Category Archives: Running

Finally, Here Are My 7 Links

Posted on July 31, 2011 | 4 comments

So this was kind of a time-consuming post–hence it took me a while to get it all together and up. It involved going back through the past almost two years of posts to select the ones I thought fit best into the 7 categories. I’m just going to jump right in…

Most Beautiful
I don’t know that I would really call any of my posts “beautiful.” I don’t really get very sentimental or poetic on my blog. It’s all pretty cut and dry, with maybe a dash of cynicism and humor. That being said, there is a tie for this category. My Relfections on 2009 post was surprisingly touching to re-read over a year later. It was really nice to look back on 2009 and see all the amazing times we had. You forget about all the events, anniversaries and family moments that were very special.

The second one would be my “Back from Ireland” recap post because the pictures were absolutely gorgeous and we had a beautiful time. I kind of skimped on the recap because I was too exhausted to go through each and every day. But the overall photo recap was amazing.

Most Popular
So this one was immediately evident to me. It was my Poconos Marathon Race Recap. I started my blog just after finishing my first marathon and I quickly decided to run another one and announced it to the blog world. I also announced my HUGE goal that I wanted to try to qualify for Boston. EEK! But once I put it out there, I was more determined than ever. Over the course of the next 6 months, I received so much advice and encouragement from a ton of people online that I kind of knew that my race recap would be my “grand finale” and culmination of all my hard work. The thought of all these people who tried to help me and inspired me really made me push to my limit during the race. And thankfully, I did it. My Poconos Marathon Race Recap was by far my most popular post on my blog to-date. And I still look back to read all the wonderful and supportive comments.

Most Controversial
This one was tough for me. It was a toss-up between my “To Eat Meat of Not to Eat Meat” post and my “Yucky Yogurt” post where I said that I was not a fun of the Yoplait Greek Yogurt–neither the taste or ingredients. In the end, I guess I’ll go with the yogurt post because Yoplait actually contacted me with a coupon to try their new redeveloped and relaunched yogurt a few months later. And if a blog post can get the attention of a company, then I’ll go ahead and dub that controversial.

Most Helpful
Easy one to pick. My “How I Got My BQ” post is without a doubt my most helpful post. People consistently find my blog through this post and have contacted me to thank me for my advice and candid words on the topic of qualifying. I talk about working on speed, tracking your pace, increasing your mileage and paying attention to your food, among other things. I still look back at this post when I find my endurance and speed decreasing and need to pick things up a notch.

Surprise Success
There have been a few posts that received a lot of comments and feedback that have surprised me. I guess the one with the most comments was the “Where Did All The Food Go?” post, where I talked about how shocked I am by the amount of food my husband and I consume in a short timeframe and how much it costs! A lot of people could relate. This post also included a recap of “Angela’s Ashes” so there were a lot of comments for that as well. Overall, it seemed to be a post that many people could relate to and were interested enough to comment.

Not Enough Attention
I don’t know about this one. Who am I to say that I think any of my posts really deserve more (or any) attention? I’m not going to get all serious with this one. Instead, I am going to say that my post “You Know You’re a Winter Runner When…” deserves more attention because I thought it was kind of funny and I really wanted to hear other people’s “you know you’re a winter runner” stories and commentary. I love these kind of posts that point out the hysterical but oh-so-true and ridiculous things about ourselves. I should write more of them… 🙂 Do I see a new blog post forming?! 🙂

Most Proud
I’ll say it yet, again, easy – my “2011 Boston Marathon Race Recap” is the post I am most proud of. I started this blog basically because I had this goal in my head and didn’t know how to get there. I think writing this blog really helped me get there and kept me on track and accountable. It helped me achieve one of my life goals and I am forever grateful. This post also marked my “return” to the blog world after a long hiatus, so I’m doubly proud and thankful I wrote it.


In conclusion – thank you again for tagging me Katie. It was a very nice trip down memory lane. Now I know the rules state that I have to tag other bloggers to post their 7 links, but let’s cut me a little break – ok? I am just returning to blogging, hardly anyone is reading my blog, and the chances that anyone will see this and then post their 7 links is slim to none. So instead, I will say – if you are a blogger and you have NOT been tagged to do this yet, then consider yourself tagged – courtesy of me. But don’t blame me when you lose half your day working on this post. 🙂

Question of the Day: If you’ve done your 7 links, how much time did you spend on it? And did you enjoy your trip down memory lane? Can’t imagine those bloggers with years and years of posts – how did you choose?!!

4 Comments

Posted in Bloggers, Books, Marathon, Running, Travel, Uncategorized, Vacation

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Running Around and Reading

Posted on July 28, 2011 | 2 comments

I’m here, really, I am. But I’ve just been really busy. So my initial dive back into the blog world is realistically going to be more of a slow creep into the water. You know, like when it’s really cold and you put your toe in, then your leg and as you get up to your torso you kind of squirm a little? My entrance will be gradual, with hopefully less squirming.

I was so excited to be tagged by Katie in the 7 Links thing that I’ve seen going around the blog world lately. But I have not had time to analyze my past blog posts enough to actually formulate a worthwhile response. It’s coming though – probably this weekend. 🙂

This week has flown right by. Monday is an absolute blur, it feels like ages ago and I can’t even recall what happened. I think it rained and I think I worked a little late. Oh and watched Trueblood with Hubby when I got home (any other Trueblood fans out there?!!)  Tuesday I went to the Yankee game with Hubby and had a great time. CC was having a fabulous night and we were all hoping for a no-hitter, but when that didn’t happen, we were just as happy with a win. Then Wednesday I was running like a mad woman at work and then forced myself to keeping running after work, even though I got out late. I logged a quick 3.5 miles  and hope to squeeze in 4-5 miles tonight. And we watched “Due Date” last night. So here’s my quick review:

Due Date

I went into watching this movie with low expectations and finished it pleasantly surprised. I have decided that I love, absolutely love, Robert Downey Jr. He is getting a little older and gray around the edges, but he is really talented and hysterical. He made the movie, even more than Zack Galifi…whatever his last name is.  The random cameo from Jamie Foxx was unexpected, but I like him, so it was appreciated.

Some of the scenes were a little drawn out of far-fetched, but a lot were pretty darn funny. I’d actually go ahead and recommend this movie to people. It’s no Hangover, but it’s entertaining for the short hour and a half you give it. Why not?

Recent Reading List
So that’s all from me for right now. I owe quite a few book reviews. I have to look at my list, but a few offhand are: “The Adventures of Cavalier and Clay,” “The Postmistress,” “It Happened in Italy,” “Just Kids,” “Heaven is For Real”…and I know there are a few more, but I have to confirm. If I could recommend only ONE of those, I’d go with “Heaven is For Real.” And I don’t spout religion or push spirituality on anyone, but this book is really good. Very touching and inspirational.

So that’s all for today folks. Tell me, have you read any REALLY good books lately?!! Please share!!!

2 Comments

Posted in Books, Reviews, Running, Uncategorized

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A Tough Ten Miles…in 80+ Degrees

Posted on July 23, 2011 | 3 comments

Holy hotness! I was up this morning at 6:30 and really wanted to make it out of the house for a run by 7 a.m., but could not get myself moving. I drank quite a bit of water and had some coffee, along with a bowl of oatmeal before I left. I knew it was probably going to be a tough run…


That’s a completely fake smile – I was really dreading the run.

But I made it out and headed to Central Park. I knew that there was a long training run going on and was excited that there would be other crazy people out running in the heat. That always makes me feel better and less strange. And indeed, there were a lot of people.

I decided to run between 8-10 miles, based on how I was feeling. About 3 miles into it, I sensed that 8 miles would be most likely. After I got past Harlem Hill, I started to see the NYRR water stops. Ohh how tempting they looked. I watched as runners around me darted to the table, but my guilt won out and I kept on trucking because I hadn’t signed up for the run and felt bad stealing water. Plus, I wasn’t parched yet.

However, by mile 7, I was pretty darn thirsty and I decided to just do it. I grabbed a cup and slinked away with an all too obvious suspicious look on my face. But it was just what I needed. I had finished the Central Park loop and felt okay, so I decided to run the Reservoir loop. Here are my splits…

I was completely happy with my splits and average pace. It was super hot by the time I got home and I was dripping with sweat. I refueled with some Gatorade and a banana with peanut butter.

The rest of today has been spent eating, drinking more coffee, cleaning, doing some laundry, standing in front of the air conditioner, and perhaps there was a little nap in there as well (and maybe watching two Sex and the City episodes).

Plans for tonight include a trip to Hoboken with one of my current co-workers to get together with one of our previous co-workers. I am hoping (unrealistically) that maybe it will cool down slightly.

Hope you all are having a good weekend – stay cool!

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Posted in Running, Uncategorized

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2011 Boston Marathon Race Recap

Posted on July 22, 2011 | 10 comments

Yes, this is the latest race recap ever, but it’s finally posted nonetheless. I always try to write my recaps right after every race, when the memories are the freshest (and rawest). But it is what it is, and this will be a recap a little bit more removed.

I’m going to spare you all the race day lead-up stuff, except to say that I ran and traveled with my friend Lauren and the poor girl did a lot of traveling to get to Boston. But we were together for a lot of it, so that made it better. I will say that we stayed at The Boston Park Plaza and the location was extremely convenient. I got a great deal on Hotwire, so no complaints about the price either (although I did book the room back in May 2009!).

So anyway – we did the whole expo thing the day before and checked out some of the swag, but we were kind of tired. So we bailed early, relaxed at the hotel and then had a nice pasta dinner with some friends. Riding the jam-packed T was an experience that I’d like to soon forget, but I digress.

Anyway – on to race day! It just so happened that our old running coach (not officially our coach, but he helped out the team A LOT) from high school was staying in our hotel two doors away from us! Well, he offered to give us a ride to the start so we wouldn’t have to take the buses at the crack of dawn. Obviously, we accepted this generous offer, and so we got to sleep in a little bit. But still, it was an early morning.

We were up and took care of all our pre-race activities (you know the drill) and then we met up with Jerry (coach). We hopped in the car and away we went to the starting line. We headed straight to the start instead of the Athlete’s Village because we weren’t getting there super early and didn’t need to wait around for hours. We went right to the start area and were thrilled that we got to see the professional men and women start their race. They started a solid half hour before all of us “regular” runners.

As this was going on, Lauren and I were doing some last minute fueling with Gatorade and Gu Chomps. But we cut ourselves off early enough to hit the porta potties by the starting line one last time before line-up.

And then slowly, all the other waves began to line up and my nerves really started kicking in. I was supposed to be in one of the waves before Lauren, but I decided to just start in her Wave and corral so we could run together. As they called our wave to the starting area, we began shedding our “throw-away clothes.” I was rocking a nice Christmas sweater, previously purchase for an ugly holiday sweater party, so I had no qualms about tossing it in the bag. Plus, I read beforehand that all the clothes that are left behind are gathered and donated to the needy. I’m very glad they do that.

So in we went to our corral and started walking up the hill (yes, there is a hill you have to go up to get to the actual starting line) to reach the start. And once we crossed the line, we were officially running The Boston Marathon!!

My first thought during the first mile – “This is  mayhem!!” We were shoulder-to-shoulder and could barely move. There was no way to manuever around anyone, we were just traveling as one large mass. At times, Lauren and I were squished together or pulled apart by the crowd. It was crazy, but there were also SO many people cheering for us on the sidelines. It was so invigorating to have so much support. The first few miles were a little frustrating for me because it felt a little claustrophobic, but our times were pretty good:

Mile 1 – 8:43
Mile 2 – 8:27
Mile 3 – 8:07
Mile 4 – 7:59

However, after that fourth mile, Lauren told me to slow it down. Apparently, that is something which is hard for me to do during the first part of a marathon. I tried, but my speed just kept inching back up.

Mile 5 – 8:18
Mile 6 – 8:16
Mile 7 – 8:10
Mile 8 – 8:25
Mile 9 – 8:20

Just before Mile 10, Lauren told me that she was not feeling good at all and that we needed to really slow down. A few seconds later, we heard people screaming our names and turned to see Lauren’s two sisters and families on the sidelines. They had said they would be closer to mile 12-13, so we were not expecting to see them for a while. We all hopped around and said hello and then we took off again.

But things were not going well for Lauren–she was in pain and it wasn’t easing up.  We started slowing our pace a bit.

Mile 10 – 8:38
Mile 11 – 8:46
Mile 12 – 8:33
Mile 13 – 8:59

By the time we reached the half marathon point, she was not a happy camper. She said something to the effect of “I can’t believe we’re only half way and I feel this bad.” I felt really bad for her because we all know that feeling of pain and the dread of all the miles ahead of you. We continued to slow and I continued to try to help her to push through it.

And while that was going, I was continuing to marvel at the crowds. The Wellesley College girls were absolutely roaring by the time we ran by. It was the loudest screaming I had ever heard in my life. And for a solid 8-10 miles of the race, we must have been near someone who had “Vegas” written on their shirt because that’s all we heard was “Let’s go Vegas, Come on Vegas.” I tried to find the person, but couldn’t spot him/her anywhere around us.

Mile 14 – 8:51

Just after mile 14, Lauren said she had to go to the bathroom. In our previous races, we took water or Gatorade every two miles after about the 4th mile, but in this race we seemed to be taking water almost every mile, which I think was a little too much. We ran about another half mile and then she spotted a porta-potty and I stood off the side waiting.

Mile 15 – 9:40

After she came out, we started running again. But no long after she started experiencing a tight pain in the back of her leg. Finally, she told me that she was going to have to stop. I thought about it for a minute and realized that if I stopped again, I might not start back up. I was feeling some pain and wasn’t sure I could continue running once I took another break. I felt awful and did not want to leave Lauren. But in races sometimes, there comes a point where you and your running buddy have to make that decision. She told me she would be fine and to go. I decided that continuing on was my only option.

Mile 16 – 8:37
Mile 17 – 9:43

I said goodbye to Lauren, we made a plan for where to meet-up afterwards, I wished her good luck and I kept running. I felt awful as I left her behind, but I knew that I had to press on.

I was a little lonely running it alone, but the crowds around me were amazing. They really kept me going.

Mile 18 – 9:24
Mile 19 – 8:41
Mile 20 – 9:11

Once I hit Mile 20, I knew that there were supposed to be some major hills coming up, so I prepared myself. We started to incline and I pushed myself a little hard.

Mile 21 – 9:33
Mile 22 – 9:09
Mile 23 – 8:56

And then just like, I was passing Boston College and seeing  a sign that said it was all down-hill from there. I was so confused. The big hills I had been dreading weren’t that big at all. They were more like rolling hills . I guess having done my training in runs in Central Park on those rolling hills really paid off. I was thrilled that the homestretch was ahead of me. Just three more miles.

Mile 24 – 9:25

By the last two miles, my feet were on fire, I could feel a gigantic blister on my toe and my legs were heavy and dragging. But then as we got closer into the city, the crowds became even more intense if that is possible. It was so awesome. I looked around and took it all in.

Mile 25 – 9:19

As I got closer to the finish, I noticed that if I pushed just a bit, I could make it in under 4 hours. So I pushed and pushed ahead.

Mile 26 – 9:03
.43 (I ran it a little longer) – 3:40

For a grand finish of: 3:53:08!!

Hurray!! I ran the Boston Marathon and finished in under 4 hours! It was such an amazing feeling to finish that race. I can’t even explain it. I immediately called my husband (I had my phone around my waist in my SpiBelt) to tell him the good news. I also told him about Lauren. He was checking our status online and kept refreshing the screen until he finally saw that Lauren finished as well! I felt so relieved.

I made it through the thousands of people, got some food and snacks and then headed to our hotel to our meeting spot. After we took a quick shower at the hotel, we were then on our way back to the train station to head out. I limped my way to the station (I had an utterly nasty blister), and proceeded to eat an entire Snickers bar Lauren gave me. We made our way onto the train and back to NYC, and FINALLY up to my apartment where we crashed HARD.

All in all, it was an amazing race. The hype is well-deserved. Having only run smallish marathons in the past, the Boston Marathon was completely overwhelming and exciting and something that I will NEVER forget. I doubt I’ll ever make it back there, now that the qualifying times are changing. But that’s alright with me. Once was enough-it was a run I will cherish forever.

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Posted in Marathon, Races, Running, Travel, Uncategorized

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Boston: Here I Come!!

Posted on April 15, 2011 | 7 comments

This upcoming race has been in the making since October 2009 – about one day after I finished my very FIRST marathon, I decided I wanted to qualify for and run the Boston Marathon. Bitten by the Boston bug, I signed up for the Pocono Run for the Red Marathon after reading promising reviews about the speedy course. Speedy it was, but also hilly and extremely draining. I gave my EVERYTHING in that race and squeaked by with a qualifying time of 3:39:35. Phew! Good thing too, since I don’t think there is ANY chance for me to attain the new qualifying standard for my age group of sub 3:35:00 for 2013. EEK!

So Boston here I come. We’ve had this date for quite some time. I hope you’re ready for me. 🙂

My journey will begin on Sunday morning as my friend Lauren and I hop on an Amtrak train destined for Boston. For those interested, my bib number is: 15729. But I will be starting in Wave 3 (10:40 a.m.) instead of 2 so that I can run with Lauren. I thought it was pretty cool to track people last year, so I thought I’d share my number. You can visit www.baa.org to sign-up to track runners.

I may try to blog from Boston, but I really just want to absorb every minute, so we will see!! Tonight I’ve got to finish up my packing, do some laundry, eat some carbs, get some good rest and start mentally preparing for the race of my life!! YAY Boston!!

So who else will be there either running or cheering?!!

7 Comments

Posted in Marathon, Running, Travel

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More/Fitness Half Marathon: This Race Deserves a Recap!

Posted on April 3, 2011 | 10 comments

Hello all! How is everyone out there? Are you loving these two days of fabulous spring weather we’ve had (well at least in NYC anyway)?

I haven’t posted in a while, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been running. I’ve been logging the miles and completed two 20+ runs in preparation for the Boston Marathon a mere 15 days away. As I mentioned, the first 20 miler did not go as planned, and although we finished it, I felt like it wasn’t a great run.

My running cohort must have felt the same because about a week later she asked me if we could bump our last long run from 20 miles to 22 miles. As I’m convinced that anyone who runs marathons (myself included) has some slight masochistic tendencies to begin with, I was completely onboard with this idea although I was fully aware of the pain threshold involved.

All I will say about our 22 miler was that it felt amazing to be DONE with it. I enter different stages of pain during long runs like this and my running buddy (Lauren) has learned to ignore when “kind of mean Lindsey” arrives for a bit or “not likely to converse Lindsey” muscles her way in. But for the most, “pleasantly in pain Lindsey” was in attendance for this one. I did have one moment around mile 20 where I was tempted to throw out the idea that we just stop right there and call it a day, but I held my tongue and gutted it out. And it was all worth it in the end! I felt fantastic after we finished and didn’t even experience much residual pain.

Which brings me to what this post is really all about:

More/Fitness Magazine Half Marathon Recap
Let me just take a moment to remember this race last year. How would I describe it? One word: SOAKED!! This race happened later in the month last year and happened on one of the worst days of the spring. I finished this race and was soaked through and through.

So I was extremely pleased to see that the weather this year called for nothing but sun and cool temps. Lovely. I will admit that I did not get enough sleep the night before. Hubby and I got 127 Days on Netflix, but didn’t actually start the movie until after 10 p.m. So I didn’t get to sleep until probably 12 -12:30 a.m. Not a good way to prep or start.

But I kept things status quo in the morning and followed my usual routine. I headed out the door at 7:25. This year, when I saw that my bib number placed me in the very first corral, I walked right in, head held high. Last year I placed myself one corral back. Starting in the first corral was pretty darn cool. Mary Whittenberg actually started the race right behind me (and quickly passed me). I also passed Elizabeth Hasselbeck within the first two miles – that felt good.

Basically, this whole race felt good for me. I checked my Garmin during the first mile and was shocked to see 7:39 as my pace. I knew I needed to slow it down and I swear that I kept trying, but I also just felt good.

So I scaled back a bit, but would catch myself speeding back up. Finally I decided to just stop looking at my Garmin altogether. If it felt right, that would be the pace I would run. The first loop around went pretty fast.

Mile 1 – 7:39
Mile 2 – 7:45
Mile 3 – 7:31
Mile 4 – 7:58
Mile 5 – 8:04
Mile 6 – 7:44

The second loop began and I felt like I was slowing a bit. Cat hill was particularly rough, but then I felt a little bit better from there. And once I reached the very north portion and hit the 9 mile mark, I knew that I was way ahead of my pace for previous races.

Mile 7 – 7:47
Mile 8 – 7:56
Mile 9 – 7:48

After passing mile 9 it was up the HUGE hill for the second time and it was tough! By this point, we had caught up to the walkers who were on their first lap and this made things a little confusing. The walkers (and let me say that I fully support walkers in races and think it’s wonderful that they are out there) took up a MAJOR part of the course. The typical “stay close to the inside” rule that runners try to follow does not seem to apply to walkers. They were meandering all over the place and forget about trying to get to water stations while they are there. Thankfully, I had taken water at mile 6 and 8, so I felt okay, but I watched as other runners tried to work their way to the water stations unsuccessfully as the walkers crowded the area.

As I reached Mile 12, I was so happy to see that some of the volunteers had taken water and gone to the outside lane to try to help the runners who couldn’t make it inside because of the walkers. I gladly grabbed a water and continued on to finish things up.

The last mile stretched on and probably because I had run so much extra mileage as the runners were pushed to the outside because of the walkers. I pushed as hard as possible for the last few miles.

10 – 7:57
11 – 8:05
12 – 7:44
13 – 7:34
.28 – 1:57

Total – 13.28 miles in 1:43:34. According to Garmin, my average pace was 7:47 minute miles!

And I finished and actually felt good. I was smiling, thanking people, accepted my medal, ate and drank, and then headed home. It was an awesome race and a new PR for me. I ran it last year in 1:46:00.

The bad news was that I came home to find a gigantic blister on my toe. I could feel it growing as I was running, but it was a complete mess. I actually think there is a blister on top of a blister. Yuck. I know. My poor baby toe looks atrocious.

So any advice on blisters out there? I plan to make a trip to Jack Rabbit this week to get some no-blister socks and mole skin. I already have Glide, which I will be applying next run. Anything else?

That’s all folks! I promise I’m going to try to post a bit more between now and Boston to capture some of the tips I’ve learned about prepping for Boston, as well as to catalogue my travels to Boston and experiences in the city. 15 Days!!

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Posted in NYRR, Races, Running, Uncategorized

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Boston Is Less Than a Month Away!

Posted on March 20, 2011 | 2 comments

I have NO CLUE how the Boston Marathon got so close so quickly, but it is a mere month away and I am in scramble mode. I’m scrambling to get all my training in, firm up my travel plans and make a dinner reservation. EEK – I can’t believe one month from today I’ll have run the Boston Marathon (knock on wood).

So I guess it’s best to provide a training update. I am rolling into week 15 of training and coming up on my second 20+ training run. I’ll briefly recap my first 20-miler that I ran with my friend two weekends ago. I traveled upstate for the weekend and mapped out what I thought would be a nice run. WRONG!! It was a disaster.

It started off okay – I ran from my house to my friend’s house and picked her up. We then headed up a gigantic hill and did pretty well. Things started to get hairy around my mile 14 or so when we moved off the main road and on to the local bike path. The problem was that the snow hadn’t been cleared yet! Without a back-up route in place, I suggested we push on. I thought the snow-covered path would probably last about a mile.

It lasted about 3-4 miles!! Although part of me felt pretty tough and Rocky-like, the other part of me just kept cursing my stupidity. We made it through eventually, but not without a twisted ankle, sore hips and a gash on my friend’s leg. It was a lesson learned.

This coming weekend, I will be heading upstate again for a 22 miler with Lauren and I will be sure to keep us off the bike path and on a clear road. This weekend was 14 miles, half of which was run with my co-worker. It really helped break up the length and make it tolerable. And then today I cheered on the NYC Half Marathon runners and hopped in with my friend Rachael for a mile in Central Park.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the past few weeks of my training and where I’m headed in the last few leading up to Boston…


As you can see, I haven’t been sticking entirely to my plan, but I still feel like my current 385 accrued mileage isn’t too bad. I think I will still be prepared.

How do you deal if you don’t hit your training targets – either in mileage or time?

Last training I would have really beat myself up. But this time around, I am feeling more flexible. Happy Sunday all – I wish tomorrow wasn’t Monday!!

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Posted in Marathon, Running, Uncategorized

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March Already: Week 12 and 15 Mile Run

Posted on March 5, 2011 | 7 comments

I really can’t believe it’s already March. I’m not exactly sure where February went, but all I recall is that it was cold, snowy, icy and not at all fun to run in. February was undoubtedly a tough running month.

Here’s to hoping that March is a better running month. With the Boston Marathon approaching quickly, it’s time for me to make sure that all my long runs happen as planned and put forth the best effort possible.

Week 12 hasn’t been all that great for me as far as week-day runs. I didn’t get out on all the days I wanted, but I definitely made up for part of that during my long run today.

15 Mile Run
Today was actually only supposed to be a 13 mile run according to my training plan. However, apparently I had some residual guilt from missing one of my long runs and decided to add a few extra miles to this run to make up for that.

I headed out to Central Park around 10 a.m. and was greeted by an absolutely lovely day outside! Before leaving, I fueled up with oatmeal, two large glasses of water and a cup of coffee.

I made my way to Central Park and encountered numerous runners heading the same way. During today’s long run my legs felt extremely heavy, but I managed to power through. Here are my stats:

Even though I didn’t feel that great while running, I am pretty happy with my stats overall. And it was so gorgeous outside that I think that played a part in me staying out a little longer. I decided I needed to take advantage of the nice day.

I headed home from Central Park and then refueled with Gatorade and Chobani yogurt with Kashi Go Lean. Now it’s time for laundry, cleaning and a bit of relaxation.

Lastly, I want to give credit to my friend Lauren who I convinced to sign up for the Boston Marathon this year through a charity program. She has been trying to raise money like crazy and she’s currently at 93%!!! She has been totally awesome in helping to keep me motivated and I’m so glad that she has nearly reached her goal!!

Wohoo!! Boston here we come. Oh and we are running our first 20 miler together next weekend. Can’t believe it’s already that time!

Now – I need some good recommendations for an Italian restaurant in Boston’s Back Bay area!! Time to book a pre-race pasta dinner. I have a feeling Boston will be crazy busy the night before the race. Any suggestions?!!

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Posted in Marathon, Running, Uncategorized

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Epic 18 Miles

Posted on February 27, 2011 | 14 comments

Hi blog world. I’ve been mia for a VERY long time. Things have been very busy. I was promoted at work and that means a lot more work with some additional pressure. So I’ve been spending quite a bit of my time on work stuff, including even on the weekends. 😦

Plus, I hit a bit of a running slump. The past two weeks were really tough. Hubby and I traveled to Utica last weekend and because of the freezing temps and a boatload of snow, I wasn’t able to get my 11 mile run in. I hate missing long runs – it makes me feel less ready and confident.

So I knew that I had to run my 18 miles this Saturday, come rain, snow, laziness or whatever.

Week 11 – 18 Mile Long Run
I headed out to Central Park around 10:15 a.m. after a lazy and procrastinating morning. I was nervous but didn’t want to admit it. Long runs usually go one way or the other for me, really great or really bad. So I set off and right away things felt good.

I was having some major issue with my sneakers a few weeks ago. For about three years now, I’ve been running in Asics Gel Cumulus 11. Well – they stopped making the 11 model and I had to move up to 12. They did not work with my feet. The ball of my left foot was constantly sore and my toes were blistering like crazy. After much research on underpronators (I roll to the outside edge of my foot), I ended up tossing the Asics and buying the Saucony Grid Ignition 2. At a mere $59, these sneaks were much less expensive than the $100 Asics and my first long run with them put them to the true test. The result – a win for me! They felt great and my feet were comfy cozy.

Anyway, back to my run. After being delighted by how my sneaks were performing, I found myself entering Central Park for two full loops. I decided to bring my iPod along this time, since a nearly 3-hour run can get very boring. After mile two I turned on some tunes and rocked out around the CP loop twice. My first loop was fast! Way too fast if I’m being honest. But running up the big hill at the north end felt easy, so I just went with it. The second time I went up that hill, things slowed down quite a bit and began to feel some tension in my quads.

As I made my way around my second loop and back to the UES, I knew that completing my 18 miles was no long a question – it was going to happen. I had it. I exited Central Park at 90th Street and headed to the East River Promenade to finish things up. For some reason, the last two miles of my run were rough slow-going. My legs felt so heavy, there was just no picking up any speed.

But at last, I made it back home and finished up my epic 18 mile run in just under 2 hours and 38 minutes!

Here’s my route and splits:

And now I’ve got my running mojo back and am more excited than ever for Boston! I needed that epic run to get my mind right. Next weekend is  a scale back to 13 miles, but then the weekend after will be my first 20 miler!

After my run I rolled my legs out like crazy, but am still feeling some residual soreness today. Hubby and I had a low-key night last night, which included a fabulous steak dinner with potato wedges and salad and a bottle of wine while we watched The Other Guys. Gotta say –  not so impressed with that movie. I kept waiting for it to get really funny and it just never did. Disappointing.

So how is everyone else out there doing with their running?! Are you guys as ready as I am for winter to be over?!!

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Fabulous 14 Miles and Marathon Training Week 7 Recap

Posted on January 29, 2011 | 12 comments

Good evening all. Well wow – how is it already evening? It could perhaps have snuck up on me when I was lazy and lounging for much of the day after my run. However, it was a pretty awesome run, so I felt like I partially deserved the down time.

This morning was a nice 14-miler. I was nervous all week as the snowfall mounted and the storms just kept coming. Was I going to have to run my long run on the dreaded treadmill? No my friends, I did not. I was up at 8 a.m. and had a nice bowl of oatmeal before braving the slush. I worked my way to Central Park, only stomping in one large puddle along the way, and began my long run for the day.

I’m not sure about other runners, but I try not to have any expectations for my long runs. I don’t expect it to be a great run, a fast run or even an enjoyable one. I just get started and see where things go. And not every run is a great run – I’ve had my fair share of pretty bad ones. But today was a great one.

Two loops of Central Park for once did not feel like torture, this 14-mile run did not seem like it took forever, I only burped a few times, and my snots were quite manageable. Today was a good run. Here are my stats:

Mile 1 – 9:27
Mile 2 – 8:38
Mile 3 – 8:35
Mile 4 – 8:56
Mile 5 – 8:22
Mile 6 – 8:31
Mile 7 – 8:40
Mile 8 – 8:22
Mile 9 – 8:31
Mile 10 – 8:43
Mile 11 – 8:18
Mile 12 – 8:21
Mile 13 – 8:52
Mile 14 – 9:02
.21 – 1:52

Total mileage – 14.21 in 2:03: 18. Average pace – 8:35 minute miles

In all honestly, this run was the training highlight of my week. It’s easy to explain why – my other runs were all done inside on the treadmill this week because of the ridiculous snow. Here’s how it was broken down:

The blue row below is intended and the white row is actual mileage. YAY, I hit my intended weekly mileage (35 miles)!

Week 7 of Boston Marathon training was definitely a struggle. Running those 7 miles on the treadmill was pretty annoying. Here’s to hoping Week 8 is spent with me running more miles outside.

In other weekend news, Hubby and I have been pretty low-key. We watched The Town last night, which was okay. Not fabulous, but better than I expected. I’ve also decided that I think my hubby kind of looks like Ben Affleck when Ben’s hair is cut that short. Hubby categorically denies this, but I think he’s just being modest. 🙂

Now I might as well share my mini reviews of Black Swan and Easy A.

Black Swan: Loved it. Was terrified and loved every minute of it. This psychological thriller had me jumping, covering my eyes and trying to figure out what was real the entire time. But I loved it. And I totally have a girl-crush on Natalie Portman, I think she is amazing. I am trying to convince Hubby that he should see this movie before the Academy Awards and have offered to go with him.

 

 

Easy A: This one totally surprised me and I really liked it. Emma Stone is definitely choosing some pretty fun roles. Between this and Zombieland, she might be my new favorite young actress. She is sarcastic, witty, gorgeous and down-to-earth. I see her going far. As far as the story goes, it had some kind of ridiculous parts, but I still thought it was pretty funny.  I hope to see Emma Stone in more movies soon!

 

So that’s Saturday all. The rest of the evening will probably be low-key and involve some wine. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Have you seen any great movies lately? And you are on Oscar-addict like I am?

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