Racing Fun

Although there has been a lack of blogging about my NYC Marathon training, that doesn't mean I haven't been working my butt off (literally) with the team! This season has shown incredible progress and confidence boosting for everyone involved. My training runs with Team in Training have often been the highlights of my weeks - from hill workouts, to exploring new terrain on long runs, to exciting early morning races, to enjoying a sweaty, after practice drink and carb fest with my friends.

There is no denying that the beginning of the summer was brutal weatherwise. We stomached some intense heat, and I think that made us stronger now. Pair that with early hill workouts to build strength and high mileage to build confidence, and our season is as strong as I've ever seen team in training! It feels REALLY good to see improvement in my running and strength in general. I haven't seen PRs in races in over a year- and being able to obtain them effortlessly not only feels incredible, but natural.

I have run two races with New York Road Runners (and team in training) in the past month: The "Run for Central Park" 4-miler on July 17th (which I ran with an 8:16 min/mile pace- not bad for the beginning of the season), and the "Bronx Half Marathon" on August 15th. Lately, I have been questioning my love for endurance running. I really love running fast and hard, and you can't really do that during a marathon. Why do I run marathons then? For the mental aspect. The feeling of accomplishment in running a long distance or finishing an endurance event with confidence does so much for your mind and soul. As I've mentioned before in this blog: "Marathoning is a microcosm of your life- the strength and effort you use to push through this achievement is the same willpower used to fight through hard situations in life." The amount of struggle and speed doesn't reaallly matter so much- the point is that the person who begins a marathon is NOT the same person who ends one. Without fail.

That being said, it is a bit more fun when the run is easy. For the first time in a year and a half, I PR'd (PR=personal record) in a half marathon. I ran the Bronx in 1:55:15, which is an 8:45 min/mile pace and a 7 1/2 minute PR from the last Bronx half marathon in February of 2009. I think that is an impressive improvement, but it is even more impressive when you look at the time of my most recent half marathon: the Staten Island Half Marathon in October of 2009: 3:09:36, with a 14.28 min/mile pace. Wow.

Yes, it is nice to see improvement. However, I kind of just want to run fast all the time. We have been focusing our Tuesday night workouts on hills for the past month and a half. I cannot begin to express the joy I feel running REALLY HARD up a hill for a short amount of time. Running fast is fun and satisfying! It is impossible to run a half marathon or marathon at a sprint, or anywhere close to a sprint. I hope to get my marathon and half marathon times faster, but I don't expect to ever get that out of control "being chased by a wild animal" feeling when running an endurance event. Maybe for the last half mile (which is definitely fun!), but not throughout the race.

Which is why I would like to start focusing on adding some shorter races to my race diet. I signed up for the "5th Avenue Mile" on September 25th. That race is known for vomit inducing fast times, and I'm nervous and excited to see how much I can push my body! Sprinting is hard- and a mile is NOT a short distance to sprint.

I will also be running the Fitness Games 4-miler on September 11th- I am using it as a "test" - to see how much I can push my body at the end of a long run (I will be running do a 12-14 mile "long slow distance" previous to the 10AM race).

It is fun pushing my body. I am excited to see where this adventure takes me!

HOT HOT HOT

Ahh, we made it to July in NYC. It seems to be much hotter than last year, considering I made it through the entire summer without air conditioning last summer, and this summer I turned it on when it barely hit June.

The heat and humidity really affects a runner's happiness and stamina. It is so important to stay hydrated and cool. However, it is amazing what the human body can become accustomed to by pushing it to new limits!

On Sunday the 27th, Team in Training participated in one of the central park races- the "Achilles Hope and Possibility" 5-miler. It is a very inspiring and rewarding race because we run alongside disabled runners- it is truly amazing what they can do. 5 miles is a long run! Especially in extreme humidity!

This was Team in Training's first race of the season, so there were many first-time racers. Nervers were in the air, and so was heat and humidity. It was a pretty tough run, but my inner monologue was surprisingly calm. I remember looking back to past races, thinking that I wasn't going to make it, even in a silly 4 miler. This time, I just went with the flow. I didn't watch the clock, I didn't even wear a watch. I just ran. I feel like I could have pushed it more throughout the race, and especially at the end, but that's okay. Next time I'll be ready to bring it!

I ended up PRing (personal recording) in my 5 mile run with an 8:34 pace. This isn't completely accurate, because my PR in the 8000M (4.9 miles) is 8:17...but TECHNICALLY I PRed in the 5-miler. Yay!

Lauren and I ran a sweaty 8/10 miler on July 4th along the Hudson River on the West Side Highway Path. I'm so glad I brought a hat this time because my eyeballs definitely would have melted. Running on the westside highway the morning of July 4th has become kind of a tradition for us (2 years in a row)...hopefully we'll keep it up for 2011!

We have another TNT workout in the park tonight. It is supposed to be a high of 100 today. Ouch. Here is our workout from Coach Christine:

Pyramid speed workout: You'll be doing the upper 5 mile loop (72nd transverse to the north end of the park). Warm up from Cherry Hill heading east across the transverse, make a left to head north, continuing to warm up to E. 82nd (behind the Met). After your warm up, pick up the pace to your 5K race pace for 1 lamppost, then recover for 1 lamppost. Keep adding one lamppost to your 5K pace interval and your recovery interval (2 lampposts 5K, 2 lampposts recover, 3 lampposts 5K, 3 lampposts recover, etc.) until you reach 5 lampposts. After 5 lampposts, go back to 4 lampposts 5K, 4 lampposts recovery, and work your way back down the pyramid. Once you get back to one, start the pattern over again. Your 5K pace interval should feel like a hard effort – about 85% effort. Your breathing should get accelerated, but not totally out of control. Continue this pattern of running hard/recovering until you get to W. 81st St. (Delacorte Theater). From there, cool down back to Cherry Hill (don't miss the turn onto the 72nd St. transverse).

Stay Cool Everyone!

Sun and Rain

Training is back in full swing! I am back for season number 3 with Team in Training, running the NYC Marathon! I am very excited, especially since I get to be a mentor for the program again :)

So far, we have mainly been doing fun, "get to know the park" runs. I have met some amazing people who have made these runs much easier and more interesting.

Considering how much time we have to train for the NYC marathon (november 7th), it's really crazy to jump into intense training this soon. I was reading "Runner's World" yesterday (I know, I'm a geek), and according to their training calendar, people training for NYC shouldn't begin until July 17th! I guess this extra training cushion is a good thing, as long as you don't over-do it.

Our last three practices have consisted of a 5 mile tempo run, a long run on the Hudson, and a 5 mile interval run.

Last Tuesday (6/15) the advanced group did a 5 mile tempo run. The other groups were working on form, mainly upper body control. These are Coach Christine's tips on upper body form:

Keep your arms bent at a 90 degree angle.
Your arms should swing back and forth from your shoulder joint, not your elbow joint.
Arms should swing from the hip to chest high.
Keep your shoulders low (to prevent tightness of the neck area), back (not hunched forward), and relaxed (to open the chest area to facilitate breathing).
Keep your wrists relaxed. Your hands should be in a loose fist (as if you're holding an egg and don't want to break it.)
Avoid side-to-side arm swinging. Your arms should never cross the center of chest area.
Keep your posture tall and upright with a slight forward lean coming from the ankles, not your hips.
Keep your head up, looking in the same direction you're running (not looking down towards the ground or at your feet). Look forward in front of you approximately 10-20 meters.

I feel like after two seasons of TNT, I am pretty confident with my upper body form. So I went all out for the advanced group! This was our workout:

If you're not already familiar with them, tempo runs are important workouts in marathon training, especially if you're aiming for a specific time. A tempo run is a "comfortably hard" run. We run tempo runs at just slightly above our lactate threshold (when lactic acid starts to accumulate, causing our aerobic system to work harder). Doing regular tempo runs (properly) pushes our lactate threshold higher, helping us run faster and longer.
Course: 5 mile lower loop. From W. 62nd St., head north to the 102nd St. transverse. Make a right onto the 102nd St. transverse. Once you cross the transverse, make a right to head south on East Drive. Run all the way down East Drive, along the south end of the park. Come back up West Drive back to W. 62nd.

How to run it: Warm up (easy running) from W. 62nd St to W. 81nd (look for the lamppost or Delacorte Theater). From there, you'll start your tempo run. Continue tempo run across the 102nd St. transverse, down to E. 72nd (at the end of the 72nd St. transverse). From there, cool down (easy running) back to W. 62nd. Your tempo run pace should be a hard but controlled effort. If you've run a 10K recently, run about 15 seconds slower than your average pace. If you don’t have a 10K pace, run at about 80-85% effort. You should feel like you're working, but not racing. The effort should basically make you think, "It would feel pretty good to stop right now, but I can maintain this for longer." If you're able to maintain the same effort and close to an even pace throughout the 3 mile tempo, you did it right. If you're really struggling during the last tempo mile, you went too fast.

This run went surprisingly well. The trick is to not push it too hard in the beginning, which is something I (and most runners) make the mistake of doing. If you leave some energy in the tank for later in your run, you can run fast at the end! It is hard for our minds to trust and believe that, but it is true. A big part of our training consists of learning to trust that "negative split"- having a faster end than beginning.

ANYWAY, the point is I took it out easy, and ended strong. It felt good to run fast. Maybe I was pushing it too hard for the beginning of the season. Whatever, I don't care. It felt so good.


Our next practice was Saturday, June 19th. Instead of our usual run in Central Park, we were branching out to the West Side Highway, a gorgeous (and flat!) run along the Hudson. When I was preparing for my run, I was impressed with and proud of myself for remembering my "Body Glide" (for anti-chafing) and my sunglasses for my sensative eyes.

Lauren (my running buddy) and I decided on seven miles, which would take us from 72nd street to Charles street and back. A nice flat, slow run (We build up these long Saturday runs until we eventually get to 20 miles by the end of the season- yuck!). I didn't realize how incredibly sunny it would be. I have VERY sensative eyes. I had to keep them closed for at least three miles of this run. Luckily the path wasn't too crowded...I would have run into everybody! Even with my sunglasses, my eyeballs were sweating like crazy. I guess next time I'll need a visor! I think we are looking at a very hot summer...


Our most recent practice was last night, Tuesday June 22nd. I ran with the advanced group again for two reasons- because the other groups were doing the same workout as last week, and because Lauren made me. My stomach was feeling a little funny so I didn't want to push it, but she knew that I would feel better after I did.

This was our workout:

Advanced workout: We're assuming again that you don't need to work on your form (but feel free to join the other groups if you want to), so you're going to do a speed workout. You'll be doing the upper 5 mile loop (72nd transverse to the north end of the park). Warm up from Cherry Hill heading east across the transverse, make a left to head north, continuing to warm up to E. 82nd (behind the Met). After your warm up, pick up the pace to your 5K race pace for 2 minutes, then recover for 2 minutes. Your 5K pace interval should feel like a hard effort – about 85% effort. Your breathing should get accelerated, but not completely out of control. Continue this pattern of running hard/recovering until you get to W. 81st St. (Delacorte Theater). From there, cool down back to Cherry Hill (don't miss the turn onto the 72nd St. transverse). Make sure you have a watch to time your intervals!

This workout involved the upper five mile loop- which is scary because of all the hills! the top of the park involves "Harlem Hill"- a nemesis for most of the NYC runners I know. I'm sure Harlem Hill and I will become much more friendly later in the season when we get some hill repeat practices in :)

It was a hard, hard run. I love intervals, and when you say "two minutes" I will run really fast for two minutes. It was much easier to do that in the beginning. Once we got to the hill and beyond, it got a little rough and nauseating. The weather was disgusting- very hot and VERY humid. We got through the run though, just in time to exit the park and walk home during the torrential downpour. I have never been so soaked in my life. Ahh, the runner's life :)

And we ended with a 9:07 average pace for the 5 miles! Not so bad considering we took walk breaks during the off intervals....

This weekend: My brother's graduation from high school (and 18th birthday! wow!), and the 5-mile "Achilles Hope and Possibility" Race in the park on Sunday.

Have a great week!

Here we go again...

After the tough (yet rewarding!) training season last summer/fall, I was definitely ready to take a hiatus from running. The biggest mistake I made between my first and second marathons was the lack of rest. I did not take a break after running the Disney World marathon in January of 2009. It made sense- I had an amazing experience training for and running the Disney Marathon. I didn't want the season to end, so naturally, I kept it going in the only way I knew how- I signed up for countless races and kept running with my running buddies. I ran the Manhattan Half marathon 2 weeks after running Disney, which may seem crazy to most, but why not take advantage of the amazing running shape I was in? Besides, I wanted to get my "special prize" that you get from running all five of the Grand Prix borough half marathons in one year. (OK the special prize is just a patch- but it's the honor that counts!)

Needless to say, I unnecessarily over trained for no reason whatsoever. I had no big events coming up, and there was no reason for me to continue to do long training runs (except to keep my friend Lauren, who was training for a May marathon, company. I had to keep up with the gossip!).

Throughout my second marathon season, my race paces for every distance steadily got slower and slower. Running became emotionally and physically draining, and the only thing I wanted to was be injured so I could just quit. In a way, I was injured- mentally injured. Running was not fun. I couldn't keep up with the people I used to love to run with all the time. I was in desperate need of rest, and as soon as I crossed that finish line in San Francisco, I vowed that I would take a REAL break this time.

And I did! I took a short break from working out, and when I started again, I focused on easy strength training, yoga, and long NYC walks. When I eventually started running again, I would not go longer than two miles- at a very slow pace on the treadmill. If I was struggling to get through a workout, that was okay. I would try again next time.

All those factors got me back on track. Now I strength/cross about four days a week, and this has made running SO much easier. While I haven't really increased my mileage too much (generally won't run longer than a 5K), my speed has improved dramatically. I give full credit to the increased amount of strength/cross training, and intense interval runs.

I alternate between a few different interval workouts on the treadmill. I have stolen them all from the crossfit website, and even though they are simple and short, they can be hard! With interval training, the length of the workout is not as important as making sure are getting a killer ass-kicking. After these workouts, it takes an hour or two to get my face back to its normal color. And I sweat like crazy. It's pretty embarassing actually :)

The interval workout I started with is a .25 sprint alternated with a 90 second walk repeated 8 times.

.25 mile sprint

90 second walk

.25 mile sprint

90 second walk

.25 mile sprint

90 second walk

.25 mile sprint

90 second walk

.25 mile sprint

90 second walk

.25 mile sprint

90 second walk

.25 mile sprint

90 second walk

.25 mile sprint

DONE



1/4th mile may not seem like a long distance, but if you really push yourself (which is the point of this exercise), it will hurt! (in a good way)

The second interval workout I use is slightly more interesting.

1 mile sprint

rest 3 minutes

.75 mile sprint

rest 2 minutes

.50 mile sprint

rest 1 minute

.25 mile sprint

DONE

obviously, the goal is to get faster and faster with each shorter distance. and it is hard to push out a mile as fast as you can when you are not warmed up! This reminds me of our mile repeats we do with Team in Training- 1 mile as fast as you can alternated with a recovery mile- three times. The goal with that workout is to make the 3rd repeat your fastest. This almost never happens :) That workout will come later in the season, and I will keep you posted!

The most recent interval workout I have incorporated uses half mile sprints.

.5 mile sprint

2 minute walk

.5 mile sprint

2 minute walk

.5 mile sprint

2 minute walk

.5 mile sprint

DONE

For some reason this one has become the hardest one. I think this is because I try to run the half miles at the same speed I would run a 1/4 mile. Whatever the reason, I don't really care.

These workouts really work, and none of them will ever take longer than 25 minutes. Intervals always work if you push yourself hard enough. They will make you faster and stronger in every aspect of your life. I have watched my regular 5K workouts get easier and faster without any tears and stress.

I have just begun training for the New York City Marathon with Team in Training (my 3rd season!). So far I have been taking it easy, and not doing to much too soon. I am very interested in seeing how my new attitude and workout regime affects this season.

Back on my feet

I must admit, the last month and a half of my workouts have not been terribly exciting. I am back on the treadmill, and due to the most recent weather shift in NYC, I'm also back in the park! (I give much credit to my running buddy Lauren for getting me out there!)

I have been experimenting with a few interval workouts on the treadmill. I was looking for something with high intensity that would get my heartrate up but not scare me away from running again. The first model I used was the "5, 4, 3, 2, 1" workout. This is a 30 minute interval run where you begin at a moderate speed for 5 minutes and increase the speed by .5mph for 4 minutes, increase by .5 for 3 minutes, etc. For example:

6MPH 5 min
6.5MPH 4 min
7MPH 3 min
7.5 MPH 2 min
8 MPH 1 min
REPEAT

This was a great way to ease my body back into high speeds again. And it DID make me go faster. On days that I wouldn't have much time on the treadmill, I would turn it into a 4, 3, 2, 1 workout. Eventually, I would forgo the 5 altogether and do 3 sets of 4, 3, 2, 1. I was also able to increase the inital speeds and inclines once I became more comfortable.

Unfortunately, I had done just that. Become TOO comfortable with these workouts. Coach Ramon used to tell us that "pain is weakness leaving the body." You need to feel that pain in your training in order to see results. So I went searching for another workout.

I found a workout on the Crossfit website last week that I decided to experiment with.

8 rounds of:
Run 400 meters
Rest 90 seconds

Post total time to comments not including 8th rest.

I was a little skeptical about having such long periods of rest (90 seconds). Isn't resting for the weak? I don't need a break that often! And it's true, I didn't need breaks that long. BUT the 90 seconds of of rest (My rest was a 3.0 MPH pace) every .25 miles allowed my heart rate to slow down enough so my next interval really packed a punch. Extreme changes in heartrate and intensity will warrent the most extreme results, which is why someone doing fast intervals will usually be in better shape than a strictly endurance athlete.

Also, the rest periods allowed me to get to some pretty fast speeds: 10 MPH and faster!

I think these new interval workouts really impacted the success of my race on Sunday. THis Sunday morning, March 7th, I ran the Coogans 5K. This is one of my favorite races, A) because it is only a 5K (a short distance to race) and B) because the race takes place mere steps outside my apartment. Despite all that, I would have been very ready to forgo the race had it not been for my friend, Lauren, who's race number I'd promised to pick up. I had spent the previous night dancing, drinking, AND carb-loading with a slice of pizza at 4AM. By race time, I was running on 2 1/2 hours of sleep with vodka running through my veins.

All these factors led to one of the most successful and enjoyable races of my running career. I don't know if it was because there was zero pressure for me to succeed, or if I had discovered the magic race combination of Vodka + pizza - sleep; but regardless, I am not going to overthink it. For the first time in about a year, I had a truly great run that will hopefully boost my confidence for future runs.

Also, I REALLY enjoyed racing to my "In the Heights" soundtrack. Very appropriate for the neighborhood :)

In other news...

Believe it or not, it is almost time for fall marathon season! I went to a team in training meeting on MOnday night, and now am full force into Team in Training marathon mode. I am very excited to start training again (for the NYC marathon!) in May.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of the beautiful weather!

a busy month of travel!

I'm sorry it has been so long since I've posted, especially since so many exciting things have happened! Like A MARATHON.

Two weeks ago, I headed out to San Francisco (my first time on the west coast!) to run the Nike Women's Marathon. I was nervous, excited, relieved and sad (all at once!) for that weekend. Nervous, because I knew what I was getting myself into. Excited, because team in training is an AWESOME group and I knew I'd have an incredible time. Relieved, because I knew that come Monday, I wouldn't have to run for a VERY long time. And sad, because this incredible group I've been running with for five months was reaching the conclusion of its time together.

San Francisco is a great city. I would love to be able to explore the city (and not on foot. for 26.2 miles). I feel like I really associate with the laid back vibe of the city. People are friendly. The food is good. The only aspect I didn't really like was the HILLS. My friend Lauren had a great idea for exploring the city without tiring our legs out before the race. We took one of those double decker tour buses and got to see everything without wasting any energy! I felt very much like a tourist.

The race was very hard. It was a much tougher course than I imagined, and the hills kept coming. I was, however, proud that I completed it no matter how miserable I felt the entire time. This is what I wrote in my journal the morning of the race as kind of a pep talk:

"Marathoning is a microcosm of your life- the strength and effort you use to push through this achievement is the same willpower used to fight through hard situations in life.

I can do this. And I'm going to have fun.

Think about what I am running for. Think about life and what I want to do.

It's just running. I just need to make it from the start sign to the finish. Easy :-)"


This is why running is so emotional for so many people. It becomes much more than just running- it becomes your self. When you devote so much time to one event, your success or failure can really mess with your mind and spirit. Coach Ramon insisted that the achievement of an endurance event is not about race day- it's about the training and hard work you put into it. That being said, the person who starts a marathon is not the same person who finishes one. While running, you have so much time to think about giving up, and that makes it so much more rewarding when you cross ths finish line. This particular marathon was a very teary-eyed one for many- I'm sure our coaches were very relieved when they didn't have to deal with our emotions anymore :-)

From now on, fall will always equal marathon season for me. And New York City is the place to be to experience the marathon magic. This weekend, New York was a very exciting place. Not only was it Halloween weekend (on a Saturday no less!) but it was also marathon weekend. For the first time, I actually got to be a spectator at a race and witness (instead of experience!) the true emotional sport marathon running is.

Have a wonderful week! I'll post more about the marathon(s) soon.

taper!

Tapering! The best part of training. Now that I've completed my last long run, it's time to cut back on the mileage and reap the benefits of recovery. It is so hard to imagine tacking on an extra 6 miles to my long run, but in reality, we have all the strength we need to run a full marathon (well, after training. Our coaches are smart). Here's a nice quote from Runner's World: "Your legs get you through the first 10 miles. Your mind gets you through the next 10 miles. Your heart gets you to the finish line." - So true. Training for a marathon is not only a huge accomplishment, but also a huge time commitment. Anyone can run a marathon without training (and feel the pain during and afterwards)- but a training program will really make you confident about your run. Plus, Team in Training is such an amazing, close group; I would recommend it to everyone.

Our email from Coach Ramon about our workout tonight:

The workout: Warm up from Bethesda down the east side to 59th st and 7th avenue entrance of the park. From there
start you 1st of 3 pick ups:

1st : 59th & 7th to West 90th street. RECOVER to 102nd street
2nd West 102nd to110th (bottom of Harlem hill) TURN AROUND and back to West 102nd Street RECOVER to West 90th street.
3rd : West 90th to Bethesda.

How to run the workout: 3 pick ups 3 paces.

1st : This is a long pick up. Run this at your marathon goal time(if you have one) or about 75% effort if you don't
2nd: Push this part of it. You have 2 uphills (specially designed for SF participants). Run Hard up and down both sets.
You want to be pretty tired by the time you get back to 102nd street. This should be done at 80+% effort.
3rd: Run for your life. This is about 1.2 miles to Bethesda. But this is a fast part of the park as it is mostly downhill. Do not be shy,
push. This is the part where you work on your turnover once your legs are tired. This should be done at aroudn 85+% .

Goal of the workout: Once more we are working on our discipline, on our pacing and our fitness.
You need to have the discipline to hold back on the first and longest part of the workout, eventually put some effort and work thru some controlable discomfort during the 2nd pickup and then be brave to deal with real discomfort on the last one...
If you find yourself not being able to pick up the pace or effort on the 3rd pickup, it tells me you went too hard on the first 2.
If you did learn from it, if you didn't do the same on race day !

The exciting part, is that this is our last hard workout until race day! Until then, I am rewarding myself with intense core fusion classes and long city walks :-)



Last night, I tried a great new vegan place on the Upper West Side called "Peacefood." I ran downtown (literally) from my class at school(my class was from 6-9pm!) and stopped in for some dessert. I got a blueberry cream biscuit and chocolate chip cookie. All vegan. I am excited to try some of the more savory dishes, because I was very impressed with the desserts! I especially love its proximity to areas I frequent often :-)

Heat Wave in NYC

Happy Friday!

I have taken great pride in not turning on my air conditioning all summer. Some may call me crazy, but I have managed to survive up to this point in my fifth floor walk up in Washington Heights without hiking up my utilities bill with "unnecessary" air conditioning. (okay, fine: the reason for not turning on the air is less of a money saving endeavor as it is pure laziness. I can't fit the plug behind my bed and I'm too lazy to find a solution).

New York City has been brutal for the past week. The weather has been hoovering in the 90s all day and all night, and suddenly, that lack of air conditioning has become brutally apparent. (Don't worry- I do have fans. AND I'm still alive. I think I'm going to stick it out until next summer).

What is more scary than the thought of trying to sleep in the sweltering heat, is trying to RUN in the sweltering heat. I was very nervous for the half marathon on Sunday; people were dropping like flies. Seriously. Stretchers were everywhere. Luckily, the race was early enough and there were enough water/gatorade stations for me to feel okay. Tuesday night practice was a different story. We got this email from Ramon on Monday night:

NOTE: DUE TO THE EXPECTED WEATHER, I AM MAKING A COUPLE OF CHANGES TO THIS WEEK'S WORKOUT
(you see, I do have a soft side and do have a heart )

MEETING SPOT: URBAN ATHLETICS AT 6:35 PM

WE will have 2 Workout options, you make you own decision which one you want to attend:

OPTION 1: Meet at 90th street at benches (inside park) for a 5-6 Miles EASY Hot/sweaty/sucky run !!
OPTION 2: Meet at 97th street off 5th (inside the park) for a Cross Training Killing Workout + Running !!

You decide which of the workouts/options you want to do, just go to the proper location.

NOTE: KEEP in mind that if the weather gets better, the coaches could/may change the workout at the last minute.

I was verrry relieved. Plus, I LOVE cross training workouts! After this marathon, I'm going to take a nice, long break from running and devote myself to strength training and yoga. I want to be toned!

Tuesday night was very very hot. We were sweating profusely by the end of our warm up to the edge of Harlem Hill at 108th. I was very grateful that Ramon was going easy on us by making us hold 90 degree squats for minutes at a time (right). Unfortunately, Ramon took advantage of his authority to change the workout at the last minute (in his note at the bottom of his email). Yes, we were going to do lots of cross training (in the form of squats), but we were going to break up the monotony of the squats by running Harlem Hill! and he meant push it. I wasn't feeling all that great, so I didn't go to my limit. But it was still HARD. We did 4 sets of hills/squats, called it a day and jogged back to Urban Athletics. Oh, we didn't even stretch. It was too hot out :-)

Exciting news: I bought new sneakers on Tuesday! After the half marathon on Sunday, I noticed that my sneakers were a little worn in. It was time for change. I went down to Jack Rabbit Sports on 14th and 6th and tried on a few different pairs. I love Jack Rabbit. They are awesome because they pick out some shoes based on what you need (for me, I need a good stability shoe. I run outward too much) and then you get to try them on the treadmill while a camera videotapes you! My last three pairs have been Saucony brand (2 of them being the Hurricane). I love Saucony, they are great for stability, however, I've been feeling that they've been a little "mushy" around the ankles. This time, I opted for the Brooks Adrenaline brand- they were snugger around the ankles, and loser at the toe of the shoe. I wish they had a size 8 1/4- I seemed to need one of those "in-between" sizes- but it is better to go bigger than smaller. Here's the shoe:



So, I've been breaking these shoes in. Will let you know my full report when they've been beaten up enough.


I have recently starting seeing a nutrition counselor. This is mainly for digestive reasons; making me feel better about the foods I eat and giving me more energy for daily life and my workouts. Some of the most important things I've learned and have tried to incorporate are 1) eating light to heavy throughout the day and 2) food combining.

There are many misconceptions about eating a big meal at the beginning of the day. The truth is, digestion is a lot of hard work for the body, and the less work your body has to do, the more energy you will have. This doesn't mean it's good to starve yourself all day (very bad actually!). I am just trying to eat lighter and simpler meals for breakfast and lunch, and save dinner to really satisfy myself and signal that the day is over!

Food combining is a simple concept: Foods from different food groups (protein, starch, nuts, and fruits) digest at different rates, and therefore eating them together slows down and clogs digestion, making the body work harder. Vegetables are neutral, so you can eat them with anything. I have been trying to avoid combining the 2 biggest groups, proteins and starches. This simple change has made a huge difference in how I feel. I really notice when I miscombine now, especially before a hard run.

On Thursday, I not only ate a huge meal of Indian food early in the day, but I also ate my proteins with my starches. I had planned on doing hill repeats a few hours later. Not a good combintation. After my hour and a half food-coma induced nap, I begrudgingly pulled on my running clothes and dragged myself to do some Cat Hill repeats. I am very impressed that I was able to get a workout when I kept wanting to vomit everytime I pushed myself up the hill (sorry, too much information). I guess this is how you learn! And I will continue to work on the light-heavy concept and food combining, no matter how good Indian food sounds at 1PM. I'm going to blame my roommate Brian for being a bad influence :-)

Tomorrows's workout- the last Saturday of Summer Streets. I am scheduled for a 16 miler at 7AM. Woohoo!


PS- Recently became obsessed with young thai coconuts and the raw, unpasturized water inside. Yum. Natural electrolytes! This is truly nature's candy.

NYC half marathon!

So the reason I haven't posted in over a week, is that I missed practice Tuesday night (gasp!). Instead, I got guilted into taking the yearly trip to Six Flags Great Adventure with the boys. As much as I love spending time with these boys, I tend to get tired very quickly at amusement parks. I was ready to go home by 2PM. Unfortunately, the first bus did not leave until 6:30, which resulted in missing my Tuesday night tempo run. This was the description of the workout:

ADVANCE WORKOUT

YOU are doing a nice little tempo run. Nice and steady !

Course: From your meeting location at East 72nd. You will do a 6 mile loop of the park, by heading north on east side, around north end of park, south on westside, around south end of park, and north on east to finish at East 72nd.

How to approach it: You have done it before. Do a little warm up, from East 72nd to East 90th (1 mile) and then start your tempo run.
Again, the tempo run should be run at a controlled challenging equal effort pace, for those that have a 10k time, it should be about 20 seconds slower per mile than your 10k pace (maybe 25 if it's hot tomorrow)
The key is to maintain the effort even thru out most of the run, focus on the breathing, your speed should change on the up, down and flats.
Your effort could be a bit higher towards the end as you get tired and dehydrated, but because your body is tired, not because you try to put more effort.

I was planning on doing this workout later in the week, or that night if I had the energy, but six flags really tired me out! I bet I walked more than 6 miles that day anyway...and I needed to taper for the NYC half marathon today!



Brian (the roommate) and I



I quickly and discreetly took this picture at the photo viewing area. The people working there were not happy with me. I'm the one with my arms up :-)





NYC HALF MARATHON.

It was hot. When I woke up at 5AM and it was already 73 degrees, I knew the weather would be a problem. This was a very slow race for me. The combination of the heat, amount of people and having to use the bathroom at MILE TWELVE (I know. it was annoying) resulted in a half marathon that was about 15 minutes slower than my slowest half marathon to date (This was my fourth half marathon. My next one is the Queens half marathon on September 20th. Hopefully I'll blow that one out of the water!)

Despite the disappointment of not making a "personal record" (PR) or even close to that, I had a great time today. The race started in the park, and after 7.5 miles, we ran down 7th Ave. from 59th street all the way to Times Square. (At this point, one of our coaches, Rev, joined me on the run. I must have looked realllly bad because she kept checking to make sure I had enough electrolytes).

Running down 7th Ave. towards Times Square was the funnest part of the race- I loved running in an area so familiar and dear to me without having to worry about traffic or tourists (with the exception of the ones cheering for us!). There was even a giant karaokee screen and people singing "Mamma Mia," which was definitely a highlight. I almost joined in, and then realized that if I was running slowly enough to sing, that was not good. Oops.

We then turned right onto 42nd street and left onto 12th Ave. by the Hudson. We continued south until we reached the finish line at Battery Park. This was the biggest race I have ever run in New York, and had far more of a cheering section than any of the other NYRR races in the park. The support for Team In Training was incredible, and I was VERY glad I was wearing my TNT racing shirt. It made me very popular on the course.

After my mandatory bathroom break at mile 12 (I was very upset about having to take this break. I never stop during races. EVER), I knew that there was no chance that I could get a good time. So, I enjoyed the end of the race and ran in really fast at the end! That's my favorite part- as soon as I see the finish line, I sprint as fast as possible and pass everyone. This shows that yes, I do have the speed, and maybe I should use it throughout the race and not just save it for the end. But its so rewarding to go fast at the end! It makes it all worth it :-)

Race pictures to come! Hopefully the race photographers got some nice, smiling ones of me. Not sad, electrolyte and energy deprived ones.

Treats (and streets) of the summer!

Some food news!

On Wednesday night, a few of my friends and I went to Dinosaur BBQ (it may seem this is the only place we frequent. In reality, we can only handle it once a month or so).

I tried to vary my choices a little bit this time. After waiting over an hour and a half for a table for 6, we were ready to eat. I opted for the ultimate BLT (a regular BLT with fried green tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes. incredible. and a TON of bacon) with 2 sides. For my 2 sides, I got the soup of the day (potato corn chowder) and the vegetable of the day (a green bean salad with a balsamic vinaigrette-very refreshing). I was feeling adventurous for sure! I don't think I've ever enjoyed a meal more (especially after waiting 2 hours for it! and after consuming a Dogfish Head Raison D'etre at 8%...)

We then headed down to George Keeley's, a beer bar on 83rd and Amsterdam. What's cool about Keeley's is they give you free popcorn (!!!!) and you can bring dogs. We didn't have a dog with us, but that's still pretty cool. Also, the beer is awesome. All in all, a successful evening for food and drink, even though my tummy was very full by the end of it.

I've also forgotten how much I love bubble tea. A friend gave me a recommendation for this Chinese/Japanese Restaurant on 72nd and Amsterdam called "Ivy's Cafe." I researched it further, and apparently it has quite the reputation for having some of the best bubble tea in NYC. I tried the "taro" flavor yesterday. I didn't even know what a taro is (some kind of root? I'll describe the flavor as "purple." Kind of tasted like rice pudding. mmm!). Anyway, the tea was fantastic and I had to restrain myself from going today after my long run (I don't want to be known as bubble tea girl). Some other flavors that were recommended to me were coconut and almond. I can't wait to try those also!


My Long run today:

Instead of running the monotonous central park loop over and over again, we ran on Park Ave! For three Saturdays from 7AM to 1PM starting today, traffic is closed on Park Ave up to 72nd st for a program called "Summer Streets." Team in Training had the honor of kicking off the celebration and being the first to run! Mayor Bloomberg was supposed to run with us, but inevitably his bed seemed more inviting at 7:30 in the morning. The route was from the base of City Hall to 72nd st. and back. You could add or subtract distance based on how much mileage you wanted to cover. Those of us running the NYC half marathon next Sunday has a dilemma- should we taper and only do eight miles (the coach's recommendation for those running the half) or go all out with the 15 miles Ramon recommended for the advanced group? Tapering is important before an endurance event because it gives the body time to rest and absorb the work you have already done. The NYC half marathon is many TNTers' main event of the season. If I really wanted to race and put all my effort of the season into it, I would definitely taper. However, my main goal is to rock it in San Francisco for the marathon in October. So I compromised....kind of. I had made up my mind to run to 72nd and back (9 miles) and if I had a lot of energy, I would keep going. Because I had made the decision to run a short(ish) distance, I didn't take my GUs (nutrition runners should consume during long runs). I ended up running 13.5 miles (to 72nd and back and then back up to 72nd). I was weak, dehydrated and dizzy from the lack of nutrition and water on the way (I had carried one waterbottle, but it wasn't enough. And there weren't many waterstops). Other than that, I had a great time! I never make it to that part of the city and was excited to explore a completely different world than the one I frequent. For most of the run I ran with my running buddy Nicole. We even got to pass her wedding venue! (68th and Park)

She turned around at 24th st. on our 2nd lap and I kept running uptown, with the intention of getting on the next subway I saw. Unfortunately (and fortunately) I met up with 2 other TNTers who wanted to go all the way to 72nd.

Overachievers.

So I felt like I had to accompany them all the way to the end, even though I felt like crap. BUT I did get that sense of accomplishment in :-) It ended up being a 13.5 mile run. Waking up at 5AM followed by a 13.5 mile run followed by a visit from my mother and work from 1 - 10:30 = a lonnngg day.

Hopefully my taper for the rest of the week will go better. I think Ramon would call what I ran today "misbehaving."

hills and prayers

Harlem Hill is much longer than I thought.

We began Tuesday night's practice at our meeting spot at 86th street in the bridle path on the east side. I thought this was an interesting meeting spot, considering we were running harlem hill repeats, which doesn't even start until 107th st (approximately). We had a 1.5 mile warm-up and then we were supposed to push all the way to the top of harlem hill and recover down. Seems simple enough. Unfortunately, I underestimated the length of the hill. My 1st repeat I took out confidently, and quickly. I thought the hill would never end. Towards the top my breathing became heavy and labored, even though I wasn't moving quickly at all (it's all about effort; not speed...). ANYWAY, since my recoveries down the hill were SO slow (I could have been walking), I only ended up getting 5 repeats in. Most people got 6. Hmph. I was happy enough to finish that last hill and run back to stretch though! My legs DID NOT want to move after all those hills. As one of my teammates stated on our cooldown to the stretching area, "Why does this feel like mile 23?"

The point of the workout was to get the lactic acid to build up and teach the body to recycle it quickly. That must have been why my legs were so sluggish at the end. All in all, a hard workout, and a GOOD night's sleep!

On a sadder note...

On Tuesday night, Pat McCormick (Kate's dad) lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. He was recently taken off chemo and has been spending time at home for the past week. He is finally whole and well again, and in no more pain. He was one of the best men I knew, and has raised a wonderful, beautiful family. He will be greatly missed and I hope anyone reading this will extend their prayers to him and his family.

Here is his obituary:

PATRICK DEAN MCCORMICK

Patrick Dean McCormick, 52, Henderson, Kentucky, died of pancreatic/liver cancer at 10:25 p.m. Tuesday, August 4, 2009, at his home.
He was a piano tuner and technician, wonderful jazz pianist, but more importantly, the nicest man you could ever hope to meet. He was a member of First United Methodist Church in Henderson, where he was organist until March of this year. Pat loved to play the piano, and his music was enjoyed by many throughout the tri-state area.
He was preceded in death by his father, Carlos Archie McCormick, and his father-in-law, Charles William “Bill” McClure.
Survivors include his wife of 30 years, Heather McCormick; one son, Seth Patrick McCormick of Henderson; one daughter, Meredith Kate McCormick of Henderson; his mother, Juanita McCormick of Harrisburg, Illinois; one brother, Steve McCormick and his wife, Janice, of Harrisburg; nephew, Brad McCormick and his wife, Sherie, and their four children of Harrisburg; nephew, Mike McCormick and his wife, Penny, and their three children of Harrisburg; niece, Sheena Lowrey and her husband, Talon, of Harrisburg; mother-in-law, Mary Ann Blackwell and her husband, Chap, of Columbus, Indiana; brother-in-law, Brett McClure and his wife, Kim, and their sons, Alex and Drew, all of Anchorage, Kentucky.
Services will be at noon Saturday at First United Methodist Church. The Reverend Gary Chapman and the Reverend Willard Knipp will officiate. Private family burial will be in Fernwood Cemetery.
Friends may call from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Saturday at Rudy-Rowland Funeral Home.
Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to American Cancer Society, First United Methodist Church Music Ministry, or St. Anthony’s Hospice.
Honorary pallbearers will be members of the choirs and praise teams at First United Methodist Church and Chapel Hill United Methodist Church and the musicians with whom Pat has enjoyed playing throughout his musical career.

hills in the heat

Coach Ramon's Email about tonight's workout:

ADVANCE WORKOUT


Course: hmmmm..... you are doing the Harlem Hill !! lucky you !!

The workout: simple, up and down Harlem hill for as long as the coaches want to keep you there.

Goal of the workout: pure strengthening workout. No much to cover here.
Push the way up, recover the way down. This will strengthen your calf, hip, quad muscles as it will give your aerobic system a good push therefore making your fitter !!
This is a long uphill, concentrate on effort not speed, don't think or focus on keeping speed, focus on putting effort, your breathing is challenging pretty much from the get go, the goal is to build the lactic acid kind of early and continue to push thru it, so the body will be force to flush it.
Yes, it is a hard workout, go ahead, try to enjoy it.


There is nothing like a hill repeat workout that will make you feel like you are really accomplishing something! and make you sleep REALLLLY well.

Yesterday I tried the "Core Fusion Sport" class at the Exhale Spa on Central Park South. This is the description from the website: Our newest proprietary class, Core Fusion Sport, is a total body workout that is designed to help you improve your performance in sports while reducing your risk of sports related injuries. Using a combination of lateral and twisting movements, this barreless one-hour class will chisel and firm your arms, shoulders, legs and butt while focusing on your core ¬ the center of your strength. This calorie-burning class works with resistance bands, core balls and mat abdominals with periodic jump backs for cardio and stamina benefits. Balanced flexibility exercises at the end will cool you down and increase your range of movement for sports. We will do this class in a slightly elevated temp room with motivating music, so be prepared to sweat and work out with a passion!
I was excited to sweat, and sweat I did (then again, I am a sweater. I will sweat after a very small amount of exertion). The first 40 minutes of the class was the hard part (strength training alternated with cardio without much break) and was very reminiscent of what I would have done with one of my trainers- without the one on one attention. It was hard, but I had to do the exercises right to get the full benefits- which meant I had to concentrate on form (my weakness). The prop we used for most of the class was a medicine ball with 2 handles- we used it for pushups, plank, extended weight lifting, etc. The end of the class got a little easier, and by the end I was not sweating anymore. I had planned to go running on the treadmill later that evening to get my cardio in, however, around 7PM exhaustion hit me. Pure exhaustion. Like, I need a nap exhaustion. I love getting this feeling after strength training. It means I'm really working out new muscles and I WILL see results. Turns out, I did not make it to the gym that night....

I will definitely try it again. With the student rate, it is $20 per walk in class. This may seem expensive, but compared to the regular price (I think that's in the $30s) and compared to what a personal training session would cost, I am saving a lot of money.

Off to go run some hills in the heat! Stay hydrated.

14 milers

I'm sorry it has been so long since Ive made an update!

Since I last posted, I have run two 14 milers in the park (both on Saturday mornings. For the 1st of the 14 milers, I ran with my running buddy, Nicole, who also happens to be a musician: opera singer. We had a lovely time exploring the upper 5 mile loop, the lower 5 mile loop, and the middle 4 (for variety sake). It is always nice to run with someone new because you learn so much! You can run for hours and the last thing you learn will be the person's name. (Nicole and I did meet last season though, we were both late for the "Christmas practice" and we ran around with blinking jewelery asking anyone in the park who would listen if they had seen Santa run by. Santa being our coach Ramon, of course).

This Saturday, I ran alone. This is something I am not used to, but is slowly starting to be comfortable. The problem is that I want to run the advanced distances (crazy) but I cannot keep up with the advanced speeds. Since the advanced group is usually so small on Saturdays, I have been finding myself alone. Which is okay. For the 1st 6 miles I ran mostly alone, catching up with my friend Emily for the the last mile before the 72nd st transverse (she was finishing her run however because she opted for the 7AM time- FYI, we have a choice. we can either run at 7AM or 830AM. Guess which one I usually choose...). For the rest of my run, I was joined here and there for a mile or so by one of my teammates but for the most part, enjoyed the solitude. While Team in Training was running, there was also a New York Road Runner long training run going in the park. Hundreds upon hundreds of people with race numbers were running in different pace groups for up to 20 miles. It was a crowded morning. I did appreciate the free water and Gatorade. and Pacers. Very convenient. I felt like I was running with schools of fish.

For the past 2 and 1/4 years, I have been a member of the Bally Sports Club at the world wide plaza on 50th st (I used to live on 48th and 9th). Since then, I have had a personal trainer, named Marissa, who I have come to love not only as a trainer but also as a friend and confidante. Training sessions turned into therapy on some levels. Unfortunately for me (but great for her!) she has been accepted to a full scholarship theater program in Ohio and quit Bally a few months ago. I had about 20 sessions left. So I was passed on to her roommate, Nick (who is also great) and continued to finish my sessions. Unfortunately, he left the gym too when I had 9 sessions left. I got arbitrarily placed with a different trainer who I did not mesh as well with. He did not care about me as a person, just as a client. Which is fine. I appreciated the exercises he gave me and learned a lot. Finally, I have no sessions left (yet, I think I'm still in debt with the gym...) and I have to find a new way to get my strength training in. Preferably not by videos, because I have no self discipline. Oops.

Today I am trying a class at the exhale spa on 57th and 6th. It is called "core fusion sport." I have tried their regular beginner level core fusion class before, and wasn't that big of a fan. When I work out, I will give it my all, but i have TERRIBLE form. I want to feel results and work hard, but not necessarily execute it correctly (I know, I know. It's harder!). This class focuses more on smaller movements, and although I can't do some of the exercises because those muscles aren't as developed, it doesn't feel like I"m getting much of a workout. Hopefully this "sport" version will be more challenging. I am excited for find a way to get my strength training in again!

In food news...

Some of the best food I eat in New York doesn't cost me any money. I am very lucky to have a wonderful aunt and uncle who have adopted a tradition of "Sunday Dinners." They live on the upper west side in a beautiful apartment I have come to know as my 2nd home (often it makes it to the 1st place spot..). For the past 3 years, they have been hosting dinner for my friends and I every Sunday night (groups usually range from 6-16. and this is a one bedroom). As humble as my aunt Mary is (she will never admit to being a good cook and is nervous when she tries something new), she is a fantastic chef who makes huge portions of some of my favorite foods. Some of her most popular dishes include: Meatloaf and mashed potatoes (the BEST meatloaf you will every try. and potatoes), rice pilaf, "flat" chicken (our family version of chicken francaise. I came up with the name), fillet mignon (yes, that's what I said), grilled salmon, lasagna, "make your own pasta," cheesy potatoes, ham, and much more. There is also an endless amount of vegetables and salad (she is our new york mom! we need our veggies!), and at least 5 or 6 ice cream choices along with fruit for dessert. Last night we had salmon with a pasta primavera recipe I found online, a butternut squash salad, and vegetables. For dessert, she made a banana pudding and nilla wafers creation (mmm) with ice cream, of course. We are very, very lucky people.

This week I hope to try the new bar "Dutch Kills" in Long Island City (not as far as one would think!). It is run by the same people as the infamous and private "Milk and Honey" (you need a special key to get in- I would love to accompany anyone with one of those!). They are famous for their tailored cocktails, and Dutch Kills has them for lower prices. Will let you know if I actually make it out there.

This Tuesday we are doing more hills! Last week was a cat hill workout, but I was doing bag watch (one of my mentor duties) so I didn't partake in the workout, although my friend Lauren and I did a pre-bag watch hill workout before practice. It just was not as hardcore as the one my teammates did.

Happy Monday!

Fartlek and Stripping!

Tuesday night we had another one of our training runs with team in training. The good news is- we weren't doing hills. (Apparently this workout is called "fartlek." Funny name.) The bad news- we were doing 4 loops of the bridle path, most being at 85% effort. Plus, it was raining and the ground was nice and wet and soft. And there were puddles.

Each loop is about 1.7 miles. We did our first loop as a warm up, then at loop #2 we immediately got into our fast 85% effort run. When we got to loop #3, we had a .5 mile recovery, and then 85% from the rest of the loop. Loop #4 mirrored #3.

It was really hard, and I was not feeling it. I was exhausted and covered in mud and rain. I don't even want to go near my sneakers now. I think I definitely put in the effort and earned my post-practice Brother Jimmy's BBQ and beer! Now today I can get to some hill repeats! (San Francisco has a LOT of hills...)

Wednesday- Started out the day with some Bikram Yoga. Finished off the night with Stripper Strength class with my friends Sara and Aleksandra! I really did not know what to expect from this class. All I knew is that it is a serious workout and we had to bring heels. There was a small group for the class (8 or 9), our teacher Kimberly said more people usually show up for the Wednesday class. The class was 70 minutes and we had chairs as props. There was a lot of butt slapping and boob grabbing. We basically slowed down the movements of a stripper dance to get the maximum burn (without removing clothes). It was a serious BURN! I've realized how not flexible I am- I cannot seem to straighten my legs (which, apparently, is an essential skill for a stripper to have). I definitely want to try this class again, and see if I can get my legs and abs strong enough to really be able to do some of the moves. Maybe next time we will have some cocktails BEFORE hand :-) Sara said her favorite part was that she got to use her "mirror face" the whole time without feeling silly.

Off to do hill repeats! Our training schedule has me scheduled for "1 lower loop warm-up (about 1.4 miles), 6-8 repeats of cat hill (ouch) and lower loop cool down."



This should be fun.

workout routines!

It's been a week of beautiful weather in Manhattan!





Since Last week, I have organized my workout schedule to a very specific day to day routine. Whether I will stick to that, well thats another story.





Monday: Run in morning; strength training with trainer in afternoon





Tuesday: Weekly speed training session with Team in Training





Wednsday: Bikram Yoga





Thursday: Run in morning, see trainer in the afternoon





Friday: Bikram Yoga





Saturday: Long run in the park with Team in Training





Sunday: Bikram Yoga








That may seem like a lot of yoga, but since I have an unlimited package (and I like to get my money's worth), and I feel like it speeds up recovery for my runs and strength sessions, it seems like a good idea to disperse it throughout the week.





This past Saturday, we had our weekly long run in the park with team in training. The advanced group was scheduled for a 12 mile run; twice around the full 6 mile loop in the park (including the dreaded harlem hill, an area of the park I try to avoid as often as possible). I guess the killer hill workout we had Tuesday helped, because I had no trouble on Harlem hill! (well, not much trouble anyway). I guess hills are the secret!





This Tuesday we had a much simpler workout scheduled. 6 mile tempo run (including Harlem Hill). Although I feel myself improving, I don't think I push myself as hard as I can. And I don't think I run enough during the week.



Tomorrow will be a 10-miler in the park. I think I may be running alone for this one, as the team is running a 4 mile race in the park that morning and I waited too long to sign up (oops...). I am not heartbroken about that. I have run 12 races so far this year, so I am pretty sick of racing at this point. I'll save up my race energy/excitement for my next race, which is the NYC half marathon on august 16th! Come cheer me on!!



The next new workout I'm really excited to try out is called "Strip Xpertease." While this sounds wildly inappropriate, it's not really about stripper training. Just getting a hardcore workout (in stripper heals). I'm going with the girls on Wednesday, I'll let you know what I think!

Off to go relax in the park!

Salty Sweating!

After having rain nearly every day for the month of June, it was very refreshing to have a clear, beautiful Fourth of July weekend. I have been feeling a bit under the weather since last Tuesday (running in the rain may have had something to do with it...). In fact, for the first time in 2 years of working out, I took 2 days in a row off. Mentally, that was pretty hard for me to do. But since I live in New York and spend a lot of time on my feet, that is okay right?



I was saving up enough energy for my Saturday morning run with Team in Training. The scheduled run was a little different than usual. Usually, we base our distances on mileage, not time, but this time, we broke off into groups of 80 min, 100 min, and 120 min runs. I chose to run for 120 minutes (because I'm crazy and sick! I had to make up for a few days!). Unfortunately, our pace coach misunderstood the workout, because we ended up doing a much shorter workout. According to a running partner's Garmin, we only ended up running about 9 miles (which is fine. I probably shouldn't have been pushing myself too hard anyway).

Instead of running in Central Park like usual, we broke the monotony and headed and headed over to the path by the westside highway! It was a beautiful run, we were right by the water and the course was nice and FLAT. There were also a ton of cops out getting the course ready for the fireworks that evening. As we ran, a few of my running buddies pointed out their apartments across the river in Jersey, in prime locations for the fireworks. Although I didn't get as central a view of the fireworks, I had a great time at the BBQ I attended :-)

I also learned from Saturday's run that I am a very salty sweater! I never sweat like this in cooler weather. I could have done a lot of face-exfoliating with all the salt residue covering my skin. This means I need to take a lot of extra electrolytes. I like using the Emergen-C packets you add to water (usually use these for bikram yoga) , and I love the Zico coconut waters as a natural form of electrolytes. Adding extra salt to my diet doesn't hurt either. It is VERY important especially in this hot weather to take in these extra electrolytes. During the Disney Marathon, we even did multiple "salt shots" the day before and on race day (we would steal salt packets from the cafeteria and swallow them with water. not tequila). This helps us to retain the water we drink and stay hydrated during and after runs.

Speaking of Bikram Yoga: I have been practicing it on and off for 2 years. My friends have always thought I was crazy; to submit myself to a 110 degree room for 90 minutes. Recently, I have encouraged some of my girlfriends to try it and see what all the fuss is about. I could never have imagined the response I got from them! They LOVE it!! Mind you, I do enjoy it. I love the feeling of the release of toxins and pushing my body to the next level. My flexibility and balance have improved, and I think I have a little more control of my mind. Not to mention it is an AWESOME and easy hangover cure :-) But I would never predict the obsession my friends have developed! Maybe everyone should try it! Anway, I have been practicing bikram about twice a week recently, and I feel it complements my running well, especially when I need recovery. After a particularly brutal 20 miler towards the end of last marathon season, I started my one week of unlimited classes at the Bikram studio on 145th st. It really quicked my recovery, and I still felt lke I was getting a good workout.

Our workout Tuesday was brutal! It was a beautiful evening, perfect for a run in the park. The advanced was scheduled for our first hill workout (post-poned from the week before when we were rained out). We ran on the trails within the park this time, from around 73rd street to 86th street. This strip consisted of 2 hills, a smaller one to "warm up" with, and then a big one to really use our energy on. When we got to the reservoir at 86th street, we'd recover down both hills and then start again! Aren't hill repeats fun....

The approach to the workout was to conserve energy- really go for it, but save enough energy on the first hill so we could really perform on the second (and Ramon was right there at the beginning of the 2nd hill to make sure we didn't cheat).

Ramon gave us a length speech at the beginning of the workout making it clear that this is the time in our training where we need to build strength. We are allowed to experiment, and maybe push it a little too hard at times, because that is how we learn what our body can handle and build strength and speed in the process. The endurance will come later. We need to get our bodies used to producing lactic acid in large amounts so that the body can get used to removing it quickly. (Lactic acid is produced during cardio activity, and when the activity gets too strenuous, the body has a hard time removing that lactic acid at a quick rate, which results in that sluggish/unmoveable feeling in the legs). This is the time in the season where we have to train that lactic acid to have a faster turnover of the lactic acid. Basically, we just have to try and run through the pain.

Sounds fun, right?

After our intense hill practice, I met my mentor buddy Tammy and a few of her mentees for a drink, ran over to Patsy's and slammed a few slices of pizza with a group of TNTers, showered, changed, and headed out for a night with the girls! We went to this beautiful wine bar, called "Wine and Roses" on Columbus between 73rd and 74th. The owner happened to be at the table next to us and thought we were precious, so she took our picture with promises that she would add it to the website. I'll keep you posted on our celebrity status when the pictures go up!

TNT packed weekend!

We've had a fun week of team in training!

One thing we are known for is our willingness to go out and party on a weeknight. We are marathoners; when we commit to something we mean business. Coach Ramon wrote in a recent email "If you would put as much effort and commitment to your running as you put to your socializing/drinking/misbehaving, you would all be winning marathons!"

I think he is right.

Anyway, Wednesday night we went to a beautiful venue on 18th and 10th called "The Park." We had the rooftop/penthouse area reserved for team in training, and we could not have asked for a more beautiful night! Fun was had by all :-)

Saturday, instead of having our regular group GTS (Saturdays are long run days) we had a special nutrition clinic, followed by a short fun run (not short enough- we were dripping with sweat after 10 minutes!), followed by a "Connection to the Cause" ceremony. During Connection to the Cause, our honorees, those affected by Leukemia and Lymphoma, share their stories to help us really realize what we are running and fundraising for. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house.

Which brings me to what I'm running for- my roommate and the most wonderful girl I know, Kate, has had a tough past few months. Her dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March, and mere weeks later, here mother was diagnosed with brain cancer. I hope you will extend your prayers to the strongest family I know. Even though they do not have a blood cancer, team in training's mission extends beyond that- funds for blood cancer research benefit all cancer research. It really helps me to keep in the McCormicks in mind when running a long run.

Sunday, we had the Achilles foundation "Hope and Possibility" race in the park. It was a 5 mile race, and we couldn't have had more perfect weather. It was our first TNT race, so many people on the team were running their first races ever! It was a very exciting and nervous atmosphere. Nothing makes you want to race like a pack of TNTers cheering you on to the finish line- I wish they could be there for all my runs! My time was OK, nothing like my times last season. In fact, my pace per mile was 42 seconds slower than my first 5 mile race of last season. But I FELT good at the end, and that's all that matters. Baby-steps. I will get there, this season is definitely long enough.

Tonight we had practice in the rain! We were originally going to do a hill workout in the trails of the park. However, because of the rain and slip factor, Ramon gave us all the choice to run either a 4, 5, or 6 mile loop. I ran with our mentor captain, Antonella, who ran with me last season, and has been having the same kinds of running doubts that I have had recently. We ran a leisurely 5-miler, finishing the run with my go-to coach, Sandy. We will definitely be running together again, hopefully not in this monsoon weather we had tonight though.

Finished off the night with Shake Shack with my new mentee, Christy. Can't think of a better end to the night than a Shack burger to ruin all the calories I just burned!

Some Wise Words

This was Ramon's description for Tuesday night's workout:

ADVANCE WORKOUT The Course: 6 Mile loop. Whole loop of the park. Run East to West. The Workout: From East 72nd street warm up to East 90th street.There you’ll start your1st Pick up from the East 90th to 102nd street transverse. This should be done at about 10k effort. From East 102nd recover easy to the traffic light at 110th street, north end most part of the park (bottom of Harlem hill) then start your2nd pick up, this one goes from 110 to West 102nd street (west side of transverse) you are going to run this one at faster than 5k pace. Meaning you are going to push the uphill as well as the downhill, breathing gets hard from the get go. From W102 recover to Weast 90th street (long recovery, same as last week) at W90th start you3rd pick up, this goes from West 90th to West 64th street (about 1.2 mile). This should be done at 10k effort, hard but in control. From west 64nd street recover to 59th street and 7th avenue entrance of the park (note that this is short recovery, that’s why you need to control the previous pick-up) then you Start 4th pick up from 59th 7th avenue all the way to the finish at your meeting spot at East 72nd street. This is a spend whatever you have left kind of pick up. Basically if you feel strong push it, if you feel like crap, survive it.Be aware that I say 5k and 10k effort, not speed, today is going to be hot and your pace will not be as fast as you could run under better weather conditions. So, concentrate in putting the effort, as long as you put the effort you are getting the benefit of the workout.


To me, this seemed much better than last week. A workout without recovery scares me, and I thought these recovery stations would be just what I needed. Unfortunately, I did not push as hard as I could during the pick ups. My first 10K pace felt really good (up to 102nd) because I was keeping up with a group of runners doing an "Indian Run" right next to me (you line up while running, and the person in the back has to sprint to get to the front of the line. I used to do this with my friends at boarding school when I was not a runner. It was not as fun back then :-) ) My 5K pace up Harlem Hill was a little brutal. When one of our coaches, Pete, caught up to me, I got faster for a few seconds, but quickly lost my momentum. The rest of the run was discouraging, because I knew I could push harder than I did, but mentally I didn't feel I had the motivation. The worst part was, when I finished and met the advanced group at the end to stretch, I was one of the very last people in, yet I didn't even feel that tired. It's as if my legs wouldn't move because of the pressure and fear my body put on them.

After practice, I watched the Bach concert (conveniently located in the 72nd st. mall) until intermission. As I was leaving, the last remaining coaches were packing up and walking to the westside, so I joined them. Among them was Coach Ramon, head coach for the NYC chapter of TNT. (He is the amazing and crazy man who decided to run 42 upper loops on his birthday) I asked him how he was doing, and he said something along the lines of "not so well, my runs have not been going as well as I have hoped mentally." Turns out we are having the same problem (on a slightly different scale..). On our walk to the westside, he advised me on the importance of doing the work, and the other stuff will come later. He reminded me of how good my run was in Disney, because I was just running it to run, and I didn't have any pre-existing expectations of time goals. Now, I expect myself to be faster and want faster times, and this is putting pressure on my body and I am not able to run well. Basically, I have to forget about trying to improve my time goals and just run. If I do what he says, and put the miles in, it will come naturally. This talk made me feel a lot better :-)


Speed aside, I hope this pressure comes off soon. The fear my body goes through before a hard run or intense hill is really uncomfortable and scary. My body feels like jello sometimes. I have to keep remembering ITS JUST RUNNING!!

Tonight's Workout

A day before our weekly workouts, Coach Ramon always sends us an explanation of what our workout will consist of that day. We are broken into three groups- Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Although I have been feeling out of shape and not as confident with my running, I am too stubborn to train with anything less than the advanced group because of how much I improved last season. It's all about pushing your personal effort levels anyway...

This is the Advanced workout for tonight's practice. I'm scared.

ADVANCED WORKOUT

Ready for your first Test of the season? BRING YOUR WATCHES!

So, You are the advance, and that means you have time goals, to make sure you are moving on the right direction we need to make sure we first know where we stand now, and continue to test ourselves during the season and see our improvement.

This first test is going to be a little 5 mile tempo race kind of thing.

From your meeting location at Eat 86th on the Bridle Path, you will warm up by running to East 90th street, once you get there, get your watches and start timing your 5 mile run.

You will run the lower 5 mile loop. Go north on 102nd street, make a left at the transverse and head to the westside, then make a left at the westside to head south, all the way around to the south end of the park, and head north on the east side to finish at east 90th.

Approach to the Workout: This is pretty much a high effort 5 mile. See what kind of shape you are. Not just physically, but mentally as well. Being able to race, to run fast, to push, to do your best you need to get comfortable with the discomfort, this is one of those workouts that will start to get your ready on that area. Nothing is better than a continuous hard run to get your mind and body ready.

The key of this workout is to recognize your effort level, try to figure out early on what kind of effort you can maintain for the whole 5 miles, it is not about starting really fast and trying to keep it up as long as you can and then die when you get tired, not at all, it's all about knowing you are pushing it and you are pushing it within control early on.

Time yourself and maintain a log of your time, how you felt during the run, so next time you get to do it you can compare.

Tips: use the first 5 minutes to get into a pace, get to the point where you feel you pushing it but you still have 2 gears left.

Have Fun!



I haven't pushed myself like this in a while. I need to be careful about starting too quickly. I have been trying to keep up with the fast people and then I die later on. I'll let you know how it goes!

1st post!

Hi!

This is my first time blogging, so bear with me. I am a music student studying in New York City currently training for my second marathon. I ran my first marathon, the Disney World Marathon, on January 11th, 2009. The decision to become a "runner" was purely impulsive. My friends will tell you that I simply decided to run a marathon one day, and then stubbornly stuck with it (this is how I make most of my decisions).

I trained for the Disney marathon with a group called "team in training," which is a endurance training program that raises money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS). Over the course of 5 months, I went from being a novice runner (if you consider running for a bus novice! That's a hard workout!) to a marathon runner. The process was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Not only did I accomplish something so physically daunting, but I also became so emotionally connected to the LLS cause. It really opened my eyes to the strides we are making in the cancer world, how much further we have to go, and what we can do to help. This is what we can do to help. Check it out: teamintraining.org and LLS.org

Anyway, after running the marathon in January, I am back for my second season! I am running the Nike Women's marathon in San Francisco, on October 18th, 2009. I have never been to San Francisco, so I am very excited! I am also excited about this season because I am a team in training mentor! Right now I have 6 1st time marathoners that I help guide through this experience. What could be more rewarding than that?

This blog will be devoted to

1) Tracking my training progress for the marathon

2) Reviews of exercise classes I take

3) Reviews of New York restaurants (and cheap eats; I am on a budget!)

4) Whatever else I feel like talking about

Here we go!