Broad Street Run 10M Race Recap

Lots of fun stuff happened this weekend. Let’s dive right in, shall we?.

Friday night, I went home and headed over to my sister and her boyfriend’s softball game. They are in an adult slow-pitch league, which is full of former athletes and people just looking to have a good time. As a former softball enthusiast myself, I was a bit antsy watching from the sidelines, but they did GREAT and ended up winning. Kelly and Rick are quite the dynamic duo.

How cute is she?

Saturday morning I woke up groggy (this is not unusual), with the BEST surprise ever waiting on the kitchen counter. Papa Wyman picked up bagels from my oh so beloved Bagel Hole. These are the most amazing bagels. Anywhere. I'm not kidding. Drive to Princeton Junction now and try one. Or three.

Yes, that's Mark Harmon's face on a mug.

In the afternoon I went to north Jersey with my parents, where we hit up a rummage sale and got a few “vintage” items (what is the official protocol in calling something vintage? I think this term is used very loosely at rummage sales. Just because something is used does not make it vintage). And as a perfect Saturday afternoon in the Wyman house usually goes, we got a yummy lunch after and ran a few errands. I stocked up on all the TLC I could get.

Jillian invited us to stay at her parents' house the night before the race, so Lauren and I carpooled as she lives a stones’ throw away in Princeton. An amazing dinner was awaiting us, with plenty of carb-loading staples that included pasta & meatballs, garlic bread and lots of cookies. We all went to bed quite full.

Sunday was a typical race morning – a much too early alarm, race day jitters – but it also included a runner’s dream of a breakfast spread, courtesy of Jillian’s family.

Mmm PB and Vita Coco.

In hindsight, we probably should have left a little earlier. 40,000 people + one parking lot = hot mess. We waited about 40 minutes to get off the exit and into the only open parking lot at the finish line, and then had to take the subway up to the start... which took another 20 minutes. The race started at 8:30AM – so it’s a good thing that there were so many dang people, because we were able to hop into a corral that didn’t start the race until 9:00AM. And then we finally began running.

We are awesome.

This was my first race with my brand new GARMIN! (R.I.P. pink timex – you were kind to me). I was so excited to run in a new place, with so many other runners around me. I hit the first two miles at about an 8:15 pace, and then told myself to reel it in. My race day goal was to run at an 8:45 pace, and my stretch goal was an 8:30 pace. I was feeling really strong, so I let the wave of runners sweep me up with them.

Mad peeps.

I hit mile 3 at about an 8:25 pace and tried to keep it up. Though this is pretty uncharacteristic of most races I run, the miles seemed to fly by. Before I knew it, I was at mile 5, and was hitting each mile around an 8:30 pace. And I was feeling great.

I took this while running
Not sure if that kid is judging me,
or just admiring my skillz

There was a fair amount of bobbing and weaving around other runners that I think contributed to the fatigue that hit me around mile 6. I don’t think their corrals were in the least bit scientific, and should have been staggered a bit more. But between my Vanilla-flavored Clif Shot and signs that said “Your Pace or Mine?” along the way, I was able to keep going.

Before I knew it, mile 8 arrived, and my fatigue seemed less intense since I knew I had only two miles to go. More and more spectators lined the sidewalks as we neared the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and I felt my energy level continue to go up. I hit mile 9 at an 8:25 pace, and began to move my legs a bit faster. The end was in site, and I booked it as fast as I could across the finish.

Final Garmin Time: 1:24:05 !

I tried to do the math in my head, and realized that I beat my stretch goal by almost a minute. AWESOME.




Lauren Running Wild - can you please keep blogging?

For all the parking and crowd woes the race had, the swag bag at the end was done well. We were greeted with medals, Gatorade, water, soft pretzels, and a bag full of fruit, granola bars, and other yummy treats.

After the race, and after we finally got out of the parking lot, Lauren and I BBQ hopped around Philly. We stopped by her sister's friend's place first, where I have never been so happy to take a shower and not use a porta potty. Two of my high school friends were also hosting a party at their apartment, and I'm not one to turn down a cold beer after a sweaty run. It was definitely a race worth celebrating.

Lauren and I finally hit the road back to Princeton, feeling like we had lived 3 days in one. Pretty awesome race, with lots of good friends.

Goodbye for now Philly, I'll see you in November!

Unfamiliar Territory

I am a creature of habit. I have oatmeal for breakfast almost every single morning, I never leave anywhere without my iPod, and I always put my right shoe on before my left. So sometimes, I have to remind myself to try new things and shake it up a bit.

This week, I am determined to travel into unfamiliar territory. For the first time ever Monday night, I took a spin class. It might not seem like a big deal, but I assure you it was for me. It’s almost impossible to walk around the city without bumping into people who are talking about spinning (“That instructor always has the worst mixes” or “SoulCycle is so expensive but I freakin’ love it”).

I’ll admit, I was a bit hesitant at first – I had a mental image of some crazy-ripped woman screaming at me to pedal faster. But I showed up, and it ended up being awesome.

I called ahead to New York Sports Club and found out I was #2 on the wait list. Friends had told me that no one ever checks the names on the list, so I made sure to get there a few minutes early to reserve a bike.

A kind-looking instructor (not the Jillian Michaels-lookalike I envisioned) came in five minutes before the start, somewhat amazed that the class was so full. I saw he had the list of attendees in hand, and I started to sweat before I even began pedaling. He addressed the class to see if everyone was definitely on the list, because there were a few people waiting outside hoping to get in. I get really nervous if I think I’m about to get in trouble for something, but I tried to play it cool as I watched the seconds tick by until the clock struck 6 o’clock. It felt like the first day of school.

I'm scared.

He ended up not reading off our names at all, and just took us at our word that we were on the super-official sign-up list. We started with a quick warm-up, biked up some imaginary hills, and did some sprints towards the end. I smiled all the way through the sweaty class, welcoming another positive, new experience into my life. I will most definitely be back.

I also experienced something last night that has been most unfamiliar to me in recent months – a bad run. Throughout marathon training last year, I definitely had my fair share of bad runs. They can come predictably if you’re dehydrated or sore, but more often than not, they come very unexpectedly, even when you feel prepared for the road ahead.

So far throughout nine weeks of half-marathon training, I can’t really pinpoint a bad run I had. Some of them were definitely tiring, but that was mostly self-induced. I have been blessed with a training season that has been full of runs that only make me smile.

Last night, after a long day at work, I was simply dreading my run. I had planned to do about six miles, and was hoping to do them somewhat close to half-marathon goal pace. My legs felt like lead, and I found it really hard to pick up the pace. I finally did go faster around miles five and six, which I suppose is a good thing, but it began to make me think about my upcoming race goals.

NOT what I looked like after my run last night.

This weekend, I have the Broad Street 10 Mile Run. I’m using it as a test drive for the Brooklyn Half-Marathon. I have a safe goal, of maintaining an 8:45 pace, and I have a stretch goal, of maintaining an 8:30 pace. How did I come to these guestimates? I have no idea. Last year for the Brooklyn Half, I ran at about a 9:02 pace. This was with very little training (both mental and physical), no iPod, and poor nutrition. I figure that if I can maintain that kind of pace under bad circumstances, I should be able to do marginally better with the proper preparation. Right? Right?

My general race plan for Broad Street is to run the first half at around an 8:40/8:45 pace and see how I feel. I’ll step on the gas around mile 5 if I’m feeling good, which isn't that scary to me considering I’ve followed essentially the same plan on my long runs over the past two weekends.

I will imitate your fierce, fierce determination.

Secretly, I’ve been hoping to maintain closer to an 8:30 pace, as I have been training really hard and almost all of my runs have been under a 9:00 pace. But during last night’s run, I wasn’t hitting anything below a 9:00 pace for the first few miles and didn’t feel like I could move my legs any faster. I wondered: what if the same thing happened to me during Broad Street?

It was a sobering run that reminded me that no matter what my pace is – I know I’ve been training hard, and I will give it my all. Whatever the outcome is, I will be happy with it. It’s a good reminder that I run to de-stress and have fun (CORNY I KNOW) – not to beat myself up over 10 second time differences.

Tune in next time for the Broad Street Run Recap.

Run as One 4M Race Recap

Let’s start with the important stuff.

I made Keith cupcakes as a study buddy for his law school finals that start this week (I always found that infinite amounts of Chex Mix and Cherry Coke helped get me through finals in college. Sugar helps you concentrate, it’s been proven). After helping Erin make them last week, I was dying to give them a whirl.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Butter

Sugar

Oreos

Oreo crumbs

Cream cheese frosting (also with butter, sugar, and Oreos)

Oreo half to garnish

Let me know if you need any further instruction on this recipe.

I hit the road early this morning for some mileage before the Run as One 4M Race in Central Park (is this starting to sound familiar?). My alarm went off at 6:35AM, and I shuffled around my apartment until the last possible second. I wasn’t excited for this race, since my favorite running buddies weren’t in attendance, and I knew I’d be doing 10ish miles before brunch was even being served in Brooklyn.

So I begrudgingly did the same route I did last week, childishly groaning during the first mile.

Are you tired of me complaining about my self-imposed early morning miles? I am too!

The run ended up being great. I left my iPod off until the race, and I realized I'm becoming more and more familiar with the route's little quirks (the unforgiving smell by Columbus Circle… the bum who hangs out at 60^th and 3^rd Ave with beverages from Au Bon Pain… where was he today??).

Look at all the cute dogs!!

I got to the race at a little under a 9:00 pace, with just enough time to hit the porta potties and get to the start. I tried to take a picture of myself in the corral, albeit unsuccessfully. I’ll spare you the weird angle and the other runners who are creeping in it, and trust that you can create a mental image yourself.

While I was stomping around my apartment this morning, I was not eager to run the same exact course as last weekend’s Run for the Parks. But after my 6-miles runners’ high, I realized I could use it to my advantage. For the first time ever, I made a race plan. I was most tired during the hills in miles 1 and 3 of last week’s race, so I decided to warm-up a bit during mile 1, pick up the pace during the flat course in mile 2, conserve energy in mile 3, and step on the gas in mile 4.

I surprised myself by the amount of energy for the race. I didn’t need the emergency granola bar I packed in my amphipod, and I was mentally ready to take on the course. So I followed my plan:

Mile 1 was the most tiring – I spent most of my time bobbing and weaving, trying to get into a groove and set my sites on people I could try and race past. I picked up the pace at mile 2 as planned, feeling really good. I dialed it back slightly at mile 3, and booked it during the last mile.

Mile 1: 8:07

Mile 2: 7:27

Mile 3: 7:50

Mile 4: 7:17

Total: 30:41

Avg Pace: 7:41

32 second PR!

I came home, showered, and celebrated by making an egg, cheese and bacon sandwich.

I was dreading the race this morning, and I surprised myself by having a really great run. The 6ish miles I did before the race went by crazy fast, and without an audio book or playlist to distract me. I was totally aware of every muscle ache and incline, and I didn’t feel like keeling over at the finish line. In fact, I felt like I could have kept on going.

These all feel like great omens going into the Broad Street Run next weekend. I'll leave my complaints at home, and enjoy every step of the 10 miles of early morning Philadelphia pavement.

5 Races in 5 Weekends and the 3-Borough Run

After what felt like a really long week (no California vacations included), I was excited to lay low last Friday night. I pranced around in my apartment in my new Groove Shorts from lululemon, ordered thai food to “carbo-load” and watched Edward Scissorhands for the first time. So nice to see Johnny Depp in a movie where he isn’t acting like his Keith-Richards-alter-ego. 

I fell asleep nice and early in preparation of my long run Saturday morning, and hit the pavement at a sober 9:15AM. My plan was to run into Manhattan and meet Jillian in Central Park (yay!). I left sleepy Brooklyn, ran at a comfortable pace over the Queensboro Bridge, and found Manhattan to be buzzing with activity. I was feeling pretty good, and was pumped to run around the reservoir for the first time.

Is it Summer Streets yet? No?

Jillian and I met up at Columbus Circle, and caught up on everything from running her first marathon to my awesome SF trip. And we found the elusive reservoir I’ve heard so much about.

After a 5.5 loop, we were on a mission to find a diner to consume all the calories we just burned. Cue EJ’s Luncheonette and their greasy, delicious food.

I ended up clocking in just under ten miles, and despite the fact that my quads were a little fatigued and I ran through three boroughs before noon, I was surprised at how good I felt. It could have also been all of the eggs, home fries, bacon and the bagel with cream cheese I ate at EJ's that made me feel so good.

Like a well-behaved Brooklynite, I spent the rest of the afternoon day drinking. It was warm, and I was thirsty.

Unrelated to my day drinking binge.
I just thought this was cool.

It finally hit me today that I will be running five races over the next five weekends. That is a lot of bib pinning. Check back in 35 days to see if I’m still psyched about this whole 9+1 Program.

I’ll stop whining and list something I AM psyched about relating to my aggressive race schedule  – these AWESOME shirts that Lauren made for the Broad Street Run on May 6^th!

On the subject of races that sell out quickly, this year was the first time I didn’t go to Marathon Monday in Boston. I celebrated in spirit, but secretly wished I was filling up on jungle juice and Coors Light on Beacon Street.

Marathon Monday 2010
My shirt says "Run. Drink. Nap."
College.

Today I did just over seven miles in what is surely the warmest day Brooklyn has seen since last year. I was a little excited to sport my new Groove Shorts, so I complimented them with a bright orange tank… and a bright yellow headband… and a bright green sports bra.

Don't worry, this sweaty photo is post-run.

I went out a bit fast and hit the first mile at 8:40. My average pace was a hair under 9:00 overall, but I can’t tell you what my splits look like because I don’t know. I just know what my pink timex tells me, and it does not access satellites, calculate my heart rate or understand any commands other than start and stop.

I felt like I was going pretty fast, so I was a bit disappointed that my accurate and expensive watch didn’t represent pace closer to HMGP (did I just make up this acronym?). But before I started beating myself up, I tried to reason that I did run over the Williamsburg Bridge that has a b**** of a hill (that I love), and it was really, really humid.

Little did I know that the BEST post-run treat was awaiting me at Keith’s apartment. I dropped in to say a sweaty hello, and he offered me an ice-cold Gatorade, a frozen thin mint, and a loaded pita bread pizza that I just had to pop in the oven when I got home. I love him for so many reasons.