Pre-flight workout

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!!!

18 miles and 16 Handles

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?