Last night we had a "test run" in Central Park. This is something that Coach Ramon does so that we can see how much we have progressed. Unfortunately for me I wasn't around for the first test run, so I had nothing to compare it with. So I just figured I would run hard and remember my time for next time we do a test run.
The advanced group's test consisted of two two-mile repeats wedged in between a warm-up and cool-down run. The first 2 miles was from East 72nd, up Cat Hill to East 102nd and across to West 102nd. This was tough because it included Cat Hill. I was breathing heavily and trying to not get too hung up on the fact that people were passing me. I just kept thinking of what everyone (mom, dad, teachers, husband) has told me my whole life which is "Don't worry about what everyone else is doing, just concentrate on doing your best." But, as a side note, I think the reason that I push myself to do my best is because I'm concentrating on what everyone else is doing. Ha ha. Anyways, I was happy to see as I was crossing 102nd street that I had caught up to the girl who usually runs just a little bit behind me. I also noticed that The Mentor That Paces Way Too Fast was right by me. So I figured I wasn't THAT far off. When I finished the repeat I was at 17:03 which is roughly an 8:30 pace.
Our recovery (ha!) was Harlem Hill to East 102nd. I had to keep telling myself to slow down because it was a recovery, because I can't help wanting to speed through that hill to get it over with.
The next 2-mile repeat was the same course backwards (West 102nd to East 102nd to East 72nd). The Mentor That Paces Way Too Fast, the girl I run with sometimes and I decided to do the last two miles together. I was a little wary of this since I had a really bad experience with her going out too fast. I think she was trying to make up for it though. She kept giving us running advice and updating us with our pace like every minute via her Nike+ wristband. She was telling us how we could keep pace until Cat Hill and then we needed to sprint in. She was telling us that we all should run together in the Marine Corps and that by our pace tonight (8:30 mile) we could totally do a 3:55 marathon (8:58 mile). Fast pacer was overwhelming me by talking about a lot at once when I was trying to concentrate ("Have your boyfriend cut up oranges for us three at mile 18. Hey guys slow down we're going to die on this pace. You aren't too talkative are you? Guys, slow down, for real!") I also felt like they were flying, so I cut back a little. They flew ahead of me and kept looking back and making sure I was there. I kept telling myself that I knew what I was doing. I needed to take it at a hard pace where I could breath heavily but not too heavily.
They kept being further and further away from me. At Cat Hill though, I was right up with them again. Fast pacer said she was worried about me. I said "Nah. I've got to do my own thing. I have to start out slower and build up."
I think I've been stressing way too much or something, because I found the whole thing very distracting. I mean, it was no fault of the other two girls, who were just trying to help me out and make sure that I had a good run, but I just felt like I needed to do my own thing. For me, trying to improve on my running takes a lot of concentration...especially on speedwork days. I am just not used to people talking the whole time on speed days. Most everyone I ran with in the past is panting too heavily to do so :)
I sprinted in the last 50 feet or so, finishing that one with a 17:17.
I was a little bummed to get 15 seconds off, but all in all I think it was a good run.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Into Brooklyn
Saturday we had a really fun run. I was a little nervous to pick up the mileage again since I haven't really been running all that much. According to my schedule I was supposed to do my 19 miler, but I knew that this probably wasn't a very good idea since I really only ran 3 miles this week and 10 miles last week (btw, both of those were single runs). I decided to shoot for 14-15 but see how I felt along the way.
We started out way downtown in the Winter Gardens (right by the World Trade Center site). We had the option of staying in Manhattan for the entire run, or venturing into Brooklyn. I of course, wanted to venture into Brooklyn. I am always up for a change of scenery AND this would give me some hill work too.
I also decided that if my pace leader was pacing this week I was NOT going to be in her group. Luckily though, she wasn't there. And Ramon was making the coaches pace this week instead of the mentors. This was good because I was really afraid of getting lost in Brooklyn. Manhattan is pretty easy to navigate since it is all on a grid and most of the streets are numbered. But Brooklyn is another story.
What a difference it makes when you're going the right pace! I felt so much better through the entire run. And I truly COULD have added another 4 miles on without much problem (but I stopped anyway. I didn't want to push it too hard).
The run was also a lot of fun. We got to run over the Brooklyn Bridge, which is always great. It was super crowded with people though which was a little frustrating runningwise (I was running in a zigzag a lot of the time to avoid other people). I decided though that you can't get mad at people for wanting to walk/bike/rollerblade/run across the bridge. It is extremely cool and the view is amazing, plus the weather yesterday was great for outdoor activities. Some lady obviously didn't feel the same way. She was out for a leisurely stroll and was talking on her cellphone. I think she was overwhelmed by all of us even though we were being very good and only running one or two across and staying on the right side of the bridge. I was trying to avoid her completely and swerved to the right to do so (just as she swerved to her left) so we met face to face and she threw up her hands and screamed "F*CK!!" in my face, which I thought was a little humorous. I could tell it was her last straw. :)
Anyway, after crossing the bridge we ran through Brooklyn. I had no idea where exactly we were but found it commical how many other people in the group had never been to Brooklyn. We passed the Brooklyn TNT team and our coach yelled "Yeah! Go Brooklyn!" And they hollered back "YEEEEAH!" which made me laugh because it is sort of the stereotypical Brooklyn reaction to something like that (anyone ever see that movie "Newsies"?). Ramon was following the course on his bike because he was super afraid that we were all going to get lost and never find our way back to Manhattan.
We finally got to the Williamsburg bridge and I looked forward. It went STRAIGHT UP. I was like "Oh yeah, this is nice." And the coach said it was good practice for San Francisco (which I am so glad I am not running.) I just tried to enjoy the beautiful view and read all of the graffiti instead of concentrating on the hill.
Crossing Manhattan again through the Lower East Side was NOT pleasant because it smelled like garbage baking in the sun.
But we finally made it to Lafayette to run up Park Avenue for the last time (boo! I hope they do Summer Streets again). I really had time to enjoy it this week since I was on pace instead of flying through the streets tiring myself out. I remembered to stop at the church that everyone was talking about (because they gave out freshly squeezed lemonade...delicious!). By this point though, most of our group had split up. Hardly anyone was running all the way up to 72nd street because most people were not doing 19 miles. I ran all the way up to 63rd with Kelly though and then caught up with some other people from the group to cut across the 72nd Street Transverse.
The rest of the run was on my own since I just decided to head uptown for the last two miles and head home. It was nice to be able to finish right in front of my apartment building.
I had to double check Ramon's mileage count on mapmyrun.com, because I figured there was no way that he could be right (according to my watch). But he was! I did 15 miles in 2:18 which means that I was doing a 9:19 mile the whole way. I was so ecstatic!
I, of course, plugged that into one of those calculators that can predict your marathon times based on your long runs. It says that I can do a 4:14 based on that time. That would be awesome!
So, what did I learn from this? Take it out easy and you will do better than you thought. Yes, every coach I have ever had has told me this, but I am one of those people who has to experience it for myself before I believe it ;)
We started out way downtown in the Winter Gardens (right by the World Trade Center site). We had the option of staying in Manhattan for the entire run, or venturing into Brooklyn. I of course, wanted to venture into Brooklyn. I am always up for a change of scenery AND this would give me some hill work too.
I also decided that if my pace leader was pacing this week I was NOT going to be in her group. Luckily though, she wasn't there. And Ramon was making the coaches pace this week instead of the mentors. This was good because I was really afraid of getting lost in Brooklyn. Manhattan is pretty easy to navigate since it is all on a grid and most of the streets are numbered. But Brooklyn is another story.
What a difference it makes when you're going the right pace! I felt so much better through the entire run. And I truly COULD have added another 4 miles on without much problem (but I stopped anyway. I didn't want to push it too hard).
The run was also a lot of fun. We got to run over the Brooklyn Bridge, which is always great. It was super crowded with people though which was a little frustrating runningwise (I was running in a zigzag a lot of the time to avoid other people). I decided though that you can't get mad at people for wanting to walk/bike/rollerblade/run across the bridge. It is extremely cool and the view is amazing, plus the weather yesterday was great for outdoor activities. Some lady obviously didn't feel the same way. She was out for a leisurely stroll and was talking on her cellphone. I think she was overwhelmed by all of us even though we were being very good and only running one or two across and staying on the right side of the bridge. I was trying to avoid her completely and swerved to the right to do so (just as she swerved to her left) so we met face to face and she threw up her hands and screamed "F*CK!!" in my face, which I thought was a little humorous. I could tell it was her last straw. :)
Anyway, after crossing the bridge we ran through Brooklyn. I had no idea where exactly we were but found it commical how many other people in the group had never been to Brooklyn. We passed the Brooklyn TNT team and our coach yelled "Yeah! Go Brooklyn!" And they hollered back "YEEEEAH!" which made me laugh because it is sort of the stereotypical Brooklyn reaction to something like that (anyone ever see that movie "Newsies"?). Ramon was following the course on his bike because he was super afraid that we were all going to get lost and never find our way back to Manhattan.
We finally got to the Williamsburg bridge and I looked forward. It went STRAIGHT UP. I was like "Oh yeah, this is nice." And the coach said it was good practice for San Francisco (which I am so glad I am not running.) I just tried to enjoy the beautiful view and read all of the graffiti instead of concentrating on the hill.
Crossing Manhattan again through the Lower East Side was NOT pleasant because it smelled like garbage baking in the sun.
But we finally made it to Lafayette to run up Park Avenue for the last time (boo! I hope they do Summer Streets again). I really had time to enjoy it this week since I was on pace instead of flying through the streets tiring myself out. I remembered to stop at the church that everyone was talking about (because they gave out freshly squeezed lemonade...delicious!). By this point though, most of our group had split up. Hardly anyone was running all the way up to 72nd street because most people were not doing 19 miles. I ran all the way up to 63rd with Kelly though and then caught up with some other people from the group to cut across the 72nd Street Transverse.
The rest of the run was on my own since I just decided to head uptown for the last two miles and head home. It was nice to be able to finish right in front of my apartment building.
I had to double check Ramon's mileage count on mapmyrun.com, because I figured there was no way that he could be right (according to my watch). But he was! I did 15 miles in 2:18 which means that I was doing a 9:19 mile the whole way. I was so ecstatic!
I, of course, plugged that into one of those calculators that can predict your marathon times based on your long runs. It says that I can do a 4:14 based on that time. That would be awesome!
So, what did I learn from this? Take it out easy and you will do better than you thought. Yes, every coach I have ever had has told me this, but I am one of those people who has to experience it for myself before I believe it ;)
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Give me a Break
So apparently I am not allowed to run or do anything else for myself...including laundry, taking my dog for a walk, etc. Needless to say that I am having a very hard time with work/life balance and I don't want it to screw up all of the training I've done. For instance, tonight I am taking work home. Again. Even though I am jetlagged (from work). It's going to be another 2am night for me I can tell.
In addition to screwing up my training, not running is just bad for me mentally. Running allows me to decompress, and on a certain level, meditate. I definitely need it.
So, even though I have a TON of work to do I am going to try get a few miles in. I probably only have time for three, but that is better than nothing I suppose.
I am really hoping that the first 7 months of my job here were not just a delusion to make me want to stay here. This past month has been crap. :(
In addition to screwing up my training, not running is just bad for me mentally. Running allows me to decompress, and on a certain level, meditate. I definitely need it.
So, even though I have a TON of work to do I am going to try get a few miles in. I probably only have time for three, but that is better than nothing I suppose.
I am really hoping that the first 7 months of my job here were not just a delusion to make me want to stay here. This past month has been crap. :(
Monday, August 18, 2008
Seasonal Clothing Gripe
OK. I know I complain about this constantly, but NOW I even have more reason; I do NOT have closet or drawer space in my tiny NYC apartment to house three different sizes of clothing. And that's what has happened to me this year. I have vacillated between three sizes of clothing. And it's not like I go up a size in my pants and go up a size in my shirt. It's just like all over the place. I lose pounds. I lose inches in one place but not in another, I gain inches in other places. It makes it very difficult.
I used to give away my clothing when it didn't fit, but now I have decided to keep it because I am constantly in between sizes.
It is all due to running.
And I don't know if I am gaining/losing fat or muscle. This winter I was definitely losing fat. I can tell in my midsection which got a LOT flatter, but overall I didn't really look that different. Now, I THINK I gained some fat back, but I can't tell if I really have or if I've just gotten used to looking at myself in the mirror in my smaller size and am being more judgmental. My smaller jeans still fit but is that because they are stretched out or dirty or am I losing inches again? I still weigh the same that I did this winter when I lost all of my fat weight. BUT when I sit down on the couch my thighs slap together and clap AND my armpits did the same thing only LOUDER when I ran down the only hill on the Lunken bike trail. It makes it very hard to shop for/have clothes that fit and are stylish which is pretty important in my job :(
ARGHHHH! It is maddening.
I could probably figure out if I was losing or gaining by the simple use of a tape measure, but I'm pretty sure I'm gaining, so I'm pretty sure I don't want to know. Anyway, it still wouldn't solve my clothing problem.
I'm just going to eat when I'm hungry. (Which is basically all the time.)
I used to give away my clothing when it didn't fit, but now I have decided to keep it because I am constantly in between sizes.
It is all due to running.
And I don't know if I am gaining/losing fat or muscle. This winter I was definitely losing fat. I can tell in my midsection which got a LOT flatter, but overall I didn't really look that different. Now, I THINK I gained some fat back, but I can't tell if I really have or if I've just gotten used to looking at myself in the mirror in my smaller size and am being more judgmental. My smaller jeans still fit but is that because they are stretched out or dirty or am I losing inches again? I still weigh the same that I did this winter when I lost all of my fat weight. BUT when I sit down on the couch my thighs slap together and clap AND my armpits did the same thing only LOUDER when I ran down the only hill on the Lunken bike trail. It makes it very hard to shop for/have clothes that fit and are stylish which is pretty important in my job :(
ARGHHHH! It is maddening.
I could probably figure out if I was losing or gaining by the simple use of a tape measure, but I'm pretty sure I'm gaining, so I'm pretty sure I don't want to know. Anyway, it still wouldn't solve my clothing problem.
I'm just going to eat when I'm hungry. (Which is basically all the time.)
Saturday, August 16, 2008
I'm Back
Today was my first run (to completion) in two weeks. Long stories but basically work has been hell and I haven't had time to do anything (even sleep) plus my knee still had that tweaky sort of pain.
Today's weather was great for a run. I even thought it was kind of cool out when I stepped out of the apartment. We met at Riverside which is NOT my favorite place to run. Those runs are so boring because you end up going down the West Side Highway. The bikers are mean, the scenery stinks, half of the water fountains don't work and the sun is constantly beating down on you. So I was very very happy when I found out that we were going to take advantage of Summer Streets...Michael Bloomberg's idea to close down Park Avenue for 7 miles on Saturday mornings to traffic so that New Yorkers can enjoy the open street.
So while we started out on the West End Highway we got to cross over to run on traffic-free Park Avenue. Fun!!!
I was feeling pretty excited for my run too since I've been absent for 2 weeks. It was also a down week so I didn't have to be afraid that I was pushing myself too hard. The advanced group was only doing 10 miles. This consisted of running from Riverside at 72nd along the path down to W Houston, crossing over to Lafayette, running up to 72nd and crossing back through Central Park.
I decided to run with the 9:30 pace group but sort of hang back towards the end and do a 9:40 or so. We took off and I was feeling a little tired, but I figured that it was because I had been off for awhile. After the first mile I settled into the pace and felt good. I was running with Kelly though and she kept saying "We're going too fast." Neither of us could tell though, because we didn't know what mile we were on. She had her GPS with her and it said we were doing an 8:40, but she thought it might not be accurate because it doesn't always work in the shade. I told her I would check my watch at 23rd street which was supposed to be the turnaround for people running 6 today (so it was 3 miles). When we got there I looked and my watch and saw it was 23:00. Now, I am pretty awful at calculating splits, but I knew that this meant we were under an 8:00 pace...which I think is just WRONG because the mentor was supposed to be keeping us at 9:30. So we caught up to them and told her and she was like "Oh yeah, I know we're going a little fast." She didn't seem too concerned. (BTW, we were doing a 7:40). At this pace Kelly and I knew we would be wiped out by 10 miles. I also thought that this was bad because a lot of these runners are beginners and don't quite know how they should be pacing, what feels wrong, etc.
When we got to the crossover we had passed the 9:00 pace group (who left a few minutes before us). Their mentor was like "Uh, you guys are going fast, because we're going fast (8:50) and you shouldn't have passed us." Our mentor was like "Oh yeah, we know."
WHAT?!
So we did our best to stay way behind her. She did slow down, but we were wiped out by the time she was doing the real pace. I couldn't even enjoy Park Avenue being closed down because I was just ready to drop. In fact, when we got to 60th street I said goodbye to Kelly, telling her that I had to walk. I just didn't want my knee to flair up or anything. It was feeling okay at this point but I was just feeling like I could curl up on the sidewalk and take a nap.
The advanced coach passed me and asked me how I was doing and I told him what happened. I continued running from 68th street to the end. When I ran into the beginner's coach I told her what happened too. I really don't mean to be an a-hole or get anyone in trouble, but I feel like that really screwed up my run...and I've trained for 3 marathons! I can only imagine how the beginners felt. She said that this has happened twice before (with that mentor being off pace) but never as much as she was at the beginning of our run. So she's going to talk to her.
I walked home and took a looooooong nap.
Tonight I am meeting the team to watch the Cyclones game (minor league baseball) which should be fun, and eat a hotdog and drink a well-deserved beer!
Today's weather was great for a run. I even thought it was kind of cool out when I stepped out of the apartment. We met at Riverside which is NOT my favorite place to run. Those runs are so boring because you end up going down the West Side Highway. The bikers are mean, the scenery stinks, half of the water fountains don't work and the sun is constantly beating down on you. So I was very very happy when I found out that we were going to take advantage of Summer Streets...Michael Bloomberg's idea to close down Park Avenue for 7 miles on Saturday mornings to traffic so that New Yorkers can enjoy the open street.
So while we started out on the West End Highway we got to cross over to run on traffic-free Park Avenue. Fun!!!
I was feeling pretty excited for my run too since I've been absent for 2 weeks. It was also a down week so I didn't have to be afraid that I was pushing myself too hard. The advanced group was only doing 10 miles. This consisted of running from Riverside at 72nd along the path down to W Houston, crossing over to Lafayette, running up to 72nd and crossing back through Central Park.
I decided to run with the 9:30 pace group but sort of hang back towards the end and do a 9:40 or so. We took off and I was feeling a little tired, but I figured that it was because I had been off for awhile. After the first mile I settled into the pace and felt good. I was running with Kelly though and she kept saying "We're going too fast." Neither of us could tell though, because we didn't know what mile we were on. She had her GPS with her and it said we were doing an 8:40, but she thought it might not be accurate because it doesn't always work in the shade. I told her I would check my watch at 23rd street which was supposed to be the turnaround for people running 6 today (so it was 3 miles). When we got there I looked and my watch and saw it was 23:00. Now, I am pretty awful at calculating splits, but I knew that this meant we were under an 8:00 pace...which I think is just WRONG because the mentor was supposed to be keeping us at 9:30. So we caught up to them and told her and she was like "Oh yeah, I know we're going a little fast." She didn't seem too concerned. (BTW, we were doing a 7:40). At this pace Kelly and I knew we would be wiped out by 10 miles. I also thought that this was bad because a lot of these runners are beginners and don't quite know how they should be pacing, what feels wrong, etc.
When we got to the crossover we had passed the 9:00 pace group (who left a few minutes before us). Their mentor was like "Uh, you guys are going fast, because we're going fast (8:50) and you shouldn't have passed us." Our mentor was like "Oh yeah, we know."
WHAT?!
So we did our best to stay way behind her. She did slow down, but we were wiped out by the time she was doing the real pace. I couldn't even enjoy Park Avenue being closed down because I was just ready to drop. In fact, when we got to 60th street I said goodbye to Kelly, telling her that I had to walk. I just didn't want my knee to flair up or anything. It was feeling okay at this point but I was just feeling like I could curl up on the sidewalk and take a nap.
The advanced coach passed me and asked me how I was doing and I told him what happened. I continued running from 68th street to the end. When I ran into the beginner's coach I told her what happened too. I really don't mean to be an a-hole or get anyone in trouble, but I feel like that really screwed up my run...and I've trained for 3 marathons! I can only imagine how the beginners felt. She said that this has happened twice before (with that mentor being off pace) but never as much as she was at the beginning of our run. So she's going to talk to her.
I walked home and took a looooooong nap.
Tonight I am meeting the team to watch the Cyclones game (minor league baseball) which should be fun, and eat a hotdog and drink a well-deserved beer!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
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