What a week

It's been a heck of a week. I'm still in shock about the destruction Sandy has caused and how it has crippled the city, long island, and New Jersey. One of my best friends likes to remind me of the high correlation between my travel and natural disasters. Every time I announce new travel plans or shortly after I return from somewhere, the area seems to be impacted by a natural disaster. Why should the NYC marathon be any different?

I received word this morning that the marathon is officially on. I have very mixed emotions about the upcoming race. On one hand, it seems like the policemen and all the volunteers who would be working the marathon should be focusing their time on more important recovery efforts. Logistics are still very much up in the air. The subways (and other forms of transportation) are only partially running, which means not all the runners will even make it to the race. It also makes it harder for spectators to visit multiple points along the course (which is particularly upsetting to me since I need all the motivation and support I can get!). And it's still unclear how we will even make it to the start line. On a more personal note, I'm sad that my first, and likely only, marathon is one that won't have the same energy as previous NYC marathons, and is even facing backlash from many local residents (who believe individuals should not be diverted from recovery efforts for the race).

On the other hand, and selfishly, I have been training for this race since June. I am ready for this race and I am ready to be done. I have no desire to spend hours running on the weekends. I have no desire to sit home with a bag of frozen peas on my shins. I am uninterested in waking up at 6am so I can run 10 miles before class. My hope is that this race will be symbolic of the perseverance of NYC and will be a positive experience for everyone involved - runners, spectators, volunteers, workers, the city.

Despite the logistical challenges, I'm looking forward to this weekend and am excited to become an official "marathoner"! Stay tuned for what I hope will be an exciting post on Sunday or Monday!

Home stretch

With less than 2 weeks to go until the big day, I'm well into the taper of my training. This past weekend was my last double digit run. From here on out it's smooth sailing. I've got an 8 mile run this weekend, and a couple of shorter runs next week. I can't believe the marathon is so close. In fact, I'm just 1 day away from being able to see the anticipated marathon weather in the 10 day forecast! Keeping my fingers crossed for a nice day!

20 miles #@!%

Holy #@!%. I ran 20 miles this morning. And I crushed it. A special shout out to my friends Brent and Emily who joined me for the run. Brent was a champ and ran all 20 with me. Emily joined us at the halfway point and provided some much needed new energy and a new route. Thanks to both of you!!

Physically speaking, I'm feeling pretty good, though my legs are definitely tired. My mobility seems to be a bit limited this afternoon. Mentally, I am on top of the world. First of all, this run was light years ahead of my 14 miles last weekend and I maintained an even better pace than I did during my 18 mile run (thanks to my running partners). If I can run 20, I can run 26.2.

I would be remiss to not mention the weather today, since it's one of my favorite topics to post about. All summer long I forced myself to wake up early to beat the heat. Today I woke up early in an effort to not spend the entire day running. What was I greeted with you may ask? Temperatures in the low 30s, with a wind chill placing it in the 20s. My how the tables have turned.

From here on out should be smooth sailing. This was my peak week of training. I covered 40 miles this week. Now I start the taper, and am in the home stretch. Just 3 weeks until the marathon.

And I have officially reached my fundraising goal! A very hearty thank you to everyone for all of your generous support! This truly would not have been possible without you!

So far, so good

It seems (fingers crossed) that last week was just a blip in the training. Great news! So far this week I've done a 5 mile and a 10 mile run. Both went fantastically, so I'm cautiously optimistic about the next few weeks.

In order to get my 10 miles in today I had to get up at 6am. Nobody told me that it doesn't get light out until 7am! Seriously? In order to make it to class in time (and ensure adequate time for showering), I had no choice but to head out at 6:30am. It was not fun. (And Mom, don't worry I ran only on main roads where there were street lamps!). Luckily during the run I ran into (literally) one of my classmates and ran with him for a couple of miles. It was great to have some company, and he really forced me to pick up my pace.

I'm actively planning for this weekend's 20 mile run. That is the furthest distance I'll cover before the marathon. I've asked almost everyone I know in Boston if they are interested in running some part of that distance with me. It should be interesting to try and coordinate... We shall see!

Poor excuse for a run

Today's run was by far the worst run of my training to date. I was meant to run 14 miles. I slowly jogged/struggled through the first 7 and 3/4 at which point I decided I just could not go any further and so I walked. Once I hit 8 miles I found a bench and literally sat down and read some email. I was about half a mile from my apartment so I toyed with cutting my losses and just going home, but decided I really should finish the last 6 miles. So I got back up and was on my way. The last 6 were just as painful as the first 8, perhaps even more so. Through some combination of horrendously slow jogging, walking, and sitting on benches I managed to cover all 14 miles. It was not pretty. And I'm bummed, to say the least. The past few weeks have been awesome. This week has been a constant struggle. I need to figure out what's going on here, especially since I'm in the home stretch. Just 4 weeks to go until the marathon. Hopefully I can get this sorted out sometime soon...

Some days are slower than others

And some posts take longer to make it to my blog than others.


Tuesday morning's run this week was 5 miles. At this point 5 miles should be a breeze, yet for whatever reason I struggled through it. In fact, I ran at a slower pace than I did for my 18 mile run last weekend. That is crazy. If I had to guess, I suspect there were a few things going on here:

1. Mental preparation. Before my 18 mile run I got myself psyched up. I knew 18 miles was a long way so made sure that I was anticipating the run and was excited for it. For 5 miles I pretty much rolled out of bed and went for it. 
2. Recovery time. Yes, my 18 mile run was 3 days ago, but I suspect it took more out of me than I am willing to give it credit for. I am betting that my body is still trying to figure out what I did to it and why. 
3. Pace. The runs in which I am most successful I start off pretty slow and gradually pick up my pace over the first couple miles. Today I just went for it right off the bat. I definitely started at too fast a pace and paid for it later.
4. Route. I overestimated the distance of my planned route. This meant that I spent my last mile running in circles. Boredom is not helpful, especially when you're already struggling. 

I guess the important thing is that I finished my 5 miles. And since then I also managed to get in another 5 miles and a 9 miler. Looking forward to 14 miles tomorrow!

18 miles!

I ran 18 miles yesterday. That is crazy. Normally I don't think I even travel 18 miles over the course of a week. I actually felt great during the run. Admittedly I got really bored at mile 14, but I pushed through and completed all 18. Turns out that running that far is pretty darn exhausting not to mention sweat inducing. When I got home my roommate asked me if it was raining out. Nope. No rain. All sweat. Yup, it was pretty nasty. I was also in dire need of some fluid replacement. As you can see I had a wide selection of water, gatorade, and chocolate milk.

Post-run beverage selection

All in all, what is most crazy, or exciting I suppose, is that the marathon actually feels like it's within reach. Sure, I've still got another 8.2 miles to run the day of, but I actually think I can do it!

I completely forgot!

I can't believe I forgot to post this in my blog yesterday! It must have been the sheer exhaustion of running and my brain was protesting. While I was out on the river I passed Julia Stiles riding her bike. That is my first ever celebrity sighting while running! For those who may not know who I'm referring to...

Julia Stiles filming her movie in Boston!

Or if you're like me, she'll always be the girl from 10 Things I Hate About You

A slow start...

Got a late start this morning. Fortunately it was cool outside. Unfortunately about 1 block from my apartment I got a horrific cramp on my left side, which meant I was off to a slow start. I suspect this was because I was super dehydrated and did not drink nearly enough water yesterday. I had visions of this being an awful 12 miles. Luckily the cramp subsided, but it was quickly replaced with a general, full stomach cramp. As you can imagine, those first few miles were not particularly fun. A couple miles in that general discomfort also subsided and then it was pretty much smooth sailing. It actually ended up being a pretty decent run. Not as good as my 16 mile run last week, but I suppose they can't all be quite like that.

I also decided last minute to head home this week for Yom Kippur. I'm very excited to be home, but this definitely throws a wrench in my training for this week. I think I've got a solid plan in place and it doesn't even require me to bring my running gear home! Here goes...

A day of rest

When I woke up yesterday it was very gloomy out. It had POURED the night before. I made a very quick decision to give myself what I deemed to be a much needed day off. My knees and quads definitely thanked me. I also got to sleep for an extra hour and a half which was greatly appreciated. My impromptu break was much enjoyed.

This morning - 8 miles. No complaints.

Today my knees hate me

On Saturday I ran 16 miles and felt like a million bucks. This morning I ran 5 miles and my legs are having none of it. It amazes me what a difference 3 days can make (well that and 11 miles). Seriously, my legs are tired and achy. My quads feel like jello. And worst of all, my knees hate me. Ugh. Fortunately I bought Advil in bulk in anticipation of days like today.

You win some, you lose some

Lose: woke up bright and early today to head out for my 16 mile run. It looked a bit ominous outside, but I wasn't overly worried. I grabbed my raincoat and was ready to go. Then I took one last look out the window before leaving and realized it was actually pouring.

Win: I just ran 16 miles! And it was awesome! I ended up waiting about an hour for the rain to pass. By the time I left I didn't even bring my raincoat, and when I finished my run it was a gorgeous, sunny day. Last week 15 miles kicked my butt. This week I kicked 16 miles' butt. Make no mistake, I am exhausted, and I won't be setting any Olympic records any time soon, but it really was a fantastic run! Now off to eat. A lot.

A glorious 8 miles

Yesterday's run was a surprisingly pleasant 8 miles! The time just flew by. Almost as quickly as I started I had covered 8 miles (note: this is simply how it felt; rest assured I did not run fast so it did actually take quite a bit of time).  Maybe the fact that I actually got 8 hours of sleep the night before (versus the 6 I've been getting) helped?

It's amazing to me how far I've come. When I first started my training my long run was 6 miles. Now my mid-week runs are longer than that. And I can do it! And then go to school for a whole day. It really is awesome!

Let's hope this positive energy sticks around for my 16 miler tomorrow.

Holy LONG run

Wow, 15 miles is a LONG way! And it's the furthest I've run continuously. EVER. Today's run was really hard. It was hot out and I ran VERY slowly. In fact, 15 miles is so far that I'm pretty sure I ran to the end of the earth. My back hurts, my legs are tired, and I don't know which part of me to ice first. My lower extremities are not very happy with me right now. I also can't decide what is grossest - the sweat, the salt, or the dirt that I'm currently covered in. It's scares me to no end that the actual marathon is another 11.2 miles on top of the distance I ran today... But I'll worry about that later. For now I'm going to sit back, relax, and enjoy the fact that I ran really damn far this morning.

Tired!

I was less than thrilled to get up for my 7 mile run this morning. Over the last several weeks there have been times where I wasn't feeling it, but nothing quite like this morning. Running 7 miles was pretty much the last thing I was interested in doing. I sucked it up and head out, and while it was a LONG and SLOW 7 miles, it got done. The last couple miles were actually better than the first. Not in terms of pace, but they didn't seem nearly as painful as when I started my run.

I forgot how absolutely exhausting and time consuming business school can be. Running the marathon continues to be a priority for me, and I will get in my training, but I am definitely concerned. I've got 15 miles coming up this weekend. Fingers crossed

Oh, the weather

The weather has been surprisingly cooperative this summer. Sure it was hot and all sorts of humid, but it really didn't rain all that much. With the exception of 1 long run where I hit a few patches of rain and 1 weekday run where I got caught in a torrential downpour, I've been pretty fortunate over the last several weeks. I was able to run outside pretty much whenever I wanted.

Sadly, yesterday the weather disappointed. I set my alarm so I could get in a 4 miler before my first class of the year. And what did I wake up to find...rain! And this was no light mist. It was some serious rain. I opted to go back to bed and am planning to get in my run on Friday. Of course when I did finally get up it was no longer raining so perhaps I could have braved the storm. Oh well, better luck next time.

A slow start...

Off to a slow start this morning. I left for my 10 mile run a bit later than I had hoped. Then my watch decided to take it's sweet time locating satellites. Then Songza decided to have connectivity issues so I couldn't listen to one of their playlists. Fortunately I loaded a bunch of music onto my iPhone yesterday so I was able to listen to that. But naturally I pressed the wrong button at first so I listened to the same one song on repeat a few times before I realized and fixed the issue. Because of all this my first mile was a bit slow. After that, it was pretty much smooth sailing for the next 9 miles.

Sadly, I came home to a new blister on my toe.

My newest blister, though this picture does not do it justice

I guess I'll wear sandals today...

Progress, progress, progress

I decided to sleep in this morning. The weather report indicated that the high today was going to be around 75, and the morning was only going to be in the mid-60s. No need to beat the heat means no reason to wake up early! I ended up heading out for my run around 9:15 this morning (not quite the sleeping in I had envisioned). It was sunny, breezy, and cool. A perfect morning for my 7 mile run! The first 6 miles went off without a hitch. The last mile was pretty slow, and I was feeling pretty tired, but it all worked out. I finished the 7 miles at a decent pace and without any real issues.

I think that today's run really showed me the progress I've made over the last 6 weeks or so. Today was a mid-week 7 mile run, and today is just a regular, normal day. In the past, 7 mile runs were absolutely exhausting and took everything out of me. Now they don't even seem that long. As you can imagine, this makes me super excited, especially since this weekend is a step back week and I only need to run 10 miles! And no, I can't believe I just used the word "only" in the same sentence as 10 miles. I have truly come so far...

13.1!!!!!

Today's long run was as much a mental challenge as a physical one. This morning I had to cover 13.1 miles. Essentially I had to run a half marathon. I haven't run that far since my race this past May, which as you all know, did not go as I had hoped. Thus, I was a bit apprehensive about today's run. From here on out (with the exception of a few step back weeks) my runs get progressively longer. I've never run more than 13.1 miles so this was a big hurdle for me.

I don't know if it's a new attitude or the fantastic weather, but I ran all 13.1 miles!! And I felt great doing it! In fact, I maintained a pace that was 52 seconds faster per mile than when I ran 12 miles last week. I'm no speed demon, but 52 seconds is a HUGE difference. I could not be more ecstatic!!

Post-run I'm feeling good. I enjoyed some delicious organic low-fat chocolate milk, which comes in a super kid-friendly juice box (yes, I have the same beverage preferences as a five year old)

My post-run drink of choice

And to avoid injury I've spent some time icing my ankles...

Icing my ankles post-run (green beans on the left, peas on the right)

All in all a great morning!

Finally picking up the pace!

Today was my mid-week longish run and I finally picked up my pace! I know I have said repeatedly that I don't have a time goal for the marathon, and that continues to be the case, but after running my long runs these past weeks at a pretty slow clip it felt awesome to pick it up today. And for 6 miles no less! I attribute this faster speed partly to the new scenery. It was a beautiful morning along the Charles and there are lots of great running routes. I also think the new speedier pace is partly due to the new app I downloaded on my iPhone. Songza (strange name, great app) offers a wealth of playlists sans commercials. I was definitely getting sick of the songs on my iTunes so this was a welcome change. But mostly I think there is 1 key reason for the newfound pace: the lack of humidity! I'm not sure who to thank for this change in weather pattern, but it is downright amazing! Here's to hoping it sticks around for awhile!

First run back in Boston

Yesterday was my first run back in Boston since leaving New York. I'm convinced that my GPS watch does not like change. In fact, given all of my watch's quirks I'd say it has quite the personality, possibly more than some people, but that's besides the point. Anyway, as I suspected it would, it took quite a while for my watch to locate satellites. It's as if my watch was deciding whether the Boston satellites are worthy enough to be tracked. Ultimately my watch came around and I was able to start my run. I did a leisurely 3 miles along the Charles River, and I must say it was great to be back along the route!

12 miles!

This weekend was moving weekend - back to Boston. Despite the fact that I was moving back to my same apartment, and I left much of my stuff in Boston, I still knew it was going to be a jam packed weekend. Not only did we have a 4+ hour drive, but between unloading and trips to Costco the day flew by. Recognizing that this was likely going to be the case I decided to do my long run on Friday before all the moving excitement began.

The last time I ran 12 miles was the weekend before my half marathon, and it was a struggle. During that run I ended up walking for a mile or so. I am proud to report that this time around I ran it all (save for the one intersection where I had to wait for the traffic light to change or risk being run over)! It was long and slow, and sweaty, but I covered all 12 miles, which is the goal. If I can finish the marathon with the same perspective - long, slow, and sweaty - I will be more than thrilled.

I am now back in Boston and it seems to be a bit cooler here than it has been in New York so I'm optimistic that I'll get some reprieve from the heat and humidity for these long runs.

A little late...

Forgive me followers, for it has taken me a few extra days to get my post from this weekend up. Here it is, and thanks for your patience!

I finally broke the trend! When my alarm went off Saturday at 7am I got out of bed. And actually made it out the door for my run. This past weekend was a step back week so I only had to do 7 miles for my long run. (I'm gearing up for a 12 miler next weekend). Saturday was also my last long run in NYC, until the marathon anyway. In the spirit of it being my last run I decided some of my route should include the iconic central park. I made my way to the park, and I suspect this will be surprising to no one- I got lost in the park! By some miracle, I not only found my way back to where I needed to be, but I also managed to get the exact number of miles I needed in the park! Getting lost isn't such a big deal. It's more of an issue because it usually translates to extra running, but not on Saturday. Saturday's run also marks the completion of 1/3 of my marathon training. 6 weeks down and another 12 to go.

Lazy Bum

I have been a total slacker this week! Despite my best intentions, I failed to get out of bed even once to get in my morning run. Much like every other week this summer, I set my alarm for 6am, but inevitably when the alarm went off I would opt to go back to sleep for another hour. It has been a constant struggle. And no matter what time I go to bed I just cannot get up in the morning. In spite of this, I did manage to get in most of my workouts this week. Pilates on Monday, a 3 mile run on Tuesday, and a 5 mile run on Wednesday. All in the evening post-work. When I run after work I seem to have much less motivation and energy than I do when I run in the morning. I'm sure it's all mental, but it definitely makes it harder to knock out the miles. I also ended up skipping my 3 mile run on Thursday. To be fair, I had to be at work at 7:30am, which would have required a 5am wake-up. Given my "success" in waking up at 6am all week, that seemed highly unlikely. I also had plans after work so there really was no time. I certainly could have made up the 3 miles today, but instead I opted for a nap. It's clearly been a bit of slow week. I'm going to view this as some much needed rest, and am planning to get up bright and early tomorrow for my 7 miler. I'm hoping this will be a fresh start, and I'll be back to my normal ways in no time.

Slow and steady

Yet another hot and humid day. It's a scorcher out there! Despite this, I was excited for my 10 mile run. Today was the first weekend of NYC Summer Streets. During Summer Streets, Park Ave is closed to traffic from 72nd St. all the way to the Brooklyn Bridge (no Park Ave does not run this whole way, it turns into Lafayette). This is a fantastic opportunity for walkers, runners, bikers, and generally anyone who prefers to be on the street without the threat of being run over by a taxi, to get out and about. I had plans to meet up with a co-worker's wife. After a bit of a snafu (the intersection we were supposed to meet at was literally in 2 places - grand central sits in the middle of Park Ave so in my opinion there's really 2 Park avenues) we found each other. And we were off! We ran together for the first 6 miles, chatting all along the way. We were running at a pretty slow pace, hence the ability to chit chat, but all the discussion made the time fly. After those first 6 miles we parted ways and I was left by myself for the final 4, without even any music to accompany me. These last 4 felt like they took twice as long as the first 6, but I finished all of them! And in this heat! It definitely was a LONG, slow run, but as I've said before, and will likely say many times again, my goal is simply to finish the marathon, so every long run is one step (or mile, really) closer to that goal. (And secretly I like to think that November will be about 30 degrees colder, which should help me speed up a bit!)

Good intentions

On the schedule for today: 5 miles. The thought of running 5 miles on the treadmill was sufficiently unappealing so I had planned to run outside. When I woke up it was a bit gloomy out. Weather.com told me there was severe risk of flooding until 6:45am. Much like everyone else I know, I tend to take the weathermen's predictions with a grain of salt. My meteorological knowledge (aka looking out my window) suggested it was cloudy, but nothing I couldn't handle. My executive decision: suit up and head out. 


Shortly into my run it started raining.  More of a drizzle, if you will. It was actually quite refreshing. At this point I was still thinking, "What do those weathermen know? Rain like this doesn't cause flooding!"


Lo and behold, today is the day the weathermen were right. About 7 blocks from my apartment it starting pouring. I'm talking torrential downpour. There was standing water in my shoes, my clothes were completely saturated and suctioned to me, and at one point I even lost my contact in my eye because it was raining so heavily. Rain like that usually doesn't last very long and fortunately this ended almost as quickly as it started, but as that point it was a lost cause. I had to cut my run short. There was just no way I could eek out another mile in my current saturated state. Every step I took resulted in water squirting out of my shoe. 


In the end I ran about 4 miles. My shoes are now stuffed with paper towels to dry them out (hopefully it only takes 1 night) and my clothes are draped all over the bathroom, probably leaving a puddle on the floor. I'll run an extra mile tomorrow to make up for the 1 I missed today. And if my shoes don't dry maybe I'll get to try my luck at barefoot running. It is all the rage these days...

9 miler

My watch decided to cooperate this morning! It located satellites right away and was ready to go. Sadly, the weather was less cooperative. I woke up at 7:45 and was ready to hit the pavement by 8:05, right as I heard a loud clap of thunder, which was followed by yet another 2 claps of thunder. Since I had 9 miles to cover I was not willing to make the switch to the treadmill, and since I had gotten up so early I refused to postpone until Sunday. One early wake up per weekend is more than sufficient! I waited about 20 minutes and it seemed that the thunder had passed so I decided to make a run for it, literally. On account of the ominous looking skies, and the impending threat of rain I figured it would be best to stay close to home, which meant my route would cover the streets of Bellmore and Wantagh, or for those who aren't from the area- suburbia. As you can imagine, this does not make for the most scenic route. Despite the lack of scenery, the occasional patchy rain (literally it would be raining on one block and not on the next one) and my getting lost (yes, I got lost on some side streets in the town where I grew up and lived for 18 years of my life), I successfully ran all 9 miles. And made it back home. Though, truth be told I did call for a ride when I was 3 blocks from the house. After running 9 miles I just didn't see why I should walk another quarter of a mile!

4-ish miles

Gorgeous morning in Manhattan. I decided to go for my 4 mile run outside. Great decision. I ran up to 60th and then crossed over to the path along the East River.


Unfortunately it seems my GPS watch, which I use to track my time, distance, and pace, did not agree with my decision. See, in order for my watch to record my distance and pace it first needs to locate satellites. And this morning I guess my watch wanted to sleep in. It would hear nothing of my morning run. Without satellites it really is nothing more than a fancy stopwatch. About halfway through my run the satellites and my watch decided to join me. By that time however, I had already decided to run for a specific amount of time, figuring I might end up a little under 4 miles or a little over, but close enough to count as my 4 miles. So this morning I did "4-ish" miles.


If I didn't have to be at work I am certain I would have waited for the satellites. I guess this means I should budget extra time for my long run this weekend?

Commuting to run

I had every intention of going outside for my long run today after work. But, after waiting for the subway, taking the A from 168th and Broadway to 42nd st (with no seats to be had), transferring to the E and taking that to 53rd and Lex, and then walking to the gym on 48th and 2nd, I couldn't stomach yet another "commute" to get my run in. I had planned to change at the gym and start my run from there since the gym is closer to the entrance to the east river, but those extra 10 blocks just seemed downright oppressive. Instead I opted for the treadmill, my standard go to these days.

I was bored, but I completed my 5 miles. Actually, once I got past the first mile or so it wasn't too bad. That said, I definitely will be headed outdoors this weekend!

A bunch of random information

Strange crowd at the gym this morning. First there was the woman who stood facing the wall with her eyes closed running her hands up and down the wall. Then there was the guy who lifted up his shirt to check his abs out in the mirror. And finally there was the guy who was scratching his leg so vigorously his entire body was shaking. Needless to say it made for an interesting morning workout!


This week marks the beginning of my increase in weekday mileage. Yesterday I ran 4 miles instead of the 3 I've been doing over the past few weeks. Over the next 15 weeks, 2 of my 3 weekday runs will gradually increase from 3 miles to 5. The other run will peak at 10 miles. Running 10 miles on a weekday seems a bit daunting, especially when flanked by 5 mile runs and a 20 mile run the following weekend (note: this is the peak of training; after this week my mileage drops precipitously to allow my body to rest before the marathon). This week I ran 10 miles, split over 3 days and I'll admit, I'm tired. Fortunately I've got a day off tomorrow and in fact will be taking off the rest of the weekend. I'm headed to Miami to hang with some friends and will be leaving the sneakers behind. I'm planning to make up my long run on Monday. We'll see how that goes!

Best run yet!

My 7 miler this morning was absolutely fantastic! Not too hot, not too sunny, new hydration belt, vanilla bean GU, and lots of nice people out and about. I exchanged quite a few "good mornings". And at one point during the run I was heading over a relatively narrow bridge. There was a gentleman on his bicycle approaching from the opposite direction. It would have been a tight squeeze if we both tried to go over the bridge at the same time. Not to worry, he stopped and let me pass! Really what more could a girl ask for on a run. It almost makes waking up at 6:30 on a Saturday morning worthwhile. Well, almost...

Still indoors

Yet another 3 miler on the treadmill. Fortunately I've got a 7 mile outdoor run on the schedule for this weekend. And yes I used the word "fortunately". Trust me, it's just as surprising to me as it is to you, but I'm actually looking forward to a long run outside. I spend so much time indoors attending meetings held in windowless rooms. Someone really ought to inform the hospital that rooms without windows are also known as closets. And furthermore are clearly a fire hazard. For an organization that spends so much time educating it's employees on the use of fire extinguishers you'd think they value fire safety. I'd also point out that if there were actually escape routes (aka windows) we might not need so much education on the extinguishers, but I digress...


Stay tuned for an exciting update on the debut of my new hydration belt during this week's long run!

So over the heat!

Unfortunately I didn't make it to Central Park this morning. My alarm went off at 7am and I was not at all ready to get up. I did that thing where I pretend like I'm going to get out of bed - rolled over, checked the weather, but ultimately decided I would rest my eyes for just another minute. Well, next thing I knew it was 8:45 and according to weather.com it felt like 86 degrees outside. And so off to the gym I went, where I successfully completed my 6 miles. Though it is too bad that I wasn't able to run in the park.


It's hard to believe but I am now halfway done with my internship which means I have limited time left in New York. With many of my weekends already spoken for I have only a few options to get in some long runs in the park. Here's to hoping this heat wave breaks so I can knock out a 9 or 10 miler in Central Park in the next couple of weeks.

Accessorizing

We all know I'm a sucker for a good accessory (for proof of this point I invite you to check out my shoe collection). By that logic, why should running be any different? Thus I have begun to explore the wide world of running accessories. This week's spotlight item: the hydration belt.

A hydration belt with 1 water bottle (like the one below) is cool...

My old hydration belt

Back when I wasn't crazy (or more accurately, when I was slightly less crazy) this hydration belt was more than sufficient.

But now that I am fully and completely crazy (is there any other way to describe someone who voluntary commits to running 26.2 miles at once), I am way cooler. So to match my new-found coolness I decided it was time to upgrade. Enter my brand new hydration belt, with 4 bottles!

Proudly displaying my new hydration belt!

Yes, I know you are all jealous.

Should I see any of you out and about while I'm sporting my super cool new accessory I'll be sure to say hello and wave with vigor. I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on an opportunity to be associated with the coolest gal in town!

Halfway There! (for fundraising anyway)

Friends & Family, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! The donations I have received to date have been extremely generous and as a result I am proud to report that I am now more than halfway to my fundraising goal! With just over $1,000 to go, and all of your tremendous support, I am hopeful that I'll be able to reach my $2,500 goal in no time!

If you would like to make a donation, please visit my fundraising page here: Lauren's fundraising page

Thank you again for all your support! And stay tuned for more training updates - 6 miler in Central Park is coming up this weekend.

My Roasty Toasty Run

I've never really considered myself much of a morning person. But in an attempt to beat the heat I woke up bright and early this morning to get in my long run for the week - 6 miles. Beat the heat I did not. By the time I left the house at 7:45am it was already over 80 degrees. Nevertheless, I got in my 6 miles. 


For those of you who live in the New York area the good news is that today is a fantastic beach or pool day. It's hot and sunny and not a cloud in the sky. For those of you crazy enough to wake up early on the weekend and head out for a run, it's a bit roasty toasty out there. Luckily all the other crazy early morning runners are super friendly. I got lots of "good mornings" and waves along the path. 


I drove to the biking/running path this morning since 6 miles feels like long enough to not run around the streets of Wantagh. I always think driving to run seems a little odd and counterproductive, but having a designated path was certainly a plus. And I'll admit the air conditioning in the car was fantastic on the drive home. I didn't love running 3 miles out and 3 miles back along the same route; I much prefer loops, but luckily I have another 4 months of long runs to experiment with!

Thank You!

This past weekend I started reaching out to family and friends to ask for their support as I prepare to run the marathon. I will be running to raise money for Teenok Heart Foundation, an organization that provides support for existing hospital and research programs in the area of pediatric cardiology. This is a personal cause for me. As I mentioned in my first blog post, I had lived with a heart condition my entire life that made it challenging to run. After my surgery in January to correct the problem, all is well, and I am able to conquer one of my dreams - running a marathon!

I want to thank everyone who has already made a donation in support of my running. I would not be able to participate without all of you! Your contributions are very much appreciated!

For others who may be reading my blog, please consider making a donation towards this goal. No amount is too small, and all donations are, of course, tax deductible. To make a contribution, please visit my fundraising page here: Lauren's Donation Page

And of course, I would love to see all of my family and friends along the course on race day!

Lesson Learned

Well, I got in a couple of 3 mile runs this weekend around the neighborhood (aka Wantagh). It felt great to be out and about in the nice weather, especially after a few days of horrendous heat! 


I seem to get these ideas in my head that I need to complete my runs in a certain amount of time. When that happens I look at my watch every 5 seconds, convinced that at least 2 minutes have gone by. Turns out, this does not make for a fun run. Over the weekend I realized that if I just go out for the sake of running, with no other agenda at play (e.g. finishing in a certain amount of time) it's much more enjoyable. And to sweeten the deal, I end up running faster than I otherwise would. Lesson learned!

Central Park

Yesterday was my first run in central park. And as I had hoped and anticipated, it was awesome! There were a ton of routes, and all of them are new and novel to me. This is great news since I find running the same path time and time again gets pretty old pretty quickly. There were also lots of other runners in the park, and lots of running groups all around. I am hoping to find a group I might be able to join for a couple of runs this summer. We shall see.

I also got an email yesterday from the marathon requesting that I select my official transportation to the start. Very exciting! It's slowly starting to become real...

I'm hoping that I can remember the excitement I felt yesterday so I can channel it later when the training really starts to pick up. Right now, and for the next couple weeks, all my runs are between 3 and 6 miles, which means they are about an hour or less and require little preparation. Throw on a pair of running shoes and I can be out the door and off. As the runs get progressively longer, lasting over an hour and getting into double digit miles I will need to exercise a little more foresight. I can't leave without some water or gatorade, beans or goo, and I need to make sure I'm well hydrated and getting a good night's sleep (though probably I should do this regardless of the length of the run!). I also need to wake up early for the long runs- its summertime and I don't want to spend my entire day running, much less during the hottest hours of the day.

But as usual, I am getting way ahead of myself. For now I'm going to enjoy the relatively laid back, low key training and continue to be excited about the marathon!

My Psuedo Long Run

I have a pretty busy weekend coming up so I decided to do my long run today. It was 5.5 miles, hence the title "Psuedo Long Run". I suspect that in a couple months time 5.5 miles will feel like a walk in the park, but for now it's my longest run to date. As seems to be the case these days I did this run on the treadmill despite the gorgeous running weather. I toyed with heading to Central Park, but the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge was today, which basically meant Central Park would be a free for all with thousands of extra people floating around. Or in other words, not my idea of a good time. In hindsight, perhaps this would have been good practice for the marathon. I will be running with 40,000 of my closest friends after all.


Anyhow, the run went off without a hitch. I kept myself entertained with jeopardy, house hunters, and the food network. And before they could ax the first contest on Chopped, I was done.


Unfortunately it seems that not everything turned out as well as my run. After taking off my socks it appeared I was down 1/2 a toenail, and so I blame the running. 

My bum toenail

Truth be told, my toenail loss is probably more related to my shoe selection as of late. I've been wearing lots of heels for the new internship. Regardless, I'm pretty bummed. It's summer sandal season, and I've got lots of open toe options! Luckily, the peep toe shoes I'm planning to wear this weekend only show my first 3 toes so I've got some recovery time.

Loving the gym?

When I was running in Boston I pretty much avoided the gym at all costs. I distinctly remember getting drenched because I had gone running in the rain. I also remember wearing everything I owned in an attempt to stay warm on a day when I ran outdoors in sub-freezing temperatures. Then of course there was the day I did the opposite- wore as little as possible because it was scorching. For whatever reason I don't seem to have the same aversion to the gym while in NYC. This morning I woke up and it was cool and cloudy. Perfect running weather you might argue. Yet I got dressed and happily hit New York Sports Club for a 3 miler on the treadmill.I suspect my new-found love for the gym is due to 2 main things:

1. A lack of proper running routes near my apartment. In Boston I could be along the Charles river in less than 5 minutes, and even had my choice of a few different entry points. The Charles goes on for miles and miles so you've got lots of options. I've yet to figure out a good way to get to the park or along the river from my place in NY. Seems like it's probably about a mile run there, so at this point when I'm only running 3 miles it seems foolish to expend so much energy getting there. Once my runs start getting longer it's probably worth revisiting.
2. The TVs. I currently am living without a tv. I don't really spend much time at my apartment and if I'm really craving some tv I can head to my sister's place or watch something on my computer. But still, there's something almost reassuring about being able to go to the gym and watch some early morning CNN and Today (I am obsessed with Matt Lauer).

Despite my gym-going (or perhaps because of it) all is going according to plan. This weekend will mark my longest run since the race - 5.5 miles. Am hoping for some nice outdoor running weather for that!

3 days in...

And going strong! New York is treating me well and I'm really enjoying being here!

But, I'm not going to lie. For yesterday's run I definitely missed Boston. Since I had to be at work so early I decided to do my 3 miler post-work. Fortunately I don't work late. Unfortunately this means it's rush hour which means running on city streets around the neighborhood is virtually impossible. Thus, I went to the gym. It's been awhile since I've run on a treadmill when it's nice out. Sure, watching tv while running is a perk, but I really don't like breathing all that recycled gym air, especially after sitting at a desk all day! And I completely forgot how crowded places in NY can get, especially during that peak post-work time. When I was finished with my run there was a line for the treadmills. In fact, the dude who was next was practically on the machine before I hit the stop button. Despite his antics, I successfully completed my 3 miler!

And next week I think I'll bring my stuff to work and go for a run in the park!

And so it begins...

Today was a series of firsts- first official marathon training run, first run since the half, first run through the streets of NYC, and first run in the new kicks.


In actuality the marathon training program I'm following is only 18 weeks, but since I'm super type A, I added a couple easy weeks up front so I have a schedule to follow. Today was a quick 30 minute jog. It felt good to be out and about. And since it was only a half hour no need for beans or Gatorade- makes for a much nicer (and lighter) run!


I have a couple more weeks of relatively easy running before I kick it into high gear, but for now going to enjoy these quick runs!

Half Marathon Day!

Well, it certainly wasn’t pretty, but it’s over! And I finished!

Me, Kellie, and Esther post-race

I’m not going to lie – it’s been a rough afternoon. I’m pretty bummed about my final time. I ended up alternating walking and running for much of the latter half of the race, which definitely was not my original plan. And as many of you know, when I set goals for myself and fail to achieve them I am not exactly the most pleasant person. My less than stellar performance was particularly upsetting for a couple of reasons:

- This was my first race post-surgery, and I was expecting it to be my best. I no longer have an excuse for poor performance. My heart rate stays in check (and actually did the entire race!), so in my mind there is no reason I shouldn’t have kicked the race’s @$$.

- I have been diligently training for months, and performed better in training runs than I did today. My 10 mile run was a couple weeks back and I felt amazing during and after, and managed to run the entire thing at my goal pace.

- I am supposed to run a marathon in November. How can I run the marathon if I can’t even finish a half marathon?

But in the spirit of trying new things (like this blog!), maybe it’s worth trying to find the positive in this situation. I did finish a half marathon today, which is not something everyone can say! And I didn’t cross the finish line last (which I actually was concerned about, though it was probably unfounded)!

I’m now back in New York, where I'll be for the summer, and am thinking the change of scenery and new running routes will be a welcome diversion. I'm going to treat myself to a few days off from running- give my body, and my mind, a much needed break. 

And I’ll go from there. I’ve got a marathon training schedule set and ready to go. So I’ll stick to it, and hope that today’s race was just a bump along the way to the full marathon.

·       

12 miler?

Today was my last long run before next week’s half marathon. To say it was hard is probably the understatement of the week, maybe even the month. It was my slowest run yet, and I even had to walk part of it. I’m pretty bummed about it, but hey I covered 12 miles, and 12 miles is 12 miles, and that’s a lot! There were a couple factors working against me, but hopefully I can get them (or at least some of them) ironed out in the next week.

For starters, I seem to have inherited my mother’s tendencies towards sweating. It’s like some sort of “Pavlovian” response. I put on my gym clothes, I step outside, and already I’m dripping in anticipation of the exertion that is about to come.  I’m pretty sure that by the 3^rd mile today I had already sweat through my shirt (thank goodness for Lululemon- if I were wearing a cotton shirt it would weigh an extra 20 lbs and I certainly don’t need to add anything to slow me down!).

We left early this morning – met at 8:15 to begin the 2+ hour ordeal, in hopes of avoiding the heat. No such luck. It’s a gorgeous, sunny day, but sadly gorgeous, sunny days do not make the best running days. I much prefer cloudy and cool, heck even a light mist is nice. Next week’s race starts at 7am and as of now the forecasted high is 71 so hopefully we’ll get a little reprieve (though I realize trusting the weather report is perhaps not one of my smartest moves).

Maybe the biggest lesson I learned today is the importance of hydration and fueling. Given the early start time I rolled out of bed precisely 25 minutes before we were scheduled to leave- enough time to put in contacts, brush my teeth, shove some banana in my mouth, and wash it down with a swig of water. Turns out that while my banana + water routine works for my weekday runs, which are between 3 and 5 miles, it just doesn’t cut it for a 12 miler. I felt pretty burnt out early on, and had no energy to keep pushing forward. My legs felt like they weighed 2 tons each. Fortunately I had some beans on me and shortly after eating them, and drinking some Gatorade, I felt like I had a lot more energy. I was even able to push through and run the last mile. I’ll consider today a lesson learned – wake up early, eat something of substance, and drink some extra water (especially important given the sweating tendencies referenced above). I can’t say I’m excited for a 5:30am pre-race wake up, but if it means finishing the race without walking then I’ll take it!

Despite all the challenges, I made it back home and upon returning to my apartment made a beeline for the refrigerator, from which I promptly removed any sort of cold beverage I could find – water, Gatorade, and chocolate milk (apparently the protein + sugar combination is well suited to help runners recover from long runs)! I will now begin the arduous task of replacing the gallons (yes, gallons) of liquid (and salt) that escaped from me this morning.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that with proper hydration, fueling, and race day adrenaline I’ll be in good shape for next week. (I also have an outlet shopping trip planned on Thursday, and there’s nothing like some retail therapy to help motivate me for Sunday!).

Welcome to Yog On!

Never in a million years did I think I would ever write a blog. Why would I want to spend my free time writing about my random exchange at the dry cleaner, or that annoying person on the T? And who would even want to read such a thing much less? But perhaps my initial thoughts were wrong. Maybe those people who say “never say never” are actually on to something.

Finding a fan base seems to be the easier of the issues to tackle. If all else fails, I know at least my Mom will read the blog, and will print it out and give a copy to my Dad to read while he sits on the couch watching Seinfeld reruns (love you guys!). And while I don’t have any intention of writing about my latest experience at the Pearl Street laundry, I do intend to document my marathon training. Running a marathon is something I have dreamed of doing for as long as I can remember (well maybe not exactly, but more on that later) so it seems like keeping a record of it is a great idea, especially since I have no intention of ever running 26.2 miles again.

This marks my first official blog post, and over the next 6 months I am planning to keep you all up to date on the trials and tribulations of gearing up for my first marathon. I am officially registered for the ING NYC marathon on November 4, 2012. Since I am asking for support from so many of my family members and friends it seems only appropriate to somewhere prove to everyone that I actually am doing this.

As a child I very much preferred reading a book to any sort of physical activity (as anyone who knows me will attest to). Sometime around middle school I decided running was the “in thing” and I wanted to be part of it. I remember being very excited that one day I was able to “run” a mile in 13 minutes.

Once I got to college and my consumption of jungle juice skyrocketed (jungle juice is also known by a variety of names, but in its most basic form is grain alcohol mixed with kool aid and served in a trash can at frat parties, and yes, it is every bit as disgusting as it sounds), I decided perhaps running would be a wise decision. Turns out jungle juice is not exactly ripe with nutritional content. So I registered for my first race – the Blue Cross Broad Street Run, a 10 mile course through Philadelphia – and attempted to ward off the effects of the jungle juice.

Over the years since I’ve run an assortment of races – another go at the Broad Street Run, a half marathon in Boston, a half marathon in Minneapolis, an odd 10k, and maybe a 5k or two. While I enjoyed participating in these races, every race I participated in I deemed my last. For at any time during the race my heart rate could instantaneously spike to 235 – 250 beats per minute, making it challenging to breathe, let alone run. I would get dizzy and feel generally awful. And so while I looked longingly to my marathon running friends, I knew this was just a pipe dream for me. I didn’t want to spend months of my life training, and devote hours to running, only to be disappointed by the results, or worse, unable to finish the race.

I had lived with this problem my whole life and had visited the cardiologist on and off for years, but they could never figure out what was wrong with me so I just carried on. It wasn’t until I got to MIT that everything changed. Every single person that I know hates MIT medical with a passion, but I am eternally grateful to them. After just a single visit they confirmed what I perhaps knew all these years – I am not normal! One look at my EKG and the doctor knew that I had Wolff –Parkinson-White with symptomatic supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Or in people terms, I had an extra electrical pathway in my heart, which sometimes caused my heart to beat too fast, hence the crazy episodes I had while running.

Long story short, I had surgery in January to fix my heart (all done through veins in my legs so there are no visible scars, and the recovery was quick), and now my heartbeat doesn’t get trapped in the never ending loop that caused my 235+ heart rate. By the time I went for a follow up visit in February the doctor deemed me “normal” and even told me he never wanted to see me again. It was the best news I could hope for!

So with a clean bill of health and no more threat of SVT, I set out to conquer one of my pipe dreams – running a marathon. To test out this “new” heart and ease into my training I signed up for a half-marathon in Boston, the same one I ran years ago, but had to walk because of my SVT. The race is next Sunday so stay tuned for an update!