely won't be able to stay on top of the marathon training schedule the whole time. I'm going to do my best to keep the balance -- run a few miles a few times a week if possible, bring along my resistance cords, and walk as much as possible! As my dad pointed out, now is probably the best possible time for me to take this vacation since I'm in great shape (best shape I've been in since I started working out! Woo!). I'll lose a little fitness, I'm sure (Beijing is not known for its smog-free sky!), but hopefully I'll be able to gain it back relatively easily when I return.

So now, I need to know a couple of things. First off, how do you stay fit while you're traveling? And second, can you top my bizarro bird story? Please share!

Aaand I'm back...again...

2011-01-23T20:14:00.001-05:00

Hopefully for good!

I'm training for the Potomac River Run now. I'm four weeks in and so far, so good! I'm using Hal Higdon's Novice 2 training program and I'm enjoying it. I've edited it a bit to include speedwork and tempo runs, plus I'm running Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and a long run on a weekend day, doing Total Body Conditioning Tuesdays, and resting on Fridays. I'm going to try really, REALLY hard not to get injured this time...I want to bump up my strengthening workouts, which I think will help keep me from getting injured, and I've been sure to stretch a lot following all workouts. I want to try to get yoga into my schedule too, even if it's just on Exercise TV, a podcast, or the NYSC classes. And I want to make sure I'm always wearing the right shoes!

Yesterday was my long run (11 miles). I knew it was going to be cold this weekend, so I was really dreading my run when I checked weather.com and saw this:

FEELS LIKE 11!!!???

Then I remembered this race, when it was 18 degrees, and I knew I could do it if I tried. I figured it would be better to get it done with on Saturday rather than wait till Sunday (plus I had a friend's birthday brunch to attend!) so I headed out just before noon and was back by 2pm. It was sunny, and it was cold, but it was also a GREAT run:

Mile 1 - 10:16
Mile 2 - 9:39
Mile 3 - 9:28
Mile 4 - 9:41
Mile 5 - 9:31
Mile 6 - 9:38 (had a Powerade gel at 6 miles)
Mile 7 - 9:21
Mile 8 - 9:32
Mile 9 - 9:26
Mile 10 - 9:33
Mile 11 - 9:04

There had been a half-marathon in Central Park earlier in the day, so the roads in the park were totally clear. There were quite a few people out running, but the runners weren't the only ones working up a sweat -- I saw quite a few people sledding and even some cross country skiers!

Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the gym today, but I did get to do some fun stuff like eat brunch and watch football. Could be worse :)

Three miles planned for tomorrow...according to weather.com, it'll be 3 degrees and feel like -7 when I head to the gym. The high for the day is 16! EEK! Is it spring yet?

Inspiration for the day

2011-01-03T10:54:00.001-05:00

"...anything is possible and your limits might not be where you think that they are. I'm continually surprising myself by what I can achieve."

- British Ironwoman Chrissie Wellington

Read the full article here.

I've recently been thinking about the need to push myself and the idea that I am probably able to run faster than I am allowing myself. I like feeling comfortable and like I can breathe, but every now and again it's helpful to get out of the comfort zone and really feel my lungs burn. I feel stronger when that happens, and I know that I can do it. The trick is to not get injured in the process...

Race recap: Race to Deliver

2010-11-28T23:21:00.001-05:00

The Race to Deliver was my first race since I started running again, and it was only the second time that I'd run outside since then (the first time was just a week prior!). I had been a bit hesitant about running outdoors since my injury since maybe running on the pavement had added to the stress reaction, but I was excited to finish my 9+1 qualifier for the 2011 NYC Marathon and was ready to do my best and have an easy run. But with a new Girl Talk album on my iPod, an easy run was just not possible.

I love living so close to the start line of most of the NYRR races -- I can walk over there five minutes before the race starts and don't have to wait around in the cold. It was pretty cold that morning too, about 40 degrees, but my trusty Runner's World "What Should I Wear?" tool told me two layers on top, shorts, and gloves would be all I needed. I arrived at the start line and saw people in running tights, fleeces, hats, mittens and more, and I doubted my clothing choice. After all, there's not too much sun on the four-mile course, and it wasn't even 40 degrees out yet! But once I got a mile in, I knew I'd made the right decision -- I even took off my gloves and wished I had one less layer on top. And...I was going fast! My Garmin (map and splits to come!) even said I was sub-9:00 pace for a couple of miles, so I gunned it pretty much the whole race, hoping to improve my previous 4-mile PR of 36:00...and I did! By one whole second! I really do have a thing for improving times by mere seconds this year. I'm going to take that as a sign that I should work on my speed workouts.

On top of the race last weekend, I also volunteered the day before at the Knickerbocker 60K -- yes, SIXTY kilometers, as in 37.2 miles, as in 11 miles on top of a marathon! The people in the race (all 214 of them) started at 8 a.m., ran 1.2 miles, then ran nine loops of a four-mile course. Talk about monotony! The volunteers and I would yell out the numbers of the runners as they came by each loop, encouraging them -- I loved seeing the smile on their faces as they ran past us! We had quite a few people come up and ask us what was happening, how far 60 kilometers was, what on EARTH would possess a person to run such a distance, etc. It was really fun to watch, but it's not something I ever plan on doing in the future!

As for my running, I've been having some weird pain in the left leg again (in a totally different place from the stress reaction), but I ran 4.5 miles on the treadmill over Thanksgiving and felt pretty good! I think I'm finally getting back into it, but I feel like I need/want something to train for to get me doing those speed workouts and long runs. I honestly really enjoy running in the cold, but I don't live anywhere near the Westside Highway anymore and I'm not the biggest fan of Central Park's hills, so I don't know how much I'll get outside this winter. Hopefully I can run along the East River at least a little bit!

Here's to a running-filled and injury-free winter!

Marathon: Take Two

2010-10-16T23:16:00.000-04:00

I was talking to my mom about how I wanted to run a different marathon before I ran the NYC Marathon next year. I was thinking about the New Jersey Marathon, and she suggested I look for some in the DC area since that's near where she and my dad live. The National Marathon is in March, which is too soon after I get back from the February family vacation in Asia, and the Marine Corps Marathon is in October, too close to the NYC Marathon. I was looking for an April-May-June marathon, and my mom stumbled across this Potomac River Run Marathon May 1, the same day as the New Jersey Marathon!

It's also much more convenient, MUCH smaller (capped at 300 people!) and very cheap ($40!). I still have to take the bus to DC, but at least I can stay at my house and don't have to get a hotel, which I'd probably have to do with the New Jersey Marathon. I think it'll be interesting to run such a small marathon, especially since I'll be running one with over 40,000 people six months later, but I've heard it said from a few different people that the NYC Marathon is not the best first marathon -- a lot of people, a lot of spectators, a lot of bridges, a tough course... This one is an out-and-back course, few (if any) spectators, and even bills itself as "the easiest marathon in America". Sounds like it's worth a shot to me!

I ran two miles yesterday, and felt a little pain afterward. It wasn't bad, but I took today off (unless you count walking around Ikea for two hours as a workout) just to keep it rested. I'm planning an elliptical and weight session tomorrow -- woo! Night!

Shoulda woulda coulda

2010-10-12T16:02:00.000-04:00

I should have run my first marathon on Sunday. I would have if I could have, but I didn't. It's bittersweet -- obviously I know that I'm recovering from an injury and there's absolutely know way that I could have run that marathon today, but I'm still kind of sad about it. I think that's probably normal. Four of my friends ran it though (congrats C, S, KS and KF!), and the girl who writes one of the blogs I follow ran it too, so it's sort of hard. Next year I'll have the NYC Marathon to look forward to, but that's so far away! All the more time to heal and train though! However, I'm thinking about doing the San Diego Marathon in June and deferring the NYC Marathon to the following year, but we'll see...

I rode the stationary bike for an hour on Sunday which is so NOT the same as running for 4+ hours, but it did keep me distracted! So did my grandmother's 95th birthday on Saturday -- we had cake, opened presents, and enjoyed an amazing homemade meal (lasagna!) by my aunt. She also baked two cakes -- one carrot, one chocolate marble, both delicious.

Yesterday I ran a FULL MILE WITHOUT STOPPING!!! It was glorious! It was really slow (5.3mph) but I'll take what I can get! :) I'm finally feeling like I'm able to get back into my old routine. The last Tuesday and today I did a hard total body conditioning class, something I really, really had been missing. I plan on getting back on track with my workouts, blogging more, and eating really well. I think I'll be back to it before I know it!

Long way to go

2010-09-30T14:10:00.000-04:00

Well, I've started running again...if you count 5.0 mph for 0.3 miles as running (which I do!). It feels like I'm starting all over again -- except instead of huffing and puffing, I have a weird limp and a bit of pain my leg. At least I've managed to stay in shape during this injury!

Trying to run again has been a slow process. I've tried it twice -- the first time I just went a quarter mile till I felt some pain. I had a weird limp (maybe getting used to the treadmill again?) and I think I was really nervous about trying running again, which probably didn't help the situation. The second time I tried to run "normally", i.e. without a limp. It went better than the first time, and I felt like I was running with much less of a limp, but I still felt some pain in my leg. Instead of bone pain though, I found I've had mostly muscle pain throughout this entire injury. The tibia itself has never really hurt -- it's pretty much always been the back left of my calf. Maybe I tore a muscle in addition to the stress reaction? The first doctor I saw did say there was some muscle strain on the MRI, but it's hard to tell what exactly is going on since I haven't actually seen the MRI report for myself...

Anyway, I do plan to keep slowly increasing my mileage and plan on running twice a week. I also want to try running outdoors -- I think the treadmill might be throwing me off a bit with the moving belt and all. I think I need to practice going through the running motions some before I'm ready to let a belt dictate my speed! I still need to run one more race in order to qualify for the NYC Marathon next year (I'm volunteering at the NYC Marathon expo this year to get my volunteer qualification!), so I hope I can find a 5k to do at a super slow pace sometime between now and Dec. 31. Hopefully I'll be able to run that far! However, I did walk a running race as part of my qualifying races...I had signed up for two races pre-injury, the Fitness Mind Body Spirit 4 mile race and the ING Tune-Up 18 mile race (though I wasn't going to be running the NYC marathon this year, I figured it would be inspiring to be around other people who were training for a marathon).

Obviously I couldn't do the 18 miler, but I woke up on the day of the 4-mile race and decided that I would walk it. I did it in just over an hour and even beat 11 people! Woo hoo! It was actually pretty interesting because I was mostly with a bunch of people who were possibly new to running, or running their first race. I was really encouraged to see some of the newer runners running with friends who were maybe a bit more experienced with running -- they were encouraging their friends all the way, taking breaks with them and keeping them going. At the end I overheard one girl who I saw through much of the race exclaim, "I did it! I did it!!!" I couldn't help but smile and remember my first race!

I honestly haven't really looked for any "getting back into running after an injury" articles, but I know that I should. If anyone who reads this has any tips, I'd love to hear them!

It's official...

2010-09-22T22:01:00.001-04:00

I CAN RUN AGAIN!!! I went to the doctor yesterday and he gave me the OK to run again. He did a little poking, prodding, and told me to get back to it! YAY! When he told me I asked him, "Are you kidding? Are you serious? How do you know?" I just really couldn't believe it. He said the bone was less sore and it was looking good! And I have to say, the past couple days my leg has been especially pain-free. I am PUMPED!

Of course, after that I went to get a vaccine and ended up fainting at the doctor's office (I have needle-phobia). So I haven't yet given running a try. When I do, though I'll be sure to let you know how it goes! I'm going to go slow of course, and not go very far to begin with, but at least I can get back to it!

This time has also gotten me thinking about doing a triathlon one day. Yeah, I only went swimming once in these two months, but I liked it and I think I'll try to make it a more regular part of my routine. And I can tear it up on the bike now. I think it's good to have a few different cross training exercises available for non-running days -- I used to just do the elliptical, but I couldn't really do it while I was injured; I used to think I hated the bike, but it's actually a great way to read while working out!

The next thing I need is a getting-back-to-it training schedule. I know I should start slow, build mileage gradually, not run much, but I wonder if there's a plan for that somewhere?

That's it for now. I'm back!

Injured: Part Two

2010-09-09T22:15:00.002-04:00

Needless to say, I decided I needed a second opinion, but not after hobbling around NYC on crutches for a couple of weeks. Let me just say, if you ever feel like you need to get a seat on the bus but are not 85 years old or pregnant, GET CRUTCHES. People could not get up fast enough for me! In fact I might just keep them around for future use...

ANYWAY. I sent to another doctor whom my mom found in the New York Magazine, a running specialist from a town I once lived in, Kansas City. After waiting to get an appointment, the doctor took one look at me and said, "You overpronate. You need support in your arches. Go buy orthotic inserts and come back and see me in six weeks." I mean, he said more than that and was super helpful and supportive, but he also suggested

Let me just say, after running for a little bit in the neutral shoes that Jack Rabbit sold me when they told me I DIDN'T overpronate, I had this itching feeling that I was seriously lacking in arch support. When I asked at Jack Rabbit another time if I should get orthotic inserts, they just said "Those are for people with serious problems." WELL HELLO THERE JACK RABBIT NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN PLEASE SELL ME THESE ORTHOTIC INSERTS SO I CAN GET BACK TO LIVING A NORMAL LIFE AND NEVER SELL ME ANY SHOES EVER AGAIN THANKYOUVERYMUCH!

(Bitter? ME?? Why...yes. Just a little bit. But I can't blame them completely...)

This doctor told me that all of this "stuff" (i.e. the crutches and the CAM walker) were completely ridiculous and unnecessary, and that all I needed was a set of orthotic inserts to put in my sneakers. And that I would have to wear these sneakers for ohhh I don't know, let's see how it goes in four weeks. I'll see the doctor again in two weeks and hopefully have an update for you then.

So far the leg is definitely getting better. There are days where it hurts, but it's more of a muscle pain in the back of the leg. I've been riding the stationary bike and I tried swimming the other day (which I plan to continue doing), and I sometimes do weights (but not nearly enough). I'm hopeful that my leg will get better in the next month or so, but I'm not going to push anything anytime soon. There are more marathons to run, and they aren't going anywhere, but a stress fracture is not really what I need right now! I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. Hopefully I can start getting my butt out of bed in the mornings from now on...I've been SO bad at that lately. Tomorrow! I will get up early! And go to the gym!!!

Injured: Part One

2010-09-07T23:05:00.003-04:00

I have a decent excuse for my disappearance from this site. Barely a week after my last post I set out for a 7 mile speed workout in Central Park. I was sort of dreading it the night before, but decided that that was no attitude to have and promptly decided it would be a fantastic way to start the day and that I would most definitely feel refreshed and accomplished after completing it.

The sciatica in my right leg had been an ongoing problem but my left leg had stood strong and been quite reliable throughout all injuries (except for that pesky hip flexor tendinitis back in March...that can be forgiven though). I ran one mile just fine, then started my speed work. My right leg felt a little funny at mile 2 or so, but I shook it off as a muscle cramp, and even stopped to stretch it out. At mile 3.5 though, I stopped short and was suddenly in absolutely TERRIBLE pain. It's hard to describe exactly what it was like, but it caused me to stop in the middle of my run that was meant to be amazing and forced me to hobble home, tears in my eyes.

Once I got home, I realized that the sciatica pain was gone from my right leg, and thought that perhaps the sciatica had jumped from my right leg to my left leg -- hey, it could happen, right? I called my sports medicine doctor and she had me come in right away. She was going to give me steroids to help me with the pain of the sciatica, but at the last minute did a pressure test along my tibia. Um, OW! "This hurts? Then this isn't sciatic. You have a stress reaction in your tibia." She took an X-ray and nothing showed up, which signaled to her that it was NOT a stress fracture, but instead a stress reaction (to be honest, I'm still unsure what the difference is, but all I know is that I don't have a stress fracture!). And I would have to stay off my foot. Which would involve a CAM walker. And/or crutches. In New York City. Lucky me!

After this injury, I went through ALL FIVE STAGES of grief:

First, denial. "Oh, I'm fine. This is just a small thing. It happens to everyone. I'll run that marathon in two and a half months after not running for two months, NO PROBLEM!!!"
Next up, anger. "AAAAHHH I AM SO ANGRYYYYY I AM JUST GOING TO BE MEAN AND ANGRY ALL THE TIMMMEEEE!!!! WHYYY did I pay NYRR $13 to run an 18-mile race A WEEK before this injury?!?! WHYYY did I increase my mileage?! WHY DID JACK RABBIT SELL ME BAD SHOES???
Then bargaining. "Well, you know, maybe, MAYBE if I just keep off the leg for a WHOLE month and just work from home and not move like, EVER, my leg will be OK for October 10! YEAH HIGH FIVE GREAT PLAN!"
Followed by my favorite, depression. Let's just say I cried every day for a week, felt really sorry for myself, and ate a lot of cookie dough. We can move on now.
Finally, acceptance. "Hey, the bike isn't so bad! I can do this for an hour a day! And feel great about burning half as many calories as I would've burned running! That is SO OK! I can totally BE A PERSON even when I'm not running! Look at me! I'm going to be all right! There will be more marathons! It's not the end of the world!"

Do I still get sad seeing people running by, healthy as can be without a care in the world? Yes. Do I wish them pain and injuries? Y...I mean, no, no, of course not! ;) Did I have a hard time reading through Runner's World the other day? Uhh I'd be lying if I said no.

I really miss running, but I know that I have to take it easy in order to get better. This is also opening me up to other sports, like swimming and the competitive sport of stationary bike riding. Maybe I'll sign up for a triathlon one of these days? All I know is that there will be more marathons. And the fact that I made it through all five stages of grief in a relative short span of time is a good thing and means good things for my ultimate recovery.

There'll be a part two coming your way soon. I'm going to do my best to get back into the blog, but let's call it "Have a Good Stationary Bike Ride!" or "Have a Good Swim!" till I can run again, OK?

Still here!

2010-07-16T21:51:00.000-04:00

I'm still here! I'm still training, still a little injured (but am SO much better!), still not running outdoors nearly as much as I should. I moved apartments, I went to Boston for July 4th, and then went home last weekend. I attempted a midday 10 mile run last weekend when I was home in Virginia, but even with the CamelBak it was WAY too hot and WAY too humid. It was kind of pathetic, but I blame the humidity and heat. Something about running on asphalt in the middle of a hot day...the heat just rises up from the asphalt and attacks. It's awful.

Needless to say, I did not finish the 10 miles, but did make it to 5.5 miles! Since long runs are so important in training, I'm making up for the 10 miler tomorrow by tacking on six miles to my four-mile race. It's gonna be another scorcher, but luckily I'll be running in the morning so hopefully it won't be TOO bad.

Yesterday morning I set out for a five mile run, and since I moved to the Upper East Side, I'm now conveniently located very close to Central Park! Something about the sciatica in my right leg makes me a little nervous about running. I just KNOW that it's going to hurt afterward and I anticipate that pain before I've even stepped out of bed. But this run was good! I started out slow, but felt better and better as I went so I turned the easy run into a tempo run. I'm still not NEARLY as fast as I was before, but I'm happy! Check out the map and stats below:

I loved being in Central Park -- seeing so many healthy runners and cyclists working out so early in the morning was super motivating! I definitely plan on doing more runs in CP now that I'm so close!

Another great motivator? Amazing workout clothes. I went to lululemon at the mall last week in Virginia and picked up two pairs of lululemon running shorts. And now, I am obsessed. They are amazing. I mean, AMAZING.

The waistband is a 3" band that is actually flattering -- or at least, not unflattering... It doesn't dig into my waist, which is a huge plus. The seams are flat, so there's no chafing either. Honestly, they're just the best shorts I've ever owned, ever. I just wish they weren't so darn expensive!

Well, I have a race tomorrow -- the Central Park Conservancy Run. And it's almost 10pm. Sooo that means I'm going to head to bed! And hopefully I'll be better about blogging in the future! :)

T-minus 16 weeks...

2010-06-20T23:44:00.000-04:00

Training starts tomorrow! Three miles at 10:58 pace is on the schedule. On top of starting to train, I've also started to pack for my move on Friday. Wish me lots and lots of luck in both the training AND the moving! Thanks! :)

Here's a peek at my schedule:

It's 16 weeks long. I decided to just go with the Runner's World training schedule again. I'll play around with it as needed, but this has been pretty good to me in the past so I'm going to stick with it.

Saturday I did a pretty long run of an hour (just about 6 miles) on the treadmill. It was hot so I decided to stay inside and just bang out the run. It was actually a really good run and was sort of just what I needed to get myself excited for training. To be honest, I've been in a bit of a running funk of late, and haven't been feeling "very running-like" as my boss once put it. It wasn't very fun, and I'm pretty sure it mostly had to do with the fact that I was (still sort of am but am much MUCH better!) injured. Now that the injury is looking up, I guess my spirits are up more too! And thank goodness for that, because I can't imagine how difficult starting to train for a marathon would be if I were still down. I know that I'll still have some ups and downs during the training, but it's nice to start it off on the right foot :)

That's it for now...packing really took it out of me! Night!

Training begins...

2010-06-16T22:51:00.000-04:00

...on Monday, June 21. That's in five days. I am just going to think of it as another thing I'm training for, and maybe not think of it as TRAINING FOR A MARATHON!!! because that is a little be scary. I'm going to keep doing what I do...run a little, do some strength training, cross training, and definitely throw in more yoga and Pilates (especially since I just discovered Exercise TV On Demand!).

On top of starting to TRAIN FOR A MARATHON!!!, I'm also moving apartments, which means packing, cleaning, and moving. Ugh. Such a pain. But I know it'll be worth it! :)

So while I haven't been blogging much, I haven't really worked out much since my last post. I went to Montauk for the weekend and was lazy on the beach, eating shrimp and lobster, and basically being incredibly lazy. It was just what I needed and it was awesome.

I haven't done much running -- the sciatica is still bugging me a little bit, but it's gotten SO much better. I might do something crazy and try out my old shoes to see if that helps my sciatica...I just feel like I need to do SOMETHING like that since I did not have sciatica OR hip flexor tendinitis before I changed shoes. I'll let you know how it goes!

That's it for now...I'll post my training schedule soon. I'm still debating between Hal Higdon's novice schedule and the Runner's World training schedule...and I have a feeling I may well end up combining the two somehow but relying mainly on the Runner's World schedule.

What's your favorite training schedule?