1 year.

December 28, 2007 - 8 miles  

"First 4- 36:11 (9:03) 

Second 4- 36:18 (9:04) 
One gel/water at mile 4- had a cramp below left lung last couple miles. 
right hip pain nagging at start, then worse last couple miles."

After 5 weeks of hobbling and being an idiot, I was finally diagnosed with a Femoral Neck Stress Fracutre.

December 28, 2008 - 13.7 miles.  NO PAIN.  Well, other than 'holy shit this is my first long run outside in almost two months' type of pain.  

And it was 65 degrees.

I think I am going to be smiling all day.

For the Love of NPR.

1 Thriving Ivory Album + 

1 episode NPR 'Fresh Air'(a really good episode on 'The Secret Life of Baboons') + 

1/2 episode of NPR 'Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me'

=

12 really slow, comfortable miles on the treadmill.

[I felt a little guilty b/c the roads weren't THAT bad just the sidewalks and some sidestreets, but then I slipped and fell on the marble steps of my building walking home, and felt good about my decision again]

I am off too DC this afternoon for two glorious weeks of much needed relaxation and family time.  My work away message says I won't be checking email, and I even turned my office computer OFF so I can't log in remotely.  

My plans when I am home are to swim a lot, run a lot, bike with my dad when the weather allows, and see as many movies as possible.

Dilemma

**Update: It's 7am, I am up, but I think I am headed to the gym.  The run was designated a 'fun run', ie will not be scored/timed,  due to the conditions.  it also feels like 13 degrees out and is sleeting/snowing.  If I had better shoes/Yax, I would go, but I just don't think it is worth it.  I will try to stay on the treadmill as long as possible, but I can always run longer tomorrow.  

Dilemma:  Tomorrow is the last NYRR race of the year (not counting the NYE run at midnight).  

We got about 3-4 inches of snow in NYC today, and NYRR decided that if you already registered for the race, you will get credit (ie you don't have to run, but it still counts towards marathon qualifying).  Which is great, b/c now I am officially in for the NYC Marathon 2009.  BUT...

I sort of still want to run (slowly, v-e-r-y slowly).  I need to get a long run in anyway, and it's a whole lot easier to motivate for a 'race'.  But it could be icy...

So do a I spend 90-120 minutes on the treadmill, or do I brave the cold (and maybe snow) to run outside?

NYRR is usually good about salting any icy areas and I would take it easy around the water stops, but I can't decide.  I am almost exactly 1 year from my injury, my legs have been feeling really good,  and don't want to do something stupid like fall on the ice.  Which is not something I would put past myself (clearly).

I don't know what to do!!

SNOW!

Today was the first snow of the winter in NYC.  Big fluffy flakes, but it was too warm for any accumulation.  I LOVE SNOW!!  As I walked home from the gym, I was motivated to pull some of my old photos off my almost-dead old laptop from grad school.   

These pictures were all taken during one of the best snow storms I have seen, during the spring in my second year at Yale (2006).  New Haven looked like a winter wonderland coated in the fresh snow.

My favorite tree in New Haven.

Sterling Memorial Library

Chapel Street, in front of my front door.

I also came across one that I decided would be a perfect gift for my dad, in a nice frame, now that he has taken up cycling.  He has planned a New Years Day ride for us, with his biking group, that I am super excited for.  He said I will have appropriate winter riding gear under the tree!!  

This is one of my favorite all time photos I have taken.

SO EXCITING!

My bro is officially moving to San Fran!! I am currently scheming up a trip to accompany him on part of his trip across the country (he decided today and I have already invited myself along). 

Depending on timing, I will hopefully be joining him somewhere between Dallas and Tuscon, and spend time in LA, Santa Barbara and then San Fran!  I just tried to work San Diego into the route, but he said it was too far out of the way.  I'm still going to work on it.

So excited.

Let the scheming begin, we needed something to fight over during Christmas Dinner anyway!

No longer free-loading (not by choice!)

Sometime between Sunday and Wednesday morning this week, my cable was turned off.  I actually cancelled my cable in early February and haven't paid a dime since.  The beauty of living in an apartment, I guess...so I can't really complain that it no longer is working (and it also took me at least three day to notice, so I don't really watch that much during the week, really just on the weekends).  

It's sort of like my Internet...I steal that, too, you see.  I used to have four different networks to choose from (I actually pick up about 20, only four weren't protected).  The non-password selection has dwindled to just 1, and I'm afraid I will soon have to shell out for Internet.

Cable I can live without.  Internet, I cannot.  This would prohibit my work-from-home days, and that is just NOT an option.

BUT, today I discovered the joy of having no cable.  I was grumpy about not being able to watch KONA yesterday (AND my friend's finish was in the coverage, argh!), and a little grumpy about football today, but instead of sitting my ass on the couch all day, I:

-read the entire Sunday Times (this doesn't really count, as I usually do this anyway, just WHILE watching TV)

-ran (4th day in a row-and NO pain anywhere yay!)

-swam 

-grocery shopped

-finished my Christmas shopping, and actually REALLY like all the gifts I got.

The best gift I think I am giving is to the bro- He is currently considering a move to San Francisco (Has a job offer! Very exciting, but very far away), so I got him the 1,000 places to See Before you Die, USA and Canada.  If he decides to accept the offer in San Francisco, I am going to go through and flag ones either in/around San Fran, or on his chosen driving route out West.  I usually have trouble with him, so I am very excited, and he loves books regardless, so it's perfect.  

I chose to ignore the links my sister sent from Victoria's Secret and Hollister, et al, and got her a really pretty necklace from my favorite vendor at the Holiday Shops at Columbus Circle (and of course got some goodies for myself, as well!).  If you are ever in NYC around the holidays, the winter markets at Union Square and Columbus Circle are a must-see, it's one of my favorite parts of the season.  I had hot cider as I wandered the shops today for over two hours.  Love it.

Just a really great day!  Who needs TV??

New silly plan.

My reasoning:

• Starts less than a mile from the house my family has lived in for the past 20+ years.
  
• Gives me the motivation I have been looking for to starting running long again.
• Being a trail run, will be a new and exciting challenge.
  
• My family can share the day with me.

I also think, being a trail run, it will help me focus on "getting the miles in", rather than shooting for a time goal, etc. over the winter. Getting the base in over the next three months would set me up to safety get back into regular speed and tempo work, and hopefully would lead to an injury-free, fast triathlon season.

It gives me 12 weeks to prepare. There are training runs on the course that would give me an excuse to go home for a weekend. And it's only $20.

And you can decide mid-course if you want to do the 50k.

I'm very tempted.

The PERFECT holiday gift

I walked from 59th Street to 87th Street last night, trying to find a present for our white-elephant holiday gift exchange. Under $15. Unisex. Something you 'would want to receive' (ie nothing dirty, pornographic or otherwise 'inappropriate', which is a direction the group I work with tends to lean, based on what we do- ask me about it sometime). I have never felt so indecisive in my life. All I knew was I didn't want to get a Starbucks Mug with a giftcard in it.

I went to Williams Sonoma. Did you know their peppermint bark is $25 for one small container??

I went to Barnes and Noble. Almost got a 2009 Zagat. But in the end, I thought that was a bit lame.

I went to Sephora. I almost went with Philosophy holiday gift set, and figured I could tell the token male in our group to steer clear of my present. But then I felt bad.

Then I went to Urban Outfitters. And stupidly decided against the BEST HOLIDAY PRESENT EVER. I had non-buyers remorse the minute I left the store.
I decided against this after I had a vision of my boss opening it and not being able to keep a straight face and giving it away that it was my gift. The more I think about it, I may still go back and get a few of these. SUCH a great holiday gift!? 365 days of POOP FACTS!


So what did I end up getting? A Starbucks mug with a giftcard.

Off the Wagon.

At some point last week (Thursday night at 9pm, to be exact), I fell off the wagon. I have been very good about my food choices, getting to the gym, and not drinking to excess, but I am not sure what got into me this weekend.

Thursday night, I was invited to dinner at Bobo, a new place downtown that has gotten mixed reviews. The people I went with are family friends of the chef, and the meal turned out to be absolutely fabulous. The chef sent out some appetizers (he managed to put a new and amazingly delicious spin on ahi tuna and avocado), and the wine was free flowing. The burger (with fried leeks and Gruyere cheese) was AMAZING, and I'm a hard one to impress when it comes to burgers. I will definitely return to this place, and order the burger without even considering other options.

Friday night, I had 1.5 too many margaritas. Of the frozen mango variety. And perhaps ate my weight in fresh corn chips.

Saturday's activies have already been described.

Yesterday after the 10k I hibernated a bit and headed downtown to make Roasted Tomato Soup with friends- SO incredibly good and easy. And healthy, except I chose to down at least a bottle of red while we caught up on Californication. WHY?

Today I feel like crap (Go figure). Tomorrow's is my first of many holiday-work parties over the next few weeks. And even though I was so excited to plan it at Flute Bar on a 2/1 special night, I think I may not be partaking in the bubbly.

Now I have to get creative for the white-elephant gift exchange for tomorrow night. I am having trouble thinking past the overdone 'Starbucks mug with a Gift Card' idea.


*Edit- so classic. About 2 minutes after posting, and planning a healthy evening of running followed by grilled salmon and veggies, I got invited to dinner at The Mermaid Inn. It's seafood- I think I can at least be semi-healthy, right?? How can I say no to a free dinner at a place I have been wanting to try forever???

All things considered.

All things considered, I am happy with the effort this morning.  Truth be told, it took more effort to get myself out of bed than to finish the 10k.  

The race started at 8:30.  I finally forced myself out of bed at 7:40.  Edit:  This is what it looks like when you wake up 30 minutes before you line up for a race, and drink for hours the day before:  ie not pretty.  I need to get me some eye cream or something :)

Had a champion's breakfast of frosted-gingerbread and OJ, to top off an already unhappy stomach (see below).

Didn't wear my watch.  Haven't been at all keeping track of pace on any runs lately, just trying to get the miles in and injuries away.  The start seemed a bit more crowded than usual, wasn't really even able to run across the start mat.

First mile came in well under 8 minutes, which for me is usually the roughest part of a 10k this direction in Central Park (North Hills).  At that moment, I had a fleeting vision of a PR- then my stomach remembered what I had consumed in the last 24 hours, and my hip reminded me that I have done NO LT, tempo, or speedwork in months.  So I was happy to settle into a comfortably-hard pace, enough to work up a sweat, but not pushing the breathing too hard.

I have no idea how long it took me to cross the line, and they haven't put the results online yet.  I am going to estimate I just missed sub-50, with a small water walk break.  I am VERY satisfied with this, all things considered.

**Edit: Official time, 51:19  (8:16 pace).  About :30 seconds per mile slower than the same race last year- but I'm OK with that.

How NOT to prepare for a fast 10k

1. Volunteer for 3 hours, standing on your feet the entire time.
   
2. Go directly to your favorite sports bar, ordering and eating the following over the next 3 hours with your 3 friends while watching college football:
3. Pitchers of beer (2 Blue Moon, 2 Harp, 1 Miller Light) between the 4 of us,
   
4. Tequila Shots,
   
5. Sonic Wings (sonic being two flavors hotter than the 'hot' variety),
   
6. NY Pretzels, with yellow mustard of course,
   
7. Basket of waffle fries with gravy on the side. 
   

I have been doubting my ability to 'race' this 10k all week, and today's activities, coupled with tomorrow forecast of 20 degrees and slushy snow, have not helped.  

I am interested to see how it all shakes out, but if there is slush on the ground/in the air, I can guarantee I will be taking it easy.

What it's all about...

...tonight's inappropriate shoe choice.

**Edit: I love that I just noticed the obligatory 'croc' shot in the background

THE PERFECT MAN!

Before...

during...

(switched to the real camera for full effect)...

After!

And no, they don't all have bites out of them, it was the cookie cutters my friend thought were cute in the store, but really just look like we ate a bite off every cookie, but that is how they are SUPPOSED to look...

OK, too much gingerbread + suger icing + wine makes me doubt my date with the gym is going to happen in the morning.

December Goal

I am going to try to do something active every day of December. I thought about the idea of running every day of this month, lower miles but more frequency...but I don't want to do that. ha. I would like to however hold my mileage at ~25 miles per week, (3-4 weekday runs, longer weekend run) then can decide Jan 1 if I am motivated for a spring marathon.

Other goals:
I want to get back in the pool.
I want to get comfortable on my trainer- This includes maybe taking my bike it to finally get some areo-bars.

I am hoping that I don't lose all motivation when I am home Dec 20-Jan 4, but I am planning on joining the community center in my town,which has treadmills, ellipticals and weights, and hopefully swimming masters with my old swim coach from high school, which should be a riot.

I just....

...did a fabulous Whole Foods shopping.  You know, one of those where you don't care about how much you're spending, you just throw things in the cart?

I got fresh salmon, green beans, and asparagus with makings for fresh dill sauce

I got the makings for Red Chicken Curry

I got fresh berries, frozen berries, and berry sorbet.

Three different types of cheeses.

...and now I am making Shells and Cheese.

Yes I am really that lazy.  At least it's organic, right?

**EDIT:  Whose smart idea was it to go to the gym 20 minutes after eating Shells and Cheese?  NEVER again.  Pushed to get 4 miles of my planned hour run finished.  Blah.

World AIDS Day- DO Something!!

I turned my 6am alarm off for my run, only to wake up at 7:45 and realize it was beautiful and perfect running weather- a clear and blustery 55. Bummer.

I made eggs and promptly dropped the plate on the floor. It broke everywhere. And I had swept yesterday. Double bummer.

And spilled a half a cup of coffee down the front of me as I sat down to my desk. I am obviously wearing a white and green sweater. SUPER Bummer.


HAPPY DECEMBER EVERYONE! Today is World AIDS Day.

It is SO easy to do something that matters.

Buy some RED Christmas presents.

Try a new flavor at Starbucks this month.

Join (Red)Wire.

A Pass

It's 10am.  I still have 90 minutes to get up to the Bronx for the NYRR Cross Country Race in the Bronx.  I loved this race last year.  It's also rainy and cold- perfect conditions for fun cross country running (although not so perfect when you have to take the subway an hour home...)

But I am staying in bed.  With my Starbucks and Sunday Times to keep me company. 

I took the pressure off this week.  I only ran once, for 30 minutes, when I was home.  It was a holiday, it was my birthday.  I wanted to sleep in.  And cook.  - My legs feel better than they have since weeks before the marathon.  And I only gained about a pound since Tuesday :) 

Hope everyone had a great long weekend- my time at home was saddened by what happened in India, and only got worse after finding out that two of the Americans that were tragically lost in the attacks were the family of a good friend from high school- I am happy he and his brother were with his poor mother who lost a husband and child in the blink of an eye and now has to read about the horrid details in the news and see it on CNN.  I am glad I was home to share the grief with friends and family, and was able to hug my family and be thankful for our time together.

An unexpected Birthday post

Not what I hoped to post on my birthday- but the events of today in Mumbai, a city I spent about a week in earlier this year, has left me just totally and completely.....with no words.

Of the time I spent in Mumbai, I visited and even spent a significant amount of time at 3 of the main sites attacked today: The Taj hotel, the CTS train terminal, and worst of all Leopold's Cafe. 

The CTS station was one of the most impressive and beautiful places I saw in my time in India (and one of my fave pics):

 

The Taj hotel, which is still on fire as I watch CNN right now, was equally as impressive, although quite out of my price range

Leopold's Cafe is an institution in Mumbai -read Shantaram, you will realize how much history is wrapped up in this place.  I stayed about 2 blocks from Leopold's, and ironically, it was a place I felt VERY safe in my first days in such a foreign place.  

I am just so very sad.  How much of this terror and randomness can people take before they begin to shut down and become unwilling to travel the world and see amazing places and experience new, amazing cultures?  It is a question I fear I soon will need to answer myself.

I am praying for the hostages and their families, and realize just how very much I have for to thankful for.

Very exciting.

This year, Trek is starting a new Women's Triathlon series- and they just announced the schedule (sort of):

Races in Cities & Venues you Love*
April	Arizona
May	Florida
	Texas
June	Southern California
	Colorado
July	Wisconsin
	Massachusetts
Aug.	Washington
	Northern California
Sept.	New York Metro
	Washington, DC

*Schedule is as of Nov. 2008; subject to change.

Once they post the actual dates, I hope to be able to do both the NY Metro and DC (depending on cost)- I also hope they plan well with the Nation's Triathlon in DC on September 13. If they are on consecutive weekends, maybe I can work it out to work from DC that week so I can do both.

Very exciting. I still get way more excited about sprint options (with a long-ish swim) than the idea of the half-ironman.

What's with my street?

Walked out my door at 8am this morning to a group of maybe 20 cops, standing around, shooting the proverbial shit.

What was going on? I wondered... Looked around and no one, neither cops nor my neighbors, seemed to be very worried.


But then I saw Detectives Benson and Stabler and realized everyone was in safe hands and things were obviously under control.



I LOVE Law and Order: SVU. I could watch it all day long. In fact, I am sure I have watched it all day long, probably on TNT or TBS on some holiday with my father.

I'm not sure what is up with my street. I did read an article about how some TV/Movie Execs live in the building on the corner, so they have some 'pull' about shooting [why you would want to 'pull' shooting to your street, making street parking impossible and blocking traffic, I am not sure]. But in the past year or so, the following has been shot on my street:

Baby Mama
Gossip Girl
Lipstick Jungle
SVU

The truth is, Law and Order is really shot all over the city, so it's no surprise to see them show up. I asked a 'cop' what they were shooting this morning, and his response was


"I'm not exactly sure, but it's a murder scene and apparently this street has GREAT dark alleys."

Good to know.

Ain't got much...

I slept in a bit this morning. Went to the gym, and was able to stay on the treadmill for an hour thanks to the lovely ladies of the View


Now I am at work, obviously exhausting the possibilities of Facebook...


My birthday is next week. My mom went into labor at the Thanksgiving table. I turned 16 on Thanksgiving, and was bitter I could not get my drivers license on my actual birthday. I turned 21 the day before I had to fly home for the holiday, and spent a majority of that flight getting acquainted with the Delta 777 bathroom.

But really, I am lucky that my birthday always falls within a few days of Thanksgiving, so I am able to spend time with my entire family. Oh, and get a Carvel ice cream cake, in the shape of a turkey. Every. Single. Year.

I will be celebrating in the city tomorrow night with my friends, eating really good BBQ, drinking buckets of beer, and enjoying live music.


On my actual birthday, I have a great day planned: A long bike ride with my dad if the weather allows it (he said his limit is 45 degrees, so there is a chance). Then my mom, sister and I will go see Twilight. I love anything vampires. So this is very exciting.


As you can see, I don't have much going on at work right now. Which may change, but for now...

Brrrrrr

The weather has finally changed in New York, and it looks like the cold is here to stay, at least for the rest of the week.  It was a perfect morning for a run with 6,000+ of my closest friends- cold, crisp, bright with a light wind (OK at times a bit more than a light wind).

I am happy I was able to keep the pace in check for the portion of the run that was a NYRR race.  Probably could have slowed down way more, but the heart rate was in check, so I went with the 8:34 pace (actaully the pace was sort of refreshing, as 10 minute miles has been a task on the treadmill the past few weeks).  Ran the extra mile home, showered and got straight back into bed.  I love the weekend.  

At some point I will go grocery shopping.  Oh and buy a scale.  I had my last pizza last night for 10 weeks (with ONE exception- Ledo's pizza at home for Redskins football and/or UMD Terps Basketball/Football over the holidays!)

HA

Even more proof, I swear 90% of the bag of Peanut M&Ms I just ate* were BLUE!! I did not pick these out, even I have better things to do with my time while at work :)







*Yes its 11:15am.

BLUE!

It seems the entire city is turning blue now that Obama won...




...and I am perfectly fine with that!

Mind and Body- The 'no plan' plan

I had a minor freak out yesterday about my hip/femur.  It is bothering me a bit, and in a scary, 'painful' way.  So I have decided to take the pressure off.  It feels better today.  In a way, it feels like deep, muscular fatiuge, which of course makes total sense, and I think I may have been dealing with going into the marathon as well.

But my early tri season for next year is pretty much set.  There is NO need to push now.  Yes, I feel like I gained all this base and want to keep moving 'forward', but this involves rest and letting myself recover fully.  I need to rest my mind and body, and ENJOY my accomplishment, not jump right into the next thing.  I also need to remember it won't take as long this time to build up the mileage if I let it drop for a month or two, as I won't be returning from injury and from ZERO.

I re-joined the gym last week.  I wanted to be able to swim again.  And do the elliptical and watch TV.  And make a fool of myself by sweating profusely in Beginner's Yoga.  They also just opened a new location and it is INSANELY nice, and has chaise lounges in the steam room.  I think that alone is worth the monthly fee, if for nothing else but my stress levels.

So no schedule, no plan.  Only goal is to do something for at least an hour, 5 days per week, eat healthy and lose a few lbs. 

I also realized today that I only need to do a few more NYRR races in 2008 to have automatic entry into next year's NYC marathon.  So I'm going to do that, b/c really, why not?  But I'm only going to race the 10k.  (The other runs will be two 4-milers and one, maybe two 15ks).  The others will be nice, crowded weekend runs.

Yes, I'm crazy

Because I am considering this.






Three full weeks/a month to recover, and a gradual build back up in the miles. And I would use a real plan this time, as in, follow an actual schedule, as I now feel like I have the base under my legs that is recommended.

My thought process:

-I was planning to go to Atlanta in the spring anyways to visit friends.
-I could always just run the half if I'm not feeling the full.- you can transfer your entry until a week before.
-It would provide a great base for triathlon season.
-It would hopefully give me the confidence to try an early season Half IM, but also would give me enough time (about 2 months) to focus on the bike (versus other spring marathons that I have found in early May).

I know it could be hot OR cold, and I know it's a hilly course. It would also require 3+ hour runs in Jan/Feb in NYC.

But it basically runs though Emory and I think it would be really cool, and I know I could convince some friends to join me, at least for the half.

Reflections on the marathon.

(Bummer they didn't have finishing clocks for wave2 times)

I'm not going to try to put my thoughts together in a coherent, witty post, but I want to get it down so I have the memories and lessons to look back on. So here are my reflections, being as honestly with myself as possible.

Sidenote: I have slowly shared this blog with some friends scattered across the country, but I have been hesitant to share with too many close friends, especially those in the city, as it has really been an outlet to be honest about where I am with my training, emotions, etc. I fear that if too many people close to me, as in training partners, coaches, etc read my thoughts on a daily basis, I may start to edit or censor. Right now I am SO glad I have made this choice b/c, as you will see in my reflections, I am a bit disappointed in my race this past weekend, and am so glad to have this as an outlet to express those feeling, bc I am still so so proud of my accomplishment and don't want to diminish it at all, or the help my friends gave me through the entire process, especially on 1st Avenue on marathon day.

So, here goes:

1. I admit, I am a bit disappointed with the outcome of the marathon. This has NOTHING at all to do with time. I know I will improve and in fact, believe I could end up enjoying the distance once I learn how to run it. However, I don't think I ran to my potential on Sunday, which is disappointing regardless of how many times you have done something.

2. What was my potential? I have no clue (see 'related' below regarding not having a time goal/race plan). I know I didn't run the amount you're 'supposed to' in my training (whatever that is?). I am not sure how much mileage my body will ever be able to handle, but I know there will be a limit. I did everything I could to smartly and safely get in the miles I could, and I am confident in this. But being my first marathon, after a major injury, I had no idea what I was capable of and didn't have much racing to base a goal time on.

3. I REALLY, REALLY enjoyed the training. I have always 'enjoyed' training as it has been a major part of my life since I was 12 years old. I don't know where I am going with this, or if there is a point I'm trying to make, but I enjoyed training for the marathon more than I have enjoyed triathlon training. Sometimes it feels like a task to get on my bike, but the running never felt like a task, and I really missed it when I needed to take rest weeks. I think the difference was having a specific goal race in mind- and want to remember this during triathlon season next year. I need to pick a goal race and train FOR it and focus on that.

3. HOWEVER- I do think I could have gotten some of the miles in SMARTER. My 20 miler was a half marathon, with 7 miles added on the end. There was about a 30-45 minute break between the first 13 and last 7, and maybe this contributed to whatever happened around mile 13? In the little corner of the back of my mind, I had never run 20 straight. BUT I had run 3ish hours TWICE, and I cracked before 2 hours, so who knows?

4. I still can't wrap my mind around what happened around mile 12/13. Maybe, even though I was feeling fine, I realized I had gone 13 miles and still had 13 MORE to go and I freaked out. But I don't remember that happening. Honestly, I just remember a moment where I decided to give up- which KILLS me. I have done this in the past when I thought I wasn't doing well- better to give up and have an excuse for failure than try your best and still fail. However, it's weird b/c I knew if I FINISHED I would have succeeded, regardless of time- but maybe I was just lying to myself about this?

**Related- I think not having a goal was a defense mechanism for not wanting to 'fail'. Now that I have run the distance and experienced the race, I cannot believe I went into this race without a time goal or even really a plan about pacing. I think this, more than anything, contributed to what happened. Once I started to slow down, I freaked out, but also had nothing to fall back on to make me feel OK/better. If I slowed down but was still within my goals, but could have thought, "That's OK, XX:XX minute/miles will still put me where I want to be", I could have had something to latch on and focus on. But I didn't have a goal pace, so when I started to slow, there was nothing to focus on except my splits getting slower and slower.

BUT, BIGGEST LESSON OF THE DAY: Do not put a Gu in your sports bra and forget about it- it will chafe in ways you've never experienced and leave a beautiful scab, that will most likely scar, in the most lovely of places.



So it's 4 days later and I feel almost 100%. I am still painfully tired and want to eat everything in sight, but my legs feel almost normal. There is a bit of lingering soreness behind one knee, but ironically, my hip feels better than it has in weeks.

And of course, now come the 'what's next?' thoughts. I'm going to try not to be stupid about what is next, and let myself recover and repair. My early tri season is pretty set- already registered for three races in June and July, one of which will become the 'GOAL' race, most likely NYC.

The most immediate goal: There is a 10k in December that I want to rock out. I have run this race every year since I moved to the city (for a grand total of two times - ha), and am excited to see if I can improve on last year's 4 minute PR now that I have a base I never had before.

But other than that, it's back to the pool and back on the bike, and I am REALLY REALLY excited about that.

Yes.

As someone who works in the developing world, and has experienced the constraints of Bush's policies on the very ability to carry out my work, today I am hopeful. About so very much.

Definitely not tomorrow, maybe not next year, but someday...

I am hopeful that I will be able to use government money to provide condoms to women in Africa.

Or to create prevention programs for sex workers in Brazil.

Or to educate young girls in our own backyard that if abstinence is not an option, safe sex IS.

NYC Marathon 2008- Very much Fun.

Mile 21 - 10:23
Mile 22/23 - 10:43 (3rd Gu I think)

Back into Manhattan and onto 5th Avenue. It's funny, during my training run on the end of the course, I figured climbing back up 5th with the park in the distance would be the hardest part of my day. Little did I know, it would turn out to the best! I picked up the pace, which became amazingly simple as soon as I got out of my own head. I felt completely comfortable and probably could have picked it up more, but I figured at this point, I just wanted to enjoy the rest of my day. I even started to pass people. I cheered greetings to the South Africans I passed in Zulu and Xhosa, and realized that THIS was what the day was about.

In my pity party, I had not taken a Gu, so I took a Gu around Mile 22 I think. I had started to drink Gatorade during my walks, so I was worried how it may react with the Gu, as I usually stay away from the sweet drinks on my long runs, but it turned out fine.

Around this time as well, the 4:15 pace group passed me. I briefly considered trying to hang with them until the end, trying to make up the minutes spent chatting it up and feeling sorry for myself on 1st. But I reminded myself that not only did I NOT have a time goal, I had told myself before the race started, that if I wasn't going to break 4 hours, there was no difference between a 4:03, a 4:14 or a 4:20. If 4 hours wasn't in the cards, then I was going to enjoy my day, stop on 1st, visit with my friends, and soak it all up. Ok, so fine, maybe that IS having a time goal, but it's sort of having one, without having one, right??

At 110th, I knew I was only 1 mile from the park. I knew I was going to see my friends again, and I knew I was going to make it. This picture, between miles 23 and 24 and one of my new favorites, sums up how I was feeling at that moment (thanks to Bob for his amazing pictures, as always!).

Mile 24 - 10:41

Mile 25 - 10:12

Mile 26 - 10:14

I knew once I was in the park I was going to be fine. My crazy friends were hours into their Mimosas, hanging out behind the MET, and I am not sure if they have ever been so happy to see me. I am also not sure if they had the tambourines out when I saw them on 1st, but they were not to be missed in the Park!! I think they were a little insulted I didn't stop, but I was on a mission.

I was a bit worried about the downhill at Cat Hill and how my hip would take it, but at that point, I actually don't think I could feel my legs at all. I was running on pure emotion and adrenaline. Running under the mile 25 banner was the most amazing feeling ever (although it did come with the always present smell of horse sh!t at that corner in Central Park. You think they could do something about that on Marathon weekend, no?)


I missed seeing my best friend from college on Central Park South, and resisted the urge to speed up at the end. There was no need at this point- I wanted to take it all in (however, looking at my splits, I guess I DID speed up). I knew there was a final little climb to the finish, but best of all my friends who had seats in the finish area spotted me and yelled like crazy and I saw them! I knew they had VIP seats, but didn't think I was going to be able to see them.

My non-human friend who just finished KONA a few weeks ago, and is insane, also ran NYC (and a 10 minute PR, crazy lady) and was able to make it back to the finish area to cheer me across the finish. It meant so much to see her.

I honestly don't remember much about crossing the line, just a complete rush of emotion and the incredible urge to sob. Not out of happiness or sadness, just out of pure emotion. I resisted, as I figured that may have been quite embarrassing, and then focused my attention on the new task at hand: How to get from the finish area to beer as quickly as possible.:

Mission accomplished.

Pics around mile 19.

Able to put together some pretty convincing smiles and waves at about mile 19.5

And this is my friend telling me there are 6 miles left, at Mile 18.  Pure joy before I realize her mistake.

NYC Marathon 2008- Not so Fun

Mile 11/12 - 19:09 (9:35 pace, 2nd Gu)

Mile 13 - 9:43

Mile 14 - 10:19

Mile 15 - 10:59 Queensboro Bridge

This is where the melt down began, and became complete.  I am racking my brain to remember, but I have no idea what happened between miles 12 and 13.  I was still feeling fine physically.  I was actually excited- at 20k, I knew I was right on pace for a 1:57/1:58ish half and was elated at how little effort it had taken.  However, something happened between 20 and 21k.

I just don't remember WHAT.

My hip hurt, but it has been hurting all day. I just got a similar feeling to my last half marathon- I just wanted to stop.  Then I got down on myself for wanting to stop.  Then I started thinking about excuses for stopping.  Then I got more angry with myself.  And my pace began to slow.

I made a deal with myself around mile 14.  I would run to my friends, who were planning on cheering at mile 15, right before the turn onto the Queensboro Bridge.  I would let myself stop and chat with them, stretch a bit and regroup before the bridge.  It was a great deal.  Until I didn't see them.  Apparently, they saw me, but I didn't see them, and I think this is where the mental breakdown was  just about complete and took over my body.  I knew the rest of my friends were waiting between miles 18-19, but that seemed to be an eternity away.

The Queensboro Bridge was the longest, loneliest and most painful mile of my life (wow, that sounds dramatic, but I've only been running for 4 years, so I think it's actually possible).  The climb seemed to go on forever, it was so quiet and I began to talk myself into quitting.  I told myself I would run until I saw my friends at 78th Street, then I would stop.  I looked forward to the crest of the bridge so I could use the downhill as a little break.  Yea, right.  The downhill of the Queensboro Bridge hurt my hip more than anything all day, and I had to settle for a hobble/ walk down the bridge into Manhattan.  I was totally out of it.  This was supposed to be the best part of the day, making the turn into Manhattan and running up First Ave.  And all I wanted to do was stop.  So I did....

Mile 16 - 11:07

Mile 17 - 11:04 

Mile 18 - 11:31

Mile 19 - 11:42

Mile 20 - 11:30

...At the Medical Tent located right after the Bridge, on 59th street I think.  I asked for Tylenol (I had a friend waiting with Tylenol at Mile 19.  In retrospect, I should have carried my own and taken it right when the breakdown started, if not before).  The medic gave me ONE Tylenol.  Said I could only have one.  I responded 

"How do I quit this thing?"

He informed me that there were buses right at 60th that would transport me to the finish.  I told him, no, I wanted to quit around 80th street, were there buses there?  He laughed and sent me on my way.

I knew I had 1 mile to my friends.  At 78th Street I didn't see them.  There was a water stop, porta potties, but no friends.  I didn't need water, I didn't need to go to the bathroom- I needed to see my friends, and they weren't there.  I almost totally lost it.  One group of friends were between 79th and 80th- They screamed my name and I have never been so relieved.  I could now quit.  Ha.

Not so much.  I couldn't even look at them without tears welling up (as they do now).  I was so disappointed in myself (which is CRAZY bc I at this point I really hadn't even slowed down that much!  so amazing how mental this as well, looking back).  They reminded me of the hard work I had put  in,  and that it was supposed to hurt.  They said I was doing so well (ha b/c the athlete alert was delayed and they were still getting my sub 9 splits, bless their hearts!) 

Another group of friends were about a half block north.  This is my friend who I went down to MCM last weekend with.  I cried more.  She offered me a mimosa.  I declined.  They all looked SO happy to see me and SO excited for me, and all I felt was that I was disappointing them.  And there was a barrier between the sidewalk and the street, and I couldn't get out.  So I kept on running.

More friends at 92nd.  I stopped and chatted.  This was around Mile 18.  One friend shouted "You've only got 6 left!"  This made me think for a moment I could still get under 4 hours.  Then I wanted to kill her.  She apologized later, even though I had forgotten :)

More friends around 100th.  I stopped and walked at this point and took two more Tylenol.  At this point I think I finally realized I was going to finish.   

At Mile 20, you cross the Willis Ave Bridge (or something like that), and are in the Bronx for about a mile.  On the end of the bridge, while I was still busy feeling sorry for myself and not focusing on running, I tripped and almost face planted.  I scared the shit out of myself and caught my fall with my bad leg.  This FREAKED me out and I had to stop and take a few deep breaths.  I was worried I may have hurt my leg.  But this almost seemed to snap me out of my funk, as well.  

I realized "What the hell am I doing?!"   I was missing it.  All this time, all this training, and I was MISSING IT.  For the next mile I talked myself into running the rest of the miles, only walking at water stops.  I found a comfortable pace, with no need to push it at this point, and focused on finishing mile 20, getting back into Manhattan and into Central Park.

NYC Marathon 2008- Fun.

(I start to write 1 post, but it's way too long, and since my race is easily divided into three distinct parts, they will be: Fun, Not so Fun, Very much Fun)

You can get the short version in the previous posts.  It wasn't pretty.  But it was [mostly] fun, and I finished with a smile, so goal accomplished.  Am so so glad NYC was my first marathon, the support of the city and all  of my friends was amazing and I feel so blessed.  As I hobble around my apartment today, the emails and messages are icing on the cake (I don't like cherries).

Long Version:

My confidence was admittedly shaken going into race day.  My 20 mile run didn't go as planned (ie I ran too fast), and the three weeks that followed were tough, mentally and physically.  I fell and bruised my back/ass pretty hard and think it really inflamed my hip, which had been doing so, so well in the last weeks of higher training.  About 5 days before the race I tried to get rid of the negativity, finally had a comfortable run, and was ready as I could be.  I was confident in the training I had put in.

I also fought off the desire to set specific time goals for my first marathon.  From the beginning, I tried to keep the goals simple: Have fun, finish healthy and with a smile on my face.  Of course in the back of my mind there were specific goals, but I tried to keep them away.  

I had a little bit of a freak out when I found out at the expo that the 3:50 pace group would be starting in my corral.  I decided to use this to my advantage and try to stay BEHIND them and away from them to keep from going out too fast.  Unfortunately I never even saw the pace group.  The only pace group I saw was the 4:15 group run by at mile 23.5.

Race Morning

Was able to get a good night sleep, including an extra hour b/c of setting the clocks back the night before.  Only had one dream (nightmare?) about running up the side of a mountain.  Woke up at 5am and hopped in the shower to wake up and warm up.  I had two Go Lean Kashi waffles, a greek yogurt and water for breakfast.

Logistically, the NYC Marathon is interesting.  As it is a point to point race, through all 5 boroughs, you start in Staten Island.  Which means transporting close to 40,000 people to Staten Island before 9Am.  I had been assigned the 7:00am ferry to Staten Island, where buses were provided to get runners to the staging area near the start line.  In addition to the simple transportation logistics, this year was the first year NYC had 'wave' starts, with about 13,000 people starting every 20 minutes.  They hoped this would ease congestion at the start, where the course merged, and at the finish.

I left my apartment at 6am and got a cab to South Ferry. I arrived just as the 6:30am ferry was leaving, and decided to take this ferry.  The ferry was buzzing with excitement, and I tried to zone out and not think too much, as my stomach was in knots.  I took a few pictures of the sunrise over the Verrazano Bridge, this is thethe first 2 miles of the course

Once arriving in Staten Island, I decided to stay in the ferry building for a while, to avoid having to wait in the cold for 3 hours (my start was at 10am).  Luckily, I ran into a friend at this point and we spent the next 2 hours chillaxing- first in the Ferry Terminal, then huddled in trashbags and blankets after we had to check our baggage.  I ate a plain bagel while waiting, probably around 7:30/8am.

Of course I don't know what it was like before, but the wave starts seemed to work great.  I think the first wave started a few minutes late, but I headed over to my corral once they called wave 2 and spent maybe 20-30 minutes until we were off almost exactly at 10am.  I had 1 Gu while waiting in the corrals.  Not as bad as I expected.  We walked from the staging area to the start, turned a corner, and the bridge was in front of us!!  I started to get choked up- there was so much emotion and excitement in the air!  The weather was perfect- I ended up running in shorts and a sleeveless top and was comfortable the entire time, and wore gloves for about 10 miles.

Mile 1 - 9:19

Mile 2 - 8:14

Once the cannon sounded, it probably took less than 30 seconds to cross the timing mats, and right away I was able to setting into a comfortable pace.  It was not nearly as crowded as I expected.  The first mile of the course is actually the longest climb, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn.  The view was amazing, and my body was feeling great.  My hip was definitely bothering me, but not to the point that it was altering my stride so I didn't worry.  Everything I had read said not to freak out over the first two mile splits, and to average them and move on from there.  

Mile 3 - 8:33

Mile 4 - 8:50

Mile 5 - 8:48

Mile 6 - 9:04 (first Gu)

This part of the course is up 4th Ave in Brooklyn.  The crowds were amazing, I felt great, BUT KNEW I needed to slow down.  You can see in my splits I was trying to slow down.  I would have loved to be running right at 9 minute miles, I just couldn't seem to find it.  I took my first Gu at mile 6.  I tried to assess how I felt, and I felt great.  My hip was nagging, and I had been feeling a side stitch since the start, but my heart rate was totally controlled and the pace was effortless.  

Mile 7 - 8:55

Mile 8 - 9:06

Mile 9 - 9:40 (course merged- bit of a bottleneck)

Mile 10 - 9:04

These miles were my favorite part of the day.  The crowds in this section of Brooklyn were AMAZING.    The three 'color' starts merge at Mile 9, and at the same time the course narrows a bit, so there was a bit of a bottleneck.  But it didn't matter, the crowd was AMAZING.  People were standing 10 deep, up the stairs of the brownstones, and rocking out with live bands.  At one point, I swear an entire block was dancing in unison!  It was amazing.  I missed my friend who was taking pictures around 9/10, and was a bit bummed.  I also didn't see Josh, but thanks for all your well wishes and support!!  I knew I had more friendly faces waiting at 15, so I tried to look forward to this.

In retrospect, at this point, I was really starting to want to see a friendly face.  I still felt fine physically, but I hadn't seen anyone I knew since I left my friend in the staging area around 9am.  I thought I would see some familiar faces on the course, but I was beginning to feel a bit lonely.  This is where 'Fun' ended and 'Not so Fun' began....

Love it.

Official Time

5K Time

10K Time

15K Time

20K Time

1/2 Mar. Time

25K Time

30K Time

35K Time

40K Time

Pace/ Mile

4:22:05

0:27:06

0:54:46

1:23:30

1:52:57

1:59:37

2:25:56

3:01:31

3:35:36

4:08:06

0:10:00

Probably close to the ugliest way to get exactly a 10 min/mile pace :)  Very proud.

I was happy, comfortable and having fun through 20k, would have gone through half in about 1:57 to give me a bit of a cushion to get under 4, and I honestly can't figure out what happened right at 20k.  I just lost it mentally.  

I probably spent at least 5 minutes on First Ave talking with friends, as the convinced to me keep going.   

Gathered myself around 30-35k and was able to enjoy the last hour and finish strong and with a smile.

After I digest, will write a more detailed report of the day.  It's hard to be SO SO HAPPY and a bit disappointed at the same time.  Just trying to wrap my head around and understand what happened.

Quickly.

Because I smell and really need to shower. Then go back to the bar.

It was fun. More fun than not fun, so fun wins. The first hour and 50 minutes were great. The last hour was fun, too.

Not sure what happened between 13-20. I guess my wall came a little earlier than most people? I am proud to say that even though there was lots of walking, some crying, I didn't quit, as I had planned. I even asked the med tent at mile 15 "How do I quit this thing?" He gave me ONE Tylenol and told me to keep going....yea buddy, that's really gonna help :)

My hip hurt the entire way. The downhills KILLED it.

Am elated to have finished, sorta bummed that I cracked mentally and took that it took me so long to get it back together, especially bc I was in the worst of it on 1st, where I should have had the most fun. But hey, it was my first try, right?


More later, when we can laugh together at my splits, with color commentary, of course!

Hands Down: The best weekend in NYC.

It's official. Picked up my number, spent way too much at the Expo, got my dad a t-shirt: this means I have to finish. How else can I wear my new snazzy, sparkly 'I run this city 2008' T-shirt??

The official T-shirt is quite appropriate. The front reads:

"What does it take? HEART POUNDING DEDICATION"


The weather is supposed to be perfect (knock on wood): 51 and partly cloudy. As of now, I am wearing shorts and a long sleeve. Oh, and zebra stripe gloves until I warm up. I have throw-away sweats for the loooonnnnng wait in the corrals before the start.

I'm as ready as I can be. My biggest fear? I am going to cry through the entire thing. Not from pain (well, maybe from pain in the last miles), but from pure emotion.


The buzz in the city has started. All over, you see people carrying their expo bags with the excitement written on their face. Riding home on the subway from the expo last night I spent the entire ride talking with other runners who are either running this year or have run in the past. The number one piece of advice- don't get so caught up you don't enjoy the experience. DONE!

It's funny, marathon weekend, in my opinion, is always the best weekend in the city. Especially last year when we got to watch the Men's Olympic Trials the day before. However, actually running makes it all the more special and you see so much more.

This afternoon, I am skipping out of work early and going to see "Run for your Life" It is a movie about Fred Lebow, the 'father' of the NYC Marathon, and the creation of the marathon into what it is today. It is playing in special release in the city and was released on DVD as well for the expo. I will probably cry through this, as well.



I FINALLY had a good run on Wednesday, did the 2nd mile under 8 minutes (whoops). Legs feel almost 100%- this running-taper thing is CRAZY! Hip is still nagging a bit, but it is what it is.


And let's be honest- did you really think I wasn't going to wear my watch!? :)