The New York City Triathlon Race Recap

There really was no better way for me to celebrate my 3^rd anniversary of living in New York City.

But before the happy end of the race came, I was a ball of nerves.

I’ve never had more mixed feelings about a race before. I was feeling the normal, equal balance of nervous and excitement. But I was also wondering, am I really ready for this? There was a part of me that had serious concerns about my ability to finish. Would I get a flat tire on the bike? Could I handle the Central Park hills? Would I look really awesome, or close to death in my race photos? (all questions will be answered in-depth later)

Meggie and I went to the Tri expo Friday afternoon and picked up some goodies before our final Team in Training dinner. We had a casual photoshoot as well.

We made our way to the dinner, only to find the entrance lined with a red carpet. As we walked in, our mentors were waiting for us, cheering us on with insane enthusiasm. I felt like a total rock star.

Cheering mentors!

The dinner was bittersweet. It was amazing to see the entire NYC chapter of TNT together, and hearing how much money we raised for LLS (over $1 million!!!!). We heard really sweet speeches from our head coach, and one TNT participant who is a Stage 4 Lymphoma survivor. It was a really great way to bring my TNT experience to a close, and got me super psyched for race day.

Megs and me carbo-loading.

My awesome mentor, Andy!

I woke up early Saturday morning to put together my race day necessities. I felt like a crazy person checking and re-checking all my stuff. Between three sports, there is a lot of random ish to remember.

I met Meggie for our long trek to the west side to drop off our bikes at transition. We were “those people” you hate on the subway because we clogged up all entry ways with our bikes AND got our bikes tangled up in each other so you REALLY couldn’t get off.

After a sweaty subway ride, we made it to transition. Huzzah!

My transition spot, with inspirational quote/pick-up line.

We took a quick tour of the transition area, and figured out where we would be entering and exiting for the swim, bike and run. After walking around most of the afternoon, we finally took our coaches’ advice and went to dinner and a movie to stay off our feet. We also lucked out and stayed at Meggie’s boyfriend’s Aunt’s house (are you still with me? ) on the Upper West Side. It was a real treat not to have to go all the way back to Brooklyn after our long afternoon. We body marked, painted nails, and settled in for the night by watching Sex and the City. We agreed that Samantha is much more outrageous and sexual in the movie than in the show.

At 3:30AM IN THE MORNING, we woke up for the big day.

Really beautiful shot of us.

We laid out our items at transition, and walked to the swim start. It was very cool watching the sun rise over the Hudson, when most of the city was just about to go to sleep. It was one of those rare New York moments.

I got to my corral with Meggie, and the race officially started. While the logistics of bike drop-off and walking to the swim were a hassle, it was exciting to watch everyone jump in and start their race. Here I am AMPED AND NERVOUS. (also, don't mind the next several shots that say "proof" across them. Stolen from marathon foto).

Nerd.

As we got closer to the dock, my hands began to shake. Meggie and I finally stepped up to the starting line, hand in hand, and jumped in to start our race.

All of the nervousness I felt that morning disappeared as soon as I got in the water. It felt really refreshing, and I kept reminding myself to enjoy every moment. Every time I turned my head to breathe, I saw the sun shining on the water. I was having a total blast.

SIDE NOTE: To answer your burning question – the Hudson was not gross (I KNOW! I was just as delightfully surprised by this fact as you). In fact, the first ¾ of the swim the current was pretty quick, and the water felt great. But as we got closer to the boat basin, where the swim exit was, the only thing I noticed was the smell of gasoline. A lot of boats + slow current = gasoline smell. Kinda gross but perhaps understandable.

By the time I neared the finish, my arms started to tire a bit. The current slowed, and each stroke took more effort. I started counting down the strokes to the finish, which helped. Then it was time to get out!

Swim time: 22:27

Best shot of the day?

I was prepared for the fact that the distance between the swim exit and transition was about a half mile run. I slowly jogged to my bike, and started the leg of the race I was most nervous about (Cue my serious, irrational fear that I was going to get a flat tire).

Transition 1 Time: 7:49

Once I got on my bike, I decided to just enjoy myself. I started out slow, and then picked it up to a sustainable effort. I caught up to Meggie, and by the best coincidence, we passed a set of photographers. 

BEST FRIENDS DO TRIS TOGETHER.

The bike was my favorite part of the race. I had an ongoing passing game with a 70-year-old woman, tried with all my might to stay well-hydrated yet NOT drop my water bottles, and smiled the entire time (there is a hilarious set of photos of me trying to put my water bottle back in its cage. Is this also hard for other people? Please tell me I am not alone. Or maybe I am. Whatever).

COOL SHOT.

The toughest part was figuring out what “race pace” was. I pushed it pretty hard on the hills, and then took it a bit easier during the last quarter of the course. I wanted to make sure I had some fuel left in me for the run.

By the time we got to the last turnaround, I didn’t want the bike to end. I can honestly say I never felt that way during training. I was always ready to be done. But this was a really cool course, with lots of racers around you to keep you going fast.

Bike time: 1:34:52

I dropped my bike in transition, threw on my running hat, and headed out for the last part of my first official triathlon.

Transition 2 Time: 1:34

The beginning of the run course is on 72^nd street, lined with energetic spectators. I felt like I was going really slow, but hearing everyone yell “Go Team In Training!” made me pick it up a bit. Not to mention, I saw Keith, which always perks me up!

I turned to go into the Park, preparing for the beastly hills. My legs felt really, really heavy. I noticed before the start that my quads felt sore, I think from all the walking the day before. And I had to pee. I was off to a good start.

I reminded myself that this was my strongest part of the race. I’ve pushed through worse, and I should enjoy this as much as possible. When we got to the first hill, I noticed other people starting to walk. I decided that was not going to be me, and it fueled me to go faster.

NOT smiling because I am running up a hill.

Despite the heat and humidity, and my lead-filled legs, I felt really energized by the spectators. So many people had a connection with my purple TNT shirt, and their words of encouragement kept me going. The TNT coaches were lined throughout the park, yelling words of advice. Two coaches even ran with me, saying how strong I looked and that I was almost done. I’ve never felt such support during a race, and it made all the difference in the world.

I started my garmin later than where the run technically started, so while I had my mile times, I was mostly running on feel. I knew I was pushing myself because my mile times were faster than how incredibly fatigued I felt. I wanted to enjoy it, but I was seriously counting down the steps by the last two miles. I was tired and ready to finish.

The crowds started to get bigger, and I knew I was close to the finish. I tried to sprint it out, and work hard to the last second. I crossed that finish line, and was so happy!!!

Run Time: 53:09 (8:34 Pace)

Exhausted, but still throwing some peace signs.

As soon as I crossed the finish line, I was given a cold, wet towel for my neck, water, gatorade, and my choice of excellent post-race food. A wet towel will never mean more to me than it did at that moment.

Keith found me right away, and I was beyond happy to see him. After an immediate trip to the porta-potties, we browsed the finish line festival, and I stopped to get my official time…

WHICH WAS 2:59:49 !!!

I had a top secret goal time of beating 3 hours. I had heard from other TNTers that 3 hours was a threshold to beat. I crushed it with 11 seconds to spare.

Keith treated me to breakfast, and my exhausted body caught up with me. I was ready for a day of napping, eating, and watching Scandal. And Corona.

I have a lot more thoughts about this experience, both good and bad. But for now, I’ll let this recap stand on its own. What an amazing, fantastic day. I wish I could do it again.

Week 14 NYC Triathlon Training - and Other Thoughts

It’s been a good week of training! Here’s what I’ve been up to:

Saturday: BRick (1M run, 1 ½ hour bike, 30 min run)

Sunday: 1 Hour Bike

Monday: 1 Hour Swim Practice w/ wetsuit (!!!)
Tuesday: 6M Run, 5x400 hill repeats

Wednesday: REST

Thursday: BRIck (1 Hour Bike, 20 Minute Run)

The BRick on Saturday was intense but good. A few weeks ago I was nervous about the state of my fitness, specifically for running. We started out with a slow 1 mile run, followed that with a 1 ½ hour bike, and finished with 30 minutes of hill repeats. Yeah.

The bike was fun, but I didn’t feel the need to go too fast. I try to keep in mind that I also have a 6 mile ride to and from the park, so I tack on 12 more miles than everyone else. I made the mistake a few weeks ago of doing far too many laps of Prospect Park, so I did what I thought was a good amount for me.

As a triathlon newbie, there are a lot of things I need to work on/remember for the race. Like hydrating and fueling while on my bike. I hadn’t purchase the “right” kind of water bottles for my bike yet. You’re supposed to have the kind that you can just leave open, so it’s easy to hydrate throughout the race. I’ve been continuing to use my Rubbermaid “flip open” water bottle, and I finally realized on Saturday why this will just not do for biking. At the end of what I thought was a successful grab-n-sip session on my bike, I was trying to close the lid and put it back on my water bottle holder, when I completely missed it and my bottle went flying. The bottle went one way, the lid went another, and my dignity was back some few hundred feet.

My new bottle.

So I invested in two water bottles this week via amazon that looked super cute online. But they are in fact too big for my bike. So I have to exchange them, I guess. #newbieproblems

I also got a Fuel Box for my bike, because I couldn’t figure out how people properly fuel while biking and I was STARVING mid-way through our ride. While I usually leisurely stop for water and nutrition on bike rides by myself, I was reminded that this is NOT what happens on race day. Hopefully this thing will help me get my gus and other nonsense easily. I will have to practice before the race because I am not the most skilled one-handed rider.

We got off our bikes after an hour and a half, and started the run. The reason why they call these sessions "BRick"s: B is for Bike, R is for Run, and Brick is for the way your legs feel when you get off the bike and start running. They feel like lead. But after a minute or two, I was moving and grooving.

At the end of the session, they had a How-To session on how to fix a flat tire. I wanted to just sit and watch, but at the end of the session I felt like I should at least try part of it. I asked my awesome TNT mentor, Andy, to help me. He said we should just do the whole thing. And I did!

Fixing a flat tire is not easy. I employed the help of Andy and another mentor to get me through it. I did almost every single thing wrong, twice, before I did it right. But it was something that TNT really encouraged all of us to learn, so if I get stranded on the side of the road somewhere with a flat, I will feel slightly more confident about being able to fix it.

Post BRick- Sweaty, dirty, and happy
(And it was laundry day)

We also had our first wetsuit swim on Monday night (WAAAHH). I have been reading about and hearing that everyone freaks out in wetsuits, especially when in open water. Aside from the fact that it can get really tight on your neck, and really hot by your belly and legs, it was actually super fun to swim in. Wetsuits make you more buoyant (I'll be needing that), and I felt faster. We practiced things like sighting, which is important on race day when you're in open water and you don't have lane lines guiding you to the finish.

It was probably the first swim practiced I've really enjoyed in a long time. 

After a successful BRick and swim, I'm feeling confident and reflective. I read this awesome blog today about "10 Uncommon Truths Every Business Owner Should Know." While it sounds a bit businessy, I assure you the gal who writes on this blog is a hysterical GENIUS. She writes a lot about how to start/run your own business, but a lot of it relates to working and life in general. In her blog, she writes about 10 thing she learned from being a manager at an ice cream shop. It made me think back to some of the things I've learned in my past jobs, and more relevantly, to my past two years as a runner. 

So here's my own list of 5 Uncommon/Probably Pretty Common Truths Every Runner/Triathlete Should Know:

1. Training is Called Training for a Reason - You Have to Do it (aka It's Not Called Sleeping in/Sitting on Your Couch and Watching Game of Thrones)
This is sort of advice to anyone who is on the fence about training for something big. There are a lot of mornings when I don't feel like getting up early to get in my training, or want to finish the full length of what I have on my training schedule. At times like this, I say to myself, you just have to do it. You can come up with all of the excuses in the world for why you can't fit a training session in (and from time to time, that happens). But if you signed up for a race, it's your commitment to put in the time. Suck it up, lace up your sneakers, and get on with it. You'll be happy once you did. And don't forget to treat yourself to an iced coffee afterwards.

2. Trying Stuff that Scares You Makes You a Better Athlete
Last year, when I was trying to complete all of my 9+1 races, I had about 3 or 4 weekends in a row when I had to get to Central Park for a race. (I'm starting to realize more and more that I live in one of the most inconvenient neighborhoods to get to races in NYC, and getting to Central Park by 8AM on a Saturday is about as easy to get to as Toledo.) So instead of wasting my energies on a slow subway for an hour, I decided to run there. It was much quicker, and I'm convinced squeezing in a casual run over the Queensboro Bridge every other weekend built up my stamina for my Brooklyn Half PR. It SCARED the crap out of me to run in Brooklyn and Queens before most bodegas were even open, but now I don't think twice about getting to Central Park or trying a brand new route. My legs thanked me for that.

3. Forget Nutrition and Forget your Race
I think the editors of Runner's World say to themselves PREACH! every time they hear someone talk about how important nutrition is during a race. It comes up in every issue of their mag, and I couldn't agree more. I had a few unpleasant run-ins when I was a newbie at running, because I didn't take nutrition seriously enough. I also experienced it last Saturday at my BRick (but in a non-bathroom run sort of way). I didn't eat enough breakfast, and I realized halfway through my bike that I was starving and didn't know how to re-fuel without getting off my bike and taking a 5 minute break. It reminded me that I am a big breakfast kinda gal. I need it or I'm going to get fatigued, and I need easy access to gus during my training to keep going. Plain and simple, it's one of the easiest things to prepare for, and once of the easiest things to mess up.

4. Other Runners/Athletes aren't trying to Intimidate you (but They Probably Think They're Better Than You)
There are a group of runners in my neighborhood who think they are the bees knees of running. I tried a few runs with them awhile ago, and realized they weren't my cup of tea. I see them a lot when I do speedwork at the track, in their fancy gear, and with their six pack abs. I also see a lot of runners at the beginning of races, when we're all piled into corrals like cattle, who have fancy arm sleeves, calf sleeves, and other neon-colored accessories. I used to be intimidated by both groups. But then I realized they are not paying the least bit of attention to me. Runners are in their own heads 90% of the time. I realized it would be a shame to put in all this time into training only to be intimidated by people who wear fancier stuff than I do. The best way to prove to yourself that your training and clothing works for you? Run past them on the course or track (I mean, if you can. I usually can't).

5. Smiling is a Good Way to Get What you Want
I try to use this in most areas of my life. People like people who smile. People don't like people who are grumpy and seem mean. There have been plenty of times when I've been at a race confused about how to drop off my bag or not followed directions correctly. I smile, ask a volunteer for help, and I always get what I want. This is also true when at a running store or in a group of people who know more about the sport than you do. Smile, ask a question, and get the answer you need right away. It also doesn't hurt to smile at fellow runners while out on the dusty trail. It just makes for a better run.

So those are my thoughts about running truths! I just love reflecting and stuff.

A Positive Outlook

Today’s Workout: 8 Miles

Recently, I’ve been really anxious. Work has been crazy – which is usually great, but when I'm feeling stressed, it's mostly terrible. I’ve been dreaming about work almost every single night for the past two weeks. I dream I forgot to prepare for a meeting or think I put in a phone call to work in the middle of the night when I really didn’t… so my sleep to worry ratio has been causing havoc.

While work is generally great and I'm really happy there, yesterday I had one of those unavoidable “bad days.”

I woke up cranky, and couldn’t seem to shake it all day. By the time I finally left work, I was really angry at the world. I wanted to just collapse on my couch and catch up on my DVR, but I had to run 5 miles first. Ugh. Sometimes life is so hard.

But as I was riding the subway home, I realized I shouldn’t be angry with the world at all. I should be celebrating all of the great things in my life. And that’s exactly what I spent my run last night doing.

I left my iPod at home in an effort to clear my mind of work stress, and focus on the positive. Here is what my head came up with:

----------

Things I’m Thankful For

-My family (They give me so much support and love)

-Keith (He knows how to make me giggle when I’m really cranky and mad)

-Bad days and good days (you can’t have one without the other)

-The Williamsburg Bridge (nothing tests the shape I’m in like that behemoth)

-Autumn (I decided that October is my favorite month. Bring on Halloween and watching Hocus Pocus as much as ABC family allows me to)

-Wine (enough said)



At a winery with Keith!
Wine makes everything O.K. in my book



-Living in New York (this is a cynical one… living anywhere else will seem easy after surviving this city)

-Cold weather running gear (I wore one of my running jackets for the first time since spring last night!!)

-Nail polish (I’m sporting my fave black polish right now. That’s probably all I can share on this point)

-Running

----------

When I was thinking about why I’m thankful for running, I mentally patted myself on the back for last weekend’s long run.

I ran 15 miles on Saturday – my longest run of 2012!

I decided to run into Manhattan and do a loop of Central Park, since I’ll be running a half-marathon there this weekend. I ran a 10k there in May, and it kicked my butt. So mentally, I wanted to run the course so I would feel confident for the half.

I do 95% of my runs alone, and while my routes in Brooklyn encounter the occasional runner or biker, it’s pretty solitary. Running the outer loop of Central Park sent a shock to my system – so many runners! So many children! So many weirdos! I passed a guy who was running while juggling three baseballs. Awesome.



Proof I ran to Central Park and back.



As I mentioned a few weeks back, I’ve been trying to run the first half of my long runs without music so I’ll get that extra boost when my legs get tired. I had so much visual stimulation in Central Park that I didn’t need my music at all. I still felt really good while running back over the Queensboro Bridge, and realized that I could probably do the whole thing without music. And I did!

15 Beautiful Miles.

I also realized that I only have three long runs left before my taper. It’s exciting but also terrifying, because I fit in more long runs during last year's training. I keep reminding myself that I had a great base going into training, but I’m worried that I’m lacking the long run experience I should have at this point. I guess I will just have to make the most of these last few weeks of peak training, and hope for the best.

The next post will likely be a race report for the half I’m running this weekend - I’m definitely not looking to PR, but I’m hoping use it as sort of a “test run” for the marathon. I’m pumped to get out there and race!!!

UAE Healthy Kidney 10K Race Recap

Let me preface this post by saying that I really hope the ING New York City Marathon is as life-changing as everyone says it is. It was absolutely my own choice to do the guaranteed entry 9+1 program, but it has become... exhausting (9+1 program breakdown: Run 9 New York Road Races + Volunteer for 1 race in a calendar year = Guaranteed Entry into the following year’s NYC Marathon). In theory, running nine races does not seem like a whole lot, but in practice, it truly is.

I wrote a post a few weeks ago about my aggressive 5 races in 5 weekends schedule, and I have knocked down four of them. That’s four 5:30-6:00AM weekend wakeups, four banana and peanut butter English muffin sandwiches, and four playlists with One Direction's timeless song. It’s a good thing I’m a gal who knows how to get a lot of sleep.

Saturday morning was the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park. I came pretty close to bailing, but I realized I would just be delaying the inevitable. Postponing Saturday’s race would mean another $20 down the drain and an early morning wakeup sometime later in the year. So I got up, quite begrudgingly.

Queensboro Bridge, you ain't so bad

The weather was beautiful – which meant I had a lot more runners and bikers around to keep things interesting. My legs felt great as I maintained an easy pace, and as usual, I was happy that I decided to wake my cranky self up after all.

Nice 'n easy.

I made it to Central Park with about 4 ½ miles under my belt. I caught up with my favorite fellow 9+1ers, and then made my way to my corral. The race had a $25,000 prize for the first finisher, and the Men’s 2012 Olympic Marathon Team ran the race! No wonder mad peeps turned up.

Typical pre-race pic
Trying to include all 7,918 of us

I noticed I was a little thirsty by the time I got to Central Park, but I shook it off and figured I could gulp some water on the course. In hindsight, I should have picked up a Gatorade to carry with me. It would have been my BFF during the race’s miserable course.

The 10k was a clockwise tour of Central Park’s outer loop. The four-mile course I’m accustomed to in the Park has rolling hills, but it’s nothing a pair of semi-tired legs can’t handle. The 6.2-mile course, however, is a whole other animal.

The hills in the first few miles felt like mountains. The downhills and flat parts of the course didn’t help me recover, nor did they feel easy. I went through the first three miles feeling pretty bad and incredibly thirsty.

By Mile 4, I was really tired. I saw people around me walking up the hills, which was super encouraging… I was hoping to reach my stretch goal of a sub-8:00 pace, but at this point in the race, I told myself to ease the heck up. I knew it was a lofty goal, and one perhaps I could make if I didn’t run 4 ½ miles before the race. But I reminded myself that not every race is supposed to be record-breaking, so I dialed it back and just did the best I could.

Finally by Mile 5, I kept telling myself that I only had two miles left. I used every technique in my repertoire to keep me going – everything from telling myself how well this race would prepare me for the Brooklyn Half, to concentrating on my form. It. Felt. So. Hard.

I quickened my pace in the last mile, because I figured the faster I ran, the faster it would be over. I knew I was spent when I wasn’t able to sprint the last 200M like I normally do. But I went as fast as my tired little legs would take me.

I knew I gave it my all when I nearly collapsed at the finish line (a tad dramatic), and I ended up being really happy with my average pace. For my first 10K race, I gave myself a pat on the back. And rewarded myself with a really yummy nap later on.

After a nice, long shower, I headed home to NJ for Mother’s day. I spent the afternoon running errands with my Dad in Central Jersey suburbia, which is SO much more enjoyable than running errands in the city. You only truly begin to realize how many people live in New York when you’re waiting in line at Duane Reade.

Fresh, inexpensive fruits and veggies.
How I miss you.

My family spent Mother’s Day lounging, and I spent 95% of my time on my parents’ back patio. It was perfect weather again, so I took in as much greenery and fresh air as I could.

Love the toe shot.

This Saturday will be race 5 of 5 in my crazy and stupid spring series – the Brooklyn Half-Marathon. I’m feeling pretty good about the race overall – I know I have put in the training, and this week’s runs will be all about keeping up fitness and not worrying about pace. I know for a fact I will be more successful than last year’s race (if I don’t keel over from dehydration, I will consider it a victory).

I’m hoping to run it in 1:51:00 as my stretch goal – which would be an 8:30 pace. Would I like to go faster? Sure. Will I beat myself up if I don’t make it? No. I have put in the time – and now all I can do is think good thoughts and carbo-load (the latter of which I’m really skilled at). 


I’m hoping that this is an omen of good things to come:

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.

Run for the Parks 4M Recap

I spent Saturday drinking wine at my cousin’s bridal shower and carousing with my gregarious family. As most of my cousins are nearing marrying age, I learned all about what “black-tie optional” means and why it’s a real no-no to have a yellow gold engagement ring.

Kelly and my cuz' Ravan won three "party favors"
Magraths know their wine.

Last night, Keith and I carbo-loaded on yummy Chinese food and beers at our favorite local bar. Beer has carbs, right? Who’s with me?

I was dreading going to sleep in preparation of a super early wake-up time. Rain was on the forecast starting at 4AM, which resulted in a bit of crankiness. So I procrastinated going to bed by doing smart things like pinning my bib on my shirt and making nachos.

5:50 AM came, and there wasn’t a raindrop in sight. Hooray! Admittedly, I was a bit nervous for the run, because I woke up with a rumbly tummy. But I popped a tums, shoveled my favorite pre-run breakfast in my mouth, and hit the road at 6:30AM.

I had a plan to run 6 miles before the race as I had 10 miles on the agenda for the weekend. So I mapped out a nice little route through the BK, Queens, and into Manhattan. I decided to save my iPod for the race, and was surprised to find that at 6:30AM in the city that never sleeps, it was eerily quiet. It was really refreshing to start the day without any noise and be left to my thoughts.

Little photo break at Columbus Circle.

I made my way to Central Park with some time to spare, so I hit up the porta potties and made my way to the green corral. Apparently I wasn’t the only crazy person waking up early on a Sunday to support the Parks.

So many people.
Now leave me alone while I turn on Taylor Swift.

I have never tacked on miles before a race before, let alone 6. I was curious to see how my legs would hold up, and intentionally didn’t race this prestigious 4-miler with any crazy time goal.

I clocked in the first mile at around 8:07, and my legs felt great. Just after the first mile marker, I noticed an aggressive woman in pink passing me. I started to pick up the pace and passed her… and then she passed me… and we repeated this cycle a few times. I have to give her some credit, because I clocked in the second mile at 7:33. And then I began to feel mega tired.

Since I was keeping a pretty good pace for the first two miles, I wondered if it was possible to PR.... The third mile seemed to have all of the hills, so I kept up a moderately fast pace, but I wanted to save my last stores for mile 4.

Mile 3 came in at 8:05, and I knew it was possible to try and get under a sub-8:00 pace. Cue some nice downhills and huffing and puffing, and I beat my previous record by a whopping 11 seconds.

I really felt the fast pace in my lungs, but it wasn’t anything a little post-race bagel and water couldn’t fix. I was proud of myself for finishing a ten-mile run so strong, and now I know I can beast this Brooklyn Half-Marathon that so horribly beasted me last year.

I found Jillian, Lauren, Audra and Brad at the end of the race, but the cold and misty weather made us chilly and ready to go home. But not before we got this scenic shot of Central Park.

All I wanted at this point was a hot shower and my warm bed. I got home just as the first raindrop fell, picked up some coffee, and collapsed in my bed. Looking forward to doing it all again next Sunday for the NYRR Run as One Race...

Happy Sunday!!!

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.