Week 1 – NYC Marathon Training

It’s true. Last week was my first week of marathon training.

My new mizunos! aka the same shoes Wendy Davis
wore on that infamous day. aka my filibuster sneaks.
(I didn't realize they were the same ones she wore
until Keith pointed it out after I bought them).

To answer the question that my mom/boss/friends/accountant have asked, “You don’t have a break between tri training and marathon training?” Nope.

When I signed up for the triathlon back in January, I figured my running fitness would be in good shape by July. I guessed that moving right into marathon training would be no problem.

I didn’t anticipate that I would be sidelined most of the spring by an injury I’m not going to talk about anymore. It’s brushed under the rug, just like the hours I wasted watching the Newsroom.

So when I started putting together my training plan for the NYC marathon, I was nowhere near the mileage that Hal Higdon or Runner’s World recommend you start at if you’re an “intermediate” runner. I was a little discouraged, not to mention unsure if I would be in good enough shape to do the marathon.

Then I decided to look back at what I did in 2011 and 2012 for training. I used the most basic of basic marathon training plans for the 2011 Cape Cod marathon. It was totally manageable, with no long run lasting more than 18 miles. And guess what? I finished that marathon with a huge smile on my face.

In 2012, I designed a pretty aggressive marathon training plan. I started off wanting to beat the 4-hour time mark, and felt fairly confident I could get there. But then I got injured, and I had to really dial it back. I had to re-assess my goals for the marathon, and realistically kiss that 4-hour mark goodbye.

But you know what? I PR’d by 23 minutes in Philadelphia. And that is something to be proud of.

For my NYC marathon training plan, I’m taking some advice from my past self. I’m going to train for my current ability, not where I thought I would be at this point. I’m taking it slow, and really enjoying each run. I guess this is sort of cliché running blog chatter, but for me, it really feels true.

I’m not going into the NYC marathon with a time goal (!!!).

There’s a huge part of me that wants to get under that 4 hour time threshold. I would be lying if I said I didn’t. But if I can learn anything from last year’s experience, having a time goal made running NOT fun for me. And while I had a super secret goal of beating 3 hours for the NYC tri, when I was doing the race I was completely clueless as to what my time would be. I had no watch during the swim or my transitions, and I started my run watch too late. My time came as a complete surprise. That surprise factor made me enjoy the race so much more.

So what was Week 1 of NYC Marathon Training like? Let me spit some numbers at ya.

Monday: REST from the tri (went to the pool and got a pedi with Meggie instead)

Tuesday: 3 Miles, Easy

Wednesday:  3.5 Miles, Easy

Thursday: Yoga

Friday: 3 Miles

Saturday: 6 Miles

Sunday: Bike and Strength Training

Total Miles: 15.5

I took my paces pretty easy this week. I wanted to just enjoy running, and get used to the 4-day training week. I felt really good, and I was SO happy to get back into it.

As much as I loved the experience of the tri, I was secretly thrilled not to have to pack a heavy gym bag and squeeze into a wetsuit last week. Being able to just lace up my sneakers and go is one of the many reasons why I love running.

I was also thrilled to be able to fit yoga into my workout regiment last week. I literally haven’t been to yoga in FOREVER. I wanted to re-align my chi and do some uncomfortable stretching.

I checked out Yoga to the People in Brooklyn, which is a donation-based yoga studio (they recommend a $10 donation, but you can pay less or more based on your bank account). It’s a no-frills studio, which meant no AC. I’m really happy I brought a towel, since on Thursday it was about 100 degrees. It didn’t stop me receiving judgey stares from my neighbors because of the disgusting amount I was sweating. I SWEAT OKAY? It’s normal. You are a freak of nature if you aren’t sweating in a 90 degree studio while trying to balance in Warrior 2.

It felt SO so good to do yoga again. I stopped doing it because it always gave me back pain. But at the end of this class, I felt great (then quickly ducked out so the girl next to me couldn’t see my sweaty face. She was secretly shaming me). But I really hope to continue incorporating it into my training, since other running blogs swear by it.

My "long run" on Saturday was not as painful as I thought it would be. I only had 6 miles to do, and I made sure to wake up early to beat the heat. The sky decided to be kind, and I had cloud cover for the majority of the run. I took my usual long run path over the Williamsburg Bridge, which I haven't done in a hot minute. I huffed and puffed up the hills just as I expected to. I took walk breaks when I needed them. I wasn't in a rush. I was just enjoying myself.

I’m excited for another week of low-pressure running. Just me, my filibuster sneakers and I.

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.