Marathon Mandy

Back to Running

2008-05-27T13:20:00.004-04:00

I'm finally back to running again, and planning my next marathon. This is addictive! But, you know, in a good way. Not like heroin.

I took 10 solid days off from running after the marathon, and then decided to give it a try again. Our coaches told us that it wouldn't feel good right away, and they were right! I felt stiff and tired. The fact that I had just rolled out of bed might have contributed to that. Also, I only ran about 2 miles, and that isn't long enough to get really warmed up. I usually start feeling good after 3 miles.

In order to get a guaranteed entry into the NYC Marathon, you have to :
1. Be a member of NY Road Runners
2. Run in 9 NY Road Runners marathon qualifier races
3. Volunteer at one race

So, I'm a member of NYRR, and I've did 3 races while training for my NJ Marathon. 6 more races + 1 volunteer, and I'm all set.

Elizabeth and I decided to get to volunteering out of the way while we weren't ready to be racing yet. We picked the Healthy Kidney 10K as our volunteering race for 2 reasons. It was on May 17th (beautiful weather), and it was only a 10K - so it wouldn't take up all day. If you volunteer for a really long distance race, you'll be out there forever.

We got to Central Park at 7:00am on a Saturday, and that is a bit earlier than I would have liked! They gave me a megaphone (fun!) and an orange vest to wear. We were in charge of keeping the start line clear before the race, and directing the runners to registration, bag check, start line, etc.

This race was unique, because pro athletes run it it also. These are guys who make a living doing this. They don't wear a number on their shirt. Their race bib has their name on it. You can spot them a mile away. They are lean and solid muscle. The guy on the far right won the NYC Marathon in 2006. He's from Brazil, and he is the first South American to win it.

I actually had a really good time volunteering. It was fun to cheer on the runners doing the race. I really wanted to be doing it myself.

3 days later on May 20th, we did the American Heart Association Wall Street Run & Heart Walk. It was a 3 mile race through the streets of downtown. I admit it, we're looking for a bunch of short races to fulfill the requirement. I am totally doing the 5th Avenue Mile in September!

The race was great, and my time was my best ever. I'm kind of questioning if it was actually a full 3 miles. Maybe the mile markers weren't in the right places? My time was 24:59, which is a pace of 8:19. I did push myself, so maybe it's accurate.

This a race that 17,000 people signed up for, but I don't think that many participated. It's a corporate event also, and a lot of non-runners sign up. Since it was raining earlier that day, that was a good excuse to bail.

Next up:

May 31st - Pawling Triathlon on Saturday - signed up for this before I knew I was going to do a marathon. I'm didn't train too hard, so I just want to finish it.

June 4th - NYRR 50th Anniversary Run - This free race is part of Running Week, NYRR's celebration of its 50th anniversary. Come on out for an early morning run and join the party! This race starts at 5:30 a.m.

This is kind of insane, but I love a bargain! This one is free!

June 7th - NYRR NY Mini 10K - 37 Years of Celebrating Women
The original women-only road race, the "Mini" continues the tradition of celebrating all that is good about women's running. A professional field of the world's fleetest female distance start will lead thousands of women on a 10K course through Central Park. The race started in 1972 with just 78 participants and has been on the NYRR annual calendar ever since!

June 28th - Front Runners New York Lesbian and Gay Pride Run

There better be some drag queens running in that one! If not, I'm going to be disappointed.

So by June 28th, I'll have done 7 races. I just have to pick 2 more to do, and I'm home free!

The Marathon - A post that is practically 26.2 miles long

2008-05-11T21:39:00.051-04:00

Saturday morning, I got up really early and went out for a 20 minute run. We were supposed to just do a quick run to keep loose. I just did a quick dash up 2nd Ave for 10 minutes and then turned around and ran back. Most of my things were packed already, but I had a little bit of last minute packing to do before meeting up with the team.

We all met at the Team in Training offices and got on a bus to New Jersey. The Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island chapters all went down together, so it was a pretty big group. I think we were about 130 people.

The bus ride was about 2 hours, and I was really happy when we got there. I'm not the biggest fan of riding on a bus. It always seems like the drivers have lead feet. Our driver had to slam on the brakes a few times, and I think we had a seriously near miss accident. I decided to not look out the window too much, because I didn't really want to know.

We got to the hotel, and everyone was checking into our rooms. I told the guy at the front desk my name, and he told me that my room had been canceled! Katherine from the Team in Training office told me that I did have a room, but it just wasn't ready yet. Ok...

Elizabeth and I headed over to the race expo where we had to pick up the chip timer for our shoes, our race bib (number), and race shirt. It was crazy windy! We were all pretty concerned about the weather. It was supposed to be thunderstorms in the morning, which would be pretty miserable. And it was COLD. A lot colder that I expected. Luckily I brought clothes for anything from 35 - 85 degrees.

Here is the finish line flapping in the wind.

The water was really rough and uninviting.

This is the race expo tent. They had all kinds of things for sale there. Shoes, energy gels, race shorts, socks, witty running shirts, etc.

Since the pasta party wasn't for a few hours, we went to the first restaurant we saw and grabbed a bite to eat. That's Eddie in the red Pac Man shirt, Virginia, Elizabeth, and me.

When we got back to the hotel, I tried to check in again. Still no room! A few of the coaches were hanging around trying to sort out what to do about the few of us who didn't have rooms. I told them that I wasn't picky, I could probably sleep anywhere. The assured me it would all be worked out by tonight. Ok...

The pasta party was fun. The NYC chapters of Team in Training all wore I love NY shirts, as we were instructed to by the head coach Ramon. There were NJ chapters and Pennsylvania chapters there also, so we stood out. The food was, eh. Honestly it felt like we were at a wedding. I'm sure this venue hosts weddings, and this was like a mega-dressed down wedding with no bride, groom, or booze.

One of the women who was walking the marathon stood up and gave a heartbreaking speech about her boyfriend who recently died from Lymphoma. She mentioned how the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (who we were all raising money for), had been incredibly helpful during his illness. She said that his immune system was too weak for him to take public transportation, so they had to drive into Sloan-Kettering Hospital twice a week. The Society helped them with tons of little things, like parking fees. Her boyfriend fought the good fight, but eventually lost the battle about a year ago. She said that the patient services were really wonderful, and she appreciated all of our fundraising. I really can't do her speech justice. You had to be there.

Our crazy coach Ramon got up and spoke also. That man has so much energy! He is training for a 100 mile race, so he's nuts. He's run over 40 marathons, and just did a 50 mile trail race in Mississippi. His speech was hilarious, but I can't possibly recreate it in writing. You have to hear the super-thick Spanish accent in the flesh. He gave us a quick rundown the course, and talked a bit about race strategy. Conserve in the beginning, use the energy you have left in the end.

Walking back to the hotel, the weather still didn't look good. Now, it is raining. I decided not to worry too much about the weather. I can't control it, so why worry?

Finally the hotel has a room for me. I met my roommate Cynthia who was going to be walking the half marathon. We both set out our clothes, pinned the numbers on our shirts, and went to bed. I can't believe it, but I actually slept! I thought I would be too anxious.

In the morning, we all met in the lobby at 6:30am. I found out that 8 coaches slept in 1 room! That is why the hotel magically had a room for me! A bunch of the coaches gave up their rooms so that we could have them. Sounds like somebody messed up with the reservations...

Here we are getting ready in the lobby before the race. I'm wearing my long sleeve "throw away" shirt on the right. Luis, one of the 8 coaches that had to share a room, is in the baseball cap on the left. Sorry Luis...

We got so lucky with the weather! It rained overnight, and had stopped by the morning. The weather was in the 50's and overcast. Perfect running weather.

It was pretty crowded at the start line, and we weren't even waiting on the course. We were stuck on the right side of this picture on the sidelines. Once the race started, we were able to get on the course and cross the start line. Since it wasn't a huge marathon, we crossed only about 4 minutes after the gun went off.

I had 2 race plans written on my arm. I had a 4:15 finish time, and a 4:30 finish time plan. I decided to start using the 4:15 plan, and just see what happened. My friend John (not from Team in Training), and Elizabeth started with me. We all planned to start together, but the deal was that we were all running our own race. Everybody has the choice to stay with the group, or go out on their own at any time.

The first loop (13.1 miles), we all stayed together. I couldn't believe how good I felt. No pain from injuries, no tiredness, nothing. The coaches were all along the course, and it really helps to see them. They'll jump in and run with you for a little bit, give some advice, etc.

Also, these guys were fantastic! They seemed like they were drunk with their sombreros on at 8:00am. They were so enthusiastic and yelling "run strong" in Spanish. They were my favorite spectators. There was also a bunch of guys who set up a "bloody mary fluid station." I decided to pass and stick with the traditional water and gatorade.

I saw my friend Gina, who ran the Nashville marathon a week earlier, on the course. She jumped in a ran with me for a little bit. I can't say enough about how great the Team in Training people are. They are so supportive, and it makes all the difference in the world.

Sometime around here, I lost John and Elizabeth. I was sticking to my pace, and they were both going a tad slower. So from mile 14-ish to Mile 24, I was alone. There was a woman who was chatting with me for a while, but she wanted to run at a faster pace than me. I told her that she should go on ahead, because I didn't want to change my pace. She was very nice, and I ended up seeing her at the finish too.

Superman passed me early on in the race, but I caught up to him by the end. He looked like he was hurting. I think he went out too hard.

Up until Mile 24, I was rocking it. I felt great until mile 20. It got harder after 20, but at 24 it was really hard. I think I have some idea as to why (other than the obvious I had run 24 miles already, and who wouldn't be tired?).

I messed up the timing of my Gu eating at the end. I got to the fluid station, and I didn't have the Gu open yet. I grabbed a cup of water, but now I didn't have an extra hand to open the Gu without spilling all the water. So I put all the water in my mouth, threw away the cup, and opened the Gu. I could only get about half of it down, because I didn't have any more water. I really think I felt this for the rest of the race. I should have eaten another Gu when I hit the next water station, even if it wasn't time to eat yet.

At Mile 24, Elizabeth passed me! She tried to get me to keep up with her, but I didn't have the energy. She finished 2 minutes before me! I was very impressed.

I think I'm looking like I'm struggling here. I walked through the water station at Mile 24, and I gave myself a minute long walk break just before Mile 25, so that I could finish running strong.

All the coaches were at the end, and Ramon asked how I was feeling. I told him that I was tired. He said, "Why? Because you just ran 26 miles?" Yeah. I think that was it.

The finish line was quite a rush. My goal time was something between 4:15 and 4:30. I ended up with 4:22, so I'm really happy with that.

Rick was there waiting for me, and it was fun to have him there. He was also on the course and I saw him at mile 13, mile 17, and the finish. He hung out for a while and met a lot of my Team In Training friends.

Me and Elizabeth with our medals. (Somebody in the hotel asked me if I won the marathon, because I had the medal. I should have said yes.)

Me and John with our medals.

They had a tent with food for the finishers. I was happy to eat something that wasn't artificially fruit flavored. A bagel was great. John's sister (and my friend) Christina was there with her mom. She had little goodie bags for us, and that was so sweet. I chowed down on those snacks too.

I was happy to finish at the Team in Training tent...

And not the medical tent!

Then the crazy Brooklyn team got in the ocean. It's the fun version of the ice bath. The water temperature was in the mid 50's. I am a wimp, and I only got in to my mid thigh. Some of those guys went under!

Then we went out for the best lunch ever. Burgers (veggie for me), fries, and milk shakes! Yum! Nothing could have tasted better to us.

Some spontaneous stretching.

Then the Victory Party! The food was crap, and I'm glad we ate before.

Dancing was a blast, even after running a marathon. The more I moved, the better I could move. If I stayed still, I got stiff. So dancing was perfect for that night. Again, it felt like a wedding. Same music they play at all weddings, just no happy couple.

This is Tara and Alon wearing their medals.

Crazy Coach Ramon dancing.

Christina and Eddie dancing.

We were all walking funny the next morning. My legs were really tight for about 2 days, but I felt pretty normal by Wednesday. I have a toenail that may not make it, but other than that I made out great. You should have seen us all stumbling to get off the bus when we got back to NYC. People must have wondered why all these normal looking people couldn't walk right.

Overall, it was a great experience, and I can't speak highly enough of Team in Training. I've already signed up for the NYC Marathon lottery for this year. Only about 1 in 4 get in, so I'm not sure if I will. I'll let you know in June!

Finish Time - 4:22:43

2008-05-05T22:58:00.003-04:00

I did it! I ran a marathon! 26.2 miles in 4 hours, 22 minutes, and 43 seconds.

It was an amazing experience, and I'll put up lots of pictures and write about it later this week. The injuries disappeared, I had energy, it was a great race. Ok, the last 2 miles were really hard, but I guess that's not so unusual.

For now, here's a picture of a few members of the Brooklyn team with our medals.

Less Than 24 Hours Away

2008-05-03T09:42:00.006-04:00

I'm packing and getting ready to go to New Jersey in a few hours. The marathon is tomorrow morning at 7:30am. I'm excited and nervous. I know that I can finish it, but the distance of 26.2 miles is still daunting!

This is the website for the marathon:
http://www.njmarathon.org/

Here's the map of the course. It's 2 loops, so we'll see everything twice.

I'm guessing I will be at these miles around these times. These are just guesses. I really have no idea since this is my first marathon.

Start - 7:30am - 7:40am
Mile 5 - 8:22am - 8:28am
Mile 10 - 9:12am - 9:20am
Mile 15 - 10:00am - 10:12am
Mile 20 - 10:47am - 11:03am
Mile 25 - 11:37am - 11:53am
Mile 26.2! - 11:48am - 12:07am

The weather forecast is looking pretty rotten for tomorrow. The temperature is perfect for running, but the thunderstorms aren't! I'm crossing my fingers that the rain will hold off until the afternoon.

When you wake up tomorrow morning, cheer me on from wherever you are!

A Couple of Short Runs

2008-04-27T21:55:00.002-04:00

Saturday's run was only 6 miles. It went by so fast! Today I did 3 miles (in the rain).

This week is supposed to be all about short, easy runs and lots of rest. The marathon is a week away! As our coaches have told us, no single workout is going to make us any more prepared for the race. Less is more. It's the last 5 months of running in the cold, wind, rain, snow and sun that made us prepared.

I saw my friend John this afternoon, and he is going to run New Jersey also. We're planning on starting the race together. Something tells me that he will be finishing before I do... He's acting like I will finish first (fat chance), but I know he's just being modest.

Tomorrow we have a mandatory team meeting to go over the logistics of the weekend.

7 more days...

The Last Workout

2008-04-22T22:50:00.002-04:00

Tonight was our last official workout. It was another week of pacing. We ran a 1.5 mile course 3 times in a row (no stopping).

1st loop I did in 13:57
2nd loop was 12:43
3rd loop 12:05

We were supposed to run each loop 30 seconds faster than the last one. Over a mile and a half, you don't have to pick up the pace that much to make up 30 seconds. As you can see by my times, I did not really follow those rules.

I stopped for a quick potty break between loop 1 & 2. I was running with my friend Elizabeth, and I tried to make up the time and catch up to her during the 2nd & 3rd loops. I was about 20 seconds behind her at the finish, so I didn't quite catch up. So close!

This run left me very hungry afterwards. It's a good thing we meet at a coffee shop that has little snacks. That scone I ate on the subway is what kept me alive.

Next Tuesday is our final training session before the marathon. We will just be doing an easy 40 minute run.

Saturday is our final long run, and it is only 6 miles. I'll be done so early that I won't know what to do with myself the rest of the day!

Tapering! And Gummi Bears!

2008-04-20T23:28:00.004-04:00

The marathon is 2 weeks away, and we have moved into our tapering phase.

In the final 2 weeks, we will be cutting back on our mileage so that we will be fully recovered from the long runs and well rested. At this point less is more.

Saturday's long run was only 10 miles. Hooray! It was actually pretty easy. We stayed in Prospect Park and did 2 of the 5 mile loops. You have to repeat a section to make the 5 mile loop, so we saw the same things over and over again.

For me, it was a great running day. The weather was beautiful and sunny, and the temperature was in the low 60's. I felt great, and I didn't have any pain at all, which is fantastic! I could feel that I was on my feet for 10 miles, but it wasn't pain. If I can make it 10 miles into the marathon pain free, that will be great. If I can make it 26.2 miles without pain, that will be a miracle. Wait a second! The Pope was in town on Saturday. Maybe it was a miracle!

A friend of mine in my triathlon training class who has done about 15 marathons gave me a fun tip that I think I am going to try. He said he carries 26 gummi bears with him during the race. After each mile he eats one. As he sees the gummi bears dwindling, he knows he is getting closer and closer to the finish line.

An army of 26 gummi bears:

Of course, you don't want to try anything new on race day, so I brought 10 gummi bears with me on the run and ate one around every mile or so. It was actually kind of fun. And 26 gummi bears is around 120 calories, so I should be able to eat one less Gu during the race. I don't mind the Gu that much, but gummi bears taste better. Of course the Gu is better fuel, so guess I shouldn't replace all of the Gu with gummi bears.

Another 20 Miles

2008-04-13T21:57:00.007-04:00

Ok, I have to be honest. The 20 miles I did yesterday was hard. Really hard.

We got on the 7:55am train from Grand Central to Hartsdale, NY. This was the first time this season that the Manhattan and Brooklyn teams did a run together. Their group is so much bigger than ours!

The train took about 40 minutes, and then we walked over to this area to discuss the run. It was a really pretty setting. We're all getting tired of our usual run routes, so it was nice to have a change.

The weather was a LOT warmer than it has been for any of our other runs. It was in the low 60's and mixed sun and clouds, and pretty humid. I decided to wear shorts as a "dress rehearsal" for the big race. I've always had to wear pants for all the past runs, but I think it will be too warm for that in a few weeks.

The coaches all recommend doing NOTHING NEW on race day. Don't wear new clothes, don't eat different food, don't try anything you haven't tried before. Hence the shorts wearing.

We did a 10 mile out-and-back loop twice. The route was really pretty, but it was hard. There were a lot of steep inclines and declines. The downhills are rough on my legs, and I was really dreading them on the 2nd out-and-back. I thought it was going to be a trail run, but it was actually a paved path. I think a trail run would have felt better on my joints.

Some days are great running days, and some days aren't. I think this just wasn't one of my good days. It felt like everything hurt. Nothing was a severe pain that would stop me from running. It was just a general everything pain. It was kind of comforting to hear afterwards that everyone found this run really tough. I'm not glad they were struggling, but I'm happy that I wasn't the only one!

I had to stop and stretch a few times, and I even took a 2 minute walk break around mile 17. We haven't really been taking walk breaks during our runs, but those few minutes gave me the gas to keep going.

It was really great running with Elizabeth. She really pulled me along this time. If I was running alone, I would have made that walk break a lot longer!

I have never been so happy to finish. I really, really wanted some more water. I finished all of mine in my fuel belt. Last week I felt like I could keep going after 20 miles. Yesterday I didn't.

The great part is: now we will taper. Each weekend we will do a shorter run to recover before the big day. I think next weekend is only 10-12 miles. Hooray! That sounds short now.

Here I am post 20 mile run. I think I win the super-white legs contest! I remembered to put on sunblock this time, so my face isn't as red as it was after last weeks run.

We were all cheering for everyone as they finished their 20 miles. For a lot of people this was the longest run they have ever done.

Here's Eddie (from our Brooklyn team) and my friend Elizabeth, post 20 mile run. Even Eddie looked like he was struggling a little during this run. When Eddie is struggling, you know it is hard!

20 Miles - We're at the Top!

2008-04-06T20:10:00.006-04:00

I ran 20 miles yesterday.

20 Miles! I'm pretty proud of myself.

Next Saturday, April 12th, our team is going to Hartsdale, NY to run on trails. The coaches want our last (and longest) training run to be on a softer surface. It's a little nicer on the joints.

However, they also suggested that if we were feeling good on this Saturday, to not be shy and go ahead and run the 20 miles. You never know how you will be feeling next weekend, or how the weather will be like, so go ahead and go for it if you can.

A chunk of our team ran the Paris Marathon this weekend, so we had a smaller team and only one coach (Luis). Our coach Lisa had to go to Paris with the team. (Poor Lisa! She had to go to Paris, drink wine, eat cheese...). They have finished the race by now, so CONGRATULATIONS PAIRS RUNNERS!!! I hope you had a great race.

Elizabeth was really determined to go ahead and run the 20. She said she would feel better if we could get two 20 mile runs in before the marathon. So we set off on a 20 mile out-and-back run. Luis ran with Elizabeth and I for the first 4 miles or so. He's super friendly and energetic, so he was great to run with. It helps to keep your pace up!

Once we got to the Brooklyn Bridge, we ran into some other TNT people and we all joined them for a mile or so. Once we hit the west side path, Elizabeth and I split off from the group because we like to run along the water. Anytime there is an outermost path, I choose that one.

We ran all the way up to 72nd Street on the west side green way in Manhattan. Once we got there, we turned back.

About 2 hours into the run, Elizabeth started to get the IT Band pain that I've had in the past. Once it starts, it usually gets more intense unless you stop running. She knows that Advil has been my wonder drug for this pain, and she mentioned that she might be joining me in the pre-run Advil club.

I asked her if she wanted to stop and she said NO! She really, really wanted to complete this run. When we got to the end of the west side highway, we ducked into a pharmacy and bought some Advil for her to take. She downed 4 of them, and we kept running...

I seriously don't know how she did it. That pain can stop you in your tracks when it is intense. There was a fair about of grunting in pain, but she made it through! I think it was a comfort to her that I had experienced it before. At least I could tell her about it, and what can help make it better.

We both felt pretty good at the end of the run. The marathon seems possible now. I could have run another 6 miles. I was really happy I didn't have to, but I COULD have!

This weekend's experiment:
I've been getting blisters on my feet since I got my new shoes. As soon as I finally got the shoes broken in, I switched the insoles and I started getting blisters again. They aren't terrible blisters, but a little annoying. They usually are gone by the day after the long run. I've been using band aids to try to prevent them, but it never works 100%. So, I bought this stuff at the drug store to see what it would do.

It looks like a teeny, tiny deodorant stick. You put a layer of it on, and it is supposed to keep down the friction on your feet when you run. On one foot, it seemed to do pretty good. It just had a small blister after the run. On my right foot - wow. It really did not work at all! I had 2 huge blisters on it when I got home from the run. A needle and some neosporin later... and they're gone. No pictures of those. You'll have to use your imagination.

At the end of these long runs, I end up pretty salty. I think I need to eat more salt in the days before these runs. I usually bring 2 bottles of gatorade, and 2 water on my fuel belt. Next week I'll do 3 gatorade and 1 water. I actually drank it all this week. The coaches said they will be giving us salt packets to eat during the race. That doesn't sound too appealing. I like salt, but on food. Not so much by itself.

I wiped most of the salt off before this picture was taken, but you can see some of the salt on the side of my nose.

The weather was beautiful on Saturday. It was sunny and in the 50's. That is pretty much perfect running weather. I actually got a sunburn! I was wearing SPF 15, but I put it on at 7am. I guess it wears off by the time we finish our really long run.

This picture doesn't really do it justice. I'm pinker that that.

We're 4 weeks away from the marathon!

17 Miles

2008-03-29T19:54:00.005-04:00

Hey, what did you do this morning?

I ran 17 miles! I still can't believe it.

I left home at 8:00am this morning, and I have to admit it was hard to get out of bed. I went to visit my friend in New Jersey and her new baby last night, and I didn't get home until after 11pm. We had a bellini or two (sparkling wine and peach puree - total girl drink). I had to make sure to not drink too much and drink it early. There was a bottle of wine opened too, but I declined to have any of that.

I had my favorite running breakfast (banana, spoonful of peanut butter, and dry cheerios) before leaving the apartment. Luckily the subway was running pretty normal this morning, and I got to the park right at 8:30.

Last week was a recovery week (10 mile long run), and now we are back up to building mileage for the next 3 weeks. We'll peak on April 12th with a 20 mile run on trails in New Jersey.

Today the beginners, intermediates, and advanced runners were all doing 16-18 miles. The run was the same 14 mile "3 Bridge Run" that we did a month ago (see the March 2nd post for a description of it), but we had to add a loop of the park onto it a the beginning to make it 17 miles. A loop of the park is 3.3 miles, so we actually did 17.3 miles.

I was a little anxious about the run, because the last long run had gone so poorly. I tried to just not think about it and go. I took some advil with breakfast, and I took 2 more a few hours later after the loop of the park.

Some of this run was super windy. When we were running across the Manhattan Bridge, the wind was so strong that we felt like we were in Scooby Doo. Our legs were moving, but we didn't seem to getting anywhere.

I felt a little twinge of discomfort at certain points of the run, but overall it was OK. I saw our coach when we were running down the Williamsburg bridge, and she said I looked like I was favoring one leg. I'm sure I was, because running downhill is the least comfortable for me.

My friend Sarah was injured earlier in the season and had to miss a month of training because of tendonitis in her foot. She has just gotten back into the long runs for the last 2 weeks, and today she had another issue pop up. Now her other foot is hurting in the same way. She had to stop around 11 miles in. I felt bad for her, because I know how frustrating that can be. She has to be doubly frustrated, because this the the 2nd injury for her. This marathon training can be hard on the body.

For my injury, I wore this strap on my knee. I'm not sure if it really does anything or not. My physical therapist said it has to be really tight to work. I made sure to tighten it about 5 miles in to the run, because I don't think I had it on tight enough.

Whenever the pain popped up, I tried to think about keeping my right foot straight. I've found that it tends to roll in a little bit. Towards the end of the run, I actually felt great. Maybe it was the thinking about the straight foot, maybe it was endorphins, I don't know. I actually had a lot of energy running the last few blocks, and it is all uphill.

We did a lot of stretching post-run, and that helped me to get back to feeling human.

Somebody had bought bagels for the team, and I could not have been happier. After running for 3 hours, I was dreaming about them for the last mile. I scarfed down half a sesame bagel with butter - yum!

I didn't do the ice bath when I got home, but I did ice my legs tonight. I still might do an ice bath tonight. They do seem to have magical powers.

5K in the BK

2008-03-26T00:01:00.005-04:00

Tuesday night we did a 5K in Prospect Park for our practice. Our coaches set up a little race for us, and it was really cute. We even had little mini numbers to stick on our shirts.

The name of the race: The Lisa+Luis' 5K in the BK.

Luis brought his fancy camera, and took some pictures.

Here's the group right before the race. Note that it is almost all women.

**Attention single guys**
If you are looking for a girlfriend who likes to run, you should join Team in Training in Brooklyn. It's a really easy way to meet girls.

I haven't done a 5K race in a long time. Since I've started this training, all of our races have been 4 miles or longer. A 5K is 3.1 miles. With all the training, I've definitely gotten faster, and I was really curious what my time would be.

Of course, the end of the course is a really big uphill. The nice things is, I've gotten so used to hills now, so I don't think it really slowed me down too much. So much of the hills is mental. I play games with my mind while running up the hills. I fix my eyes on a point at the top of the hill and just look at that. It really tricks your brain into not realizing how far up you're going.

I decided to try to run this fast, but not quite at 100%. I'm still kind of testing out my injured leg and I don't want to re-injure it.

My very first 5K race was in September 2006 (on a flat course), and it took me 29:00. Tuesday I ran the race in 26:09. That's a full minute faster per mile. Wow.

Here I am finishing!

The best thing about this race for me: NO PAIN! None. I'm cautiously optimistic about this IT Band problem. I'm really hoping the long run this weekend (16-17 miles) will go well.

And here is the group post-race. We got a pretty small turnout this Tuesday. The Saturday group is much bigger.

The coaches gave us little plastic finisher medals and goodybags. They really went all out for this race. It was adorable.

OK, they all said "winner." It's just like in elementary school when you get a trophy for "participation."

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T23:25:00.007-04:00

No running today. Sundays and Wednesdays are my off days.

Inspired by my pets, I decided to sleep in today. I got up after 9:00! Yea!

Here is Tater, the world's most relaxed giant kitty. He's probably dreaming of baby easter bunnies and chicks that he would like to play with. His hunting instinct seems weak...

I'm going to try another run tomorrow (on the treadmill this time). It will be only 3-4 miles before work. I'm hoping for a pain free run. We'll see...

Feeling Better

2008-03-22T23:10:00.003-04:00

Here's where I did my run today:

I'm feeling much less frustrated now, because I had a decent run today.

After emailing with my coach, we decided that it would be best if I didn't go to practice to run with the team this weekend. It's a recovery week, so we were going to be running "only 10 miles." Now at this point, I'm used to running 10 miles. That doesn't scare me anymore, but I was a little concerned about the pain popping up again.

The run was going to be loops of Prospect Park. The park has a banked surface, which isn't so great for people with IT Band problems (me). Since I'm trying to be as kind to my IT Band as possible, we decided that a gym workout would be better for me today.

I've been working late every night this week, so it was kind of nice to not have to be in Brooklyn by 8:30am today. I woke up naturally (without an alarm clock), had some breakfast, and went to the NYU gym.

We decided that I would do 90-100 minutes of activity, and I shouldn't run for all of it. So, I got on the stationary bike for 50 minutes. Then I changed into my outdoor running gear and went up to the track on the roof. The roof track is a softer surface than the pavement, and less boring than the treadmill!

I ran up there for 50 minutes, and I didn't even try to count how many loops I did. The track is about 1/6 of a mile. I'm guessing I did a little over 5 miles. I didn't run slowly, because slower running irritates the IT Band more than fast running does.

And...

I feel fine. No pain. Normally I start to feel at least a twinge by mile 4, and I didn't feel anything today. Walking down stairs is not a problem, like it has been for the last few weeks.

I don't think I am magically cured, but I guess the things I have been doing are helping. I've been trying everything, so there are too many variables to narrow down what works and what doesn't. I've been resting, icing 3-4 times a day, taking advil, and using my foam roller.

During the run, I wore one of those IT Straps (neoprene strap that goes around your leg above the knee), and I put new stability inserts in my shoes to keep my right foot from rolling in too much.

Even though I felt ok, I still iced the side of my knee when I got home.

Fingers crossed that it stays feeling good!

Pictures from the 15K

2008-03-22T09:46:00.006-04:00

These are the pictures from the Colon Cancer Challenge 15K from 2 weeks ago.

I'm smiling for the cameras, but my knee is screaming...

Elizabeth and I both look like we are in pain in this one!

OK IT Band, It's War.

2008-03-19T21:00:00.000-04:00

After an incredibly frustrating run on Saturday, I have declared war against my right leg (specifically my IT Band in my right leg). "Shock and Awe" begins now!

Since my right foot pronates in, I bought some stability inserts for my shoes. They add extra support to the arch, and keep your feet more straight when you run.

This is what the bottom of the inserts looks like.

And I also bought one of these IT Band straps. It's a piece of neoprene, and a cushion-y pad that you strap to your leg above the knee. It may or may not work, but it can't hurt. I'd be happy with a placebo effect.

I'm not too good at this resting thing. Not running is kind of driving me crazy. I've been swimming this week, and I tried a baby 1 mile run on the treadmill this morning. I felt fine, but I know a 1 mile run is not a good test. It usually takes me 2-6 miles before I feel the IT pain.

I've been foam rolling, icing 3-4 times a day and taking Advil. I'm not hurting anymore, but if I poke at my knee enough I can find a tender spot.

I'm still not sure if I am going to do the long run this weekend. I might do a workout at the gym instead for the same amount of time that I would have been running. I'm supposed to check in with my coach on Friday and we will decide then.

Frustrated

2008-03-15T19:58:00.003-04:00

That's what I needed today, a little Amanda Carting.

I was really hoping for a good run today after last Sunday's running disaster, but no such luck. We all met at Gina's apartment at 8:30am, and I was planning on doing 16 miles. I started out feeling optimistic, because I felt so good on Tuesday night. Well, 3 miles in a felt a twinge in my problem leg. I took Advil this morning, so I was hoping it would stay just mild.

Nope! It got worse. We crossed the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan and we were running up the West Side Highway, when Maria suggested that we stop, stretch, & eat soon. I was so happy to hear that, and I said "How about now?" We were at Chelsea Piers, which was about 6 miles into our run.

As soon as I stopped, I regretted it. My leg seized up, and it hurt to start running again. I tried a few times, but I knew it was a lost cause. I walked until I hit 42nd street, and then I walked over to the subway.

I had to take the train all the way back to Gina's place in Brooklyn where I had left my coat and purse. Gina's husband got us bagels again, which was super nice of him. I happily wolfed one down. Walking down the stairs of their building wasn't fun, but it wasn't as bad as the subway stairs last week. I'm hoping that stopping running was a good thing, and maybe I will heal faster.

I saw this on my way back to the subway to go home. It made me laugh, especially in the state that I was in. I wish the Amanda Carting service could have picked me up on the West Side Highway...

I went straight to a shoe store when I got back into Manhattan to look at shoes to correct the pronating that my right foot does. I know that it turns in a little when I run, and that could be what is causing the pain (or I could just be unlucky - it is a really common injury in long distance runners). I tried on a few pairs of shoes and ran on the treadmill on them.

Of course, there is no way I could pick out a shoe while running in pain. I'm not really sure what I was thinking. After trying on 3 pairs I decided this was a silly idea. So I went home and iced my legs in an ice bath. I think I cheated a little too much with the lukewarm water, because it didn't feel as cold as in past weeks.

My friend John (who is training for the NJ marathon on his own) called me this afternoon and said that he was having some knee pain. He knew that I had been also, and it sounds like he has the exact same experience today. He was going to do a long run and had to abort it half way through.

It is really frustrating. I'm hoping that a week or two of good rest and a lot of ice will help. I'm determined to run this thing!

OK, Tuesday Was Much Better

2008-03-11T23:28:00.000-04:00

I was nervous to run after Sunday's running debacle. I hadn't been so messed up from a run in a while, and I was kind of afraid to repeat that.

Well, all seems OK! I guess the real test will be Saturday when we do 16 miles for the first time, but I'm confident I'll be alright.

We were working on pacing tonight. We ran 3 consecutive 1.5 mile loops of a section of Prospect Park. We were supposed to do each loop faster than the previous loop.

I ran the first one in 12:50, the second one in 12:17, and the third one in 11:50! Woo hoo! That's so much faster than I was when we started. I really want to do a 5K soon. I think I will blow my previous times out of the water.

The most exciting thing about tonight: The sun was still up when we started the run! I love, love, love daylight savings time. I wish we never went back to standard time.

Almost 15 Miles (I think...)

2008-03-09T20:04:00.006-04:00

Today's run was both great and terrible.

First the great part:
At some point during the run (around mile 8) I got a genuine runner's high like I've never had before. I felt like I was floating and using energy that didn't belong to me. To be honest I thought maybe I hadn't eaten enough, and maybe this was a precursor to feeling awful. But no! The high continued for a while, and it was pretty great. I really could hardly even notice that I was running.

And the terrible:
I was a total wreck when this run was over. I could hardly bend my leg, and I hobbled down stairs like a 90 year old with a bad leg.

We did a 15K race (9.3 miles) in Central Park this morning. But since 9 miles isn't long enough for our long run days at this point, we had to add miles on to the race beforehand. I met Elizabeth in the park around 9am (felt like 8am since the time changed this morning) to do a 5-6 mile warm up before the race started at 10:15am.

There was also a 4 mile race that started at 9am, so we ran along side them until we got to their finish line where we veered off and continued running. This confused the hell out of the race officials who didn't understand why we weren't headed to the finish line! We kept running until we hit the start line for the 15K race (which was another mile down the road).

My problem leg started hurting me very early into the 4 mile run (maybe around 2 miles in). I'm trying to figure out what made bad today. In the past few weeks, I've been getting better. I've been doing the exercises and stretches that the physical therapist suggested, and it seems to be helping. I had been able to run about 4-5 miles pain free, and even then the pain wasn't too bad after. Sometimes it even went away as the run continued.

Not today! Now of course, there are too many variables to figure out what might have caused it.

1. It was really cold and windy this morning.
2. I didn't really have time to stretch much before the run.
3. I ate a very small breakfast, so I was hungry early on. Less hungry after the Gu.
4. I didn't run with the fuel belt, and there was no gatorade on the course - only water

I was able to run through it, but it certainly wasn't comfortable, even with taking the Advil at 7am. When I finished the race, I was limping a little. I stretched it out as much as I could, and I was looking forward to that ice bath (crazy, I know, but it really works).

Walking down the stairs at the subway was torture. It really wasn't fun.

As soon as I got home, I took another ice bath. It really is miraculous. I actually feel fine now. A little stiff, but NOTHING like before. No pain.

My physical therapist is on vacation this week, so I won't get to ask her about what went wrong. My health insurance is only going to pay for one more visit anyway, so we're trying to space them out. She's trying to fight with them, but I don't know if it will be successful.

We weren't running this race for time, but our time wasn't bad.

Distance: 9.3 Miles, 15.0 Kilometers
Date/Time: March 9, 2008, 10:15 am
Location: Central Park, NYC
Weather: 32 deg., 43% hum., W 14 mph
Finish Time: 1:31:56

My Miles Are Getting Faster!

2008-03-04T21:51:00.004-05:00

Tonight was our "TEST #2"

Test #1 was back on January 15th, and we repeated it tonight to see how much we have improved since then. We've been doing 6 weeks of hill training which makes you stronger and faster.

The test consisted of fast 1 Mile Repeats. You run a mile fast, then recover for a half a mile. Repeat.

The goal is to run these as fast as you can. They aren't sprints, because you can't really hold a sprint pace for a mile. The pace should be just under a sprint. The other important part is to be able to run the subsequent miles within 15-30 seconds of you first one. Consistency is important too.

Well, for TEST #1 my 2 miles were at 8:15 & 8:20.

Tonight for TEST #2, my 3 miles were 7:29, 7:40, & 7:45!

I'm very happy with those results.

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

2008-03-02T23:35:00.011-05:00

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.

Hill Graduation Day!

2008-02-26T17:25:00.006-05:00

I'm not going to lie. Last night was miserable weather. We were lucky for a few months, but the last few Tuesdays haven't held up in the weather department. I guess that is what you get for running outside in February.

Right before I left work, I noticed it was raining. Of course, I didn't bring an umbrella. But what good would an umbrella do me anyway? You can't hold one and run. Maybe I need one of those umbrella hats! Then I will really be stylish.

I was really hoping the rain would stop before our run, but no such luck. I also didn't bring my red windbreaker / rain jacket. It was actually not that cold out, and I had on a long sleeve top with jacket over it. I started sweating right away, and I felt like I was wearing all the wrong clothes. No jacket, no hood, no hat. The only thing I did bring was a head band. That kept at least a little rain off my face.

This was the 6th (and final) week of hill training! We ran the same hill we ran last week over, and over, and over again. We split the hill in half and ran it two different ways.

1st time up:
Run the first half of the hill hard, the second half easier

Then recover while running down the hill, get your heart rate back down.

2nd time up:
Run the first half of the hill easy, the second half hard

Recover going downhill.

Repeat.

We got a few inches of snow on Friday, and there is still a good bit of snow left in the grassy parts of the park. This made for some crazy, steamy fog like I have never seen. The rain only got harder and harder for the first few hill repeats. At the bottom of the hill you could hardly see 10 feet in front of you, but at the top of the hill the fog cleared. I felt like we were in San Francisco. There were some near miss collisions that almost happened between runners.

It was foggier than this and dark and raining too.

I did this hill 5 times. After the run, our coach Luis told us that the round trip of the hill is a mile. So, including the run to the hill, this run was over 6 miles. That was surprising to me, because it didn't feel like 6 miles. I guess when you break it up like that the distances are deceiving.

I'm not sure what comes after this week. Prospect Park is pretty much all hills, so I don't see how we will avoid doing more hills!

Sometimes a Run is Really Great

2008-02-25T22:11:00.002-05:00

Today was one of those days. I did 4 miles on the treadmill this morning before work, and I would have loved to do more. Some days a good run is just what I need.

10 Miles - Across the Brooklyn Bridge

2008-02-23T22:13:00.004-05:00

This weekend was a recovery run. We only did 10 miles. "Only" 10 miles. It is hard to believe that 10 miles isn't really that long anymore. It snowed a lot of Friday (pretty), and the Manhattan team canceled their practice. Wimps. The Brooklyn team was out in force! We usually meet at the park, but this week we met at Gina's apartment. That way people could leave their bags inside instead of out in the wet snow.

There are 3 different marathons that our group is training for. The first one is in Paris during the first week of April, the second one is in Nashville the last week in April, and the third one is in New Jersey the first week in May. Most of us are doing New Jersey, but there are some for Nashville and Paris also. The Paris runners are sort of freaking out, because they have 4 weeks less of training than we do. We all started training at the same time, and their marathon is coming up fast! The Paris runners didn't get a recovery week like we did. I think they ran 15-16 miles. They have to get up to a 20 mile run soon so that they have time to taper their training in the last few weeks leading up to the marathon.

The coaches gave us our little cheat sheet so we would know the route we were supposed to run. The fun part for me was that we ran right past the building we are moving into. It was fun to show my new neighborhood to Elizabeth. I still don't know when we will be moving there, but someday...

It was kind of slushy out, so it wasn't ideal running conditions. Really most of the snow was gone, but there were some piles near the curbs and on the streets. We ran through downtown Brooklyn and over to the Brooklyn Bridge.

I was "on call" for work, because a news station we work with sometimes was going to be shutting down their editing rooms for the weekend. They needed to have a place to edit in case there was any breaking news. Because I had to be available, I had to bring along my cell phone on the run. I also had the key to my office and my work ID. I figured if they called I would just run all the way to the office. I might be a little sweaty, but what do you expect on such short notice? Of course 5 minutes into the run my phone rang. I pulled it out of the pocket of my fuel belt and answered it while still running. It was the girl from the news station telling me that they weren't going to need me for the weekend. That was good news! That is the first time I have talked on the phone while running. I don't plan on making a habit of that.

OK, I didn't take these pictures. I found them on the internet, but this is pretty much what the bridge looked like. There was a crew of men who were clearing the snow on the bridge, so one half was snowier than the other.

It took us FOREVER to run those 10 miles. It took so long that I didn't believe that it was only 10 miles. Last weekend I did a 10 mile race in 1:29. This one took us 2 hours. Crazy. We had to stop at traffic lights and run slower because of the snow, but an extra 30 minutes? I can't figure out what we did with that time.

Elizabeth and I enjoyed the run on the west side greenway. That is where we ran all last summer, so it felt very familiar. Of course we never ran there when it was less than 50 degrees out, so that was different! Once we hit Houston Street we turned around and headed back to Brooklyn. When we were crossing the bridge, we realized that we hadn't eaten yet. I had one last Gu (I need to buy some more), and it was vanilla flavored. It tastes a little like store bought frosting or vanilla syrup in a coffee. Not too bad. I think I would choose the fruity flavors over the vanilla, but I could tolerate it.

I was happy to get back to Gina's place at the end of the run. One of the coaches had made a joke before we left about bagels for when we got back. Well, Gina's husband actually went out and got a huge spread of bagels, cream cheese, and butter for us. So sweet! They were all set up in the kitchen. Yum.

The physical therapist recommended I try some inserts in my shoes. She thinks the pounding of the pavement is what is causing the knot in my calf after long runs. I tried them out today, and my calf did not hurt. I did take Advil though. However, I did get the IT Band knee thing. It is a kind of hard to describe discomfort on the side of the knee that almost feels electric. I can run through it, but it isn't ideal.

I bought one of these foam rollers, and I started using it this weekend. It is supposed to really help with the IT issues. I hear that it is painful at the beginning (true!), but you soon start getting good results with it. I'll report back.

Unrelated to Running...

2008-02-20T23:33:00.003-05:00

This story was a big hit at work today, and everyone suggested I put it up here. So, here goes...

I'm pretty sure I got flashed this morning, but I'm not sure it was intentional. How could it possibly be accidental you ask? Well, I'm not really sure.

I was walking to the subway around 8:30 this morning. My building is on a pretty residential block. There are a few buildings between mine and the avenue on the corner (which is a huge construction site). As I was walking past one of the buildings I heard someone clear their throat. I instinctivly turned my head to the doorway where I heard the sound and I saw a man wearing a bathrobe. Open. And that was all.

Now I turned around so fast that I can't be 100% sure of what was going on. We all know that eye witnesses aren't so reliable. He seemed to be taking out garbage, but wearing that?!?! Some of my co-workers thought maybe he was really tired and forgot his coffee and his pants! It's not as though we live in a rural area where you might not be seen. We are in manhattan where there are tons of people around all the time. I was half tempted to turn back when I got further away to see if he walked out of the building like that, but I didn't want to reward that behavior.

Now I would also like to mention that it is FREEZING today. It is not a day I would run out in my pajamas (or less than pajamas) to take out the garbage.

Week 5 of Hills

2008-02-19T23:20:00.003-05:00

Tonight was another night of running up a hill over and over and over again.

At least this time we ran up a different hill than we have done for the last 4 weeks. I have to admit, I think I was a little tired this week. I wasn't able to keep up with one of the girls that I can usually keep up with. But hey, I ran pretty hard on Saturday. I'll allow myself a tired day here and there.

The good part: it was kind of a beautiful night. There was a full moon with little wispy clouds that were backlit by the moon. We ran in a wide open area of Prospect Park, and it's not often that you get a view of so much pretty sky in NYC.

Here's a picture I took while I was on the subway (the N Train goes over the Manhattan Bridge) headed to training. It's hard to get a good shot while you are moving, but the sunset was gorgeous behind the Brooklyn Bridge.

In a few weeks it won't be dark when we start our evening runs anymore! Daylight Savings Time starts in only a few weeks. I can't wait! I wish we never went to standard time.

After the run everyone expressed to the coaches that we are BORED of the park, and we would like to leave the park for our long run this week. I hinted that I really liked going over the bridge last time. Luis said that maybe we would run over the Brooklyn Bridge. That would be fun! We'll see on Saturday...

Another Weekend, Another 13 Mile Run

2008-02-17T11:18:00.003-05:00

The miles keep going up and up!

This Saturday morning I left my apartment just before 8:00am. I got halfway down the block, and I realized that I forgot to take Advil before the run. Oops. Even though I ran 4 miles on the treadmill Wednesday pain free, I'm not confident I could make it through 13 miles without it. Luckily the local deli had those mini-packs of 2 Advil for 75 cents. Of course when I opened the pack while standing on the subway platform, one of the pills flew out on the floor. I decided the 5 second rule still applied, but ONLY in this case. I'm certainly not a germaphobe, but I cannot imagine putting anything else that has touched the subway floor into my mouth. Anyway, I quickly wiped the pill off and took it without letting myself think about it too much.

When I finally got to Prospect Park (the subways were running crazy, so it took me a while), the coaches were finishing up explaining what we were doing for the day. Our whole group was going to do the Cheery Tree 10 mile race in Prospect Park (apparently named for George Washington's birthday) at 10:00am. Since 10 miles isn't long enough for the "long run" days anymore, we were all going to do a multi-mile warm up before. The beginners (that's me!), were going to do a 3.35 mile loop. The race is 3 more loops.

Then it was time for the "Mission Moment." Most weeks someone from the group will share a story of their connection to Leukemia, Lymphoma, or any other blood cancer. It's a good reminder for everyone about exactly who we are raising money for. One of the girls said she would do it today. She started off hesitantly, saying that she has been reluctant to do the Mission Moment because her story is not uplifting, it is a sad one. Then the tears started. She told us that her mom died from lymphoma in November, and that is who she is running for. Her mom's house just sold, and this weekend she was going to have to go and clean out her things. You could see how much raw pain she was in, and it was really heartbreaking. Our coach Lisa, whose dad is in chemo for lymphoma right now, said that today we would all be running in the memory of this girl's mom.

The Run Begins

We ran the first warm up loop in the opposite direction that we would be running for the race. The pavement is the park is pretty banked, so it is good to reverse direction when you can. That way you don't stress one side of your body too much. We saw a few people who were walking over to the race start while we were running. They were either:
a) confused, because the race had not started yet - or - b) thinking we were stupid for running BEFORE a race.

I decided that I was going to "race" this one. For the Bronx Half-Marathon last weekend, my goal was to finish the 13.1 miles having a good experience. I wasn't going for speed. For this race, I wanted to try for 9 minute miles and finish it in 1:30. In other races (much shorter races) I've been able to average 9 minute miles, but I've never tried to maintain that for 10 miles. That is what the training is about, right? It's better to test myself now than in the marathon. My ultimate goal for the marathon is anything under 4:30, and that would be 10 minute miles.

When the race started, we were close to the front of the pack. People started out fast, and you kind of get sucked into that. You don't want to get mowed down! Elizabeth and I had already decided on our paces before the race, so we knew that we wouldn't be running this one together. It's a lot more boring by yourself...

Our coaches Lisa and Luis were hanging out on the course cheering us on. It's pretty cute, because they were pretty much the entire crowd. This race didn't really have a lot of people out there cheering because it was in the 20's! If you are running, that isn't so bad. If you are standing around, that's really cold.

When I hit the last big uphill at mile 9, Luis jumped in ran up the hill with me. It was great, because just when I was feeling like slowing down, I couldn't. I had to keep up with his pace. He gave me a quick little pep talk that helped pull me through the rest of the race. I think he jumped in and ran with everyone he saw from our team. I bet he secretly just wanted to stop standing around in the cold and get moving himself!

During the last half mile, I saw 2 other girls from TNT. We ran to the finish together, and we finished in just under 1:30! I was really happy with that time. I met my goal, and I was able to maintain a good pace for 10 miles. I can't believe it! 3 months ago I couldn't even imagine running 10 miles. I really couldn't imagine running 10 miles after a 3.35 mile warm up! It's amazing what you can do when you set your mind to it.

Mile 1: 8:36
Mile 2: 9:16
Mile 3: 8:35
Mile 4: 8:29
Mile 5: 9:04
Mile 6: 9:29 - I remember this mile was tough! This was when I ate my Gu. Yum.
Mile 7: 8:47
Mile 8: 9:10
Mile 9: 9:19
Mile 10: 8:34

average: 8:59
total: 1:29:33

Pictures From the Bronx Half Marathon

2008-02-17T11:00:00.005-05:00

They have an official photography company out during the NY Road Runners races. They try to snap pictures of everyone, and then they post them online for you to look at and buy. Of course, my frugal self just grabbed them off the website for free.

Here are my pictures from the Bronx Half Marathon. They told us to ham it up when going through the finish line, and I followed those instructions!

Running and Snow Angels

2008-02-12T21:39:00.002-05:00

We all knew it had to happen eventually. You can't run outside from December to May and not encounter bad weather. There was a day in January that I wore shorts. I really can't complain (but I might anyway).

It started snowing this afternoon, and it actually stuck this time. It is the first significant snow we've had this winter. Our coaches emailed us and said not to worry, practice is still on.

Running in the snow was 3/4 fun and 1/4 miserable. It's a little bit harder to do, just like running in the sand is a little harder work.

It's not often you get to go out and play in the snow as a grown up, especially on a school night. When I got to Brooklyn, I was surprised at how much snow was on the ground. There is less foot traffic than there is in Manhattan, and there were at least a few inches of snow.

We were supposed to practice running fast down the hills tonight. Because of the snow, the coaches decided that wasn't safe. They didn't want us to slip and fall. Instead we did a few laps of a section of the park, and we did squats and lunges in between them. Then after we got the snow good and packed down, we did practice running fast down a small hill. A "bunny hill" of Prospect Park, not a black diamond.

Our practice was pretty short tonight. I think the coaches took mercy on us because we were being pelted in the face with sleet-y ice while running. That was the 1/4 miserable part.

The fun part: When we finished running, a bunch of us made snow angels. I wish I had brought my camera. My snow angel was pretty awesome.

Physical Therapy

2008-02-12T21:38:00.001-05:00

I started physical therapy today to try to get rid of the nagging leg pain I've been having.

They are REALLY serious about you being on time to your appointments. They had a long list of all the finer points of their attendance policy for you to read and sign. Then they gave me another copy of it to take home. Ok, I get it. I'll be on time. Luckily it is 12 blocks from my apartment, so I don't have to rely on any transportation to get there (other than my own 2 feet!).

The therapist was really nice, and she gave me lots of stretches to work on for the week. She told me that there is not an overnight solution to my problem. It will take time and, and our goal will be to delay onset of the pain when I run. Now it usually pops up after 2 miles. Hopefully soon it will take 3 miles, and then 4 miles, and so on. I hope it will soon take after 26.2 miles before I feel the pain, and I don't plan on running any longer than that!

The Bronx Half Marathon

2008-02-10T22:59:00.000-05:00

I just found this picture of the Bronx Half-Marathon on the New York Road Runners site. Perhaps they were trying to highlight the elite runners on the right, but I modified the picture to bring your attention back to where it should be!

I finished in 2:15:10. Not too shabby for my first half-marathon! I ran it pretty conservatively, because I'm still pushing through this calf strain. But I have to say, Advil is a wonderful thing. I would not have been happy without it.

Our coaches told us to treat this race as "just one more long-run, for you it is all about completing the distance and practice race day thingys, like pacing, patience, hydrating, running with a crowd, where to line up at the starting line, nutrition, behaving, etc..." We were supposed to treat the first mile as a warm up, and then break the other 12 miles into 3 4-mile runs. The first 4 miles should be most conservative, the second 4 miles at your comfortable pace, and the last 4 miles you should pick up the pace if you can. So that was our plan.

Getting there on the subway was a disaster. I left my apartment at about 6:20am, and I didn't get to the race until 7:50am! That is insane. It really should never take that long. I thought I would get there around 7:20! The train was running in 2 sections, so everyone had to get off at 125th Street and catch another train to the Bronx. Almost everybody waiting (forever...) on the subway platform was dressed in running clothes. It was a pretty funny sight to see. All the non-runners were staring. I did a little stretching waiting for the train, but it would have been nice to get in some more.

I called my friend Elizabeth just before I got there (when the subway was elevated above ground and I had a signal). It turns out she was running just as late as I was. We were both on the same train in different cars. We met as soon as we got off the train and hustled over to the start line. There was big line for the port-a-potties as usual. I thought about skipping it, but the race was too long to do that. As soon as we got our turn at the potties we headed to the bag check area, and heard the start horn. We weren't even at the start line when the race started!

We sprinted over to the start and began running right away. No stretch, no warm up, no nothing. It was not exactly a relaxing way to begin a race. I swear, sometime I will be early for a race if it kills me! At least your time is calculated by your shoe chip timer, and not the race clock.

About 2 miles into the race, I heard a woman in front of me say "Oh, oh no! Look out! Poor thing," just as I felt something squish under my foot. I was pretty sure I knew what it was, but I decided to just put it out of my mind. Many miles later when we passed by that same point I saw that it was a roadkill rat. Sorry fella. You were already squished, but I would have rather not have added to it.

Elizabeth has been having her own wacky leg issues while running recently, and they were acting up a lot during this race. Her foot gets a pins and needles sensation, and she can't feel it too well. She checked her shoes to make they weren't too tight, but that didn't help. For a while she was saying she was afraid she was going to have to stop or slow down, and I should just go on without her.

The Bronx is pretty hilly, so we had a lot of ups and downs in this race. My leg hurts me more going downhill, and Elizabeth's hurts more going uphill. We were laughing that one of us was always miserable on whatever kind of hill we were on. Both of us were saying that we actually felt great throughout the whole race if it weren't for our legs. Running this kind of distance doesn't exhaust me like it would have a few months ago.

At mile 6, it was time to eat. I tried the lemon-lime GU brand gel this time. I think the GUs are going to be my brand of choice. They are a little smaller than the Cliff Shots, so you can get your 100 calories in fast. I decided to just swallow them as fast as possible and not think about it. I grabbed a cup and just downed a water and GU in the same mouthful. Much better than letting it linger... We ate again around mile 11, and I tried the orange GU. Also, not too bad. The lemon-lime and orange flavors just taste like really thick gatorade.

Our coaches were out on the course cheering us on. We saw them a few times, and the encouragement really helps. You perk up and make sure you are running with proper form when you see them. The biggest challenge of the race was the wind. We were running up hills and into the wind for a lot of it. That is... not so fun. There were also a few times when I was being blown sideways. The weather forecast called for rain, but we lucked out and only got about 3 drops. In the last 3rd of the race the sun came out.

Around mile 8, Elizabeth's pins and needles sensation went away for good. It kept coming and going throughout the race before that, and she was getting pretty frustrated. Now we know she just needs an 8 mile warm up, and then she is fine - ha!

Rick came out to support me on this race. He said he was going to be on the course a little after mile 11, and that is exactly where he was. It's really nice seeing a familiar face. He looked like he was freezing out there! We weren't, but we were running... I saw him again at mile 12, and then I picked up the pace. I had some energy left, and I didn't want to leave it on the course. I loved that last mile. I passed so many people that had used up their energy earlier in the race. It's an exhilarating feeling. All the TNT coaches were lined up about 200 yards before the finish line, and I admit, I did some Hi-5's as I ran by. I also totally hammed it up running through the finish line with my arms in the air. They have a photographer there, so I have to look good and triumphant for the official pictures, right? I'll post those pictures in a week or so when they are ready.

Mile 1 - 10:14
Mile 2 - 10:40
Mile 3 - 10:35
Mile 4 - 10:31
Mile 5 - 10:33
Mile 6 - 10:54
Mile 7 - 11:47 (included a port-a-potty break)
Mile 8 - 10:09
Mile 9 - 10:29
Mile 10 &11 - 20:04
Mile 12 - 10:10
Mile 13 - 9:10

Here's Elizabeth and I around mile 11. We're smiling!

This is me at the beginning of mile 13 - picking up speed for the finish!

Here we are post race. Not feeling so much like Gumby today, which is pretty great. I must be getting used to this distance running.

Everybody was stretching on the subway platform while we waited for the train after the race.

Here's the crazy, hard to balance (but very effective when you get it right) stretch...

Here's the super-confusing course map:

Distance: 13.1 Miles, 21.1 Kilometers
Date/Time: Feb. 10, 2008, 8:00 am
Location: Bronx, NYC
Weather: 41 deg., 67% hum.

Injuries

2008-02-08T23:33:00.001-05:00

Back in the summer, I started getting a leg pain while running that was pretty intense. It was in the back of my leg, kind of behind my knee, and sometimes radiated down the leg to my foot. I would try to run through it, but I couldn't. It would stop me in my tracks. The weird part about it is that it took a few miles before it started. I replaced my shoes, and the pain pretty much went away.

Well, it's back...

It started back during my first 11 mile run. The good part is, this time it isn't as severe. As soon as it came back I immediately replaced my shoes again. It's been about 5 months, and it was about time to replace them again. But as of this week, the pain is still there. I guess it is more "discomfort" than "pain." It doesn't stop me from running, but I notice it. It usually kicks in after 2 miles or so. However I am only upping my mileage each week, and I was starting to fear that it wasn't going to go away.

I went to a sports medicine doctor yesterday morning, and he was great. He is the director of sports rehabilitation at NYU. He was very thorough (xrays, the whole nine yards) and very knowledgeable. It turns out that I pronate my right leg (the one with the pain) when walking and running. He could tell this by looking at me, and by looking at my shoes. My left shoe leans in slightly. He also said I have problems with my IT Band (very common in runners) and my hips are too weak. All these things are causing the calf strain and the pain behind my knee.

He said he wouldn't switch my shoes now, but maybe after the marathon I should try some shoes to help with the pronating. If I change the shoes now, I'll just end up with some other pain somewhere else. He also said that the more important thing is to try to fix me, not just fix my shoes.

I'm supposed to do 6 weeks of physical therapy to strengthen all my weaknesses, and fix up this IT Band problem.

I'm so glad I went, and I'm so glad he was good. I'm not worried about running through the discomfort now. He told me that taking Advil before the run was fine, but I have to be careful about dehydration if I take it. I'll be sure to drink my Gatorade.

The Bronx Half-Marathon is in 2 days, and I'm kind of excited about it. This will be my longest run ever (13.1 miles), but I think it will be fun. The only bad part is how early we have to get there! I'm going to have to get on the subway around 6:15am. Ugh!

$177,766.93

2008-02-04T13:49:00.000-05:00

The New Jersey Marathon Team has raised $177,766.93 to date. That is pretty amazing! Thank you very much to all my donors. If you haven't donated yet and want to, click the link at the top of the page. Thanks!

Here's a little bit about the Fundraising from an earlier post back in December:

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!

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

A Loop of Central Park - 6 Miles + a Celebrity Sighthing

2008-02-03T17:19:00.000-05:00

This morning I went for a run with my friend John. He is also doing the New Jersey Marathon, but he is training on his own. John is very athletic and very motivated. I'm impressed that he can do these long runs on his own.

We decided to meet at 72nd and Central Park West at noon today. That meant that I got to sleep in! It was so wonderful. I haven't slept late in a while, and it felt great. I think I really needed the extra rest. I woke up at 8am, and it was so great to roll over and go back to sleep. I finally got out of bed at 9:30.

I got on the subway at 11:30, and I saw Robert Sean Leonard on the train. If you watch "House M.D." on Fox, he plays Wilson on the show. In NYC everybody takes the subway sometimes, even the actors. I guess he isn't too busy right now with the writers strike is still going on.

John and I met at a little after noon, because I was running late. We did some stretches, and then started our run. John let me set the pace, which is good. I'm not sure I could keep up with his pace. I had a lot of fun on this run. Central Park is beautiful, and there were so many people out. The weather was 50 degrees and sunny today, and that is pretty amazing in February! It's so nice to get some outdoor sun time in the winter. I haven't seen John much lately, and as I've said before, I really enjoy the running chats. We got to catch up and talk about things going on in our lives.

Now it is time to eat some guacamole and pretend like I care about the Super Bowl!

We Made It Almost to Coney Island

2008-02-02T13:40:00.000-05:00

Today's run was 11 miles. We met at 8:30am in Prospect Park, as usual. There really is nobody out when I leave at 7:50am on Saturday mornings. Just me... It's kind of nice.

The subway today... not so nice. We got a ton of rain yesterday, and the station was flooded. Hooray! I had to do a crazy sideways leap to avoid this puddle. I'm glad I was in running shoes and not heels.

It's crazy. The things that are most challenging about this whole process is not the actual running. It's all the other things that go with it. Trying to figure out how much water to drink before running (and when to drink it) is something I haven't totally sorted out yet. For shorter distances, I didn't really think about it. Now it is an issue. I have been trying to drink 16oz. or so of water before I go out for a run. But I have to drink it long before I leave my apartment, or I have to pee when the run starts. That is not fun.

Cassie (AKA Hot Mama) you ask, and you shall receive! Here are some lovely fuel belt photos. Pretty cool, huh?

Today, our coaches told us that we were running outside the park today. Now, in some ways I was really happy about this. A change of pace is good for boredom. We would be running somewhere I had never been. But here is the bad part: there are no bathrooms where we were going to be running. The bathroom in the area of the park where we meet was locked (again!). It is supposed to be open at 8am, but obviously I cannot rely on that anymore. I guess I need to stop drinking about 2 hours before the run. Then I will drink during the run.

During our group stretches, our coach Lisa mentioned that there is a bathroom at Commerce Bank right where we leave the park. Hallelujah! Sarah and I were very happy to hear this! As soon as we go out of the park, we made a detour, and so did about 15 other runners from our group. The actual customers of the bank looked kind of confused about what we were all doing there. We're all dressed in running tights, fuel belts, etc. We look kind of funny. I felt sooo much better about starting the run after the little pit stop.

The run was long and flat, and I ran it with Elizabeth and Sarah. The conversations you have while running are so random. I feel like we are in a pinball machine bouncing from topic to topic. Here are a few things I remember that we discussed:

• Running Technique.

• Sarah's boyfriend's ER visit the night before because of his allergic reaction to nuts.

• Running nutrition gels & fuel belts, and our opinions on them.

• Dating.

• An article in the New Yorker about ICU death rates and how a check list developed by a doctor has reduced them.

• Coney Island and its possible re-development in the coming years.

• The fact that EVERY woman we saw in the neighborhood we were running through was wearing high heels.

These conversations are the thing that makes running these distances possible for me. I get distracted by it, and the time really flies by.

Our coaches gave us a little cheat sheet so that we could remember where we should turn back. There are half-marathoners, beginners, intermediates, and advanced runners. Each group is doing a different mileage. The intermediates and advanced runners ran to Coney Island. I would have loved to see the ocean, but I was afraid of pushing the mileage too high. That is how you get injured. I've already been nursing a pain in my upper calf behind my knee that appears after few miles, and I don't want it to get worse. It's better since I got new shoes, and I'm hoping it doesn't take too long to heal.

As usual, I felt like I had Gumby's legs when I got back from the run. We grabbed our stuff at the park, and Elizabeth and I got some doughnuts again. Those donuts are really yummy. This time I got some for Rick too. Last time I bragged about the yummy doughnuts I had, but I didn't bring any back for him. Maybe that wasn't so nice...

Hill Training - AKA "Hell Training"

2008-01-31T00:16:00.001-05:00

Last night was week #2 of 6 weeks of hill training. Wow. That was hard.

We met at the coffee shop as usual, and then jogged to the park. We always do a little stretch warmup before we run, and I am really glad we do. I tend to do a much shorter stretch when I am running on my own. The we did a 1 mile run down to the bottom of a big hill by the lake in Prospect Park.

Last week we concentrated on running the hills properly. We would slow down going up the hill, and concentrate on proper form. This week, our coach Luis told us that we were going to run hills the wrong way. He said he doesn't ever want to see us run hills like this again. We were supposed to go ALL OUT running up the hill, and then recover on the way down. You get your heart rate back down, and get ready to do it again.

The hill we were running up was at least 4 times the hill I grew up on, and that is a steep hill.

The first time up the hill was crazy. Towards the end of it, I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to continue. I thought I was going to end up walking, but somehow I pushed through. I was running with 3 other girls, and we all thought we finally understand what it must feel like to have asthma. Everybody was struggling for air.

After we ran up this hill 3 times, I started to wonder when it was going to end. Luis said we would be doing this for an hour and half. He sounded like he was joking, but I was a little worried he wasn't! I was really hoping we wouldn't do this so many times that I would start lose count. Strangely enough, after 6 or 7 times I started to get faster. Somehow I started to pass lots of people on the way up. I was concentrating on turning on the power little by little every few steps, and it really worked. I was still exhausted at the top, but I felt slightly more efficient.

We all were trying to think of ways to cope through the up-hills. My old triathlon coach Scott told us that he will chant in his head "I'm a runner" over and over again. It does kind of help to get your mind and feet connected and moving. We all tried it, but we all ended up losing the chant in the last quarter of the hill. You're working too hard for your brain to think about anything.

Finally after hill #10 Luis took mercy on us. We jogged back to the entrance of the park, did a good long stretch and then went back to the coffee shop to pick up our stuff. I took 2 advil on the subway on the way home. I figured it would help bring down any inflammation I was going to get.

The plus side of running hills: I slept really, really well last night.

Running to Manhattan

2008-01-25T23:54:00.001-05:00

Yesterday's run was a new experience on many fronts. New routes, new shoes, new fuel belt, new nutrition gels, new everything.

And... we left Prospect Park for the first time!

Our run took us from Grand Army Plaza, down Flatbush, across the Manhattan Bridge into the city, across Canal Street, and up the West Side Greenway to 61st Street (8.6 miles).

I have to say that it was my favorite run we have done so far. The view from the Manhattan bridge is pretty spectacular on a Saturday morning. You see the Brooklyn Bridge, and the lower Manhattan skyline. It's quiet at that hour, which is kind of unique in NYC.

Running through Chinatown on Canal Street was filled with stops and starts. That area is really crowded. There are some major roads where you have to stop and wait for cars to pass, instead of just jaywalking like most people usually do.

I loved the run along the Hudson River in Manhattan. They have done a really nice job making a nice, safe, pretty running and biking bath on the west side. As we got further uptown we saw a few cruise ships (HUGE) that were letting off their passengers with all of their luggage. The weren't very tan, so we were trying to figure out where the cruise destination was. The aircraft carrier Intrepid is being renovated, but the sign says it will be back in 250 days for all of you that have been missing it.

The coaches want us to take in 100 calories every 45-60 minutes while running. I tried the Cliff Shot strawberry gel for the first time, and I have to say it was pretty gross. I drank lots of water with it. I think next time I will try the more gummi-bear-like food. Maybe it will be less gross?

We had our "Connection to the Cause" breakfast yesterday. Unfortunately I couldn't make it, because I went to Philly right after the run. We're helping Rick's sister with some renovations they are doing to their house. Elizabeth promised to tell me all about it on our next run.

Running Supplies

2008-01-25T23:27:00.000-05:00

There isn't too much you need when you run mid-distances in good weather, but I'm learning that there are a few more supplies for long distance & cold weather running.

This week, I got a box of running gear delivered that I bought online.

I got:
2 new pairs of shoes (the ones I like were discontinued and on sale)
1 fuel belt
1 hat

I wore the new shoes on Tuesday, and what a difference they made! I could feel that my old shoes weren't supporting my legs enough anymore. I plan on rotating these two pairs so they last longer. I need to break them both in on shorter runs so that I don't get blisters.

The fuel belt is going to be a new experience. I've never worn one of these, and I don't know how comfortable it will be.

Our coaches suggested we fill up some of the bottles with water, and some with Gatorade.

They also told us that we need to start eating during these runs. The common food of choice for endurance athletes are these gels. I haven't tried them yet, but I must admit they don't look too appetizing.

They are each 100 calories. Some have caffeine, and some don't. I've been told that you must drink water with them, or you will regret it. I'm not sure why, but I'm going to trust them! We are supposed to eat one of these every 45 minutes. I'm going to try it tomorrow.

There are also a few other options. These 2 are both more like Gummi Bears.

I'll report back which of these are least gross.

11.5 Miles!!! - My Longest Run Ever. By Far.

2008-01-19T19:11:00.001-05:00

That was a long run.

I got up early and had some breakfast. I'm continuing to experiment with different food in the morning before my run. Today I tried a banana and peanut butter. Of course, I'm a little picky about my bananas. I like them a little bit green on the ends. Once they turn too yellow or get brown spots, I don't like them anymore. (My brother likes them this way too.)

I got to the park at 8:20, so I wouldn't be in a rush before the run starts. There is a bathroom in the park right where we meet, and they open it at 8:00am. This is handy, because running when you have to pee is pretty uncomfortable. Well, this morning it was locked! Oh no! I had to go dashing around Park Slope looking for someplace that had a bathroom. I was considering the bushes in the park, but that was going to be a very last resort...

There is a little diner/cafe where I get out of the subway, and I saw a guy walk out of there. I asked him if I could use their restroom, and he looked totally perplexed. Then I asked for "el bano" and he smiled and said "yes!" I am so happy I learned some Spanish. It comes in handy sometimes. I made it back to the park just in time.

This week our hill training begins, so the long runs had some extra hills built in.

I ran with my friend Sarah today. Neither one of us are beginner runners, but we are beginner marathoners. We sort of straddle that line between beginner and intermediate. So we decided to do the intermediate run distance today. The run was a 5 mile loop around Prospect Park first - (you do one section of the park twice to make it 5 miles), then repeat the big hill at the top (1.25 miles each way). After that we turned around and did the loop of the park the other way (3.3 miles) and repeated the other big hill in the park (.5 miles each way).

At the end of the run, I could really feel it. My muscles in my hips were tired and sore, my left hamstring was sore, and my right calf was hurting behind my knee. When we finally stopped, I felt like Gumby. I felt like my legs weren't attached to me.

We had our Honored Teammate breakfast afterwards. I walked over to Two Boots Restaurant (a pizza joint that is a mix of Louisiana Style & Italian Style - hence the "two boots") where we were eating. I was so hungry! I devoured a bunch of biscuits, a pancake, some fruit, potatoes, and a hot chocolate with whipped cream. Our honored teammate is a young girl in her 20's who is a Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma survivor. She was very sweet, and she was almost apologetic that her experience with cancer and remission wasn't so bad. She said the worst thing that happened to her was pneumonia, and that has made running difficult for her ever since. She has done a few half-marathons, and she will be doing New Jersey with us.

6.7 Miles & a Delicious Donut

2008-01-13T20:56:00.000-05:00

I ran 2 loops of Prospect Park today with my friends Elizabeth and Sara. That is 6.7 miles. Not too shabby after doing 5 miles yesterday! It wasn't too bad.

After we finished I was really hungry. I spotted a donut shop on 7th Ave & 9th Street in Park Slope where I get on the subway.

Elizabeth and I decided to get a donut for the road, and that was the best decision we have made in a long time. Delicious! One of the best donuts I've had in a long time. It was more Dunkin' Donuts style than Krispy Kreme style, and it was so light and fluffy and yummy. This post-run donut thing may become a habit...

My Longest Race So Far

2008-01-12T14:43:00.000-05:00

This morning I did the Fred Lebow 5 Mile Race. My time was 44:53, and I am very happy with that!

I got up at 7:00 this morning and had some water, dry cheerios, and a little bit of peanut butter (the breakfast of champions).

Since we live in an old tenement building in NYC, we have no laundry facilities in the building. Our one real luxury is that we drop off the laundry and get it washed and folded. It is actually pretty great. It doesn't cost much more than doing it myself at the laundromat, and I am willing to pay it to have the free time. I'm buying my Saturday. The laundry ladies do a good job, and have an amazing ability to pack an insane amount of laundry into one bag. We will bring it in 2 bags, and somehow they always cram it into one when it is clean and folded.

Last night I went out to dinner with a friend, and Rick picked up the laundry. I should have unpacked the bag when I got home, but I was tired and wanted to go to bed. So after my breakfast this morning, I had to try to find my running clothes in the crammed full laundry bag.

Rick was still sleeping at 7:30, and I don't think he was too pleased that I turned on a light. Of course my running clothes were all the way at the bottom, so I had to unpack almost the whole bag to get to them. And if I am going to unpack the bag, I might as well put the clothes away at the same time, right? After a few minutes I heard Rick say, "Can I help you find whatever you are looking for?" while his head was buried under a pillow to block out the light. I think this actually translates to "Stop making all that noise, and turn off the light. I'm trying to sleep here!" Lucky for him, I had just found what I needed and got out of there.

I didn't leave the apartment until 8:00, which was a little later than I planned on. I got to the subway and saw a few other people in running clothes with chip timers on their shoes. It is easy to spot who else is going to the race. I also spotted this little guy:

I'm going to call him Randolph the Rat. He was galloping all around the subway platform, and he seemed to be having a great time. No fear of humans at all!

The subway came, and I got on. When we got to the next stop, I saw that an express train was there. When jumped off the local and walked across the platform to the express, the doors closed. "Oh well," I thought, and walked back to the local. Then the doors closed on the local train! Crap! I missed them both! That never happens. I was already running late, and now I was really kicking myself. I should have just stayed on the local train. It took another 5 minutes for the next train to come.

Finally I arrived at Central Park. There were a lot of people in line for the port-a-potties (as usual). But, when you are running a longer race, you want to make sure you go before...

This picture was taken after the race, so everybody is gone.

I had only a few minutes to spare, and I had to check my coat and get to the starting line. At the last minute I decided to take off one layer, and I am so glad I did. The temperature was in the mid-40's and sunny. In that weather you warm up pretty fast.

The first mile was pretty slow. You are running in a huge pack of 4400 people, so it takes a while to thin out the heard. I ran into my friends from TNT, Elizabeth and Sara, about a mile into the race. I was pushing myself for this one, so we didn't stay together for the run. I picked up the pace for the next 4 miles.

According to my watch:
Mile 1: 10:06
Mile 2: 08:39 (easiest part of course, downhill and flat)
Mile 3: 08:45
Mile 4: 09:08 (hardest part of course with a big hill)
Mile 5: 08:14 (long and flat)

Distance: 5.0 Miles, 8.0 Kilometers
Date/Time: Jan. 12, 2008, 9:00 am
Location: Central Park, NYC
Weather: 44 Deg. 53% Wind Calm

There were 4409 total racers (2065 women).
My overall place was 2315, my gender place was 737, and my age place was 312. Finish Time 44:53, Pace/mile 8:58.

That's me, Elizabeth, & Sara (post race)

And that is Larry the Lighthouse. He runs the NJ Marathon with that thing on!

Breaking down the finish line.

After the race, I went to my gym. Now, that might sound crazy after running a 5 mile race, but it isn't! We had a Water Shut Off Notice on the door of our building yesterday.

I knew that if I wanted a shower between the hours of 10am and 2pm, it wasn't going to be possible at home. Thank goodness for the gym membership! I took a shower there before going home. Here is what our street looks like this afternoon:

5 Mile Race Tomorrow

2008-01-11T08:28:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is the Fred Lebow 5 Mile Race in Central Park. This will be the longest race I have ever done, but it won't hold that title for long!

I picked up my race number and shoe chip timer last night at the NY Road Runners office on 89th street.

Look out for racer # 1139!

60 degrees in January

2008-01-10T23:24:00.000-05:00

I don't think I am going to get any sympathy about running outside in the temperatures we've had this week. On Tuesday night it was around 60 degrees. I can't really complain about that! I was planning on putting on a long sleeve shirt over the tank top when I got to the coffee shop meeting place, but I got there too late. Everyone was leaving when I arrived. Oh well. It actually wasn't cold in a tank top in shorts. My wrists were cold, but that was about it.

During the run, we worked on effort levels. The theory is that there are 4 effort levels (E1, E2, E3, & E4). E2 is supposed to the comfortable pace where you can still talk and run. E3 is a little more challenging, your breathing should be a little harder. E4 is all out. You shouldn't be able to talk more than a word or two when you are in E4. E1 is a nice, slow pace where you can recover from harder running.

We did some drills where we alternated between running E4 and E1. First there was a nice normal warmup lap in E2, and then the hard running began. We did about a minute or two in E4, and then a minute or two in E1. This went on for about an hour, and I was really thirsty afterwards (and tired). I slept like a baby that night.

2 Mile Mini-Run

2008-01-06T22:23:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling a lot better today. I'm still moving slowly, but at least I am moving! Being sick really took a lot out of me.

I had some ambitious goals before I got out of bed. I thought maybe I would go up to Central Park and do the 6 mile loop. As soon as I got up, I realized that was kind of insane. I really didn't have the energy for much, and I didn't want to tire out and be really far from a subway.

So I changed my mind and decided to do a few loops of Washington Square Park. That way I could walk home when I got tired. The perimeter of the park is a little over half a mile. I did 4 loops around it, and then I was done. There is no way I could have made it through a full loop of Central Park. I felt a little like a zombie running. My legs were moving, but it felt like they belonged to someone else.

2 miles really isn't much when you are training for a marathon, but I was still happy I did it. I also got to wear my new running jacket with the fun thumb holes. (Thanks Vince & Leyda!)

--- 2 Miles Today! Note the zombie-like expression in my eyes... ---

The weather is going to be crazy warm for the next few days. 60 degrees! I'm not sure what to wear for Tuesday night's workout. It can't be shorts weather in January, can it?

Ugh. That was not fun.

2008-01-05T10:15:00.001-05:00

Normally I would be at marathon training right now. But not today...

Around 5pm yesterday I started to feel like my lunch wasn't going to stay down. I thought the feeling would pass, but it didn't. One of my co-workers said he was feeling a little feverish and nauseous also. We didn't eat lunch together, so I doubt it was anything we ate. Since I wasn't really busy at work, I decided to head home right away. I grabbed a plastic bag just in case.

Getting on the subway wasn't fun, but I thought a taxi would be worse. All that starting and stopping, just the thought of it makes my stomach turn. As soon as I got home things got worse. My stomach really was not happy. I'll spare you the details.

I woke up this morning feeling a lot better. My fever is gone, and that makes me more comfortable for sure. I'm exhausted, but I feel semi-human again. I'm pretty happy to be out of the bed at least. I was getting tired of being there.

Rick and I were supposed to go to New Jersey this afternoon to see our friend's new baby after marathon training. I don't think that is going to happen now. I think I should stay away from them. If I got their newborn sick, I don't think they would be too happy with me.

I'm pretty disappointed that I couldn't make it to marathon training today. This would have been the first group training session that I could attend in 2 weeks. Christmas and New Year's Eve really messed up the schedule. Hopefully I can do the long run tomorrow by myself.

The Bronx Half-Marathon in 5 WEEKS! Yikes!

2008-01-04T11:34:00.001-05:00

We get lots and lots of emails from our TNT coaches. They tell us what we will be doing on a particular workout, remind us to keep fundraising, etc. We got an email this week with the January workout schedule and a little preview of what February will be.

Every month we do a race in New York. It gets us used to running in large groups in a competitive environment. You get the chip timer for your shoe, pin the number on your shirt, all that fun stuff.

The ChampionChip shoe timer is actually pretty cool. It records YOUR actual time, not the time on the start and finish clock. By the time I reached the starting line at the Holiday 4 Mile Race, the clock already read 6:51. There are tons of people, and it takes a while to get there.

The race we are doing in January is the New York Road Runners Fred Lebow Classic 5 Mile. OK, that sounds doable. It's on January 12th, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be warmer than it was this morning (12 degrees!!!).

Now here is where it gets scary. This is a direct quote from our head coach. "note: The february event will be the bronx 1/2 marathon ALL participants (except half marathoners) will be participating in this one." He sounds so casual about that! That was just a little note at the end of a list of things we will be doing in January. If you skim the email, you might not even notice it.

Gulp. That means me. I am one of those "ALL participants." The Bronx half-marathon is on Sunday, February 10th at 8:00am. 13.1 miles! Oh boy. I knew long distances were coming, but I didn't realize they were coming so soon!

I'm going to my friend Holly's wedding on February 9th. It's in Manhattan around 6pm. So, I'm thinking it must end around 11-ish. I doubt I would sleep well the night before my first half-marathon no matter what I did the night before, so it should be fine. I will have to remember to only have the champagne with a toast, and no other drinks. It's a good thing she is getting married at a pizza place (John's Pizza in Times Square - so fun!). I can carb load at the wedding on pizza and garlic bread.

I'm hoping that global warming really kicks in on February 10th. Temperatures in the 40s would be great.

Running in the Rain in a Georgia Drought

2007-12-26T00:36:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-23T10:25:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-22T14:07:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-12-15T13:02:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-14T18:00:00.000-05:00

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)

2007-12-14T16:57:00.001-05:00

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)

2007-12-09T10:26:00.000-05:00

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!!

2007-12-09T10:13:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-09T09:40:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-09T09:10:00.000-05:00

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!