Just reached my fundraising recommitment requirement. I now have just over 1/4 of my goal donated. Thanks everyone!!
As an added bonus, if I get to $4,000 ($100 more than my goal) I will dye my hair bright purple for the marathon. Purple is the TNT color. It will be glorious.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
10 Mile Mark
I've now passed into double-digit running. On Saturday's GW Bridge/Palisades Park run, I ran 10 miles in 2 hours and 10 minutes. It was a beautiful morning, great breeze and sunshine. The roomie and I made a bathroom stop early in the run, which led us to a lower trail that ran right along the water. As one of the other runners put it later, it was like one of those Nike commercials with some woman running in the wilderness. Gorgeous greenery.
There were some freakin killer hills though, and those are definitely what slowed me down. A few times I simply started walking when I couldn't see the top. This will be San Francisco - and I will be ready.
As it was, I was doing 13min/mile. This is slightly too slow to finish the marathon in the allotted time, but I think I'll make it to under 12 min eventually. Last night I went for a quick 3.25 miler and I was faster than my last couple of short runs.
There were some freakin killer hills though, and those are definitely what slowed me down. A few times I simply started walking when I couldn't see the top. This will be San Francisco - and I will be ready.
As it was, I was doing 13min/mile. This is slightly too slow to finish the marathon in the allotted time, but I think I'll make it to under 12 min eventually. Last night I went for a quick 3.25 miler and I was faster than my last couple of short runs.
Friday, July 25, 2008
100 What Now
Three days later, he was in Central Park yelling at us as usual.
This guy is unreal: http://insidenikerunning.nike.com/2008/07/22/why-run-a-100-miles-just-ask-ramon/
This guy is unreal: http://insidenikerunning.nike.com/2008/07/22/why-run-a-100-miles-just-ask-ramon/
They Keep Flying By
So it's almost the end of July. How did that happen? I feel like everything is going by at top speed and I am eternally grateful to the TNT team and coaches for having a schedule and such. Otherwise I'd be sitting here thinking, so much for that marathon idea.
This morning I randomly facebook-messaged a friend of a friend whose photos popped up in my feed when the friend commented on them. She just did a triathlon with TNT. My immediate impulse was to write to her in solidarity and congratulate her. I keep being intrigued by the idea of doing a triathlon. As the roomie says, it's just got so much other stuff associated with it. I've spent a small fortune decking myself out this summer (though I plan to use everything for years to come), and that's just for running. Maybe one day when I have something resembling an income and a stable life. It's something else to shoot for anyway. In any case, as someone who never did much in the way of sports, it's really fun to have a team and feeling like I'm working with people toward a goal.
On Tuesday we did more repeats on Cat Hill. Up and down and up and down... I met someone new and we started talking while running, which is a fantastic way to pass the time when you're doing something vaguely unpleasant like running up and down hills in 85% humidity. She joined a little late so she was keeping a slower pace, so I guess I could (should) have worked harder, but it was nice to just chat and feel companionable.
Last night I did a short run (just under 3 miles). My pace was reasonable, slightly faster than the last race. Before I ran, I took a long window-shopping walk through SoHo, then went to Trader Joe's and lugged a heavy grocery bag full of stuff a mile home, so I figured a short run was ok.
My knees are starting to bother me more; I need to talk to the coaches tomorrow. I'm fairly certain icing is the way to go, but I'm not sure what besides strengthening exercises I can or should do (or avoid). I'm thinking it's probably due to my historical lack of muscle tone, my arthritis, my flat feet, and so on. One of the other interns at my office was debating whether to run the NYC half marathon this Sunday (she hasn't been training) and when she offered me her place I was really tempted. It's a tough one to get into because so many people want to do it, and I thought it would be amazing to say I'd done it. But while intellectually I know I could finish it (albeit slowly) I'm just not sure that I'm psychologically ready for 13.1 miles, and I was afraid of hurting myself besides. Also, tomorrow is going to be a fantastic long run: 9-11 miles across the GW bridge and through Palisades Park.
This morning I randomly facebook-messaged a friend of a friend whose photos popped up in my feed when the friend commented on them. She just did a triathlon with TNT. My immediate impulse was to write to her in solidarity and congratulate her. I keep being intrigued by the idea of doing a triathlon. As the roomie says, it's just got so much other stuff associated with it. I've spent a small fortune decking myself out this summer (though I plan to use everything for years to come), and that's just for running. Maybe one day when I have something resembling an income and a stable life. It's something else to shoot for anyway. In any case, as someone who never did much in the way of sports, it's really fun to have a team and feeling like I'm working with people toward a goal.
On Tuesday we did more repeats on Cat Hill. Up and down and up and down... I met someone new and we started talking while running, which is a fantastic way to pass the time when you're doing something vaguely unpleasant like running up and down hills in 85% humidity. She joined a little late so she was keeping a slower pace, so I guess I could (should) have worked harder, but it was nice to just chat and feel companionable.
Last night I did a short run (just under 3 miles). My pace was reasonable, slightly faster than the last race. Before I ran, I took a long window-shopping walk through SoHo, then went to Trader Joe's and lugged a heavy grocery bag full of stuff a mile home, so I figured a short run was ok.
My knees are starting to bother me more; I need to talk to the coaches tomorrow. I'm fairly certain icing is the way to go, but I'm not sure what besides strengthening exercises I can or should do (or avoid). I'm thinking it's probably due to my historical lack of muscle tone, my arthritis, my flat feet, and so on. One of the other interns at my office was debating whether to run the NYC half marathon this Sunday (she hasn't been training) and when she offered me her place I was really tempted. It's a tough one to get into because so many people want to do it, and I thought it would be amazing to say I'd done it. But while intellectually I know I could finish it (albeit slowly) I'm just not sure that I'm psychologically ready for 13.1 miles, and I was afraid of hurting myself besides. Also, tomorrow is going to be a fantastic long run: 9-11 miles across the GW bridge and through Palisades Park.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Run for Central Park
Yesterday's race went well. It was hot and humid very early on in the morning, and I was a sweaty mess before the race even started. I managed to (just barely) get there on time this time, so I wasn't rushing around and tired by the time the race started. My knees were a bit achey and stiff, but not terrible.
I took it somewhat easy, probably somewhere around effort level 2. I was worried about the heat, and I skipped the first two water stations. The first one was way too early into the race, and they were way behind on the second. I didn't feel like standing in line for water after a mile and a half. I think I got slightly dehydrated, but nothing too serious. As for the running, it was an interesting experience. I felt in control of what I was doing, and I was conscious of decisions I was actively making to slow down, speed up, adjust my stride, pass certain people. Because I started with the tail end of the race pack instead of trying to catch up from way behind, it was easier to focus on working my way through the group instead of purely on the distance. I only started to really get tired in the last mile, when I knew I could push myself because it was almost over.
I finished strong and controlled when I finished, and could have run more.
My overall time (for 4 miles) was 43:09, which gave me a pace of 10:47/mile. This is 1:01/mile faster than the Hope & Possibility, which was just under a month ago. Granted, that race was a mile longer, but I know I could have worked harder yesterday, and I'm sure I could have run 5 miles at this same pace. While I'm not super concerned about speed, to me my ability to improve my speed at this rate says a lot about my increase in strength over the past month.
I took it somewhat easy, probably somewhere around effort level 2. I was worried about the heat, and I skipped the first two water stations. The first one was way too early into the race, and they were way behind on the second. I didn't feel like standing in line for water after a mile and a half. I think I got slightly dehydrated, but nothing too serious. As for the running, it was an interesting experience. I felt in control of what I was doing, and I was conscious of decisions I was actively making to slow down, speed up, adjust my stride, pass certain people. Because I started with the tail end of the race pack instead of trying to catch up from way behind, it was easier to focus on working my way through the group instead of purely on the distance. I only started to really get tired in the last mile, when I knew I could push myself because it was almost over.
I finished strong and controlled when I finished, and could have run more.
My overall time (for 4 miles) was 43:09, which gave me a pace of 10:47/mile. This is 1:01/mile faster than the Hope & Possibility, which was just under a month ago. Granted, that race was a mile longer, but I know I could have worked harder yesterday, and I'm sure I could have run 5 miles at this same pace. While I'm not super concerned about speed, to me my ability to improve my speed at this rate says a lot about my increase in strength over the past month.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Last night was humid and disgusting, although there was a breeze and the sun was no longer baking the pavement.
I went out on the WSH and did 4.3 miles in 49 minutes. This comes out to ~ 11:24/mile, or about 24 seconds/mile faster than I ran the Hope and Possibility 5m race a while back. I wasn't totally chilled out, but I definitely wasn't pushing particularly hard either. We're doing the Run for Central Park 4m tomorrow. My goal is to finish in 45 minutes, but it will be hot and there will be hills, so we'll see.
I went out on the WSH and did 4.3 miles in 49 minutes. This comes out to ~ 11:24/mile, or about 24 seconds/mile faster than I ran the Hope and Possibility 5m race a while back. I wasn't totally chilled out, but I definitely wasn't pushing particularly hard either. We're doing the Run for Central Park 4m tomorrow. My goal is to finish in 45 minutes, but it will be hot and there will be hills, so we'll see.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
As mentioned earlier, we did more hills tonight.
Warmup run, then the following on loop: start at the top of a hill and run down it at an effort level slightly higher than an easy jog. When the hill changes direction to start going back up, run "like you're chasing someone who stole your wallet and they're a professional runner" said our coach. Then at the top of the hill, loop on slightly more level ground at recovery effort and start over again. The whole thing is about 3 blocks in each direction.
I think I did this a total of 8 times. I'm finding that although running shorts (as opposed to something longer) are growing on me, I'm less comfortable with them at higher speeds. I'll have to remember this. Anyway, I got kinda freaked out about how winded I was after the first uphill run, but then I realized that the rest of the loop allowed for ample recovery time and although the workout was rough, it was doable. I decided to run along the reservoir back to our meet/stretching point and I was almost tempted to run all the way around it once (about 1.6 miles). It was such a beautiful evening and sometimes it feels nice to stretch out and settle into an easy stride after focusing on a particular task. I didn't want to find myself stranded in exhaustion on the far side though, and I forgot to stick some energy gel in my pocket on my way to the park, so I decided against the full loop. I still think I could have done it though, and after an hour of working so hard I was pleased that I still had something left in me.
Energy gel is essentially carbohydrates in a form that is easily absorbed when consumed. You burn hundreds of calories every hour when you run/bike/whatever, and your muscles need refueling. But eating while being physically active is sort of gross and for most people extremely unpleasant. So they make this stuff in pouch form that you just sort of squeeze into your mouth like toothpaste and it has an extremely quick effect. You're supposed to start with one after an hour of working out, and continue every 45 minutes until you're done. I just bought a case of chocolate Gu and I have to say it's reasonably tasty. But still really weird.
This weekend our head coach is running a 100 mile race. I can't even comprehend this. But he is this compact person made, as far as I can tell, entirely of muscle. For him a marathon is like a long walk in the park. Seriously though. 100 miles.
Warmup run, then the following on loop: start at the top of a hill and run down it at an effort level slightly higher than an easy jog. When the hill changes direction to start going back up, run "like you're chasing someone who stole your wallet and they're a professional runner" said our coach. Then at the top of the hill, loop on slightly more level ground at recovery effort and start over again. The whole thing is about 3 blocks in each direction.
I think I did this a total of 8 times. I'm finding that although running shorts (as opposed to something longer) are growing on me, I'm less comfortable with them at higher speeds. I'll have to remember this. Anyway, I got kinda freaked out about how winded I was after the first uphill run, but then I realized that the rest of the loop allowed for ample recovery time and although the workout was rough, it was doable. I decided to run along the reservoir back to our meet/stretching point and I was almost tempted to run all the way around it once (about 1.6 miles). It was such a beautiful evening and sometimes it feels nice to stretch out and settle into an easy stride after focusing on a particular task. I didn't want to find myself stranded in exhaustion on the far side though, and I forgot to stick some energy gel in my pocket on my way to the park, so I decided against the full loop. I still think I could have done it though, and after an hour of working so hard I was pleased that I still had something left in me.
Energy gel is essentially carbohydrates in a form that is easily absorbed when consumed. You burn hundreds of calories every hour when you run/bike/whatever, and your muscles need refueling. But eating while being physically active is sort of gross and for most people extremely unpleasant. So they make this stuff in pouch form that you just sort of squeeze into your mouth like toothpaste and it has an extremely quick effect. You're supposed to start with one after an hour of working out, and continue every 45 minutes until you're done. I just bought a case of chocolate Gu and I have to say it's reasonably tasty. But still really weird.
This weekend our head coach is running a 100 mile race. I can't even comprehend this. But he is this compact person made, as far as I can tell, entirely of muscle. For him a marathon is like a long walk in the park. Seriously though. 100 miles.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Running Running Running
Last Thursday night I got home from a work outing and decided to go running around 9:30. It was a gorgeous night - cool but not cold, with a breeze. I wove my way through some of the streets around my apartment, but I soon cut over to the West Side Hwy. I didn't do this at first because I thought the streets would be safer at night, but there were too many people out. On the less crowded streets it was kind of fun to weave around the pedestrians though. Mostly what struck me was the feeling of strength and speed I had. I don't know how far I really went, but I had that nighttime flying sort of feeling. Because it wasn't hot and I wasn't geared up for an intense workout or long run, I was really enjoying just getting my body moving, and I could tell that I've really made progress in the past couple of months. It was lovely.
Then Saturday we had our weekly long run. We started at the riverside park on W 72nd st and headed south. My plan was to run 10 miles, but I didn't map it out beforehand and so I wasn't really sure when to turn around. I knew I was running slowly. The sun was really intense and it was getting pretty damn hot, tough conditions to push yourself in when you don't quite know where your destination is. I ended up doing about 8.7 miles. Certainly the longest run I've ever done, but I was slightly disappointed. I was still pretty wiped out though. I'd been on the fence about whether to run a 10k on Sunday, and it turned out to be a good thing I didn't pre-register or I might not be able to walk now.
More hills tomorrow night, then another race on Saturday. This one is a 4-miler. Weird how that seems short to me.
Then Saturday we had our weekly long run. We started at the riverside park on W 72nd st and headed south. My plan was to run 10 miles, but I didn't map it out beforehand and so I wasn't really sure when to turn around. I knew I was running slowly. The sun was really intense and it was getting pretty damn hot, tough conditions to push yourself in when you don't quite know where your destination is. I ended up doing about 8.7 miles. Certainly the longest run I've ever done, but I was slightly disappointed. I was still pretty wiped out though. I'd been on the fence about whether to run a 10k on Sunday, and it turned out to be a good thing I didn't pre-register or I might not be able to walk now.
More hills tomorrow night, then another race on Saturday. This one is a 4-miler. Weird how that seems short to me.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The Hills Are...
Started hill training tonight. The goal of this week's workout was to focus on form. Just like everything else, there is a technique to running up and down hills. They might slow you down, but when run correctly, they shouldn't tire you out.
Weeks ago, one of the coaches explained the significance of the alternating sequences of short and long strides (tiki tiki) we'd been doing. Short, low strides are good for going uphill without expending too much energy. So I've been thinking rather consciously about that during every workout since, and it makes a lot of sense. Today we did a 1.6 mile warmup run followed by running up and down Cat Hill. There was no set number of laps, we simply had to run up to the top, turn around, and run back down, and so on until they told us to stop. I did 4 of these, and I was surprised when they told us to stop. It was ridiculously humid and I'm still recovering from Sunday's run, but I could easily have done at least two more runs up that hill. I guess I was doing something right: I took it slowly and focused on my posture. I've noticed that even when I walk now there is a new strength and uprightness to my spine that's rather empowering.
For the first time in a few weeks I left a workout feeling energetic rather than completely flattened. It was nice.
Weeks ago, one of the coaches explained the significance of the alternating sequences of short and long strides (tiki tiki) we'd been doing. Short, low strides are good for going uphill without expending too much energy. So I've been thinking rather consciously about that during every workout since, and it makes a lot of sense. Today we did a 1.6 mile warmup run followed by running up and down Cat Hill. There was no set number of laps, we simply had to run up to the top, turn around, and run back down, and so on until they told us to stop. I did 4 of these, and I was surprised when they told us to stop. It was ridiculously humid and I'm still recovering from Sunday's run, but I could easily have done at least two more runs up that hill. I guess I was doing something right: I took it slowly and focused on my posture. I've noticed that even when I walk now there is a new strength and uprightness to my spine that's rather empowering.
For the first time in a few weeks I left a workout feeling energetic rather than completely flattened. It was nice.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
7.8 miles today. The temp is lovely but the humidity is not.
Yesterday I forgot to take my Claritin, and the weather was different enough than it has been that after about 15 minutes of running the skin-crawling awfulness started. I decided to cut my losses and walk. We had embarked on an 8-mile run and I figured I'd see just how bad it was if I walked. Normally I try to run on Sundays too, so I decided to just switch the long and short runs. As it turned out, even walking was unbearable unless I slowed it down to a geezer-like amble that confused every TNT runner who passed me. Of course yesterday was the day I decided to wear a TNT shirt to practice...
The roomie was also not feeling well, so we went home early. I ended up taking a long errand-filled walk last night, so I felt less lazy. Then this morning's run. Everything is leaden and tired. I hope I recover in time for Tuesday - our first hill workout.
I discovered something useful: I've been trying to drink a packet of Emergen-C every day in my bottle of water because they mentioned something a while back about keeping the C intake high, and I know as a general matter I don't get enough vitamins. Well I just looked more closely at the package, and it's got electrolytes and other good things calculated to help deal with hot weather. This may in part explain why I didn't get heat exhaustion like the roomie did last weekend. Go me?
Yesterday I forgot to take my Claritin, and the weather was different enough than it has been that after about 15 minutes of running the skin-crawling awfulness started. I decided to cut my losses and walk. We had embarked on an 8-mile run and I figured I'd see just how bad it was if I walked. Normally I try to run on Sundays too, so I decided to just switch the long and short runs. As it turned out, even walking was unbearable unless I slowed it down to a geezer-like amble that confused every TNT runner who passed me. Of course yesterday was the day I decided to wear a TNT shirt to practice...
The roomie was also not feeling well, so we went home early. I ended up taking a long errand-filled walk last night, so I felt less lazy. Then this morning's run. Everything is leaden and tired. I hope I recover in time for Tuesday - our first hill workout.
I discovered something useful: I've been trying to drink a packet of Emergen-C every day in my bottle of water because they mentioned something a while back about keeping the C intake high, and I know as a general matter I don't get enough vitamins. Well I just looked more closely at the package, and it's got electrolytes and other good things calculated to help deal with hot weather. This may in part explain why I didn't get heat exhaustion like the roomie did last weekend. Go me?
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
How Fast Can You Run?
I have some intensely pressing Important Life Things to attend to, but I just wanted to record tonight's workout.
We did a warmup run, then did the following three times: run a mile as fast as you can, recover for ~.6 miles. The purpose of doing it three times is to gain an understanding of what it means to run an entire mile at top speed (as opposed to sprinting, which can't really be maintained for that long). My first two times were 9:50 and 10:13. I'm not sure what the last time was - clearly I need a stopwatch rather than trying to time myself on a regular watch while running, puffing, and sweating like hell.
For anyone who might read this and who isn't a runner, these times are slow. Fast for me, but slow. Anyway, we'll spend the next 6 or so weeks of workouts running up and down hills (yep, that's right), then do the speed test again. Ideally it will improve.
We did a warmup run, then did the following three times: run a mile as fast as you can, recover for ~.6 miles. The purpose of doing it three times is to gain an understanding of what it means to run an entire mile at top speed (as opposed to sprinting, which can't really be maintained for that long). My first two times were 9:50 and 10:13. I'm not sure what the last time was - clearly I need a stopwatch rather than trying to time myself on a regular watch while running, puffing, and sweating like hell.
For anyone who might read this and who isn't a runner, these times are slow. Fast for me, but slow. Anyway, we'll spend the next 6 or so weeks of workouts running up and down hills (yep, that's right), then do the speed test again. Ideally it will improve.
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