things i'm thankful for: new running sneakers!

ran 4 miles in these bad boys tonight.

think they've got a PR in them for sunday?!

love this.

i walk into a bodega on my block wearing my bib from the marathon tune-up race...

counter guy: ohhh was there a race today?

me: yea, there was an 18 mile race in central park.

counter guy: how many miles?

me: 18

counter guy: you ran 18 miles today?

me: yes

counter guy: at once?

me: yes

counter guy: wow - how long did that take you?

me: a little more than 3 hours

counter guy: so you ran for 3 hours today

me: yes

counter guy: 3 hours straight?

me: yes

counter guy: i don't even know what to say to that.

counter guy was obviously impressed... not impressed enough to give me my blue gatorade for free though.  maybe if i had run it in two hours..

suburban problems.

Source: Runners World 

this reminds me of that time i went running a few days after a snow storm and got absurdly cranky that people didn't shovel their sidewalks.  SHOVEL, PEOPLE, SHOVEL!!!

a new 5 mile PR and my fastest race to date!

5 miles in 45:27 (9:06 pace) 

stay tuned for a full recap.

things i'm thankful for: 2011 style.

in no particular order:

• my friends and family who support my crazy long distance running obsession
• my friends who ran double digits with me during a hot new york city summer
• nuun tablets
• blue gatorade
• sneakers in fun colors (mine are currently hot pink and i just ordered them in bright yellow)
• pizza
• fresh direct
• homemade french fries
• a seasonably warm fall
• central park
• the "free" shirt you get when you sign up for races
• the new york city marathon
• team for kids and everyone i have met through the organization
• that my body has been strong enough to tackle three marathons and countless other races (i am also hopeful that it stays this way!)
• free food of any kind
• my garmin forerunner (also, thanks to my parents for buying it as my birthday present)
• hot cocoa k-cups at work
• my favorite tv shows and dvr (himym, the sing off, castle, glee, new girl, modern family, happy endings, psych, big bang theory, bones)
• pasta and chicken parm (especially the night before a long run)
• windows in my new apartment
• water fountains on my running route
• the first sip of diet pepsi after a long, hot run
• the way my apartment smells after i just cleaned
• the nyc running blogs i follow (also, i truly believe these women should be my friends... new years resolution to try and run with them?  how do i invite myself to hang out with them without looking like a weirdo?)

happy thanksgiving all.  good luck to all turkey trotters tomorrow!

side note: i am a little freaked out at how many of those items are running related.  

i wanna be the person who writes these..

simultaneous recovery and training: great idea or the greatest idea?

it's been two full weeks since the nyc marathon and i'm still on my marathon PR high.

what is the statute of limitations on how long i can show my finish line photo?

also, not only was my name in the new york times, it is also on a wall in a manhattan subway station!

seen in columbus circle subway station:
"over 45,000 runners will tackle one of the most challenging races in the world.
the least we could do is recognize them by name."

so the past two weeks, i've been doing simultaneous recovery from the marathon and training for the las vegas half marathon on december 4.

my recovery/training has essentially looked like this:

monday, 11/7: OFF
tuesday, 11/8: OFF
wednesday, 11/9: easy bicycle for 30 minutes
thursday, 11/10: easy bicycle for 30 minutes
friday, 11/11: OFF
saturday, 11/12: easy 5 miles.

• i left my garmin at home for this run.  i know exactly the point where i hit 2.5 miles from home so i went out for an easy out-and-back run.  i didnt worry about pace, i didnt worry about time.  i just listened to my body and did what was comfortable.  it was perfect.

sunday, 11/13: light upper body lift and 20 minutes bicycle

monday, 11/14: easy 3 miles

tuesday, 11/15: OFF

wednesday, 11/16: easy 3 miles

thursday, 11/17: easy 3 miles

friday, 11/18: OFF

saturday 11/19: comfortable 8 miles

• the great part about training for another race just after a marathon is that i'm essentially in the best shape that i'll be in all year.  this was the first run where i wore my garmin since the marathon and i kept looking down, slightly shocked that i was so comfortable at the pace i was running.  i just went with it, knocking out an absolutely beautiful 8 miles in an autumn central park.  

this weekend, i'm looking to do a 10 mile run in preparation for the following weeks half-marathon.  i'm also getting closer to my goal of running 1,000 miles in 2011.  can i doooo it?  i think so :-)

stay tuned... i'll be turkey trotting this thursday.  happy running.

too true.

fans of the nyc marathon.

2011 ING NYC MARATHON - THE FANS from rook productions media on Vimeo.

running > working.

i will keel over before i slow down: NYC Marathon 2011.

start line:

• walk into corrals with lisa. there are port-a-potties in the corrals and i decide we should wait on the line and try to pee one more time before the race starts. it was after this that i decided that i was fully prepared to piss on myself if i had to pee during the marathon. i apologize if that just grossed you out.  okay, no i'm not.  

• once they open the corrals and the crowd starts walking forward to the start, everything just seems so surreal.  lisa and i cut through people trying to get as close to the start as possible.  someone sings god bless america and i cup my hands and say a silent prayer.  next up? new york, new york.  i cannot, for the life of me, not get choked up.  i sing, everyone sings.  it is one of the most magical moments i can imagine.  does any other marathon have a start like this?  

mile 1 (verrazano bridge):

• thank god i chose to wear the shorts! it is so unbelievably hot that i shed the two softball socks that were acting as arm warmers.  it's not even windy up here either.  in 2009, i ran the first 2 miles with my hands on my head trying to keep my hat on.  

mile 2 (verrazano bridge)

• the downhill and excitement is making me too fast.  i keep repeating to myself "save it, save it." also, my breathing is way off because i started the race all choked up from "new york, new york" and wasn't breathing correctly. awesome, 2 miles in and i have a side cramp. i massage my cramp and work on my breathing until we get into brooklyn.

brooklyn (miles 2-13)

• absolutely unbelievable.  brooklyn, you should be proud.  the crowd support was incredible.  the fans were loud and enthusiastic and i got choked up every time i thought about how much i love this city and how amazing new yorkers are (which was often, i spent most of brooklyn trying to suppress tears)
• I looked for Alison but missed her (again!)
• i laughed at the sign that said "you are the .1%"  someone is witty and knows their facts!  fyi, approximately .1% of the population has run a marathon.  

queens (miles 14-15)

• why is queens always a blur to me?  honestly, i cannot remember anything from this borough.  i had a rough time with the pulaski bridge this year (the bridge connecting brooklyn to queens) and i feel like i spent all my time in queens thinking about getting myself over the queensboro bridge.  

59th street bridge (miles 15-16)

• this bridge just sucks the life right out of you.  now, as much as this bridge sucks and as much as i was struggling, i did not want to slow down and i MOST DEFINITELY did not want to walk.  unfortunately, that was not the general consensus and i spent a lot of this bridge angrily going around walls of walkers.  annoying.
• also, i ran next to a young girl for part of this bridge and listened as she spoke out loud to herself "i'm coming mom, don't worry, i'm coming."  insert ang tears (again).

manhattan (miles 17-20)

• i get off the bridge, and suddenly, my left quad tightens up so badly that i legit feel like i cannot move my legs.  wtf?  well, left quad, you can suck it because i'm not walking.  so yea, i ran and massaged/slapped my left quad simultaneously for about a quarter mile or so, trying to ease the tension that was building.  

• i run along the left side of first avenue because i know thats where my family will be waiting.  i can't lie, i was extremely anxious to see them.  17+ miles with no familiar faces is rough.  

• right after the poland spring sponge station, i see my parents, seth, john, and uncle peter!  i wave frantically and blow a kiss, knowing that seeing them will hold me over until i get up to 116th street.

• after i pass the fam, i go back to massaging/slapping my quad.  stupid quad! what is wrong with you?!  
• at 116th, i run to the side to grab a gatorade from he-who-must-not-be-named. he passes me the gatorade and still running, i take a sip (which essentially means all the gatorade goes onto my shirt as opposed to in my mouth), and look up at him- "i'm hurt, but i will keel over before i slow down." when i think back to those words, i'm super impressed with myself.  who knew i had it in me?

• i see sunim before she sees me on 118th.  she jumps in to run with me for a little bit and tells me that i look great.  my response? "my quad hurts so f*cking bad!"  well, at least i didn't look like i was hurting!

bronx (miles 20-21)

• really loud this year.  good job, bronx.  also, mysterious quad tension kinda dissipates at this point.  guess all my massaging/hitting worked.  the whole time i was running through the bronx, all i could think about was just getting to the madison avenue bridge. i NEEDED to be in the last borough.  i NEEDED to be over the last bridge.

manhattan (miles 21-26.2)

• harlem, you rock.  seriously.  and it's not just because i live in you.  absolutely fantastic crowd support once we got back into manhattan.  i loves me some harlem.
• somewhere along madison avenue, i see asteria over on the side.  she holds up her bag of magic and says "you want?" UHHH YES! SIGN ME UP!  i took 2, with the instructions of chewing them really well and drinking water the next time i could.  i love these things.  they are magical tabs of glory. (don't ask me what they are because i have no clue... i'm assuming they're pure glycogen)
• before i saw asteria, my body was just giving out.  i couldn't go faster, everything was tight, everything hurt.  this was my "wall" and asteria was exactly where i needed her.  it's amazing how quick those little tablets (that look, taste, and have the consistency of chalk) kick in.  by the time i reached sunim on 118th and 5th, i felt good and i gave her the instructions- "tell my parents, 45 minutes."

• right before mile 22, there was a giant jumbotron that was playing messages that friends/family could upload to the asics website.  i stepped over a mat that would alert the system that i was in viewing distance of the jumbotron.  i knew my mom had uploaded a few so i made sure to look up.  i smiled.  this is what i saw:

• it was after i saw sunim that i just set out to zone out.  5th avenue is one giant uphill and honestly, i just did not want to remember this part.  i must have been completely in the zone because i didn't even realize when he-who-must-not-be-named jumped in and ran with me for a little bit.  i think at one point i turned to him and said "heyy, what are you doing here?"  me = delirious.

• once we turned into central park, i sighed just a little.  the absurd uphill was over and i could enjoy some downhills for a while.  at mile 24 i looked down at my watch.  i could PR.  i could PR by a solid 9 or 10 minutes unless something awful happened and i needed to crawl the next two miles. i also had two lovely gentlemen jump in to run with me right around this point.  thanks guys!

• i wanted to go faster, i really did.  the entire second 13.1 i wanted to go faster but my body just couldn't do it.  HOWEVER, once i saw the 800m sign, it was like every pain just evaporated and suddenly i was speedy gonzales.  i remember thinking to myself- "5 minutes. i can do anything for 5 more minutes." it's amazing how that happens.

finish line

• i gave it my all.  i was leaving nothing on this course.  an uphill .2 right after a 26 mile run? bring. it. on.
• i threw my hands up and just basked in it. 9 minute PR.  badass.

post-finish

• get my medal. i love being a pushy, little new yorker because i have no qualms about pushing in front of everyone.  give me my medal damnit!
• also, i cut the photo line.  woops!

• i grab a foil blanket and wrap myself up tight.  i might be hot now but i know i've got about 3 minutes before my teeth are chattering.  
• nyrr, good looks on the legit recovery bags this year.  
• i had a lovely little volunteer help me walk over to cherry hill where i was able to get the bag that i checked (helloooo sweatpants!).  

new york city, i love you.  you are worth it.  i'll see you next year for a sub-4:30.

walking/waddling to my family on 72nd and columbus.

4:40:47

marathon week 2011: everything BUT the marathon.

marathon week is quite possibly the most exciting week to be in nyc.  i love seeing the marathon signs lined up on the streets, the marathon ads on buses and in subways, the finish line up in central park.  the city takes on a whole new vibe and it is absolutely incredible.

thursday night i headed down to the marathon expo.  thursday is definitely the better day to go as i was actually able to walk around and enjoy myself.  the past two years i went on saturday.  bad, bad idea.

i walked out of the expo with the following:

• 2 pairs of asics gloves (one for mom, one for me)
• a marathon beer glass for dad
• a t-shirt for john
• a hot pink marathon running shirt for me 
• 2 tubes of nuun tablets and a (free!) nuun water bottle

friday night i fell asleep early, woke up to let seth in, and then went back to bed. saturday morning, my rents and my brother came in and we headed downtown to my uncle ronnie's awesome apartment near the finish line. it was such a relaxing day as all i did was sit on the couch, watch the michigan football game, and eat some food.  good looks.

after the game, we walked over to sambuca's where everyone carb-loaded for the marathon.  yea, that's right, my family and friends carb-load with me.  isn't it great that i have people who are willing to consume large portions of amazing pasta just so i don't have to eat alone? they are so selfless, i tell you.  

after dinner, we decided to walk over to the finish line since it was so close and neither john nor sunim has ever seen the finish.

i wanted to get even closer so we walked to right in front of the finish line.  everything was starting to feel real and it truly began to hit me that come tomorrow morning, i'd be running 26.2 miles with this exact spot in mind.  also, it was really weird how small the finish line looked.  i always remembered it being so much bigger.  (note: sunday when i ran through it around 3:30pm, it looked humongous).

we had bought tickets to see moneyball at lincoln center so we walked over to broadway from the finish line area.  i figured it was still early enough that i wasn't going to want to go to bed but i knew that i needed to be sitting down and relaxing.  a movie just seemed like the perfect choice.  also, moneyball is an awesome movie.  go see it.

after the movie, my parents went back to ronnie's apartment and i dropped seth and john off at harlem tavern, figuring they could go out and do their own carb-loading while i took a shower, got everything ready for the morning, and went to bed.  

unfortunately, those two are idiots and couldn't work my key to get into my apartment and i ended up having to get up to let them in around 1:30am.  FORTUNATELY FOR THEM, i was able to fall back asleep.  if i hadn't, i would have unleashed the wrath of a 1,000 suns on them.  

my alarm went off at 4:37 (totally normal time to set your alarm to), and i got myself out of bed.  thank you, daylight savings, for being the weekend of the marathon and allowing me an extra hour of sleep.  i had set up everything perfectly the night before so i was literally ready within minutes and was able to sit on my bed and relax until my car was due to come at 5:30am.

so glad i chose to run in the shorts. it was hot out!

i left my apartment before 5:30 so that i could wait in the lobby for the car to show up. when i got down the stairs, i see he-who-must-not-be-named sitting on the front steps. thank god he was there because the car never showed up and when i called, the dispatch woman told me that they were running on "more than an hour delay." UHHH HELLO?!? WAS SOMEONE GOING TO CALL ME?! DO YOU THINK I'M GOING TO THE PUBLIC LIBRARY AT 6AM TO READ A BOOK?!? I HAVE SOMEWHERE TO GO!

after lots of freaking out, he-who-must-not-be-named was able to run down a car and we were off to the public library to put me on a bus to staten island.  the bus system was surprisingly organized and well run.  had i known that this is what the bus was like, i probably wouldn't have freaked out as much as i had.  but ya know what, i was running a marathon that day, i'm allowed to be a little crazy.  

on the bus, i sat next to an older woman from london who was running her first marathon ever so she had lots of questions.  it was perfect because i love answering questions about marathon running and running the nyc marathon, in particular.  ya know, because i'm such an expert now. 

lisa and i waiting at fort wadsworth, staten island. 

i like to wait for the professional marathon pictures before i post a full marathon recap so definitely stay tuned!

congrats to all the nyc finishers this year!

a new marathon PR!

4:40:47.

today.

your biggest challenge isn't someone else.  it's the ache in your lungs and the burning in your legs, and the voice inside you that yells "CAN'T," but you don't listen.  you just push harder.  and then you hear the voice whisper "can."  and you discover that the person you thought you were is no match for the one you really are.

putting my heart before my knees.  see you at the finish line.

alec baldwin on the nyc marathon. absolutely amazing.

NYC Marathon Alex Baldwin prorez from Marc Beroza on Vimeo.

12 days of my favorite marathon/running quotes continues: 2 days left!!!

"You're running on guts. On fumes. Your muscles twitch.  You throw up.  You're delirious.  But you keep running because there's no way out of this hell you're in, because there's no way you're not crossing the finish line.  It's a misery that non-runners don't understand."

-Martine Costello

team to look out for on sunday: 24 family members of flight 93 victims.

"Many of the families of the Flight 93 victims have stayed close.  So close, in fact, that 24 of them will run in the New York City Marathon in November as a team ... You might recognize them.  They'll probably be wearing t-shirts that read: They didn't quit. Neither will we."

Read the entire Rick Reilly article here.

Thanks Meghan for the article!

3 days.

"we are different, in essence, from other men.  if you want to win something, run 100 meters. if you want to experience something, run a marathon."

-Emil Zatoper

#4 - "if you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon." (kathrine switzer)

#5

"There will be days you don't think you can run a marathon.  

There will be a lifetime of knowing you have."