Speedwork: The lazy man's guide to getting faster while making it feel easy (and staying injury-free)

I slept like a log Saturday night, but woke up long before my alarm - at 7:30am. I really am a morning person! But despite getting only 7 hours of sleep, I felt pretty well-rested, and was definitely up for good. I hit the bathroom and the kitchen as part of my usual morning routine, and it wasn't until I was back in bed curled up with my TV remote that I realized something - my foot hadn't hurt to do that! Huh - apparently the five beers I had the previous night had cured it? I was going to reserve judgment until after I ran.

I put on a different pair of sneakers than I had been wearing all week, hoping that would take care of part of the problem. My foot did ache a little bit once I was all laced up, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the day before. I headed down the elevator, wished my doorman a good morning, and headed out into... a stunningly beautiful day for a run! The sun was shining in a glorious blue sky, and unlike Saturday, there weren't crazy winds turning West End Ave into a wind tunnel.

Still, I wasn't quick on my feet. I took it easy, but arrived at Athleta (3/4 mile away) in about 7 minutes - a 9:44 pace. That's a bit slower than my norm, but I was pleased to find that while my foot was a teeny bit sore, it wasn't getting any worse by running. Mini yay? As I headed to Athleta, I hadn't been entirely sure whether I would do the full 6 miles or ask the group to go without me, but in that initial jaunt over to the store I decided: I was in.

I arrived at the store and we rallied the troops - a few new people, and the rest part of our regular group. I love having a regular group to meet! It's fun to catch up on gossip, and it also gives everyone a sense of accountability since they don't want to come back in a few weeks and have people ask where they've been. (And as the group leader, it's double accountability for me!) I chatted with everyone about my marathon the previous week, but rather than do a full "seminar" on speedwork, we headed out pretty quickly. We had 6 miles to do! For some in the group, this was their longest run ever.

We headed for the park, dividing into three subgroups at different paces as we went. As usual, I answered a lot of running questions as I went. But today, with a focus on "how to get faster", I tried to emphasize my best tip for speedwork:

Once or twice a week, when you're doing shorter runs (see my half marathon training plan), hop on the treadmill for one of them. I know, I know, the treadmill is awful - but all I'm asking for is 20-30 minutes of your time on it per week, for guaranteed extra speed. Now. What is your goal half-marathon pace? (X mins/mile). What is your comfortable running pace for a long run? (Probably X+1 mins/mile, or something close). When you hit the treadmill, I want you to do 90-120 second intervals of (x-1 mins/mile), followed by 30-60 seconds of power walking (14 mins/mile). Do this until you hit 2 miles (or whatever your goal workout is for the day), and call it quits.

The idea behind this strategy is that your body will get very, very used to running at that fast pace. You're interspersing it with walk breaks, so you won't be dying, but by holding that fast pace for your entire short run (except the walking breaks, of course), you'll be training your body that the fast pace is your new norm. As a result, when you go out and run outside (ahhh, much more enjoyable than the boring treadmill), you'll slip into a faster pace without even feeling like you're working too hard. Presto! Faster race times.

The other thing I like about this approach is that it still emphasizes running based on how you feel, which I believe is critical to injury prevention. I think it can be dangerous to constantly be checking your watch on long runs - that just makes you push yourself on pace, which you don't need to be doing when you're already pushing the distance further. I am a strong advocate of making each run either a speed run or a distance run - but not both. As long as you are training yourself to run fast and to run long, you can put it all together on race day, and lessen your risk of injury by doing so.

So speaking of injuries, how did mine hold up? Not too badly at all! Post run, I did a ton of stretching. Believe it or not, I was still crazy sore from the deadlifts I did as part of my weights routine on Friday morning (after spending all day Saturday resting up in bed, no less)! Because we had split up into multiple groups for the actual run, we all finished at different times, so I led two rounds of stretching. The second group to come in at first felt bad that they had missed the stretching, but I was actually thrilled to get another round in! (Seriously, how was my butt that sore? I had better be able to bounce quarters off it pretty soon!).

After stretching, I walked home from the store, trying to take it easy as I went. Only a block from Athleta, my foot started hurting. Uh oh, here it comes! Sure enough, I definitely started limping/favoring my right foot on the way home, and I began cursing myself for being so stupid and running so far on an injured foot. What if my friend John had been right, and I had a stress fracture? "I am an idiot. I am an idiot. I am an idiot," was my refrain as I rode the elevator up to my apartment.

Reinforcing my idiocy, I also wussed out immediately upon arrival to my apartment. While John had recommended an ice bath for my foot immediately post-run, I decided that a hot shower followed by lying around watching the Bachelor would be a much better idea. And it was... until my conscience got the better of me. I made it through 66 marathons without taking an ice bath once, but now it was time for me to pay the piper. Here it comes...

I would echo that sentiment in the second tweet a thousand times over, except that about 10 minutes after finishing, I had forgotten how bad it was. Which is funny, because that's what so many people say about marathons, too. I guess you just get used to it over time? And after waking up this morning, absolutely pain-free, I think ice baths are something I will be getting used to in the future. Hooray for a cure! My foot is unbroken! (At least until after my next 66 marathons.)

So to recap:

1. Drink multiple beers to mask any preexisting aches/pains before you run

2. Force yourself to dunk your extremities in ice water after you run (beer may be helpful for this step as well)

3. Finally, once a week, do intervals on the treadmill that are one minute faster than your goal pace, so your goal pace starts to feel like easy running

Foodie Weekend

This weekend was very different than any I've had in a long time. It started out the same - with a full schedule of workouts and meetups with friends. But it ended up with me having spent most of the weekend in bed catching up on my DVR, aside from a few dinners out. And that was exactly what I needed.

It's no secret that work has been pretty stressful for me lately. Fortunately, I only have one more week on this project, and then it's on to... greener pastures? Actually, I have no idea. I'm just as likely to get on an awful project as I am a great one, so we'll see which way the wind blows. However, that's one thing I really do love about consulting / my job - even if something is bad, it's never bad for too long, and you're always going to be moving on to something else pretty soon.

On Friday, I had what I thought was a busy-but-not-too-stressful day lined up: working from home in the early morning, routine doctor's appointment at 11am, and then into the office by noon for a lunch meeting. My afternoon was full of conference calls and training sessions, but I thought I'd have time in between (okay, and perhaps during some of those calls) to catch up on my piles of email and brimming to-do list. I scheduled a Zumba class for 5:30pm, planning to bring workout clothes to the office and head there in between work and my dinner plans that night, and was that frump who wore sneakers in transit to the office instead of my usual travel-in-ballet-flats-switch-to-heels-upon-arrival. I wasn't about to carry around three pairs of shoes in my little laptop bag!

However, when I put on my sneakers, something didn't feel right. As I walked from my apartment to the subway, I felt like someone had stuck an extra arch support in my right sneaker - the right side of my right sole felt pressured and bruised. Oddly enough, when I got to the office and switched to my stilettos, the pain went away. Hmm. I figured it maybe had something to do with these being the same sneakers I did my marathon in last week - perhaps I was overusing them and needed to switch to a different pair? Something to consider.

When 5pm rolled around, though, I still hadn't completed everything on my to do list. Most notably, I hadn't yet been able to fax in my expense receipts, because my computer wouldn't seem to communicate properly with any of the numerous printers in the office. After a lot of tries and a bit of internal cursing, I gave up - reasoning that I could always submit them next week, but I needed to get to Zumba now.

I headed outside for what I thought was a quick 1/2 mile walk uptown... and into the pouring rain. Yuck! Within minutes, my sneakers were soaked through (oh, this was going to be a fun class, with my sneakers squishing on every jump), and my right foot started hurting again. What on earth was wrong with it? Meanwhile, I was also frantically trying to reach my best friend, who had agreed to make a yay/nay decision on a potential Caribbean cruise next week... but was now nowhere to be found. To add to my misery, I realized I had totally miscalculated the distance to Zumba and was totally going to be late.

I considered just giving up and going home. More than anything, I hate being late for things. I think it it one of the rudest things you can do, and shows an utter lack of respect for those you're meeting (in this case, a class of strangers). But with my busy schedule lately and my neglecting to build in a buffer zone for unexpected occurrences, I've been getting in the terrible habit of arriving 2-5 minutes late for everything lately (I really need to break that). On the plus side, it's helped me loosen up a little bit - recognizing that the world is not going to come to an end if I'm a few minutes late to something, and that usually I'm stressing about it more than anyone else is. So, in the pouring rain, I took a deep breath and reminded myself that 50 minutes of Zumba was better than none at all, and that, in fact, the class itself might start 5 minutes late anyway. Onward!

By the time I got to the Zumba class, my mood was much improved. I signed up for the class through ZClub, which (apparently) doesn't distinguish between levels and just lists everything as "Zumba." However, when I got on this particular instructor's mailing list the next day, I discovered that the Friday 5:30pm slot was actually an "advanced" class - which explained why I felt like I was in the Broadway Dance scene from Center Stage. While most people would be scared out of their mind, I was thrilled, and not at all intimidated by the close quarters (the class had about three times the number of people packed into it as usual for a studio of that size). It was really exhilarating to take a class with so many fantastic dancers, and I found that I was able to keep up fairly well - even picking up a bit of "street swagger" attitude from the way-cooler-than-me dancers around me. As a bonus, I got so caught up in the dancing that I forgot about my injured foot! I do love an adrenaline rush :)

After Zumba, it was on to my first foodie meal of the weekend - upscale Mexican at the brand new Empellon Cocina. With Alex Stupak (of Clio and Alinea notoriety) at the helm, my foodie book club had been eager to check this out, and we lucked out in more ways than one. The food was delicious, the drinks were unbelievable (I had a Xtabentun cocktail that paired so well with the cashew chipotle salsa that it blew my mind - and I usually hate licorice!), and the service was excellent. Call me crazy, but I'd prefer a trendy and spectacular low-key experience like that to the overhyped and underdelivered Per Se any day! Our waiter was top-notch, providing solid recommendations and having extensive knowledge of all the crazy ingredients on the menu, and despite eating until we were stuffed, the bill came to only a fifth of what we paid at Per Se. If you're in the New York area and looking for an awesome restaurant experience, this should be your pick!

My foot had started hurting more when I headed over to the restaurant though, so after the meal, I called a cab home and immediately headed to bed. This pretty much became my theme for the rest of the weekend - cancelling any fun/workout plans in order to lie in bed, watch TV, and rest up. At first, I was a little bit dismayed that I was "wasting" my precious weekend in this way... until I thought back and couldn't remember the last time I've done that. I've really been on the go quite a bit lately, haven't I?? Some R&R was clearly exactly what I needed.

Saturday night, though, I was back out for another foodie experience - this time, a restaurant that had just opened 3 days prior. Brabant was an elegant brasserie that was known for their mussels and excellent beer list - and it did not disappoint. Over dinner with a diverse group of friends (all of whom arrived not knowing anyone but me - I love meals like that where everyone can get to know each other!), I discovered quite a few excellent beers that I had never tried, and feasted on some great mussels and frites. The several beers I tried also had the advantage of making my foot pain disappear ("Beer - the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems") - a big plus for me, since I had no intention of cancelling my Athleta group run the next day. A poor choice? We'd soon find out...

Race Report: HMRRC Winter Marathon

After an insane week at work, I'm finally back - and with a race report from last week's awesome Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club Winter Marathon. Happy Thursday, everyone!

I woke up on Sunday morning feeling not-at-all ready to run a marathon. Despite going to bed super early the night before (9pm! On a Saturday! And I spent 7pm-9pm lying in bed catching up on episodes of Smash, so clearly I am a party girl), I have long noted that it's not the sleep you get the night before a marathon that matters, but the sleep you get two nights before the race. And two nights before the race was not a good one for me...

Friday night, I had a first date with someone that I had met through online dating. I was pretty excited about it - we had planned the date the week before, but he messaged me on Tuesday to wish me a happy Valentine's Day, which I thought was sweet, and on Thursday, he messaged me once more to reconfirm our plans for Friday night. Despite my confirmation, I arrived on Friday night at the chosen spot only to find that it was empty - I was literally the only one there. Not a big problem - I ordered a cocktail and waited. Then waited some more. Then Tweeted.

Based on all of your responses, I gave it 20 minutes before giving up. However, I was not yet done with my ginger martini after 20 minutes, so I stayed another 10 minutes after that too. And... never heard from the guy ever again. Seriously, WTF?!

I left the bar thoroughly pissed off - and in the process, left my credit card there, which only further pissed me off. I arrived at Erica and Baker"s joint birthday party in a pretty terrible mood, and only stayed an hour before deciding to excuse myself - I was just not doing a good job of overcoming the earlier problems, and I didn't want to be a bitch when it was a birthday party. Instead, I found a good friend to meet me at my favorite beer bar, Rattle N Hum, where I could complain to my heart's content while drowning my sorrows in a few pints. I did make it home by midnight, in an attempt to get a good night's sleep before the race, but was woken up at 2am by my best friend calling about a similarly crappy night. Overall, 8 hours of sleep. Exactly what I normally need, but not enough to make up for the massive sleep debt I've built up in the last few weeks of crazy work stress.

So fast forward to Sunday morning - when I woke up grouchy and still kind of sleepy. Oh oh - not the best way to start a marathon morning! I was only partially successful in not being a grumpypants - not being super nice to my awesome mom (she made cranberry scones for me that I got to eat straight out of the oven for breakfast!), but not snapping at her either. While eating my scone (which I held my tongue about, but mom later agreed had something funky going on with the baking soda, which you could clearly taste over the other flavors), I made a very important decision about today's race. This was not going to be a good race.

You might think it's incredibly pessimistic of me to say that before going into it... but let me explain why this kind of assessment is one of the best you can make going into a race. For people who race less frequently than I do (which, let's be honest, is pretty much everyone sane), so much pressure is put on individual races that it can get a little dangerous. They wake up with a sore ankle or with crappy weather, and still try to push the pace to reach their goal - because this is their only shot. Not good!

People often ask me if I think I could have a faster PR if I did fewer races - and my answer to that is I don't think so. When you race frequently, you place less emphasis on any one race - and you allow yourself to relax when it's not your day. So many factors out of your control go into setting a PR - the course, the weather, and generally how you're feeling that day. You could get 10 hours of sleep every night for a week leading up to the race, and still wake up on race morning not feeling energized. It happens! But while you should always push yourself in a race, you also need to know when to back off - or you're going to get injured.

With all that in mind, I headed to the race knowing right up front that it was not going to be my day for an intense race - I was just too darn tired, and it was better for me to take it easy. In fact, I spent the first few miles of the race wondering if I was going to fall asleep while running! (You think I'm kidding, but I actually did that a few years ago). I attribute part of this problem to the fact that I completely forgot to have coffee in the morning, until I was pulling up to the race about 20 minutes before the start. My mom, being totally awesome, offered to go get coffee for me from my favorite local place, Stewart's, and I instructed her how to make my perfect coffee from there (French Vanilla or Hazelnut coffee, with a good dose of the totally-horrible-for-you International Delight creamer in caramel macchiato or French Vanilla). Upon arrival at the race, though, I discovered there was a whole table full of free coffee and breakfast. I love small races! In addition to being cheaper (this one was only $20!), they have so much better amenities than their larger and more expensive counterparts... go figure.

Having already stuffed myself on mom's scones at home, I skipped the bananas and breakfast bars. However, the coffee retrieval took much longer than expected, so my mom passed off the cup to me about 30 seconds before the race started - a few gulps was all I got. Oops! Totally should have just grabbed the race-provided coffee at the start instead of holding out for the good stuff. I would come to regret this choice.

The race started inauspiciously - a simple 'go!' and we were all off, with no chip timing (though with only about 150 people total, it wasn't like we needed it!). There were no corrals, and within the first 1/2 mile, the pack spread out pretty naturally on its own. We took off up and around the daycare center/soccer fields, then circled the tennis courts (where I used to play tennis as a kid with my parents), and came back to the start - where I saw my parents and little sister cheering for me loudly with a big sign that my little sister had made! So awesome. My mom offered me more coffee, but I decided to pass on the offer and just keep running. Surely I'd be fine without it, right?

Answer: no. (And don't call me Shirley). Within 10 minutes of starting the race, I was yawning like crazy. Back to bed for me! Nope, 25.2 miles still to run - ugh! all I wanted to do was lie on the side of the road and take a nap... or better yet, run the 1/2 mile back to my mom's house and 20 feet up the stairs to go curl up in bed. I was pleased that it wasn't too cold out, because cold makes me want to hibernate (apparently I am a bear), but the exhaustion from not sleeping most of the week had thoroughly caught up with me. Yawn, yawn, yawn... such was the beginning of my race.

We headed past the start and past the pretty part of campus, cut through some parking lots, and turned onto the State Office Campus road that would comprise 99% of the course. Imagine running on a highway in the middle of an industrial park. Now imagine that there are no cars to entertain you and provide excitement in a will-they-won't-they-hit-me scenario. And that, my friends, is why I started live Tweeting the marathon and begging for entertainment.

But before I could get too bored, my Dad appeared... in the form of a circus clown. That is, it really was my Dad, but he arrived on a bike and with his (wild, crazy, energetic, hard-to-control) dog on a leash as he tried to simultaneously ride and balance (because obviously that's really safe). It did make for an entertaining spectacle though - I stopped wondering how many more office buildings I would pass before the turnaround, and started wondering how long until the dog spotted a squirrel and he went flying. I hoped the course volunteers would help clean his wounds from the crash even though he wasn't technically affiliated with the race.

Fortunately, Dad didn't crash - just kept appearing, circling around me for a while, and then disappearing again. It was kind of fun to see where he would pop up... but honestly? I kind of started getting more into the race at this point, and just wanted to zone out to my music. (I felt guilty about that though, so I just kept telling Dad I loved him and how much I appreciated his being there). While the course was boring, the sun was shining in a perfectly blue sky, it wasn't too cold/windy, and my music was blissing me out. With no one around to see, I mouthed the words of my favorite songs as they played, and I felt like I could run for days. 8:30 pace? No problem! It all felt relaxed and easy, and I was thrilled to run so fast (at least, fast for a marathon) without even feeling like I was pushing myself at all.

When I finished the second loop, I still had three more loops to go... but I was getting into the race and I knew I was going to finish it. Suddenly, the five loop course didn't seem such a daunting prospect - it was really easy with very few hills, and the low-key nature of the race made it totally no pressure. Instead of feeling like a race, it felt like I had just set out for a training run that happened to be supported by aid stations every 3 miles. As with my long training runs in New York, I didn't find a group to stick with during the race, but I did say hello and chat with a few people at various points in the course. (The one group I didn't chat with was a relay team of three who came up to me after the race and said they had each used me as their "pace rabbit" ahead to stay steady, which was really flattering). But mostly, I just enjoyed my music, the day, and how pleasant it was to be running so long and yet feeling so great.

As I approached each aid station or turn (which were manned by volunteers to make sure you didn't go the wrong way), I made it a point to thank the volunteers, and even chat with them a little bit as I went through. There was one intersection that I passed twice for each loop, which meant I saw the volunteers there 10 times. I felt a little silly continuing to say the same "thank you so much for volunteering!" every time I went through... so I did something even more silly. I picked a phrase to use for each lap, so that I wouldn't repeat. "Thanks for volunteering!" "Really appreciate you being out here!" etc. Though my favorite lap by far was the last one, where I got to say, "thanks again; enjoy the rest of your Sunday!" There were a few volunteers that really paid attention and tried to figure out how many laps each person had left, and it was especially awesome when I got to the last quarter mile and had a volunteer encouraging me to "just push it one last little bit - you are awesome and almost there!"

Meanwhile, I was also getting extra encouragement from my whole family. I've always wanted to do a marathon where my family would show up at different points to cheer me on, and the hometown race was the perfect venue for that. While I love the "Youngest Female 50 State Marathoner!" sign that my mom made for me a few years ago and continues to bring to any races she attends, I was touched and surprised to find that this time, my 7 year old little sister had made her own sign, proclaiming me #1. When my playlist changed to what I knew would be my last song of the race as I passed the 26 mile mark, I thought it was fitting that I was now listening to Miley Cyrus' "The Climb", as my little sister used to be obsessed with Hannah Montana. (I say "used to" because the last time I saw Julia, she informed me that Miley Cyrus was no longer cool, with disdain that I could be so out of the loop as to not know that. But she loved Hannah Montana for something like 3 years, so I'm sticking with that as reminding me of my sister).

Throughout the race, I didn't really look at my watch almost at all - I just enjoyed feeling strong and comfy. But on the occasions when I did check the time - wow! I was running fast! I realized that instead of just finishing around 4:30, as I had initially hoped, I was actually on pace to finish around 4:05... or maybe even faster. I picked up the pace just a teeny bit in the last few miles, but only to a point where it felt comfortable. Seeing that I was running some of the last miles of the race in 8:30 or so was awesome, and only further improved my good mood. When I hit the 25 mile mark, I was feeling excited enough to tweet out the very appropriate Britney Spears song I was enjoying:

It was a happy final mile, and I loved getting a nice easy downhill for the entire last 0.2 - yippee! It felt so great to finish strong, and I was so happy when I looked down at my watch to see my finishing time - 4:02!! It was so great to have my family at the finish line, too, and I posed for a quick pic with my Dad and little sister.

Every time I looked at the finish time on my watch, I couldn't believe I had done so well, even without training and without really pushing myself during the race. I think it's clear that my everyday runner habits have really helped me with speed, to where an 8:30 pace in the last few miles of a marathon doesn't feel fast at all. I have to admit, when I created my Athleta goals for the year, I purposely said that I wanted to PR in "a race" and not a marathon, because I didn't know if it would be possible to beat my current marathon PR (3:49). But now, I feel like I'm unstoppable. 3:49, here I come!

Race stats:
Distance: 26.2 miles
Time: 4:02:37
Pace: 9:16
Overall place: 91/129
Gender place: 20/32
Age group place: 7/7

I am an everyday runner!

The last two weeks, I've gotten pretty used to the treadmill. It used to be the case that I'd only run if I was running outside - if I was at the gym, it was elliptical all the way. When I'm on the elliptical, pedaling away, the time flies by (well, at least if I am watching a TV show on the elliptical). But if I'm on the treadmill, I'm checking the time and distance every 5 seconds, wondering if my workout is done yet. (I know the common advice for this problem is to put a towel over the treadmill display, supposedly preventing you from looking at the time/distance, but my mother taught me how to play the piano when I was two, so I have pretty gifted hands that are capable of multitasking with my feet and pulling back the towel even when I'm still running).

But at the start of this project, I made it a goal to run more... and when I'm in a strange city that seems to have a seedy downtown, and the only hours in which I can run are early morning (when it's dark) or late night (ditto), the treadmill is how I accomplish that. Last week, I managed to run three whole times out of my four days in Kansas City - which is I think a new record for me on a project.

This week, I didn't hit the treadmill on Monday night when I got in, but only because it was a weight lifting day and I had a pretty lengthy routine to cover (I've expanded the Kara Goucher regimen with a few things I miss from the Rachel Cosgrove workouts, like dumbbell rows, military presses, and T-pushups). But Tuesday and Wednesday, I dutifully started my day with 2 miles on the treadmill. I know that's nothing impressive compared to those of you who have managed to do crazy things like crank out a 10 mile long run on the treadmill (no, thanks - I'll take my chances with cold/inclement weather if I'm going that far!), but for me, running any distance on a near-daily basis is an accomplishment.

Today, after a late night out with coworkers, I woke up feeling like I had probably eaten too much (we went for barbecue and beers). Not hungover, and not sick, but just comfortably full to the point where I had no interest in breakfast. I woke up surprisingly on time (not an inconsequential feat after one of these all night team outings), and headed down to the gym - surprisingly happy to be going. It was a good way to start the day!

I had set today aside as another strength training day, and after completing my lifting, I headed back up to my hotel room to shower and get ready for the day. But even as I did so, something felt off. First, I blamed the barbecue. Or maybe it was the fact that I had five drinks (which, pathetically, is a "big night" for me these days) over the course of the long night. But when I arrived at the office and still felt heavy and not myself, I thought about what I wanted at the moment. Was it coffee? No. A bigger breakfast? No.

And then it hit me - what my body was craving was not food or drink, but a run. Seriously, you guys, I was itching to run - to the point where I more than once checked my calendar to see if there was any way I could sneak back to the hotel for an hour and squeeze in a few miles and a shower. (Sadly, no dice - work was crazy all this week). I couldn't believe how badly I was craving a run, and that was when it hit me.

I have done it - I have become an everyday runner! To me, this is an accomplishment nearly as big as running a marathon is to many of you. I have long said that despite all my marathons, I don't feel like a "real" runner - but today, that itchiness at not running made me feel like I've crossed a threshold.

Tomorrow morning? I don't know if it will be the treadmill or my neighborhood (hooray for being home), but it doesn't matter. IT. IS. ON.

Becoming certifiable

After an angry night last night, it's time that I cheered up and focused on the positive. On Monday, I got an email from the Road Runners Club of America. They offer certification to become a running coach, which is something I've toyed with doing for a while. The problem is, their courses fill up crazy fast - within hours of opening. You have to be pretty darn committed and quick on your feet to get in! Which I suppose is not a bad thing for a running organization :)

Having been on their list for a while, the courses that have me the most intrigued are those that are run concurrently with a marathon. That is, a schedule where Friday/Saturday are spent in all day classes to get certification, and Sunday is kept open for the local marathon. I first saw this for the Sarasota Marathon in Florida, and was very tempted... but the course filled up before I could make up my mind.

This time, though, when I saw that there was going to be a Denver session offered alongside the Colfax Marathon, I hastened to make a decision. Two of my best friends (one from college, one from my first consulting job) happen to live in Denver, and I absolutely love the Rocky Mountain states anyway. May should be a good time to be out there (not too hot, not too cold), and I didn't have anything going on that weekend just yet.

When I checked out the details for the Colfax Marathon, it did give me a bit of pause. All reviews seemed to say that the course was basically just uphill and heading out of town for the first 13.1 miles, and then turning around and coming straight back downhill for the second half. Not an easy course! But when I thought back on my Colorado marathon when I did my 50 state challenge, it was one of the toughest I'd done. Forget an "uphill" course - the Run Through Time Marathon that I did there was straight up a mountain, and there's not much that's tougher than that!

So after just 30 minutes of forethought, I booked the RRCA certification course and the marathon. Nothing like quick decision making, and now I'm pretty pumped for the entire shebang. Anyone else doing Colfax or the certification?

Can I have a Valentine's do-over?

If I had time to write this post earlier in the day, you would be reading a very different post.

You would be reading a post about how I love Valentine's Day. How even if you're single, it's a chance to wish your friends/family/loved ones a special day. How if you're a single, it's a chance to pamper yourself and make the day all about the things you love. This morning, I sent Starbucks gift cards to my parents and my best friends, letting them know how much I appreciate them and wanted them to have a special day. Tonight, I planned to hit the gym for an extra long session, eat a healthy dinner, get a massage, and then take some time to relax with a book or some TV. That would pamper me more than any flowers / dinner date could, and I was pretty psyched about my plans for the night.

But then I started hearing rumors about getting dinner at a beer bar. I IMed the analyst who was coordinating the dinner, and asked if I could just meet up with them for a drink after dinner instead. I figured that was the best of both worlds - I could still do most of what I had planned, but I'd also make my appearance for a drink at the end of the night. unfortunately, it was then that I learned that this was not just some people getting together because they didn't want to eat dinner alone. No, this was being termed a "team dinner", aka something I was required to attend. (To be clear: "required" does not mean an actual commitment; rather, "required" in consulting means, "if you don't do this we can't actually put it in your review or yell at you for not doing it, but we will sure as heck never staff you again, and no explanation is needed to do that").

Never mind that we have another official "team dinner" scheduled for tomorrow. In the interest of being a "team player," I had to cancel my massage appointment, skip the gym, and eat bar food I really wasn't in the mood for. I probably should have made the best of it and grabbed a brew that I hadn't yet tried (they actually had a pretty extensive list). Instead, I had ice water, and I sulked (okay, not proud of that). I knew that we'd be going to a beer bar tomorrow night as well, and that tomorrow is likely to be a big late night, since it's the rolloff party for one of our team members. But with that in mind: I'm sorry, I'm not 21 years old and fresh out of college anymore. I don't want to go drinking every night - especially when it's not because I want to drink, but because I have to follow the crowd.

I mean, I get why these team norms matter. It's important to build personal relationships with your coworkers - it makes you a stronger team in the office. And it's important to make your coworkers feel comfortable with you, and feel like you fit in. (Hence why I felt guilty about ordering water when everyone else ordered beer... and thank you to the waiter for poking fun at me for doing so. I really appreciate your calling the entire table's attention to that). But when it's 10:30pm and I have to be at work at 8am the next day, I do not want to go bar hopping just to prove that I am cool and can hang.

I hate that I'm judged not just on the quality of my work, but on how fun I am outside of the office and how many beers I can put back while still showing up for work the next morning. Once in a while, not getting hungover is a great skill to have (and it has saved my butt). But I don't want to have to demonstrate that every night, as the circles under my eyes get darker and the tire around my waist gets bigger. I want sleep. I want exercise. I want healthy food. Those are the things that prevent me from getting burnt out too quickly - not drinking to "relieve the stress." Because drinking? Is what often causes me stress.

So thanks, work, for being the worst Valentine ever. Can I have a Valentine's do-over?

Spectator's Report: Hot Dog Challenge

Friday went almost exactly according to plan. By 10am, I had lifted weights, run 4 miles, and done an hour of Zumba - score! When it came to my Friday night date, though, I was in need of some downtime (especially with all I had on tap for the rest of the weekend)... so I ended up cancelling. And I wonder why I'm single! Instead, I went out with coworkers and friends to one of my favorite beer bars, and headed to bed by midnight. Now that's my idea of a perfect Friday night!

When I woke up on Saturday, it was time for a crazy intense morning of workouts. But first, I started panicking at the sight of snow coming down. What would snow do to our hotdog challenge later in the day? Would the vendors all still be out? A quick Tweet to the New York Rogue Runners confirmed that the race was on, so I tried to push the anxiety out of my mind and just focus on what I had going in the meantime. And I had a lot going in the meantime!

First, a 2.5 mile run to Athleta - carrying my yoga mat. My yoga mat tucks very nicely under my arm (so it's kind of pinned against my body and completely immobile when I run), but despite the lack of movement, it still seems to slow me down quite a bit - I guess just because of the weight of it. While I had done my 4 miles on Friday at about an 8:20 pace and felt like it was really easy, today my first 2.5 felt slow and sluggish - at a 9:30/mile average. Darn you, yoga mat!

I arrived at Athleta UES just in time for the free 9am Zumba class, which was awesome as always. Ellie is a fabulous instructor, and I realized how much I had missed her class - it's been a few weeks since I've had a chance to take it. Her choice of music - from Enrique Iglesias' "Maybe I like that" to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" - always pumps me up, and as a bonus, we did a brand new song that was a lot of fun. Looking forward to doing that one again!

But as soon as class was over, I had to run. Literally. Zumba ended at 10:00am, and I planned to head back across the park to JackRabbit UWS for their free yoga for runners class - at 10:15am. Yikes! I maintained a 9:14 pace (with my yoga mat in tow), which I was pretty pleased with - and I rolled into class just as it was beginning. Hooray!

Unfortunately, the class wasn't all I hoped it would be. Right off the bat, the instructor announced that this would not be an athletic-style yoga class... but more focused on just stretching and relaxing. I don't like gentle yoga at all - I like intense classes that really stretch and work my muscles out and either actively relieve soreness or make me newly sore for certain muscles (hi, Jillian Michaels' Yoga Meltdown!). This class was neither - it was very gentle, didn't have much "flow" to it, and wasn't even that relaxing due to the obnoxious people in the locker room who ignored the "quiet, please - yoga class in progress" sign and were loudly gossiping and discussing their runs. Annoying!
Also annoying - the class ended up going 80 minutes instead of the scheduled 60, which meant I was running late for the Saturday event I was most excited about. It was Hot Dog Challenge time!

I arrived at the park a few minutes late (I even saw Celia running in a cute sparkly headband on the way there, but I didn't even have time to stop and say hi!) and soon found the group on the terrace. The competitors all had their game faces on, while the refs were poring over the newly-released maps of the course. When I got my copy, I cracked up - it was pretty fantastic.

Seriously, you guys. "Rich Man's Alley" (Park Ave)? "Dead Man's Corner" (two stands with no break in between)? And "The Gauntlet" (four stands in a two block stretch)??? INSANELY funny. Well, at least for me, who didn't have to eat all those hot dogs!

Before we started the race, Baker read the rules of the game - basically, follow the course, eat a hot dog at every cart that you pass (which is conveniently marked on your map), and don't vomit. At this point, Claire asked a follow up question: what about diarrhea? Baker's response was classic, and had me cracking up for several minutes afterward, "Diarrhea is allowed. Anywhere on the course, not just at the finish. Actually, all along the course is fine." Well, I suppose that's one way to avoid having to follow a map!

If you count up the symbols on the map, you'll see that there were 11 hot dog stands planned for the run (we were instructed to stay on specific sides of the street to make sure we passed all the appropriate ones). However, the snow had scared a few vendors away, and our very first stand (in the park) was missing. To make up for it, we moved the start of the race back just a bit, and started the race in true "hot dog challenge" form - with every contestant holding a dog appropriately dosed with their chosen condiments. On the "ready, set, go" start of the race, everyone chowed down. No running until your hot dog is fully swallowed!

Since there weren't enough refs to go one to a competitor, as had been the plan, the job of the ref was more general than specific - to watch for cheating and help the competitors follow the planned route (so they wouldn't have to waste any brainpower on thinking and all of it could go toward digestive processes). Laura and I decided to team up and follow the Greatist entrant, Dave Tao. (This turned out to be a great decision from a spectating point of view, as he won the race by an insanely large margin). While Dave claimed to not be much of a runner, Laura had convinced him to enter solely based on his eating prowess - and at this first hot dog, we saw just how strong he was in that regard. I watched Dave eat his first dog in three big bites and couldn't decide whether to bow down in awe or to squat down and throw up - I have never seen someone eat that fast. But I didn't really have time to think about it - we were off and running, far ahead of all the other contestants who were still on their first bite. Yeah, Tao!

We began running toward the main loop of Central Park to head out of the park at the southeast corner, and had a pretty good lead on the other competitors. However, everyone else competing was an insanely fast runner, so it was no surprise when people started catching and passing us. Since Laura and I were at the front of the ref pack, she stayed with him while I went on ahead to the next hot dog stand, to ensure that no contestant was left unreffed and potentially without an idea of where to go. By the time we got to the second hot dog stand, there was a bit of a line to get dogs - bringing the race to a fairly even match between the top four or so competitors. Tao stretched a bit as he stood in line - apparently that 1/4 mile had been a bit much for him.

But as we hit stand #3 (directly across the street from #2), Laura and I assured Tao that there was no reason to worry - what he lacked in running ability, he could more than make up for in his ability to eat an entire hot dog in less than 5 seconds flat. When we left stand #3, we were in third place - with 8 more hot dogs still to go before the glorious finish. Go, Tao, you can do it!

Unfortunately for Tao (though perhaps fortunately for everyone competing), stand #4 was missing. Instead, we found AbbeLew waving us onward. It actually worked out well for Tao that we hadn't known about this missing cart sooner, as it led to quite a long stretch (~0.6 miles) with no hot dogs at all. I mean, 5 minutes of running without a break for refueling - what kind of shoddy race organization is this?? Fortunately, by the time we realized that there was no cart at 57th and Park, we only had 5 more blocks to go, and I used my best "mile 20 of the marathon" pacing/cheering skills to encourage Tao to keep up the pace and continue onward.

At the new stand #4, we began to make some headway - catching up with Neil and catching sight of Matt6 (the favorite to win, since apparently he had actually trained for this). However, just five blocks further we hit Dead Man's Corner - and as any true Hot Dog Challenge fan knows, Dead Man's Corner will make or break your race. It was here that we lost Claire to the fate of projectile vomiting (which thankfully I was not around to see). For my part, I had quickly eaten a bowl of split pea soup (with chicken sausage) just before coming to the race, and I was feeling a little queasy from running with that in my stomach - I couldn't imagine how people were doing it with now 5 hot dogs and buns in their bellies.

Dead Man's Corner was also notable because this was where Tao made his gamechanging move - scarfing down the #4 hot dog nearly twice as fast as Matt6, at which point he only had to go across the street and repeat that feat in order to have a substantial lead. With Dead Man's Corner being only 4 blocks (0.2 miles) away from the beginning of the Gauntlet, it was clear that running skills would be far less valuable than eating skills from here on out.

At 46th and 6th, our first cart of the Gauntlet (and 7th cart overall), we encountered a friendly hot dog man who wanted to give us the best quality dog he could offer - attempting to toast the bun before placing the dog in it. "JUST PLAIN! DON'T TOAST IT! FAST!" was our screamed response to that attempt at quality control. Can you tell we are New Yorkers and not tourists?

The Gauntlet of 46th Street was pretty brutal - every corner yielded a hot dog stand. After hitting stands #8 and #9 right across Times Square from each other, Laura and I fought our way through the tourist crowds to clear a space for Tao - I considered yelling "elite athlete coming through!", but kept quiet and simply used my elbows instead. Much more effective! And with Tao starting to show signs of illness, I would hope that any tourists would clear a path just for that.

There was just one more cart to go - and when we turned around, we couldn't even see any competitors behind us in the distance. We cheered Tao on in this homestretch, reminding him that he had it in the bag - just ONE more hot dog, and then a quick quarter mile to the finish line. Orrrr not so quick - we had enough of a lead that walking was fine, and the most important thing was ensuring that Tao didn't throw up (which would be grounds for an automatic DQ). However, Tao managed to maintain a pretty decent pace, and far surpassed even Baker's expectations for how fast he could eat dog #10 and get to the finish... because when we arrived, there was no one there.

Laura and I assured Tao that Rudy's was definitely the ending location of the race, and once he was sure, he let out a yell to rival any Giants player after last week's Superbowl. This brought Tao's friends out from the cafe next door, where they had been enjoying Spanakopita for brunch, and were shocked to find out that Tao was the winner. A few minutes later, Baker came running up to officially pronounce Tao the champion, and shortly thereafter, Matt6 came chugging in too. The results were coming in - and while there was a big gap between some competitors, it was particularly exciting to find that third place was a female. No handicap here - super fit and svelte Bojana somehow managed to eat 10 hot dogs (and buns) and run 2.6 miles and still finish ahead of most of the guys!

Not one to be left out of the meat-eating festivities, I enjoyed a complimentary hotdog at Rudy's with my blonde ale - the main reason this particular bar had been chosen as the finish line. Baker too enjoyed a free dog, while anyone who had competed looked at us with sheer disgust/horror on their face, and then headed to the bathroom to vomit. Hey, the only rule was no vomiting within 3 minutes of finishing - they were safe now!

But as for hot dogs? I don't know if they'll ever eat another one again.

Managing myself: the weekend plan

It's time for my favorite part of the work week... the flight home!

Okay, half-kidding about that. I'm actually really loving my job more and more now that I'm moving into a managerial role - I'm totally a people-person, and I love making task lists and organizing things, so it suits me really well. Of course, management has its challenges - it's scary to be the one that's blamed if anything goes wrong, and I have to quadruple-check everything - but overall, I'm liking it.

Still, nothing compares to my Thursday evening flight home - when I get to be undisturbed by phone calls and emails (or at least I don't have to check email, since I'm keeping it on the DL that I signed up for in-flight wifi), and when I get to make my to-do list and plan for the weekend. Yippee! Planning! (See, I told you I was born to be a manager). And tonight, since I apparently have nothing better to talk about, you can see my plan (and perhaps, if you're in the NYC area, come tag along):

Friday:
7am - Wake up
7:30am - Kara Goucher weight lifting routine
8am - Breakfast with best friend
9am - 1.5 mile run to East Side
9:30am - Zumba
10:30am - 2 mile run home
10:50am - Work / Harass coworker for the 10am deadline that I know is going to be missed
11:30am - Doctor's appointment
12:30pm - Work, work, work, work, laundry, work
6:30pm - Happy hour with former coworkers from boutique firm
7:15pm - Move to other happy hour with soon-to-be-former-coworker (it's his last day)
8pm - Dinner date

Saturday:
8am - Wake up
8:30am - Run 3 miles to East Side
9am - Zumba at Athleta Upper East Side (free! Come with!)
10am - Sprint 1.7 miles back to West Side
10:15am - Yoga at Jackrabbit Upper West Side (free! Come with!)
11:15am - Coffee with a friend
12pm - Hot Dog Run starting in Central Park (free! Come with!)
3pm - Bar to celebrate with hot dog runners
5pm - Nap? Probably necessary...
8pm - Dinner date
10pm - Karaoke birthday party

Sunday:
7:30am - Wake up
8am - Lululemon long run (8 miles?) in Central Park (free! Come with!)
9:30am - 4 mile Athleta Upper West Side run and race entry giveaway (free! Come with!)
10:30am - Home/shower/cook brunch food
11am - Beer brunch with friends
1pm - Sober up, run errands, pack
5pm - Head to Belorussian dinner in Brooklyn with friends (because we are oh-so-cultural like that)
8pm - Head home. SLEEP. Possibly for the first time all weekend.

And after all of that, I realized that I neglected to fit in something I've been putting off for a few weeks: buying paint and repainting the living room in a pretty spring green color. (It's not spring? The thermometer fooled me). So I'll just fit that in between... okay, next week it is.

Some might get exhausted by that schedule, but I get EXCITED. And weirdly jazzed about having a plan/schedule to follow. #HelloMyNameIsLauraAndIAmTypeA

Am I not supposed to put hashtags on blog posts? Only Twitter? Too bad. My blog, my rules.

TGIT, everyone!

Sunday Funday and a Race Entry Giveaway!

Since there was just too much to tell about my epic 14 mile run for multiple cups of hot chocolate on Saturday, I neglected to tell you all about my Sunday. But now I shall.

Saturday night, I stayed out far too late at a friend's birthday. As in, despite not drinking very much, I was falling asleep on the subway on the way home. From Queens. Danger, Will Robinson! I was fortunate enough to have some good friends riding the subway with me, but it was otherwise not a good situation. Exhaustion + Laura does not = happy times. Sunday morning, I woke up later than usual - around 8:30am - and skipped the JackRabbit long run I had been planning to do, in part because I figured I had gotten plenty of miles in on Saturday, anyway! But I was still all-in for my Athleta run at 9:30am, and I was psyched.

Due to the NYRR race going on in Central Park, we took a different route than our usual and headed over to Riverside Park. Up and down the hills and along the river, just like the race the day before! It was tough, but with the help of some great company (and perhaps a little speakerphone song on the toughest hill of all), we made it for the whole 3 miles. Awesome job, ladies! From here, our long runs now go up one mile a week and start getting truly long - which means this Sunday is 4 miles. I'm excited to get to start running a bit longer all the time from now on, and while I think some of the women in my group are a bit nervous, I'm positive it's going to be awesome. (And today I just got news on why next week is going to be even more awesome than usual - more details at the end of the post).

I spent the rest of Sunday mostly lounging around, figuring that I earned it - until I hit up an hour of yoga (via DVD - thank you, Bob Harper Warrior Yoga) in the late afternoon. I had now fulfilled my February goal of running 20 miles each week (I did 21! Boom.) and also mixing in some yoga! Score.

While some people reach a big work out goal and then feel like they can eat/drink anything in celebration, I tend to be the opposite - once I'm on a healthy track, I stay there. So getting in that yoga session was a double whammy - it gave me a workout and it got me in a mindset to not indulge too much at the Superbowl party I attended. On arrival, I had a cup of homemade turkey chili, and then turned my attention to enjoy the healthy snack I had brought: tons of veggies with Chobani Cucumber Feta Dip. Though my best friend teased me for bringing healthy food, the dip especially was a big hit - people didn't know it was healthy until I mentioned it, and then when I did, they went after it with abandon. Further proof that healthy doesn't have to be boring and tasteless! And of course, the Giants' awesome victory was the perfect accompaniment to my great evening.

But looking ahead: as I alluded to earlier, our Sunday Athleta group run is not going to be just any run this week. Athleta is generously offering up one free entry to the sold out More+Fitness Half Marathon - to one of the participants on today's run! All you have to do is show up, run your heart out (no speed required, and we don't even care if you cheat the course a little if you can't make it all the way to the turnaround point), and when we get back to the store, we'll find out the winner. Nothing like a little race entry raffle excitement to make us run faster to the finish, right? For those of you pessimists out there, we usually get around 10 people for our runs, and some of them are already entered in the More Half Marathon, so you're competing with a small pool - and getting to know a great group of women who will be with you from training to race.

Sunday, February 12. 9:30am. Athleta Upper West Side (corner of 70th and Columbus). 4 mile run + More Half Marathon entry giveaway. GET EXCITED!!!

My new gym

A new project means many things. It means new flights (will I have to go to bed at 9pm on Sunday nights to wake up for a 5am flight? Will I get home at 6pm on Thursdays or not until midnight?). It means new working hours (Will this team start work at 8am, 9am, or somewhere in between? Will these be coworkers that are big on team dinners, so I never get to my hotel till 11pm?). And, since I'm on the road and relying on the mercy of my hotel fitness center, it means a new gym.

Every time I change projects, I have to adapt my gym routine in many ways. First, I have to assess the equipment. At my new hotel gym, there is no pullup bar, and not even something I can use as a substitute (like loading up the lat pulldown bar with 250 pounds so it's immobile). Kara Goucher strength training plan? Not so easy to do pullups and chinups when I don't have access to any kind of bar (aside from the alcohol-filled kind) four days a week. I have been slightly tempted to try out the shower curtain, but that just seems like a terrible idea.

Another factor is who is in the gym. One thing I loved about my hotel in Charlottesville was that at night, I seemed to be the only person who ever used it. In the mornings, I'd share with 2-3 other people, but there was plenty of cardio equipment to go around, and no one else ever seemed much interested in the free weights. Not so here in Kansas City! The hotel gym here is one of the smallest I've seen, and it seems to have a fairly loyal following.

Last night, there was only one other person when I got to the gym for my weight lifting routine, and he was finishing up. Score! But before I knew it, the gym filled up... with my coworkers. I suppose it's inevitable, with all of us on the same work schedule and all of us eating the same heavy meals that require constant workouts to avoid the "Consulting 15." But there's something disconcerting about seeing your coworkers in muscle tees and short shorts (exactly the reason that I usually choose to work out during the week in capris and a race t-shirt). Furthermore, one of my coworkers seemed to be the macho type who wanted to show off... by using a 50 pound dumbbell to do kettlebell-like exercises. He was swinging the darn thing right at me on the weight bench as I was doing chest presses, and I was really terrified he was going to let it go and kill me where I lay. If it had been a stranger, I probably would have asked him to at least swing his massive weight toward the wall... but because it was a coworker, I felt a bit awkward saying anything. So much for safety first!

Tonight, I managed to get a gym free of coworkers... but full of everyone else. I tried to squeeze in some quick miles on the treadmill before I have to go to a team dinner, and all three treadmills, the bike, and both ellipticals were taken. I already did my weight lifting routine last night and so had clearly planned for tonight to be cardio - which meant the only option was the stepper machine. Fine by me - I'm good with any cardio. Until I tried it, and found that this was no usual stairstepper - but some crazy machine where you could vary whether it went up and down or round in circles based on where you put pressure with your feet. Furthermore, anytime I dared to touch the arm handles to incorporate some upper body, I suddenly found my feet spinning backward instead of forward. What the heck? A picture may be in order if I ever get the gym all to myself, but for now, anyone have any ideas what that was? On the plus side, it did get my heart rate up!

Now - off to a team dinner (where I will hopefully be good with my menu selections), and then back to actually get those treadmill miles in. I am determined not to let the chaos deter me!

Race Report: Manhattan Hot Chocolate 10K (and Run to City Bakery)

Despite a rocky start where each of us thought the other person was standing us up, my date last night went surprisingly well. However, it also went very long - so when I got up at 8am to get ready for the Manhattan Hot Chocolate 10K, I was running on about 4 hours of sleep. Not good at all!

I was also running late for my 9am meeting with Jocelyn to run 2.5 miles up to the race, so I got ready as fast as I could. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to eat breakfast - and instead of grabbing one of the zillions of protein bars I have on hand, I skipped it entirely. (Bad move, don't know why on earth I did that). As a result, my run became fueled by beer and sake instead of something more substantial and, you know, energizing.

Jocelyn and I headed up Riverside Drive, cut down to the water, and then basked in the gloriously sunny day as we ran along the Hudson. It was surprisingly warm - my fleece was making me sweat like crazy - but the somewhat aggressive pace we were taking (~8:50/mile) while also trying to catch up on gossip made it not entirely pleasant - I felt exhausted, and couldn't believe that I was now about to run a 10K! This was not going to be pretty.

We got a bit lost trying to find the start (turns out it was up in Riverside Park and not right on the river), tacking some extra mileage onto our run, so we did about 3 miles just getting to the race. Another 6.2 to go during the race, and then 5 more to reach City Bakery for our ultimate hot chocolate destination! This was going to be a high mileage day for me, and I regretted not prioritizing sleep so I could have made it a better experience.

I ran into Frank and Emmy at the start again (just like last week!), but didn't get to chat long before we were off. As with the Brooklyn version of the race, the biggest hill was right in the first half mile - but it was a doozy. I ended up pulling off to the side and switching to a walk just halfway up - but I was happy that when I reached the top, I had more energy than most others and was therefore able to make up for some lost time. But before I got too far, I bumped into some of the woman from my Athleta training group. I was so glad to see them out there, and I ran with them for a quarter mile or so, taking the opportunity to catch up since they were running the 5K instead of the 3 mile Athleta run the next day. But I realized that my energy was waning - my best bet for finishing the entire 10K (instead of dropping down to the 5K, which I was seriously considering) was going fast and just getting it done. Faster may be more difficult, but it gets you finished that much sooner!

We did a series of ups and downs above the main part of Riverside Park, and then we got a few great downhills - one bringing us to the main terrace level, quickly followed by another that took us from the terrace level to the waterfront. Trying not to expend any energy on the downhills, I also succeeded in passing a lot of people as I flew down - proving that easy running can be even faster than something more laborious and measured.

Once down by the river, we did about a mile on a "lollipop" route, allowing me to wave to speedy Laura as she zoomed by on her way back. While going up the nasty hill that took us from the river back up to the main terrace level, I consoled myself that at least now it was just a straightaway to the finish - until I saw the other runners going to the right, the opposite direction of the finish line. Phooey - we had another loop to make before we'd be at the 5K mark! Fortunately, while this loop had a hill in it, the downhill part was steep and fun but the uphill was nice and gradual, making it somehow seem like a net win. I know that's not physically possible to start and end at the same place and have the downhill make up for the uphill - but mentally, it certainly seemed that way.

Luckily, there was a mostly flat last quarter mile of the course - giving me the energy to not give up while starting the second loop. On any looped race course, if you're not in a great running mood, it can be hard to keep going, so I was glad that at least I was coming to the halfway point while it was still flat, or I might have stopped! But keep going I did, and once I started the second loop, there was no way I wasn't finishing.

I still walked up the big hill the second time around, but I found myself going faster on the rest of the race. I had done the first half in about 29:00, and I hoped to negative split that for a semi-decent finish time... 58:00 just sounded slow to me after doing 52:48 the week before. As I ran my second loop, I sailed down the downhills, but still struggled a bit on the uphills. Could I negative split? I didn't know the answer until I had finished the last uphill and was only a quarter mile from the finish - with 54 minutes showing on my watch. I could totally pull a decent time! Sure enough, I crossed the finish line in 56:48, even managing a nice strong kick for the last few yards. Hooray!

At the finish, I sucked down water and went to join Laura - reaching her just in time to scream for Jocelyn as she crossed the finish less than 40 seconds after me. We were a good match! From there, I said hello to Frank and Emmy, and Frank snapped a pic of me that looking a little wonky-eyed with exhaustion. Not my best shot, but it pretty accurately captured how I was feeling!



After enjoying not just one but two delicious cups of hot cocoa (I was dying for a sugar hit after not having any breakfast and then running 9.7 miles... oops!), Jocelyn and Laura and I headed off - our runs for the day were not yet done, and neither was our hot chocolate consumption! We had big plans to meet up with the New York Rogue Runners' Run To City Bakery. Jocelyn was clearly feeling more chipper than I, because she wanted us to run to 72nd Street and try to catch everyone as they made their way from Central Park over to the West Side Highway. Unfortunately, I knew I just didn't have it in me to push the pace for another 5.5 miles, so we actually walked a bit to chat, and didn't start running until 1/2 mile in. Even then, it was aggressive for me - my usual chatter ceased, and I just tried to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Apologies to Jocelyn and Laura for being such poor company!

But we made it to City Bakery intact - and I even managed to pick up the pace for the last block. It's amazing what a single stop at a red light can do for reenergizing you! Though my phone had long since died, Laura and Jocelyn checked their watches (running buddies are great as timing backups!) and discovered that we had run exactly 5 miles in 44 minutes. Um, sub-9:00 pace? For 14 miles by now? I'LL TAKE IT!

And with that, we headed into City Bakery to refuel. Oddly enough, I was kind of hot chocolate-d out (hmmm, so apparently two cups is my limit?) from what I had up at the race, so I just tried a sip of their super special "banana peel hot chocolate" (too heavy and thick for my taste - it reminded me of a bar of chocolate that had been melted down and then had some banana schnapps tossed in... though I don't think this was alcoholic). Instead, I filled a plate with all kinds of yummy and healthy premade salads: broccoli rabe and chickpeas, sweet potato and pineapple, and some tofu scramble with peppers and onions. Yummy, and perfect for post-run recovery! (But the price tag for my plate - $13 - ensures I won't be making that my regular refueling spot. Yikes!)

I was thrilled to complete 14 miles and get my weekend off to a great start, and even more thrilled that I had managed a 9 minute pace with next to no sleep for the past week. So maybe if I rest up and train a little more I can reach my 2012 goal of beating my 3:49 marathon PR? We shall see!

Race stats (for Manhattan Hot Chocolate 10K):
Distance: 6.2 miles
Time: 56:48
Pace: 9:08
Overall place: 90/191
Age group place: 24/58

So I sing la-ti-da...

Things are finally right for me
Sun is shining I'm feeling free
My heart is whole I can finally breathe
The horizon I can see

You may have noticed that I didn't blog yesterday. (Or maybe you didn't notice, since it's only been in the past month that I've been blogging really regularly. Or maybe you didn't notice because my blog is just not that important to you. Don't worry, I can take it). Despite the fact that I had not one but two flights yesterday (thanks to a cancellation of my original nonstop), which is when I often knock out a quick post, I was swamped with work and ended up working straight through till bed last night. Can we say stressful? I haven't gotten more than 6 hours of sleep per night in the last week, and all I want to do is wave a magic wand and have everything erased from my to-do list!

Fortunately, this morning I woke up and got my butt in gear - thanks in part to the happy pick-me-up "La Ti Da" song playing on my phone as I got ready for the day. 30 minutes of weight lifting, breakfast with my best friend, and home to work for the morning. By 10am, I had already knocked out a big deck that was really weighing down my to-do list, and I continued cranking away on several other outstanding items. After a doctor's appointment mid-morning, it was time to head into the office, where I continued to get things done... and I'm now leaving the office with only one thing left on my to-do list (at least, my work to-do list... lots of errands) for this weekend! Hooray :)

Tonight: first date, which I have been told by two friends I ought to live tweet so they can pass their own judgment on the guy. Thanks, but no thanks... unless the date is totally awful! Haha, just kidding. They'll have to wait till tomorrow's long runs (Manhattan Hot Chocolate 10K followed by the City Bakery Run) to hear all about it. Meanwhile, I am super excited about the City Bakery run in particular, as February is their "hot chocolate festival" month, where they feature a different hot chocolate flavor every day. Tomorrow's pick? "Banana Peel Hot Chocolate." I can't think of a better post-run treat - yum!

TGIF, everyone! :)

Learning to love the treadmill

I did not get a good night's sleep last night, so when my alarm went off at 6:30am, I reset for 7am. Too tired! But that extra half hour of sleep was filled with bad dreams and me feeling guilty for not working out, so when it went off again at 7am, I got up.

I started my morning routine, all the while thinking about how I was wasting time and it was going to be the same situation as Tuesday. And in some ways, it was. At 7:20am, I was at the point in my routine where I'd usually head for the gym. For the few minutes beforehand, I had been thinking "Maybe I'll just do yoga. Yoga would be right here in my hotel room, and then I could just do cardio later tonight. Maybe that's really the best idea, to do that instead of hitting the treadmill." But then I thought about how I had blogged last night about definitely going for a run this morning, and I made up my mind - I was hitting the treadmill. (Hey, I guess I took my own "go public" advice I gave everyone in O Magazine!)

When I do cardio at the gym, I usually hit the elliptical instead of the treadmill. Both are cardio machines, and on both of them, I typically watch a video on my phone to pass the time as I work out... but for some reason, I just hate the treadmill. It bores me and I want to get off after just 5 minutes. I spent all my time on it cajoling myself (in my mind) to stay on longer, and it's just the worst experience ever.

Today, though, I gritted my teeth, and after my 1.5 minute walking warmup (incline 1.0, speed 4.5), I kicked it up to a run (speed 7.0). I tried to focus on last week's episode of The Biggest Loser, which I had brought with me for entertainment - and lo and behold, it worked! After 2 minutes, which is when I'm normally checking the time like crazy and wanting to take a walk break, I actually felt no desire to stop at all. Instead, I looked at my workout as something I had to get done as quickly as possible - and that the faster I went, the more mileage I would put on and the more calories I would burn. Definitely a necessity given my last two days of mostly skipped workouts!

Since I was shorter on time than I had anticipated when I posted yesterday about planning to run for 30 minutes, I told myself that my goal was 2 miles - which I'd get done in about 18 minutes (including my 1.5 minute warmup). But when I hit 11 minutes or so, I decided that I didn't have to stop at 2 miles. Maybe I couldn't go the whole 30 minutes and still have time to get ready for work, but surely I could squeeze in one more mile? (Oh dear, shades of how I got started doing my first marathon).

I ended up doing 3.1 miles in 27:02 - which I was pretty pleased with. 5K to get the day off to a great start! And it did get me off to a great start. Instead of feeling like a sloth, I'm energized - I feel like I've totally turned my week around. Instead of thinking that tonight I have to work out to make up for all my missed workouts earlier in the week, I'm now thinking about whether I get to workout - as in, something I'm excited about and looking forward to. How great would that be if I could turn my week around from being lazy into being uber-productive?

Stay tuned.