Running in the Rain in a Georgia Drought

Christmas morning -

I've been hearing about the drought in Georgia from my family (and the news media) for a while now. This is one of the driest years Georgia has ever had. Lake Lanier (a reservoir that metro Atlanta uses for it's water) hit a record low water depth in November (but then got a teeeny bit of rain shortly after). As the lake dries out, all kinds of crazy debris is popping up that used to be covered by water. Things like antique beer cans, lawn chairs, anchors, ladders, sunken boats, and even cars!

So, I should be able to safely assume that I will not be running in the rain, right? Nope! I got here yesterday, and I think I brought the rain with me. Yes, Governor Sunny Perdue, I have answered your prayers!

It was borderline cold when I went out for my Christmas run at 9:00. I didn't bring my super-warm clothes, but I knew I would warm up enough while running -if it wasn't raining. There was NOBODY out, because it was early Christmas morning. I got about a little over a mile away from the house, and it started raining. Of course, I did not bring my rain jacket or a hat.

At first it was a little drizzle, OK, I can deal with that. Then it got harder, and harder. It was about 38 degrees and raining. That is about the worst. I'd much rather snow than that. Cold rain is really no fun. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that the clouds were thinner in the direction I was headed. When I hit the 2 mile mark I turned around in the pouring rain and headed back to the house. For any of you that read that article in the NY Times "I'm not running, I'm not running," all about disassociating from yourself when you are running -- this article was all I was thinking about. How can I take my head away to another place...

Finally about mile 3 it started to slow down and eventually stop raining. I was so happy! Running got a lot easier. When I got back into the neighborhood (less than a quarter mile away from the house) it started to pour again. Hard. The last stretch of road is a killer hill. Normally I would have taken it slow as a cool down. Not today! I ran up that thing as fast as I could and got back in the house.

I'm smiling because I am so happy to be out of the rain!


After my shower, I had breakfast with my parents, brother, and sister-in-law. I had grits (yum! I'm a southern girl and I still love them) and a muffin. Then we opened Christmas presents and Santa treated me well. He even got me a running jacket. I think that will come in handy!

Marathon Training Week 4 - Saturday Run - 5 Miles

I got up a little after 7:00 this morning. It's the first official day of winter, and the shortest day of the year. It only gets better from here. More sunlight is always a good thing!

I usually eat a few handfuls of dry cereal before a run. I've found that it gives me a little fuel without making me nauseous. Cereal with milk or any heavy meal = no fun. I'll end up with a tummy ache, and it is no good to run that way. Today I decided to add a spoonful of peanut butter to my pre-running meal to add in a little protein. It worked out just fine, so I may stick to that. It's not exactly gourmet, but it does the job.


I got to the subway at 7:55am. There is practically NOBODY out at that hour in NYC on the weekends. "The City that Never Sleeps" does in fact sleep. It just goes to bed late and sleeps in the next day. I think I was one of 3 people on the subway platform.


I got to Prospect Park in Brooklyn at about 8:20am. The group was considerably smaller this week. I think a lot of people have already left for Christmas.

We had a quick chat about today's workout, and then Jasmine told us about the person she is running for. A client of hers has a little 2-year-old boy named Diego that has leukemia. She said that he is in remission now, but the doctors think it may come back. His 4-year-old brother is currently being tested to see if he could be a match for a possible bone marrow transplant.

We then did a brisk walk to a section of the park where we warm up and stretch. Then it was time for a 5-mile run! The weather was actually pretty warm (low 40's) today, but it was drab and cloudy. On the Saturday runs, we are supposed to run at a comfortable pace where you can talk to the people who are running around you.

My friend Elizabeth and I did the run together. We used to run together on the weekends, but this is the longest non-stop run we have ever done. We used to stop at the water fountains, or take a walking break during our runs. Not this time! We both did great, and I could have easily done another mile or 2. This training really works.

Marathon Training Week 3 - Tuesday night run

Tuesday night's run was different. We did a combo run / strength training evening. The coaches divided us up into 2 groups. I was in group "A," which is easy to remember, because my name starts with A. Group A set off on a run while group B stayed behind at the playground area where we do our warm up.

I'm a little sad that I wasn't in group B, because they got all the drama! A police car pulled up and told the entire group that they were all breaking the law! Apparently you are not allowed to be in the playground after dark. There were NO CHILDREN at the playground, because it was 7:00. 7:00pm in December is really dark and cold. Not exactly playground weather. The cops said we were allowed to be a few feet away, but just not right next to the playground. He must have been bored. We aren't exactly a motley crew.

The coaches told him that we were training for a marathon and raising money to cure cancer. How can you argue with that? He grudgingly agreed to let them stay.

Group A did a 10 minute run (5 minutes out and 5 minutes back). When we got back to the playground we did our sets of strength training (lots of squats, lunges, etc.) while group B went out for a 10 minute run. We repeated this a few times for about an hour.

While we were walking back to the coffee shop, all I could think about was a piece of cake. They have cupcakes at the coffee shop, so this was my post-run reward:


Red velvet cake with red velvet crumbs on top. Yum!

Holiday 4-Mile - 35:58 - Hooray!

This morning I participated in the NY Road Runners Holiday 4 Mile Race. So far the longest race I have done is a 5K (3.1 miles). I'm used to running this distance though, so I wasn't too worried about it. Last night I picked up my timing chip (attaches to your shoe), race number, and T-Shirt from the NY Road Runners office on 89th street.

The T-Shirt is actually kind of cute! There is a chance I might actually wear this one, unlike all the other race T-Shirts. I usually don't even take one, because I know I will never wear it. I live in NYC, and I don't have the space for things I don't want.

I got to the race a little later than I expected, so I didn't get a chance to meet my friend Elizabeth before the start. I was glad I found her a few minutes into the race so I could say hi. Her jacket is bright yellow, so that makes her easy to spot. My goal for this one was a time under 38:00. That means a pace of 9:30 miles. After the first mile, I was right on pace. I skipped the first water station. The race isn't that long, and too much water while running can make me nauseous. At mile 2, I was at 18:32 according to my watch. That is a little faster pace that I was going for, but I felt good so I stayed with it.

There were TONS of people in this race. Close to 5,000! All those people around really keeps you moving. The temperature was cold, but I was dressed well. I think I am really getting a hang of how to deal with cold weather running. I so far always end up taking off the gloves and unzipping my fleece or base layer. Today: all of the above. The sun makes a big difference, and a big chunk of this race was in the sun.

I tried to pick up the pace a little bit for the last half a mile. The second 2 miles took me a full minute less than the first 2. I'm glad I started off conservatively so that I could save a little energy for the end. My final time was 35:58! 2 minutes faster that my goal.

Distance: 4.0 Miles, 6.4 Kilometers
Date/Time: Dec. 15, 2007, 9:30 am
Location: Central Park, NYC
Weather: 29 deg., 36% humidity, wind 6 mph.

Overall Place: 2424 (out of 4951 participants)
Gender Place: 890 (out of 2606 women of all ages)
Age Place: 360 (out of 960 in my group of 20-29 year-olds)
Pace/Mile: 8:59



Now we are off to Atlantic City for Rick's mom's 77th birthday celebration...

Ambulances = No Running Today

So, yesterday started exciting...

I woke up around 6am, because I must have heard some commotion. I don't know why, but I thought someone might have broken into the apartment. I was kind of tired and confused, and that is where my brain went. Then I saw my cat Tater walking calmly into the bedroom, and I knew for sure there were no strangers in the apartment. He would run and hide if he saw anyone he didn't know.

I noticed that Rick wasn't in the bed, I could see that he wasn't in the bathroom, and I started wondering exactly where he was. I got up and I found him sitting on the living room floor. His skin was cold and clammy, and something was obviously wrong. He said he felt awful and fell down, and he might need to go to the emergency room.

I got him some water and tried to help him up. As soon as he got to a standing position, he passed out and fell to the floor. I decided to call 911 right away because I needed help. I think he was unconcious for just a few seconds. The 911 operator told me to sit him up, and not to give him anything to eat or drink. She also told me that it was very important for me to stay calm around him.

Luckily I had left my clothes out the night before, because I was planning on going to the gym to run. I didn't have to nervously dig through my drawers to find something to wear. I got dressed as quickly as possible and went downstairs to meet the EMTs when I saw them arrive outside.
They were super-nice and calming. Rick's blood pressure was really low, and they said that was normal for someone who had just passed out.

The EMTs didn't seem too worried about him, but they wanted to take him to the hospital to get him checked out just in case. Rick was able to walk down the stairs and get into the ambulance without any assistance. We both rode in the back (my first, and hopefully last) time. They didn't turn on the siren, but they did turn on the lights! Rick was able to sit up and buckle in. They didn't make him lay on the stretcher.

The ER was pretty uneventful. The doctor said it was a "perfect storm" of events that most likely caused it. In the morning you have low blood pressure, stomach aches can cause blood pressure to go down, and it just hit a point that was too low for his brain to handle. They gave him IV fluids, and we sat around bored for hours.

The only thing I had to entertain us was my iPod. I had some old Argentinean songs from a children's wrestling show "Titanes en el Ring" on there. Rick used to watch that show when he was a kid, and I must admit the songs are catchy! I had nothing to read, and I started to read everything I could find. I read the label on the saline bottle, the labels on the drawer. Anything.

They finally let us out of there around noon. Rick was feeling totally fine by then, so we both went to work. We were a little tired, because we got to bed late the night before and got up early by surprise...

All is well now. Rick is fine, and I am happy!

Marathon Training Week 2 (Night Run)

Tuesday night we met at the coffee shop at 6:40pm as usual. The weather looked bad all day. Rain, rain, and more rain. I wasn't really looking forward to getting soaked in the cold. But Mother Nature was kind, and it stopped raining while I was on the subway headed to Brooklyn. It was actually pretty warm for December - about 45 degrees. I'll take that!

I decided to run with only a base later (a Craft one that I bought that is known as "the furnace") and a windbreaker. I left the fleece back at the coffee shop, and I was really glad that I did. A lot of people were over-dressed and sweating to death at the end of the run.

Tonight we continued working on proper form with our arms when we run. Head up, shoulders relaxed, hands held loose (no tight fists), elbows behind your body, and leaning slightly forward with your chest. We did 4 laps of the same section of the park, which I think is about 4 miles.


I'm lucky that I have been taking the triathlon training class with great coaches for so long. Running with proper form has been drilled into my head so much that it is second nature.

This Saturday - Another First - My First race over a 5K (3.1 miles)

We aren't having a group run this Saturday. Instead we are all doing a NY Road Runners race in Central Park called the Holiday 4 Miler. I'm hoping for a time under 38:00 for that one. I think I can do it.

Here is a picture of my friend Elizabeth and I after our run on Tuesday.

Marathon Training - Week 2 (Saturday Run)

A first of many firsts to come:

Saturday was the first time I ran a full loop of Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

I think it is 3.4 miles. This is a distance I am comfortable with, but I know
it is only going up from here!

I've made lots of new Brooklyn friends in the training. We will be moving
to Brooklyn in a few months, so I'm pretty happy about that!

It was cold, but not nearly as cold as it has been. Today was in the 40's, and
that felt downright balmy!

FUNDRAISING!!

Team in Training (my marathon training group) is a part of the Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society. We are all raising funds to help stop Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin Lymphoma, and Myeloma.

We have honored teammates training with us who either currently have the
disease, or are in remission.

I don't really know our honored teammates too well yet, but I did know George Guzman. George was an Art Director at Nickelodeon who I got to know through work. He lost his battle with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma a few years ago. He was a lot of fun, and we all miss him.

Everyone has been affected by cancer in some way, and I am happy to raise
funds for this cause. If you would like to support me in my fund raising, please
visit my fundraising page!

http://www.active.com/donate/tntnyc/marathonmandy

I have committed to raise $2600 to run in this marathon, but my personal
goal is to raise $3000. If I raise $2600, 75% goes directly to the mission or
research (which is pretty great for a non-profit organization). For every dollar
I raise over $2600, 100% of it goes to the mission or research.

$25 could pay for 1 patient's chemotherapy drug prescription co-payment.

$50 could register 1 person to be a bone marrow donor.

$75 could provide HLA (bone marrow) typing for a family member of a patient with leukemia.

I'll do the running, and you can cheer me on by supporting me and this
wonderful cause. All donations are 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE!
Perfect time to get your donations in before the end of 2007.

Maybe $1 per mile? (26.2 miles people!)
Or $30 - in honor of my upcoming 30th birthday?

No donation is too small or too large :)

http://www.active.com/donate/tntnyc/marathonmandy

Marathon Training Week 1 - The Night Run

I bought some new winter running clothes, and what a difference they make!

We meet twice a week with Team in Training for our group workouts.
Tuesday night at 6:40 is the technique, form, drills, etc. workout.
Saturday morning is the "social run," where we work on distance. The
Saturday runs will get longer and longer as we go. I think the longest will
be a 20 miler when we get close to the race.

We met at a coffee shop in Brooklyn before the run. Everybody is coming
straight from work, so they arrange for a place to keep your bags while you
are out running. Seconds before we left, I lost one of my gloves! When it
is 30 degrees out, you really want both of those! For the first half of the
run, I was trying to alternate which hand I put the glove on. Your left glove
doesn't really fit on your right hand, just in case anybody was wondering...

Thank goodness I warmed up towards the end and didn't need them so
much! (I found the glove when we got back to the coffee shop - hooray!).

The second you stop running, it is FREEZING again. And WINDY. I
actually bought a hot drink on the way home (which I never do), and burned
my tongue on it. I couldn't wait for the warmth. Does a burned tongue count
as a marathon related injury?

Marathon Training - Week 1

I really had no plans to ever run a marathon. It's 26.2 miles! That is crazy.

I have a friend that I run a few miles with on Saturday mornings. One days this
August, we saw the New York City Half Marathon was happening right next to
where we run. There were so many people of all shapes, sizes, fitness levels,
etc. running this thing, and it got us thinking. We were both looking for a goal,
something to run for. We decided that next year we will run a half marathon.
If these people can do it, so can we.

Flash forward a few months...

My friend Liz from work tells me that she is thinking about running a marathon
with Team In Training. She told me all about the group, and said that I could
attend the first training session and decide if I want to join. Liz said that she is
not really a runner, but the Team In Training people seem very confident that
anyone can do a marathon. You just have to be willing to put in the time to train,
and follow the training plan.

I convinced my weekend running buddy Elizabeth to join Liz and I at 8:30 on
Saturday morning in Prospect Park, Brooklyn for the first Team In Training session. It was COLD, only about 30 degrees. It was then that I began thinking, "What have I gotten myself into..."

I'm not really used to running in the cold weather, and I didn't really have the
right clothes on. Cotton shirt = Bad Idea. The cotton doesn't keep you dry at
all. You actually get pretty warm when you run, even in 30 degree weather,
and start sweating. The cotton shirt stays wet, and then you get cold again.

The training group was a lot of fun, and I decided to sign up for the New Jersey
Marathon! At this point, I still can't imagine running anything over 6-7 miles,
but I've got some time to get ready. The race is on May 4th. So, for Cinco de
Mayo, we are planning a big burrito-eating, margarita-drinking, we-just-finished-a-marathon celebration!

Liz (from work) is planning on doing the New Jersey Marathon also, and
Elizabeth is going to do the New Jersey Half Marathon. We have 5 months to
get ready!