The 3 Bridge Run (14 miles) & the Ice Bath

Getting to practice on Saturday was a bit of an adventure. I got on the F train just before 8:00am, and I found out that it wasn't running all the way to my stop. It got a few stops into Brooklyn, and then you had to get onto a shuttle bus for the rest of the stops. I thought I was going to be about 10 minutes early, but with the subway wackiness, I got there right on time.

As we get deeper into the training, the group is sectioning out into lots of little groups. The people running the Paris marathon (which is 4 weeks before ours) are running longer mileage. The Nashville marathoners are still on the same schedule as the New Jersey group, because their marathon is only a week before ours. Within each marathon group (Paris, Nashville, & New Jersey) there are half marathoners, beginners (me), intermediates, and advanced runners.

With all these different groups, the coaches have to offer lots of different running routes with different mileage for each. We had 3 choices on Saturday - the 1 Bridge run (6-7 miles), the 2 Bridge run (10 miles), or the 3 Bridge run (14 miles). If you were supposed to be running more than 14 miles, you had to run a loop of the park before your run.


Elizabeth and I were slated to do 14 miles on the schedule, so we picked the 3 bridge run. We ran from Prospect Park over to the Manhattan Bridge. I think this is my favorite bridge to run over. You get a spectacular view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline.


The path of the Manhattan bridge has some other bikers and runners, but not too many. Of course, I didn't take these pictures... I found them on the internet again. I wanted to bring my camera because of the views, but I didn't want to carry it.


Once we got off the bridge we headed up the east side of Manhattan until we hit the Williamsburg Bridge. That was my first time crossing this bridge (not in a taxi). I've got to say, this one was kind of tough. The bridge is pretty much one big uphill. Just when you think you are done with the uphill, you see there is a whole second section of uphill! Oh, and the wind too! I think there was a moment that we slowed down to a crawl. Once we finally got to the end of the bridge, we ate our delicious Gu. We were about an hour in, so it was time.


There is a long chunk of the path that is really wide and not too covered. The weather was beautiful (unlike in this picture), and it really felt like the beginning tease of spring. I can't wait until we can run in shorts in nice weather.


We turned around at the end of the bridge and ran back to Manhattan. We retraced our steps back down the east side until we hit the Brooklyn Bridge.


Since it was such a beautiful day, there were tons of tourists walking over the bridge. You can spot them by their cameras. They ALL had one out, and I don't blame them. It is a great view. At the end of this bridge it was time for another Gu. I've decided orange and lemon-lime are my favorites.


Of course the very last part of the run back near the park was another big uphill. We're so used to hills now that it's not really that big of a deal, but at the end of 14 miles I would have preferred something flat. Oh well.

I'm trying to be kind to my legs after these long runs, so I tried my second ice bath!

Here's how our coach Lisa explained it:
"Get yourself a 5-lb bag or two of ice. first, rinse off in a lukewarm shower. don't make it too warm — that'll only make the ice bath more difficult to tolerate. once you've rinsed, sit your butt down, and begin to fill the tub with cold water. grab a nice, big towel to wrap around your shoulders and torso. once your hips are submerged, turn off the water and add the ice. you need only stay in there for 10-15 minutes — reading a book or magazine makes the time go more quickly, as does sipping a warm beverage. (low-fat hot chocolate is a great recovery drink, by the way.) an ice bath is the best way to control the inflammation of injured tissues, expedite recovery and relieve post-workout soreness (especially after those long runs)."

I know it sounds crazy, but it actually isn't so bad. I think it really does help, because I felt totally fine on Sunday. I even went to a party on Saturday night and wore heels.