Jingle Bell Jog

The Jingle Bell Jog was one of my favorite NYRR races last year when I ran with Jenny, so I was excited to run it again with Jenny and Joyce this year! The forecast was for 100% rain, but luckily it didn't start raining until we had finished, and the weather was pleasantly warm (45 degrees).

I wore my usual green Lucy jacket, with the race swag stripey tech socks and a Yankees cap. I knew I couldn't PR because it was my first run after the marathon, but I discussed pacing with Jenny, saying a 10:00 min/mile pace was a respectable effort. I ended up running it in 41:34 (Jenny finished at our target pace!), which was a 10:24 pace and probably the fastest I've run since September's one-mile race.

The first mile felt like it took ages, and a lot of it was uphill. The second and third went by more quickly, and I lost Jenny by stopping at the first water station. I skipped all the rest, but I wanted to take it easy, so I didn't sprint for the finish, though I probably could have. We all went to brunch at Stecchino, an Italian place, and I had a maple sausage eggs benedict and split it for Tom's steak and eggs.

My legs paid for the "speed" the next day, as they were thoroughly sore, reminding me how easily and quickly one can get out of running shape! I had planned to run with Heather at 8:00am but I canceled to sleep in. I'm looking forward to running this weekend and hope to get my mileage up to ~15 miles per week by the end of the month.

Jenny and I have our sights set on a sub-2 half in May, so we have a renewed desire to train properly for that goal.

Bronx 10-Miler Recap (Marathon Training Week 11)

On Saturday, Tom and I set out to run 5 miles and I promptly wanted to walk and/or quit. He made me finish the 5-mile loop and we rewarded ourselves with our usual post-run bagels.

On Sunday, I ran the Bronx 10-miler with Robyn on pretty tired legs (we walked a lot Friday and Saturday, not to mention the 5-mile run).  I met Robyn at the start and we were in the back of the pack, but with my legs, the 12-minute-mile pace felt just right.

The course was rather boring, with a long straight run down Grand Concourse (which reminded me of my least favorite part of the Brooklyn Half from Prospect Park to Coney Island boardwalk but with less crowd support). Robyn and I stayed together for the most part, even though she took a bathroom break (guess I was running really slowwwly)! The course was an out-and-back, so we cheered on the first-place runner--he looked so breezy and all smiles, it was really refreshing and exciting to see someone run with such joy and so effortlessly! Unlike my plodding along--Tom coined the word "plogging" to describe my running (plodding and jogging).

I walked through all but two water stops, and thank goodness I had my new iPod shuffle to help the miles go by. (Note to self: OneRepublic, Kesha and Katy Perry are much better running songs than A Fine Frenzy and Snow Patrol.) My legs and feet were hurting and I was thinking that all the pain was due to Robyn, who got me to sign up for this race and for the freakin marathon.

I made it to the finish line, and beamed and waved when I saw Tom waiting for me. He even brought me a bagel! He's the best! I was sore the rest of that day but I'm fine the day after.

Official finish time: 1:57:28, an 11:45 min/mile pace. Slower than my half-marathon time, but it was a hot day and I had tired legs.

Next week: 20 miles!!!

Fifth Avenue Mile Race Recap

I ran fast. My goal was 8:xx, which I told Robyn at the start. It was chilly at the start! Tom and I walked to the start at 5th Ave and 79th Street.

At the 1/4 marker, the clock read 2:19. At the 1/2 mile marker, it read 4:19. At the 3/4 mile marker, it read 6:13. I slowed down because my breathing was heavy and burning up my lungs and I knew I could make my goal time. Then when I checked my time via live tracking, I was surprised to see 7:37! I was coughing and having difficulty breathing the entire walk home, and downing a cup of water at Starbucks did little to help. Only after a hot shower did I start to feel better.

Tom says he runs fast all the time and he always feels like crap after. I think I'll never run that fast again. Or run the race ever again. I'll watch Tom and Leemo race it instead!

Ponytail flyin!

Queens 10K Race Recap

I "tapered" the week leading up to the race, which meant I was too lazy to actually run the tempo run I had scheduled this week and only did a slow 3 miles on the treadmill. I also went whitewater rafting the day before the race, which must have exhausted me more than I realized.

I started the race around 9:14-paced runners, which meant absolutely no weaving and dodging in the first mile. But it also meant that the runners I started with were much faster than my legs were capable of running that day.  I held on for the first mile, but immediately, my calf began cramping on the outer sides.  I skipped the first water station but went to all but the last after that.  I hung onto goal pace (sub-9:34) for the second mile, but with my leg hurting, I decided to ease off of goal pace and run comfortably because I didn't want to risk an injury and felt my training hadn't adequately prepared me to meet my goal.

The course was described as fast and flat, but it turns out that with all my hill training in Central Park, fast and flat may have contributed to my calves cramping, as I was using only certain muscles in my legs that I didn't always use for extended periods of time.  For miles 3-5, I just kept running and told myself not to walk at the very least.  I also hated the course, because we ran next to the highway and I felt like I was inhaling car exhaust.  It was rather disheartening to see so many people pass me, but I kept running, even if it was slow.  It also felt very humid and outside of the shade, it was getting HOT! I definitely perked up once we entered Corona Park again, because I was looking forward to seeing the giant globe and finishing.

Before we got to the globe, there was an out-and-back section, which was motivating to see the other runners coming back.  But it was also difficult to wonder when the turnaround point would come!  One girl kept huffing as she ran and she was annoying so I sped up so I wouldn't have to listen to her.  Once we turned into the park, I sped up more, excited at the prospect of finishing (and that globe!).  Once we hit the globe, I knew we were so close to the finish, so I sped up to probably a 9-minute mile (my Garmin only shows average pace and not instantaneous pace, so I only saw that my average pace dropped to about 9:24).

When I got to the finisher's chute, I began sprinting and passing up other runners.  I spotted Tom near the finish line, so I kicked it up into top speed and finished (too) strong.  I think I had way too much gas in the tank at the finish, and I should have run faster in miles 4-5.

Where did my neck go? Tom said I look like Kim Jong Il.

 

Flyin!

See yaaaa!

Tom got some great action shots!

I'm disappointed that I gave up so easily mentally.  I blame going out too fast and maybe rafting the day before. I'm not sure I'll try the 10K distance again, and I definitely won't be running the Queens 10K again.  I just really did not like the course.

My official time was 1:02:54, but I did overrun the course, and my Garmin said I ran 6.28 miles.  Even though I didn't meet my A goal, I met my B goal of PRing, which isn't a bad thing!

Afterwards, we ate dim sum in Flushing, then went to New Rochelle to have a barbecue and pool party.

Oakley 10K Race Recap

I somehow conned Joyce into signing up for the 10K even though she hated running.  She panicked a bit until I told her 10K is 6 miles, not 10 miles.  We trained together a few times and she even started to enjoy running!  We stopped by Lululemon after one run and bought matching skirts to wear to the race.  I even bought a neon pink top to match even though I'm usually a pink-hater.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to try for a PR (my last one was while hungover so I probably could beat that) or pace Joyce in her first 10K.  Given that I had not really trained all week (and had drank and eaten too much) and I have a 10K the next week, I decided to go at an easy pace.  However, in the heat and humidity, even a slower pace was really hard.  Our main goal: get cute race pictures in our matching pink + skirt combo!

We made it to the start just in time and started running along Central Park West.  I tried to stay on the right side the entire time, keeping an eye out for race photographers.  There were some speedwalkers we passed...at first.  Later in the race, they passed us right back up. -_-

I felt like the water stations should have been at every mile, but after mile 1, we didn't get one until the 5K/halfway point.  Running in the shade felt amazing and energized us (especially downhill), but running in the sun was TOUGH!  We were both super sweaty.  Harlem Hills worried me but we trucked up them like pros.  I was thankful we were going clockwise in the park, as we were hitting most of the big hills as downhills.

Coming down on the East Side of the park, I spotted a race photographer and we smiled and waved madly.  Then it occurred to me that I was flapping my bingo wings and the picture may not end up very flattering.  I pointed out bodies of water to motivate Joyce.  We walked through all the water stations to catch our breath and hydrate.

I told Joyce we'd speed up for the last mile, even if it was just slightly.  I tried hitting 10-minute miles, but Joyce sped up to an 11-minute mile.  At 800m, I told her only half a mile left! She replied, that long??  We eventually made it up the West Side of the Park and spotted the finish line.  I looked for Leemo, but he missed us and we missed him.

We took a lot of pictures and somehow ran into Alyssa!  We called Leemo afterward to meet us at the Smith for brunch, where I ate delicious biscuits and gravy with 3 poached eggs.  My stomach was a little unsettled before kayaking, but it calmed down enough to have an enjoyable kayaking experience in the beautiful Five Islands Park in New Rochelle.  I'm SO glad we didn't opt for free kayking in the Hudson.  There's probably a reason it's free...no one wants to touch that filthy water.

Three Half Marathons

NYRR Celebrate Israel 4-Mile Race Recap

Robyn (the usual person driving my signing up for races) asked if I wanted to run Celebrate Israel so she could get her 9 races for the 9+1 to qualify for the 2015 NYC Marathon. I have already run 5 races (NYC Half, Scotland 10K, Run as One 4M, Healthy Kidney 10K, and Brooklyn Half) and had already signed up for 5 more, but I said yes because it was $25 and would force me to wake up early and run. We'd be smarter than we were for the Healthy Kidney 10K and didn't go out dancing and drinking the night before the race.

I put the race into my Mindy-K training plan with a sub-9:31 pace goal to PR the distance. I had attempted two tempo runs, but had only done 3 out of 4 miles and 2 out of 4 miles. Running on a treadmill at 6.5-6.6 pace was difficult and tiring. The day before the race, I ran 3 miles around the Bridle Path in Central Park with Joyce (trail running always makes me SO SORE! but some Sticking and compression sleeves cured me quickly), and I had walked a lot with Erin and Kesi, so I wasn't sure if I'd be able to PR, so I told myself I'd see how I feel the day of the race.

Robyn slept over the night before the race because she knew she'd end up skipping it otherwise. We woke up at 7:05AM Sunday to get dressed and walk to the east side of Central Park at 72nd St. I had saved some bread from the dinner Tom and I ate the night before (gyro for me, chicken parm for him from Georgio's) but I ate so much for dinner I was still full when I woke up.

I started with Robyn in her corral. Even though I had to weave and dodge slower runners, I hate waiting alone for a race to start so if I'm with friends, I'd rather start in their corral. The race started at 8:00AM, but we crossed the start at 8:08AM. I told Tom to be at the finish line at 8:35AM if we ended up hitting 9:00-minute miles. Robyn and I stayed together the first mile, weaving around other runners/walkers/old people/kids. My legs felt great, but I wondered whether I'd be able to keep up the sub-9:00 pace over 4 miles.

I skipped the first water stop because I didn't feel thirsty. I kept running around slower runners, sometimes having to slow down significantly when people did not leave holes for passing. Kids would sprint past me and I would follow them. This run was better than the Healthy Kidney 10K, fewer people were walking (it seemed like everyone walked during that 10K, but it was really warm that day).

It was warm in the sunshine but luckily the Central Park loop is plenty shaded. Cat Hill used to destroy me on my runs with Tom, but he'd remarked how I've been getting stronger and faster when I run it. My slowest pace on the hill was 10:42 and my fastest was 6:40.  As we made our way up the east side, I hoped that we'd take the 102nd St. Transverse rather than going the Harlem Hills route. Seeing the runners ahead of me turning left at 105th St. gave me a mental boost to keep my speed up and to keep passing others. It helped that I knew running downtown on the west side of Central Park was easier.

My legs never felt fatigued and my breathing was never difficult (though it did get loud). I stopped at the second water stop and tried to power up the second hill. By the time I got to mile 3, I slowed down and began to question whether I wanted to push for a PR. I didn't want to burn my legs out. But when I saw my Garmin flashing 10:xx pace at me, I panicked and sped up. The third hill was much more difficult to power through, but I cruised down after the peak and knew at 96th St. that the race would be over soon and that the rest was downhill. My familiarity with Central Park helped my mental game in not giving up when I knew the end was close. I stopped at another water stop because I was getting pretty thirsty and could use the walk break.

Finally, I was at the 72nd St. Transverse. I scanned the spectators for Tom and Shu, knowing they'd probably be on the right side. I spotted Shu, waved in her face to her and Tom, then sped up to the finish line. I ran a personal best of 36:56, a 9:14-minute/mile pace.

I took an apple at the finish line and met up with Tom and waited for Robyn, who ran 40:00 exactly (not her goal of sub-10:00 minute/miles but still cool!). We ate empanadas, got haircuts, and got Baskin Robbins ice cream after the race. Next up: Oakley Women's 10K!