- Last weekend I was drop-dead tired and couldn't finish what was supposed to be a 10-mile run
- I blame the hot weather for the difficultly running outside: not only the heat, but I have to wake early even to run on the weekends...no sleep=no energy
- During some track work last week there was a guy in a white shirt that was just buzzing by everyone, and during a walking break he blasted past me. So I decided to catch up during my next interval. After what turned into the fastest 1200 meters I've ever run, I realized that I was using him as a rabbit AND he was wearing a white shirt. I thought this was hilarious, in a runner's humor kind of way.
- I'm off to Philly this weekend to visit in-laws and run 15-miles--Fairmount Park here I come!
8.02.2007
Quick update
Been busy for the past two weeks, so here are some quick bullet point updates:
7.22.2007
14 miles
I did it: today I ran further than I have ever run before.
After the inital wave of tiredness and exhaustation, I felt really proud. Despite taking one or two walking breaks and encountering some nasty hills, I kept my pace under my goal pace of 9:00--even if only by two seconds.
What is even better/more thrilling is comparing my run today to my first Half-Marathon. I was destroyed after that race: I could barely walk, I had multiple blisters, I was absolutely tapped dry of energy (I even took a two-hour nap...a TWO-HOUR nap, I never do that). I told my wife (at that time, my girlfriend) that I would never run again, ever. But after today's run I stretched, bought some Powerade, and hopped on a subway home. That's it. There was no agony, no torturous walk on quarter-sized blisters, no cursing of the running gods--and I think that's great. I'm really proud of how far I have come. I mean, in the vast hierarchy of runnners I'm no great success story and certainly no speed demon, but with tons of determination and a dash of stubborness I've improved a lot over time.
I'm happy.
On a side note: as a result of today's run the hills in Prospect Park are on my shit list. I hate them. I hate them so much.
After the inital wave of tiredness and exhaustation, I felt really proud. Despite taking one or two walking breaks and encountering some nasty hills, I kept my pace under my goal pace of 9:00--even if only by two seconds.
What is even better/more thrilling is comparing my run today to my first Half-Marathon. I was destroyed after that race: I could barely walk, I had multiple blisters, I was absolutely tapped dry of energy (I even took a two-hour nap...a TWO-HOUR nap, I never do that). I told my wife (at that time, my girlfriend) that I would never run again, ever. But after today's run I stretched, bought some Powerade, and hopped on a subway home. That's it. There was no agony, no torturous walk on quarter-sized blisters, no cursing of the running gods--and I think that's great. I'm really proud of how far I have come. I mean, in the vast hierarchy of runnners I'm no great success story and certainly no speed demon, but with tons of determination and a dash of stubborness I've improved a lot over time.
I'm happy.
On a side note: as a result of today's run the hills in Prospect Park are on my shit list. I hate them. I hate them so much.
7.21.2007
Stormy weather
I ran in the rain this week. I've always been a fair-weather runner, but the idea of having to put in yet another run on a treadmill this week just turned me off completely; so when I went outside on Wednesday morning I was going to put in my 3 miles rain or shine. Of course, I told myself it would just keep on sprinkling...which turned out to be a lie.
A half-mile into the run I realized that the rain was only getting stronger. Thankfully, I had decided to leave my iPod at home. I turned up the speed, finished the 3 mile run, and got my stride work done all in about 40 minutes. Just as the rain became monsoon-like.
I know there is a school of runners out there that enjoys running in the rain--people who find it exciting and refreshing. I am not one of those runners. As I had always assumed, the rain just made me want to stop and go home. You get wet everywhere (a different kind of "wet everywhere" than sweat induces). You get depressed by the crappy weather. And all the puddles get your shoes soaked. Not my idea of fun.
Moral of the story: I will continue being a fair-weather runner.
And now a word about Harry Potter.... Spent last night hopping from event to event for the first night of sales for the book. We reserved our book at the Barnes & Noble at Union Square since that is the closest one to my office. What a bad idea. What a MAJORLY bad idea. Everyone and their mother was there...literally, all the kids had their moms. The line was a disorganized mess. It was chaotic and haphazard and kinda reminded me of the starting line corrals at a race. Its not something that I would do again--but that was the idea: this was something we could never do again.
So my wife is currently 87 pages into the book...which, quite frankly, is not far enough for this increasingly-impatient patient runner.
A half-mile into the run I realized that the rain was only getting stronger. Thankfully, I had decided to leave my iPod at home. I turned up the speed, finished the 3 mile run, and got my stride work done all in about 40 minutes. Just as the rain became monsoon-like.
I know there is a school of runners out there that enjoys running in the rain--people who find it exciting and refreshing. I am not one of those runners. As I had always assumed, the rain just made me want to stop and go home. You get wet everywhere (a different kind of "wet everywhere" than sweat induces). You get depressed by the crappy weather. And all the puddles get your shoes soaked. Not my idea of fun.
Moral of the story: I will continue being a fair-weather runner.
And now a word about Harry Potter.... Spent last night hopping from event to event for the first night of sales for the book. We reserved our book at the Barnes & Noble at Union Square since that is the closest one to my office. What a bad idea. What a MAJORLY bad idea. Everyone and their mother was there...literally, all the kids had their moms. The line was a disorganized mess. It was chaotic and haphazard and kinda reminded me of the starting line corrals at a race. Its not something that I would do again--but that was the idea: this was something we could never do again.
So my wife is currently 87 pages into the book...which, quite frankly, is not far enough for this increasingly-impatient patient runner.
7.15.2007
Harry Potter and The Distance Runner
Like so many this month I am suffering from a bit of Harry Potter mania.
Ok, ok, maybe not mania. I didn't go see the midnight opening of the movie dressed in robes and round glasses, but I do have phases where I can spend hours on sites like the-leaky-cauldron.org and jkrowling.com and can't help but be sucked into everything about the books.
Last night I saw the latest movie at the IMAX at Lincoln Center. Its my favorite of the movies so far. The movie making is the most sophisticated (matching the increasing weight of the plot) and it also the only movie that feels connected to the others (thanks to flashbacks to scenes from the previous four films).
Now to add fuel to the fire, in only five days the seventh and final book will hit the shelves. And truth be told, I will probably be in line to get a copy at midnight...and I may go to the street party at Scholastic headquarters--but only because it's just a few blocks away from my office and it'll be the last chance ever the see a blowout event like this. Unfortunately, my wife is also hooked on the books and next weekend will most likely be a battle royal over who will get to read the book. (Odds are stacked against me because she is the faster reader and will probably finish reading all 700+ pages in that weekend.)
So that's my passion of the moment.
On the running front things are good. After a pathetic run on Tuesday morning I did a pretty good job on Wednesday's and Thursday's runs. And then yesterday I managed a dead-on 9-minute pace for the 12 mile long run: my exact goal pace for the marathon. Not sure if this is good or bad. I mean, it's great that I have the 9-minute pace down, but I'm only at 12 miles and running logic dictates that you get slower at longer distances. But on the other hand, during training for all my previous races I managed to get faster as training progressed because I became increasingly comfortable with a quicker pace at a longer distance. But then again, this is a new distance for me.
I've also noticed a new set of demons in training for MY FIRST MARATHON EVER. The demons from my half-marathon days were weak and could usually be shrugged off with a little bit of concentration and a good iPod playlist. But these marathon demons, they are on a different order of trouble. They haunt me during the day and remind me constantly that I am attempting to DOUBLE the longest distance I've ever run. During almost every run I remember the year I volunteered at Boston and saw dozens of runners collapse at the finish line (completely forgetting the 1,000s of runners who did not collapse.) I constantly think about the time, energy, and complete exhaustion that is involved in running a full marathon. And about once a day, every day, I think to myself: what the hell am I doing? These marathon demons suck--and I haven't even crossed the half-marathon mark in training yet.
Ok, ok, maybe not mania. I didn't go see the midnight opening of the movie dressed in robes and round glasses, but I do have phases where I can spend hours on sites like the-leaky-cauldron.org and jkrowling.com and can't help but be sucked into everything about the books.
Last night I saw the latest movie at the IMAX at Lincoln Center. Its my favorite of the movies so far. The movie making is the most sophisticated (matching the increasing weight of the plot) and it also the only movie that feels connected to the others (thanks to flashbacks to scenes from the previous four films).
Now to add fuel to the fire, in only five days the seventh and final book will hit the shelves. And truth be told, I will probably be in line to get a copy at midnight...and I may go to the street party at Scholastic headquarters--but only because it's just a few blocks away from my office and it'll be the last chance ever the see a blowout event like this. Unfortunately, my wife is also hooked on the books and next weekend will most likely be a battle royal over who will get to read the book. (Odds are stacked against me because she is the faster reader and will probably finish reading all 700+ pages in that weekend.)
So that's my passion of the moment.
On the running front things are good. After a pathetic run on Tuesday morning I did a pretty good job on Wednesday's and Thursday's runs. And then yesterday I managed a dead-on 9-minute pace for the 12 mile long run: my exact goal pace for the marathon. Not sure if this is good or bad. I mean, it's great that I have the 9-minute pace down, but I'm only at 12 miles and running logic dictates that you get slower at longer distances. But on the other hand, during training for all my previous races I managed to get faster as training progressed because I became increasingly comfortable with a quicker pace at a longer distance. But then again, this is a new distance for me.
I've also noticed a new set of demons in training for MY FIRST MARATHON EVER. The demons from my half-marathon days were weak and could usually be shrugged off with a little bit of concentration and a good iPod playlist. But these marathon demons, they are on a different order of trouble. They haunt me during the day and remind me constantly that I am attempting to DOUBLE the longest distance I've ever run. During almost every run I remember the year I volunteered at Boston and saw dozens of runners collapse at the finish line (completely forgetting the 1,000s of runners who did not collapse.) I constantly think about the time, energy, and complete exhaustion that is involved in running a full marathon. And about once a day, every day, I think to myself: what the hell am I doing? These marathon demons suck--and I haven't even crossed the half-marathon mark in training yet.
7.08.2007
Bahston Runnah
In Boston this weekend. All the weather forecasts said it would be rainy and hot--but I'm training for MY FIRST MARATHON EVER and I love this city, so some bad weather wasn't going to keep me from my run yesterday morning.
I carefully mapped out a route with lots of sights around the city (it took me three tries to get it down right) and was eager to head out. Perhaps a little too eager. I went to bed at 1am on Friday night (er, Saturday morning) and at 530 I sprung awake..even though I didn't plan on waking up until 730. (I hate it when this happens.) So I go in and out of sleep for two hours. Once the alarm goes off at 730 I start the rituals: drinking water, shaking off the grogginess, etc. Oddly enough I wasn't hungry.
By 8am I was outside the hotel (which was right on the finish line for the Marathon) and stretching. In the 3 years I lived here I've never seen the streets so empty as they were yesterday morning. Then again, in college I tended to not do very much at 8am. Anywho, it turned out to be perfect running conditions: high 60s, overcast skies, and relatively low humidity.
So I start running at the corner of the Public Library. Within the first mile I've managed to flare up my shins. Wtf? Usually this doesn't happen unless I've done lots of hill work. Oh wait, I did do lots of hill work on Thursday. So now I feel the pain. Great. So I focus on my hamstrings (pulling up my legs) instead of focusing on my quads (pushing down my legs). I'm not sure if this is proper technique, hell, I not even 100% sure that it's a safe technique, but it is a trick I learned a long time ago when I first started running. I noticed that if I don't make a conscious effort to use my hamstrings, I won't, and then I'll burn through my quads really fast and I'll start getting shin splints. So I focus on the hammies and the shin splits start to go away...
...Only to give way to my favorite running friend: my bowels ("my boys"). They are the bane of my running. If I have one weakness that I just can't shake off it's my damned digestive system. Right around mile 3 my boys decide to wake up and demand some love. At first it's just a subtle wave, something I would have ignored years ago. But I know better: my boys are packing heat and I'm only a 1/3 of the way through. I make pretty good progress along the Esplanade and the Harvard Bridge, but once I'm back on the Cambridge side of the Charles the boys are back--of course in the one stretch that has no bathrooms. So I struggle through the next 2 miles--focusing on my breathing, which always helps. I get stopped by a man looking for the airport (he is way lost, and you do not want to be lost in Boston) and afterward I realize that when I stopped to talk to this man instead of hitting the stop button on my watch, I've hit the lap button. Wonderful.
I pull into the last mile trying to stay on a 9 minute pace, but since I messed up the timing, I have no idea what I'm at. And every time I speed up, the boys get all excited because it means the end is near--so then I have to slow back down.
So I finish on Boylston. Not my best finish, but I did it and I ran the whole way (which is still a concern for me even after 7 years of running). While I'm not excited about the pace I maintained, I am happy that I was able to deal with the shin pain successfully.
P.S. So I was browsing the running section of Barnes and Noble on Thursday and found an interesting tid-bit in Jeff Galloway's training book (one of the many). It seems that for the first Olympics the marathon was 25 miles. But for the London games in 1902 (?) the Queen asked for the race to start at Buckingham place instead of the original starting line. The Games complied and moved the starting line back 1.2 miles without adjusting the finish line. Because of this some runners say "God Save the Queen" at mile 25. Interesting to know.
I carefully mapped out a route with lots of sights around the city (it took me three tries to get it down right) and was eager to head out. Perhaps a little too eager. I went to bed at 1am on Friday night (er, Saturday morning) and at 530 I sprung awake..even though I didn't plan on waking up until 730. (I hate it when this happens.) So I go in and out of sleep for two hours. Once the alarm goes off at 730 I start the rituals: drinking water, shaking off the grogginess, etc. Oddly enough I wasn't hungry.
By 8am I was outside the hotel (which was right on the finish line for the Marathon) and stretching. In the 3 years I lived here I've never seen the streets so empty as they were yesterday morning. Then again, in college I tended to not do very much at 8am. Anywho, it turned out to be perfect running conditions: high 60s, overcast skies, and relatively low humidity.
So I start running at the corner of the Public Library. Within the first mile I've managed to flare up my shins. Wtf? Usually this doesn't happen unless I've done lots of hill work. Oh wait, I did do lots of hill work on Thursday. So now I feel the pain. Great. So I focus on my hamstrings (pulling up my legs) instead of focusing on my quads (pushing down my legs). I'm not sure if this is proper technique, hell, I not even 100% sure that it's a safe technique, but it is a trick I learned a long time ago when I first started running. I noticed that if I don't make a conscious effort to use my hamstrings, I won't, and then I'll burn through my quads really fast and I'll start getting shin splints. So I focus on the hammies and the shin splits start to go away...
...Only to give way to my favorite running friend: my bowels ("my boys"). They are the bane of my running. If I have one weakness that I just can't shake off it's my damned digestive system. Right around mile 3 my boys decide to wake up and demand some love. At first it's just a subtle wave, something I would have ignored years ago. But I know better: my boys are packing heat and I'm only a 1/3 of the way through. I make pretty good progress along the Esplanade and the Harvard Bridge, but once I'm back on the Cambridge side of the Charles the boys are back--of course in the one stretch that has no bathrooms. So I struggle through the next 2 miles--focusing on my breathing, which always helps. I get stopped by a man looking for the airport (he is way lost, and you do not want to be lost in Boston) and afterward I realize that when I stopped to talk to this man instead of hitting the stop button on my watch, I've hit the lap button. Wonderful.
I pull into the last mile trying to stay on a 9 minute pace, but since I messed up the timing, I have no idea what I'm at. And every time I speed up, the boys get all excited because it means the end is near--so then I have to slow back down.
So I finish on Boylston. Not my best finish, but I did it and I ran the whole way (which is still a concern for me even after 7 years of running). While I'm not excited about the pace I maintained, I am happy that I was able to deal with the shin pain successfully.
P.S. So I was browsing the running section of Barnes and Noble on Thursday and found an interesting tid-bit in Jeff Galloway's training book (one of the many). It seems that for the first Olympics the marathon was 25 miles. But for the London games in 1902 (?) the Queen asked for the race to start at Buckingham place instead of the original starting line. The Games complied and moved the starting line back 1.2 miles without adjusting the finish line. Because of this some runners say "God Save the Queen" at mile 25. Interesting to know.
7.04.2007
Independence Day
Lots of unconnected thoughts today from my run:
- I need new music.
- I'm getting used to morning runs--it's almost magical seeing the world before it gets busy, especially in this city. The dawn paints everything a different color. Even New York looks peaceful in the dawn.
- My speed and endurance are starting to come back (I missed them!).
- Damn it--I should have slowed down during my first mile.
- I'm pissed because I'm supposed to have tomorrow and Friday off from work as bonus days, but with a major presentation due on Tuesday, I might not be so fortunate.
- There is a public pool in Astoria park. Upon further research I've found that it is one of the largest in the country and the largest in New York. How did I miss this?
- I like running outside because I can try to pick off other runners (in addition to the scenery, sunshine, fresh air, etc.)
- I need to go to the beer garden.
- I forgot to pick up the laundry yesterday...crap. Now I have to wait until tomorrow.
- Wait, I still have 14.5 more weeks to go until Baltimore? Man, I can't wait until I cross that finish line.
- Why is it that runners don't say hello to each other here? When I lived in Miami and Boston everyone said hi. Silly New Yorkers.
That's about it. Really excited about going to Boston this weekend. Not so excited about the forecast (rain with a chance of monsoon).
Happy Independence Day.
6.30.2007
sRod Over Hard
It is hot as hell out there. Not summer blackout hot--that happens in July around here--but even 80 degrees feels like the friggin Sahara.
To give you an idea, after the run (during which I had water), I drank a liter of water, drank a bottle of chocolate milk (I swear it works better than Gatorade after a run), had a bagel, and STILL managed to come back home a pound lighter than when I left.
On top of that, I went running with my friend who has a marathon PR pace of 7:50 min/mile, and normally trains at speeds faster than that. (My training pace is 8:40, 8:30 on a GREAT day.) So I tried desparately to keep up. And failed. Yeah, real nice ego boost during my first week fo training.
Good news is that next weekend I'll be in Boston (my sister will be there for a conference) and will be able to put in some time along the Charles. In my head, the trails up and down the Charles are Rodeo Drive for runners. (During college I was actually intimidated to run along the Charles with the 1000s of phenonmenal Boston runners.) The sights are beautiful: the view from the Longfellow Bridge, the sailboats in the back bay, the views of MIT, the smoots, my alma mater, etc. On top of that, there is the storied history of running in Boston. It's inspiring. Hopefully, this will help shake off the painful run I had today.
Also, my wife went with me today. Unfortunately, she got to see me tired and grumpy after a disappointing run. But the great thing is that I got to share something with her that I seldom am able to.
To give you an idea, after the run (during which I had water), I drank a liter of water, drank a bottle of chocolate milk (I swear it works better than Gatorade after a run), had a bagel, and STILL managed to come back home a pound lighter than when I left.
On top of that, I went running with my friend who has a marathon PR pace of 7:50 min/mile, and normally trains at speeds faster than that. (My training pace is 8:40, 8:30 on a GREAT day.) So I tried desparately to keep up. And failed. Yeah, real nice ego boost during my first week fo training.
Good news is that next weekend I'll be in Boston (my sister will be there for a conference) and will be able to put in some time along the Charles. In my head, the trails up and down the Charles are Rodeo Drive for runners. (During college I was actually intimidated to run along the Charles with the 1000s of phenonmenal Boston runners.) The sights are beautiful: the view from the Longfellow Bridge, the sailboats in the back bay, the views of MIT, the smoots, my alma mater, etc. On top of that, there is the storied history of running in Boston. It's inspiring. Hopefully, this will help shake off the painful run I had today.
Also, my wife went with me today. Unfortunately, she got to see me tired and grumpy after a disappointing run. But the great thing is that I got to share something with her that I seldom am able to.
Week One
Coming into the end of the first week of training for MY FIRST MARATHON EVER! Of course, this is the same week that I've been super-social and had an event or gone out for drinks everyday this week after work. Waking up early to run + staying out late to drink = really tired. When Friday morning came around and I didn't have to wake up at 5:45 am I was so happy.
The running wasn't too bad. I'm not at my peak levels yet, but that's ok, I'm just starting and I'm still getting used to running in the early morning--which is growing on me. The first time I went out in the morning it was painful. I was saying "wtf" for the whole run. Now, I'm getting used to it, but I still feel "creaky" in the morning. I know most people like to run in the morning because they've just rested and their muscles are relaxed, they're "fresh." Well, not mine. Fresh is the last word I would use to discribe myself in the morning. My muscles and joints are rusty and stiff from sleeping and the last thing I want to do is shock them into awakeness by running. I feel like this may take a very long time to get used to.
Today I'm taking a break from the early morning run and instead, I'm heading out for an 8-mile run with a friend (while my wife walks with my friend's wife). Its a beautiful weekend here in the city, so it should be pretty nice.
The running wasn't too bad. I'm not at my peak levels yet, but that's ok, I'm just starting and I'm still getting used to running in the early morning--which is growing on me. The first time I went out in the morning it was painful. I was saying "wtf" for the whole run. Now, I'm getting used to it, but I still feel "creaky" in the morning. I know most people like to run in the morning because they've just rested and their muscles are relaxed, they're "fresh." Well, not mine. Fresh is the last word I would use to discribe myself in the morning. My muscles and joints are rusty and stiff from sleeping and the last thing I want to do is shock them into awakeness by running. I feel like this may take a very long time to get used to.
Today I'm taking a break from the early morning run and instead, I'm heading out for an 8-mile run with a friend (while my wife walks with my friend's wife). Its a beautiful weekend here in the city, so it should be pretty nice.
6.24.2007
Good news and bad news
Good news first: went out yesterday for 8 miles on the Hudson River Park/West Street/West Side Highway (aren't they all the same?). Anywho...I normally hate this route because it's rather boring and straight, plus it gets really hot. But despite that I did pretty darn well: I finished at an 8:38 min pace. My best half-marathon pace is 8:40, so I figure this is a great spot to be in before I start officially training for Baltimore.
And now the bad news: I have become web illiterate. More specifically, I have become HTML, CSS, Java and whatever-language-is-out-there-now illiterate. Back in high school I made my own webpage from HTML, but nowadays I can't even figure out how to insert a linked picture into a page. Sigh. So that RBF Member button over to the left is supposed to be linked to Running Blog Family...and God knows I've tried to figure out how to link that sucker back to the website...but alas, there is only so much I am willing to try before I just let it be. So the button is there, and one day it may be linked.
**Bonus Section**
Now for some so-so news: I'm still trying to figure out how to post my training schedule for Baltimore. I've been able get a jpeg version of the spreadsheet on here, but it's not legible. So I'll try again later this week when I have more time.
6.20.2007
Blog frustrations
Finally complied a training plan for Baltimore thanks to the folks at Runner's World. Now I have to figure out how to post it here. Looks like I have to find an FTP provider, set up an account, upload the file, and then link the file here. That may take a while...I hope to have the training plan up before the race.
On a separate note: went for a run this morning. I'm not normally a morning runner, mostly because in the past it hasn't go over well. I struggled through 4 miles, but completed without stopping (although my bowels suggested stops a few times). Overall it went well, which is good. I'll probably start by doing my short runs in the morning, maybe moving other runs to the morning.
On a separate note: went for a run this morning. I'm not normally a morning runner, mostly because in the past it hasn't go over well. I struggled through 4 miles, but completed without stopping (although my bowels suggested stops a few times). Overall it went well, which is good. I'll probably start by doing my short runs in the morning, maybe moving other runs to the morning.
6.17.2007
Runnerssphere
Way back in the day...meaning April, when I started this blog...I thought there were only a handful of running blogs out there. As is too often the case, I was wrong.
I took this morning to play around with the site layout, add some links, get some site counter action, see about getting my stats on the page. And in this persuit of gadgits, widgets, and gizmos for the blog I stumble across Running Blog Family. This just blows my mind. Ok, maybe more like sends a warm breeze over my mind. Not only is it an organized community of running bloggers, but they have all sorts of resources like training trackers, feeds to other running blogs, etc, etc. I don't have time to digest it all this morning, but this is huge. I'll definitely be adding more bells and whistles.
I also realize, that despite being young and hip and with it, I know nothing about the world of blogging.
I took this morning to play around with the site layout, add some links, get some site counter action, see about getting my stats on the page. And in this persuit of gadgits, widgets, and gizmos for the blog I stumble across Running Blog Family. This just blows my mind. Ok, maybe more like sends a warm breeze over my mind. Not only is it an organized community of running bloggers, but they have all sorts of resources like training trackers, feeds to other running blogs, etc, etc. I don't have time to digest it all this morning, but this is huge. I'll definitely be adding more bells and whistles.
I also realize, that despite being young and hip and with it, I know nothing about the world of blogging.
6.16.2007
Refocus
Ok, so I've come to terms with it: Fairfield is off the plans for this year. And didn't get into New York...so that's off too. Oh yeah, and it turns out that DC filled up BEFORE the lottery for the NY Marathon was called. Hmmm. So there go all my plans for 2007. Love it.
No NY or DC this year means I have to find another race to be MY FIRST MARATHON EVER (as it should always be referred to as). So I'm defaulting to Plan C: Baltimore. I've heard great things about the city, I'm a big fan of Chef Duff, and I always see Baltimore Marathon t-shirts at races. Based on that expert analysis of the race, I signed up this week.
Now it's officially on: the 2007 Baltimore Marathon on October 13 will be MY FIRST MARATHON EVER. So excited.
But wait...oh crap...that means I have to start training for a marathon. Hmmm. Perhaps I should get on that.
(Also...on the housekeeping front...adding a couple things on the right today since I finally have the time)
No NY or DC this year means I have to find another race to be MY FIRST MARATHON EVER (as it should always be referred to as). So I'm defaulting to Plan C: Baltimore. I've heard great things about the city, I'm a big fan of Chef Duff, and I always see Baltimore Marathon t-shirts at races. Based on that expert analysis of the race, I signed up this week.
Now it's officially on: the 2007 Baltimore Marathon on October 13 will be MY FIRST MARATHON EVER. So excited.
But wait...oh crap...that means I have to start training for a marathon. Hmmm. Perhaps I should get on that.
(Also...on the housekeeping front...adding a couple things on the right today since I finally have the time)
6.09.2007
No more Fairfield
So it's been a while since I last posted. Between being on "vacation" in Miami and traveling to LA for work I've been able to run three times in the past two weeks. And since I haven't been able to break 4 miles on any of my runs I've decided to not do the Fairfield Half-Marathon.
This particularly sucks because this is the second year that I had to skip this race. This time last year I was working insane hours at work and hardly had time to sleep, let alone train for a race. I guess the timing of the race is bad too, since I usually do a late spring race and this race is in mid-June.
In light of this I'm going to try things a little differently for my 2008 races. I'll be running either NY or DC this fall as my first marathon (woo hoo!!!!). Then in January I want to run the Austin half marathon, 1) because it is a downhill course race, 2) we have a friend that lives close to Austin who has been asking us to visit her since forever, 3) it will be a warm winter race. With a race so early in the year I will be able to prepare for a the San Francisco Marathon (late July) and then Fairfield (late June) can just be part of my training for SF. To round off the year I'll find a fall race sometime in October or November (I'm taking suggestions). Of course, these are my ambitions now, we'll see what surprises lie in store between now and then.
So, for now I'm eagerly awaiting for 12 noon on June 12 which is when they pull the names for the NY Marathon. If I'm pulled, then I'll be touring the 5 boroughs. If not, then it's off to DC.
This particularly sucks because this is the second year that I had to skip this race. This time last year I was working insane hours at work and hardly had time to sleep, let alone train for a race. I guess the timing of the race is bad too, since I usually do a late spring race and this race is in mid-June.
In light of this I'm going to try things a little differently for my 2008 races. I'll be running either NY or DC this fall as my first marathon (woo hoo!!!!). Then in January I want to run the Austin half marathon, 1) because it is a downhill course race, 2) we have a friend that lives close to Austin who has been asking us to visit her since forever, 3) it will be a warm winter race. With a race so early in the year I will be able to prepare for a the San Francisco Marathon (late July) and then Fairfield (late June) can just be part of my training for SF. To round off the year I'll find a fall race sometime in October or November (I'm taking suggestions). Of course, these are my ambitions now, we'll see what surprises lie in store between now and then.
So, for now I'm eagerly awaiting for 12 noon on June 12 which is when they pull the names for the NY Marathon. If I'm pulled, then I'll be touring the 5 boroughs. If not, then it's off to DC.
5.27.2007
Run in the sun
On vacation this week! Well, sort of. We're in Miami for my brother-in-law's graduation on May 31. Since the 31st is in the middle of an already shortened week, we decided to just take the whole week off and call it vacation. So we're trying to vacation as much as possible even though certain family members are trying to talk us into babysitting or going with them to run errands. At least the weather should be on side this week.
I'm about to head out running in some very warm and humid conditions, and that has me a bit freaked out because I haven't been able to run for more than 4 miles under normal conditions. Add in the higher temps, humidity up the wazoo, and the extra intense sunshine, and the title to this blog could quickly change to "See sRod Not Really Run As Much As He Walks Kinda Fast." I love it.
Not sure what has made it so difficult for me to train lately. Not sure if its psychological or physical. Could I be talking myself out of running long distances because I just had a great race? Or am I pushing myself back into training too quickly and my body isn't ready for it? Or maybe its the warmer tempuratures?
I'm about to head out running in some very warm and humid conditions, and that has me a bit freaked out because I haven't been able to run for more than 4 miles under normal conditions. Add in the higher temps, humidity up the wazoo, and the extra intense sunshine, and the title to this blog could quickly change to "See sRod Not Really Run As Much As He Walks Kinda Fast." I love it.
Not sure what has made it so difficult for me to train lately. Not sure if its psychological or physical. Could I be talking myself out of running long distances because I just had a great race? Or am I pushing myself back into training too quickly and my body isn't ready for it? Or maybe its the warmer tempuratures?
5.25.2007
Blue period
I'm in a slump. I can't seem to run more than 4 miles at a time. I'm heading out now for what is supposed to be an 8 mile run. Let's see what happens.
5.20.2007
Bad run
I went for a run yesterday and it sucked.
I had planned on doing 8 miles around Central Park, but from the get go it was going wrong: I left the house 3 hours later than I normally would have, my stomach hurt (perhaps too much food before leaving the house?), and it was raining. Of course I'm hell bent on running an 8 minute mile at the Fairfield Half Marathon so I went out anyway instead of playing it safe and going on the treadmill.
The second I started running I could tell it was going to be a difficult run because my legs were tightening up and I couldn't get my pace under control (i.e., I was going faster than I should have and couldn't sustain a slower pace). The rain only made the situation worse. By mile 3 it was seriously raining and all I wanted was for the run to be over. So I figured I would walk for a minute and try to "reset" myself, give myself a fresh start. While I was walking I passed by a subway station and that was it. I started thinking about the rain, and how my phone and iPod would get damaged. I started thinking about how horrible my stomach felt and how my legs weren't cooperating (even though I was doing about 8:15 a mile). And despite knowing much better, despite having faced this situation 1,000 other times, despite knowing that this would be a high-order sell out, I stopped my run, got on the subway, and went home.
I don't think I've ever felt so defeated by a run before. I've stopped to walk, I've taken shortcuts, but I've never cut a run off so soon--I wasn't even half way through! For the past 24 hours I've been beating myself up over this. I've been thinking about what a wimp move that was, how I've had much, much bigger challenges and yesterday I just gave up without a fight. And then I started thinking about how I wouldn't be ready for this next race...and that's a whole other stream of thoughts. And then I started thinking how this could signal a downturn in my running, how I might never reach an 8 minute mile, how I'll never make it to a full marathon, how I'll have to just give up running all together. My demons have been in full swing since yesterday.
And then I realize--as I'm thinking all this--that perhaps I am taking all this running a bit too seriously. Maybe I should reevaluate my priorities when it comes to running. Or more specifically, maybe I'm pushing a bit too hard for this next race. I should really just concentrate on being prepared for it rather than having an amazing time. I did set a new half marathon personal record this year AND I plan to do my first full marathon this year--that is a lot to squish into 12 months. So maybe I should take the Fairfield race as my fun run for the year. If I improve my time, great, but if I don't, I'll still be in great shape for my fall marathon (whatever that turns out to be).
I had planned on doing 8 miles around Central Park, but from the get go it was going wrong: I left the house 3 hours later than I normally would have, my stomach hurt (perhaps too much food before leaving the house?), and it was raining. Of course I'm hell bent on running an 8 minute mile at the Fairfield Half Marathon so I went out anyway instead of playing it safe and going on the treadmill.
The second I started running I could tell it was going to be a difficult run because my legs were tightening up and I couldn't get my pace under control (i.e., I was going faster than I should have and couldn't sustain a slower pace). The rain only made the situation worse. By mile 3 it was seriously raining and all I wanted was for the run to be over. So I figured I would walk for a minute and try to "reset" myself, give myself a fresh start. While I was walking I passed by a subway station and that was it. I started thinking about the rain, and how my phone and iPod would get damaged. I started thinking about how horrible my stomach felt and how my legs weren't cooperating (even though I was doing about 8:15 a mile). And despite knowing much better, despite having faced this situation 1,000 other times, despite knowing that this would be a high-order sell out, I stopped my run, got on the subway, and went home.
I don't think I've ever felt so defeated by a run before. I've stopped to walk, I've taken shortcuts, but I've never cut a run off so soon--I wasn't even half way through! For the past 24 hours I've been beating myself up over this. I've been thinking about what a wimp move that was, how I've had much, much bigger challenges and yesterday I just gave up without a fight. And then I started thinking about how I wouldn't be ready for this next race...and that's a whole other stream of thoughts. And then I started thinking how this could signal a downturn in my running, how I might never reach an 8 minute mile, how I'll never make it to a full marathon, how I'll have to just give up running all together. My demons have been in full swing since yesterday.
And then I realize--as I'm thinking all this--that perhaps I am taking all this running a bit too seriously. Maybe I should reevaluate my priorities when it comes to running. Or more specifically, maybe I'm pushing a bit too hard for this next race. I should really just concentrate on being prepared for it rather than having an amazing time. I did set a new half marathon personal record this year AND I plan to do my first full marathon this year--that is a lot to squish into 12 months. So maybe I should take the Fairfield race as my fun run for the year. If I improve my time, great, but if I don't, I'll still be in great shape for my fall marathon (whatever that turns out to be).
5.13.2007
Running clockwise
To cap off my first week of training for the Fairfield Half-Marathon I did what I intended to be a nice 5-mile run around Central Park: get some nice hill work, enjoy the beautiful spring day, etc. To spice it up a bit I plotted my run around the park clockwise, instead of counterclockwise like everyone else does. Here's what I learned:
1. Running against traffic is like swimming up stream. Suddenly, everyone is coming at you instead of running with you. Not that people were getting in my way, but psychologically it feels like you are running the wrong way--and that makes it very difficult to keep going forward.
2. As I was running I saw street signs that show that runners/walkers are supposed to go clockwise around the park and bicyclists are supposed to go counterclockwise. I don't think I had ever seen these signs before, probably because I had only seen them from behind. And this made me wonder: what crazy runner gets to the park at 5 in the morning and decides the direction of traffic for the rest of the day? Then this lead me to another question: is there ever not someone running in Central Park? I have seen people there at 10pm running as if it were the middle of the day. Or maybe it's one of those impossible questions, like: if a tree falls and no one is there does it make a sound?
3. One thing I noticed off the bat was that other runners looked at me. Now, if any New-York-ism is true it is that people do not make eye contact; actually, New Yorkers tend to not acknowledge anything around them, period. It's not so much a matter of being proud, it's really just a mechanism you develop in this city where everyone and everything is trying to get your attention. However, as I ran people just kept on looking at me--and I could tell because many of them weren't wearing sunglasses. It got to the point that in the first mile of my run I looked down at my shirt to see if there was something on it. I have to assume that it was because I was running face-to-face with 90% of the runners in the park, but it's still an awkward experience in a city where no one pays attention any stranger.
4. An amazing thing I realized was that the park looked entirely different running the wrong way around. I've run through the park dozens of times, but I really felt like I was in a different place. I'm used to seeing turns and hills and trees from one side, and now I was looking at everything "from behind" (so to speak). I even discovered a lake! As I was running north, up the west side of the park, I saw a lake on my left that I had never seen before--every other time I had past this point I was heading south, and with how this lake was laid out it was hidden if you where heading south.
5. The one running-related lesson I learned during this run was that I am starting from scratch again. It happens every time, but, as always, I thought this time would be different. I was in peak condition for Long Branch two weeks ago and now I feel I'm back to square one: I couldn't regulate my speed, I couldn't control my stride, my stomach was going haywire, I couldn't get into my music. I hate runs like this because they completely break me down and make me feel like I can't run at all. I guess this is what training is for: to get rid of the demons.
1. Running against traffic is like swimming up stream. Suddenly, everyone is coming at you instead of running with you. Not that people were getting in my way, but psychologically it feels like you are running the wrong way--and that makes it very difficult to keep going forward.
2. As I was running I saw street signs that show that runners/walkers are supposed to go clockwise around the park and bicyclists are supposed to go counterclockwise. I don't think I had ever seen these signs before, probably because I had only seen them from behind. And this made me wonder: what crazy runner gets to the park at 5 in the morning and decides the direction of traffic for the rest of the day? Then this lead me to another question: is there ever not someone running in Central Park? I have seen people there at 10pm running as if it were the middle of the day. Or maybe it's one of those impossible questions, like: if a tree falls and no one is there does it make a sound?
3. One thing I noticed off the bat was that other runners looked at me. Now, if any New-York-ism is true it is that people do not make eye contact; actually, New Yorkers tend to not acknowledge anything around them, period. It's not so much a matter of being proud, it's really just a mechanism you develop in this city where everyone and everything is trying to get your attention. However, as I ran people just kept on looking at me--and I could tell because many of them weren't wearing sunglasses. It got to the point that in the first mile of my run I looked down at my shirt to see if there was something on it. I have to assume that it was because I was running face-to-face with 90% of the runners in the park, but it's still an awkward experience in a city where no one pays attention any stranger.
4. An amazing thing I realized was that the park looked entirely different running the wrong way around. I've run through the park dozens of times, but I really felt like I was in a different place. I'm used to seeing turns and hills and trees from one side, and now I was looking at everything "from behind" (so to speak). I even discovered a lake! As I was running north, up the west side of the park, I saw a lake on my left that I had never seen before--every other time I had past this point I was heading south, and with how this lake was laid out it was hidden if you where heading south.
5. The one running-related lesson I learned during this run was that I am starting from scratch again. It happens every time, but, as always, I thought this time would be different. I was in peak condition for Long Branch two weeks ago and now I feel I'm back to square one: I couldn't regulate my speed, I couldn't control my stride, my stomach was going haywire, I couldn't get into my music. I hate runs like this because they completely break me down and make me feel like I can't run at all. I guess this is what training is for: to get rid of the demons.
5.11.2007
The new job
So in my infinite brillance I thought it would be just fine if I started a new job the day after I ran a Half-Marathon. I know, you were just thinking the same smart thing.
It actually sucks because since you're new, no one is there to share the excitement with you, which is a total runner's high killer. The one or two people who did ask how my weekend went didn't actually know how to respond to "oh, I ran a Half-Marathon yesterday." They kinda just smiled and said that's cool. And then the overshadowing tiredness didn't help at all.
But that was the first day. Things have been great ever since at the new place. Wonderful people. Unfortunately, I came just in time to start and finish a massive project in two weeks (at my old job I had two months to do it). So that has put a cramp in my running: gave myself a week off for a job well done at Long Branch and have since tried to get back to the gym, but no luck. May have to resort to mornings run, which my body will not like.
It actually sucks because since you're new, no one is there to share the excitement with you, which is a total runner's high killer. The one or two people who did ask how my weekend went didn't actually know how to respond to "oh, I ran a Half-Marathon yesterday." They kinda just smiled and said that's cool. And then the overshadowing tiredness didn't help at all.
But that was the first day. Things have been great ever since at the new place. Wonderful people. Unfortunately, I came just in time to start and finish a massive project in two weeks (at my old job I had two months to do it). So that has put a cramp in my running: gave myself a week off for a job well done at Long Branch and have since tried to get back to the gym, but no luck. May have to resort to mornings run, which my body will not like.
5.02.2007
Yes!
Holy sweet Jesus! I did it! No, I didn't just do it, I smashed it. Crushed it. Rolled over it with a steam roller and ate it for breakfast.My PR going into this race was 1:59:55. So my goal was to maintain a 9 minute pace for an end time of 1:57. I would have been happy with 1:57. I would have been exstatic with 1:55. But taking a whole six minutes off my PR--I just honestly did not think that was going to happen.
Here's a recap of the race/lessons learned on the run:
So I have issues sleeping before a race. I'm usually so excited and nervous before a race that I just can't sleep the night before. I learned the hard way at Disney where I did not sleep at all the night before and managed to FALL ASLEEP in the starting corral. Since then a swig of NyQuil has become part of my ritual the night before.
After on and off shallow sleeping for 7 hours I woke up at 5am. I ate two slices of bread with generous amounts of peanut butter, along with about half a gallon of water.
By 6:30 we were on the road to the starting line. This was the first time I had to drive myself to a race. And there were warnings that there would be major traffic delays and limited parking. So you can imagine the heart attack I had when, with only 30 minutes until the starting gun, we were stuck in a traffic jam 2 miles from the starting line. Turns out Long Branch just has a problem with some poorly timed traffic lights. We got through it pretty quick and I was able to park within a block of the starting line.
It was perfect weather: 55 degrees when I left the car and light overcast (i.e., there were patches where you could see the sky but we never got direct sunlight). I stood in line for the port-o-johns (one last chance before I hit the road) and stretched before heading over to the starting area.
At 7:27am I headed into the corral for the 4-hour marathoners /2-hour half-marathoners...but by the time I could find a place to stand I was with the 5-hour group (which I paid for later in the race).
7:29..I'm jumping in place, eager for the pre-race announcements to start.
7:30...no gun.
7:35...no gun.
7:40...still no gun.
7:42 the race director finally finds his way to the stage. At this point, I'm already starting to get hungry, so you can imagine I wasn't too happy about the delay. But after a few garbled words from the director, the special guests (who included Kathrine Switzer), and the Star-Spangled Banner, the gun finally went off at close to 7:50.
My memory from the course is spotty...as anyone's tends to be because all you're thinking about is putting one foot in front of the other. I thought it was hilarious that in the first mile I ran by a hot dog vendor setting up her cart ON THE COURSE, as if today were a regular day and there weren't 7,000 people running down the street in front of her.
The first 1/3 of the race took a lot of turns. When I saw this on the course map a few weeks ago I got to wondering how courses are measured. So I took a little trip over to USATF.com to see if they had their methodology posted. They did, and it turns out that courses are measured assuming that you hug the corners and take straight angles between S-turns...basically they assume runners take the shortest distance and calibrate the course so that everyone runs the advertised distance no matter what. So I didn't feel bad at all getting on the sidewalk and taking the straightest course.
I realized that this race was not for speed runners. So I got the slow people, which is fine. But combine them with the narrows roads of Long Branch and Monmouth, and you get lots of congestion through the first 4 miles of the race. It was a bit frustrating since I was trying to set a PR. But once we got to the straight-aways it was clear sailing.
Most of the race was uneventful, very few surprises. I loved the group of townhouses that decided to go all out for the race and cover all their porches with signs like: "Beer Hydration Stop Here" and "We're All Kenyans Today." However, I did learn how important food is during the race. Normally I go through one pack of GU during a race, just because that's all I thought I needed. But this race I took a different approach and ate my first GU pack at the 50 minute mark, grabbed some gummies at the 8 mile mark, and downed my second GU before hitting mile 11. So smart. Each time I ate it gave me a big boost of energy. So much energy that by mile 11 I was blasting by all the other runners. (And I started singing outloud to my iPod...which I didn't realize until I heard people laughing at me....)
At mile 12.1 (I presume) there was a huge banner with "One Mile to Go." At that point I looked at my watch and realized what time I was going to make. And then the tears came. It was sudden, a cathartic. I cried because I was about to destroy my old record. I cried for all the training runs that felt useless. I cried for all the years I was the fat kid. I cried for my tired body. I cried for all the people behind me that still had miles to go. I cried for every single thing in the damn universe.
And then I realized that I still had a mile to go.
So the tears had to be put on the shelf for now--I could cry when I was done. The last mile went by in a blur. I felt I was going a 1,000 miles per hour and getting no where. I could see the hotel next to the finish and it just would not get any closer no matter how much more I poured on the heat.
I started yelling and waving my arms to get the crowd excited. Thank you to the two girls that saw me barreling down the boardwalk and started cheering my name. I couldn't hear what you were saying (the downside to wearing phones headphones) but it helped a lot.
My only memory of the final few hundred yards was the finish line floating in the distance, never getting closer even though I could swear no human had ever run faster.
I stopped the second I touched the timing mats. It took me ten seconds to remember to turn off my watch. 1:53:52. Then someone took my timing chip off, someone handed me a medal and a bottle of water, and somehow I got a finisher's hat.
In a blur I looked for my wife. I say blur because when sweat mixes with tears it is impossible to see straight (or even keep your eyes open). When I found her in the mob I gave her the biggest hug I've ever given her (which is hard to say once you've known someone for 12 years). I wanted to pick her up and swing her around in one of those classic romantic comedy moves, but my legs were buckling under my own weight--I would have fallen on my ass if I had even tried to pick her up. I showed her my time and she lit up, and when she noticed I was still crying behind my sunglasses...well, I think it made her tear up a little bit too.
This is why I run. The feeling of elation after a race is enough to make you want to run a 1,000 more miles. It is a high that cannot be surpassed. Yes, the sensation is fleeting. Yes, there is lots of pain. And yes, there are plenty of times when it all seems like a bad idea. But crossing thet finish line propelled by nothing but your own two feet is one of the greatest accomplishments a human can achieve.
4.27.2007
On your mark, get ready, GO!
I just got back from the gym. I did a 30 minute run on the treadmill because it was pouring outside (you could call me a fair-weather runner). I couldn't concentrate for a damn minute because I'm too excited for Long Branch this weekend. I'm so excited to be back in my zone that I can't wait to hop in the car and head down to the Jersey Shore.
Additionally, yesterday was last day at my old job. Of course it's a relief to be out of there, but there's also an odd mix of emotions. Disappointment: I thought I was a tougher cookie and could handle my old agency for more than just two years. Anxiety: I'm leaving my team, they are only people I've worked with in advertising, so it's kinda like leaving your family. Happiness: I've spent the past two years on the same account, which made me feel stagnant, so I'm happy that is over...for now.
Some people were sad to see me go. Some just saw me as part of the natural turnover in advertising. Overall, I got out of my old job what I wanted: a solid foundation in advertising and a basis to start a long career in the industry. Here's to hoping the new job can deliver everything I want out of it: a creative atmosphere, a freer approach to advertising, and a healthier work environment.
Additionally, yesterday was last day at my old job. Of course it's a relief to be out of there, but there's also an odd mix of emotions. Disappointment: I thought I was a tougher cookie and could handle my old agency for more than just two years. Anxiety: I'm leaving my team, they are only people I've worked with in advertising, so it's kinda like leaving your family. Happiness: I've spent the past two years on the same account, which made me feel stagnant, so I'm happy that is over...for now.
Some people were sad to see me go. Some just saw me as part of the natural turnover in advertising. Overall, I got out of my old job what I wanted: a solid foundation in advertising and a basis to start a long career in the industry. Here's to hoping the new job can deliver everything I want out of it: a creative atmosphere, a freer approach to advertising, and a healthier work environment.
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