so today i did all sorts of official marathon arranging.
i filled out my recommittment forms. these are more for people that haven't raised their minimum yet (which i have). they basically state that you are committed to raising the fundraising minimum and if you haven't made 25% yet, you put down a deposit of that amount. thank you for seeing to it that i would not have to do that! :)
i had to buy tickets for the post-marathon celebration, fill out the official marathon paperwork and choose roommates (charlotte's going to be my roommate of course). i'm officially in.
i also booked my plane ticket. we leave the friday before the marathon on the 14th, and i'm going to stay for an extra 5 days or so. i'm so excited - grand canyon and some other arizona/new mexico activities. i cannot wait for the road trip!
envision: a car, ribbons of highway, drivin' tunes, my cameras, painted desert, wide open spaces...the perfect marathon reward.
Monday, October 30, 2006
benefits of the long run
since most people didn't show up for practice saturday, we're having a clinic about long runs next week.
i am SO glad i am not doing the hawaii marathon - it's dec 10th, and so these poor people only have a few weeks of training before they have to taper off - basically the last few weekends before your marathon you don't run very much so that your body can heal. it seems completely counter-intuitive, but they know what they're doing.
saturday runs are now going to be at least 14 miles each weekend, working our way up to 20. because our marathon is so late, i figure i'll get a few 20's in. ramon said you can do 20 once you've done 14, but it's better to work up to 20.
here's some ramon-speak about what the long-runs are doing for us. i'm still slightly in awe that running isn't just putting on some shoes and getting out there. :)
"Let's be smart on our longruns. Let's talk longrun, and let's go over what's left/ahead on training. Saturday's workouts are key days now, we need to get those longruns in, longruns are not meant to make you run faster, longruns are more for you mind than your legs.
Some of the benefits of longruns:
•spent time on your feet, your feet need to get used to hit the ground those many, many, many times, so your joins, muscles etc..
•spent time moving, your Brain, needs to get used to `stay active' thru the whole run, it's your brain the one that will dictate if you keep moving or not. You probably heard before that marathon running it's very mental. Right?
•Teaching the body to use fat as energy, your body it's a great machine and it'll do anything necessary to safe energy, our main source of energy are the carbs, but Your body will want to use fat as source of energy.
•Work on that mental confidence, running longer that you ever had, reach that goal mileage (for most of us 20 miles/12 for half marathoners) will put you on that set of mind :`if I can do 12/20, when 4 months ago couldn't even run 4 miles, I can do anything'
•find out what source of energy works better for you, we know nutrition it's important, we are all different runners with different taste and likings with different bodies, we need to find out what works, what our body likes, what works for somebody else, doesn't necessarily needs to work for us.
•Teach the body to stay hydrate as you run, same applies to hydrating, yes, there're the basic rules (6 oz every 20 minutes) but some people loose more fluids than others (thru sweat) those will need to replenish more.
•Our training schedule reaches it's peak at '20 miles' (for most) , everybody should try to complete that 20 mile run/12 for half, but no necessarily. Remember what I've been telling you, `at one point running it's more for you mind than body', the 20 it's a good number it's long enough because it meets all the above benefits."
it's a lot to think about, but i'm feeling pretty good.
i am SO glad i am not doing the hawaii marathon - it's dec 10th, and so these poor people only have a few weeks of training before they have to taper off - basically the last few weekends before your marathon you don't run very much so that your body can heal. it seems completely counter-intuitive, but they know what they're doing.
saturday runs are now going to be at least 14 miles each weekend, working our way up to 20. because our marathon is so late, i figure i'll get a few 20's in. ramon said you can do 20 once you've done 14, but it's better to work up to 20.
here's some ramon-speak about what the long-runs are doing for us. i'm still slightly in awe that running isn't just putting on some shoes and getting out there. :)
"Let's be smart on our longruns. Let's talk longrun, and let's go over what's left/ahead on training. Saturday's workouts are key days now, we need to get those longruns in, longruns are not meant to make you run faster, longruns are more for you mind than your legs.
Some of the benefits of longruns:
•spent time on your feet, your feet need to get used to hit the ground those many, many, many times, so your joins, muscles etc..
•spent time moving, your Brain, needs to get used to `stay active' thru the whole run, it's your brain the one that will dictate if you keep moving or not. You probably heard before that marathon running it's very mental. Right?
•Teaching the body to use fat as energy, your body it's a great machine and it'll do anything necessary to safe energy, our main source of energy are the carbs, but Your body will want to use fat as source of energy.
•Work on that mental confidence, running longer that you ever had, reach that goal mileage (for most of us 20 miles/12 for half marathoners) will put you on that set of mind :`if I can do 12/20, when 4 months ago couldn't even run 4 miles, I can do anything'
•find out what source of energy works better for you, we know nutrition it's important, we are all different runners with different taste and likings with different bodies, we need to find out what works, what our body likes, what works for somebody else, doesn't necessarily needs to work for us.
•Teach the body to stay hydrate as you run, same applies to hydrating, yes, there're the basic rules (6 oz every 20 minutes) but some people loose more fluids than others (thru sweat) those will need to replenish more.
•Our training schedule reaches it's peak at '20 miles' (for most) , everybody should try to complete that 20 mile run/12 for half, but no necessarily. Remember what I've been telling you, `at one point running it's more for you mind than body', the 20 it's a good number it's long enough because it meets all the above benefits."
it's a lot to think about, but i'm feeling pretty good.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
bloody heel
no, that's not a typo. it's literal.
today we had to run 13 - 15 miles in central park. our first challenge was the weather. it was damn miserable. windy. raining. the only thing that made up for it was that it was about 60 degrees, which was much warmer than i thought it was going to be.
since i have to be done eating by 7, i decided to get up, make oatmeal, and then go back to bed for another 1/2 hour. then it was cab to the west side to take a train, and up to riverside and 72nd.it was seriously nasty out, and there were probably only 20 of us brave souls out for the run. handsome was already there, and charlotte made it just as we were ready to go.
it was a hard day. the rain and and wind was making everyone stiff and i don't know if anyone really had a great run. we were going to try for 14.7 - two loops plus the mile to and from the park. however, around mile 8, that's when my bloody heel broke out.
i first thought something was in my sock, but no...some rubbing gone bad. what started as a little sore and redness, ended as a the back of my shoe all blood-stained. gross and ouch. so we ended up ditching the extra 1.7...and ended up running a little over 13 miles. the last few were hard, and i was definitely hurting. but, i was not hurting as much as the last time.
when we went to sign out, i gave my name and the mentor exclaimed - oh! i know you! you're our superstar! and that put a smile on my salty, tired face.
off to finish up the halloween costume.
today's mileage: 13
total mileage: 161.1
today we had to run 13 - 15 miles in central park. our first challenge was the weather. it was damn miserable. windy. raining. the only thing that made up for it was that it was about 60 degrees, which was much warmer than i thought it was going to be.
since i have to be done eating by 7, i decided to get up, make oatmeal, and then go back to bed for another 1/2 hour. then it was cab to the west side to take a train, and up to riverside and 72nd.it was seriously nasty out, and there were probably only 20 of us brave souls out for the run. handsome was already there, and charlotte made it just as we were ready to go.
it was a hard day. the rain and and wind was making everyone stiff and i don't know if anyone really had a great run. we were going to try for 14.7 - two loops plus the mile to and from the park. however, around mile 8, that's when my bloody heel broke out.
i first thought something was in my sock, but no...some rubbing gone bad. what started as a little sore and redness, ended as a the back of my shoe all blood-stained. gross and ouch. so we ended up ditching the extra 1.7...and ended up running a little over 13 miles. the last few were hard, and i was definitely hurting. but, i was not hurting as much as the last time.
when we went to sign out, i gave my name and the mentor exclaimed - oh! i know you! you're our superstar! and that put a smile on my salty, tired face.
off to finish up the halloween costume.
today's mileage: 13
total mileage: 161.1
Friday, October 27, 2006
off topic: a photo from handsome's pilot
just wanted to share my favorite promo-type photo from handsome's pilot that we shot last weekend...
from left to right:
that's handsome, the gal that plays his girlfriend (& my sister), the guy that plays my husband, and yours truly.
congrats again to handsome who pulled of a very fun and tres professional shoot!
from left to right:
that's handsome, the gal that plays his girlfriend (& my sister), the guy that plays my husband, and yours truly.
congrats again to handsome who pulled of a very fun and tres professional shoot!
baby it's cold outside
brrr. sadly, this was my first week-day cold run.
after about 5 minutes of debate between my running and non-running self, the debate ending with my running self calling the non-running self a big loser, i got up at 7 to go for a 4-5 mile run.
let me give you a few bad ideas for things to do leading up to even a short run. 1. don't eat dinner the night before. 2. don't eat breakfast before you go. 3. don't drink enough water the night before or before you leave the house. 4. rationalize all this with "it's only a little run!"
one would think, or at least i would think, that after running 10 miles and finding it okay, 4 miles would be a piece of cake. not so, when you take into account items 1-4. i was also exhausted last night for other reasons that i'll tell you about later (no, not *that*). i wasn't tired, or winded but my legs were so freaking heavy! it was like one of those bad dreams, where you're running but not moving. ah well, at least i know why!
i also need to stock the fridge and unpack all my kitchen stuff. we're supposed to eat within 30 minutes of running to feed your muscles. today i was stuck eating a power bar. malt nut. mmm.
okay, time to shower and get to work.
today's mileage: 4.0
total mileage: 148.1
after about 5 minutes of debate between my running and non-running self, the debate ending with my running self calling the non-running self a big loser, i got up at 7 to go for a 4-5 mile run.
let me give you a few bad ideas for things to do leading up to even a short run. 1. don't eat dinner the night before. 2. don't eat breakfast before you go. 3. don't drink enough water the night before or before you leave the house. 4. rationalize all this with "it's only a little run!"
one would think, or at least i would think, that after running 10 miles and finding it okay, 4 miles would be a piece of cake. not so, when you take into account items 1-4. i was also exhausted last night for other reasons that i'll tell you about later (no, not *that*). i wasn't tired, or winded but my legs were so freaking heavy! it was like one of those bad dreams, where you're running but not moving. ah well, at least i know why!
i also need to stock the fridge and unpack all my kitchen stuff. we're supposed to eat within 30 minutes of running to feed your muscles. today i was stuck eating a power bar. malt nut. mmm.
okay, time to shower and get to work.
today's mileage: 4.0
total mileage: 148.1
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
hills hills and more hills
week 5 of hill training. and i don't know how i'll feel tomorrow but i'm feeling preeeeetty good.
it was the first cold practice tonight, and i'm not quite equipped for it. i have a long sleeved shirt, but i need some pants. i always change at work, and so when i was heading down my favorite street to get on the train, some typical canal-street-idiot was like "look, that girl's legs are out!" time to get some windpants. not to mention, the legs are not quite glowingly white at this point...but they are getting there.
tonight we ran up and down the hill on the east side of the park from 102nd street to 104th street. apparently, some people are not taking it easy enough on the downhills, which can absolutely be harder on your body than the uphills even though it doesn't feel so. because ramon wanted to make sure that we understand, we were going to run downhill hard, and "recover" on the uphill. "recover" is in quotes, because it was a decent hill and you can't quite recover on a hill like that, no matter how slowly you run. basically this is supposed to make us really sore tomorrow. i can't wait.
charlotte got out of work late and i was chatting with handsome so we ran a bit together. i did 7 round trips, and i think that was about .25 each way...so...3.5 miles. then the warm up and running back down is another 1.5 miles, so another 5 mile work out. and we did it fast - we were done with practice by 7:45 which was great.
i'm going to try to run tomorrow morning, but if it's cold/dark, i'll go to the park after work. i'm back on the bike, which cuts down the commute time from a 40 minute walk to a 15 minute (tops) ride, so I can leave later. sorry i've been so quiet, but i promise that things are going to slow down very soon.
today's mileage: 5.0
total mileage: 144.1
it was the first cold practice tonight, and i'm not quite equipped for it. i have a long sleeved shirt, but i need some pants. i always change at work, and so when i was heading down my favorite street to get on the train, some typical canal-street-idiot was like "look, that girl's legs are out!" time to get some windpants. not to mention, the legs are not quite glowingly white at this point...but they are getting there.
tonight we ran up and down the hill on the east side of the park from 102nd street to 104th street. apparently, some people are not taking it easy enough on the downhills, which can absolutely be harder on your body than the uphills even though it doesn't feel so. because ramon wanted to make sure that we understand, we were going to run downhill hard, and "recover" on the uphill. "recover" is in quotes, because it was a decent hill and you can't quite recover on a hill like that, no matter how slowly you run. basically this is supposed to make us really sore tomorrow. i can't wait.
charlotte got out of work late and i was chatting with handsome so we ran a bit together. i did 7 round trips, and i think that was about .25 each way...so...3.5 miles. then the warm up and running back down is another 1.5 miles, so another 5 mile work out. and we did it fast - we were done with practice by 7:45 which was great.
i'm going to try to run tomorrow morning, but if it's cold/dark, i'll go to the park after work. i'm back on the bike, which cuts down the commute time from a 40 minute walk to a 15 minute (tops) ride, so I can leave later. sorry i've been so quiet, but i promise that things are going to slow down very soon.
today's mileage: 5.0
total mileage: 144.1
Sunday, October 22, 2006
today...i feel like a runner
it was a busy busy weekend.
friday i moved. yeah again. the movers were scheduled for 9:30. they arrived at 8:50. most people would be ready the night before, but no, not me. i got up at 7am to finish...and had planned on using every minute. they are great movers, and super cheap and everything went off without a hitch except for the few things that i did not get to pack.
friday was a mess of unpacking and cleaning at the old place and running around for the-things-you-need-when-you-move-into-a-new-place. to get away from my mess, i got a manicure/pedicure with charlotte and then watched some dvr'd shows at her house and ate pizza. i didn't sleep very well that night though because of all the new apartment noises, and it was freezing because the heat isn't on yet.
saturday i had to miss practice because of the pilot i'm in. handsome wrote it, and i was lucky enough for him to give me a part. i had to be up at a the restaurant we were filming in at 6:30 am. bleh. i was exhausted getting up because at 5 there was atrocious pounding on my neighbor's door. The buzzing. then a phone ringing. the more pounding. when i left a little after 6, i saw that someone must have ordered food and passed out - there was not one, but two food packages outside the door.
when i walked into the restaurant, i was *impressed*. handsome works in production and called in some favors, but i had no idea it would be so professional. the producer greeted me, introduced herself, said she was glad i was "camera ready" (i came with dressed and in make up), and asked me to go get mic'd. wowy. two cameras, a dolly, tons of crew running around. very professional! i've never done anything on film before, just theatre, so this was a whole new experience for me. we started rolling around 7:30 and it was SO fun.
we didn't get done until 11:30, and my friend kkf was coming up to play the "hot girl in the park" for one of the scenes at 1. it was gorgeous out, so i decided to hang out and wait for her and watch. we were there until 4 or so, then it was back downtown for some unpacking, shower and nap. my friend was having a party way back up in washington heights and it was going to be at least an hour back uptown.
after too much party last night, i woke up to my sister calling at 11 to see if i wanted to get brunch. i was irritated with myself for feeling less than 100% when i not only had to go back to finish the pilot at 8:30 that night, but i had to also finish cleaning the old apartment, which had quite a way to go, AND i was supposed to run 11-14 miles. eek.
food was necessary, so we ate and i bribed my sis into helping me clean. tentative schedule was to go to a gym near the park for locker use, be at the park by 5, run 2 loops (12 miles) and go back to the gym around 7:30 to be showered, made-up and dressed by 8:30. cleaning ran long, so i was already pushed back to 5:30 when i thought i lost my wallet. so annoying. the panic went on for about 30 minutes, while i checked both apartments, one of which is full of boxes and random piles.
anyone want to guess where i found it? my bag. the bag with all the rest of my stuff. yeah. for all my smarts, sometimes i'm an idiot. because of the wallet-delay, i wasn't going to be able to run 12, so i had to down grade to 10. i wasn't thrilled but was so happy that i found my wallet that i decided to calm down and do what i could.
i got to the park right at six. i hadn't been able to eat anything so i goo'd it up right before i ran and had two on stand by. it was cool but not cold, with a great breeze, leaves falling and all. my 1/2 marathon mix on the ipod (btw, people have been asking so the song list is listed after this post). i was ready. i started on the west side at 72 and decided to do a full loop (6 miles) and then the 72nd st - 102 st 4-mile loop. 10 miles. plus the dreaded harlem hill, which is not very long but is pretty damn steep. i knew i could physically do it, but i was on a schedule so had to keep to my 12-minute mile pace or i'd be late. i was also nervous because of the morning hangover, the bad nights sleep and not eating or drinking enough water.
but a funny thing happened. it went *amazing*. i don't know if its the hill training, or the long distances we've been doing, or what but i ran 10 miles today and it was a strong 10!! there were times that i felt like i was going really fast. the music was kickin'. the hills were a challenge but they weren't so bad. i was having fun! i have no doubt in my mind i could have done another two miles, if not more. all of these things caused me to have a dumb grin on my face for most of the run. i must have looked like a fool, but at least i was a runnin' fool!
with all seriousness, i am really so proud today. the 1/2 marathon was a major accomplishment, and i was proud then too, but because i felt so strong for this whole run, this one somehow a little sweeter.
i can run 10 miles. without feeling like i'm going to fall over at the end.
i think i might just be a runner.
today's mileage: 10
total mileage: 139.1
and here's the 1/2 marathon playlist. i've crossed out songs that have subsequently been edited out for just not working :) also the song marked with ** is where i got to stop running - i didn't actually get through the whole list.
Body Movin' - Beastie Boys
Push It - Garbage
Been Caught Stealing - Jane's Addiction
Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes
Cannonball - Breeders
The Distance - Cake
El Cuarto de Tula - Buena Vista Social Club
Gepetto - Belly
Excuse Me Mr. - No Doubt
Float On - Modest Mouse
Gouge Away - Pixies
I Left My Wallet In El Segundo - A Tribe Called Quest
6'1" - Liz Phair
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2
Weekends - Black Eyed Peas (featuring Esthero)
I Will Survive - Cake
Diamond - Klint (Snatch Soundtrack)
Love & Death - The Stills
Lucy - The Black Crowes
How Many Miles Must We March - Ben Harper
Cross The Tracks (We Better Go Back)… Maceo & The Macks (Snatch Soundtrack)
Where The Streets Have No Name - U2
Say Something - James
Wave Of Mutilation - Pixies
Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
Paper Doll - Louis XIV
Walk This World - Heather Nova
Ultraviolet (Light My Way) - U2
Jenifa (Taught Me) - De La Soul
Mr. Brightside - The Killers
Buggin' Out - A Tribe Called Quest
Mr. Grieves - Pixies
New - No Doubt
Politik - Coldplay
Daydream Believer - Monkees
Let Go - Frou Frou
Short Skirt/Long Jacket - Cake
Milk - Garbage
Qué Onda Guero - Beck
Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2
Fast As You Can - Fiona Apple**
Sunday Morning - No Doubt
Tame - Pixies
High And Dry - Radiohead
I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash
friday i moved. yeah again. the movers were scheduled for 9:30. they arrived at 8:50. most people would be ready the night before, but no, not me. i got up at 7am to finish...and had planned on using every minute. they are great movers, and super cheap and everything went off without a hitch except for the few things that i did not get to pack.
friday was a mess of unpacking and cleaning at the old place and running around for the-things-you-need-when-you-move-into-a-new-place. to get away from my mess, i got a manicure/pedicure with charlotte and then watched some dvr'd shows at her house and ate pizza. i didn't sleep very well that night though because of all the new apartment noises, and it was freezing because the heat isn't on yet.
saturday i had to miss practice because of the pilot i'm in. handsome wrote it, and i was lucky enough for him to give me a part. i had to be up at a the restaurant we were filming in at 6:30 am. bleh. i was exhausted getting up because at 5 there was atrocious pounding on my neighbor's door. The buzzing. then a phone ringing. the more pounding. when i left a little after 6, i saw that someone must have ordered food and passed out - there was not one, but two food packages outside the door.
when i walked into the restaurant, i was *impressed*. handsome works in production and called in some favors, but i had no idea it would be so professional. the producer greeted me, introduced herself, said she was glad i was "camera ready" (i came with dressed and in make up), and asked me to go get mic'd. wowy. two cameras, a dolly, tons of crew running around. very professional! i've never done anything on film before, just theatre, so this was a whole new experience for me. we started rolling around 7:30 and it was SO fun.
we didn't get done until 11:30, and my friend kkf was coming up to play the "hot girl in the park" for one of the scenes at 1. it was gorgeous out, so i decided to hang out and wait for her and watch. we were there until 4 or so, then it was back downtown for some unpacking, shower and nap. my friend was having a party way back up in washington heights and it was going to be at least an hour back uptown.
after too much party last night, i woke up to my sister calling at 11 to see if i wanted to get brunch. i was irritated with myself for feeling less than 100% when i not only had to go back to finish the pilot at 8:30 that night, but i had to also finish cleaning the old apartment, which had quite a way to go, AND i was supposed to run 11-14 miles. eek.
food was necessary, so we ate and i bribed my sis into helping me clean. tentative schedule was to go to a gym near the park for locker use, be at the park by 5, run 2 loops (12 miles) and go back to the gym around 7:30 to be showered, made-up and dressed by 8:30. cleaning ran long, so i was already pushed back to 5:30 when i thought i lost my wallet. so annoying. the panic went on for about 30 minutes, while i checked both apartments, one of which is full of boxes and random piles.
anyone want to guess where i found it? my bag. the bag with all the rest of my stuff. yeah. for all my smarts, sometimes i'm an idiot. because of the wallet-delay, i wasn't going to be able to run 12, so i had to down grade to 10. i wasn't thrilled but was so happy that i found my wallet that i decided to calm down and do what i could.
i got to the park right at six. i hadn't been able to eat anything so i goo'd it up right before i ran and had two on stand by. it was cool but not cold, with a great breeze, leaves falling and all. my 1/2 marathon mix on the ipod (btw, people have been asking so the song list is listed after this post). i was ready. i started on the west side at 72 and decided to do a full loop (6 miles) and then the 72nd st - 102 st 4-mile loop. 10 miles. plus the dreaded harlem hill, which is not very long but is pretty damn steep. i knew i could physically do it, but i was on a schedule so had to keep to my 12-minute mile pace or i'd be late. i was also nervous because of the morning hangover, the bad nights sleep and not eating or drinking enough water.
but a funny thing happened. it went *amazing*. i don't know if its the hill training, or the long distances we've been doing, or what but i ran 10 miles today and it was a strong 10!! there were times that i felt like i was going really fast. the music was kickin'. the hills were a challenge but they weren't so bad. i was having fun! i have no doubt in my mind i could have done another two miles, if not more. all of these things caused me to have a dumb grin on my face for most of the run. i must have looked like a fool, but at least i was a runnin' fool!
with all seriousness, i am really so proud today. the 1/2 marathon was a major accomplishment, and i was proud then too, but because i felt so strong for this whole run, this one somehow a little sweeter.
i can run 10 miles. without feeling like i'm going to fall over at the end.
i think i might just be a runner.
today's mileage: 10
total mileage: 139.1
and here's the 1/2 marathon playlist. i've crossed out songs that have subsequently been edited out for just not working :) also the song marked with ** is where i got to stop running - i didn't actually get through the whole list.
Body Movin' - Beastie Boys
Push It - Garbage
Been Caught Stealing - Jane's Addiction
Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes
Cannonball - Breeders
The Distance - Cake
El Cuarto de Tula - Buena Vista Social Club
Gepetto - Belly
Excuse Me Mr. - No Doubt
Float On - Modest Mouse
Gouge Away - Pixies
I Left My Wallet In El Segundo - A Tribe Called Quest
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2
Weekends - Black Eyed Peas (featuring Esthero)
I Will Survive - Cake
Diamond - Klint (Snatch Soundtrack)
Love & Death - The Stills
Lucy - The Black Crowes
How Many Miles Must We March - Ben Harper
Cross The Tracks (We Better Go Back)… Maceo & The Macks (Snatch Soundtrack)
Where The Streets Have No Name - U2
Wave Of Mutilation - Pixies
Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
Paper Doll - Louis XIV
Walk This World - Heather Nova
Ultraviolet (Light My Way) - U2
Jenifa (Taught Me) - De La Soul
Mr. Brightside - The Killers
Buggin' Out - A Tribe Called Quest
Mr. Grieves - Pixies
New - No Doubt
Politik - Coldplay
Daydream Believer - Monkees
Let Go - Frou Frou
Short Skirt/Long Jacket - Cake
Milk - Garbage
Qué Onda Guero - Beck
Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2
Fast As You Can - Fiona Apple**
Sunday Morning - No Doubt
Tame - Pixies
High And Dry - Radiohead
I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash
Thursday, October 19, 2006
putting a face to the name
this is steve, wearing a perfect steve grin.
this was taken one of the last nights i was living in boston in 2000, at a co-birthday/farewell party. sorry for the quality but i literally took a picture of a picture because i've been home all day packing. i'm looking for one of steve's (and my) favorite picture of him and a bunch of us girls...but in the packing mess i cannot get my hands on it! i'll fix this one and hopefully find the other soon!
this was taken one of the last nights i was living in boston in 2000, at a co-birthday/farewell party. sorry for the quality but i literally took a picture of a picture because i've been home all day packing. i'm looking for one of steve's (and my) favorite picture of him and a bunch of us girls...but in the packing mess i cannot get my hands on it! i'll fix this one and hopefully find the other soon!
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
a run for bouv
it's wednesday night, turning thursday october 19th now. i'm blue. i'm blue because october 19th marks the 1st year anniversary of the day that steve died. this will be a hard post.
a while ago, i started thinking about how i wanted to deal with this day. i much prefer celebrating steve's birth and his life. but i know that to disregard, or some how sweep under, or try to ignore, the day that he died is not good or healthy or right. i want to honor steve's whole life, and that means dealing with the whole picture.
i mentioned in the last post that before each run we have a mission moment - someone speaks about why they are running with team in training. about a month or so ago, i decided that to do one of these was one of the ways that i could talk about steve and remember him with other people in a way that would not only allow me to be sad (it's sometimes hard for me to let myself be sad) but to also motivate and inspire those around me that are participating in team in training.
so tonight at practice, i talked about steve and his illness and his death. i talked about how i wanted to do something and went to a team in training meeting looking for a bike ride but came out a marathon runner. i talked about how i was doing this for steve and his wife and his family. it was hard. i haven't talked, out loud, about that stuff in a specific way in a long time. i got choked up. i kept talking. i got teary-eyed, and kept talking. the words spilled out of my mouth more than anything else and i just tried to be brave and speak strongly, 'cause that's what this story deserves.
after i spoke, it was time for our coach, christine, to tell us about what we would be doing for our run. but first, she thanked me for the mission moment, and she asked everyone dedicate tonight's run for steve and his family. that doesn't happen every week, and it made me really glad that she did that. as we ran the warm up and during the hills, other people continued to thank me for sharing, which alternately made be blush and smile. after running up the hill the last time, which of course was the hardest, one of my teammates that i don't know called out as he ran by "hey steve's friend" because he couldn't remember my name. he remembered steve's. he told me "that last one i ran especially for steve."
so tonight, bouv, you had a ton of people running up and down a hell of a 1/4 mile long hill remembering you and thinking of your family. i hope you are looking down on all this, drinking a beah with a shit-eating grin on your face. or maybe that's because the yankees choked this season?
but regardless...cheers my friend. i miss you, and keep you with me all the time. i'm proud to be doing something so crazy in your name.
today's mileage: 5.0
total mileage: 129.1
a while ago, i started thinking about how i wanted to deal with this day. i much prefer celebrating steve's birth and his life. but i know that to disregard, or some how sweep under, or try to ignore, the day that he died is not good or healthy or right. i want to honor steve's whole life, and that means dealing with the whole picture.
i mentioned in the last post that before each run we have a mission moment - someone speaks about why they are running with team in training. about a month or so ago, i decided that to do one of these was one of the ways that i could talk about steve and remember him with other people in a way that would not only allow me to be sad (it's sometimes hard for me to let myself be sad) but to also motivate and inspire those around me that are participating in team in training.
so tonight at practice, i talked about steve and his illness and his death. i talked about how i wanted to do something and went to a team in training meeting looking for a bike ride but came out a marathon runner. i talked about how i was doing this for steve and his wife and his family. it was hard. i haven't talked, out loud, about that stuff in a specific way in a long time. i got choked up. i kept talking. i got teary-eyed, and kept talking. the words spilled out of my mouth more than anything else and i just tried to be brave and speak strongly, 'cause that's what this story deserves.
after i spoke, it was time for our coach, christine, to tell us about what we would be doing for our run. but first, she thanked me for the mission moment, and she asked everyone dedicate tonight's run for steve and his family. that doesn't happen every week, and it made me really glad that she did that. as we ran the warm up and during the hills, other people continued to thank me for sharing, which alternately made be blush and smile. after running up the hill the last time, which of course was the hardest, one of my teammates that i don't know called out as he ran by "hey steve's friend" because he couldn't remember my name. he remembered steve's. he told me "that last one i ran especially for steve."
so tonight, bouv, you had a ton of people running up and down a hell of a 1/4 mile long hill remembering you and thinking of your family. i hope you are looking down on all this, drinking a beah with a shit-eating grin on your face. or maybe that's because the yankees choked this season?
but regardless...cheers my friend. i miss you, and keep you with me all the time. i'm proud to be doing something so crazy in your name.
today's mileage: 5.0
total mileage: 129.1
a successful bone marow donor drive
on monday, we hosted a bone marrow donor drive on behalf of grace's husband.
on sunday after the 1/2 marathon, i decided to fulfill my promise of homemade cookies and baked about 120. just call me betty-freaking-crocker. or totally crazy. in retrospect, i think running back and forth from the couch to the oven actually prevented me from some uncomfortable stiffness. by some miracle i was not as sore as i suspected.
despite the funny face in this photo, the nurse rocked and it was by far the least painful blood drawing i've ever had. note the cool pillow we designed as a promo item for our new advertising-meets-karma website, afterthesemessages.com. the pillow and the site are pretty cool.
all the green teamers that were eligible to participate did, making for a very successful drive. my concept for a shot of everyone's band-aid all together however was just "eh". :) we also had some friends and a few people from team in training, which was great.
hills tonight, straight attack and recovery. i'm hoping the skies keep clear. i'm also nervous as hell because each practice starts off as a mission moment - someone gets up and speaks about why they are participating. tonight i'm going to talk about steve, and am pretty sure i'm gonna cry.
on sunday after the 1/2 marathon, i decided to fulfill my promise of homemade cookies and baked about 120. just call me betty-freaking-crocker. or totally crazy. in retrospect, i think running back and forth from the couch to the oven actually prevented me from some uncomfortable stiffness. by some miracle i was not as sore as i suspected.
despite the funny face in this photo, the nurse rocked and it was by far the least painful blood drawing i've ever had. note the cool pillow we designed as a promo item for our new advertising-meets-karma website, afterthesemessages.com. the pillow and the site are pretty cool.
all the green teamers that were eligible to participate did, making for a very successful drive. my concept for a shot of everyone's band-aid all together however was just "eh". :) we also had some friends and a few people from team in training, which was great.
hills tonight, straight attack and recovery. i'm hoping the skies keep clear. i'm also nervous as hell because each practice starts off as a mission moment - someone gets up and speaks about why they are participating. tonight i'm going to talk about steve, and am pretty sure i'm gonna cry.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
oof - a long one!
perhaps an understatement, but that's kind of how i feel about those 13.1 miles i just ran. but i also feel like *&%^%#$^%(*^*I*(^*&^%&$^&%$^&%$!!!!!
it took me (by my time, which accounts for the 1 pee-break) 2 hours and 36 minutes, which is just shy of a 12-minute mile, which is pretty much where i expected to be, and i'm pretty happy!
i opted out of a party last night that i just couldn't bring myself to go to because i was so damn stressed and wanted to get to bed early. of course, life never cooperates, and i couldn't really sleep for various reasons (parties, yelling outside of my window, general nerves). got up at 6. made oatmeal, got dressed, packed a bag, called handsome. he was at his gf's around the corner so i picked him up and suggested we get a cab to the 7:30 ferry.
it was *freezing* and i was glad that i opted for the long sleeved shirt. we sleepily made it out to the island and headed over to the stadium, where everything was taking place. i had already picked up my registration stuff, so we basically tried to keep warm and kept drinking gatorade and peeing. the idea is to stop drinking an hour or so before you run, then pee 10 minutes before you start - that's when you start hydrating again. if you master hydration strategy, you can make it through a marathon without standing in the portapotty line. (as gross as all portapotties are, runners' portapotties are grosser than others. trust me.)
we met up with the other tnters and tried to keep warm. i packed up the camera & goo's into my pack, got my ipod all situated and ready to go and before you know it we were being asked to line up. we were in the corral for about 15 mintues before we finally started, and we were off.
handsome's faster than i am so i wished him well and pressed *play* on the ole ipod. i spent an hour or so last night picking tunes and configuring them to coinside with how i thought i'd be feeling at various points in the run. the kick off was "body movin'", by the beasties. appropriate, no?
mile 1 was nice and easy, everyone just kind of getting out there, and it's my favorite people watching mile. a speed-walker blew by me, his bum shaking left and right within 5 minutes. "larry the lighthouse" was there - some guy who ran the whole race with a 5-6' lighthouse over his body. girls like me, looking nervous, hanging back. older (like early 60's older) runners who's bodies you could tell had seen lots of miles.
by mile 2, i could no longer ignore the fact that i had to pee again, and unfortunately there was a line of women at the 2 portapotties. my left calf pain was back, so i figured what the hell, got in line and stretched while some of the girls in line grumbled about how long it was taking. after that i felt 10 times better and i was off again.
i always hate between mile 1 and mile 3. they are the roughest for me, getting all the kinks out and it is when all the self-doubt is at it's worst. between mile 2 and 3, the voice in my head goes something like: oh god, 10 more? 10 like last weekend 10 more! who am i KIDDING there's no way! ug. get moving girl, or you're gonna be running forever. nice work going on *vacation* when you should have been running! now look what you've gotten yourself into!
then somehow, my legs loosen up, a good song comes on, and the voices quiet down for a bit. miles 4-5 were a tiny bit hilly, but manageable, and around mile 5 i had been running for about an hour (right on track) and it was time for my first goo. i decided to wait until the next water station. by the way, grabbing and drinking cups of water as you run. not as easy as it looks. i think the first cup at mile 2 ended up more on my shirt than on me. anyway. vanilla bean goo and water. tasty. the goo kind of caught in my throat, and it caused the bit of water that i was trying to drink not spill to go down the wrong tube. i must have been a sight - running, coughing and spilling with a post-goo-i-don't-like-this-stuff-face on.
but man! do those things work! within a few minutes i was like a new person! my legs were on auto, there were great tunes on, it was kind of flat and it was a fantastic fall day! i love running! this is amazing! what was i complaining about! hey, there's handsome! (there was a turn around and he was coming the other way, so we yelped and pointed at each other like - YEAH, you da man!) wheeeeeeeeeeeee! did i mention those goos have caffeine.
so mile 5 - 9 were my best. a few were even in the 10-minute mile range. there was a longer hill around mile 8, which i attacked with short, swift arm movements (which, you'll remember results in short, swift strides, closer to the ground), as training taught us. that stuff works too - the hill was totally manageable even though it was a little long. mile nine was relatively easy as well. i was surprised though that there was so few spectators out and about. i guess it could have been because we were in the back, but there were few people out and those that were seemed disinterested in what was going on. it was okay cause i had my tunes. around mile 9 i mug for some photographers - de la soul on the mic "jenifa oh jenny".
the last 3 miles...wow. hard! i kept thinking just 3 more, that's nothing, but it was still 36 minutes (if i was keeping pace) and that felt like a really long time to my legs. the water station at mile 10 was closed, which is just silly because those of us that were slower probably need the water even more! around mile 11, i contemplated walking. and then i felt lame. and my legs hurt. and i was so close. but i did not want to keep going. i sighed in frustration and from somewhere a moment of clarity came through and i remembered why i was doing this in the first place. it's not because i have aspirations of becoming a great runner, have any chance of "winning" or something to prove to myself. i was doing this for steve, our bouv, for all that he went through. for how i missed him, and how i wished i had spent more time with him. for his mom and dad, and for his wife and for all of us that knew him and loved him. i got teary for a few minutes as i got another wind and pressed on.
2 miles, a little bit up hill. run run run, u2 on the ipod, where the streets have no name, i am so close. water station at mile 2 closed. argh. go go go. approaching one mile...a water station that's open - "you're almost there! you're doing great! you're beautiful!" ha. a girl peers at me as i go up the hill...my sis! "roxie! how *are* you! are you okay!" yes...only 1 mile left. she jogs along beside me for a few moments. "you're doing great!" thanks! "see you at the finish!" 1 mile 1 mile 1 mile. mostly downhill. go go go. people leaving the stadium in their cars...beeping...a few cheers and thumbs up - *Thank you* - the cops tell us to move left and utilize the sidewalk. no way dudes. i pretend i can't hear with the head phones and finally...13 miles! i kick it, and can see handsome grinning and waving, another burst of speed, can't say where it came from and there's the whole team on the left, cheering like crazy. the tears threaten again, but there's no time for crying so i grin and go faster and i've made it before they stop time and!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm done.
like i said. oof.
i'm terribly proud. course...when i think of running twice that...well. look how far i've come in 2 months...and i still have 3 to go! thanks everyone for being so supportive, and especially for my sister for cheering me on and handsome for coming out today! even though we don't run together, it's always great to know you're there.
today's mileage: 13.1
total mileage: 124.1
it took me (by my time, which accounts for the 1 pee-break) 2 hours and 36 minutes, which is just shy of a 12-minute mile, which is pretty much where i expected to be, and i'm pretty happy!
i opted out of a party last night that i just couldn't bring myself to go to because i was so damn stressed and wanted to get to bed early. of course, life never cooperates, and i couldn't really sleep for various reasons (parties, yelling outside of my window, general nerves). got up at 6. made oatmeal, got dressed, packed a bag, called handsome. he was at his gf's around the corner so i picked him up and suggested we get a cab to the 7:30 ferry.
it was *freezing* and i was glad that i opted for the long sleeved shirt. we sleepily made it out to the island and headed over to the stadium, where everything was taking place. i had already picked up my registration stuff, so we basically tried to keep warm and kept drinking gatorade and peeing. the idea is to stop drinking an hour or so before you run, then pee 10 minutes before you start - that's when you start hydrating again. if you master hydration strategy, you can make it through a marathon without standing in the portapotty line. (as gross as all portapotties are, runners' portapotties are grosser than others. trust me.)
we met up with the other tnters and tried to keep warm. i packed up the camera & goo's into my pack, got my ipod all situated and ready to go and before you know it we were being asked to line up. we were in the corral for about 15 mintues before we finally started, and we were off.
handsome's faster than i am so i wished him well and pressed *play* on the ole ipod. i spent an hour or so last night picking tunes and configuring them to coinside with how i thought i'd be feeling at various points in the run. the kick off was "body movin'", by the beasties. appropriate, no?
mile 1 was nice and easy, everyone just kind of getting out there, and it's my favorite people watching mile. a speed-walker blew by me, his bum shaking left and right within 5 minutes. "larry the lighthouse" was there - some guy who ran the whole race with a 5-6' lighthouse over his body. girls like me, looking nervous, hanging back. older (like early 60's older) runners who's bodies you could tell had seen lots of miles.
by mile 2, i could no longer ignore the fact that i had to pee again, and unfortunately there was a line of women at the 2 portapotties. my left calf pain was back, so i figured what the hell, got in line and stretched while some of the girls in line grumbled about how long it was taking. after that i felt 10 times better and i was off again.
i always hate between mile 1 and mile 3. they are the roughest for me, getting all the kinks out and it is when all the self-doubt is at it's worst. between mile 2 and 3, the voice in my head goes something like: oh god, 10 more? 10 like last weekend 10 more! who am i KIDDING there's no
then somehow, my legs loosen up, a good song comes on, and the voices quiet down for a bit. miles 4-5 were a tiny bit hilly, but manageable, and around mile 5 i had been running for about an hour (right on track) and it was time for my first goo. i decided to wait until the next water station. by the way, grabbing and drinking cups of water as you run. not as easy as it looks. i think the first cup at mile 2 ended up more on my shirt than on me. anyway. vanilla bean goo and water. tasty. the goo kind of caught in my throat, and it caused the bit of water that i was trying to drink not spill to go down the wrong tube. i must have been a sight - running, coughing and spilling with a post-goo-i-don't-like-this-stuff-face on.
but man! do those things work! within a few minutes i was like a new person! my legs were on auto, there were great tunes on, it was kind of flat and it was a fantastic fall day! i love running! this is amazing! what was i complaining about! hey, there's handsome! (there was a turn around and he was coming the other way, so we yelped and pointed at each other like - YEAH, you da man!) wheeeeeeeeeeeee! did i mention those goos have caffeine.
so mile 5 - 9 were my best. a few were even in the 10-minute mile range. there was a longer hill around mile 8, which i attacked with short, swift arm movements (which, you'll remember results in short, swift strides, closer to the ground), as training taught us. that stuff works too - the hill was totally manageable even though it was a little long. mile nine was relatively easy as well. i was surprised though that there was so few spectators out and about. i guess it could have been because we were in the back, but there were few people out and those that were seemed disinterested in what was going on. it was okay cause i had my tunes. around mile 9 i mug for some photographers - de la soul on the mic "jenifa oh jenny".
the last 3 miles...wow. hard! i kept thinking just 3 more, that's nothing, but it was still 36 minutes (if i was keeping pace) and that felt like a really long time to my legs. the water station at mile 10 was closed, which is just silly because those of us that were slower probably need the water even more! around mile 11, i contemplated walking. and then i felt lame. and my legs hurt. and i was so close. but i did not want to keep going. i sighed in frustration and from somewhere a moment of clarity came through and i remembered why i was doing this in the first place. it's not because i have aspirations of becoming a great runner, have any chance of "winning" or something to prove to myself. i was doing this for steve, our bouv, for all that he went through. for how i missed him, and how i wished i had spent more time with him. for his mom and dad, and for his wife and for all of us that knew him and loved him. i got teary for a few minutes as i got another wind and pressed on.
2 miles, a little bit up hill. run run run, u2 on the ipod, where the streets have no name, i am so close. water station at mile 2 closed. argh. go go go. approaching one mile...a water station that's open - "you're almost there! you're doing great! you're beautiful!" ha. a girl peers at me as i go up the hill...my sis! "roxie! how *are* you! are you okay!" yes...only 1 mile left. she jogs along beside me for a few moments. "you're doing great!" thanks! "see you at the finish!" 1 mile 1 mile 1 mile. mostly downhill. go go go. people leaving the stadium in their cars...beeping...a few cheers and thumbs up - *Thank you* - the cops tell us to move left and utilize the sidewalk. no way dudes. i pretend i can't hear with the head phones and finally...13 miles! i kick it, and can see handsome grinning and waving, another burst of speed, can't say where it came from and there's the whole team on the left, cheering like crazy. the tears threaten again, but there's no time for crying so i grin and go faster and i've made it before they stop time and!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm done.
like i said. oof.
i'm terribly proud. course...when i think of running twice that...well. look how far i've come in 2 months...and i still have 3 to go! thanks everyone for being so supportive, and especially for my sister for cheering me on and handsome for coming out today! even though we don't run together, it's always great to know you're there.
today's mileage: 13.1
total mileage: 124.1
Saturday, October 14, 2006
purchasing confidence
what better way to make yourself feel better about something like this than to buy new equipment! check it out.
the photographer in me won out over the fanny-pack-hater. more as practice for the real marathon than needing to take pictures tomorrow. i suspect tomorrow i'm just going to want to get it over and done with and staten island isn't so picturesque anyway. but! our coaches keep telling us "NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY" so i needed to practice with the damn thing now. hopefully the goos i bought won't explode on my camera.
i've decided on oatmeal for breakfast, with a banana. we'll see how that treats me, it seems like it will be least likely to induce heartburn, but i'm going to go buy some tums just in case. my sis is coming out for pasta with me in a little bit, and then i'm going to soberly attend a good friend's b-day, then i need to get in bed early. i can't decide if i should get on the 7:30 or the 8:30 ferry, but regardless i have to be finished with breakfast by 7:30. then there's the hydration strategy, do i ride my bike down there, what flavor goo should i eat first? so much to think about.
i don't often get freaked out, it's a very rare occurrence for my normally calm and collected self. so be patient, i'll stop being a spaz eventually.
oh, ferry's run every hour on the 1/2 hour if anyone is entertaining the notion of coming over. i think i probably won't get started until 9:45 or so (being at the back) and hopefully will be about 2.5 hours...so i should arrive at the finish around 12:15. wish me luck!
the photographer in me won out over the fanny-pack-hater. more as practice for the real marathon than needing to take pictures tomorrow. i suspect tomorrow i'm just going to want to get it over and done with and staten island isn't so picturesque anyway. but! our coaches keep telling us "NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY" so i needed to practice with the damn thing now. hopefully the goos i bought won't explode on my camera.
i've decided on oatmeal for breakfast, with a banana. we'll see how that treats me, it seems like it will be least likely to induce heartburn, but i'm going to go buy some tums just in case. my sis is coming out for pasta with me in a little bit, and then i'm going to soberly attend a good friend's b-day, then i need to get in bed early. i can't decide if i should get on the 7:30 or the 8:30 ferry, but regardless i have to be finished with breakfast by 7:30. then there's the hydration strategy, do i ride my bike down there, what flavor goo should i eat first? so much to think about.
i don't often get freaked out, it's a very rare occurrence for my normally calm and collected self. so be patient, i'll stop being a spaz eventually.
oh, ferry's run every hour on the 1/2 hour if anyone is entertaining the notion of coming over. i think i probably won't get started until 9:45 or so (being at the back) and hopefully will be about 2.5 hours...so i should arrive at the finish around 12:15. wish me luck!
exactly 3 months...
until the marathon! wow, it's crazy when I think about it like that.
in a lot of ways, i feel much more capable and experienced than when i started running a few (um, 2) months ago. in others, i still feel like a baby runner without the *right* to think that i could possibly be attempting a marathon. i try to ignore those feelings and go with the good times, but some days are harder than others.
today is kind of one of those days. i'm going to be running around getting stuff ready for the 1/2 marathon tomorrow, which i'm also petrified of. i figure if i can do it in less than 3 i'm doing okay. if not, we have some...i don't know what to do.
this is what i'm going to be doing today...
•picking up my number at new york road runners
•going to super runners world to get:
-goo
-a long sleeved dri-fit shirt (it's supposed to be cold)
-body glide (runners lube)
-a hat
-new socks
-maybe new shorts or possibly runners tights although i don't really like those
-maybe (i really don't like this one) a fanny pack*
•working on my running mix for the ipod
*i want you to know the ONLY reason i am entertaining the notion of running with a fanny pack is so I can bring my camera. what will win out...my need to take photographs or my contempt of the fanny pack. only time will tell.
ps. i'm losing my first toe nail. surely that means i'm a real runner, right!
in a lot of ways, i feel much more capable and experienced than when i started running a few (um, 2) months ago. in others, i still feel like a baby runner without the *right* to think that i could possibly be attempting a marathon. i try to ignore those feelings and go with the good times, but some days are harder than others.
today is kind of one of those days. i'm going to be running around getting stuff ready for the 1/2 marathon tomorrow, which i'm also petrified of. i figure if i can do it in less than 3 i'm doing okay. if not, we have some...i don't know what to do.
this is what i'm going to be doing today...
•picking up my number at new york road runners
•going to super runners world to get:
-goo
-a long sleeved dri-fit shirt (it's supposed to be cold)
-body glide (runners lube)
-a hat
-new socks
-maybe new shorts or possibly runners tights although i don't really like those
-maybe (i really don't like this one) a fanny pack*
•working on my running mix for the ipod
*i want you to know the ONLY reason i am entertaining the notion of running with a fanny pack is so I can bring my camera. what will win out...my need to take photographs or my contempt of the fanny pack. only time will tell.
ps. i'm losing my first toe nail. surely that means i'm a real runner, right!
Thursday, October 12, 2006
talking back
unlike when we were little (or i should say younger. some of us are still little talk-backers), talking back is no longer a bad things.
and i've been meaning to encourage you guys to let me know what you think of all this via blogger's lovely commenting system.
you don't have to, i'm just sayin' that your thoughts are totally welcome. if there are questions you have about my training, things you want to know more about, your reactions, etc., i'm interested in what you think. talking is important, you know?
that's all on that front. no pressure but i did want to let you know my door is open.
okay SO we just got ramon's e-mail about the 1/2 marathon, and i confess i am SCARED. NERVOUS. and a little nauseous. 13.1 miles! am i ready? i don't feel ready. damn it, i'm going to do my best but...eeeeek. here's a not-so-little exerpt.
HOW TO PREPARE/TAPER FOR THIS EVENT ?
-Today don't run at all, stretch,
-Friday go for a 2-3 miles easy run.
-Saturday either take off, or run 1-2 miles easy
-Starting today concentrate in nutrition and hydration. Drink plenty of liquid, you can add a sports drink per day, or add a little extra salt to your meals. Starting today 60-65% of your calories should come from carbohydrates. You don't need to eat more, just make sure most calories come from carbs.
-Sunday morning you should be done with breakfast by 7:30-45 am (at most you can havesomething light at 7:30 am). Continue to hydrate up to 8:00 am. After that make sure you get raid of the excess of fluids (aka go to the bathroom). 5-10 mins before the start have your last 6-8 oz of liquids.
HOW TO APPROACH THIS EVENT ??
Well, well, well !
This is a pretty important event specially for those that are shooting for a time in their marathon.The course is mostly flat, a bit of incline eary on, and a decent hill about mile 10, but nothing you should be afraid of, you are all uphill running machines by now, right ??.
First thing I want you to keep in mind is that we are not using this race to run our fastest half marathon ever at any cost, not at all! While most of you will run your fastest marathon (for most of you, it'll be your first half marathon, YEPPIII !!!) The goal of this event should be to race it SMARTLY !! It's better to finish the event knowing that you could have run faster, than Bonking at mile 8 or 9.
The event is going to be crowded, and the start is a little narrow, if you are racing and are planning on running under 7 minute mile place yourself in the front 10 rows, if you are planning on running around 8:00 per mile or slower start close to the Pace per mile marker (those blue signs on the side at the starting line) 1 minutes faster (eg..if you are planning running 10 mpm, start closer to the 9)
Keep in mind that over 85% of the people will start a little too fast, use the first 2-3 miles to get a feeling on how your body is feeling on that day and to get your pace as close as you can to what you are supposed to run. During the first 6 miles you should feel like you are holding back, if you don't I can guarantee you that you will probably slow down a bit in the later miles. Since the early miles are flat, it should be pretty easy to pace yourself properly, once you hit your pace just concentrate in keeping the same effort by focusing on your breathing. At mile 6-7 take a look at yourself, and if you are feeling good pick it up a bit, (about 10 seconds per mile), hold that pace up to mile 10, once you get there you can star racing by how you feel, if you are feeling good, go for it, If you are feeling like you are getting in trouble, you may want to hold back a bit or continue with the same effort. Once you get to `the hill' hold back, don't push the hill even if you are feeling good, wait until you get to the top, there is a good time/spot to make a move. From there you can go by how you feel. You feel good, go for it,You feel ok, maintain the effort, you feel awful, hold back !! simple !!!
simple. right. of course.~sigh~
and i've been meaning to encourage you guys to let me know what you think of all this via blogger's lovely commenting system.
you don't have to, i'm just sayin' that your thoughts are totally welcome. if there are questions you have about my training, things you want to know more about, your reactions, etc., i'm interested in what you think. talking is important, you know?
that's all on that front. no pressure but i did want to let you know my door is open.
okay SO we just got ramon's e-mail about the 1/2 marathon, and i confess i am SCARED. NERVOUS. and a little nauseous. 13.1 miles! am i ready? i don't feel ready. damn it, i'm going to do my best but...eeeeek. here's a not-so-little exerpt.
HOW TO PREPARE/TAPER FOR THIS EVENT ?
-Today don't run at all, stretch,
-Friday go for a 2-3 miles easy run.
-Saturday either take off, or run 1-2 miles easy
-Starting today concentrate in nutrition and hydration. Drink plenty of liquid, you can add a sports drink per day, or add a little extra salt to your meals. Starting today 60-65% of your calories should come from carbohydrates. You don't need to eat more, just make sure most calories come from carbs.
-Sunday morning you should be done with breakfast by 7:30-45 am (at most you can havesomething light at 7:30 am). Continue to hydrate up to 8:00 am. After that make sure you get raid of the excess of fluids (aka go to the bathroom). 5-10 mins before the start have your last 6-8 oz of liquids.
HOW TO APPROACH THIS EVENT ??
Well, well, well !
This is a pretty important event specially for those that are shooting for a time in their marathon.The course is mostly flat, a bit of incline eary on, and a decent hill about mile 10, but nothing you should be afraid of, you are all uphill running machines by now, right ??.
First thing I want you to keep in mind is that we are not using this race to run our fastest half marathon ever at any cost, not at all! While most of you will run your fastest marathon (for most of you, it'll be your first half marathon, YEPPIII !!!) The goal of this event should be to race it SMARTLY !! It's better to finish the event knowing that you could have run faster, than Bonking at mile 8 or 9.
The event is going to be crowded, and the start is a little narrow, if you are racing and are planning on running under 7 minute mile place yourself in the front 10 rows, if you are planning on running around 8:00 per mile or slower start close to the Pace per mile marker (those blue signs on the side at the starting line) 1 minutes faster (eg..if you are planning running 10 mpm, start closer to the 9)
Keep in mind that over 85% of the people will start a little too fast, use the first 2-3 miles to get a feeling on how your body is feeling on that day and to get your pace as close as you can to what you are supposed to run. During the first 6 miles you should feel like you are holding back, if you don't I can guarantee you that you will probably slow down a bit in the later miles. Since the early miles are flat, it should be pretty easy to pace yourself properly, once you hit your pace just concentrate in keeping the same effort by focusing on your breathing. At mile 6-7 take a look at yourself, and if you are feeling good pick it up a bit, (about 10 seconds per mile), hold that pace up to mile 10, once you get there you can star racing by how you feel, if you are feeling good, go for it, If you are feeling like you are getting in trouble, you may want to hold back a bit or continue with the same effort. Once you get to `the hill' hold back, don't push the hill even if you are feeling good, wait until you get to the top, there is a good time/spot to make a move. From there you can go by how you feel. You feel good, go for it,You feel ok, maintain the effort, you feel awful, hold back !! simple !!!
simple. right. of course.~sigh~
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
i am one of the crazy ones
and proud of it. here's what our coach had to say about us...
Those are the names of the hardcore runners of the Team !! Everybody above mentioned gets an A++++ for comittment and dedication to training ! I can tell you right now that you WILL cross the finish line of your event, It is the kind of comittment you showed during today's workout that will get you there !!You have impressed the coaches ! My hat off to you !!
The names above also represent the Crazy ones of the Team ! And also those are the names of the people I'm hating right now as I in the train going home all freaking wet !!! he,he,he.
honestly, it wasn't as hard running in the rain as getting to the practice.
as per the usual the commute made me super cranky. what i thought was a good idea of wearing my knee-boots with my shorts so my sneakers didn't get all wet, actually was not since the men of canal street seemed to think the pairing was hot. oh and it was raining. i tried to put on my "do i look like i want to be cat called?"-face but you can imagine how well that worked. oh and i didn't have an umbrella or appropriate rain gear (as usual). and when the commute starts poorly...it continues that way...the "express" wasn't going as fast as the local, some gross man decided he wanted to stand right in front of me with his hands on the top bar, with his belly practically in my face, and it smelled. i refrained from yelling/gesturing at anyone until i was on the upper east side when a d-bag rode by on his bike and made kissing sounds at me. i'm sorry, but he got (and deserved) the finger. when will i turn into a proper lady?
practice was in the raaaaaain and we ran up and down a long hill. it was not terrible, but not grand either. oh and i had heartburn. not a big deal but i seem to get it a lot lately. am i 30 or 60, sheesh. when i wanted to complain, i thought of linda, and my mom, and family. i think that i can push myself a little more, but i've been a little hesitant because of injuries and such. i'm happy that ramon says we will cross the finish line, but i want to feel even stronger than i do today...
today's mileage: 2.0*
total mileage: 111.0*
*=guestimated - hilly/rainy run. unknown milage and lost track of how many hills.
Those are the names of the hardcore runners of the Team !! Everybody above mentioned gets an A++++ for comittment and dedication to training ! I can tell you right now that you WILL cross the finish line of your event, It is the kind of comittment you showed during today's workout that will get you there !!You have impressed the coaches ! My hat off to you !!
The names above also represent the Crazy ones of the Team ! And also those are the names of the people I'm hating right now as I in the train going home all freaking wet !!! he,he,he.
honestly, it wasn't as hard running in the rain as getting to the practice.
as per the usual the commute made me super cranky. what i thought was a good idea of wearing my knee-boots with my shorts so my sneakers didn't get all wet, actually was not since the men of canal street seemed to think the pairing was hot. oh and it was raining. i tried to put on my "do i look like i want to be cat called?"-face but you can imagine how well that worked. oh and i didn't have an umbrella or appropriate rain gear (as usual). and when the commute starts poorly...it continues that way...the "express" wasn't going as fast as the local, some gross man decided he wanted to stand right in front of me with his hands on the top bar, with his belly practically in my face, and it smelled. i refrained from yelling/gesturing at anyone until i was on the upper east side when a d-bag rode by on his bike and made kissing sounds at me. i'm sorry, but he got (and deserved) the finger. when will i turn into a proper lady?
practice was in the raaaaaain and we ran up and down a long hill. it was not terrible, but not grand either. oh and i had heartburn. not a big deal but i seem to get it a lot lately. am i 30 or 60, sheesh. when i wanted to complain, i thought of linda, and my mom, and family. i think that i can push myself a little more, but i've been a little hesitant because of injuries and such. i'm happy that ramon says we will cross the finish line, but i want to feel even stronger than i do today...
today's mileage: 2.0*
total mileage: 111.0*
*=guestimated - hilly/rainy run. unknown milage and lost track of how many hills.
with the sad comes the good
i just got sad news from my mom that her cousin passed away today from breast cancer.
i was closer to linda when i was younger...her sister was my dance teacher for years. she was a constant presence at recitals. not the most delicate woman, she smoked a lot and it gave her a bit of a gruff voice, she could appear a bit scary to a kid, but underneath she was really a sweetheart. my mom's cousins were more like sisters to her when they were growing up (her dad and their mom were twins), and she and my nonna are really sad. so today, i'm going to run for linda and her sisters sandra & melanie, and my mom, and nonna and her family.
i'm happy that i'm helping in the small ways that i can. and so i'm really glad that we've confirmed the bone marrow donation at my office, Green Team Monday, October 16th, from 11am - 3pm. i know this can seem scary, i'm with you. but the chance to potentially save someone's life seems worth the risk. and you can always change your mind.
Green Team
9 Desbrosses Street, Suite 312 (between Hudson & Greenwich)
Desbrosses Street is 1 block south of Canal
Subway: 1 or A/C/E to Canal Street
When you get off the train walk west on Canal until you reach Hudson (You'll see the entrance of the Holland Tunnel and the Hudson Cafe.) Take a left on Hudson, and Desbrosses Street is the first street on your right, it begins on Hudson. #9 is on the south side of the street.
Taxi: Best bet is to be dropped off at Canal and Hudson and follow directions above.
as a thank you, we'll be provided pizza for lunch and i will be making cookies. and believe me, i make a mean cookie. so please please! come by if you can and pass this along!!
RSVP to girlyoubetterrun@gmail.com so i bake enough batches!
i was closer to linda when i was younger...her sister was my dance teacher for years. she was a constant presence at recitals. not the most delicate woman, she smoked a lot and it gave her a bit of a gruff voice, she could appear a bit scary to a kid, but underneath she was really a sweetheart. my mom's cousins were more like sisters to her when they were growing up (her dad and their mom were twins), and she and my nonna are really sad. so today, i'm going to run for linda and her sisters sandra & melanie, and my mom, and nonna and her family.
i'm happy that i'm helping in the small ways that i can. and so i'm really glad that we've confirmed the bone marrow donation at my office, Green Team Monday, October 16th, from 11am - 3pm. i know this can seem scary, i'm with you. but the chance to potentially save someone's life seems worth the risk. and you can always change your mind.
Green Team
9 Desbrosses Street, Suite 312 (between Hudson & Greenwich)
Desbrosses Street is 1 block south of Canal
Subway: 1 or A/C/E to Canal Street
When you get off the train walk west on Canal until you reach Hudson (You'll see the entrance of the Holland Tunnel and the Hudson Cafe.) Take a left on Hudson, and Desbrosses Street is the first street on your right, it begins on Hudson. #9 is on the south side of the street.
Taxi: Best bet is to be dropped off at Canal and Hudson and follow directions above.
as a thank you, we'll be provided pizza for lunch and i will be making cookies. and believe me, i make a mean cookie. so please please! come by if you can and pass this along!!
RSVP to girlyoubetterrun@gmail.com so i bake enough batches!
cresting the hill
hill training continues tonight.
i am a crazy mad woman between running and working and acting and moving! hopefully this work out will give a good vent to all the stress.
we got our recommitment paperwork monday...people that haven't reached their minimum have to commit with a credit card that they'll reach the goal by travel date and also, if they haven't raised 25% of the minimum, they have to "recommit" by putting the difference down themselves. this assures LLS that they're not making travel arrangements for people that aren't serious. thanks to you guys, i don't have to worry about that...just the commitment to my training.
this is feeling very very *real*! travel arrangements, tickets for pasta dinners - we're only a little over 3 months away! when i start thinking too much about it, i start getting a little freaked out so, i'm going to just continue to take it week by week, and do my best.
and now, a sneak preview of today's hill training courtesy of ramon:
The course: We are going back to Cat Hill. THIS TIME the Hill goes from traffic light at Boathouse to CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLE, that's the obeliscus about 200 mts after the top of the hill (behind Metropolitan museum), lamppost E8201.
From East 90th, we are going to head south to East 73rd street to the traffic light at bottom of cathill (a coach will be there) turn around and start the workout. (please run on the left side going up, and on the left side coming down) A coach will mark the turn around.
Same as you've been doing lately, we put the effort going up, we recover easy coming back to bottom of hill. We are running Boathouse to Needle, Needle to Boathouse, repeat, repeat and repeat again until the coaches say Suficiente, Basta or Te puedes ir a casa ! (so you better practice your spanish if you don't want to stay there forever!!!) he,he,he...silly coach !
We are working on "Cresting the hill' !! soooo...the following is recommended and mandatory…We will break distance of the pick-up in 2 parts. First part is uphill, 2nd it's flat. The goal it's running up the hill without wasting energy, once at the TOP concentrate on keeping the same effort (note that I say effort and no speed, very different!!) during the flat part, this should translate into faster pace for the second part.
i am a crazy mad woman between running and working and acting and moving! hopefully this work out will give a good vent to all the stress.
we got our recommitment paperwork monday...people that haven't reached their minimum have to commit with a credit card that they'll reach the goal by travel date and also, if they haven't raised 25% of the minimum, they have to "recommit" by putting the difference down themselves. this assures LLS that they're not making travel arrangements for people that aren't serious. thanks to you guys, i don't have to worry about that...just the commitment to my training.
this is feeling very very *real*! travel arrangements, tickets for pasta dinners - we're only a little over 3 months away! when i start thinking too much about it, i start getting a little freaked out so, i'm going to just continue to take it week by week, and do my best.
and now, a sneak preview of today's hill training courtesy of ramon:
The course: We are going back to Cat Hill. THIS TIME the Hill goes from traffic light at Boathouse to CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLE, that's the obeliscus about 200 mts after the top of the hill (behind Metropolitan museum), lamppost E8201.
From East 90th, we are going to head south to East 73rd street to the traffic light at bottom of cathill (a coach will be there) turn around and start the workout. (please run on the left side going up, and on the left side coming down) A coach will mark the turn around.
Same as you've been doing lately, we put the effort going up, we recover easy coming back to bottom of hill. We are running Boathouse to Needle, Needle to Boathouse, repeat, repeat and repeat again until the coaches say Suficiente, Basta or Te puedes ir a casa ! (so you better practice your spanish if you don't want to stay there forever!!!) he,he,he...silly coach !
We are working on "Cresting the hill' !! soooo...the following is recommended and mandatory…We will break distance of the pick-up in 2 parts. First part is uphill, 2nd it's flat. The goal it's running up the hill without wasting energy, once at the TOP concentrate on keeping the same effort (note that I say effort and no speed, very different!!) during the flat part, this should translate into faster pace for the second part.
Monday, October 09, 2006
i don't mean to be neglectful...
but most of my free time has been spent apartment hunting, which believe me, is NO fun.
but now...that's all finished! i found a place yesterday and got the keys today! it's a nyc-special - aka something you would find only in ny. basically my roommate doesn't live there - literally. he has the apartment as a "safety net" of sorts in case his current living situation doesn't work out. so i'll pay for my 1/2 of a 2-bedroom but basically have the place to myself. we did money/key exchange to day and we had a few drinks before my injury prevention clinic. good stuff.
the clinic was at the hospital for special surgery. tips on strengthening, why certain injuries happen, how to prevent them, and how to approach each phase of training. all things that i needed to hear, especially the "toos" (ramon's way of doing don'ts). the "toos" are the way that most people hurt themselves while training. too long too fast. too long too often. too fast too long. you're a smart crew, you get it. also even more cross training exercises. my goal for the week is to really pay some attention to cross training.
and on that note, i'm going to go do some squats.
but now...that's all finished! i found a place yesterday and got the keys today! it's a nyc-special - aka something you would find only in ny. basically my roommate doesn't live there - literally. he has the apartment as a "safety net" of sorts in case his current living situation doesn't work out. so i'll pay for my 1/2 of a 2-bedroom but basically have the place to myself. we did money/key exchange to day and we had a few drinks before my injury prevention clinic. good stuff.
the clinic was at the hospital for special surgery. tips on strengthening, why certain injuries happen, how to prevent them, and how to approach each phase of training. all things that i needed to hear, especially the "toos" (ramon's way of doing don'ts). the "toos" are the way that most people hurt themselves while training. too long too fast. too long too often. too fast too long. you're a smart crew, you get it. also even more cross training exercises. my goal for the week is to really pay some attention to cross training.
and on that note, i'm going to go do some squats.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
milestone: the first dd! + over 100 miles run!
double digits that is!
today i ran 10, yes, that's t-e-n, TEN miles today in prospect park. actually, according to dragan it was even more than that, but 10 is such a nice even number.
it was a day of firsts. first time running in brooklyn. first time running mileage in the double digits. breaking the line for having run OVER 100 miles! first time eating (swallowing?) power gel/goo. first time with chafing issues. first time thinking i was not going to finish. first time having a butt-neked massage post-run. aaaah what a saturday. it was also a day of realizing how much stuff i have to buy. but more on that later.
everyone was practicing in prospect park in park slope today. this was no big deal for me as it takes me about the same amount of time to get there as it does to central park...except today the f line was running on the c line and the g train turned in to the f train but the direction that it went was not intuative...so basically it took an extra 20 minutes to get to the park between waiting for transfers and actually getting on the g train going in the wrong direction.
it was also the coldest morning yet, and consistent to how i live my non-running life, i was ill-prepared for the weather. my running pants, which aren't very good anyway because they are cotton, were in the dirty clothing. i have nothing of the long-sleeve yet dry-fit variety in shirts. hmmm. i was stuck in my TNT tee shirt, shorts and a sweatshirt to keep me warm at the beginning of running, but would likely be way to heavy to keep after a while. when we got to the park, we had to wait for everyone since the trains were screwy and had a nutrition clinic before we ran. the clinic was great: coach christine explained how often before we run we have to eat. how often we have to eat goo or other "snacks" during our long runs (we are officially on "real" long runs). what we should be drinking and how much and when. but because of the cold, we were all freezing by the time we started.
i'm not going to lie, the going was hard. i think for me it was a combo of cold, post-vacation, not-enough-recent-training, cold, an achy left quad, a little fear of such a long run, and did i mention i was cold? we were supposed to do 3 loops, repeating the hill at the end of the loop once the first time around. i also was wearing the heavy sweatshirt which i had to take off and carry because it refused to stay tied to my waist. (luckily for me coach steve took it back to the start when i saw him on the hill - thanks steve!) the hill huuuuurt. i have ridden that hill painfully on my bike before and even though it doesn't seem very steep it just keeps going.
one thing i realized today is that i could do a 5 day bike ride no problem after this. it's just NOT the same kind of pain as propelling all of yourself around "quickly" for a long period of time! bring on the bikes!
after some water and chatting, loop 2 was easier. at 60 minutes, it was time to eat the goo. i had raspberry cream power gel. it was very weird, but not nearly as bad as i thought. we ripped off the tops, swallowed it with a nice water chaser and waited for the buzz. mmmmmm. the consistency was that of very thick yogurt, but less creamy and (consistency-wise) more like gel toothpaste. charlotte's had caffeine, mine did not, but i could feel it almost right away. and it didn't bother my tummy, which was my other fear. i'm realizing that tons of food give me heartburn if i run on them, and so i need to do some experimenting with my breakfasts. fun stuff huh!
for loop three we went in the other direction for a change of scenery. about 3 times we thought we were almost done only to find we were mis-remembering the park. ug. i also realized my shorts, which have been so kind to me, had started rubbing my thigh the wrong way...sting-y. time to get some lube (not that kind you dirty people!) seriously though, the last 15 minutes, i really thought i was going to have to walk. my right foot hurt. my legs were dead tired. the good thing was i wasn't winded, and that was the only thing that kept me going!
Wheeeee. 3 loops, x 3.35 miles = 10.05. + a repeat of the hilly section...ah screw it. let's just keep 10 miles for our numbers!
after brunch...i had the brilliant idea of going to get a cheap qi gong (a kind of chinese massage that supposedly releases blocked up energy points, but in reality is a very very hard massage) rub down. so good. while i was in pain at certain points (calves, where your neck meets your shoulder, and my lower back) it was just what the doctor ordered.
tomorrow or monday a 3-4 miler + yoga. not sure which day is which. gotta find an apartment. and need to buy some supplies...long sleeved shirt, body glide (prevents chafing), goo to eat, a hat, some pants & a new pair of shorts to try out...i think "thats it".
OH. forgot to tell you. i AM attempting the staten island 1/2 marathon next weekend. if anyone wants to come cheer, please do. i might not run the whole thing because that will be a big mileage jump, but our coach said it's very very flat so it might even feel like less work than today's 10. wish me luck!
today's mileage: 10.0
total mileage: 109.0
today i ran 10, yes, that's t-e-n, TEN miles today in prospect park. actually, according to dragan it was even more than that, but 10 is such a nice even number.
it was a day of firsts. first time running in brooklyn. first time running mileage in the double digits. breaking the line for having run OVER 100 miles! first time eating (swallowing?) power gel/goo. first time with chafing issues. first time thinking i was not going to finish. first time having a butt-neked massage post-run. aaaah what a saturday. it was also a day of realizing how much stuff i have to buy. but more on that later.
everyone was practicing in prospect park in park slope today. this was no big deal for me as it takes me about the same amount of time to get there as it does to central park...except today the f line was running on the c line and the g train turned in to the f train but the direction that it went was not intuative...so basically it took an extra 20 minutes to get to the park between waiting for transfers and actually getting on the g train going in the wrong direction.
it was also the coldest morning yet, and consistent to how i live my non-running life, i was ill-prepared for the weather. my running pants, which aren't very good anyway because they are cotton, were in the dirty clothing. i have nothing of the long-sleeve yet dry-fit variety in shirts. hmmm. i was stuck in my TNT tee shirt, shorts and a sweatshirt to keep me warm at the beginning of running, but would likely be way to heavy to keep after a while. when we got to the park, we had to wait for everyone since the trains were screwy and had a nutrition clinic before we ran. the clinic was great: coach christine explained how often before we run we have to eat. how often we have to eat goo or other "snacks" during our long runs (we are officially on "real" long runs). what we should be drinking and how much and when. but because of the cold, we were all freezing by the time we started.
i'm not going to lie, the going was hard. i think for me it was a combo of cold, post-vacation, not-enough-recent-training, cold, an achy left quad, a little fear of such a long run, and did i mention i was cold? we were supposed to do 3 loops, repeating the hill at the end of the loop once the first time around. i also was wearing the heavy sweatshirt which i had to take off and carry because it refused to stay tied to my waist. (luckily for me coach steve took it back to the start when i saw him on the hill - thanks steve!) the hill huuuuurt. i have ridden that hill painfully on my bike before and even though it doesn't seem very steep it just keeps going.
one thing i realized today is that i could do a 5 day bike ride no problem after this. it's just NOT the same kind of pain as propelling all of yourself around "quickly" for a long period of time! bring on the bikes!
after some water and chatting, loop 2 was easier. at 60 minutes, it was time to eat the goo. i had raspberry cream power gel. it was very weird, but not nearly as bad as i thought. we ripped off the tops, swallowed it with a nice water chaser and waited for the buzz. mmmmmm. the consistency was that of very thick yogurt, but less creamy and (consistency-wise) more like gel toothpaste. charlotte's had caffeine, mine did not, but i could feel it almost right away. and it didn't bother my tummy, which was my other fear. i'm realizing that tons of food give me heartburn if i run on them, and so i need to do some experimenting with my breakfasts. fun stuff huh!
for loop three we went in the other direction for a change of scenery. about 3 times we thought we were almost done only to find we were mis-remembering the park. ug. i also realized my shorts, which have been so kind to me, had started rubbing my thigh the wrong way...sting-y. time to get some lube (not that kind you dirty people!) seriously though, the last 15 minutes, i really thought i was going to have to walk. my right foot hurt. my legs were dead tired. the good thing was i wasn't winded, and that was the only thing that kept me going!
Wheeeee. 3 loops, x 3.35 miles = 10.05. + a repeat of the hilly section...ah screw it. let's just keep 10 miles for our numbers!
after brunch...i had the brilliant idea of going to get a cheap qi gong (a kind of chinese massage that supposedly releases blocked up energy points, but in reality is a very very hard massage) rub down. so good. while i was in pain at certain points (calves, where your neck meets your shoulder, and my lower back) it was just what the doctor ordered.
tomorrow or monday a 3-4 miler + yoga. not sure which day is which. gotta find an apartment. and need to buy some supplies...long sleeved shirt, body glide (prevents chafing), goo to eat, a hat, some pants & a new pair of shorts to try out...i think "thats it".
OH. forgot to tell you. i AM attempting the staten island 1/2 marathon next weekend. if anyone wants to come cheer, please do. i might not run the whole thing because that will be a big mileage jump, but our coach said it's very very flat so it might even feel like less work than today's 10. wish me luck!
today's mileage: 10.0
total mileage: 109.0
Thursday, October 05, 2006
october schedule
scary!! 10 miles this weekend...and maybe a 1/2 marathon next weekend? i don't know...we will see!!
Bone Marrow Drive - I need a little of you!
As you know, my colleague's husband Anthony has been diagnosed with Leukemia (a form of blood cancer) and is in need of a bone marrow transplant. A bone marrow transplant is simply the introduction of healthy blood cells into patients with certain blood diseases.
Because blood is a tissue, and tissue-type is inherited, in many cases siblings of people needing a transplant can be donors. They found out last week that Anthony's siblings are not suitable matches, so he now needs to find a donor through the National and International Bone Marrow Donor registries. The first search was not successful.
I am arranging for volunteer donors to be able to register and provide a small sample of blood for testing at my company on October 16th. If you are interested in donating, I would love to have you. Please e-mail me at girlyoubetterrun@gmail.com, let me know if you could come by, and what time would be best for you (very important). The organization we are working with is great and we can have it during lunch, late in the day - whenever we can get the most people to come by. Once I have a sense of what time works best, I will send out a separate e-mail to all that have RSVP'd with times and directions.
Also, if you know of anyone that would be interested/willing to donate, please forward this info along to them.
I know that the prospect of donating bone marrow can be a scary thing, and so below please find the basic information on bone marrow registration, testing, donation and transplants. The first phase of donating is only a teaspoon of blood and a little paperwork.
By giving just a little time and yourself (literally), you have the potential to save someone's life. What could be more miraculous than that?
Bone Marrow Transplants 101
What does registering to become a bone marrow donor mean?
• When someone registers to be a bone marrow donor, they fill out the registration and consent forms and have a teaspoon of blood drawn, to be tested for tissue types.
• Then, their names are put on the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and the Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide (BMDW) registries with their tissue types to be searched by doctors with patients in need of a transplant. ALL INFORMATION IS CONFIDENTIAL!
What are the chances of finding a match? Becoming a donor?
• Approximately 80% of all patients find at least one match; however, not all of the 80% will go on to the transplant stage.
• DKMS experienced about a 5% chance of a registered person becoming a donor in the next ten years.
What are the eligibility requirements for volunteer donors?
• Between 18 and 55 years old (approximately 1951-1988)
• Weigh more than 110 lbs
• Not HIV positive
• Not at risk for AIDS
• Not have had an organ or tissue transplant
• Not have severe heart disease
• Not have most forms of cancer (skin and cervical are acceptable)
• Not have asthma requiring daily medication
• Not have diabetes requiring insulin
• Not have hepatitis
• Not have epilepsy
• Not have autoimmune disorders (ex. Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis)
• Not have chronic or severe back problems or surgery
How are blood-forming cells collected?
• Through bone marrow: ~20% procedures: Marrow donation is a surgical procedure using anesthesia, performed in a hospital. Doctors use special needles to withdraw marrow from the donor’s pelvic bones. The marrow is completely replaced within a few weeks.
• Through Blood Stream: ~80% procedures: PBSC donation requires daily injections for 5 days before the collection. During the collection, donor’s blood is removed, passed through a machine that extracts cells used in transplantation, and the remaining blood is returned through the other arm. Stem cells are replaced within a couple of weeks and no hospital stay is required
What are potential side effects?
• Marrow donors can expect to feel some soreness in their lower back for a few days or longer. Some donors have reported feeling tired, and difficulty walking, but most donors are back to their normal routine in a few days.
• PBSC donors report varying symptoms including headaches, bone or muscle pain, nausea, insomnia, fatigue or flu-like symptoms while receiving injections. These effects disappear shortly after the collection process.
How does a person’s race or ethnicity affect matching?
• Tissue type is inherited and therefore patients are more likely to match someone of their same race and ethnicity. Currently, there is a special need to recruit more donors who identify themselves as: Black or African American, American Indian or Native Alaskan, Asian, Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino.
People who are registered can withdraw from the program at any time.
Because blood is a tissue, and tissue-type is inherited, in many cases siblings of people needing a transplant can be donors. They found out last week that Anthony's siblings are not suitable matches, so he now needs to find a donor through the National and International Bone Marrow Donor registries. The first search was not successful.
I am arranging for volunteer donors to be able to register and provide a small sample of blood for testing at my company on October 16th. If you are interested in donating, I would love to have you. Please e-mail me at girlyoubetterrun@gmail.com, let me know if you could come by, and what time would be best for you (very important). The organization we are working with is great and we can have it during lunch, late in the day - whenever we can get the most people to come by. Once I have a sense of what time works best, I will send out a separate e-mail to all that have RSVP'd with times and directions.
Also, if you know of anyone that would be interested/willing to donate, please forward this info along to them.
I know that the prospect of donating bone marrow can be a scary thing, and so below please find the basic information on bone marrow registration, testing, donation and transplants. The first phase of donating is only a teaspoon of blood and a little paperwork.
By giving just a little time and yourself (literally), you have the potential to save someone's life. What could be more miraculous than that?
Bone Marrow Transplants 101
What does registering to become a bone marrow donor mean?
• When someone registers to be a bone marrow donor, they fill out the registration and consent forms and have a teaspoon of blood drawn, to be tested for tissue types.
• Then, their names are put on the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and the Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide (BMDW) registries with their tissue types to be searched by doctors with patients in need of a transplant. ALL INFORMATION IS CONFIDENTIAL!
What are the chances of finding a match? Becoming a donor?
• Approximately 80% of all patients find at least one match; however, not all of the 80% will go on to the transplant stage.
• DKMS experienced about a 5% chance of a registered person becoming a donor in the next ten years.
What are the eligibility requirements for volunteer donors?
• Between 18 and 55 years old (approximately 1951-1988)
• Weigh more than 110 lbs
• Not HIV positive
• Not at risk for AIDS
• Not have had an organ or tissue transplant
• Not have severe heart disease
• Not have most forms of cancer (skin and cervical are acceptable)
• Not have asthma requiring daily medication
• Not have diabetes requiring insulin
• Not have hepatitis
• Not have epilepsy
• Not have autoimmune disorders (ex. Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis)
• Not have chronic or severe back problems or surgery
How are blood-forming cells collected?
• Through bone marrow: ~20% procedures: Marrow donation is a surgical procedure using anesthesia, performed in a hospital. Doctors use special needles to withdraw marrow from the donor’s pelvic bones. The marrow is completely replaced within a few weeks.
• Through Blood Stream: ~80% procedures: PBSC donation requires daily injections for 5 days before the collection. During the collection, donor’s blood is removed, passed through a machine that extracts cells used in transplantation, and the remaining blood is returned through the other arm. Stem cells are replaced within a couple of weeks and no hospital stay is required
What are potential side effects?
• Marrow donors can expect to feel some soreness in their lower back for a few days or longer. Some donors have reported feeling tired, and difficulty walking, but most donors are back to their normal routine in a few days.
• PBSC donors report varying symptoms including headaches, bone or muscle pain, nausea, insomnia, fatigue or flu-like symptoms while receiving injections. These effects disappear shortly after the collection process.
How does a person’s race or ethnicity affect matching?
• Tissue type is inherited and therefore patients are more likely to match someone of their same race and ethnicity. Currently, there is a special need to recruit more donors who identify themselves as: Black or African American, American Indian or Native Alaskan, Asian, Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino.
People who are registered can withdraw from the program at any time.
the first hill training
i was totally a bundle of nerves by the time i got up to training yesterday. i was stressed because of work, looking for a place to live and general rush-hour madness. oh, i was late too. i hate being late. and i forgot my socks. and i felt like the tin man, the not-well-oiled tin man. i was, in a word or two, a mess.
warm-up was a mile around the res. to the west side and then...hill drills. basically one length, was recovery. on the way back, the downhill you would run Effort 2.5 on the downhill, and then when you got to Ramon, you would push it to E4 or better up the hill. ouch.
it was definitely one of those days that effort did not equal speed. i felt uncoordinated, clunky, out of practice, winded and generally nauseous. but i made it through the damn thing and then we ran back to the start. i wasn't as sore as i though, and the hip is feelin a.o.k. this morning, so i feel like i can get back into the swing of things! note that the mileage below is approximated! i'll cross-train at home tonight with squats and things, and then tomorrow morning run.
yesterday's mileage:3.0
total mileage: 99.0
warm-up was a mile around the res. to the west side and then...hill drills. basically one length, was recovery. on the way back, the downhill you would run Effort 2.5 on the downhill, and then when you got to Ramon, you would push it to E4 or better up the hill. ouch.
it was definitely one of those days that effort did not equal speed. i felt uncoordinated, clunky, out of practice, winded and generally nauseous. but i made it through the damn thing and then we ran back to the start. i wasn't as sore as i though, and the hip is feelin a.o.k. this morning, so i feel like i can get back into the swing of things! note that the mileage below is approximated! i'll cross-train at home tonight with squats and things, and then tomorrow morning run.
yesterday's mileage:3.0
total mileage: 99.0
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
off-topic: i need a home
the countdown has begun! i have about 18 days to find a place to live, so once again, i'm asking for your help!
i'm looking for:
option 1: flying solo (aka the needle in the haystack)
•studio or 1 bedroom
•downtown, preferably east side, or park slope, carroll gardens, s. williamsburg
•less than $1300 a month
option 2: co-habitation
•share with just 1 other person (exceptions here are if there are 2 bathrooms shared between 3 people)
•male, female, all races, sizes, colors, etc. so long as he/she is relatively clean (no creepy-crawlies are desired but no white-glove tests are either), displays common sense as far as living with another person and would make a good roommate. what do i mean? i mean: no unplanned parties at 3 am; know how to share (i do AND i bake cookies); have a life of their own but would like to cook/grab a beer/watch movies or bad tv together every once in a while; wouldn't eat the last bowl of my cereal without replacing it; doesn't hijack the bathroom; friends crashing on the couch are okay sometimes, "third roommates" are not unless they're helping with the rent; is laid back but not a slug. apartments with pianos, outdoors spaces, and real kitchens get mega bonus points
•downtown, preferably east side, or park slope, carroll gardens, s. williamsburg
•+/-1100 a month (higher end in manhattan, lower end in brooklyn)
if you have any leads or know anyone that needs a roommate, please e-mail me at girlyoubetterrun@gmail.com. your help is much appreciated! i don't think my breathing is going to be very relaxed until i find a place so consider it yet another contribution to my training!!
i'm looking for:
option 1: flying solo (aka the needle in the haystack)
•studio or 1 bedroom
•downtown, preferably east side, or park slope, carroll gardens, s. williamsburg
•less than $1300 a month
option 2: co-habitation
•share with just 1 other person (exceptions here are if there are 2 bathrooms shared between 3 people)
•male, female, all races, sizes, colors, etc. so long as he/she is relatively clean (no creepy-crawlies are desired but no white-glove tests are either), displays common sense as far as living with another person and would make a good roommate. what do i mean? i mean: no unplanned parties at 3 am; know how to share (i do AND i bake cookies); have a life of their own but would like to cook/grab a beer/watch movies or bad tv together every once in a while; wouldn't eat the last bowl of my cereal without replacing it; doesn't hijack the bathroom; friends crashing on the couch are okay sometimes, "third roommates" are not unless they're helping with the rent; is laid back but not a slug. apartments with pianos, outdoors spaces, and real kitchens get mega bonus points
•downtown, preferably east side, or park slope, carroll gardens, s. williamsburg
•+/-1100 a month (higher end in manhattan, lower end in brooklyn)
if you have any leads or know anyone that needs a roommate, please e-mail me at girlyoubetterrun@gmail.com. your help is much appreciated! i don't think my breathing is going to be very relaxed until i find a place so consider it yet another contribution to my training!!
Monday, October 02, 2006
she returns...
i landed tonight around 8:30 after a mostly uneventful flight. they went with the "big finish" - the false approach. apparently there was only 1 run way open and the little plane in front of us was a little too close...and so sharply back up we went.
anyway, hi! did you miss me?
i love vacation, it was spendid, but i'm glad to be back. i confess right now i didn't get to another run, but i swear, there was not one day that we did not walk for 2-3 hours, so at least i put some milage on my feet! i don't know if it was that or a bad sleep on the plane on the way over, but i really felt stiff and creek-y most of the time i was there and no amound of stretching would loosen me up. i'm ready for a yoga class tomorrow and then...bring on the hills wednesday! i'm a little frightened of the jet lag, but i'm sure i'll be a.o.k. the strangest thing is that i miss the running! who would have thought not only i wouldn't hate it, but that i'd miss it...
i haven't had a chance to go through all my e-mails, but i think i've passed the $6k mark! update on that tomorrow!
new york, it's good to be home.
anyway, hi! did you miss me?
i love vacation, it was spendid, but i'm glad to be back. i confess right now i didn't get to another run, but i swear, there was not one day that we did not walk for 2-3 hours, so at least i put some milage on my feet! i don't know if it was that or a bad sleep on the plane on the way over, but i really felt stiff and creek-y most of the time i was there and no amound of stretching would loosen me up. i'm ready for a yoga class tomorrow and then...bring on the hills wednesday! i'm a little frightened of the jet lag, but i'm sure i'll be a.o.k. the strangest thing is that i miss the running! who would have thought not only i wouldn't hate it, but that i'd miss it...
i haven't had a chance to go through all my e-mails, but i think i've passed the $6k mark! update on that tomorrow!
new york, it's good to be home.
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