Lotto

Today was a rest day, but I did buy a Lotto ticket... just like everyone in America. I only bought two, because wasting $2 is enough for me! ;)

I read that 130,000 tickets were being sold every minute today! Crazy. My chances are slim to zero for winning, but it's fun to think about how you'd spend the money!

Run Stats: Rest Day!

Gloomy

Manhattan was so grey on my run this morning:

I made it home right as the ominous clouds opened up, and the cold rain hasn't stopped all day. I guess winter is here to stay, fingers crossed Santa brings me some more cold weather running gear! 

I use Pinterest for my Christmas wish list- so much easier than trying to think of gifts at one time! I can just add pins when the moment strikes- I used Pinterest for Christmas last year, and my family said it was so easy just to look at the board, click on the links, and buy a gift without any hassle. The system almost works too well... my mom and dad and my sister both got me the same sweater for my birthday! 

Right now my board is looking a little sparse- running gear, a GARMIN (please!), one sweater (already bought), some makeup, and my beloved Ray Bans (that I already got 3 years ago, but they tragically flew off my head and got crunched under the subway). Time to start pinning... perfect activity for this gloomy day!

Run stats: Tuesday: chilly East River run, 3.6 miles, 33:03/9:14 pace; Monday: yoga

Super Sunday

I think this was my most productive Sunday... ever. I knocked out about 3 hours of work, ran errands, deep-cleaned my room and kitchen, did laundry, and went on a run. I also hung our first Christmas decoration!

It's just a door sign, but it's a start. We didn't get a tree last year, but I'd love to get a small one this year! My dad has the tradition of getting all the children an ornament each year-- we had to stop it at home because the tree couldn't handle anymore new ones, but every year since I've graduated college he's sent me one for my apartment trees. Last year I hung them from our 'balcony' (aka railing on the two steps in my apartment), but this year I'd love to actually hang them on a tree.

Fun fact: Decorating the tree is a huge tradition in my family. Even though my brother, sister, and I don't get home until December 22nd or later, my parents wait every year to decorate with us. And we always have glass bottle cokes and cookies while we're decorating ;) 

Run stats: Chilly Central Park run, 5.1 miles, 48:08, 9:26/mile. Hamstring still a little tender, but getting better!

A Different Type Of Marathon

Almost as satisfying as running 26.2. ;)

I got back to NYC last night around midnight, leaving the weekend open to take care of two important things: cleaning and cooking, both of which had fallen by the wayside since Sandy. I decided that today would be my cooking day and tomorrow would be my cleaning day.

I needed to go to the grocery store to start my cooking marathon, so I ran the 3.3 miles to Trader Joes. My hamstring is still tender, but it was a fast 3 miles. I did lots of stretching and icing before turning on the SVU Marathon and jumping into cooking. 

It took about 4 hours, but here is what I accomplished:

Turkey meatballs 

Lentil soup  

Broccoli-cheddar soup 

I'll freeze about half of the meatballs and both soups, so I should have enough food for a few weeks! I also pre-cut all the fruits and veggies I needed for green smoothies this week, and roasted some chickpeas for lunch salads. I hadn't really gone to the grocery store after Sandy knocked out our fridge so I had fallen into the habit of picking up lunch everyday... which isn't good for the wallet or the waist line. Even though I spent a bit more than usual at the grocery store, I'm well stocked and hopefully will be able to avoid falling into the 'I'll just order dinner' routine. Chicken was also on sale ($1.99/pound!) so I'm making sweet chili chicken and sweet potatoes tomorrow night.

Now back to the SVU Marathon and enjoying a quiet night in after a busy week!

Run Stats: 3.3 miles along the East River to Trader Joes, 30:08, 9:08/mile pace

Give Thanks

This is what old looks like...

27 candles. Yikes! My birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year, so lots to be thankful for on November 22nd! The only thing that was missing was my (twin) sister, who is currently working in Australia- and will be for the next year! (secret- I want to be just like her when I grow up)

Birthday/Thanksgiving was a relaxed day- Mom and I went on a 2 mile run, we sat in front of the fire all day, and drank/ate ourselves silly on Turkey, stuffing, and pecan pie. Plus, Jason was here so I got to introduce him to all of my family traditions!

And today my Dad and brother introduced Jason to another tradition- skeet shooting. Girls weren't allowed, so Mom and I headed to the gym to sweat off some of Thanksgiving Dinner. My hamstring is giving me a little bit of trouble, so I decided to walk on the treadmill and just run 1 mile to see how it felt. Yowza. Lots of ice and stretching followed. I'm going to keep taking it easy with running, and my brother got me yoga classes for my birthday, so I'm going to go on Sunday in the hopes of stretching it out.

I signed up for Jack Rabbit's 'Not Someday... Today!' program this morning. You fill out your long term goal for 2013 (NYC Marathon), and then a short term goal month by month, starting with January. My short term goals for January is to run 20 miles a week and attend at least one group run, by Jack Rabbit or Lululemon. 

What are your 2013 goals?

Run Stats: November 22nd, 2 miles in 19:54; November 23rd: 40 minutes at 4.0 on the treadmill, various intervals, 1 mile run at 9:45 pace.

Zero Week

Or, lazy week. What to do after a marathon?

Since Hal Higdon's plan worked so well for the marathon, I once again looked to Hal for what to do after running a marathon. Hal refers to the week following the big 26.2 as 'Zero Week:'

Generally, it takes a minimum of two to three weeks for the body to recover from the strain of running 26 miles 385 yards. Return too quickly and you increase your risk of injury. Some experts suggest resting one day for every mile you run in the marathon, thus 26 days of no hard running or racing! Others suggest one day for every kilometer, thus 42 days rest. Well, that might be waiting too long before resuming tough training...  The training you do in the three weeks following a marathon should be a near mirror of what you did the last three weeks before: in other words, an upward, or reverse, taper.

I'm definitely not waiting 26 days to run again, but I do want to make sure I take extra precautions this/next week to avoid injury. Hal's Zero Week looks like this:

Monday: No running
Tuesday: No running
Wednesday: No running
Thursday: Ok, you can run. But just 2 miles
Friday: No running
Saturday: Ok, you can run. But just 2-3 miles
Sunday: Ok, you're getting antsy. Don't push it, and don't run more than an hour (about 6 miles for me)

So far, I've aced this week... Monday, I flew home to SC and my legs were too sore to even think about running. Tuesday was a similar story, but today I'm feeling antsy. But the worst thing that could happen would be to get hurt, so I'm going to stick to Hal's plan.

Thank goodness the Thursday run coincides with Thanksgiving (and my 27th birthday!)-- I won't feel nearly as guilty with a run, even if it's just a little one.

So for now, I'm introducing Jason to the ways of the South, like oyster roasts:

For people who've run a marathon, did you back off the week after? Or did you jump back in like this blogger?

26.2

Officially a marathoner! ;) The day was incredible and I still can't believe I actually ran 26.2 miles. It was  definitely a mental game at the end, but thinking about everyone who supported me during this adventure kept me motivated until all 26.2 were in the books.

The day can pretty much be summed up in two words: I cried.

Before, during, and after the race. Tears from feeling so loved, tears of joy, tears of pride.

Before the race: Philly definitely made a positive impression as the 'City Of Brotherly Love.' The 'NYC Refugees' as we were referred to were in a separate corral than everyone else. The race officials made a BIG deal at the beginning of the race about how happy they were to have us, and how even though Philly wasn't affected by Sandy, we were all in it together. The race then started with the elites, and then continued with a typical wave start, with one group going right after another. But when it was time for NY runners to start, they stopped all the waves, and brought us to the start as if we were the only ones in the race.

(official Philadelphia Marathon photo- all the orange shirts are the NYC Marathon shirts!)

This is when I start to cry. The race officials began by saying that they knew it wasn't the NYC Marathon, but that they hoped Philly could be our race. And that they wanted to bring a little bit of New York to Philly... and this is when the tears really started to flow. Frank Sinatra's 'New York, New York' began to play, and they asked everyone else to cheer for us. Amazing.

During the race: Jason came down to Philly with me to cheer me on, and his good friends from college graciously let us crash at their place-- which was a godsend given that every hotel was booked in the city. While I went to bed on Saturday night, Jason and his friends went out late (they got home at 3, and I woke up at 4!), but they all still managed to come to the race and cheer me on. Jason had told me he would have a surprise for me at mile 6.5, so I practically flew those first few miles to see what it was.

Best surprise ever. Jason had emailed my best friend Melanie and gotten her to come to the race! There they were, cheering me on, and my heart just broke with happiness. I couldn't believe she had driven up from DC to come watch me, and seeing the two of them together kept me going the entire race. It also made me think of how much love and support I've gotten since starting my training in July... and of course I burst into tears again.

After the race: I went out way too fast in the beginning, so by the 2nd half I was dying. There were hardly any spectators at all from mile 13-19 and then from 22-25, which made it even more difficult to keep going. The back half of the course was also an out and back- meaning you saw everyone ahead of you on one side (which was inspiring at first when I saw the 1st woman about to finish, but got old quick when I was envious of their spot) as you ran down the other. I think I hit my 'wall' at mile 14... my stomach was giving me trouble, and I had to wait in the porta-potty line, a move that cost me 5 minutes but was probably life-saving looking back. I was still running way too fast, and stopping made me refocus and slow down a bit. When I hit mile 20, I knew I was going to finish- only 6 miles left, which was the distance of my very first 'long run' back in July. I started counting down the minutes, saying only an hour left, then only 40 minutes, then 30. And anyone can do anything for 30 minutes, so I powered on, and finally saw Melanie, Jason and crew again right before I hit the 26 mile marker. At this point I felt like I was shuffling more than running, but they were screaming so loudly I felt like I was an Olympic runner about to take gold. As soon as I saw the finish line, I ran as hard as I could (which probably didn't look like much to anyone else) so I could cross the line with my head held high.

And then I felt like this.

I couldn't get any words out, but told Jason to meet me 'by Peru.' I'm not sure why (are they always there?), but there was a row of international flags.... I made it as far as Peru before sitting (falling) down. Somehow Melanie and Jason found me with this incoherent message, at which point I started crying again. I was just so happy to be surrounded by people I loved and to have finished (faster than my goal time!!) and was just so overcome with emotion I couldn't help it.

I'm a marathoner! Best feeling in the world :)

I still have a burning desire to run New York, so even though the race was tough, and I am walking like a grandma today, I can't wait to run again!

Philly or Bust

It's crazy to think that this time tomorrow I'll be a marathoner or very close to being a marathoner. We're on the bus now to Philadelphia, and I can't wait to get things started! Waiting is the hardest part about running for me, and makes my nerves go crazy... I'd rather just get things over with so I'm happy the race starts at 7am (and not 11am like my start time for NYC).

I've been going through all of my pictures I took from my NYC Training... it's hard to believe I've been training since the beginning of July, and how far I've come. In the beginning, 6 miles was tough to run. Now 6 miles is a regular morning run. And the long runs of 18 and 20 miles seemed like crazy talk, but I did them without trouble when the time came. It is absolutely amazing what your body can accomplish in a relatively short period. The 'theme' of the Philadelphia Marathon is 'Redefine Possible,' which really hits home after the NYC marathon was canceled. I thought running a marathon in 2012 wouldn't be possible since all of the races left in the year were either sold out or too far away to get to from NYC. Then Philly opened up their doors... and here I am. Can't wait.

See you at the finish line! I'll be the one kicking ass and bawling like a baby ;)

Last Run Before Philly

This morning I went on my first run before Philly on Sunday! Really short, and really cold. I followed Hal Higdon's Novice plan religiously (until about 2 weeks ago), and he suggested only doing 2 miles the Thursday before a Sunday race. I ended up doing only about 2.5 miles, but it was a really slow, painful run so I'm feeling a bit scared for Philly.

I know I've put the training in, so over the next few days I'm going to focus on mentally preparing for Sunday, eating well and drinking lots of fluids, and getting lots of rest. And find some warm clothes to wear. Philly starts at 7am in the morning, so it will be very chilly at the start! I did a huge clean out of my closet last year, so I'm not even sure I have throw-away sweats or sweaters... it will be an interesting get-up to be sure.

Deep breaths!

Run stats: Out the door at 8am, East River run, 29:18 min, 2.66 miles, pace... slow and painful

A.M. > P.M.

Yesterday, I waited until after work to run. And I realized why just getting it out of the way in the morning was so much better... I was tired, it was late, and it was dark. And since I don't trust myself to run outside in the dark, I had to go to the gym, aka run on a treadmill.

I knew I had to run (hello marathon!) but I was so tempted to just go home. There are certainly days where waking up at 6:30 is not what I want to be doing, but it is by far better than waiting until after work, where excuses seem to multiply.

Today's a rest day, so I got to sleep in this morning and tonight I won't have I drag myself to the treadmill!

Do you hate running on the treadmill or do you not mind it?

Wake Up, Manhattan!

Today I realized something- it takes me longer to get ready to go for a run than get ready for work.

A typical day's timeline (lately- it changes based on distance I'm running):

Running schedule:

6:30: alarm goes off

6:40: roll out of bed, get dressed, make coffee

6:45-7:30: drink coffee, think about running, decide it's finally time to run

Getting ready schedule:

8:45: Back from run, quick stretch in front of the Today Show

9:00-9:10: Shower

9:10-9:15: Reheat coffee, get distracted by Today Show

9:15-9:30: Put on makeup, dry hair, and throw on clothes

9:30-9:35: Pack breakfast and lunch, run out the door

Almost DOUBLE time to get ready for a run. Something to work on.. at least this morning I wasn't the only fuzzy one:

Did I wake up in San Francisco? Running on the bridge was like running on a cloud- the fog was so thick you couldn't see any of Manhattan's timeline. My legs felt a bit heavy today after my run on Saturday, but the rest of the week will be all shorter runs as I get ready for PHILLY!

Run stats: Out the door (late!) at 7:45, Queensboro Bridge Run 5.62 miles, 54:31/9:42 pace

Dang it!

I was all set to go for a run at 5p today... a reward for getting some work out of the way and breaking up a Sunday afternoon of work, laundry, and cleaning. But as I sit here typing at 5:18, it's already dark! And since I'm already a natural klutz, I'm not brave enough to run the streets of NYC in the dark.

I thought it would get dark at 6p-ish, not mid-afternoon? Gosh I hate the winter. Coming from SC, the winters are a) definitely colder up here (duh!) and b) definitely darker up here. <insert string of profanities>

At least now I have no excuse for not going to bed early tonight... but this is currently how I feel about my Sunday:

Why I'll never lose weight from running

Exhibit A:

Yes, that would be a coke and a bagel... with cream cheese and an extra slab of bacon. For some reason, I always crave a coke after a run. Not diet coke, it has to be a regular coke. And it definitely can't be pepsi, yuck!

And this afternoon I'm going to be baking whoopie pies and making scalloped potatoes (with a little bacon addition, duh) for an early Thanksgiving Feast.

So I guess I'll have to keep running. Balance, it's all about balance. 

And big news.... I GOT INTO THE PHILLY MARATHON! Turns out, the kind folks in the city of brotherly love took every would-be-New-Yorker into their marathon. I was so excited yesterday after finding out I could barely sit still. But I'm also nervous- it will be over a month since my 20 miler, and since I had been tapering for the NY marathon (and Sandy wrecked running that week), I hadn't been running as much as I would have if Philly was my original marathon. 

I decided to run 14 today to calm my nerves and get over the half-way hump. It didn't start out so great, but I felt pretty decent at the end. I ended up running 15.85... to my favorite bagel place, which ended up being closed. Boo! Luckily, this is NY so there are hundreds of bagel places within walking distance... we'll see how this one stacks up.

Off to test the new bagel and enjoy my coke! Do you crave anything weird after you run?

Run Stats: Out the door at 9:30, 2 Loops In Central Park, 15.85 miles, 2:31:54, 9:35 pace

Speedy!

I think the cold is making me faster! Woke up tired and not really wanting to run, but convinced myself to roll out the bed and put on running clothes. I find that if I put on clothes as soon as I wake up, before walking out of the room, the chance that I actually get out the door drastically improves. Plus, it's Friday!

Finally found my running tights, which was a good thing because it was cold cold cold today. I can't wait to see what this winter brings! I've always shied away from exercise in the cold, but I'm determined to keep going.

I ran the small loop around Central Park and then came back to my apartment, in what is probably the fastest run I've had in a year. I've never been a particularly fast runner, but I've definitely slowed down over the past few years. When I moved to NY in 2009, I took a running class to meet people and improve my speed. I didn't really meet anyone because holy moly those runs were tough! But effective- I whittled my way down to 7:45/min miles, which for me is the speed of lightning. And then I hurt myself, and didn't really run for a while.

I foolishly thought this year (3 years later!) that when I started training for a half-marathon in March that it would just 'come back.' I didn't stick to a training plan, and didn't really put in enough time. I ended up getting sick at the finish line of the race, and felt like hell running. I was also running closer to 9:30/min miles. I upped the training a bit, and ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon in May, and improved my time slightly to around 9:20/min mile.

But then I started training for the marathon, and I couldn't run anything faster than a 10:00/min mile. Talk about frustration- I was running more than ever but I was getting slower and slower. It really took a toll on me mentally, and it took me a long time to accept that the time didn't really matter, it was just putting the miles in. I'll probably never run 7:45s again, but with hard work and consistency, maybe when I do run a marathon (please Philly please!), it will be closer to 9 minutes than 10.

Run Stats: Out the door at 7:40, Central Park, 47:38, 5.36 miles. Either something is wrong with my watch, or I was speedy speedy today! That's a pace of 8:58!!!!

Stretch It Out

You think when you train for a marathon, you're in shape. Wrong. I went to yoga for the first time in months, and man it was tough. A gentle reminder to take a bit more time to stretch every day!

I also did something crazy today... put my name in the lottery for the Philadelphia Marathon. I probably won't get in, but I was starting to feel like I had jipped myself by not trying to find another marathon to run after training so long. The Philadelphia Marathon opened up a special lottery just for NYC Marathons, so maybe I'll get one of those 3,000 spots!

Seriously, if nothing else, this experience has taught me that runners are pretty great people. Nearly every marathon around the US, from Texas to California to Philadelphia, has made special arrangements for displaced-would-be New Yorkers. Discounted registration, registration proceeds going to the Red Cross, even free registration just by showing your NY bib number. Philadelphia has been sold out, but they decided to open up space--- hopefully I'm lucky enough to get in 2 marathons with 2 different lotteries! Not holding my breath, but it would be great!

Now for a fun street shot... seriously, only in NYC:

Run Stats: No run, just yoga today.

When It Rains It Pours...

Mother Nature decided New York hadn't had enough yet, so she sent some early snow in the name of 'Athena.' (what? since when did storms get names?)

Thank goodness today was a rest day, I don't think I would have gotten out in the mess!

Instead, I had a wine and a burger with friends ;)

Brr!

Holy Moly, it's cold out! I need to find my running tights! I woke up this morning at 6:30, only to get out the door at 8:00 to run. Procrastination much? I ran along the East River- it's crazy to see the debris left behind from the storm. I was freezing for the first 1/2 of the run... will need to find a cold weather solution ASAP as the weather will only get colder.

On a much more fun note, tonight was spent watching election results and drinking margaritas. Only on election night can you watch a countdown clock and see the same information repeat over and over again and be glued to the TV for hours on end.

CNN must have been 'reporting' 1% of the vote... again.

Run stats: Out the door at 8:00, 3.98 miles, 38:55 (no timing stops for traffic lights)

The Day After

On what was supposed to be the day after the NYC Marathon, a run through Central Park. The marathon signs are in the process of being taken down, but the 25 and 26 mile marker as well as the finish line are still there. It was important for me to run up to the finish line, take a moment to reflect on training, Sandy, and the marathon that didn't happen, and then to run away with more resolve to keep running until I DO get to run the marathon I've wanted to do and waited to run for so long.

Even though I had tears in my eyes, I celebrate what this experience has given me:

I celebrate being in great shape.

I celebrate being able to run 20 miles.

I celebrate the early morning discipline I've learned.

I celebrate the clear thinking my runs give me.

I celebrate NYC.

Morning run: Out the door at 7:15, 5.15 miles, 50:45 (didn't stop watch when I stopped to take a picture)