NYC Marathon

Hello again friends and family. Another 24 hours has gone by since finishing the greatest marathon on the planet. It still doesn’t seem real that I was a part of it. Me? The scrawny kid who was always picked last for teams growing up. Me? The high school freshmen who had to run the first leg of the 4 x 400 relay and couldn’t catch up to my teammate to pass the damn baton. Me?  But I have pictures to prove it, so I guess it did really happen. Yes, ME.

Without a doubt, this experience has been a great privilege. I won’t say the greatest privilege…that title applies only to experiences involving my children, but this is sure up there! To be part of something so enormous is a kick. There was such a mass of humanity, the runner of course, the spectators, the musicians, the police officers, the volunteers, the media, and all the people behind the scenes that worked for months to make it happen. It is rare to be part of something so huge. It is humbling to remember I am but one small spec in the universe, no matter how important I might feel on a given day…I’m just one person out of billions. You get a sense of that for real participating in something like this.

It was a lovely bonus to get to know some new people leading up to the big event, thanks to my buddy Janice. (More on her in a bit.) This lovely group of people energized and inspired me in the final weeks with good-natured banter, inspirational stories, great advice, and the sharing of our hopes and our reservations in tackling this goal. They adopted Joe and I as part of their group and we joined them for a pre-race pasta dinner Saturday night which was big fun and felt so comfortable it was like we had known them forever. Keith, Tracey, David, Shelley, Jay and Greg: many thanks and Congratulations to all of you!

We obsessively watched the weather all week and agonized about what to wear, what to bring, what would make it though security. In the end, I decided on my tri uniform since it offered the most storage. When planning to be out running for 5 hours, you need to bring a lot of snacks! If not for the uniform, I would have darn near had to push a grocery cart along the route! We assembled our layers to be discarded and donated. We bought our gels. We found the smallest blankets in the house to fit in our clear plastic bags. New security dictated no large blankets or sleeping bags which had been allowed in the past.

As the training wound down in the final week, I had so much energy left over, I simply didn’t know what to do with myself. Instead of running 6-8 miles, I was only running half that. Instead of swimming 90 minutes, I was only swimming one third of that. I found myself doing crazy things like cleaning up the basement to spend the extra energy.

Friday arrived and we went into Manhattan to pick up our bib numbers. I couldn’t stop smiling the whole time. After training for two years, it was finally here, I was going to run in the NYC Marathon with nearly 50,000 people from all over the world. Joe and I both took some ZQuill to ensure a good night’s sleep since we knew we wouldn’t sleep the following night. It was great to not set an alarm, for the first time in recent memory. Saturday, the final wardrobe decisions were made based on the current weather report of cold, clear, windy, and zero percent chance of rain. And this night we set the alarm for 4:00.

After just a short sleep, more like a nap, we popped up, ready to roll. Once again, I just couldn’t stop smiling. There were no real nerves…just excitement. (Goes to show you what a fool I am!) We left the house right on schedule at 4:45 to make our bus at The Runner’s Edge. The buses left right on schedule as well with dozens of athletes buzzing with energy. I laid back and tried to conserve my energy for what I knew would be a very long, exhausting day. And I marveled that I was one of those athletes. Me. An Athlete. Wow.

Grinning like an idiot, I proceeded to join the river of people headed into Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island…lifting my layers to show my runner’s bib oh so very proudly. I even kept smiling when the police officer took my blanket away. And my foil sheet which was still in the packaging. When he tossed out my huge wad of napkins for blowing my nose for the next 8-9 hours, I dove on them with a small shriek…but still smiling. I informed him that my sinuses are the worst in the world and if I was going to make it through this marathon I needed lots of tissues and lots of snacks. He let me reclaim my precious napkins to the laughter of everyone around me. Looking back, I probably should have been embarrassed, but nope. I was still just grinning from ear to ear.

Next was the FOUR HOUR wait until the beginning of our wave. To my delight, Joe decided to leave in wave 4 with me, instead of wave 3 so we could be together going over the bridge. Since it was incredibly freezing, this was a smart decision so he would have less time to wait for me after he finished as well. We located Janice, Greg and Jay pretty quickly and all huddled together for the duration. Dunkin Donuts was handing out orange and pink hats and it was fun to see thousands of people wearing them while we hunkered down to wait.

At last, time to go to our corral. Now, the nerves start to hit…my mouth is dry and I am shaking…but not from the cold, from the fear of the challenge to run 26.2 miles. Dear God, what was I thinking????? Then it appears as though I will have to leave Joe and Janice since my bib is blue and theirs are orange. Tears. Yup. This is going to be an all out disaster. We get some clarification after asking 3 different people and I proceed with them to Janice’s corral. Now we are walking up onto the base of the bridge. Man this is a big bridge. Oh yes, there is that head wind we’ve been fearing…yup, it will be in our faces for 20 miles. Holy crap. What was I thinking????? My phone dies, I can’t even take a picture. Damn. Oh no!!!! My phone is dead!!! How will I call Joe when I finish???? Complete panic. How will I find him? What if we miss the bus to go back to Long Island? For sure, we have worked all of this out ahead of time. Joe calmly reminds me we have a plan and I am simply to follow the plan. How he puts up with me is anyone’s guess. Really, for such an independent woman, I sometimes fall to pieces over ridiculous things…and always at inopportune times.

In any case, weather my phone is working or I have a reunion plan or not, the Howitzer booms and the crowd roars and we start moving forward up and over the Verrazano Bridge. It is just awesome, the music playing New York, New York and the view and the people all around. Thousands of people all running for their own reasons, with their own stories, but all of us have one thing in common: we are testing ourselves with the challenge of 26.2 miles…to stay focused and not get swept up in the crowds; to remember to pace ourselves and our hydration and nutrition to last the duration; to keep going when it starts to hurt; to finish in an upright position…with a smile!

At the crest of the bridge is the one mile marker. Joe and I high five, declare our love, and say goodbye so he can run his race. Janice reminds me to go slow downhill. We marvel at all the clothes strewn along the sides of the bridge and view of Manhattan. There are no spectators on the bridge, not until we come off of it and into Brooklyn. So far, it’s kind of like any other race…and then we can hear the crowds. I have to admit, I was curious if it would be like I had heard about all this time. By the time I got to the streets, would there be anyone left to cheer? The answer is ABSOLUTELY. I was not disappointed. And what is remarkable is that they cheer for everyone. No doubt, they are there in large part to support a person or people they know, but they cheer for everyone. It is incredible. To be part of that outpouring of good will was a tremendous feeling. And it really drove home that I was part of something extraordinary, doing something extraordinary. I could feel myself getting emotional again, but had to keep my wits about me. There were legs and feet and discarded clothing everywhere and no time to be worrying over tears, I still had over 20 miles to go.

Janice and I pretty much stayed together for the first 8 or 9 or 10 miles. This was great to have a buddy by my side. But just to watch Janice is a kick. Here I am worrying about conserving steps…after all there are thousands to be made and I figure I should be smart and cut every corner I can. Not Janice. She cares not how many steps she takes. She is on the side of the road high fiving every soul who sticks their hand out. She is whooping it up as much as the crowd. I keep thinking to myself, conserve energy, nothing wasted. Not Janice. She is just enjoying every band, every kid, every cheer, every minute. And it didn’t drain her at all. In the past year, I have come to admire Janice for many reasons. On Sunday, all of NYC got to see the core of her beautiful soul. And I got to watch them enjoy her, a great experience for me.

Well, at least until we lost each other somewhere I think just before mile 10. I was 7 minutes ahead of pace up until this point. And I knew I needed to slow down. My gels were on schedule and my hydration was going just fine. I felt good, but I knew I couldn’t keep it up for another 16. So, I backed off a bit. Then we hit the Queensborough Bridge. It was just like you see on TV. Silent. Dark. Up. And Up. And people walking. Looking defeated. I hated being on that bridge. But then, you start down, and you listen. Wait for it. It’s coming, I know it is. And then you hear it…a small roar in the distance. And as you descend the ramp, it gets louder and louder…and there I am, grinning like an idiot all over again. That crowd stays with us all the way up First Avenue. Truly amazing.

My friends Debbie and Nancy were to meet me on 100^th Street. That was around mile 18. I knew to look for a neon green sign. I started counting down the blocks from somewhere in the 80s until I would see them. By this point, the legs are hurting. Not horribly yet. But enough to know that it is going to get bad and probably pretty soon. To have them to focus on for those 20 blocks was a saving distraction for however long that took. I found that sign my name on it like a beacon in a storm. Let me repeat that: A SIGN WITH MY NAME ON IT. I felt like a rock star with Debbie jumping up and down and screaming for me. She hugged me so hard, she lifted me off the ground. If I live to be 118, I might never feel that special again. She gave me a banana. And somehow extricated me from the sweatshirt I still had around my waist tangled up in the race belt. Gave me a kiss. And off I went with 8 more miles to go. At that moment, 8 miles seemed very manageable.

Ha.

I really thought since I did the 26 last year when the race was cancelled, that I knew what to expect. I really thought since I trained harder and better this year, that it would be easier. What I learned is that 26.2 miles is not meant to be easy. Ever. People might get good at it. But it is never easy. I started living one water stop to the next. Just make it one more water stop and you can walk through it I would tell myself. Just make it to the Bronx and you can reward yourself with turning on your iPod. I did get a small second wind in the Bronx. Then I hit 5^th Avenue in Manhattan. This is a net uphill for a while. Oh my stars. This is when it got really, really hard. And now my walk breaks were not always in the water stops. And the sun was getting lower, and the temperature was dropping. I cannot really describe how horribly tired and cold I was during this stretch. At no point did I want to quit. But I was now certain that my goal of under 5 hours was not happening. And the negative thoughts started to swirl. Joe is waiting. He must be freezing. What if I can’t find him. What if we miss the bus back. People are tracking me. They know I’m failing. I’m letting them all down. And on. And on.

It takes some kind of strength to work your way out of that. And several of you have told me that you were watching and rooting for me at the end when I slowed down. Well, thank you. Because I did get going again. I told myself, yes, they are tracking me, they can see I’m still moving, it might be slow, but I haven’t given up. Joe will wait for me. He loves me. We will go home together on the bus or the train and it doesn’t matter. Just keep moving. Just keep moving. Just keep moving. My walk breaks were shorter. I won’t say my running was any faster, but I did feel stronger. So, thank you for all your good wishes and prayers from afar…you got me through.

I finished in 5:18:28. Not my goal, but I finished. And I found Joe. And we made the bus. J

Final Race of the Summer Series

After yesterday's effort and a 90 minute swim this morning, I did not feel much like racing 5 miles tonight, I really must admit. Alas, I made a picnic dinner, dropped Joe off to run 5 miles down to the beach and proceeded myself to field 5 to get us set up. Said hello to some folks and before I knew it, we were starting. Once again, no warm up. But, eh, I wasn't racing, so no worries.

Started out slow, legs felt heavy. Then I hear my name, and there is Chris Duvally. So I go along with him for a wee bit, huffing and puffing to chat and keep up with him, and he takes off. I look at my watch, I am running a 9 minute pace. Ah, what the heck, let's go and see what these legs can do then.

My PR for a 5 mile distance was 47:33 back in December. Tonight (insert major drum roll here) was 46:13!!!!!!! Holy smokes. I couldn't believe it!!! What a way to end the summer series. Simply tickled pink. Another pedicure in the bank Mindy! We are set into the fall for now. I think those hills in OW are already paying big dividends. Oh, I'm just so excited, I don't know how I'll get any sleep...poor Joe. :)

Smith Point Sprint Triathlon

Oh dear, what a difference a few hours makes. I finished this race so proud of myself. And just now I finally saw the results posted and I must console myself with a piece of chocolate cake. (which is handy since it is Joe's birthday today)

So, last year, was my first tri season, did this race. Finished in 1:33:44. I looked at the breakdown of the different legs and transitions last night. I made goals for each. My overall goal seemed like a real stretch of 1:21:30. So I told no one of this number. I didn't want to look like an idiot if I didn't even come close. Amazingly, I achieved my goal time!!! Total time today was 1:19:26. I was so excited!!! Most of the time came off on the swim and the run. Just 30 seconds better on the stupid bike. T1 was exactly the same. T2 was a nice improvement.

Therefore, I was all excited to log in and see how I fared in the competition. What a huge disappointment! My overall percentages were only marginally better against my division and all women. And when men were factored in, it was far worse. To take off 14 minutes and not be improved, what a bummer. Clearly it was a stronger field this year. And I think everyone did far better in the swim, the current must have been in our favor this morning. Because Joe and I took almost exactly the same amount of time off of our swims from last year. So really, I only took 8 minutes off when you take that out of the equation. But still, 8 minutes ought to have made a bigger difference. Next time, I won't get all ahead of myself with excitement, that's for sure.

It was still a beautiful, gorgeous day, spent with my birthday honey and some friends doing something good for ourselves, and that is what is important.

So says the rational side of me.

The emotional, competitive side of me says, "Get on the stupid bike, learn to ride it without a monologue telling everyone around you how terrified you are, and beat the chic in the green next year!!!"

Ocean Swim...Next Stop Europe!

OK, so up until last weekend, this was my idea of going in the ocean. 1) tip toe in up to my knees or so; 2) stand around and chat with someone...anyone will do...I don't need to know the person; 3) sachet a little further, perhaps up to mid-thigh; 4) splash a little cool water on the top half of my body; 5) pronounce myself refreshed; 6) return to beach chair.

Last weekend, Jackie, Janice and I arrived at Coney Island for my first Aquathlon. There were different distances available. We registered for a half mile swim followed by a 3 mile run. We were there bright and early. Among the first to get into the transition area and set up our things. This gave us lots of time to get the lay of the land and sea. And too much time can be a bad thing. The longer we waited, the more anxious I got about swimming with the waves. And not touching bottom. And not even seeing bottom. And getting swept away, all the way to Europe. And jellyfish. And sharks. And I was just short of claiming to see the Loch Ness Monster when finally the race started.

Two milers went in first. Then one milers. Then us. In our white hats. The water was freezing. 61 degrees, although not technically freezing, sure as heck feels like freezing. We had to swim out straight, get around a buoy, then swim parallel to shore to the next buoy, and return to the first before swimming in to shore. Jackie did great, she got right after it. My hero. And God bless Janice. She had to pep talk me all the way out to that first buoy. I would not put my face in the water. I kept complaining about the cold and the waves making me seasick.

We got around that first buoy and I figured, OK, now I'll be able to work with the waves easier. Ha. I kept trying to put my face in and swim normal...but I couldn't get the hang of breathing with the waves. And every time I took a breath to my right, I thought, "Next stop Europe." This was clearly not helping. So I switched to breathing towards the shore and that made me feel infinitely better. Thank you Amy Taylor for yelling at me for months on end to breathe to both sides! Now it is no big deal and once I calmed down, I was able to get the feel of the water and the waves and lo and behold, the turn-around buoy was just ahead. The swim back to the first buoy was like nothing and we were done before I knew it. In fact, I was going along so much better that I almost swam on the wrong side of the buoy because I got to it more quickly than I anticipated and hadn't sighted in a few breaths.

I was the next to last out of the water. This did not make me happy at all. I was through transition in no time since I had no wetsuit to contend with. And with no watch and no split callers, I just ran as fast as I could for 3 miles. There was no way that I was going to finish last!! Consequently, I ran my fastest 3 miles ever...breaking the 9 minute average pace for the first time. I was so excited!! Pace was 8:56. And get this....I won my age group. There were only 3 people in the age group. But still. Ironically, there were no age group medals though. Doesn't that just figure!?

Fast forward to this morning. We were at Point Lookout with our beloved Excel group. Janice and Jackie were not there...but they would have been proud of me. With minimal fuss, I got in the water, right up to my waist. The temperature was lovely. When swimming into those waves, I still kept my head above water...I need to work on this. But once out far enough, just got moving right along with the pack and was keeping up just fine, swimming at an even, calm pace. Nancy (who will never see this post) was my buddy. We did great until we turned around. Then we had a devil of a time sighting the buoys and/or the other swimmers. We hung together and kept going after a few brief discussions. We exited the water a little early, but were pleased with ourselves none-the-less. And the best part was that I enjoyed it today!!! (I only thought about Europe once or twice. LOL)

Doing the work

Alarm went off before 6 this morning. Time to put my feet on the floor, get up and do the work. But I knew how bloody hot it was going to be. Today's assignment was a tempo run. Total mileage of 6. Two easy, two harder, two easy. I lay there for 30 minutes, wrestling with the will to part company with the pillow. It didn't help that Joe was not parting company with his own precious pillow. I must have repeated it a half dozen times, "Get up, put your feet on the floor, there is work to be done." At last, I did it. I'd like to say that I won. But that would be silly since it was a battle with myself. How can you say "I" when "I" is on both sides?

Anyways, out into the heat I went around 7. It was already 80 degrees. And the air was heavy. Ugh. Double Ugh. First mile was nasty. I was happy it was supposed to be so slow. Now, here is the good news. I was still supposed to be going slow in the second mile and no matter how hard I tried to keep slow and steady, I was going faster than I wanted. Then it was time to pick it up for miles 3 and 4. I did mile 3 45 seconds faster than target. Nice. Mile 4 was just a bit faster than target. Mile 5 was at the proper easy target. And mile 6 was pretty slow....by then the heat was getting worse.

This program has 3 key runs per week. Track workout with intervals on Tuesdays. Tempo runs on Thursdays and long runs on Saturdays. Cross-training 2 other days a week. Then there is supposed to be strength training twice a week too. All this, and it is for one day. One race. One challenge. One test of strength and endurance and mental fortitude. I keep telling myself that this is manageable. That many of my friends are training for much more grueling challenges. They are training longer. They are training harder. So surely I can manage this.

The mental training is every bit as important as the physical training. And it seems for me that it is just as challenging. I don't know if that is true for everyone. Surely I hope so. I watched a movie tonight and there was a good line in it. "You must choose your thoughts like you choose your clothes." Something like that. I must choose to think that I can do this. I must chooses to think that I will succeed. I must choose to think I am strong enough. I will go to sleep now with that as my mantra and will wake up energized for the swim at Point Lookout in the morning.

The Countdown has Begun!

Sixteen weeks till race day. Which race? The NYC Marathon. Here we go again. I simply can't believe I'm going to train for this again. I must be nuts. 26.2 miles is a long freakin way to run. And man, it is hot as hell out there. But this too shall pass. Before we know it the crisp, cool air will return and it will be bearable again.

Yesterday was the first training day of the program. It called for a track workout. I opted to do mine on the treadmill indoors due to the heat. The workout was 3 x 1600 at PR pace for a 5K with 400 rests in between. The first one was no problem. The second two were hard. Really hard. I'm blaming it on the heat. Since I had just done that pace for 3 consecutive 1600s on Saturday, I certainly should have been able to do them with rests in between. Could have been the heat. Or perhaps the miserable run on Sunday - 10 miles - again, in the heat. In any case, I didn't quite make those second two intervals. Logged 5 miles total for the morning.

And all the while, the morning TV was going on and on about the Zimmerman case. That should have been enough to make me run faster in and of itself. LOL.

Push ups.

Who among my normal girlfriends can do a real push up? Now, by normal, I mean not an elite athlete. Barbara, this excludes you. Lisa, this excludes you too. And, by real, I mean on your toes not on your knees...no butt sticking up...chest all the way to the floor...and then the hard part, back up again. Dear God in heaven, this is hard. It is my goal to be able to do one. For now, just one. Someday, maybe my goal will be to do many of them. But right now I'd be thrilled with just one real push up.

Maybe we should start a contest of some kind. Who can do the most real push ups by a certain date? The trouble is, since I'm not sure how long it will take me to do just one, I don't know what date to pick. Any takers?

New Personal Record!!!

Woo Hoo! So excited!! The stars all lined up perfectly and tonight I took 28 seconds of my previous best time for a 5K. By my watch the time was 28:06. That has earned me a pedicure with my buddy Mindy!! Perhaps I should have done a little less well so that I could earn another on its heels. Ha! It's going to be tough to make another record now, but God knows I'll try.

My honey husband was sweet enough to pace me tonight since he raced yesterday. He was the perfect combination of encouraging and impatient. The weather cooperated. I left the music home. I wore my new highlighter shoes. I ate sensibly all day, nothing heavy. And the brand new purple streak in my hair was the piece de la resistance that gave me the extra edge! What a night. So psyched!

My second time finishing in the top half of both men and women. Yippee. And even better, this was my first time finishing in the top 25% of my age group!!! Outstanding. I will now shower and treat myself to a trio of bite size Yorks.

New shoes.

Yesterday I got the Boost! Some kind of new technology. I would have figured it was all hype, but  I have to say, I noticed the difference immediately when I tried these shoes on. We'll see if I like them. Today I logged my first 8.3 miles in them. They felt pretty good. It makes me sad to not have my beloved purple sneakers. I will probably keep them forever, just because they are purple.

I asked the guy at the Runner's Edge for  a different color once I decided on this shoe. You know, something in the hot pink, neon purple family. But no such luck, this is the only color that is available. At least it is fitting. Take a look:

They are very definitely highlighter yellow!

A note about the run for the day. Nothing special. No great distance. No great speed. However, it was more consistent than usual, so I will take that as a positive.

A note about the road kill for the day. Three squirrels and two birds. And something past identifiable. That seemed like a lot to me.

A note about the calorie counting for the day. It is already getting on my nerves! I was 777 calories over yesterday. Grrrrr. Going to a party tonight. I will not be able to weigh or measure anything. And I'm ravenous. I have 1900 calories left to spend for the day. This sure is eye-opening! On the up side, I have lost a half a pound so far. :)

By the Numbers.

OK, so I'm two meals and one snack into my day. Calories logged so far. Exercise logged as well. Now I am armed with the information that I can still consume 1700 more calories. I love this thing! I'll figure out what to make for dinner based on my next snack, to still leave me in good shape for the day. Next snack will be yogurt I guess. Would welcome any ideas for dinner...vegetarian meals only...and suitable for feeding guests of my kids (there will be at least 2)...and one of the kids is picky...and two of the kids are at a BBQ now, so burgers are out. Suggestions anyone???? I'd like to leave them to fend for themselves and have a date night with Joe. Oh well, there will be plenty of time for that in the future, when I am missing the craziness that is a house with young adults coming and going and going and coming all the time!

Next good number for the day: 100/60. That was my blood pressure this morning after a 2.6 mile jog around the park and a 55 minute swim. Love it!

Last number for the day is 125,000. That is what happened to Big Blue today. God bless her. She continues to serve us well.

I'm Back.

To my 7 "official" followers and the host of others who also follow me "unofficially" I extend my apology for going MIA for the last 6 weeks. Yearbook delivery season is a nutty time of year, and this year was a special kind of crazy, the likes of which I hope not to repeat. I managed to keep up most of my exercise endeavors. I kept the family in clean dishes and underwear. And I kept us fed...to a point.  And that was it. If it didn't relate to our health and safety or delivering yearbooks, it did not get attended to! The last of my schools closed yesterday for the summer and I'm determined to get back on track.

Today I added something new to my daily routine. I hope I can keep it up. It will take discipline but Joe swears by it. And certainly, he has enjoyed the results of it. I added an app to my phone called My Net Diary Pro. It is a calorie/nutrition counter. I have logged my food for the day. I am 500 calories over my allotment for the activity I had today. I can see where this will be helpful in my quest to take off those springtime stress pounds that I put back on. (7 of them if you are wondering)

Is anyone else using an app for calories consumed vs. calories burned and all other nutritional information?

My thanks to all those folks who have told me they miss the blog. I am both flattered and humbled. In a way, I have missed making my entries as well. For several reasons. One, I am an external processor. It is just who I am. I process by sharing externally. (Margaret, stop snickering.) Two, it helped to motivate me and keep me on track a bit more...I would think to myself, "I can't give up, what will I say in the blog?" Three, the messages from my family and friends are always so encouraging!

Now, I must get ready for beddieby, it is an early day tomorrow. Hoping to fit in a jog before swim. Sweet dreams everyone!

Another weekend, another race.

Well, we had a blast this morning at the Carl Hart Duathalon. It was touch and go with the rain...lots of folks waiting in the parking lot to see if the weather would clear up. Thankfully, it did, just in time for the start at 9:00. We had a blast with lots of our swim buddies, Jackie, Judy, Lisa and some run buddies, Karen and Fran. The course was to run 1.8, bike 10, run 1.8. The trails were muddy in places and my unstable ankles protested, but never did I slip or roll them. And the bike was good, the road surface dried in a short time with all the wind. Oy, that wind!!! By the third loop, I had some confidence and got up to 18 mph a few times. Happy to report that I took nearly 4 minutes off of my total time from last year!

Although it is a miracle after all the food and sangria I had with Esra and Bernadette yesterday! And today was an eating orgy. Complete with chocolate cake for Mother's Day. (Thank you Esra!!) I really must find some discipline with my food...I do well for a day, then I blow it for three. Tomorrow is a new week, I will try, try again.

The other thing I want to begin this week is the supplement thing. Joe has been telling me for years (at least 11 years) to take at least a multi-vitamin. And other things as well. Then, I come home with Dr. Steve's recommendations, swearing maybe I should try them after all. I think Joe was a bit insulted. But....be that as it may...he seems to be right...I've been told again and again by so many....I had better put a note on my calendar...I'll never remember otherwise.

Very excited to get my orthotics this coming week. Hoping that will help a whole host of issues from my back to my hip to my knee to my ankle to maybe even the big ol' honkin' callus problem on one foot.

After the half marathon last week, Joe took one look at my foot and told me to find someone to take care of it. It was so bad I couldn't even fit it into my shoe on Monday. Then, when I saw Dr. Steve on Wednesday and he saw it, he urged me to do the same. He tried to tell me about a pumice stone. I was like, "This is AFTER the pumice stone!" I happened to have $6.00 in extra bucks for CVS and decided to see what they might have to help with what we not so affectionately call "the honker." There is this thing, it resembles a cheese grater, made for the purpose of shredding away the offensive honker. After much grating and shredding, my foot is now nearly the original size it was before I got involved in all this fitness whoop-de-doo. So maybe, now, with the orthotics too, it will not get to be so horrendous again...we shall see. We need to do something before November, that is for sure. That honker hurt so badly by mile 7 last week....and that would have only been 25% of a full marathon...I'd never finish...

Alas, my darling daughter is pinging me via FB now for advice. This is a bonus Mother's Day present! Imagine that. My ruminations must end here so I can figure out all the wrong things to say...wink, wink.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there! Especially my own Mom, who I know will be reading this with her morning coffee on Monday!

Data Driven

The old saying is that couples begin to resemble one another once they have been married a long time. I'm not sure Joe and I are starting to resemble each other in looks. But I can say for certain, he is making a spreadsheet queen out of me. I keep spreadsheets on lots of stuff. One of the things I like to look at is my race performance. Today I took a few minutes to "drill down" as Joe would say into yesterday's run. And yes, my assessment of my performance is validated in the split times for every mile. Mile 12 was indeed horrendous! And mile 13 wasn't much better.

But here is the encouraging news. Last year, I did better than 25% of the participants overall (men and women, all ages). This year, I did better than 35%. That's a nice jump. Out of the women in the race, last year I did better than 43% and this year 45%. Not as big a jump, but still a move in the right direction. The biggest jump was in my age group. I had hoped to finish in the top half of women ages 45-49. Last year I was better than 33% of them. This year I reached 48%. That is the biggest jump and I am happy with that.

Overall pace was 33 seconds faster than last year. Even though I was 3-4 pounds heavier than last year. Imagine if we wired my mouth shut for a while, I'd be in the top half for sure!!!

Feeling pretty good today, considering how lousy I felt in mile 12. Just a little sore, and the feet got beat up more than usual. Those purple sneakers are awesome to look at, but I will be happy to be rid of them. Hopefully later this week. In my experience, Mizunos feel great at first but break down way too fast. I think I may go back to the Sauconys. Dr. Steve and Dr. Holly have recommended a particular pair, I hope I like the way they feel. At this point, I'd do whatever they tell me...if they told me to put stones in my shoes and run, I probably would!

Recovery swim this morning was delightful. I truly love, love, love it. I think I figured something out this morning during a 3x300 set that I'll need to run by my beloved coaches. I sure would like to be taking time off of my swims like I am taking time off of my runs! If I didn't hate being under the water so much, I'd consider synchronized swimming as a new hobby...for everyone telling me how great I look...looking good is lovely, but I'd rather be fast darn it!

Alas, my (small) lunch is finished, back to work I go. For those of you keeping count, I'm down to one spring book left. I had hoped to access the photos from yesterday as well during lunch, but haven't managed that yet. As usual, I always think I can get more done that what is realistic. I need an assistant!!!!

Woo Hoo!

Got my PR by 49 seconds. Official time: 2:12:59.

Had a really good first half of the race, even though it is net uphill for the first 8 miles. And that Jericho Turnpike stretch involved a slight headwind. The ninth mile I even made up some time and brought my pace back down. Then it was up the onramp to the Wantagh Parkway...that slowed me down some. Then we had to go over some road or other while on the Parkway...that was pretty brutal for me. Folks were passing me in droves. Droves I say.

And after that I had nothing left. I tried all my games. I had been doing so well. But by then my feet hurt so badly and I was so tired, I was just saying one more step, one more step. The one more telephone pole was long since out the window. There was not even any energy left to lean forward. Or pick someone out in the crowd to chase. I tried thinking of Barbara and Kris who were running twice the distance. But I couldn't even gather inspiration from that. I tried focusing on the victims of the Boston bombing, and that just made me worry about Natasha at the finish line. Even Janice passing me handily with a quarter mile to go did not get me to rally and move any faster. It was going to be what it was going to be at that point. And although I cared, I couldn't muster any more strength. (Great job Janice!!!!)

Naturally, I went out too fast. No surprise there. A common curse of mine. I even tried to slow down at the beginning, but not enough, obviously. Miles 9-11 are always the hardest for me. And today was no different. The only difference was that I did not get a second wind after mile 11 like I have before. So, I tested myself again. And although I did better than before in a few ways, it was not as good as I have the potential to do, if I was better prepared.

We got Chinese food for dinner to help replace the salt lost. Here is my fortune:

Dreams are extremely important.

You can't do it unless you imagine it. 

Truer words for the day could not have been said. I believed I could break 2:13, but was not convinced about much more. And I did exactly that...broke 2:13 by one second, and not much more. Still have much training to do between the ears. Clearly.

Lots of work to be done on the legs too. After cleaning up the bloody feet, I will not waste any time getting new shoes this week!!! And then we just keep on moving...one day, one mile, one telephone pole at a time.

Tomorrow is race day!!!

It's funny how exciting it is, anticipating a big race. We know it's going to be hard. We know we're  going to be tired, and sore, and in my case, grouchy until I replace my glycogen stores. We know we'll feel like taking a break, and maybe even quitting, but we won't allow ourselves to. We know there will be someone ahead of us that we try to catch that stays just out of our reach which is frustrating. We know we chance injury. We know we will give it our all, and our all may not be good enough to reach our goals. We know we may be disappointed.

Yes, in spite of all of this, we look forward to race that we have trained for. Why? For so many reasons. Here are some of mine.

To test myself, physically.

To test myself, mentally, even more so. I now know I can run 13.1 miles. But what I don't know is how hard I can run them? How long can I force myself to concentrate? How long can I feel like I can't go any more at my race pace, and yet keep going?

To build my strength. Muscle strength. Character strength.

To spend time with friends. I will miss Mindy and Dana and Lauren  this race. Love you girls!! But there are so many familiar faces, and I just know that we will all be encouraging each other to do our best. Good luck to all of you, especially Joyce, Carole, Kris, Barbara, Janice, Kathy, Melissa, Tricia, and my honey Joe! I'm sure there are plenty more folks running that I will see along the way!!!

To set a good example for my children.

To enjoy a beautiful day, with great people, doing something good for us. (It's supposed to be clear and cool tomorrow. A little breezy though, but nothing like Flushing in March.)

Because Joe and I have a life goal together....to be running, together, in our 80's....and this is the next race along the way to reaching that goal.

Here it is, the public statement of my goal. This makes me feel silly, but also makes me work harder! Last year, this race took me 2:18. My PB for a 13.1 is 2:13. Obviously, better than both of those is the goal. And the real reach, if all the stars align just so, is 2:10. Not sure how realistic any of this is...I do not feel as though I have done the work...but I will give it what I've got.

My clothes are laid out, my laces are back in my shoes, my fuel is ready, my bib is on my belt, I'm hydrating, and we have pasta planned for dinner (naturally). Race time is 8:00 AM. Ready!...Set!...

Building Confidence, Building Muscle?

Well, here's hoping anyways!! Went out for a lunchtime ride just now. Forced myself to do 10 miles up and down the same road. Really someone should be filming this for a comedy show. The first time I had to make a U turn, I came to a complete stop and waited probably more than a minute before I felt I could do it. Mind you, this is not a busy road. But I felt I needed no moving vehicles in site in either direction. In sight. The good news is that by the last time, I was able to coast, look over my shoulder, hold my arm out, and make the U turn. I consider this major progress. Even if I had to talk myself through the process outloud. :)

On the last downhill I managed to screw up enough courage to allow the bike to get to 18 mph. Again, this is not really a true hill. It is just the bump in the road to go over the parkway. But still. That is progress and I even almost enjoyed it.

The kids at the elementary school must be getting a kick out of this. I'll bet none of them are afraid of their bikes at all. And there I go, up and down, up and down, giving myself a pep talk, telling myself what a good girl I am. Hopefully they cannot hear me since the building is set back from the road a little bit.

This was a good confidence booster. Not much of a muscle builder. As workouts go, I didn't break a sweat until I ran the mile after the ride. So I don't guess it counts for too much. But it's better than nothing. And it is a taper week after all. Wink, wink.

Now, back to work...still two spring books to finish. The end is in sight!!!!

Time to Taper.

Did a nice 5 miles this morning, with a lovely negative split. I'm always proud of myself when I do that since for two years I was not able to. The rest of the week I will be kind to my legs. I tried some sesame brittle from Fairway this morning before my run. It was yummy. I'm thinking it might be a nice option for munching on long runs. Anyone have any thoughts on this matter? It's got sugar and protein I imagine.

Had no control at dinner tonight and indulged in three stupid slices of pizza. I'm an idiot. Dear God in Heaven, these books had better get done soon or I simply won't survive the stress!!!!!!

Off to bed with a cup of tea as my only snack. Wahhhhh.

ohhhhh boy, here we go again....

I'm in. Tonight I registered, and paid for (again) the privilege to run the NYC marathon. Here's hoping I get to run it this time!

It's a beautiful day for a run!

So, I have not been really focused since the lousy performance in Flushing in March. And with my birthday in the mix, I have put on weight. Have to say, no one's fault by my own. I was starting to really feel like maybe I shouldn't even have signed up for the half next weekend.

Yesterday, I was planning to run 10 today. Each person I talked with recommend less mileage than the person before. Bob: 8, Judy: 7, Mindy 6. But I know myself...I know that I needed to do something sort of substantial to feel ready for next week. So, I landed on 7.5-8.0 as the distance and 1:15 - 1:20 as the time. Seemed about right to me.

With my new, fancy, birthday watch on Joe and I set out from the Bethpage Library lot and went North in the park. Naturally, at the top of the first hill, he was out of my sight for the rest of the run. We agreed he would go longer than me so that he would not be waiting around for me because that makes me anxious. I turned around when the fancy watch read 3.82. Then the goal was to get back to the car before he passed me. So psyched! He never caught me until we were arriving at the parking lot.

Average pace was 9:51 for 7.78 miles. This is outstanding for me. So now I am very much looking forward to next weekend. Still not sure a PR is realistic. But I'm amazed at how good I feel. Nothing hurts at the moment. Wow. I'm doing my best on focusing on my form, landing more mid-foot, leaning forward a bit, my arm position as well. Perhaps it is truly helping.

Bad day in the pool on Friday. Felt like swimming through peanut butter. Funny the difference 48 hours makes and how good I feel today. I wish the pool was open tomorrow, but alas, I guess I'll have to get on the stupid bike instead.

Gorgeous day today...I hope everyone is out enjoying it!

Time to Tri!!!!!

Ok, so today marked the opening of the triathlon season in our area with the Mini Mighty Man super sprint distance. For the 24 hours leading up to the event, I was filled with trepidation and dread. However, once it was underway, it was a total blast.

Last year, this was the first tri I had ever done. And I was still so new to all these athletic pursuits. Therefore, even though I had not exactly been training, I still figured I could take some substantial time off of last year's 58:57 time.

My strategy on the swim was simple. This is a 400 meter swim in a pool. 8 50 m laps. We enter the pool 5 seconds apart. We seed ourselves where we think we belong. I figured if I got in right behind Jackie Fagan, I could chase her feet for at least a few laps and this would make me work harder. A sound plan. IF I had seen her feet when I got in the water. She was gone like a rocket. And there I was, in the lane with all these people faster than me. The folks behind me were passing me, one after the other, after the other. When Joe passed me on the third lap I could have spit nickels.

Then Dennis passed me on the third lap as well. Right as we were coming up to the wall. Now, if you have never seen this event...let me explain something...the wall is usually my friend...in this case, not so much...it is a bit tricky. Sometimes we're a bunch of us arriving at the same time, all needing some space to touch and turn and push off under the lane line into the adjacent lane. So Dennis pushes off and I'm ready right behind him...only he didn't go where and how I expected him to. So I had to alter how I pushed off or I would have gotten kicked right in the face. As I pulled up, I smacked my head pretty good on the lane line.

Again, an explanation is needed here. If you have never had an encounter with those lane lines in a pool, they are a formidable force. When seen on TV, they appear to be almost balloon like, floating there, light as feathers. This is simply not so. They are immovable. They might as well be made of bloody cement for how much give they have when hit by accident. Just resting your arm over them gives black and blue bruises. So, yes, I have a tender spot right along my hair line now. Luckily, nothing visible to look like an idiot with. And luckily, it didn't really affect me during the swim, I kept right on going.

Last year, when the swim was over, my arms were so tired, I had to try twice to haul my butt up and out of the water. I was determined to not have that happen this year. And in fact, had some anxiety about it...because that is just the way I am! So, I'm in the home stretch...25 m to go...there is some crazy woman flailing her arms all over the damn place, smacking me in the head and arms with every one of her strokes and we are approaching at the same speed. She gets there a second before me. And now I'm pushing up but I've got nowhere to put my foot. I've got a leg out of the water, but nowhere to put it. She is taking for freakin' ever to move her hand. And meanwhile, I can feel my tri top has ridden up over my belly and all the world can see my belly hanging out while I'm suspended there waiting for her to get the heck out of my way! (reality check, perhaps it was 3 seconds, but it felt like 3 minutes) Anyways, she finally moves along, but now I need to bob back down and push up again because my momentum had stalled. And there are people behind me. And my suit is still up. And there is a camera there. I'm just ready to sink into the water forever, I'm so mortified.

But I hear Barbara yelling my name, just over my shoulder, so like a superhero, I haul myself out and yank down my shirt and start running for the door. Let me just say, there is nothing like having someone you look up to be there for you to cheer you on when you are busy looking like an idiot to give you a fresh rush of "can-do" adrenaline! Thanks Barbara!!!!

Out the door I go. Into temperature of somewhere around 40 degrees, sopping wet, bare feet, pulling off the goggles and swim cap. The grass is wet from all the people exiting the pool. And I swear to God, I kid you not, it was actually frosty. Brrrrrr.

Into the transition area I arrive. I find my spot. Jackie is still in the area. So is Dennis. I am thrilled about this. I look over to find Joe. No sign of him. Grrrrr. He is smoking me. And we know he will do the bike in half the time and the run much faster as well. My only hope to measure up was in the swim and he blew past me. Jackie asks me how I did. This is when I realize, I have (yet again) forgotten to push the start button on my watch. Really...I do not excel at any of the technological gadgets. It's pretty pathetic.

To clarify what needs to happen in transition one: put on socks (without drying feet, leaving them muddy and grassy, I hate this with a passion), put on bike shoes, put on race belt with bib number, put on sunglasses, put on helmet, (helmet must be secured before you unrack bike), blow nose (this is particular to me, not the general population), unrack bike. Run the bike out of the area, to the road where you are allowed to mount and ride away.

Off Jackie goes. This is not good, my bike is still racked. I don't want her too far ahead of me. I'm securing my helmet, almost ready. Unracking my bike, I'm saying good bye to Dennis, wishing him well. As I turn to see him go, I see he is wearing something with long sleeves and I remember my jacket. Where the heck is my jacket? I put it under my bag so it wouldn't blow away. Prop up bike so it doesn't fall. Oops. Prop it again. Where is the jacket????? It's not under the bag...what did I do with it???? Damn!!!! Oh, it is under someone else's bag. Whip it on. Grab bike. Away I go. An outloud pep talk the whole way to the mounting area. You can do this. It's only 6 miles. You'll be fine. It's short and flat and closed. You will not fall. You can do this. You will not fall. You can do this.

Safely mounted, I'm off for a chilly 6 mile ride. It is 3 loops in the park. Legs were freezing, but the rest of me was actually pretty comfortable, surprisingly enough. I merge onto the course safely. Now it's time to get moving! I look down at my speedometer, it is not working. Dear God in Heaven, I forgot to push the button!!!!! What is it with the damn buttons in my life???? And I simply could not screw up enough courage to take a hand off the bars to push the button. I'm such a knucklehead!! Oh well, I'll just keep going. I'm happy to report that although many people passed me handily, I did some of my own passing. And some of them were even younger than me. (I can tell the age from the body marking on the right calf. We all have our ages written on our leg.)

Six wide, slow turns later, I am finally finishing the bike. I have not seen Jackie on the course so she is still out there somewhere ahead of me. Not happy. I was hoping to make up some ground on the bike and be about even coming into the run. Oh well. Into the finish chute of the course I glide. And I do mean glide. Last year, I fell off my stupid bike at the dismount. I was determined not to do that again. Alas, I slowed down a bit early and a bit much. But, I did not fall! Run the bike into the transition area for T2.

The second transition involves the following: find the right location to return your bike, rack your bike, remove your helmet, remove your bike shoes, put on sneakers, in today's case remove the jacket, grab hat and napkins (for more nose-blowing) and put hat on while running out of the corral onto the course.

When I arrive at my spot, I entered the aisle on the wrong side. Nuts. Rack bike, run around to the other side to get shoes changed. Cannot seem to stamp my right foot into sneaker. Grrrrr. Feet are still soaked of course. Looking for Jackie. No sign of her. Grrrrr. No time for nose-blowing now, that's for sure. I'll have to manage that along the course. Off I go.

The run is short. Only two miles. I'm feeling pretty good for just coming off of the bike. It's an odd feeling getting your legs moving in the new rhythm of running immediately following biking. I feel like a toddler just learning to run. But today, I didn't feel too much of that. And my feet weren't too numb. And my knee didn't hurt. And my arms weren't numb at all. This is all good news. Across the field I go, out onto the path. I'm maybe a half a mile into it and there he is coming back, my husband, totally smoking me. Grrrrr. Shortly behind him I see Dennis. Nice job Honey, you're beating Dennis! Well, I want to beat Jackie...where the heck is she? No sign of her. Grrrrr. Must move my feet faster! Lean forward! Think of Brian's chicken. No, that makes me laugh. Think of the Road Runner. Yes, that's right...fast feet!

Down the home stretch where I know Joe will be waiting for me. (It's always good to come home to Joe...figuratively as well as literally!) And today Natasha will be there as well, with Joe's folks. As I come into the shoot, there she is, waving mightily. She's all I see, my gorgeous daughter. And I know I have to look good for her as I finish strong with a smile on my face a mile wide. No matter how long after Joe I finished. And even if I finished after Jackie. Just doesn't matter for that moment when I know my daughter is there cheering for me!!!

Now, for anyone with the fortitude (and the time) to have read this far, I guess I really should share the results. I did not come close to my goal time. But I did beat last year's time. Here's the scoop.

             2012 Time      2013 Time
Swim   11:32               9:49
T1        3:17                 3:44                    (Joe's comment, "What, did you do your hair???")
Bike     21:44               22:53
T2        1:17                 2:04                     
Run      21:09               18:20

overall  58:57               56:47

It was a total blast!!!!

Lactate Set Today.

So, I get to the pool early. Not necessarily because I'm eager to be the first one to show up for practice. Just because Natasha goes in early this year for her Police Science program and I head over after dropping her at school. This gives me the opportunity to watch the earlier practice and note the differences between the athletes in the slow lanes and in the fast lanes. I have identified a few things that the speedy folks have in common. I do enjoy watching them.

1) Their butts are higher in the water. Nice to watch. I'm getting better at this. It makes me wonder though if others are watching my butt too. Hmmmm. Well, there is certainly plenty of it for viewing!
2) They have huge arm swings with the high elbow thing going on. I can't seem to do that. Particularly not quickly like they do.
3) They have the coolest kicks going...they remind me of those wind up toys, in tempo and appearance of ease. My kick is getting better, but it is no where near theirs yet. 

Well, I knew I was in trouble when the folks leaving the early session each walked by me and warned me it was a tough workout. Not one. Not two. Like 6 or 7 people warned me of this. And they did so quite joyfully. Like, "Ha, it's someone else's turn now!" Into the cold water I went, with a little bit of trepidation today!

God bless Heddy. She keeps telling me how beautifully I'm looking. And don't get me wrong, this does indeed make me happy. But I'd rather be fast damn it. ;-)

Gave it my best in the lactate set. Definitely was better than in the past. But still 11 seconds slower than Jackie Fagan. Grrrr. And then, I come home, and ask Joe what his times were last night. Well, that was a total misjudgement on my part. If I was annoyed at my performance by comparing myself to Jackie, then I was really upset when compared to Joe. He was 2 seconds faster than her. And I used to beat him in the water. It was the only place I could. Man, it's just not fair. I swear I'm going to languish in lane one forever.

Alas, it was awesome anyways. Swimming with my buddies makes my day! (And darn good thing too....still have 9 more books to finish...will it ever end this year???)

Well written thoughts on Boston. Thanks Lauren for sharing the link.

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/for-boston/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NoMeatAthlete+%28No+Meat+Athlete%29

Still stunned from the horrific violent attack yesterday in Boston, I went out to burn off some excess fury and calories from last night's orgy of stress eating. (Pasta, chocolate, wine...on a Monday...no, no, no)

Got on the bike, all by myself, and rode over to Seaman's Neck Road. This is a newly paved road that is straight and flat. A few side streets to slow and watch for. But othewise a good place for me to practice. I did 5.5 miles. Got up to a high of 16 mph. Which is not too bad, for me.

Then I dismounted, ran the bike 20 yards, changed shoes, and plodded along for two miles. It took over a half mile for my arms to stop tingling. And almost the entire two miles for the feet. I am simply wound too tight! In any case, I feel marginally better about participating in the mini-mighty on Sunday. Marginally. And I won't even use the word compete. Participate is a more appropriate word choice.

Still so sad for the folks in Boston...but a good sweat helped relieve some tension anyways. I hope to get some core work in at some point, but alas, there are still 9 spring books to finish. Give me strength!

No Junk Miles!

That's what Joe tells me. Make every run count. Since I set out on my own today for a ten miler on a beautiful morning, I have to confess: I just ran along at a comfortable pace, enjoying the day. That would probably qualify as junk miles, but oh well, it's hardly a crime. It's still better than sleeping in!

Since I managed OK with no major ill effects to the ankle, I finally registered for the half on 5-5. Looking forward to it!

Change is a Challenge!

So, Dr. Steve filmed me jogging along and has made some recommendations to help me run more efficiently and to help keep me injury free. Today I tried for the first time to really change from heel striking to landing more mid-foot. It is hard to change how you run. I found that out very quickly. He gave me some drills to do in the mirror before heading out. And I just saw these drills on Barbara's FB page. They dovetail nicely into everything he is saying.

http://endurancefilms.com/studio/3essentialrunningdrills/

This higher knees business requires a lot more energy. At least here in the initial phase of trying to do it. I was tired, with a capital T!!!

Found out something useful tonight...Taco Bell does have a couple of vegetarian options. Happy to report I stuck to my guns and did not order any meat. But man I used to love a taco from there. Or the chicken quesadilla. Alas, my veggie Cantina bowl was satisfying enough.

Still on the fence about registering for the Long Island Half Marathon. Will decide after Saturday's long run when I see how I feel. Keeping my fingers crossed!

A veritible trifecta!

So, three days, three separate sports, each with a modicum of success!

Saturday: Joe pumped up my tires and around and around the court I went, clipping and unclipping. Clipping and unclipping. Dare I say it again? Clipping and unclipping. Finally, I set out down Lynn Lane. I was in a total panic at the first stop sign, slowed, unclipped, stopped, and successfully started up again. The tension in my my shoulders was not to be believed. If anyone had tapped me to say hello, I would have shattered into a thousand pieces. Eventually, we wound our way around to Seaman's Neck and I got up the gumption to hit 15 mph. We went over the parkway, a semblance of a hill, and I screamed all the way down the other side, tapping the breaks the whole way. Yes, I understand this is not a real hill. Yes, I understand it was no big deal. Tell that to my sweating palms and my fluttering heart.

Poor Joe is behind me, trying his best to stay patient. He is on his hybrid and he can still barely ride slow enough to not pass me. At some point he asks me why I keep on stopping pedaling. I yell behind me, because I don't like to go fast. No reply. No comforting words. Not even a reminder that I will be racing and the whole point is to go fast. He knows this is hopeless. BUT, I rode 5 miles with no tears and no mishaps. That, believe it or not, is progress. I will look to ride again towards the end of the week. Prayers are always appreciated!

Sunday: The Aspire 10K. One of my favorite races. It's got some hills. Most are not too steep, but one is very long. And one is steep right at the end. For some reason, there is never a start mat at this race, so the time recorded is the gun time. When a slow runner, there is a lot of time between the gun time and the chip time...so this annoys me greatly. In my case yesterday, there was a difference of 20 seconds. My chip time was 59:13 which was an entire 61 seconds faster than the last time I ran this race in 2011. Not my goal time, but a PR for the 10K distance, which earns me a pedicure! (Make the appointment Mindy!!)

Favorite moment in the race: When Janice yells my name as we ran up a hill just past the first water stop...she recognized the taped "sexy calf" from behind. I thought I would wet my pants laughing.

Worst moment in the race: When these two young women passed me up that final hill. I had worked hard to pass them THREE times. I actually groaned aloud when they passed me and said, "Not you two again!" They ended up beating me by 30-40 seconds. I looked up their ages. They are in their twenties. So, I've got 20 years on them...that made me feel a bit better. But not much.

Monday: swam 2300 meters, plus drills. Best moment: when I passed not one but two of my lane mates during a 300. And seeing Lisa cheering me on from the deck. It's great to feel like you're doing well. And that should be reward enough. But to have a witness makes it all the sweeter! And when that witness is Lisa, then I know I have done well!!! That made my week!

Worst moment: the last of the 12 100s where we had to do the alternate kick thing Lisa dreamed up for us. What a miserable exercise that was...My arms were so tired I could have wept! Where does she come up with this stuff???? I will say this though, I think it was somewhat easier to rotate the axis while not kicking. Even though it was harder to propel without the legs in play. Here's hoping that is what we were supposed to learn and that we all learned it and we won't have to do it again any time soon. :)

2900 yards today of liquid awesomeness!

It was a fabulous swim today. And for the first time I saw that water cresting over my head, making a trough for me to breathe in, with one goggle in the water! Lisa keeps talking about the water cresting, I was hoping it was doing this for me...well, now I know it was not...until today. I saw it a few times. And I was tempted to whoop with delight. Alas, there was no time what-so-ever for that rejoicing...just swimming, swimming, swimming. All the lanes doing speed play on the same interval? Very tough for the slower people. I made them all. But got very little rest. OK by me though...because as I said, I made them all! Debbie and I took turns leading, big fun all around. Although I still would have preferred to be at the back of the next lane up. ;-)

Off to watch a movie with no snacks. Grrrrr.

With the first step out of bed this morning, I knew it was not going to be a stellar day. The ankle/heel hurt significantly. Off to the pool I went though, figuring it shouldn't bother me. Well, it certainly didn't bother me like a run would have, but it was definitely a factor, much to my surprise and disgust. Kept on keeping on, following the black line, struggling to keep up to my lane mates. Lisa encouraged me to don a fin on the good foot. Then I kept up fine, but I simply hate having to do that. And not to mention how ridiculous it is to have one flipper on. I feel like a one legged duck. Quack.

The amusement of the morning came from my taped ankle. Gene thinks I should wear a brighter color to act as a flag of sorts in the water in case anyone is coming up on me from behind. The consensus in the locker room is that it looked sexy. My swim buddies crack me up. I love you all and am so grateful to have you in my life!

Still trying to get the hang of engaging the lats with the pull...just not feeling it yet. UNLESS, we are doing underswitch...then I get it. So, why can't I translate that to regular swimming? Dipped if I know. The good news is that there will be another opportunity to try, try again on Friday. (Provided I survive the trip to NJ for work tomorrow which I am not looking forward to. Have to leave here by 6:15 and who knows when I'll get back. Guess tomorrow will be the rest day for the week!)

Ate too much today, but not as much as I wanted to. Sorry Alice, did not do you proud today. But, it certainly could have been worse.

Focus and Determination

So, it stands to reason that if I am able to focus on my stroke in the pool for lengths of time, then I should be able to translate that to my form running on the roads as well. In the pool, there is that element of danger, mainly drowning, that motivates me to stay focused. On the roads, I'm so easily distracted. I look at houses. I enjoy landscaping. I'm always on the lookout for animals large and small.  I think about what I have to do when I'm done. I compose syliloquies for upcoming confrontations. I do math with my pace and my mileage. But I rarely focus on my form for more than a few strides at a time. And of course, that means I'm shuffling along most of the steps of the way and running only a few paces every now and then.

My goal today was go out and try to stay focused for more of the time in a five mile run. Not worrying about time so much. Just trying to maintain my focus on my form. That being said...I don't really know what constitutes good form yet. But I do know this. I know when my shoulders are tense, that can't be good. I know I think about driving my hips forward, like in swimming, I seem to go faster. I know that when I watch fast runners, their legs kick way out behind them and mine do not. I know that they seem to launch off of their toes, making it look like they have the longest strongest toes ever. My feet are short and my toes (although adorable) are not the least bit useful as launchers.

So, even with a pretty stiff breeze, I had a nice time on this five mile jaunt! So the focus thing was successful. At least as a beginning. Just think if I really had a clue what I was doing! Ankle is taped, and feels pretty good. Lots of other body parts hurt now. But of course, at this point, I expect that. Dr. Steve wants the ankle in an ice bath. Brrrrrr. Not looking forward to that. I liked it better when it was a warm salt bath he prescribed!

Managed to squeak in some situps, squats and body by jake exercises as well before I had to run back out the door again.

My pact with Alice has served me well again today. The fist two meals were healthy and small portions. I really wanted to fall off the wagon and get a pepperoni slice tonight. But, I got an eggplant parm slice instead. Now, calorie-wise, that may have not been any better, but at least it involved a vegetable. AND, I only ate half. My family thinks I'm nuts, but when I put my fork down, I now shout ALICE!!!! kind of like a battle cry. Can you hear me Alice??? Two hours till bedtime, the last challenge of the day. No snacking. Who's going to be at the pool tomorrow? Tell me I look thinner, even if it isn't true...I need the positive reinforcement!

OK, enough jibberjabber. I must do the darn ice bath for the ankle. Blech.

Welcome back to the long course!

We had been missing the long course at Eisenhower. The pool has been set up as 25 meters or 25 yards for months. Easter Sunday it was scheduled to be reconfigured again for 50 meters and I was looking forward to it. Silly me. When we got there yesterday and looked out, it looked way longer than twice what we had been swimming. The lanes looked forever long. Like in the next town long. Clearly we had been in the short course for more months than was prudent.

Feeling intimidated, I was just about to drop into lane one with the thought of just hanging on. Alas, Lisa Hiller must have read my mind. (That'll teach me to think.) She moved me right over to lane two. No taking it easy for me! By now, anyone reading this blog knows that this pleased me immensely...even though it meant more work. If only I had known how much work...I might not have grinned like an idiot.

There was to be a fair amount of kicking, so we donned our flippers and got to work. 3100 meters later, we were done the work. What a great swim!!! But boy oh boy, I was totally exhuasted! It's a great feeling, but not when you have to stand at Mass for an hour immediately following it. Most of the Mass I looked like a flamingo, standing on one leg and trying not to fall asleep.

Fast forward to this morning. More long course. Boards are out, so more kicking. For the love of Moses. I put my flippers on and with the first kick, I knew it was going to be a long, tough workout. Not only was I tired from the day before, but Mother of God the ankle was hurting. After finishing with the kicking portion, I took that fin off and swam with one fin on and one off. A little odd, but allowed me to almost keep pace with my lane mates. Almost, but not quite. A bit of a discouraging day. But the first time I did two swims in a row, and especially after the distance we did yesterday...I'm not too worked up about it.

Dr. Holly took care of a lot of my below the knee ailments today. She is very good about naming every muscle and tendon that she is attacking. I forget the names. But was so happy that when she pressed here, it made a place over there feel better. By the end, even my Achilles was feeling better. The test will be to run tomorrow. I'm taped up and ready to go.

And then there's the bike. I really have to get back on that damn bike. This week. One day, even if it is just for 15 minutes...I have to do it...I'm going to check the forecast and put it on the calendar...

Shook hands with a shared vow yesterday with one of my buddies that we would watch our portion control all week together. I'm happy to report, I resisted a second helping of lasagna at dinner yesterday in that spirit. And, in the same vein, did not finish my lunch today. Rather, I took some home to be savored tomorrow. So far, so good. The week is off to a good beginning...even if my yearbook pages are still not all finihsed...but that is a topic for another blog...

I'm supposed to fast after that Monster Swim????

Perhaps I used poor judgement showing up to swim practice on Good Friday. It was a huge swim, according to Michele, it was 2900 yards. (I did a few less since I got clocked by someone or some phantom sea creature and got out to ice for a few minutes. Brian didn't see anyone, but I swear, something hit me.) Anyways, I'm very hungry and this is supposed to be a fast day. Doing my best to keep the calorie count to a minimum. This will not be easy.

Saw Dr. Steve after swimming. He did some torturous things to the ankle, that had me levitating off of the table...but I have to say, it feels pretty good right now. And he released something in the right glute as a bonus. Feeling mighty fine right about now.

Off to make flavored coffee and try to convince myself that it is a satisfying treat.

Nothing very exciting to relate this evening.

Workout was very fragmented today due to my obsessive checking on Natasha. Poor thing is getting tired of my looking in on her and asking her if she wants anything.

Did manage to get in 30 minutes on the elliptical. Crosstraining program, level 4 resistance, kept strides per minute in the 160s. Whew, I was tired at the end of that.

Did some rows, some chest presses, situps with the medicine ball and lots of stretching.

I had hoped to check the air in the tires and go out for a little spin in the neighborhood this afternoon. But it was more important to spend time with Natasha, so we watched Les Miserables to pass a quiet 3 hours. Unfortunately, she did not love it nearly as much as I do.

Tomorrow I swim and hopefully will get the go ahead from Dr. Steve to start running a bit again.

Got my chlorine fix. I have my priorities!!!

Well, I had to leave the pool early today to get Natasha off to her wisdom teeth appointment. So I was very happy to be able to hop into lane two with my buddy Jackie and give it a real strong effort the whole time to keep up. Swam 1750 yards before I had to go. Was having so much fun, I lost track of time altogether.

Tangent: water in the showers was like ice again today. I rushed to the team locker room to use their showers. Forgot (in my extreme haste) to leave swimsuit on while showering. Rushed back to original locker room, across the pool deck,  in just a towel. Thanking my guardian angel and my lucky stars that I did not slip and fall today of all days. I'm such a klutz, this was a distinct possibility. No doubt there would have been a hefty fine for such a calamity!

Did some 75 yard sprints just before I left the water. 1:23 was my fastest...the other 5 were pretty consistent. Ye old shoulder knew I had been working hard. I was afraid it was going to bother me a bunch today. But it settled back down.

As for calories in vs. calories out. I think I must be about even so far. Although I've been munching a bit with all the anxiety over poor Natasha, I've been up and down the stairs dozens of times. :) That's got to count for something. As well as the energy spent worrying while she was in surgery. :) I'll fall behind over dinner though, I'm sooooo having wine with my buffalo cauliflower and Ethiopian chic pea stew. Speaking of which, I probably should start that soon.

The battles within the war...

So, today has been one long battle. It was a battle to leave my cozy bed and get up to work out before work. Especially since it was the first mediocre night's sleep I've had in several nights. I did get up. I did work out, but it was abbreviated from what I had planned. 

Elliptical, Glute workout, kept the strides per minute in the 170s for 20 minutes.

Squats

Lat Bar

Elevated Sit Ups

Lots of stretching!!

Then it was a day long battle to eat only healthy food. Sad to say, I lost that battle for sure this evening. While waiting to pick up Natasha, I am having an orange scone and decaf coffee at Panera Bread. The rest of the day was reasonably healthy given where I was and what I was doing...but WAY too many calories.

The war continues tomorrow. It will be an abbreviated swim since Natasha has her oral surgery in the morning. And then we'll see what the day brings for food. Excited to try a new recipe tomorrow night though for Joe and I. If it's any good, I'll be sure to share!

Phooey!!!!

So, the Flushing Meadows Corona Park 13.1 was not to be a success for me. It was for Joe. And for that I am happy. It was pretty darn cold. Only 43 degrees and a stupid wind that just kept getting stronger as the morning went on. Last year, I did this race in a short sleeve shirt. This year, I had on two long sleeves, gloves and a winter headband. My buddy Barbara would say that was overdressed. But I have news for her...I was still freezing! Especially since there was no good sun to soak up.

The first half I was right on track. A little ahead even. I was so jazzed when I passed the halfway mark. And I guess I let that go to my head. Because shortly after that I lost my focus and logged a horrible mile that I never did recover from. I should have fueled better. I should have fueled earlier. I should have worn the pants that wanted to, even though they were in the laundry. (The ones that I wore were my least favorite...they fall down a lot.) I should have dieted more. I should have trained harder.

Good news: I finished.
Better news: my ankle is no worse for the miles.

Worst moment in the entire 2:16:42...when a actually swore at a kind soul trying to give me a drink. I wish there was a way to go back and apologize. And even worse, I think it was a kid. He was trying to give me a gatorade and I just wanted water...which I had asked for with the kids before him but they didn't respond. I figured out too late that the gatorades were in the colored cups. The waters were in the white cups. I shall remember this for the next race. Joe says I'm not a nice person when my glycogen stores are depleted...he is right. So I need to manage that better with proper fueling during the race.

Around mile 10 was when I knew for sure that not only was I not going to make my goal (that I knew around mile 8 or so) but I knew I could not make a PR. I wanted to just give up and walk so bad. I figured, what's the point of working hard now? Two things kept me going. 1) Thinking about Joe waiting in the cold wind at the finish line for me. 2) All of the people who would at some point read about how I did. I did not want to have to post that I had given up. With those thoughts in mind, I was able to pick up the pace a bit in the final mile, and even got back on target pace for part of it.

So I know that I can do better next time. And there will be a next time. Taking a short break to let Dr. Steve and Dr. Holly keep working their magic on my ankle. And then it will be time to get serious for the Long Island Half in May.

Thanks to all the folks who have asked how the race went!! I appreciate all the support!!!