today is bouv's birthday. it's also "september eleventh" and this is a repost from my first marathon.
i personally am having a sad day today. i've been thinking about bouv for a lot of the day. i'm tired and emotional (i'm traveling for work). it's "that day" which is always weird and terrible. and i'm feeling sorry for myself because there's no running for me right now. the word is official - i have two stress fractures and will not be able to run the marathon. i don't want to dwell on this right now but i do want to let you, my people know "officially" what is up and why there have been no posts of late.
so where i usually am able to muster a cheerful face and find some bright sides, i'm feeling sad and blue. so i decided to go back to that first bouv birthday run and read what i wrote. i did and it made me feel better. it's got the strength i wish i had today but don't and so i thought why not post it again - because it all rings true.
september 6th, 2006
september 11th is a day that it seared into the memories of americans and world. it was, as the newspapers are saying, new york's darkest day. on september 11th, 2001 i had been living in new york for a little over a year, working on the west side in chelsea at my first advertising agency. i have many surreal memories of that day and the days and weeks following, and truth be told, in years past, just the mention of the date makes me cringe. but this year, while i will not (nor do i want to) forget the tragedy that took place 5 years ago today, i choose to celebrate a more joyful event that took place 30 years ago today.
on september 11, 1976, steven bouvier was born. what i'm sure was an adorable bundle grew up to be a man, a husband, a chemist, a skiier, a scholar, an uncle, a son-in-law, a brother-in-law, a friend, and a vermont-enthusiast. he was, by birth, a son, a little brother, a nephew, a cousin, a "bouv" and a red sox fan, and i know that he excelled in all categories. he grew an infectious smile, a certain swagger in his lanky walk, a great sense of humor, long hair, and the accent we all know and love.
when i was running today, at first it was really hard to tune out the dark implications of the day. there were cops not just on the big bridges, but the little footbridges that cross the FDR. the southbound side of the FDR was blocked off, and the constant buzz of the news and police helicopters were nearly impossible to ignore. but after i got my rhythm, i was able to tune them out and think about steve.
a few weeks ago, i was watching a very very cheesy girlie movie with my sister. ( if, by the way,after i describe this you know what movie i'm talking about, you lose all rights to mock me for watching it.) in this movie, one of the characters, a 12-year-old girl, has leukemia. her friend asks her if she is afraid, and she says not of death, but of time. she was afraid that she wouldn't figure out who she was, wouldn't have time to make her mark on the world.
bouv knew who he was, and there is no question that he made a mark on the world, especially if that mark is measured in the number of people you touched and that love you.
happy birthday bouv.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
limbo with a chance of stress fracture
i finally went to the doctor today which i was both happy about and dreading. i went in hoping that there would be an "eh - it's muscular!" diagnosis straight away...but unfortunately, it was not to be.
i answered a bunch of questions for a medical student working with the doctor - the basics plus what kind of pain and when and how and all that. sometimes when describing how it hurts or how much, i am fairly certain i sound like a hypochondriac. it feels the same as when you have an eye exam and they keep asking you "which is better - this? or this?" when there isn't a whole lotta difference at all.
the doctor was prompt and no nonsense. she asked more questions - about the pain. how often i was going to pt...if it helped...what they were doing. poked at my leg. poked some more. did a few tests where she would hold my leg down and i was to press up. or to the side. or pull down. after one of these tests she said - THIS is what they should be working on! and i said my hip? and she said - no, your GLUTES.
this made me sad.
my left leg is stronger than my right at the moment (not surprising). after the tests she poked around a bit more and found a spot right on the bone and was like - does this hurt and it did.
she said it could just be a muscle strain of one of a few different muscles, one of which that runs right down the shin bone OR it could be a stress fracture OR it could be a bit of both.
sigh.
in the end...i have been subscribed 2x a week physical therapy for 6 weeks, a bone scan, some extra extra strength anti-inflammatory pills, no running until we see the bone scan results, no elliptical because it still puts pressure on that part of the leg, ideally i would get to the pool (she said this as though i had one in my backyard) and use the "aquajogger" and last but certainly not least - i am not allowed to wear flip flops because not having arch support aggrivates this sort of thing. NO FLIP FLOPS?
so more physical therapy tomorrow, and then the lovely bone scan will be next week. i'm kinda depressed but going to try to remain optimistic and look for a pool and maybe buy the aquajogger thingy if i find one. i'm also traveling for a few weeks this month which is not going to help matters...whether it be going to the pool or physical therapy or running if i'm lucky.
i'd stomp my foot but that probably wouldn't be good the ole leg either.
i answered a bunch of questions for a medical student working with the doctor - the basics plus what kind of pain and when and how and all that. sometimes when describing how it hurts or how much, i am fairly certain i sound like a hypochondriac. it feels the same as when you have an eye exam and they keep asking you "which is better - this? or this?" when there isn't a whole lotta difference at all.
the doctor was prompt and no nonsense. she asked more questions - about the pain. how often i was going to pt...if it helped...what they were doing. poked at my leg. poked some more. did a few tests where she would hold my leg down and i was to press up. or to the side. or pull down. after one of these tests she said - THIS is what they should be working on! and i said my hip? and she said - no, your GLUTES.
this made me sad.
my left leg is stronger than my right at the moment (not surprising). after the tests she poked around a bit more and found a spot right on the bone and was like - does this hurt and it did.
she said it could just be a muscle strain of one of a few different muscles, one of which that runs right down the shin bone OR it could be a stress fracture OR it could be a bit of both.
sigh.
in the end...i have been subscribed 2x a week physical therapy for 6 weeks, a bone scan, some extra extra strength anti-inflammatory pills, no running until we see the bone scan results, no elliptical because it still puts pressure on that part of the leg, ideally i would get to the pool (she said this as though i had one in my backyard) and use the "aquajogger" and last but certainly not least - i am not allowed to wear flip flops because not having arch support aggrivates this sort of thing. NO FLIP FLOPS?
so more physical therapy tomorrow, and then the lovely bone scan will be next week. i'm kinda depressed but going to try to remain optimistic and look for a pool and maybe buy the aquajogger thingy if i find one. i'm also traveling for a few weeks this month which is not going to help matters...whether it be going to the pool or physical therapy or running if i'm lucky.
i'd stomp my foot but that probably wouldn't be good the ole leg either.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
morning run FAIL
i'm really so annoyed at the moment i can barely contain myself.
my plan was to do longer short runs (like 5 miles) this week to make up for any "lost" mileage from my saturday runs - and so i got up nice and early to make sure i'd have time for a good solid run.
i practically sprang out of bed, and for the first time in a while i didn't notice the pain in my calf - which immediately made me elated. i could still feel it on the steps, but typically those first few steps out of bed are very tender ones and i was feeling really optimistic.
i got all suited up and headed out...but noticed the steps down on my stoop actually hurt more. this gave me pause, but i figured oh, its just stairs. as i started running, the pain in my calf was so that i could tell i was limping. i swore and decided i would briskly walk up the hill...giving my leg a little warm up time and then see how i would do in the top of the park, which is more flat than uphill.
it was a no go. on the "pain scale" we talk about at the physically therapist, i had shot from a 2/3 to a 6/7 and was definitely hobbling. shit shit shit. i almost threw a tempertantrum right there and went to kick a lightpost, but realized i was going to kick it with my "bad leg" and figured this wouldn't do me any good.
i swore and grumbled in frustration all the way back to my house. i did not cry but i probably could have let loose some tears of frustration if i had had the mind to. i glared at the runners headed to the park, and when some gross guy hanging out on the stoop had the bad taste to cat call me at 7:15 in the morning, i gave him a not-so-lady-like hand gesture in return. grrrrr. the bike has two flats so i couldn't go for a ride so i contented myself with some sit ups and push ups but i'm really really really discouraged and frustrated.
i'm going to call the actual doctor today and see if she can fit me in before my appointment next week on the 2nd. depending on how the day goes, i may try again later, or at least get to the gym for some cross training.
my plan was to do longer short runs (like 5 miles) this week to make up for any "lost" mileage from my saturday runs - and so i got up nice and early to make sure i'd have time for a good solid run.
i practically sprang out of bed, and for the first time in a while i didn't notice the pain in my calf - which immediately made me elated. i could still feel it on the steps, but typically those first few steps out of bed are very tender ones and i was feeling really optimistic.
i got all suited up and headed out...but noticed the steps down on my stoop actually hurt more. this gave me pause, but i figured oh, its just stairs. as i started running, the pain in my calf was so that i could tell i was limping. i swore and decided i would briskly walk up the hill...giving my leg a little warm up time and then see how i would do in the top of the park, which is more flat than uphill.
it was a no go. on the "pain scale" we talk about at the physically therapist, i had shot from a 2/3 to a 6/7 and was definitely hobbling. shit shit shit. i almost threw a tempertantrum right there and went to kick a lightpost, but realized i was going to kick it with my "bad leg" and figured this wouldn't do me any good.
i swore and grumbled in frustration all the way back to my house. i did not cry but i probably could have let loose some tears of frustration if i had had the mind to. i glared at the runners headed to the park, and when some gross guy hanging out on the stoop had the bad taste to cat call me at 7:15 in the morning, i gave him a not-so-lady-like hand gesture in return. grrrrr. the bike has two flats so i couldn't go for a ride so i contented myself with some sit ups and push ups but i'm really really really discouraged and frustrated.
i'm going to call the actual doctor today and see if she can fit me in before my appointment next week on the 2nd. depending on how the day goes, i may try again later, or at least get to the gym for some cross training.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
i'm back
you should be singin' that title ac/dc style.
so apologies for it being a while. i haven't had much to say because i've been a bit injured and i get super cranky when i'm injured, so i've mostly been updating through the ole facebook page where I can keep it short and sweet.
so....after my "successful" long run two weeks ago, i got myself a bit of a calf strain. it was probably something that had been building up but i hadn't noticed and perhaps my speedy run set it off. i wasn't able to get into the physical therapist until this past monday, so for one week i just rested and didn't do anything but ice and use the torture device aka roller.
so when i went to see the PT monday, that is when i was diagnosed. the good news was that i could still run - just not fast (absolutely no speed work), not too many hills (no hill training), and not too long. weeeeeell okay then. i was also to stretch and roll before running and also 3x a day, as well as trying to get to the gym for some reduced weight calf raises.
on wednesday morning i went out for my first one and it felt pretty shitty. it doesn't hurt like sharp shooting pain - it's more of a tight dull ache that makes it feel as tho the calf muscle doesn't have a complete range of motion. this made me feel a bit like i was hobbling, even though i wasn't really compensating judging by my gait. it just felt weird. i ran 3.4 miles and gave myself a good stretch but felt very stiff and therefor discouraged all day wednesday.
wednesday's mileage: 13.3
time run: n/a
season mileage to date: 183.5
thursday i felt better - it seemed as though maybe the run had done the stiffness good.
friday after work i went back to the pt where he did more soft tissue work (aka super painful massage/pressure stuff) and some exercises. i wanted to see if i could get away with running 10 miles this weekend, but when i told him that jersey was hilly, he said he would prefer if i maxed out at 8. okaaaaay. it's hard to be good.
i decided to run today because i got out to jersey late on friday and saturday promised on and off rain all day. i got a late start, mostly because i didn't sleep well. i mapped out a course that was a bit over 7 miles, and decided if i was feeling awesome i could always tack a little more on at the end.
i didn't really feel awesome at any point of the run. there were points where i felt way better than others, but i can feel that i haven't run in a bit, and that coupled with feeling very "gimpy" left me feeling very awkward and uncoordinated. the first 3 miles were the worst. i felt hot, winded and lopsided.
things got better as i went, and my mid-run gatorade definitely helped me out, leading me to believe i did not hydrate properly saturday evening (full disclosure: i did have a few sugar-laded cocktails saturday afternoon that i probably could have done without considering i was running the next day).
when i got to the turn off to head back to the house, i took it, knowing that i have plenty of time, and pushing my injury is not going to do anyone any good. i had my watch on for hydrating purposes but was very slow, so probably shouldn't have timed myself, as it is damaging to my psyche to be running so slowly.
but now, i've stretched and rolled some more, and had some grilled french toast cooked up by my man and we'll see how the week goes!
today's mileage: 7.3
time run: 1h25m
season mileage to date: 190.8
so apologies for it being a while. i haven't had much to say because i've been a bit injured and i get super cranky when i'm injured, so i've mostly been updating through the ole facebook page where I can keep it short and sweet.
so....after my "successful" long run two weeks ago, i got myself a bit of a calf strain. it was probably something that had been building up but i hadn't noticed and perhaps my speedy run set it off. i wasn't able to get into the physical therapist until this past monday, so for one week i just rested and didn't do anything but ice and use the torture device aka roller.
so when i went to see the PT monday, that is when i was diagnosed. the good news was that i could still run - just not fast (absolutely no speed work), not too many hills (no hill training), and not too long. weeeeeell okay then. i was also to stretch and roll before running and also 3x a day, as well as trying to get to the gym for some reduced weight calf raises.
on wednesday morning i went out for my first one and it felt pretty shitty. it doesn't hurt like sharp shooting pain - it's more of a tight dull ache that makes it feel as tho the calf muscle doesn't have a complete range of motion. this made me feel a bit like i was hobbling, even though i wasn't really compensating judging by my gait. it just felt weird. i ran 3.4 miles and gave myself a good stretch but felt very stiff and therefor discouraged all day wednesday.
wednesday's mileage: 13.3
time run: n/a
season mileage to date: 183.5
thursday i felt better - it seemed as though maybe the run had done the stiffness good.
friday after work i went back to the pt where he did more soft tissue work (aka super painful massage/pressure stuff) and some exercises. i wanted to see if i could get away with running 10 miles this weekend, but when i told him that jersey was hilly, he said he would prefer if i maxed out at 8. okaaaaay. it's hard to be good.
i decided to run today because i got out to jersey late on friday and saturday promised on and off rain all day. i got a late start, mostly because i didn't sleep well. i mapped out a course that was a bit over 7 miles, and decided if i was feeling awesome i could always tack a little more on at the end.
i didn't really feel awesome at any point of the run. there were points where i felt way better than others, but i can feel that i haven't run in a bit, and that coupled with feeling very "gimpy" left me feeling very awkward and uncoordinated. the first 3 miles were the worst. i felt hot, winded and lopsided.
things got better as i went, and my mid-run gatorade definitely helped me out, leading me to believe i did not hydrate properly saturday evening (full disclosure: i did have a few sugar-laded cocktails saturday afternoon that i probably could have done without considering i was running the next day).
when i got to the turn off to head back to the house, i took it, knowing that i have plenty of time, and pushing my injury is not going to do anyone any good. i had my watch on for hydrating purposes but was very slow, so probably shouldn't have timed myself, as it is damaging to my psyche to be running so slowly.
but now, i've stretched and rolled some more, and had some grilled french toast cooked up by my man and we'll see how the week goes!
today's mileage: 7.3
time run: 1h25m
season mileage to date: 190.8
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
one lousy mile. ish.
as you might have noticed i've had a tweeky calf since saturday's run that i was so pleased with. i let it rest for a few days, opted out of practice, rolled, iced, stretched, took a bunch of advil, and iced some more. i called my doctor - she's out for a few weeks, and i have an appointment on september 2nd. i call my pt - they don't have an appointment until monday.
and so i sit in injury limbo...do i run? how much? when should i stop or keep going? is it serious? I WANNA RUN.
this morning i decided that it was time to test it out. i decided i would run the shortest route of my park routes, and if my calf was bugging me, i would be good and walk back home. i headed out and my calf was feeling very stiff. i ran up the hill and into the park, and probably about about a mile into the run i decide it was best to stop. the tightness was hurting - not so much that i was overcompensating, but it definitely did not feel right.
i knew i could motor through the rest of the run, but not knowing what is going on made me decide to rest and hopefully, sooner than later, run another day.
and so i go back to icing, advil, stretching, rolling and attempting not to worry.
and so i sit in injury limbo...do i run? how much? when should i stop or keep going? is it serious? I WANNA RUN.
this morning i decided that it was time to test it out. i decided i would run the shortest route of my park routes, and if my calf was bugging me, i would be good and walk back home. i headed out and my calf was feeling very stiff. i ran up the hill and into the park, and probably about about a mile into the run i decide it was best to stop. the tightness was hurting - not so much that i was overcompensating, but it definitely did not feel right.
i knew i could motor through the rest of the run, but not knowing what is going on made me decide to rest and hopefully, sooner than later, run another day.
and so i go back to icing, advil, stretching, rolling and attempting not to worry.
Saturday, August 08, 2009
hills in jersey make you fast in brooklyn
today the team was kicking off summer streets in the city, but after a bunch of debate i just couldn't bring myself to get up to run with them.
partially, i was just feeling lazy about meeting up with the team...at 7am...in the city. but then friday during the day i felt progressively more sickish. i say sickish because i wasn't all out sniffly or feverish - more so just felt something coming on. i also didn't really want to deal with all the other people/bikes/tourists that would be out for city streets so i made the decision to run in brooklyn, maybe just in the park or some combination of park + run to coney island.
the prerun morning didn't go great. first i had trouble sleeping the night before. then when i got up to choke down my oatmeal at 6:30, i couldn't find the honey, which made the oatmeal experience even more difficult than it usually is. then, i intended to get up at 8 and be out by 8:30. instead i didn't drag myself out of bed until almost 8:30, and for whatever reason the process of getting ready took. me. for. ever. i needed to clean my water bottles. where did i put those new gels. where's my body glide? maybe i should use the ipod...where is it? i don't have any sporty sunscreen, i guess i'll use the neutrogena. etc. etc. etc.
i didn't get out of the house until close to 9:30. luckily for me it was a gorgeous morning so i wasn't going to fry on account of my slowness.
since i really wasn't feeling well i decided for miles in the park - that way if i needed to bail, it would be way easier than trying to do so 1/2 way to coney island. i was extra thankful i had the music to accompany me given the boring nature of the route - not as boring as coney island where the road stretches endlessly in front of you - but still boring for its familiarity. i haven't run with music all season mostly because at practice you're not allowed, and i can't find my little one, and...on some level i do look at it as a bit of a crutch. i guess i think that if you can do those insane miles with no music - then you can use music as a crazy secret weapon when you really really need it.
well, i was feeling needy yesterday so i ran with music the whole time and it was goooood. i was like an addict coming back for a fix and since i hadn't gotten my shit together to make a nice long playlist, was left fussing with the ipod anytime an album would stop because then i HAD to have the music.
i ran a variety of loop combos, ending with a reverse of the shorter run i sometimes run in the morning, which meant i went down the big hill and that was actually killer. when i looked at my watch, i was surprised to find that in just a bit more than the time i usually run in jersey...i ran an extra 2 miles. i would like to think that this says something about how i'm getting faster, but really - it just shows you how damn hilly jersey is. but i was pretty fast - 10.75 minute miles.
if i can maintain that speed for the marathon (not sure that this is possible quite yet), that would be a 281m marathon which is...4 hours and 41 minutes. actually, that's only a 9 minute gain on paris...where i feel like i started waaaaay too fast and was not nearly as well trained. so that should be doable.
i ended my run more sore than i've been in a while, but happy with the run. maybe i'll summer-street it next weekend.
today's mileage: 13.3
time run: 2h23m
season mileage to date: 180.1
partially, i was just feeling lazy about meeting up with the team...at 7am...in the city. but then friday during the day i felt progressively more sickish. i say sickish because i wasn't all out sniffly or feverish - more so just felt something coming on. i also didn't really want to deal with all the other people/bikes/tourists that would be out for city streets so i made the decision to run in brooklyn, maybe just in the park or some combination of park + run to coney island.
the prerun morning didn't go great. first i had trouble sleeping the night before. then when i got up to choke down my oatmeal at 6:30, i couldn't find the honey, which made the oatmeal experience even more difficult than it usually is. then, i intended to get up at 8 and be out by 8:30. instead i didn't drag myself out of bed until almost 8:30, and for whatever reason the process of getting ready took. me. for. ever. i needed to clean my water bottles. where did i put those new gels. where's my body glide? maybe i should use the ipod...where is it? i don't have any sporty sunscreen, i guess i'll use the neutrogena. etc. etc. etc.
i didn't get out of the house until close to 9:30. luckily for me it was a gorgeous morning so i wasn't going to fry on account of my slowness.
since i really wasn't feeling well i decided for miles in the park - that way if i needed to bail, it would be way easier than trying to do so 1/2 way to coney island. i was extra thankful i had the music to accompany me given the boring nature of the route - not as boring as coney island where the road stretches endlessly in front of you - but still boring for its familiarity. i haven't run with music all season mostly because at practice you're not allowed, and i can't find my little one, and...on some level i do look at it as a bit of a crutch. i guess i think that if you can do those insane miles with no music - then you can use music as a crazy secret weapon when you really really need it.
well, i was feeling needy yesterday so i ran with music the whole time and it was goooood. i was like an addict coming back for a fix and since i hadn't gotten my shit together to make a nice long playlist, was left fussing with the ipod anytime an album would stop because then i HAD to have the music.
i ran a variety of loop combos, ending with a reverse of the shorter run i sometimes run in the morning, which meant i went down the big hill and that was actually killer. when i looked at my watch, i was surprised to find that in just a bit more than the time i usually run in jersey...i ran an extra 2 miles. i would like to think that this says something about how i'm getting faster, but really - it just shows you how damn hilly jersey is. but i was pretty fast - 10.75 minute miles.
if i can maintain that speed for the marathon (not sure that this is possible quite yet), that would be a 281m marathon which is...4 hours and 41 minutes. actually, that's only a 9 minute gain on paris...where i feel like i started waaaaay too fast and was not nearly as well trained. so that should be doable.
i ended my run more sore than i've been in a while, but happy with the run. maybe i'll summer-street it next weekend.
today's mileage: 13.3
time run: 2h23m
season mileage to date: 180.1
Thursday, August 06, 2009
just more miles
it was an uneventful morning run. so uneventful that i'm not really going to talk about it but rather just use this post to keep track of the mileage.
=)
today's mileage: 3.8
time run: 39m
season mileage to date: 166.8
=)
today's mileage: 3.8
time run: 39m
season mileage to date: 166.8
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
sweaty hill repeats
tuesday night's run was drenching and sticky. we were scheduled to run speed/effort work on the north hill and we all knew it was going to be a night that would kick our collective butts.
before we ran off, our coach asked those of us that were nursing knee or IT injuries to raise our hands and then see him before we headed out for the warm up. there were only three of us, and coach jim told us that because that particular work out is rather hard on IT and knee injuries, we would run the same course, but simply run it steady and easy, not pushing too hard on the uphill or the downhill.
it's hard to complain when you don't have to sprint uphills, although whenever i get a "special" workout i always feel like i am somehow slacking even though i know i'm not. i ran with one of the other injured people for most of the run and we were chatting about our events and how many marathons and fundraising and all that. i told him about how i started running marathons and about steve. he told me that his fiancee died six months ago and that's why he was running, and he was bummed that he was having IT issues because obviously he really wanted to do this well.
i didn't know what to say except for "i'm so sorry" and some fumbling offerings of how having this as an outlet can help. we quietly ran for a few minutes and i thought about jeanne and gave her a hug in my mind. losing loved ones so young is just so damn cruel and i was quietly sad.
my running buddy broke off to grab some water, and i used my sad to motor up and down the hills. it was not an easy work out. i understood why our coach wasn't going to let us push it during the workout because just running up and down the hill was definitely getting to my hip. i was glad when we were done - i stretched out well and rolled my leg when i got home, and hoped for the humidity to break later in the week.
today's mileage: 5.0
time run: n/a
season mileage to date: 163.0
before we ran off, our coach asked those of us that were nursing knee or IT injuries to raise our hands and then see him before we headed out for the warm up. there were only three of us, and coach jim told us that because that particular work out is rather hard on IT and knee injuries, we would run the same course, but simply run it steady and easy, not pushing too hard on the uphill or the downhill.
it's hard to complain when you don't have to sprint uphills, although whenever i get a "special" workout i always feel like i am somehow slacking even though i know i'm not. i ran with one of the other injured people for most of the run and we were chatting about our events and how many marathons and fundraising and all that. i told him about how i started running marathons and about steve. he told me that his fiancee died six months ago and that's why he was running, and he was bummed that he was having IT issues because obviously he really wanted to do this well.
i didn't know what to say except for "i'm so sorry" and some fumbling offerings of how having this as an outlet can help. we quietly ran for a few minutes and i thought about jeanne and gave her a hug in my mind. losing loved ones so young is just so damn cruel and i was quietly sad.
my running buddy broke off to grab some water, and i used my sad to motor up and down the hills. it was not an easy work out. i understood why our coach wasn't going to let us push it during the workout because just running up and down the hill was definitely getting to my hip. i was glad when we were done - i stretched out well and rolled my leg when i got home, and hoped for the humidity to break later in the week.
today's mileage: 5.0
time run: n/a
season mileage to date: 163.0
Saturday, August 01, 2009
up the downhills, down the uphills
i am tired of talking about the weather, damn it. seriously. too hot. too rainy. too humid. blah blah. from here on out, unless i'm running in SUPER unusual or dangerous weather, or unless it affects my run in a *specific* way, i am hereby not allowed to talk about it.
today's route took me out the usual way, but this time i went backwards along the what is the end of my typical route, and then looped around the lake for a whole new section which is awesome since i'm definitely getting bored with my route.
so hills that i usually run up, i ran down. hills i usually run down, i ran up. i also had almost 2 miles that were flat (happy days!), and some new hills - one of which, was quite frankly - a bitch (see leading up to mile 9 on the elevation chart part of the course map). however looking at the route overall, i liked it. most of the early part was in the sun which was find because it was cool, and then the last 6 miles or so were mostly shady and a little cooler which is nicer later in the day.
the run was a solid one - a bit slower, but i can live with that considering the elevation. i seriously feel like rocky sometimes when i'm fighting my way up a hill. then i imagine in my head how slow i'm probably going and it makes me crack up how UNlike rocky i must look in actuality. i really must do a flat run next weekend when i'm back in the city to see how swift i can be - these hills must be making me way stronger.
i am definitely feeling them in both my hips and knees but i've stretched once, and i'll stretch again later. i MUST run tomorrow because when we're out here on the weekend no matter how i try i never mange to run on Monday night. so a quick one tomorrow, then that'll be it until tuesday's practice when we should be doing - yeah, you guessed it...more hills.
today's mileage: 11.2
time run: 2hr 13m
season mileage to date: 158.0
today's route took me out the usual way, but this time i went backwards along the what is the end of my typical route, and then looped around the lake for a whole new section which is awesome since i'm definitely getting bored with my route.
so hills that i usually run up, i ran down. hills i usually run down, i ran up. i also had almost 2 miles that were flat (happy days!), and some new hills - one of which, was quite frankly - a bitch (see leading up to mile 9 on the elevation chart part of the course map). however looking at the route overall, i liked it. most of the early part was in the sun which was find because it was cool, and then the last 6 miles or so were mostly shady and a little cooler which is nicer later in the day.
the run was a solid one - a bit slower, but i can live with that considering the elevation. i seriously feel like rocky sometimes when i'm fighting my way up a hill. then i imagine in my head how slow i'm probably going and it makes me crack up how UNlike rocky i must look in actuality. i really must do a flat run next weekend when i'm back in the city to see how swift i can be - these hills must be making me way stronger.
i am definitely feeling them in both my hips and knees but i've stretched once, and i'll stretch again later. i MUST run tomorrow because when we're out here on the weekend no matter how i try i never mange to run on Monday night. so a quick one tomorrow, then that'll be it until tuesday's practice when we should be doing - yeah, you guessed it...more hills.
today's mileage: 11.2
time run: 2hr 13m
season mileage to date: 158.0
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
hot & fast
that pretty much describes today's workout. the summer sweatiness has finally arrived and that makes tuesday evening workouts NO FUN.
we're in the midst of hill training so i quite logically thought our repeats were going to be on a hill. i did wonder why we would be running hard for a 1/2 mile up hill, which seemed unreasonably difficult, especially in this weather, but who am i to second guess my awesome coaches?
i left work early enough to deal with any train issues which seem to be happening more often lately. it seemed like we might get a little rain, which would have been a nice release. when we got to the park our coach outlined the workout for us - warm up for about a mile then begin our repeats: run hard for a 1/2 mile, and recover a 1/2 mile back. repeat until the coach says stop.
warm up was uneventful, mostly i spent my time dreading the speed work out. as we all know...i'm not fast. these workouts will make me faster, but typically anything that involves sprint-like-activity makes me feel slightly demoralized. yeah, i know its silly but i can't help it.
despite my lack of enthusiasm and the oppressive weather, the run went pretty well. i even felt...well, if not fast, then faster during my third 1/2 mile, during which i had enough energy at the end to nearly sprint. of course, i think this caused my it band to start nagging my hip during my 4th and 5th (the final) repeat.
we cooled down back to the picnic benches where some of the assistant coaches surprised coach tif with a baby shower for him and his wife. not only did we get the treat of watching a grown, buff man coo over tiny baby things, but we got treats like oatmeal raisin cookies and rice crispy treats. mmm.
tomorrow, i'm going to do some morning squats and push ups and things, and then thursday morning a run. not sure if we're going to head to jersey this weekend - my legs might need a little break from the hills.
today's mileage: 6.0
time run: n/a
season mileage to date: 146.8
we're in the midst of hill training so i quite logically thought our repeats were going to be on a hill. i did wonder why we would be running hard for a 1/2 mile up hill, which seemed unreasonably difficult, especially in this weather, but who am i to second guess my awesome coaches?
i left work early enough to deal with any train issues which seem to be happening more often lately. it seemed like we might get a little rain, which would have been a nice release. when we got to the park our coach outlined the workout for us - warm up for about a mile then begin our repeats: run hard for a 1/2 mile, and recover a 1/2 mile back. repeat until the coach says stop.
warm up was uneventful, mostly i spent my time dreading the speed work out. as we all know...i'm not fast. these workouts will make me faster, but typically anything that involves sprint-like-activity makes me feel slightly demoralized. yeah, i know its silly but i can't help it.
despite my lack of enthusiasm and the oppressive weather, the run went pretty well. i even felt...well, if not fast, then faster during my third 1/2 mile, during which i had enough energy at the end to nearly sprint. of course, i think this caused my it band to start nagging my hip during my 4th and 5th (the final) repeat.
we cooled down back to the picnic benches where some of the assistant coaches surprised coach tif with a baby shower for him and his wife. not only did we get the treat of watching a grown, buff man coo over tiny baby things, but we got treats like oatmeal raisin cookies and rice crispy treats. mmm.
tomorrow, i'm going to do some morning squats and push ups and things, and then thursday morning a run. not sure if we're going to head to jersey this weekend - my legs might need a little break from the hills.
today's mileage: 6.0
time run: n/a
season mileage to date: 146.8
Saturday, July 25, 2009
cinderella lost a bottle
i left the house around 8:30 this morning with high hopes for my long run. this was not a great week for my training schedule, so i was hoping to have a great run to mentally make up for it. i needed to add at least 2 miles to my last run of 9 miles - the schedule called for 12, but with the crazy hills, i always take that with a little leeway given the hip factor. i plotted out a 11.5 mile course that was part new, part old, essentially again widening the circle i would run, with the trusty gas station in the middle.
i left the house with my legs feeling pretty springy - unlike last weekend - and headed left instead of right out of the park, and looked at the ginormous hill that was my first challenge of this run. i had driven, but not run up this one before, but i predicted it would be hard but not back-breaking. i was right and feeling pretty okay most of the way up. as i neared the top, i reached back to grab my left water bottle which, to my surprise, was not there. shit.
i wondered to myself where i could have dropped it without noticing and the most likely place was unfortunately the grassy front lawn. shit. shit. shit. i thought for a minute if i could possible do the run with only 1 8-oz water bottle with 1 possible place to refuel and the logical answer was a definite no. shit. there was no solution but to trace the path i had come to get the lost bottle. grrr.
the run more or less went downhill from there. indeed when i got back to the house - there was the bottle sitting tauntingly on the front lawn. since i was here i ran inside to refill the first bottle and to see how far i had run so i could figure out how best to adjust my run. a bit over 2 miles...so i could then headout and do the same 9.5 mile route as last week. okay fine.
running back to one's house is no way to start a run, and it put a damper on my previously chipper mood. it was such a tease to have to go back out there again!
the run was going fine but a little slow, which i chalked up to the hills. miles 3, 4 and 5 passed without incident. i mentally mapped out the hard parts of the run that remained...that hill, and then the big downhill must be taken easy...then its rolling until that monster...okay cool this is nothing. and it was all fine until i took my 2nd gel somewhere between miles 8 and 9, for that is where my tummy betrayed me.
tummy aches and running tend to go hand in hand. ate something dumb the night before or the morning of your run? belly ache. goo didn't set well? belly ache. new flavor of gatorade? belly ache. running too fast? punishment: belly ache. the belly ache can also happen "just because". see, when you're running, all your organs are getting all jostled about in there, and that can cause some..."discomfort". well into my training for a 4th marathon, the sort of belly aches you can get from running are not new to me. luckily for me, usually i might get waves of the aches, but usually they pass after a moment or two.
not today.
as soon as i took my 2nd double latte power gel and washed it down with some gatorade i had a sense it was not going to go well. while i felt the instant rush of energy that usually comes with taking a gel, i also felt it instantly in my stomach. ugg. and this time it was not easing up. i managed to run along for another mile and a half or so, and then it was just NOT happening. every time i ran i could practically picture my insides sloshing around and so i ended up settling for a segment of run/walking for the last mile-ish.
usually something like this would cause me to be super grouchy but my legs were feeling fine so...i've been able to shrug it off. there is no way i could have run the last bit outright so i'm considering myself lucky to have made it all 11.7 miles with my legs feeling just fine - even if other parts of me weren't.
today's mileage: 11.7
time run: 2+ hours
season mileage to date: 140.8
i left the house with my legs feeling pretty springy - unlike last weekend - and headed left instead of right out of the park, and looked at the ginormous hill that was my first challenge of this run. i had driven, but not run up this one before, but i predicted it would be hard but not back-breaking. i was right and feeling pretty okay most of the way up. as i neared the top, i reached back to grab my left water bottle which, to my surprise, was not there. shit.
i wondered to myself where i could have dropped it without noticing and the most likely place was unfortunately the grassy front lawn. shit. shit. shit. i thought for a minute if i could possible do the run with only 1 8-oz water bottle with 1 possible place to refuel and the logical answer was a definite no. shit. there was no solution but to trace the path i had come to get the lost bottle. grrr.
the run more or less went downhill from there. indeed when i got back to the house - there was the bottle sitting tauntingly on the front lawn. since i was here i ran inside to refill the first bottle and to see how far i had run so i could figure out how best to adjust my run. a bit over 2 miles...so i could then headout and do the same 9.5 mile route as last week. okay fine.
running back to one's house is no way to start a run, and it put a damper on my previously chipper mood. it was such a tease to have to go back out there again!
the run was going fine but a little slow, which i chalked up to the hills. miles 3, 4 and 5 passed without incident. i mentally mapped out the hard parts of the run that remained...that hill, and then the big downhill must be taken easy...then its rolling until that monster...okay cool this is nothing. and it was all fine until i took my 2nd gel somewhere between miles 8 and 9, for that is where my tummy betrayed me.
tummy aches and running tend to go hand in hand. ate something dumb the night before or the morning of your run? belly ache. goo didn't set well? belly ache. new flavor of gatorade? belly ache. running too fast? punishment: belly ache. the belly ache can also happen "just because". see, when you're running, all your organs are getting all jostled about in there, and that can cause some..."discomfort". well into my training for a 4th marathon, the sort of belly aches you can get from running are not new to me. luckily for me, usually i might get waves of the aches, but usually they pass after a moment or two.
not today.
as soon as i took my 2nd double latte power gel and washed it down with some gatorade i had a sense it was not going to go well. while i felt the instant rush of energy that usually comes with taking a gel, i also felt it instantly in my stomach. ugg. and this time it was not easing up. i managed to run along for another mile and a half or so, and then it was just NOT happening. every time i ran i could practically picture my insides sloshing around and so i ended up settling for a segment of run/walking for the last mile-ish.
usually something like this would cause me to be super grouchy but my legs were feeling fine so...i've been able to shrug it off. there is no way i could have run the last bit outright so i'm considering myself lucky to have made it all 11.7 miles with my legs feeling just fine - even if other parts of me weren't.
today's mileage: 11.7
time run: 2+ hours
season mileage to date: 140.8
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
a quickie
i missed practice due to a stopped train, and then was so grumpy that i was not able to rally to go out and run in the rain on my own. i did get up bright and early this morning and hit the park for a loop.
my legs were quite tired, but i wanted to push a bit since i missed my hill training work out and went for a speed run. i turned out to only be semi-speedy, as you can tell by my time, but all in all it was a good run. the morning was lovely and cool, everything recently refreshed by the previous night's rain and there were more than a few people in the park.
i'll run again tomorrow morning, not sure yet about friday morning as i may want to make sure i save my legs for saturday, which will probably be 11-12 miles.
hasta manana...
today's mileage: 4.2
time run: 45m
season mileage to date: 129.1
my legs were quite tired, but i wanted to push a bit since i missed my hill training work out and went for a speed run. i turned out to only be semi-speedy, as you can tell by my time, but all in all it was a good run. the morning was lovely and cool, everything recently refreshed by the previous night's rain and there were more than a few people in the park.
i'll run again tomorrow morning, not sure yet about friday morning as i may want to make sure i save my legs for saturday, which will probably be 11-12 miles.
hasta manana...
today's mileage: 4.2
time run: 45m
season mileage to date: 129.1
Saturday, July 18, 2009
more ups and downs in jersey
ah...another weekend in the country. it's nice out here.
like in the city, the air was a bit thick when we arrived friday night, but luckily for me we had a good thunder/rainstorm that night so by the time i got up saturday morning to go pick up the car (we rent a car on the weekends when we're out here) and get ready to run it was way cooler and less humid.
i got a bit of a late start, so by the time i got back from getting the car it was already past 10. i wasn't that worried because it wasn't supposed to get too warm today but...sun beating down is sun beating down, so i got ready and on the road as quickly as could.
my plan was to modify the route i took last week - i would run to the gas station as i did before, "re-fuel" then instead of turning back the way i came, continue up the hill and around in a bit of a circle to link up with the way home. new scenery in the middle would also be a good distraction since i still haven't managed to find my little ipod.
starting out, my legs felt so heavy. its so frustrating/annoying that one day you run and you feel pretty light and speedy, and another day you feel like you're legs have weights attached and you're running through soup. i decided not to let it get to me - these runs are not about speed, they're about covering distance at an easy pace so, given my tendencies lately to go a bit too fast, it probably wasn't a bad thing to have a little handicap, if you will.
aside from another poor dead dear on the road (this one was so vile that i had to switch sides of the street) my run to the gas station was uneventful. weather - good. legs - okay. hydration - good. i felt like i was drinking more water than in weeks past but i think in this weather it would be very hard to over-hydrate. i hit up the gas station and headed up the hill, wistfully looking at the flat turn off while i continued to go up.
once i was at the top, the next bit was relatively flat. i like little ups and downs, other wise its painfully boring - ala ocean parkway to coney island. once i was past the suburban homes, it was nice little stretch through some pretty woods, which looked like good stomping ground. in here i had a huge downhill, and you might think that might be a good break. it was (now that i can look at the topography map - see lovely map at the end of the post) at least 1/2 mile long, and started to get to me. hills down are not a challenge cardio-wise, but they are very hard on the joints and muscles so it actually takes a lot of work to make sure you're not just pounding down the hill, but running a bit lightly...well as lightly as you can.
i had my snack of a double latte power gel...turned back on to some more "suburban" sorts of roads and wound my way up and down some more hills, and pretty quickly i was back on the route that i knew and there was the biiiiiiiig hill, become bigger because of where i started on it. i made it up the hill but rather slowly, and admittedly - swearing at it the whole way up.
when i got to the top though, i still had a lot of energy, so i picked up the pace a little bit through the last two miles or so, and it was fun. when i finished is definitely a bit sore...but all in all a successful run. at first when i got back i felt like it was a little slow - but when I considered all the hills, i'll take it.
today's mileage: 9.5
time run: 1hr and 45-49 minutes
season mileage to date: 124.9
like in the city, the air was a bit thick when we arrived friday night, but luckily for me we had a good thunder/rainstorm that night so by the time i got up saturday morning to go pick up the car (we rent a car on the weekends when we're out here) and get ready to run it was way cooler and less humid.
i got a bit of a late start, so by the time i got back from getting the car it was already past 10. i wasn't that worried because it wasn't supposed to get too warm today but...sun beating down is sun beating down, so i got ready and on the road as quickly as could.
my plan was to modify the route i took last week - i would run to the gas station as i did before, "re-fuel" then instead of turning back the way i came, continue up the hill and around in a bit of a circle to link up with the way home. new scenery in the middle would also be a good distraction since i still haven't managed to find my little ipod.
starting out, my legs felt so heavy. its so frustrating/annoying that one day you run and you feel pretty light and speedy, and another day you feel like you're legs have weights attached and you're running through soup. i decided not to let it get to me - these runs are not about speed, they're about covering distance at an easy pace so, given my tendencies lately to go a bit too fast, it probably wasn't a bad thing to have a little handicap, if you will.
aside from another poor dead dear on the road (this one was so vile that i had to switch sides of the street) my run to the gas station was uneventful. weather - good. legs - okay. hydration - good. i felt like i was drinking more water than in weeks past but i think in this weather it would be very hard to over-hydrate. i hit up the gas station and headed up the hill, wistfully looking at the flat turn off while i continued to go up.
once i was at the top, the next bit was relatively flat. i like little ups and downs, other wise its painfully boring - ala ocean parkway to coney island. once i was past the suburban homes, it was nice little stretch through some pretty woods, which looked like good stomping ground. in here i had a huge downhill, and you might think that might be a good break. it was (now that i can look at the topography map - see lovely map at the end of the post) at least 1/2 mile long, and started to get to me. hills down are not a challenge cardio-wise, but they are very hard on the joints and muscles so it actually takes a lot of work to make sure you're not just pounding down the hill, but running a bit lightly...well as lightly as you can.
i had my snack of a double latte power gel...turned back on to some more "suburban" sorts of roads and wound my way up and down some more hills, and pretty quickly i was back on the route that i knew and there was the biiiiiiiig hill, become bigger because of where i started on it. i made it up the hill but rather slowly, and admittedly - swearing at it the whole way up.
when i got to the top though, i still had a lot of energy, so i picked up the pace a little bit through the last two miles or so, and it was fun. when i finished is definitely a bit sore...but all in all a successful run. at first when i got back i felt like it was a little slow - but when I considered all the hills, i'll take it.
today's mileage: 9.5
time run: 1hr and 45-49 minutes
season mileage to date: 124.9
Thursday, July 16, 2009
well that was gross...
that. run. was. disgusting.
the *true* new york city summer has returned this week, bringing with it the thick, moist (yeah, i said it, moist) air we know and detest.
this morning was one of those mornings where i just simply could not drag my butt out of bed. when i did eventually get up my eyes were puffy with sleep and i wasn't feeling so hot. that left me with skipping the day or running in the evening. we just installed our AC and changing into my running clothing in the refrigerated air was a terrible tease, for when i stepped outside it was like getting hit with a wall of heat, causing me to whimper a bit.
i opted for the 3.8 mile route and i felt it all. there were occasional breezes that helped relieve the heat a bit but damn - i've been so spoiled so far! the run felt so much more laborious and heavy. and the worst is actually when you stop running and suddenly the sweating kicks in. i was on my deck stretching and drinking water and was completely dripping. uuuugh.
i'll be back out in jersey this weekend - i wasn't sure if i would run long because everyone else is running a race this weekend but yes. coach jim says i can add another 1-1.5 miles, so we're talking in the 9-9.5 mile range. ideally i would be running somewhere more flat to give the hip a break from the hills, but i haven't found that place yet. i could also, coach said, run in the pool- something i had never thought of. you use a floaty belt thing to keep you up and then you're doing your training in the water (not hot!) without impact, still eating and drinking as you would on a normal long run. i'm not sure i'll try it this weekend...but perhaps in the near future...especially if this stickiness is with us for a while.
today's mileage: 3.8
time run: forgot to time...
season mileage to date: 115.4
the *true* new york city summer has returned this week, bringing with it the thick, moist (yeah, i said it, moist) air we know and detest.
this morning was one of those mornings where i just simply could not drag my butt out of bed. when i did eventually get up my eyes were puffy with sleep and i wasn't feeling so hot. that left me with skipping the day or running in the evening. we just installed our AC and changing into my running clothing in the refrigerated air was a terrible tease, for when i stepped outside it was like getting hit with a wall of heat, causing me to whimper a bit.
i opted for the 3.8 mile route and i felt it all. there were occasional breezes that helped relieve the heat a bit but damn - i've been so spoiled so far! the run felt so much more laborious and heavy. and the worst is actually when you stop running and suddenly the sweating kicks in. i was on my deck stretching and drinking water and was completely dripping. uuuugh.
i'll be back out in jersey this weekend - i wasn't sure if i would run long because everyone else is running a race this weekend but yes. coach jim says i can add another 1-1.5 miles, so we're talking in the 9-9.5 mile range. ideally i would be running somewhere more flat to give the hip a break from the hills, but i haven't found that place yet. i could also, coach said, run in the pool- something i had never thought of. you use a floaty belt thing to keep you up and then you're doing your training in the water (not hot!) without impact, still eating and drinking as you would on a normal long run. i'm not sure i'll try it this weekend...but perhaps in the near future...especially if this stickiness is with us for a while.
today's mileage: 3.8
time run: forgot to time...
season mileage to date: 115.4
la vita รจ dolce
so i have some catching up to do. i believe we left off on tuesday, which was my (you can guess) birthday =) i think a lot of people thought i was being silly by going to practice on my birthday - after all it's a day for booze and cake and presents right?
but a birthday is also a celebration of life...which for me is also directly tied into why i run in the first place. this running and fundraising allows me to celebrate/give tribute to bouv in a way that also forces me to not take for granted to greatness in my own life. there isn't a run where i don't think of him in some way, often using the memory of that grin to get me through a hill or a last mile. running has pushed me farther than probably anything else in my life. running one marathon is something i never thought i could do - nevermind three-going-on-four! and unfortunately, i can't really describe the sense of "aliveness" that comes with having pushed one's body to travel 26.2 miles on foot. and then, at the risk of sounding like more of a sap than i already do today, there's also the wonderful feeling of having people like you get involved, donate, cheer and encourage me to the finish line...la vita รจ dolce, no?
so really...to not run on my birthday just wouldn't have seemed right.
so i left work early but a little later than i would have liked, came tearing through the house, changing and grabbing water like a maniac, got a(nother) birthday kiss from the boy, and ran up to the park where practice was just getting started.
we had a mission moment from a woman who had run the san diego marathon last year. she was running for her dad - he was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma 8 years ago, and basically has been in chemo ever since. she said that his life has pretty much been "on hold" ever since then. he was really excited about her running because they are from san diego and he would get to see her cross the finish line.
leading up to even weekend, they found out that her dad would have to go into the hospital for a course of chemo. because he is technically allergic to the treatment, where usually a course of that sort of treatment would take a day, he has to take it very very slowly - over three days. which meant that he was going to miss his girl running over that finish line.
but as luck would have it, the hospital is just off the highway that the san diego marathon is run on, and the enterprising dad convinced his nurses to take him up to the roof so that he could see his daughter run by (coordinated by the wonderful world of cell phones of course).
so somewhere around the 8th mile, the daughter stopped on the course with her running buddy, turned looked up at the roof of the hospital waving her arms to her dad, who was standing on the roof with his nurses, looking down at his daughter, one of a sea of purple - all running for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
and the daughter's voice got all choked up as she told us how moving it was for her dad, who had been fighting this disease for so long, to see so many people running, in part for him - she said that it lifted his spirits in a way that nothing had for a long time and gave him hope.
i got teary as we headed to the hills and knew i'd be able to take them on today.
our mission was to run the upper part of the north hill "efficiently", then recover on the way down, and then the next time we would run up the hill "comfortably hard", and recover on the way back down. repeat.
i did so, and managed to get 10 hill climbs (+ the recovery downs), and with the warm ups, i'm guessing we ran about 5.5 miles. it was a good solid run and i was glad i had done it. i stretched with the team and headed back home, where my man greeted me with a glass of vino and a cheese plate. probably, not the ideal post-run meal but that's when i traded the running shoes for the party hat and celebrated "properly".
today's mileage: 5.5
time run: n/a
season mileage to date: 111.6
but a birthday is also a celebration of life...which for me is also directly tied into why i run in the first place. this running and fundraising allows me to celebrate/give tribute to bouv in a way that also forces me to not take for granted to greatness in my own life. there isn't a run where i don't think of him in some way, often using the memory of that grin to get me through a hill or a last mile. running has pushed me farther than probably anything else in my life. running one marathon is something i never thought i could do - nevermind three-going-on-four! and unfortunately, i can't really describe the sense of "aliveness" that comes with having pushed one's body to travel 26.2 miles on foot. and then, at the risk of sounding like more of a sap than i already do today, there's also the wonderful feeling of having people like you get involved, donate, cheer and encourage me to the finish line...la vita รจ dolce, no?
so really...to not run on my birthday just wouldn't have seemed right.
so i left work early but a little later than i would have liked, came tearing through the house, changing and grabbing water like a maniac, got a(nother) birthday kiss from the boy, and ran up to the park where practice was just getting started.
we had a mission moment from a woman who had run the san diego marathon last year. she was running for her dad - he was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma 8 years ago, and basically has been in chemo ever since. she said that his life has pretty much been "on hold" ever since then. he was really excited about her running because they are from san diego and he would get to see her cross the finish line.
leading up to even weekend, they found out that her dad would have to go into the hospital for a course of chemo. because he is technically allergic to the treatment, where usually a course of that sort of treatment would take a day, he has to take it very very slowly - over three days. which meant that he was going to miss his girl running over that finish line.
but as luck would have it, the hospital is just off the highway that the san diego marathon is run on, and the enterprising dad convinced his nurses to take him up to the roof so that he could see his daughter run by (coordinated by the wonderful world of cell phones of course).
so somewhere around the 8th mile, the daughter stopped on the course with her running buddy, turned looked up at the roof of the hospital waving her arms to her dad, who was standing on the roof with his nurses, looking down at his daughter, one of a sea of purple - all running for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
and the daughter's voice got all choked up as she told us how moving it was for her dad, who had been fighting this disease for so long, to see so many people running, in part for him - she said that it lifted his spirits in a way that nothing had for a long time and gave him hope.
i got teary as we headed to the hills and knew i'd be able to take them on today.
our mission was to run the upper part of the north hill "efficiently", then recover on the way down, and then the next time we would run up the hill "comfortably hard", and recover on the way back down. repeat.
i did so, and managed to get 10 hill climbs (+ the recovery downs), and with the warm ups, i'm guessing we ran about 5.5 miles. it was a good solid run and i was glad i had done it. i stretched with the team and headed back home, where my man greeted me with a glass of vino and a cheese plate. probably, not the ideal post-run meal but that's when i traded the running shoes for the party hat and celebrated "properly".
today's mileage: 5.5
time run: n/a
season mileage to date: 111.6
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
what's in store for the birthday you ask? hill repeats.
you know that long hill i always talk about? well...check out what's in store for today's (birthday!) practice:
"Today begins our first day of hill training. We'll become very familiar with the North Hill and the South Hill and maybe a few hills in the center of the park too...
Hill training builds strength! Yep, believe it or not we're going to need a little strength to get us from start to finish.
We'll warm up to the light pole near the bottom of the North Hill and then use the 1/2 mile mark as the end point.
Intermediate:
Technique Focus: Running Hills with proper form, efficiency, and strength!!!
Workout: Hill Repeats- 30-35 minutes. The effort UPHILL will alternate between the following;
1) Efficient, with good form and technique.
2) "Hard"- the SAME as you ran two weeks ago for the 200 and 400 meter repeats, remember? Your primary focus is on maintaining short strides and a LOW arm swing in order to minimize the impact forces.
The RECOVERY is downhill and is VERY SLOW.
Cool Down: Easy run back to picnic Area."
i'm definitely going to need lots of cake to recover from this workout.
"Today begins our first day of hill training. We'll become very familiar with the North Hill and the South Hill and maybe a few hills in the center of the park too...
Hill training builds strength! Yep, believe it or not we're going to need a little strength to get us from start to finish.
We'll warm up to the light pole near the bottom of the North Hill and then use the 1/2 mile mark as the end point.
Intermediate:
Technique Focus: Running Hills with proper form, efficiency, and strength!!!
Workout: Hill Repeats- 30-35 minutes. The effort UPHILL will alternate between the following;
1) Efficient, with good form and technique.
2) "Hard"- the SAME as you ran two weeks ago for the 200 and 400 meter repeats, remember? Your primary focus is on maintaining short strides and a LOW arm swing in order to minimize the impact forces.
The RECOVERY is downhill and is VERY SLOW.
Cool Down: Easy run back to picnic Area."
i'm definitely going to need lots of cake to recover from this workout.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
on the road again
i was very well behaved and followed my coach's suggestion of laying off the running until today's long run. it wasn't easy - the weather was lovely for running, i took a few days off work to spend time with my boyfriend and his family so i had some time, and you know how it is when you want to do something simply because you're not supposed to.
we also came out to new jersey yesterday, and the roads around here are hilly hilly hilly. the schedule called for a 7-9 mile run, and because of my testy hip and the hills, i decided i'd plot a course for the lower end of that range, trying to be wise. i used the trusty gmap-pedometer.com to figure out a down and back course that would provide a little convenience store in the middle to refill my fuel belt, and figured i'd go just 7 miles.
i stayed up a little late, and so was a little late getting out of the house - i probably didn't leave until about 10 or so. it was almost 70 degrees, but really wonderfully breezy. part of the route i was running, i had run before and it had been *hard*, but that was early early on, and i was feeling optimistic.
my run took me up and down many hills. i started to count, but then was focused on actually running said hills and lost track. i made sure not to run too fast, and i took it easy on both the uphills and the downhills - the downhills tend to be harder on my joints than the ups. while it was really hilly, it was certainly not monotonous...like running to coney island is.
i made it to the 1/2 point without any incident other than having to avoid a dead bambi on the side of the road (ick), got some gatorade and headed back up and down the way i came. i had a great run overall - as i crested a hill, and the ground leveled, i noticed i was positively cruising along - probably a little too fast - but it felt great. i've realized it takes a few miles for me to really warm up, and i start feeling my best after 4 miles or so.
i was feeling good enough that i tacked on a little extra run to the end of the road and back for a total of 7.7 miles, which was probably the effort of even more miles because of the hills. Not to mention, this run brings me to over 100 miles trained so far, which is pretty good if you ask me.
here you can see the route and the elevation which is quite the rollercoaster.
i'll try to do another 4 or so tomorrow because its likely i won't be running much on monday because we'll bus it back to the city early in the morning.
oh! and if you haven't seen we've also crossed the $1,000 mark in fundraising - yeeeeah!
today's mileage: 7.7
time run: not sure...i will buy new watch this weekend, i swear!
season mileage to date: 106.1
we also came out to new jersey yesterday, and the roads around here are hilly hilly hilly. the schedule called for a 7-9 mile run, and because of my testy hip and the hills, i decided i'd plot a course for the lower end of that range, trying to be wise. i used the trusty gmap-pedometer.com to figure out a down and back course that would provide a little convenience store in the middle to refill my fuel belt, and figured i'd go just 7 miles.
i stayed up a little late, and so was a little late getting out of the house - i probably didn't leave until about 10 or so. it was almost 70 degrees, but really wonderfully breezy. part of the route i was running, i had run before and it had been *hard*, but that was early early on, and i was feeling optimistic.
my run took me up and down many hills. i started to count, but then was focused on actually running said hills and lost track. i made sure not to run too fast, and i took it easy on both the uphills and the downhills - the downhills tend to be harder on my joints than the ups. while it was really hilly, it was certainly not monotonous...like running to coney island is.
i made it to the 1/2 point without any incident other than having to avoid a dead bambi on the side of the road (ick), got some gatorade and headed back up and down the way i came. i had a great run overall - as i crested a hill, and the ground leveled, i noticed i was positively cruising along - probably a little too fast - but it felt great. i've realized it takes a few miles for me to really warm up, and i start feeling my best after 4 miles or so.
i was feeling good enough that i tacked on a little extra run to the end of the road and back for a total of 7.7 miles, which was probably the effort of even more miles because of the hills. Not to mention, this run brings me to over 100 miles trained so far, which is pretty good if you ask me.
here you can see the route and the elevation which is quite the rollercoaster.
i'll try to do another 4 or so tomorrow because its likely i won't be running much on monday because we'll bus it back to the city early in the morning.
oh! and if you haven't seen we've also crossed the $1,000 mark in fundraising - yeeeeah!
today's mileage: 7.7
time run: not sure...i will buy new watch this weekend, i swear!
season mileage to date: 106.1
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
the running gods giveth...
and they taketh away.
if saturday was my most fun, enjoyable run, tonight's was definitely the polar opposite of that.
today's assignment was to run 3 miles "comfortably hard". not a sprint, because obviously that is not going to happen. this is a test of sorts. we all recorded our time, and in the next few weeks we'll have lovely hill training, then we'll do the test again. the point is to show how much we've improved over those 6ish weeks of hill-torture, uh i mean training.
the first stupid thing i did was have salad for lunch. no fuel in there! the second stupid thing i did was not have a carby-snack. duh! and finally, i had my achy hip to deal with, which tended to get cranky when encountering lots of pounding.
we warmed up by heading to the bottom of the big hill in the park where we would start the race...by running back up that damn hill. i usually end my runs on that thing, and given that we were running hard, i predicted starting by going up that hill would most certainly be difficult.
and it was. i thought i was going moderately fast, but no...it was too fast. when i finished the hill, i could feel my hip pain settling in for a good visit, i was winded as hell and i developed a side stitch under the right set of my ribs towards my back. uuuug. i'll swallow my pride and say that i pretty much felt terrible and still had 2 miles to go.
because my hip was hurting, i didn't push to much, but i didn't want to completely throw the test and have my suffering be in vain so i just tried to be smart. i didn't pound down the hills too fast. i tried to use my arms to keep going. generally, i just looked at the ground a little ahead of where i was going so i wouldn't run into anything but also so that i wasn't totally conscious over how far i had to go.
we completed our run and my time was 30:28. i know i could be faster if my hip hadn't been acting up...and i shouldn't have gone so fast up the hill. i was very grumbly as we waited for the rest of the team to finish up and then took a nice easy cool-down run back to our meeting spot at the entrance of the park. even getting up there my hip was wincy, and i decided it was time to ask coach jim what he thought.
i told him my theory that my suffering was my IT band, he said it could be a number of things, suggesting a few stretches, icing, and some PT. we decided i would take a little running break until saturday and see how it was then. if it wasn't any better, he suggested seeing a sports doctor just to make sure there's nothing really wrong.
so...yeah. i've got plenty of time to train so i'm not freaking out yet, but this week will be mostly cross-training until we see if things are indeed, a.o.k.
on a brighter note - fundraising began last night and in one day i've already raised over $700 bucks. still a bit to go to $10k, but its a very solid start. and of course, with those donations, comes the priceless kinda support from my friends in the form of encouragement and kind words. so i'm going to focus on that tonight, and think positive about my little hip. i think it's all going to turn out okay.
today's mileage: 5.9
time run: n/a
season mileage to date: 98.4
if saturday was my most fun, enjoyable run, tonight's was definitely the polar opposite of that.
today's assignment was to run 3 miles "comfortably hard". not a sprint, because obviously that is not going to happen. this is a test of sorts. we all recorded our time, and in the next few weeks we'll have lovely hill training, then we'll do the test again. the point is to show how much we've improved over those 6ish weeks of hill-torture, uh i mean training.
the first stupid thing i did was have salad for lunch. no fuel in there! the second stupid thing i did was not have a carby-snack. duh! and finally, i had my achy hip to deal with, which tended to get cranky when encountering lots of pounding.
we warmed up by heading to the bottom of the big hill in the park where we would start the race...by running back up that damn hill. i usually end my runs on that thing, and given that we were running hard, i predicted starting by going up that hill would most certainly be difficult.
and it was. i thought i was going moderately fast, but no...it was too fast. when i finished the hill, i could feel my hip pain settling in for a good visit, i was winded as hell and i developed a side stitch under the right set of my ribs towards my back. uuuug. i'll swallow my pride and say that i pretty much felt terrible and still had 2 miles to go.
because my hip was hurting, i didn't push to much, but i didn't want to completely throw the test and have my suffering be in vain so i just tried to be smart. i didn't pound down the hills too fast. i tried to use my arms to keep going. generally, i just looked at the ground a little ahead of where i was going so i wouldn't run into anything but also so that i wasn't totally conscious over how far i had to go.
we completed our run and my time was 30:28. i know i could be faster if my hip hadn't been acting up...and i shouldn't have gone so fast up the hill. i was very grumbly as we waited for the rest of the team to finish up and then took a nice easy cool-down run back to our meeting spot at the entrance of the park. even getting up there my hip was wincy, and i decided it was time to ask coach jim what he thought.
i told him my theory that my suffering was my IT band, he said it could be a number of things, suggesting a few stretches, icing, and some PT. we decided i would take a little running break until saturday and see how it was then. if it wasn't any better, he suggested seeing a sports doctor just to make sure there's nothing really wrong.
so...yeah. i've got plenty of time to train so i'm not freaking out yet, but this week will be mostly cross-training until we see if things are indeed, a.o.k.
on a brighter note - fundraising began last night and in one day i've already raised over $700 bucks. still a bit to go to $10k, but its a very solid start. and of course, with those donations, comes the priceless kinda support from my friends in the form of encouragement and kind words. so i'm going to focus on that tonight, and think positive about my little hip. i think it's all going to turn out okay.
today's mileage: 5.9
time run: n/a
season mileage to date: 98.4
Monday, July 06, 2009
the return of the IT-band-hip-pain
i hit the road earlier than usual, wanting to do a full loop.
it was another lovely morning...although the park was not so lovely. trash was littered everywhere, and eye-sore of a reminder of saturday's celebrations. i mean, is it seriously that hard to put your litter in a trash can? sad sad sad. but, i digress.
i was feeling strong and speedy coming off saturday's 9 miles, until, i reached the top of the big hill. suddenly i felt a sharp pain that started in my hip and shot down my leg a bit, causing me to catch my breath. it immediately dulled, but the deep IT band pain that i am familiar with lingered - so much so that i could feel my right leg tiring a bit as the rest of my leg compensated for the aching.
i slowed to a more moderate pace but did not stop, the pain not being too bad, and trotted back to the house. the sharp-pain part was scary, but its subsided now, and i'm going to ice it up and see how i'm feeling tomorrow before practice. tomorrow will be a "test" of sorts - each season we bookend the "hills" section of training so we can see how strong it makes us, and tomorrow is the day so i definitely don't want to miss it!
today's mileage: 4.3
time run: 45m
season mileage to date: 92.5
it was another lovely morning...although the park was not so lovely. trash was littered everywhere, and eye-sore of a reminder of saturday's celebrations. i mean, is it seriously that hard to put your litter in a trash can? sad sad sad. but, i digress.
i was feeling strong and speedy coming off saturday's 9 miles, until, i reached the top of the big hill. suddenly i felt a sharp pain that started in my hip and shot down my leg a bit, causing me to catch my breath. it immediately dulled, but the deep IT band pain that i am familiar with lingered - so much so that i could feel my right leg tiring a bit as the rest of my leg compensated for the aching.
i slowed to a more moderate pace but did not stop, the pain not being too bad, and trotted back to the house. the sharp-pain part was scary, but its subsided now, and i'm going to ice it up and see how i'm feeling tomorrow before practice. tomorrow will be a "test" of sorts - each season we bookend the "hills" section of training so we can see how strong it makes us, and tomorrow is the day so i definitely don't want to miss it!
today's mileage: 4.3
time run: 45m
season mileage to date: 92.5
Saturday, July 04, 2009
i am a runner
today's run was amazing.
it was another great morning. sunny with a cooling breeze. i left the house by 8:40 and headed to the park where my teammates would have already started running.
i found my rhythm early, and pleasantly glided through the busy park. it was a buzz with 4th of july activity, families with picnic gear and children in tow, claiming their patch of green to lay about for the day.
i wished i had a tape recorder to catch the cacophony of people and music.
i ran an extended loop (adding on a central drive + wellhouse mini loop), and then a full. at some point between 6 & 7 miles, which is where i lost a bit of steam last week, i was still going strong and feeling really good...and i thought to myself...
i am a runner.
i don't always feel this way, especially when so many runs early in the season are a struggle for me. but yesterday's run was a pleasant reminder that yes. slow as i go, laborious as it can be,
i am a runner.
i finished my 9+ strong, knowing a could have run at least another mile. and that felt fantastic.
happy 4th of july everyone.
today's mileage: 9.3
time run: 1h 40m (approximate)
season mileage to date: 88.2
it was another great morning. sunny with a cooling breeze. i left the house by 8:40 and headed to the park where my teammates would have already started running.
i found my rhythm early, and pleasantly glided through the busy park. it was a buzz with 4th of july activity, families with picnic gear and children in tow, claiming their patch of green to lay about for the day.
i wished i had a tape recorder to catch the cacophony of people and music.
i ran an extended loop (adding on a central drive + wellhouse mini loop), and then a full. at some point between 6 & 7 miles, which is where i lost a bit of steam last week, i was still going strong and feeling really good...and i thought to myself...
i am a runner.
i don't always feel this way, especially when so many runs early in the season are a struggle for me. but yesterday's run was a pleasant reminder that yes. slow as i go, laborious as it can be,
i am a runner.
i finished my 9+ strong, knowing a could have run at least another mile. and that felt fantastic.
happy 4th of july everyone.
today's mileage: 9.3
time run: 1h 40m (approximate)
season mileage to date: 88.2
Friday, July 03, 2009
four on friday
not having to work today, it would have been easy to sleep in and chilax.
but not having run since tuesday i did the good thing and was out the door for a loop around the park a little after nine. it is nice out for the running these mornings. not too sticky, a little tinge of coolness to the air.
my legs seemed a little cranky at first, but i took it nice and easy since i am running long tomorrow. i felt like i was going a steady not too fast, not quite an "easy" pace as i made my way round the loop. i'm finally at a point where even though i might not mentally feel like running, physically its not feeling too laborious on these short runs, unless i want it too. its a welcome improvement!
i've started to play around with my arm swing, seeing how it affects my stride and speed. i think i'm going to suck it up and buy one of the fancy heart-rate-monitor-watch-gps things, maybe used though. i think it would be interesting to see where my heart rate is - i know some runners who monitor pace simply by getting their heart rate in the optimal range. i don't know if i'll ever be that crazy but...i think knowing would be cool.
tomorrow - another 9-er. probably in the park this time. i'm going to play around online with some loop variations. i could also run over a bridge, but then i'll have to deal with where to refill the water, and i'm not sure i feel like doing that much investigation today.
until tomorrow...
today's mileage: 4.3
time run: 45m
season mileage to date: 78.9
but not having run since tuesday i did the good thing and was out the door for a loop around the park a little after nine. it is nice out for the running these mornings. not too sticky, a little tinge of coolness to the air.
my legs seemed a little cranky at first, but i took it nice and easy since i am running long tomorrow. i felt like i was going a steady not too fast, not quite an "easy" pace as i made my way round the loop. i'm finally at a point where even though i might not mentally feel like running, physically its not feeling too laborious on these short runs, unless i want it too. its a welcome improvement!
i've started to play around with my arm swing, seeing how it affects my stride and speed. i think i'm going to suck it up and buy one of the fancy heart-rate-monitor-watch-gps things, maybe used though. i think it would be interesting to see where my heart rate is - i know some runners who monitor pace simply by getting their heart rate in the optimal range. i don't know if i'll ever be that crazy but...i think knowing would be cool.
tomorrow - another 9-er. probably in the park this time. i'm going to play around online with some loop variations. i could also run over a bridge, but then i'll have to deal with where to refill the water, and i'm not sure i feel like doing that much investigation today.
until tomorrow...
today's mileage: 4.3
time run: 45m
season mileage to date: 78.9
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
sprint for 1/4 mile. recover. repeat.
it's tuesday, which means some sort of tortureous workout from our coaches.
making a 6:45pm practice is no easy feat most days, so this has been the first tuesday i've attended, which is not great because that's when we do a lot of strengthening, technique and - what i need the most - speed work.
it was raining when i left work, but i'll take rain over blistering heat so while i wasn't exactly thrilled, i also wasn't too cranky about it. by the time we began, the rain had actually subsided to a slight drizzle and we were left to run our repeats in a recently cooled-off park.
we were to warm up, and then starting at a certain point, we would sprint (effort level 4) for a quarter mile, and then take another quarter mile to recover. repeat until the coaches let you stop.
i was a little nervous since i hadn't been doing any of these work outs really and wasn't sure how i would do. i did okay. i took my recoveries nice and slow, making sure i was ready for the next fast run and then would sprint my butt off.
after twenty or twenty-five minutes or so, we were allowed to head back. a little stretching and 3 wtf mosquito bites later (through my clothes? really?), i was red-faced and sweaty but feeling pretty okay.
today's mileage: 3.9
season mileage to date: 74.6
making a 6:45pm practice is no easy feat most days, so this has been the first tuesday i've attended, which is not great because that's when we do a lot of strengthening, technique and - what i need the most - speed work.
it was raining when i left work, but i'll take rain over blistering heat so while i wasn't exactly thrilled, i also wasn't too cranky about it. by the time we began, the rain had actually subsided to a slight drizzle and we were left to run our repeats in a recently cooled-off park.
we were to warm up, and then starting at a certain point, we would sprint (effort level 4) for a quarter mile, and then take another quarter mile to recover. repeat until the coaches let you stop.
i was a little nervous since i hadn't been doing any of these work outs really and wasn't sure how i would do. i did okay. i took my recoveries nice and slow, making sure i was ready for the next fast run and then would sprint my butt off.
after twenty or twenty-five minutes or so, we were allowed to head back. a little stretching and 3 wtf mosquito bites later (through my clothes? really?), i was red-faced and sweaty but feeling pretty okay.
today's mileage: 3.9
season mileage to date: 74.6
Saturday, June 27, 2009
a coney island morning
i was very nervous about running today. i was planning on jumping my mileage to 9 miles from 7, which is a decent jump considering i haven't run long in 3 weeks. i would be running on my own. and this week was not the best week ever as far as training was concerned. all factors leading me to pretty much dread this morning's run despite my determination to muddle through it.
i made sure to leave work on time to assure i could eat at a decent hour. we have a bazillion veggies from the local csa that we have to use so we had salad and pasta with pesto that included scapes instead of garlic. it was de-lish.
so delish that i passed out on the couch sometime before 11pm. i stumbled to bed and set my alarm for 6 to gulp down my breakfast. my man had gotten my oatmeal for my 6am breakfast but i hadn't been all that specific about what kind so i ended up with those instant packs of apple cinnamon. i sleepily mixed some up some, took a bite and was instantly shocked awake from the sheer amount of sugar. wowy. it's been a while since i had pre-packaged oatmeal i guess. i had intended on getting up again at 7:45...but the damn snooze button kept getting pressed somehow. i'm such a sleepy head. so by the time i got up, dressed, filled the oh-so-fluorescent-water bottles i was pushing 9am by the time i left the house.
it was warm but not too warm. i made a very conscious effort as i took off up the hill and through the park to go more slowly than my week-day runs. i would certainly need energy for the end. i turned onto ocean parkway and was delighted to see that most of the path was still in the shade, and with all the trees would probably remain mostly so.
as easy as that route is - flat and straight - it is also kinda boring. i was without ipod and without company, which made for a lonely boring run. i was also watchless, and kept track of mileage to make sure i was hydrating enough by the street signs. i knew avenue r was 5 miles and avenue z would be 6 miles - and that would be where i would get my treat - a double latte power gel. mmmm.
the run was pretty uneventful all the way down to coney island. i probably could have used a little bit more water, but i knew that as soon as i got there, water fountains would be all over the place. miles 4.5 - 6 were roughish for some reason, but as soon as i had that powergel my legs had new life. finally, i crossed under the highway and could see the boardwalk. i grinned widely, and a random lady grinned back as if to say "yes, you have arrived!"
while the sun was out in full effect, so was a lovely ocean breeze. i spied a water fountain, refilled the bottles, took a nice long drink and soaked my hat in water before placing it on my head. it was sooooo nice. i figured i had another 2.5 miles on the boardwalk and the scenery more than made up for the boring run down ocean parkway.
coney island remains a sea of faces, accents and characters so varied and wonderful. despite the forces at work to modernize and clean it up, it remains an authentic mish-mash of culture that new york is known for. as i tromped up and down the boardwalk i smiled at the families with blankets and umbrellas in tow; the older, bronzed leather-backed couples, strolling the boardwalk and saying hello to their compatriots; the crazy looking eccentrics wearing too much clothing or just a speedo; the other runners and bikers looking hot but pleased with making their way through this little patch of nyc-goodness.
i finally hit stillwell avenue - my place to stop. i stretched and people-watched, pleased with myself for ending my run on the boardwalk...pleased with myself for making the 9 miles with less pain and suffering than i thought...and thankful that i had made my way and started a life here, in new york, so many years ago.
today's mileage: 9.1
time run: 1h 40m (approximate)
season mileage to date: 70.7
i made sure to leave work on time to assure i could eat at a decent hour. we have a bazillion veggies from the local csa that we have to use so we had salad and pasta with pesto that included scapes instead of garlic. it was de-lish.
so delish that i passed out on the couch sometime before 11pm. i stumbled to bed and set my alarm for 6 to gulp down my breakfast. my man had gotten my oatmeal for my 6am breakfast but i hadn't been all that specific about what kind so i ended up with those instant packs of apple cinnamon. i sleepily mixed some up some, took a bite and was instantly shocked awake from the sheer amount of sugar. wowy. it's been a while since i had pre-packaged oatmeal i guess. i had intended on getting up again at 7:45...but the damn snooze button kept getting pressed somehow. i'm such a sleepy head. so by the time i got up, dressed, filled the oh-so-fluorescent-water bottles i was pushing 9am by the time i left the house.
it was warm but not too warm. i made a very conscious effort as i took off up the hill and through the park to go more slowly than my week-day runs. i would certainly need energy for the end. i turned onto ocean parkway and was delighted to see that most of the path was still in the shade, and with all the trees would probably remain mostly so.
as easy as that route is - flat and straight - it is also kinda boring. i was without ipod and without company, which made for a lonely boring run. i was also watchless, and kept track of mileage to make sure i was hydrating enough by the street signs. i knew avenue r was 5 miles and avenue z would be 6 miles - and that would be where i would get my treat - a double latte power gel. mmmm.
the run was pretty uneventful all the way down to coney island. i probably could have used a little bit more water, but i knew that as soon as i got there, water fountains would be all over the place. miles 4.5 - 6 were roughish for some reason, but as soon as i had that powergel my legs had new life. finally, i crossed under the highway and could see the boardwalk. i grinned widely, and a random lady grinned back as if to say "yes, you have arrived!"
while the sun was out in full effect, so was a lovely ocean breeze. i spied a water fountain, refilled the bottles, took a nice long drink and soaked my hat in water before placing it on my head. it was sooooo nice. i figured i had another 2.5 miles on the boardwalk and the scenery more than made up for the boring run down ocean parkway.
coney island remains a sea of faces, accents and characters so varied and wonderful. despite the forces at work to modernize and clean it up, it remains an authentic mish-mash of culture that new york is known for. as i tromped up and down the boardwalk i smiled at the families with blankets and umbrellas in tow; the older, bronzed leather-backed couples, strolling the boardwalk and saying hello to their compatriots; the crazy looking eccentrics wearing too much clothing or just a speedo; the other runners and bikers looking hot but pleased with making their way through this little patch of nyc-goodness.
i finally hit stillwell avenue - my place to stop. i stretched and people-watched, pleased with myself for ending my run on the boardwalk...pleased with myself for making the 9 miles with less pain and suffering than i thought...and thankful that i had made my way and started a life here, in new york, so many years ago.
today's mileage: 9.1
time run: 1h 40m (approximate)
season mileage to date: 70.7
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
rib stitches
i ran after work today because i simply could not drag my tired ass out of bed this morning. i got stuck in the airport most of the day monday, and then on tuesday had to get on a 6:55am train to boston for a client trip, so this morning i was simply wiped out and decided i needed to run after work.
the air felt a little thick as i got home and i complained a bit to the roommate before i realized that i had little right to be complaining given the hot sticky soup i had just come from in north carolina.
i headed out around 7:40 and planned on running a little long until shortly into the run i got an attack of under-the-rib-cage-stitches which would not go away for the rest of the run. i think i was going a little fast (i really have to find my damn watch!) at the beginning and it pretty much screwed me for the rest of the run.
i got back to the house sweaty and cranky and went straight for the shower, realizing i hadn't even stretched when my hip growled at me for my forgetfulness. damn damn.
tomorrow i'll run again after work, and friday is tbd because i need to run long this weekend and i'm debating trying to run to the event we have in the city at 9am...maybe maybe...i'll have to map out the mileage. OR i'll run sunday and maybe ride a bike to the city for a little bit o' cross training. getting into july i really need to get my butt in gear, especially when it comes to making tuesday practices - we're doing speed work and that helps improve soooo much.
today's mileage: 3.3
time run: 34m
season mileage to date: 61.6
the air felt a little thick as i got home and i complained a bit to the roommate before i realized that i had little right to be complaining given the hot sticky soup i had just come from in north carolina.
i headed out around 7:40 and planned on running a little long until shortly into the run i got an attack of under-the-rib-cage-stitches which would not go away for the rest of the run. i think i was going a little fast (i really have to find my damn watch!) at the beginning and it pretty much screwed me for the rest of the run.
i got back to the house sweaty and cranky and went straight for the shower, realizing i hadn't even stretched when my hip growled at me for my forgetfulness. damn damn.
tomorrow i'll run again after work, and friday is tbd because i need to run long this weekend and i'm debating trying to run to the event we have in the city at 9am...maybe maybe...i'll have to map out the mileage. OR i'll run sunday and maybe ride a bike to the city for a little bit o' cross training. getting into july i really need to get my butt in gear, especially when it comes to making tuesday practices - we're doing speed work and that helps improve soooo much.
today's mileage: 3.3
time run: 34m
season mileage to date: 61.6
Saturday, June 20, 2009
it's too hot for runnin' y'all
hello from durham north carolina where its humid as heck and tempuratures are soaring up into the high nineties.
this is, as you can imagine, less than ideal running weather.
last night i decided that it was essential for me to do some running this weekend. i was looking at the schedules and since i got trapped in astoria and missed a long run last weekend, and with all the IT band issues, i was feeling a bit behind. i decided damn the heat, i can do this! i will simply get up early saturday and do my 8 miles and be done with it.
easier said than done my friends, easier said than done.
i forwent wine with dinner, and drank tons and tons of water friday evening. i had finally went out and bought a fuel belt yesterday because i figured that no matter how short or long i was running, down in this hot hot land i was going to need to carry water with me. i made a peanut butter 'n' honey sandwich which i packed up in a baggie and put near our bed so i could get up early, chug some water and go back to sleep. i always need to eat about 2 hours before i run, and we'd been doing so much running around getting read for the guests saturday that getting up before 6 just was too painful. so my plan was to:
go to bed by midnight
wake up at 6 - eat sandwich, drink water
get up at 7:30 - get dressed, fill water bottles, etc
get out the door by 8 to "beat the heat"
my plan first went awry when we got to bed closer to 1am. this made me wimper to myself a bit. we were working on pulled pork, some cakes, and mint julep for the next day and things, as usual, took a little longer than expected. good sleep was then thwarted by having to pee almost every hour throughout the night - clearly i had over hydrated a bit. the eating of the sandwich went fine but when i finally got out of bed at 7:30 i knew immediately that i was going to have peanut butter heartburn. uuuuuug. i popped two tums and hoped for the best.
i walked out of the house into the warm, moist air. at first it didn't feel so terrible but as soon as i left the confines of the shady lane that my man's family lives on and one little sunbeam hit me, i felt the magnitude of the warmth and the sweating began.
i had mapped out a little 4.5 mile route and my plan was to do two of these loops. except it was hot. and i was melting. and it was only 8am! i tried to talk myself out of the grumbling but the heat was impossible to ignore. sweat dripped from everywhere. in less than 5 minutes the back of my neck was coated and my pony tail was soon damp. i was hot and miserable but still determined (this was probably...15 minutes into my run).
and then i got lost.
i got lost in hilly territory with a vauge sense of where i needed to go and not many people out on the road to ask directions. no cell phone. i tried to navigate by my wits and succeeded in running down two dead ends, the second of which was up a hill. i swore and turned around and down another road. finally there was a lady on a walk! i asked how to get back to the main drag and she told me to go straight. oooooof course.
i had planned out a bigger loop but as i got to where i could turn back to my boyfriend's...i couldn't go on. i was drenched through, ridiculously hot and miserable. i promised myself that i would run a bunch of longer-ish runs this week to make up for it but there was no way i was continuing on. the heat had sucked the energy right out of me.
i got back and my boy, bless his heart, asked if i had done my 8 miles. i just laughed and started chugging cold water. red-exercise-face was in full effect, more a terrible shade of purple than red. i stayed a good deep pink a good 20 minutes beyond my shower and knew that if i was going to attempt running in this heat again, 6am was going to be necessary.
the saddest thing was when i mapped my run, which i thought to be about 4.5 miles, it was only 3.5. ~sigh~
today's mileage: 3.5
time run: 45m
season mileage to date: 58.3
this is, as you can imagine, less than ideal running weather.
last night i decided that it was essential for me to do some running this weekend. i was looking at the schedules and since i got trapped in astoria and missed a long run last weekend, and with all the IT band issues, i was feeling a bit behind. i decided damn the heat, i can do this! i will simply get up early saturday and do my 8 miles and be done with it.
easier said than done my friends, easier said than done.
i forwent wine with dinner, and drank tons and tons of water friday evening. i had finally went out and bought a fuel belt yesterday because i figured that no matter how short or long i was running, down in this hot hot land i was going to need to carry water with me. i made a peanut butter 'n' honey sandwich which i packed up in a baggie and put near our bed so i could get up early, chug some water and go back to sleep. i always need to eat about 2 hours before i run, and we'd been doing so much running around getting read for the guests saturday that getting up before 6 just was too painful. so my plan was to:
go to bed by midnight
wake up at 6 - eat sandwich, drink water
get up at 7:30 - get dressed, fill water bottles, etc
get out the door by 8 to "beat the heat"
my plan first went awry when we got to bed closer to 1am. this made me wimper to myself a bit. we were working on pulled pork, some cakes, and mint julep for the next day and things, as usual, took a little longer than expected. good sleep was then thwarted by having to pee almost every hour throughout the night - clearly i had over hydrated a bit. the eating of the sandwich went fine but when i finally got out of bed at 7:30 i knew immediately that i was going to have peanut butter heartburn. uuuuuug. i popped two tums and hoped for the best.
i walked out of the house into the warm, moist air. at first it didn't feel so terrible but as soon as i left the confines of the shady lane that my man's family lives on and one little sunbeam hit me, i felt the magnitude of the warmth and the sweating began.
i had mapped out a little 4.5 mile route and my plan was to do two of these loops. except it was hot. and i was melting. and it was only 8am! i tried to talk myself out of the grumbling but the heat was impossible to ignore. sweat dripped from everywhere. in less than 5 minutes the back of my neck was coated and my pony tail was soon damp. i was hot and miserable but still determined (this was probably...15 minutes into my run).
and then i got lost.
i got lost in hilly territory with a vauge sense of where i needed to go and not many people out on the road to ask directions. no cell phone. i tried to navigate by my wits and succeeded in running down two dead ends, the second of which was up a hill. i swore and turned around and down another road. finally there was a lady on a walk! i asked how to get back to the main drag and she told me to go straight. oooooof course.
i had planned out a bigger loop but as i got to where i could turn back to my boyfriend's...i couldn't go on. i was drenched through, ridiculously hot and miserable. i promised myself that i would run a bunch of longer-ish runs this week to make up for it but there was no way i was continuing on. the heat had sucked the energy right out of me.
i got back and my boy, bless his heart, asked if i had done my 8 miles. i just laughed and started chugging cold water. red-exercise-face was in full effect, more a terrible shade of purple than red. i stayed a good deep pink a good 20 minutes beyond my shower and knew that if i was going to attempt running in this heat again, 6am was going to be necessary.
the saddest thing was when i mapped my run, which i thought to be about 4.5 miles, it was only 3.5. ~sigh~
today's mileage: 3.5
time run: 45m
season mileage to date: 58.3
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood
i've been hearing lots of complainin' about the weather lately.
all you whiners can shove it because i think its amazing, and hope it stays refreshingly cool all summer! these last two mornings have been perfect for the running. it makes it that much easier to get out of bed.
my new attack is: get up at 6:45, out the door by 7:02 or so and off i go. i was expecting a stiff hip when i got out of bed today but was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't stiff at all. i opted for a slightly longer run by taking a different loop by the lake. it was rather lovely (i need to start bringing my camera to show you what 7am in the park looks like). My legs felt a little heavy/sleepy, but other than that the run was refreshing and uneventful.
i am off the north carolina tonight where the temperature promises to crawl into the high 90's by the end of the week...wish me luck!
today's mileage: 3.8
time run: 38m
season mileage to date: 54.8
all you whiners can shove it because i think its amazing, and hope it stays refreshingly cool all summer! these last two mornings have been perfect for the running. it makes it that much easier to get out of bed.
my new attack is: get up at 6:45, out the door by 7:02 or so and off i go. i was expecting a stiff hip when i got out of bed today but was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't stiff at all. i opted for a slightly longer run by taking a different loop by the lake. it was rather lovely (i need to start bringing my camera to show you what 7am in the park looks like). My legs felt a little heavy/sleepy, but other than that the run was refreshing and uneventful.
i am off the north carolina tonight where the temperature promises to crawl into the high 90's by the end of the week...wish me luck!
today's mileage: 3.8
time run: 38m
season mileage to date: 54.8
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
and we're back
i took 5 days off to rest the old it band but this morning i decided it was time to get back out there and see how i was feeling.
when i first got up it looked pretty gray, but once i got out there the weather was lovely. i definitely was in need of a run, wanted to get rid of the cranky pants i'd been wearing for a while, and i was anxious about missing "so many days". now i know the work doesn't just go away, but even though it is a long season ahead it still stresses me out to not be running.
the run overall went okay. my it-band started waving "hi! i'm here! remember me!" about ten minutes into the run but it didn't hurt, which is good i guess? i realized at the top of the hill i am no longer any more winded than i am overall, which is also good i guess? it probably means i am still running too fast. but it kinda feels good to run fast(er) than my usual plodding pace.
i'll run again tomorrow, and then i'm headed down to north carolina where its even hotter and stickier. it will be a busy weekend - my boyfriend's father's memorial - so realistically i'm not sure about how much running i'm going to get in, but i'm going to try to get at least a few short ones in, even if i don't make a long one.
today's mileage: 4.3
time run: 45m
season mileage to date: 51.0
when i first got up it looked pretty gray, but once i got out there the weather was lovely. i definitely was in need of a run, wanted to get rid of the cranky pants i'd been wearing for a while, and i was anxious about missing "so many days". now i know the work doesn't just go away, but even though it is a long season ahead it still stresses me out to not be running.
the run overall went okay. my it-band started waving "hi! i'm here! remember me!" about ten minutes into the run but it didn't hurt, which is good i guess? i realized at the top of the hill i am no longer any more winded than i am overall, which is also good i guess? it probably means i am still running too fast. but it kinda feels good to run fast(er) than my usual plodding pace.
i'll run again tomorrow, and then i'm headed down to north carolina where its even hotter and stickier. it will be a busy weekend - my boyfriend's father's memorial - so realistically i'm not sure about how much running i'm going to get in, but i'm going to try to get at least a few short ones in, even if i don't make a long one.
today's mileage: 4.3
time run: 45m
season mileage to date: 51.0
Friday, June 12, 2009
old lady hip
so the IT-band related hip-pain has not been going away, so at the recommendation of lots of my friends i'm taking it "easy" this week - more stretching than running, and I'm going to find that roller thing so i can try to roll the pain away.
i will run this weekend but may do it sunday instead of saturday, depending on how the hip is going. i'll probably go for 8 this weekend. i'm a little nervous about the IT so i need to figure out what else to do when i can't be running just in case. i do not want to loose the small amount of cardio endurance i've built up over the last few weeks...
i will run this weekend but may do it sunday instead of saturday, depending on how the hip is going. i'll probably go for 8 this weekend. i'm a little nervous about the IT so i need to figure out what else to do when i can't be running just in case. i do not want to loose the small amount of cardio endurance i've built up over the last few weeks...
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
misty morning
i left work late for practice again (i wonder if tnt would consider a tuesday *morning!* work out), and was going to run on my own but i took one look at our bedroom (with my clothes scattered everywhere) and decided last night was for cleaning - and this morning would be for the running.
it's a little chilly this morning, but it definitely felt good. the run was more or less uneventful, except for a mini-lake that had formed across one of my paths which necessitated running through the mud. i was trying to run off my recent bout of crankiness and i think it worked to a degree. i feel a little less...encumbered than yesterday.
that's it for now. i am just getting coffee right and feel too sleepy to be interesting this morning!
today's mileage: 3.4
time run: 35m
season mileage to date: 46.7
it's a little chilly this morning, but it definitely felt good. the run was more or less uneventful, except for a mini-lake that had formed across one of my paths which necessitated running through the mud. i was trying to run off my recent bout of crankiness and i think it worked to a degree. i feel a little less...encumbered than yesterday.
that's it for now. i am just getting coffee right and feel too sleepy to be interesting this morning!
today's mileage: 3.4
time run: 35m
season mileage to date: 46.7
Sunday, June 07, 2009
all the way up there?
this weekend i intended to do a short run saturday early evening (because of a little soiree a friend of mine was throwing the night before, and then the long run sunday.
after a lovely brunch with charlotte (remember her, my running buddy from season 1?), something i ate derailed my plan. as i sat on the deck trying to get a few rays, a wave of nausea crept up and attached itself to my person, rendering me listless and blah. no, it was not a hangover. it was that i-ate-something-funky feeling.
the boy came home, took one look at me and said "aweee, you're not feeling well huh?"
no.
"does this mean we can't go to the OTB?"
yes, he meant the off track betting place down the street. it was the belmont yesterday and we had thought to get a little fancy and go play the ponies down the block. okay, i was going to get fancy, perhaps with a little hat action, but in my current state it was all i could do just to go.
we headed down a few avenues and planned out our bets. as we walked in we were hit with "old man smell", a mix of booze, cigarettes and age which i personally equate with my grandfather. perhaps it should be called "tipsy old man smell"...anyway. i digress. we played the ponies and got the hell out of there so i could limp back to the couch and mope, giving myself all sorts of grief that i wasn't running. we did not win any money although we came damn close.
so i certainly couldn't skip today, despite it being not nearly as nice for a run as yesterday and still feeling a little worse for the wear.
i kissed the boy goodbye, so which he sleepily replied "have fun, runny-pants", which i grumblily repeated under my breath. i wanted to sleep in. i did not want to go run, and i certainly was not going to have fun. runny pants indeed.
i opted for the backwards loop first, so that 1) i could take on the long terrible hill while i still had some energy and 2) i could watch out for traffic while i still had the mental capacity to do so. it was an excellent idea until i saw the race coming towards me - there was a 5k in the park that morning, and the runners were headed straight towards me. i swore under my breath and spent the next 10 minutes avoiding a few hundred people racing in addition to the usual park traffic of speedy bikers, roller bladers, and "normal" run walkers. definite video game moment.
i did the first loop rather uneventfully and then turned around and headed in the other direction. i was thirsty. too thirsty. must. get. fuel belt roxie. this is just dumb. i could not wait to get to the water fountain on the far side of the park and when i did i could feel my muscles perk up and i continued on my way.
at this point, approaching the big hill, my legs started feeling a bit like lead, and i got a wee bit dizzy. clearly i am not hydrating enough in this hotness so as i came to a water spot i took a 3-lightpost walk until i got to the water, gulped down a bunch, sprinkled some on my neck and tackled the hill.
i was, at this point, in a foul mood, whining to myself about it not getting any easier, the weather, the fact that i could be in my bed getting some much needed rest, that my hip hurt. pretty much i whined about anything i could think of. a very "runny" looking girl passed me and i glared at her prancing ponytail (my ponytail did *not* feel very prancy). a boy was scootering up the hill while his mom ran beside him. about 2/3rds up the hill he abandoned the scooter with a stomp and a wail. as i very slowly "ran" past them i heard this exchange:
boy: where are we gooooing
mom: look up there
boy: where up there?
mom: look as far as you can see, then look a little farther where those people are
boy (with a whimperish wail): all the way up theeeeeeeere??
i know, little one, i thought, i know just what you mean.
as i kept trucking up the hill, i smiled smuggedly as i passed the perky ponytail girl who had run out of steam. cruel? maybe. but i felt a tortoise-and-the-hare-esque sense of satisfaction.
i made it home, hot and pink faced as ever. i wouldn't say i felt great - my hip was aching and i would certainly have to ice - but i did it, and the time wasn't terrible either. and that was enough for me.
today's mileage: 7.0
time run: 78m
season mileage to date: 43.3
after a lovely brunch with charlotte (remember her, my running buddy from season 1?), something i ate derailed my plan. as i sat on the deck trying to get a few rays, a wave of nausea crept up and attached itself to my person, rendering me listless and blah. no, it was not a hangover. it was that i-ate-something-funky feeling.
the boy came home, took one look at me and said "aweee, you're not feeling well huh?"
no.
"does this mean we can't go to the OTB?"
yes, he meant the off track betting place down the street. it was the belmont yesterday and we had thought to get a little fancy and go play the ponies down the block. okay, i was going to get fancy, perhaps with a little hat action, but in my current state it was all i could do just to go.
we headed down a few avenues and planned out our bets. as we walked in we were hit with "old man smell", a mix of booze, cigarettes and age which i personally equate with my grandfather. perhaps it should be called "tipsy old man smell"...anyway. i digress. we played the ponies and got the hell out of there so i could limp back to the couch and mope, giving myself all sorts of grief that i wasn't running. we did not win any money although we came damn close.
so i certainly couldn't skip today, despite it being not nearly as nice for a run as yesterday and still feeling a little worse for the wear.
i kissed the boy goodbye, so which he sleepily replied "have fun, runny-pants", which i grumblily repeated under my breath. i wanted to sleep in. i did not want to go run, and i certainly was not going to have fun. runny pants indeed.
i opted for the backwards loop first, so that 1) i could take on the long terrible hill while i still had some energy and 2) i could watch out for traffic while i still had the mental capacity to do so. it was an excellent idea until i saw the race coming towards me - there was a 5k in the park that morning, and the runners were headed straight towards me. i swore under my breath and spent the next 10 minutes avoiding a few hundred people racing in addition to the usual park traffic of speedy bikers, roller bladers, and "normal" run walkers. definite video game moment.
i did the first loop rather uneventfully and then turned around and headed in the other direction. i was thirsty. too thirsty. must. get. fuel belt roxie. this is just dumb. i could not wait to get to the water fountain on the far side of the park and when i did i could feel my muscles perk up and i continued on my way.
at this point, approaching the big hill, my legs started feeling a bit like lead, and i got a wee bit dizzy. clearly i am not hydrating enough in this hotness so as i came to a water spot i took a 3-lightpost walk until i got to the water, gulped down a bunch, sprinkled some on my neck and tackled the hill.
i was, at this point, in a foul mood, whining to myself about it not getting any easier, the weather, the fact that i could be in my bed getting some much needed rest, that my hip hurt. pretty much i whined about anything i could think of. a very "runny" looking girl passed me and i glared at her prancing ponytail (my ponytail did *not* feel very prancy). a boy was scootering up the hill while his mom ran beside him. about 2/3rds up the hill he abandoned the scooter with a stomp and a wail. as i very slowly "ran" past them i heard this exchange:
boy: where are we gooooing
mom: look up there
boy: where up there?
mom: look as far as you can see, then look a little farther where those people are
boy (with a whimperish wail): all the way up theeeeeeeere??
i know, little one, i thought, i know just what you mean.
as i kept trucking up the hill, i smiled smuggedly as i passed the perky ponytail girl who had run out of steam. cruel? maybe. but i felt a tortoise-and-the-hare-esque sense of satisfaction.
i made it home, hot and pink faced as ever. i wouldn't say i felt great - my hip was aching and i would certainly have to ice - but i did it, and the time wasn't terrible either. and that was enough for me.
today's mileage: 7.0
time run: 78m
season mileage to date: 43.3
Friday, June 05, 2009
i *heart* Ramon
i just checked the email and had this little ditty from ramon, the head coach.
as an alumni...3 times over...sometimes you forget that it is a big deal that you are back again and again, helping shape and drive the program.
thanks ramon.
Hola;
If you are getting this email is because you are a past and current TNT participant, I think they call you Alumni !
This is me, Ramon, your coach then, and your coach now, the one with the accent (yes, yes, after this many years, still have it, deal with it!!)
I just want to take this opportunity to give you a special Welcome !
It is just soooo awesome to see so many of you coming back, so many 'old faces' :) I think I have seen people in workouts pretty much from every season I have coached, dating from Maui 2002 to last spring season, and that's absolubtely freaking awesome !
I makes me happy to know that you are back either because you 'kind of like us' or you, as I previously told you, have not life after TNT and that's what you are back, no matter the reason you are back, the important thing is that you are BACK !
THANK YOU !!
Many of you probably noted that this fFall 2009 season is a bit different from the one you participated, probably a big bigger (specially if you are from the early years when we were just a few), YES we have grown and that's in big part thanks to all of you, you made the program what it is now, you did you event, you enjoyed, you talked about TNT to everybody you know and that's why we are successful and that's why we are one of the best chapter in the country. I thank you for that !
You have fundraising thousands and thousands of dollars to help our cause, and here you are again, making a difference once more, doing your part ! We all know is not easy to fundraise several seasons, but you are here, and you are doing it, you are
an inspiration to all, to the coaches, to those in the TNT office, but specially to those that joined TNT for first time. You are the
true voice of TNT, welcome those newbies, tell them what is all about, share your pass experiences, tell them why you are back, tell them their lives are about to change, but also, take a moment to realize you are super awesome !!
Anyway, as a little token of my gratitude, for being so awesome and for being back, I want to invite you to special event, a special workout just for you, for just 'those alumni that are currently training with us for a fall marathon'
I will be sending and evite soon, it will probably happen either on Wednesday June 24th or Saturday June 27th.
Once more, thank you for all you have done, and all you continue to do. So great having you back and being able to push you around one more time !!!
Needless to say that your feedback is important to me, please feel free to send me any feedback, positive or negative about this season, I want to make sure , your experience is event better than your prior !!!
me your coach, now and always !!!
Ramon
as an alumni...3 times over...sometimes you forget that it is a big deal that you are back again and again, helping shape and drive the program.
thanks ramon.
Hola;
If you are getting this email is because you are a past and current TNT participant, I think they call you Alumni !
This is me, Ramon, your coach then, and your coach now, the one with the accent (yes, yes, after this many years, still have it, deal with it!!)
I just want to take this opportunity to give you a special Welcome !
It is just soooo awesome to see so many of you coming back, so many 'old faces' :) I think I have seen people in workouts pretty much from every season I have coached, dating from Maui 2002 to last spring season, and that's absolubtely freaking awesome !
I makes me happy to know that you are back either because you 'kind of like us' or you, as I previously told you, have not life after TNT and that's what you are back, no matter the reason you are back, the important thing is that you are BACK !
THANK YOU !!
Many of you probably noted that this fFall 2009 season is a bit different from the one you participated, probably a big bigger (specially if you are from the early years when we were just a few), YES we have grown and that's in big part thanks to all of you, you made the program what it is now, you did you event, you enjoyed, you talked about TNT to everybody you know and that's why we are successful and that's why we are one of the best chapter in the country. I thank you for that !
You have fundraising thousands and thousands of dollars to help our cause, and here you are again, making a difference once more, doing your part ! We all know is not easy to fundraise several seasons, but you are here, and you are doing it, you are
an inspiration to all, to the coaches, to those in the TNT office, but specially to those that joined TNT for first time. You are the
true voice of TNT, welcome those newbies, tell them what is all about, share your pass experiences, tell them why you are back, tell them their lives are about to change, but also, take a moment to realize you are super awesome !!
Anyway, as a little token of my gratitude, for being so awesome and for being back, I want to invite you to special event, a special workout just for you, for just 'those alumni that are currently training with us for a fall marathon'
I will be sending and evite soon, it will probably happen either on Wednesday June 24th or Saturday June 27th.
Once more, thank you for all you have done, and all you continue to do. So great having you back and being able to push you around one more time !!!
Needless to say that your feedback is important to me, please feel free to send me any feedback, positive or negative about this season, I want to make sure , your experience is event better than your prior !!!
me your coach, now and always !!!
Ramon
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
a run for shane, with love
i'm not going to lie, the last month or two have been rough ones. personally. professionally. in general. life has been challenging in general and last night i got more bad news - the death of a friend from college.
these times could lend themselves to curling up in a ball in bed and not getting up for a few days. i've had more than a few days where i was far more inclined to say screw it than face the day.
instead, i run.
not only was i supposed to take a longer run, i needed it. i decided on the full loop with a run from my house to the park.
thunderstorms barreled down last night and when i headed out the park glistened with new rain. a new beginning. a clean start.
i ran sadly. and wistfully. and regretfully. and full of memories. i ran full of questions and doubts, and love for my friends. i ran and remembered.
dearest shane, i hold your beautiful smile close to my heart.
and the rain begins again.
today's mileage: 4.3
time run: 45m
season mileage to date: 36.3
these times could lend themselves to curling up in a ball in bed and not getting up for a few days. i've had more than a few days where i was far more inclined to say screw it than face the day.
instead, i run.
not only was i supposed to take a longer run, i needed it. i decided on the full loop with a run from my house to the park.
thunderstorms barreled down last night and when i headed out the park glistened with new rain. a new beginning. a clean start.
i ran sadly. and wistfully. and regretfully. and full of memories. i ran full of questions and doubts, and love for my friends. i ran and remembered.
dearest shane, i hold your beautiful smile close to my heart.
and the rain begins again.
today's mileage: 4.3
time run: 45m
season mileage to date: 36.3
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
take those days, and flip 'em
so i've been derailed by work (again), getting home at 9 which means...you guessed it! i missed practice. this means i'll be running at least 4 miles tomorrow morning instead of an "off or cross train" sort of a day. blaaaaaaah.
i really needed a run today, and there's more work to be done so not sure how late i'll be up. but if i'm lucky then maybe i'll get to be early and be fresh and peppy for a morning jaunt.
for now i'm watching obama on the telly, feeling full and cranky as hell.
i really needed a run today, and there's more work to be done so not sure how late i'll be up. but if i'm lucky then maybe i'll get to be early and be fresh and peppy for a morning jaunt.
for now i'm watching obama on the telly, feeling full and cranky as hell.
Monday, June 01, 2009
an excellent start to the week
i got a late start this morning - a case of the snoozes - and for a minute i tried to justify "running later", but i kicked my butt out of bed and headed to the park.
it is gorgeous out and so i'm definitely glad i did. i'm at the point in the running where i can finally feel myself getting a bit stronger, the runs are a little less trying, the hill is not so...lung collapsing - i felt like i practically few up it this morning, compared to runs past.
now that the running is well underway, its time for me to get a move on in the fundraising department - hopefully i will be able to get the first letters out this week.
today's mileage: 3.5
time run: 35m
season mileage to date: 32.0
it is gorgeous out and so i'm definitely glad i did. i'm at the point in the running where i can finally feel myself getting a bit stronger, the runs are a little less trying, the hill is not so...lung collapsing - i felt like i practically few up it this morning, compared to runs past.
now that the running is well underway, its time for me to get a move on in the fundraising department - hopefully i will be able to get the first letters out this week.
today's mileage: 3.5
time run: 35m
season mileage to date: 32.0
Sunday, May 31, 2009
shiny and new...
its time for me to upgrade this old old template. i will be trying to maintain a bunch of stuff from this original while making the whole thing easier for me to update.
bear with me and any technical difficulties/ugliness while i switch it up...
bear with me and any technical difficulties/ugliness while i switch it up...
Saturday, May 30, 2009
a two-loop solo
today practice was happening at noon because the brooklyn half marathon (that i was originally going to try to run) was starting in the park. noon? all i could think was HOT. so i decided to go earlier and run by myself.
i'm easing up to the intermediate schedule since spain threw me off course a bit. we were supposed to run 7-8 miles, but since i just did 5 last week, i decided to do a tiny bit less and go for two loops of the park - 3.4 x 2 = 6.8 which is *almost* 7 (i rationalized). this season is so long i'm more worried about hurting myself by going to fast than taking a bit more time to get into the higher miles.
i did not manage to get to jack rabbit to get a fuel belt, so i was going to have to make due with the water fountains (or bubblers, as we say up in massachusetts). i knew where there were two that would be easy to access without having to run off course too far, and would keep an eye out for a few in between.
the park was crowded and again - the pollen was floating about like crazy. i think i have mild allergies, or at least when i run i feel very...thick? ick yeah i know that sounds gross but running, my friends, is kinda gross if you haven't noticed by now. the first loop i ran with traffic and it was relatively uneventful. i couldn't find my watch that morning so i had no idea what my pace was but since it was a longer run was simply trying to be prudent and not go too fast.
at the 1/2 way point, i turned around and went the other way...against traffic for a clockwise loop. because the path along the park is slightly sloped inwards its recommended that when doing multiple loops, you switch off direction so you're not always putting a strange strain on your inside leg. this was also good at first because 1) you get to run down the big steep hill which is like a vacation in the middle of the running and 2) avoiding everyone running and biking at you is like some sort of video game that distracts from the the leg pain.
but...the last bit of that opposite loop is a long windy hill that is, just simply a bitch of a hill. i'll take the steep one any day of this one. more than once i told myself it would be okay to walk...but then the stubborn side would give me a good kick in the ass and i managed to make it all the way up without stopping...and at the top of that long-ass hill, the finish was in sight so it was a victorious moment indeed. so in the end, i ran almost 7 and i'm feeling good and more than on track.
up for tomorrow: a EZ 30-40 minutes (i believe). enjoy the weekend people - its hot but lovely out there.
today's mileage: 6.8
time run: 75m *guestimated*
season mileage to date: 28.5
i'm easing up to the intermediate schedule since spain threw me off course a bit. we were supposed to run 7-8 miles, but since i just did 5 last week, i decided to do a tiny bit less and go for two loops of the park - 3.4 x 2 = 6.8 which is *almost* 7 (i rationalized). this season is so long i'm more worried about hurting myself by going to fast than taking a bit more time to get into the higher miles.
i did not manage to get to jack rabbit to get a fuel belt, so i was going to have to make due with the water fountains (or bubblers, as we say up in massachusetts). i knew where there were two that would be easy to access without having to run off course too far, and would keep an eye out for a few in between.
the park was crowded and again - the pollen was floating about like crazy. i think i have mild allergies, or at least when i run i feel very...thick? ick yeah i know that sounds gross but running, my friends, is kinda gross if you haven't noticed by now. the first loop i ran with traffic and it was relatively uneventful. i couldn't find my watch that morning so i had no idea what my pace was but since it was a longer run was simply trying to be prudent and not go too fast.
at the 1/2 way point, i turned around and went the other way...against traffic for a clockwise loop. because the path along the park is slightly sloped inwards its recommended that when doing multiple loops, you switch off direction so you're not always putting a strange strain on your inside leg. this was also good at first because 1) you get to run down the big steep hill which is like a vacation in the middle of the running and 2) avoiding everyone running and biking at you is like some sort of video game that distracts from the the leg pain.
but...the last bit of that opposite loop is a long windy hill that is, just simply a bitch of a hill. i'll take the steep one any day of this one. more than once i told myself it would be okay to walk...but then the stubborn side would give me a good kick in the ass and i managed to make it all the way up without stopping...and at the top of that long-ass hill, the finish was in sight so it was a victorious moment indeed. so in the end, i ran almost 7 and i'm feeling good and more than on track.
up for tomorrow: a EZ 30-40 minutes (i believe). enjoy the weekend people - its hot but lovely out there.
today's mileage: 6.8
time run: 75m *guestimated*
season mileage to date: 28.5
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
roxie vs. the treadmill: 1 - 0
thanks to the soon-to-be-more-expensive-yet-less-useful mta, i did not make it to practice. the commute that usually takes me 30 minutes at the most took me a full 45, so i rolled into my door just when practice was about to start. this left me two options...
1) go late - and i really really hate being late, for anything!
2) go to the gym and use the (insert ominous music) treadmill
for anyone that doesn't know...me and the treadmill...well...we don't get along so much. we fight. it makes me feel bad. i stalk off. usually, this is how the treadmill wins and consequently i do not use this torture device very often.
its chilly in new york, at least compared to what it's been, and the rain was starting to fall. i've been snuffly in the mornings the last few days, and am not sure if its allergies, a cold or just general over-tiredness and so i set my jaw and decided today i would brave the treadmill work out. this is what i was going to do:
Treadmill work out:
10 minute warm up
20-30 minutes alternating easy pace running for 1/4 mile and 1/4 mile at a slightly faster pace (for example: run 1/4 mile at 5.5 mph then 1/4 mile at 5.8 mph, repeat)
10 minute cool down
then:
2 x 10 squats
2 x 10 Lunges on right side
2 x 10 lunges on left side
2 x 30 seconds plank
2 x 30 seconds left side plank
2 x 30 seconds right side plank
and finally:
STRETCH
i decided to do the 20 minutes of alternating since i was a little nervous about making it through the whole thing (yes! i hate the treadmill that much). and it was hot in and sticky in there in the gym. i grabbed the last available treadmill, set the incline for 1.0 (to combat the momentum of the 'mill), set the speed for 5.0 and off i went.
40 very sweaty minutes later, i was done! dripping and red-faced but i had made it through a full treadmill work out - oh yes! it will never be my first choice, but i managed to muscle my way through and beat that machine. screw you treadmill - i win today!
today's mileage: 3.3
time run: 40m
season mileage to date: 21.7
1) go late - and i really really hate being late, for anything!
2) go to the gym and use the (insert ominous music) treadmill
for anyone that doesn't know...me and the treadmill...well...we don't get along so much. we fight. it makes me feel bad. i stalk off. usually, this is how the treadmill wins and consequently i do not use this torture device very often.
its chilly in new york, at least compared to what it's been, and the rain was starting to fall. i've been snuffly in the mornings the last few days, and am not sure if its allergies, a cold or just general over-tiredness and so i set my jaw and decided today i would brave the treadmill work out. this is what i was going to do:
Treadmill work out:
10 minute warm up
20-30 minutes alternating easy pace running for 1/4 mile and 1/4 mile at a slightly faster pace (for example: run 1/4 mile at 5.5 mph then 1/4 mile at 5.8 mph, repeat)
10 minute cool down
then:
2 x 10 squats
2 x 10 Lunges on right side
2 x 10 lunges on left side
2 x 30 seconds plank
2 x 30 seconds left side plank
2 x 30 seconds right side plank
and finally:
STRETCH
i decided to do the 20 minutes of alternating since i was a little nervous about making it through the whole thing (yes! i hate the treadmill that much). and it was hot in and sticky in there in the gym. i grabbed the last available treadmill, set the incline for 1.0 (to combat the momentum of the 'mill), set the speed for 5.0 and off i went.
40 very sweaty minutes later, i was done! dripping and red-faced but i had made it through a full treadmill work out - oh yes! it will never be my first choice, but i managed to muscle my way through and beat that machine. screw you treadmill - i win today!
today's mileage: 3.3
time run: 40m
season mileage to date: 21.7
May 26th Workout
Warm Up: All Levels easy pace from 9th street to the 1/2 mile mark, turn around at 1/2 mile and easy pace to 3/4 mile mark.
Technique Focus: Posture- Arm swing
Workout: 20-30 minutes of running alternating between HIGH arm swing and easy "normal" running. We will do this by running a 1/4 mile "ON" focusing on HIGH arm swing and a 1/4 mile "OFF"- "normal" easy running (see posture review below).
Post run strength training & stretching (if weather is appropriate).
Posture Review:
a) Feet should be "straight" and pointed forward.
b) Keep your posture tall and upright.
c) Tighten lower abdominal muscles by performing an abdominal "crunch"- slight posterior pelvic tilt.
d) Swing your elbows to the rear…keeping them bent at a right angle. HIGH arm swing: for this exercise, allow your hands to come up towards your chest. A higher arm swing = a longer stride.
e) Head is up and looking in the same direction you are running (NOT looking down towards the ground or at your feet). Look forward in front of you approximately 10-20 meters.
Technique Focus: Posture- Arm swing
Workout: 20-30 minutes of running alternating between HIGH arm swing and easy "normal" running. We will do this by running a 1/4 mile "ON" focusing on HIGH arm swing and a 1/4 mile "OFF"- "normal" easy running (see posture review below).
Post run strength training & stretching (if weather is appropriate).
Posture Review:
a) Feet should be "straight" and pointed forward.
b) Keep your posture tall and upright.
c) Tighten lower abdominal muscles by performing an abdominal "crunch"- slight posterior pelvic tilt.
d) Swing your elbows to the rear…keeping them bent at a right angle. HIGH arm swing: for this exercise, allow your hands to come up towards your chest. A higher arm swing = a longer stride.
e) Head is up and looking in the same direction you are running (NOT looking down towards the ground or at your feet). Look forward in front of you approximately 10-20 meters.
Monday, May 25, 2009
memorial day run
today was supposed to be an off day, but i opted to switch today for yesterday, where i was supposed to run 30-40 minutes but instead had brunch and bbq'd.
the sun and some work woke me up pretty early, so after taking care of a few things for work, i decided to get the run over with. it was about the same as yesterday, maybe a little less hot, so i was able to knock out the run with relative ease (read: slightly winded). my calves felt pretty tight but other then that i didn't have much to complain about.
i'm going to relax and play today, and hopefully later get some of my fundraising materials together...new letter, distribution list, brainstorming some fundraising ideas.
today's mileage:: 3.4
time run: 35m 42s
season mileage to date: 18.4
the sun and some work woke me up pretty early, so after taking care of a few things for work, i decided to get the run over with. it was about the same as yesterday, maybe a little less hot, so i was able to knock out the run with relative ease (read: slightly winded). my calves felt pretty tight but other then that i didn't have much to complain about.
i'm going to relax and play today, and hopefully later get some of my fundraising materials together...new letter, distribution list, brainstorming some fundraising ideas.
today's mileage:: 3.4
time run: 35m 42s
season mileage to date: 18.4
Saturday, May 23, 2009
hot hot heat
i went to bed grumpily and got a good amount of sleep but still woke not feeling very...springy. it seemed to have cooled off as i walked up to the park, but i noticed that the head was definitely there when you were in the sun.
as i thought, we were supposed to run 6 miles. i decided i would do the 5 mile loop, and then depending on how i was feeling when i got back to the start, i'd perhaps tack on that last mile. it was a quiet weekend, with a lot of people being outside of town, and i decided to run solo since i feeling anti-social.
it wasn't as hot as it could be but it was still warm enough for me to have a semi-uncomfortable run (i can't even fathom running long in this heat!). the other thing is that the pollen was out in full force - so between the heat and the pollen, the breathing was a bit labored for sure.
i totally took off a bit too fast, which did not help me at the end. i was definitely done at mile 5, thankful for the bottle of water and the break. when i got back to the apartment, i had the scariest scary exercise face i have seen in while...i mean RED. wah wah wah. i think i am going to have to suck it up and get the ole water belt this season. i have not been awesome about hydrating in past seasons but i think running in the heat i'm going to have to be much much better, lest i get heat stroke and pass out or something embarrassing...
today's mileage:: 5.0
time run: 55 minutes
season mileage to date: 15.0
as i thought, we were supposed to run 6 miles. i decided i would do the 5 mile loop, and then depending on how i was feeling when i got back to the start, i'd perhaps tack on that last mile. it was a quiet weekend, with a lot of people being outside of town, and i decided to run solo since i feeling anti-social.
it wasn't as hot as it could be but it was still warm enough for me to have a semi-uncomfortable run (i can't even fathom running long in this heat!). the other thing is that the pollen was out in full force - so between the heat and the pollen, the breathing was a bit labored for sure.
i totally took off a bit too fast, which did not help me at the end. i was definitely done at mile 5, thankful for the bottle of water and the break. when i got back to the apartment, i had the scariest scary exercise face i have seen in while...i mean RED. wah wah wah. i think i am going to have to suck it up and get the ole water belt this season. i have not been awesome about hydrating in past seasons but i think running in the heat i'm going to have to be much much better, lest i get heat stroke and pass out or something embarrassing...
today's mileage:: 5.0
time run: 55 minutes
season mileage to date: 15.0
Friday, May 22, 2009
the sweet smell of fear...
i'm supposed to run 6 miles tomorrow and i'll be honest. i don't want to.
i'm beat, grouchy, exhausted - no, not just exhausted but exhausted as hell! ~sigh~
i'm debating to run 5...not 6...but i think i'll just have to see how it goes tomorrow. i know it will be do-able, it will just hurt, and i'm feeling wimpy.
~sigh~
~sigh~
~sigh~
i am glad to be back though and i will be running a few times this weekend, not just for my body but for my psyche too - it has some steam that needs letting off.
i'm beat, grouchy, exhausted - no, not just exhausted but exhausted as hell! ~sigh~
i'm debating to run 5...not 6...but i think i'll just have to see how it goes tomorrow. i know it will be do-able, it will just hurt, and i'm feeling wimpy.
~sigh~
~sigh~
~sigh~
i am glad to be back though and i will be running a few times this weekend, not just for my body but for my psyche too - it has some steam that needs letting off.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
back in the nyc
hola jentes!
i am just back from spain...as as my previous posts suggest there was no running to be done, except for the running that happened in our "studio" which was part of a museum, and it was HUGE.
the day of the shoot i was basically walking around, and running to and fro, for about 10 hours straight. fun but crazy. and my calves were and are most definitely feeling it. of course, i am a bit of an idiot when it comes to shoes at times and wore my flip-flops instead of something more solid/prudent. ah well.
so i'm back but exhausted and realistically speaking will not go for a run until thursday, unless i am super wide awake early tomorrow (which i may be if i am in fact jet lagged and not just overtired).
i also heard sad news today. ethan zohn (who you probably know from survivor fame) has been diagnosed with hodgkin's. i met ethan back in 2005 when we both participated in a smallish (people wise) bike ride from maryland to nyc to benefit one of the non-profits he worked with - new york scores (no, dirty people, not the strip club). new york scores focused on helping underprivileged kids from washington heights battle obesity through playing soccer and fight illiteracy through poetry. the organization was pretty cool, and both ethan and his girlfriend jenna were part of the ride.
ethan also works with one of my clients so i've run into him a few times recently and he is both charismatic and kind. he is definitely one of the good guys, and you can see that in his many ventures in the non-profit world. i will take a moment to virtually stomp my foot and declare: it's not fair.
while i certainly do not claim to know ethan well, my good thoughts are with him and his family, and will be running for him too.
and on that note: there are still tnt meetings coming up and you too can help fight leukemia & lymphoma.
the next one is:
wednesday, may 20th @ 6:30pm
TNT office, 475 Park Avenue South, 8th flr b/w 31st & 32nd
i am just back from spain...as as my previous posts suggest there was no running to be done, except for the running that happened in our "studio" which was part of a museum, and it was HUGE.
the day of the shoot i was basically walking around, and running to and fro, for about 10 hours straight. fun but crazy. and my calves were and are most definitely feeling it. of course, i am a bit of an idiot when it comes to shoes at times and wore my flip-flops instead of something more solid/prudent. ah well.
so i'm back but exhausted and realistically speaking will not go for a run until thursday, unless i am super wide awake early tomorrow (which i may be if i am in fact jet lagged and not just overtired).
i also heard sad news today. ethan zohn (who you probably know from survivor fame) has been diagnosed with hodgkin's. i met ethan back in 2005 when we both participated in a smallish (people wise) bike ride from maryland to nyc to benefit one of the non-profits he worked with - new york scores (no, dirty people, not the strip club). new york scores focused on helping underprivileged kids from washington heights battle obesity through playing soccer and fight illiteracy through poetry. the organization was pretty cool, and both ethan and his girlfriend jenna were part of the ride.
ethan also works with one of my clients so i've run into him a few times recently and he is both charismatic and kind. he is definitely one of the good guys, and you can see that in his many ventures in the non-profit world. i will take a moment to virtually stomp my foot and declare: it's not fair.
while i certainly do not claim to know ethan well, my good thoughts are with him and his family, and will be running for him too.
and on that note: there are still tnt meetings coming up and you too can help fight leukemia & lymphoma.
the next one is:
wednesday, may 20th @ 6:30pm
TNT office, 475 Park Avenue South, 8th flr b/w 31st & 32nd
Sunday, May 17, 2009
street casting = long run?
hola from lovely barcelona!
i'm here on a quick trip for work, and while i brought my running stuff, i wasn't sure realistically if i would be able to get any runs in. (i left nyc friday night and will be back by tuesday afternoon.)
yesterday, my friend sebbe and i went street casting for a few extra people we want for our , and in the process probably walked for about 7 hours. we made a few stops/breaks here and there, but i have to figure we walked at least 10 miles over the course of that time...can i count that as a long run?
this morning i am completely beat between our very long walk + the sun + the jet lag. today will be a bit chill, but tomorrow promises to be rather long since we're shooting pretty much all day, so i'm not sure if i'll be able to get in any running, but i'm hoping that i'll be able to jump right back in as soon as i get home.
adios for now...
i'm here on a quick trip for work, and while i brought my running stuff, i wasn't sure realistically if i would be able to get any runs in. (i left nyc friday night and will be back by tuesday afternoon.)
yesterday, my friend sebbe and i went street casting for a few extra people we want for our , and in the process probably walked for about 7 hours. we made a few stops/breaks here and there, but i have to figure we walked at least 10 miles over the course of that time...can i count that as a long run?
this morning i am completely beat between our very long walk + the sun + the jet lag. today will be a bit chill, but tomorrow promises to be rather long since we're shooting pretty much all day, so i'm not sure if i'll be able to get in any running, but i'm hoping that i'll be able to jump right back in as soon as i get home.
adios for now...
Thursday, May 14, 2009
out run the rain
i managed to climb out of bed on time and head out even though i was very very sleepy from a quick trip north for work. the clouds looked ominous, but i figured a little rain wouldn't melt me.
the run was good - i made a conscious effort to slow down a bit and i noticed the difference coming up the massive hill, where i wasn't quite so winded. i was glad i made it out because i'll be traveling again overseas friday night - tuesday, and not sure if i'll really get a run in while i'm in europe.
as i headed back out of the park and onto the street, light sprinkles of rain began to fall and i made it back home just in time.
today's mileage:: 3.5
time run: 36 minutes
season mileage to date: 10.0
the run was good - i made a conscious effort to slow down a bit and i noticed the difference coming up the massive hill, where i wasn't quite so winded. i was glad i made it out because i'll be traveling again overseas friday night - tuesday, and not sure if i'll really get a run in while i'm in europe.
as i headed back out of the park and onto the street, light sprinkles of rain began to fall and i made it back home just in time.
today's mileage:: 3.5
time run: 36 minutes
season mileage to date: 10.0
Monday, May 11, 2009
monday runday
today was a rough one.
lots of things a'happening on the work front...and the life front...and when all goes a-muck...it is pretty nice to have running to turn to. for the run i was making up for on sunday, based on the schedule i was to run 30 minutes easy. i opted for my typical upper loop for 3.5 miles.
it went okay. i was pretty tired physically and mentally so felt a bit sluggish and draggy. i think the pollen is affecting me as well because aside from still working on my running lungs, i felt like it was a little harder to breathe...so much so that after the monster hill, i took a little breather (one day, i'll film the running up the hill so you can see what i'm talking about before you call me a wuss under your breath).
but even with that...it took me only 35 minutes which means i'm being too fast (as if the huffing weren't an indication) but at the same time, i'm kind of enjoying the push. it is about time.
today's mileage:: 3.5
time run: 35 minutes
season mileage to date: 6.5
lots of things a'happening on the work front...and the life front...and when all goes a-muck...it is pretty nice to have running to turn to. for the run i was making up for on sunday, based on the schedule i was to run 30 minutes easy. i opted for my typical upper loop for 3.5 miles.
it went okay. i was pretty tired physically and mentally so felt a bit sluggish and draggy. i think the pollen is affecting me as well because aside from still working on my running lungs, i felt like it was a little harder to breathe...so much so that after the monster hill, i took a little breather (one day, i'll film the running up the hill so you can see what i'm talking about before you call me a wuss under your breath).
but even with that...it took me only 35 minutes which means i'm being too fast (as if the huffing weren't an indication) but at the same time, i'm kind of enjoying the push. it is about time.
today's mileage:: 3.5
time run: 35 minutes
season mileage to date: 6.5
Sunday, May 10, 2009
cross training: a ride in the park
i admit right away that the impetus for this ride was more for the purpose of enjoying a beautiful day then hard core training - and it was lovely.
my friend Ab and i rode 2 glorious loops of prospect park on the bike today, for a grand total of 7 miles. not *so* impressive for a bike ride but 30 minutes exercising is 30 minutes and a huge improvement over my nil cross training in past seasons.
i just (like in the last 20 minutes) got my training schedule and was supposed to run today, vs cross train but that's fine because i can flip flop the days and run tomorrow morning.
here is what my schedule will look like this week:
i am following the intermediate training schedule which is defined by the ability to run 5 miles. i can do that. i'm really (despite the heat) going to try to push myself more athletically this season...we'll see where it takes me. i know i can do this marathon running thing so it begs the question...just how well can i do it?
i guess we shall find out.
my friend Ab and i rode 2 glorious loops of prospect park on the bike today, for a grand total of 7 miles. not *so* impressive for a bike ride but 30 minutes exercising is 30 minutes and a huge improvement over my nil cross training in past seasons.
i just (like in the last 20 minutes) got my training schedule and was supposed to run today, vs cross train but that's fine because i can flip flop the days and run tomorrow morning.
here is what my schedule will look like this week:
i am following the intermediate training schedule which is defined by the ability to run 5 miles. i can do that. i'm really (despite the heat) going to try to push myself more athletically this season...we'll see where it takes me. i know i can do this marathon running thing so it begs the question...just how well can i do it?
i guess we shall find out.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
it's sticky!
our first practice of the season was at 10 today an it was grossssss. not gross because it was long or hard but gross because of the humidity.
as i ambled through the park entrance that is conveniently located a few mere blocks from my house, i spotted coach lisa who declared "well would you look at that. hello rox."
yes, people, i am back.
lisa's not coaching this season (sad face) but she is running new york city so she will be around, which i am glad of. i headed over to practice, and it being the first day, there were a number of announcements from the coaches, staff and their mothers. (kidding.) i looked around to see if i would have any partners in crime...but no. it looks like i am going to have to a) recruit or b) find new ones.
today's run was to be an easy 15 minutes out, and 15 minutes back. i figured i'd make it around 3 miles, maybe a little less given that we'd be running in a pack. i met a new girl and we chatted a bit. the run was not hard, but man was it thick. the humidity is palpable today, and you can feel it in your breathing and certainly when we stopped running and the sweating kicked it. blech.
i guess sticky hot runs are what this season has in store...
today's mileage:: 3.0
time run: 30 minutes
season mileage to date: 3.0
as i ambled through the park entrance that is conveniently located a few mere blocks from my house, i spotted coach lisa who declared "well would you look at that. hello rox."
yes, people, i am back.
lisa's not coaching this season (sad face) but she is running new york city so she will be around, which i am glad of. i headed over to practice, and it being the first day, there were a number of announcements from the coaches, staff and their mothers. (kidding.) i looked around to see if i would have any partners in crime...but no. it looks like i am going to have to a) recruit or b) find new ones.
today's run was to be an easy 15 minutes out, and 15 minutes back. i figured i'd make it around 3 miles, maybe a little less given that we'd be running in a pack. i met a new girl and we chatted a bit. the run was not hard, but man was it thick. the humidity is palpable today, and you can feel it in your breathing and certainly when we stopped running and the sweating kicked it. blech.
i guess sticky hot runs are what this season has in store...
today's mileage:: 3.0
time run: 30 minutes
season mileage to date: 3.0
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
back in the city!
and it is raaaaaaaainy. it is definitely not pleasing at all, and i'm going to attempt to go for a run in the morning regardless. i can cope with the rain if its not cold and rainy, generally speaking but...pbbbbth. i'm still sleepy from last week.
i'm thinking the 1/2 marathon is off at this point, and while i'm slightly disappointed, there will be plenty of other 1/2 marathons and i know i can train for one of those pretty much anytime. i officially signed up for team in training's fall season today, so look for a bunch of updates on the site with a new fundraising link...maybe even a design update...the blog is feeling a bit outdated...i think its time for a refresh!
i'm thinking the 1/2 marathon is off at this point, and while i'm slightly disappointed, there will be plenty of other 1/2 marathons and i know i can train for one of those pretty much anytime. i officially signed up for team in training's fall season today, so look for a bunch of updates on the site with a new fundraising link...maybe even a design update...the blog is feeling a bit outdated...i think its time for a refresh!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
hello from down south
Well guys, it's been a whirlwind since I last posted.
Firstly, I was taking a "digital detox" last week so I didn't blog my runs. I was trying to keep off the facebook and other digital things that suck the life out of life. I did miss blogging however.
So I took my two runs last week both on tuesday and thursday, the standard 3.5 miles in the park. It really is lovely getting out there, and on Tuesday for the first time I had that "runner's high" feeling.
On Thursday, a miraculous thing happened. I noticed I was feeling a little tired and winded during my run and couldn't figure out why. Well, I got back to the house, looked down at my new running watch and miracle of miracles! I had done the run in 35 minutes - which means 10 minute miles! Only in my best shape around San Diego time was I running 10 minute miles. I had notice I had been pushing myself more when I run lately, then I have in the past, but I didn't realize how much. It is probably a little too fast in actuality, but still good to know that I can do it.
Then Thursday night we got very very sad news, my boyfriend's father died suddenly, of what was probably a heart-attack. We were up for a good part of the night, calling family, switching flights around, and he flew early Friday morning, and I followed on Saturday. I'm not quite ready to write about it yet - it has been very sad, as you can imagine.
My man keeps telling me to go for a run, but the first few days have been a bit chaotic down here with visitors and everything going on. I'm not going to worry about the 1/2 marathon on this point. I'll go for a few runs in the next few days, maybe try for 7 miles on saturday and if I don't feel terrible, maybe keep trying for it. Now that I am back in the swing, it will be easier to get out there...and...the other motivating factor is that I am officially registered for the NYC marathon. So the suffering that is surely to come from training in the summer will definitely keep me from slacking off in the running department.
But for now, I'm going to focus on taking care of my man.
Miles per run:3.5
Mileage for the week::7.0
Firstly, I was taking a "digital detox" last week so I didn't blog my runs. I was trying to keep off the facebook and other digital things that suck the life out of life. I did miss blogging however.
So I took my two runs last week both on tuesday and thursday, the standard 3.5 miles in the park. It really is lovely getting out there, and on Tuesday for the first time I had that "runner's high" feeling.
On Thursday, a miraculous thing happened. I noticed I was feeling a little tired and winded during my run and couldn't figure out why. Well, I got back to the house, looked down at my new running watch and miracle of miracles! I had done the run in 35 minutes - which means 10 minute miles! Only in my best shape around San Diego time was I running 10 minute miles. I had notice I had been pushing myself more when I run lately, then I have in the past, but I didn't realize how much. It is probably a little too fast in actuality, but still good to know that I can do it.
Then Thursday night we got very very sad news, my boyfriend's father died suddenly, of what was probably a heart-attack. We were up for a good part of the night, calling family, switching flights around, and he flew early Friday morning, and I followed on Saturday. I'm not quite ready to write about it yet - it has been very sad, as you can imagine.
My man keeps telling me to go for a run, but the first few days have been a bit chaotic down here with visitors and everything going on. I'm not going to worry about the 1/2 marathon on this point. I'll go for a few runs in the next few days, maybe try for 7 miles on saturday and if I don't feel terrible, maybe keep trying for it. Now that I am back in the swing, it will be easier to get out there...and...the other motivating factor is that I am officially registered for the NYC marathon. So the suffering that is surely to come from training in the summer will definitely keep me from slacking off in the running department.
But for now, I'm going to focus on taking care of my man.
Miles per run:3.5
Mileage for the week::7.0
Saturday, April 18, 2009
The Yin-Yang of an Out-and-Back
This morning was my "big" 5 mile run in lovely New Jersey.
I had debated between just running in the boys neighborhood and fining a park/trail/etc but the latter was proving too difficult, so I plotted a 5-mile out-and-back course from the house. It was a simple route without too many turns since I don't know the neighborhood that well and didn't feel like getting lost in the wilds of New Jersey.
As everyone anywhere around here knows, the weather today was spectacular. I left the house around 11 and temp was on an upward climb from 65, but there was a gorgeous breeze that kept the heat from getting to me. (I am *not* a hot weather runner. Not a bit.)
What I didn't look at in my google plotting was the elevation, and while I knew this somewhere in the back of my head, I didn't really think about all the ups and downs I would potentially encounter. Thus...the roller coaster of emotions that comes with a hilly out and back course. For every uphill you encounter, there is a spark of joy that later, oh later!, you will get to run down that beast. And yet alas! Especially on the way out, each lovely downhill you float down, you know will come a reckoning, for you will have to run back up that monster to get back home again.
And so went my run. Lots of swearing under my breath as I encountered another hill. My turn around was a road that would basically loop around, and I laughed when I realized that I had chosen "Vista Drive", which as the name implied, was one long and windy road uphill.
I won't lie, I took three little catch-my-breath walk breaks over the course of the run, those being after I valiantly battled a hill. But I felt good about the run just the same. I increased my mileage by 40%, which is a big jump, and I think if it had been more flat I would have been a.o.k. So I'll take it!
Today's mileage:: 5.0
Mileage this week:: 15.5
I had debated between just running in the boys neighborhood and fining a park/trail/etc but the latter was proving too difficult, so I plotted a 5-mile out-and-back course from the house. It was a simple route without too many turns since I don't know the neighborhood that well and didn't feel like getting lost in the wilds of New Jersey.
As everyone anywhere around here knows, the weather today was spectacular. I left the house around 11 and temp was on an upward climb from 65, but there was a gorgeous breeze that kept the heat from getting to me. (I am *not* a hot weather runner. Not a bit.)
What I didn't look at in my google plotting was the elevation, and while I knew this somewhere in the back of my head, I didn't really think about all the ups and downs I would potentially encounter. Thus...the roller coaster of emotions that comes with a hilly out and back course. For every uphill you encounter, there is a spark of joy that later, oh later!, you will get to run down that beast. And yet alas! Especially on the way out, each lovely downhill you float down, you know will come a reckoning, for you will have to run back up that monster to get back home again.
And so went my run. Lots of swearing under my breath as I encountered another hill. My turn around was a road that would basically loop around, and I laughed when I realized that I had chosen "Vista Drive", which as the name implied, was one long and windy road uphill.
I won't lie, I took three little catch-my-breath walk breaks over the course of the run, those being after I valiantly battled a hill. But I felt good about the run just the same. I increased my mileage by 40%, which is a big jump, and I think if it had been more flat I would have been a.o.k. So I'll take it!
Today's mileage:: 5.0
Mileage this week:: 15.5
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