Priorities + Week 7 Marathon Training

One thing I've learned from going through the marathon training cycle a few times is you have to have conviction in your priorities.

I suppose this is true in life as well, but when you have fewer hours of free time during the week because of training, it becomes even more obvious. I try not to become a complete hermit when I train, because I enjoy being social and doing fun things outside of running. But when I commit to something, I am super committed. I am taking marathon training seriously, especially because as the weeks go on, I am finding it to be one the more successful training cycles I’ve had. So what does this mean? I have to let some things go. But there are things I've learned along the way that are both good and bad. Do you want to hear about them? Okay then.

The Positives

I’ve trained my body to wake up before work and run, specifically for the purpose of being able to meet up with friends in the evening, or just lay on my couch and catch up on Project Runway. This has proved helpful so far, and I find on the days when I train in the morning I have a TON of energy the rest of the day. I make both my runs and my evening plans a priority, and everybody wins.

A photo of a happy, well-balanced runner.

Last year when I was training for the Philly marathon, I had a hard time balancing everything. I was burnt out from running all year, and my original training plan was pretty aggressive. Between running and work, I was stress city. Even when I was training for the tri in the spring, fitting in workouts 6 days a week was no easy task. I pushed a lot to the side, and focused on my training. Too much of one thing made me super stressed. But this time around? I feel great. It is the first time since last November that I’ve been able to devote all of my active time to my love for running, and I couldn’t be happier. I really try to use my time when I run to sort out my worries and let go of negative emotions, instead of letting it bring any added stress into my life (MOM ARE YOU READING THIS).

The Negatives (wah-wahh)

The reality of marathon training is that you will not be able to do everything. You can’t get drunk Friday night AND nail that 18 miler on Saturday morning. At least I can’t. It’s either a Harry Potter DVD and the 18 miler, OR getting drunk Friday and laying in bed Saturday morning while chugging Gatorade. During marathon season, I choose the former because that’s what I’m committed to. I’m very lucky to have a boyfriend and a family who support my training, because I know that my long training runs can be selfish.

While I know that my long runs can cut into weekend time, I try to adjust my schedule so training doesn't take over my life. For example: I’m going away to Keith’s house this weekend, where his mom, Keith and I are going to the Brimfield Antiques Market to scavenge for cool old knick knacks. I know we usually leave EARLY on Saturday morning to get good parking, so I chose to do my long training run last night so I didn’t have to worry about it over the weekend. Running 2 ½ hours on a Thursday night is not exactly my idea of fun, but now I don’t have to stress about when I’m going to fit it in over the weekend. Sacrifices, people.

Anywho! Let’s get down to how last week’s training went.

Monday : 6M, 3M @ Marathon Pace (kind of)

Tuesday: 5M easy

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Rest (and drive up to Portland for Labor Day!)

Friday: 13 Miles in Portland

AWESOME run. Well, awesome first half, when Keith joined me. Keith and I got to the apartment we were staying at around lunch, and strapped on our sneakers to enjoy the fresh air. Keith’s plan was to join me for the first half, and I would do the last 6 ½ on my own. We had a bit of fun.

Show-off.

Kind of showing-off.

 

VERY PLEASED.

The first half I felt really strong, despite the heat and humidity. I also didn’t fuel properly before the run. I had an egg sandwich at about 10, and half of a banana right before the run. So by the time I turned around for the second half of my run, I was HUNGRY. My clif shots and blocks weren’t doing the trick. The last few miles I could feel how drained and dehydrated I was. Plus, being by myself was not fun. I was ready for a weekend of drinking and playing.

I turned on my iPod, and kicked it into high gear for the last two miles. A little Miley Cyrus got me to do my last mile at 9:19, which I was really happy with. Then it was beer time.

Fall beer is LITERALLY my favorite thing.

And beach time.

And casual biking time.

Sunday: 4.25 Miles

Keith and I did another run on Sunday, and I was not really up for it. After a weekend of beer and fried food, I just wanted to nap. But we plotted our route so that we would end at a bar on the water. As I said before, it’s all about priorities.

Total Miles: 28.25

Here's to another week of being balanced and stress-free. And drinking all the fall beer I can get my hands on.

Week 6 Marathon Training – and Where the Heck I Have Been

I'm here!

I’ve spent the last few weeks enjoying the beautiful August weather we’ve been having. The sun has been out and I haven't been to work on a Friday in weeks. Work has also been crazy busy, so play time + work time = no blog time. I’m back! I hope.

The last few weeks have been REALLY great. I feel like I spent part of the spring and the hot days in July focusing on the negative. But with beautiful 70/80 degree weather and lots of little trips planned, I think I'm back to focusing on the positive.

Do you want a recap in photos? Those are my favorite.

Summer Streets! One of my favorite running weekends of the year. I had a great 9 Mile run down Park Avenue.

Another long run spent over the Williamsburg Bridge. It was hot and sweaty, but I was finally able to run up the Williamsburg Bridge without feeling like I was going to collapse. Gettin’ that hill stamina.

After Keith took the bar (!!!) we spent plenty of time celebrating him being able to bar hop again.

With busy weekends, busy work days, and training, I've been been seriously neglecting my kitchen. But Keith did manage to teach me how to make an awesome kale dish. Just oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice in a pan. So good.

I went to Cape Cod to visit my good friend from college, Jaime. I managed to get plenty of time in at the beach, plus drink PLENTY with my amazing gal pal.

I also had my 25^th birthday (EEEEP) at a german beer hall in Williamsburg. General debauchery ensued.

There was sister time (!!!)  plus a creeper.

(Keith's bro)

Arm wrestling time.

Bossy time.

All in all, a pretty good August. I also got a fair amount of running in. Which brings me to…

Week 6 Marathon Training!

Monday: 5 Miles (Easy)

Nothing to write home about – 5 easy miles after work.

Tuesday: 5 Miles – w/ 3 @ Marathon Pace

This is typically my “speedwork” day. It's definitely not true speedwork, but I try to pick up the pace after a warm-up mile. Sometimes I go faster than marathon pace, sometimes slower. It depends. I’m not really worried about it.

Wednesday: Rest (I got my hair did)

Thursday: 4 Miles (Easy)

I was SO TIRED this day. It took literally everything in my being to get out of bed. But I knew I had to because it was my birthday weekend, and I knew I wouldn’t want to exercise at all. So I cut it a mile short.

Friday: 12 Miles – Long Run

This was an interesting run. I was at home, which thankfully always makes for better runs since I’m looking at something other than concrete and trash. Keith did the first 4 miles with me, my dad biked a few miles with me, and then I was on my own. When Keith and I started out, we realized how freaking humid it was. By the time my dad was biking with me, my legs felt like lead and I was really hot. Then by the time I was on my own, I actually felt great. My pace REALLY slowed when I was with my dad, but I was able to pick it up and finish strong.

I ran by my elementary school I went to in Kindergarten/1^st grade. It is so TINY. It smelled the same too – like PB&Js and band-aids. I remembered when my kindergarten teacher completely disheveled our classroom on St. Patty's Day and blamed it on leprechauns. I remember sitting under a tree during recess drinking capri sun and eating doritos. Running past it put me in a really good mood.

I did lots of little loops around my neighborhood, passing no fewer than 4 cornfields. By the end of the run, my body was tired, but I felt like I could have kept on going.

This is in Jersey, I swear.

Overall, I feel really good about marathon training. My long runs have been going well, which is key. I haven’t been pushing the pace at all, but I do try to pick up speed in the last few miles to get my legs used to going fast when they’re tired. My runs during the week have been okay, but I’m finding it more and more challenging to fit them in the morning before work. I thought I could hold off becoming hermit Kate for awhile, but once weekday runs become 7-8 miles long, I may have to crawl into my shell during the week.

Short n sweet recap, but I felt like I needed to check-in. I’m heading up to Portland, ME this weekend with Keith for a beer fest, seafood, and the beach. More updates soon…

Until then, happy running!

Week 2 - NYC Marathon Training

Living in NYC, you see a lot of crazy. I’m hyper-sensitive to other people in the summertime, because the subways and streets seem even more crowded than usual. I’ve observed a few things recently that annoy me and I would like to get them off my chest.

Several times recently, I’ve seen people get on an elevator, walk to the back of it, and then just as the door is about to close say, “Can you press 4?” Even if you’re distracted, what is the first thing you do when you walk into an elevator? Do you not to immediately press the button of what floor you’re going to? Are these people just lazy? You should be in control of your own schedule. I am not going to be at your disposal in every other transportation mode you take throughout the day. Riding an elevator should be the easiest part of your day.

Also, I find it really annoying when people ask me the address for a place. JUST. GOOGLE. IT. I don’t understand. Not only will you have a better sense of where the address is if you look it up, but it will also avoid all follow-up questions that are likely to ensue (What is it on the corner of? How do I get there?). Maybe people just really trust my judgment, or they are old school and don’t automatically go to Google for their everyday questions. Either way, trust me when I say that asking for the address of a place is a waste of both of our times. (Please note that this anger brews almost entirely at work. Mom and Dad, still feel free to ask me for an address anytime you like. You are both the exception to this rule because you are very sweet and nice).

LOOK AT ALL THIS INFO GOOGLE GIVES YOU.

Sorry to unload all that on you first thing. It’s just that the NYC summer heat can cause irrational behavior that I am very sensitive to. And I am perhaps a victim of.

On a high note, Week 2 was a good week!

Monday: 3 Miles

I did a slow, easy run after work. My joints have been a little achey, I think from going to running 4 days a week. My body is still adjusting to marathon training, so I’m taking it nice and easy.

Tuesday: 2 Miles

I was supposed to do 4, but cut it short because my muscles were still achey. I took the less is more approach because it is so early in training, and figured I would make up the miles later in the week.

Wednesday: Rest

I watched a lot of Orange is the new Black and knitted.

Thursday: 3 Miles

I did these miles in the gym – I started off with 10 minutes of the stair stepper to warm up, and then switched to the treadmill. It was great to get a true warm-up in, because my muscles were ready to go by the time I got on the treadmill.

Friday: Rest

I went home for the weekend, and got some shopping and TLC in on Friday. Can I just express my immense love for malls in the suburbs? I do a lot of my shopping online now, because I just can’t stand the lines and crowds at stores in the city. But I went to the mall by my house and I had so much room to peruse! No lines for the waiting room, no one bumping into me in the sales section. It was just me and my credit card.

Needed approval from my sister that this was cute.

My mall got fancy with an Apple store while I've been in NYC.
And I only see two people. So nice.

Which is real?

Saturday: 7 Miles

I was out the door early for 7 miles on my favorite path at home. It was so peaceful, and I smiled the entire way. My dad joined me with his bike for the last half, which always makes the run go by in a flash.

My happy place.

This is my absolute favorite place to run. I used to play soccer here as a kid, and I usually climb and jump over the fence, and run diagonally across the field. It almost takes me back to soccer and Capri Suns.

I went to the beach after the run, which I had been looking forward to all summer. I got some freckles, read my book, and got a healthy dosage of jersey shore trash crazies.

Sunday: 2 Miles

I made up those miles! I told you I would. Slow and steady.

I got back to Brooklyn mid-day, went for my quick run, got some groceries, and then went gang-busters in my apartment. I have a few storage bins that I keep random “essentials” in (Christmas decorations, my Spanglish DVD). I’ve been meaning to go through them, as well as re-arrange my bookshelf. There were far too many books on my shelf, but I think “cool” bookshelves are supposed to have a mix of books you haven’t read and cool trinkets.

It was a success! I went through all my books and made some tough decisions. I put aside a bunch to donate, kept the ones I want to read on my bookshelf, and placed the rest back in a bin (I just can’t part with all of the books I read in college. They make me feel scholarly). I cleaned and re-arranged my bookshelf, my crowning jewel in my apartment.

Do you see all my trinkets?

All in all, a pretty perfect weekend. My legs were definitely sore Sunday afternoon, but I’ve rarely done 5 days of running in one week during training. I’m continuing to take my own advice of taking my increasing my mileage and pace slowly, and I'm really looking forward to each run. 

Puerto Rico Livin'

I was gone kids!

Keith and I vacationed for four days in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. We took the trip to get away from the cold and snow, and have sunny complexions to show for it (Keith has a tan, I have freckles).

We spent our days eating, drinking, tanning and laughing. I was surprised at how amazing the food was, and we munched on everything from fresh seafood to mofongo (the signature dish on every menu, made with fried plantains, your choice of meat or seafood, served in a broth. Amazing).

Fried plantains stuffed with beef. Yep.

I got iced by Keith. I wasn't really upset by it. It was quite refreshing.

There were a ton of highlights, and a few lowlights - The biggest issue was showing up to the hotel, and the front desk did not have our reservation. Shifty Expedia was to blame, but after a 2-hour debacle, we were upgraded to an OCEAN VIEW ROOM.

Sunrise.

Sunset.

One of the biggest highlights was the fact that our resort had a private island a short ferry ride away. And that island also had a little island off it. So we kayaked out there two days in a row because it was so darn cool.

Keith and I attempted to work out the second day we were there in the resort’s “fitness center.” Unfortunately the stationary bikes were pretty old, only one elliptical worked, and there was only one flimsy mat that was so thin I might as well have been laying on the hard, concrete floor. There were also a father-son duo using 75% of the dumbbells and attempting to have a cross-fit session, so it was difficult to get hold of any of the equipment. We were in and out pretty quick.

Unrelated photobomb.

It was amazing to get away, and my skin was SO HAPPY to get some serious sun. It took every fiber of my being to go to work on Monday.

SO RELAXED AND TAN.

In other news, the official kick-off for the NYC Tri through Team-in-Training (TNT) is today! I am so pumped to get started, meet my coaches and teammates, and figure out what the heck I got myself into. Tonight is the kick-off meeting with lots of information and some swag, and our first official training session is on Saturday.

The first session is a run, which I’ve been told will only be about 30 minutes long. I haven’t run in almost a month. It’s taken a lot of self-discipline not to hop on the treadmill at the gym, which other runners seem to be really enjoying themselves on. But I wanted to take as much time off to make sure I was injury-free for training. Saturday will be the first day back, and I can hardly wait!

I also am officially leaving NYSC and joining New York Health and Racquet. This might not sound like a depressing item, but I’ve become really comfortable with my gyms. I like my man-boy spinning instructor on Monday nights, my European techno-loving spinning instructor named Yarl on Tuesday nights, and their locations are so freaking convenient. But alas, NYSC does not have this:

I did a one-week trial of NYHR, and I really liked it. It seems like more of a community, and a lot of people seem to know each other. They’re a bit smaller, so finding an area to do strength training can get a bit cozy. But the pools and facilities are really nice, so it will have to do for now.

I also plan to do the majority of my training outdoors once it gets warm out, since that seems to have worked well for me in running in the past. It’s been 3 ½ months since I’ve been on any kind of training schedule, so I was literally GIDDY when I opened up an email from my coach earlier to find March’s training plan:

I don’t really know what most of it means yet, but I’m SUPER PUMPED. And scared. But mostly pumped.

My Second Home

I moved to New York City two years ago this week. I was wide-eyed from the tall buildings, abundance of outdoor bars and restaurants, and the hipsters who seemed to fill said bars and restaurants every hour of the day. I was looking forward to starting my life as a big girl, all grown-up, in the city that never sleeps.

But before I moved to the big city, where some of the glitter has rubbed off and reality has set in, I lived in the wonderful city of Boston.

The finish line of the Boston Marathon!

I suppose the grass is always greener – but when Keith and I visited some friends in Beantown this past weekend, I suddenly forgot the reasons why I left such an amazing place.

It’s so clean! It’s so quaint! The north shore is so close! LOOK AT ALL OF THE RUNNERS!

Boston Marathon 2011!
I think that is Ryan Hall, but don't take my word for it.

We got in late Friday night, and had a couple drinks with our good friends, Anna and Steve. We plotted out our Saturday activities, which ended up being a perfect day.

First stop, the beach.

We drove up to Ipswich, and took our towels and sunscreen to Crane Beach. It was a bit overcast, but it was kind of nice not to sweat profusely as I usually do at the beach. Also, we did cartwheels and handstands on the sand bar.

Next stop, Russel Orchards.

Anna and Steve took us to this cute little orchard/farm just a few minutes away from the beach. There were lots of animals and farm-like smells to keep us entertained, and we picked lots of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries.

Blueberries! So yums.

When we got back from the beach, Anna and I went for a 5ish-mile run (obviously).

SO excited.

After having eaten lots of berries, some cider donuts, and basically drinking no water all day, our stomachs were a little rumbly. But we let our runners high take us through a run in beautiful Brookline. Anna is also an avid runner, and is one of the first people who encouraged me to run a marathon. The miles flew by as we talked about everything from running form to upcoming races. <3

Forgot the Garmin! Quickly downloaded the MapMyRun app which worked just as well.

While I adore my little nook in Brooklyn, it was refreshing to go back to a city that I truly love. As Keith and I were heading out, we passed the Charles River, and I pictured myself going for an evening run on the esplanade. I still have plenty of things I want to do and experience while I’m in New York, but I think my heart (and my running sneakers) want me to come back to Boston someday.