10 Miles in the Boogie Down Bronx!

I spoke about the Bronx 10-miler a little bit in my previous post, but let’s talk about it some more, shall we?

Packet pick-up on Saturday at NYRR was easy breezy as usual and I just love me a small women’s tech shirt! The Bronx 10-miler shirts were pretty snazzy- I like the deep maroon color, it’s different. But SO many people wore them to the race. What’s with that? They also threw a Gu in the packet- with caffeine! Perfect, considering that’s what I plan on fueling with during my marathon.

I went to bed fairly early Saturday night and was up bright and early to foam roll and stretch. I pinned my bib on, and threw a throw-away long sleeve shirt on over my tank top. I didn’t feel like freezing all morning. I ate half a banana and some dry cereal and headed to meet friends from November Project at the subway. As usual on a race morning, the subway was crawling with runners. We accidentally got onto a 6 train instead of a 4, waited 15 minutes at 125^th Street, but eventually, made it to Yankee Stadium. It was a quick walk to race day central where we jumped in the pretty massive porta potty line.

I had really overdressed with the long sleeves- it was a pretty hot and muggy morning and luckily a friend was checking a bag so I threw mine in there and didn’t have to toss it in the garbage.

New on my radar? Energybits. Has anyone else tried them? I think I need to give them a whirl.

Anyway, as I said before, this race was really just about practicing running through the aid stations and drinking water for me. As usual, I hated the weaving in and out of people at the start of the race- I’m really hoping my marathon is less crowded. The first 4 miles were on the highway, 1 or 2 hills but nothing crazy. My calves were tight and my shins were hurting but, like I do, I ignored it.

When I came up on the first mile marker and aid station, I grabbed a cup of water, went to take a sip and immediately started coughing and choking. OK. This was going to be fun.

Second mile went better because I saw the people around me bending their cups into a funnel and that made drinking a lot easier. Throughout the race, I stopped at all but one aid station. Around mile 5 my stomach started sloshing around because it was filled pretty much with all water. Time to practice nutrition!

I had brought a “That’s It” bar with me and nommed on that slowly for about a mile. The consistency was fine for chewing although it still messed my breathing up a little. I definitely think I’m going to stick with GUs for the race on Sunday.

The course from miles 4-7 were through a park and was kind of a weird loop thing that was clearly just to make the mileage. I never felt like the course really cleared up all that much, which was frustrating.

I thought I was going a lot faster than I apparently was, which was also frustrating! But I know that was probably due to stopping 9 times for water. Around mile 8 my legs were finally numb/not in pain anymore and I hit a nice pace that felt good. Then, I was crossing the finish line and Coach John was there for a high five which was great!

I got my medal, an apple, a banana, a sparkling water, and a bag of pretzels. Ate the apple, saved the rest for my stockpile at the apartment. I caught up with Laura, Patrick and some other NPers and we headed back to the subway.

I liked this race because it was easy to get to, easy to get home from. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Wasn’t a fan that it was so crowded, had long bathroom lines, and the volunteers at the aid stations weren’t the greatest. Overall, it was a race I would definitely consider doing again next year- I like the 10 mile distance and it wasn’t too hilly.

Finish: 1:23:56

Shi(n)t!

Well, crap.

I think it’s time to admit that a combination of overtraining, under stretching, and under eating have put quite the damper on my marathon goals.

The Sunday after my 14 mile run with Nike+ two weekends ago, I was hurting. I ran 6 miles in the park, but they weren’t pretty. 

(And I was WAY over dressed!) 

And Monday after work when I headed to the park? Forget it. I was limping, my calves were hard as rocks, and pain was radiating up and down my shins. I’ve felt this before- and when I ignored it, I got myself a stress fracture and weeks on crutches.

(That was fun commuting to NYC...NAHT)

You would think I had learned my lesson, right? Maybe not so much. I DID immediately go to JackRabbit for a new pair of sneakers, hoping that that was the issue. A fresh pair of Saucony Guide 7s will fix things, please? 

(They didn't have them in blue and pink! I was sad at first, but these black and neon ones have really grown on me!)

I knew I needed to make some other changes to my routine too. Up until then, I really hadn’t been foam rolling and stretching the way I knew I probably should be. It hurts to foam roll, and I was feeling fine-  I didn’t need to take preventative measures right? Ugh. Idiot. So I got new sneakers and vowed to up my time spent foam rolling. I bought ice packs and Ace bandages and starting icing every night. I cracked and bought a $60 pair of CEP compression socks and they were pretty magical- within a few days I was feeling better and keeping up with my training schedule. I thought I was in the clear.

(Ready to roll!)

Sure, I wasn’t 100%, but I was marathon training, and my legs were supposed to feel a little shitty.

I decided that I would take the recommendation I had received to get a massage from a woman named Claudia, even though it was going to set me back a nice chunk of change. This could be my only marathon- I am not messing around!

So this Saturday morning I laced up my sneakers and ran the 4 miles to my massage appointment in midtown.

(Seen on my run Satuday morning. Beautiful, Central Park)

Claudia yelled at me for running there. Claudia took one look at me and told me to eat more fats (almond butter instead of peanut butter she said, blasphemy!) Claudia gave me career advice. Claudia gave me a great message. She taped me, showed me some stretches, and even let me leave with her trigger point foam roller. I had incredibly high hopes as I walked out of the office.

('MERICA!)

Sunday morning dawned and I set off for the Bronx 10-miler. I was not there to race- I was there for an easy 10 miles and to “practice drinking” from the aid stations. My legs didn’t feel great and they didn’t feel awful. I was extremely disappointed when I saw that my average pace was 8:25- considering my ultimate dream to qualify for the Boston Marathon would mean maintaining an 8:12 pace throughout my marathon. But I also know that the water stations slowed me down A LOT. The volunteers weren’t handing out cups, they were just standing behind the table!

Regardless, I tried not to think about the race and my time. Then, it was Monday. I had 6 miles scheduled and ran 3 miles on the treadmill during my lunch break. Then, I set off after work for the second half of my mileage and at around 1.5 miles I had to stop and walk. 

Excuse me, limp. My shin splints were the worst they’ve been in over a year and I came so close to breaking down and crying in the street. I just paid over $100 to make this go away and now, I was feeling worse than before! But in the end, I couldn’t expect that massage to be miracle. For weeks now, my body has been warning me to slow down and take it easy and I stubbornly refused to cut back on my scheduled mileage. “I need to follow the plan!” I insisted, even though more experienced runners than myself told me it was OK to take a day or 2 off.

But seriously. Why is this happening now? One week away from my first marathon, that I have been training for for months? It’s so frustrating. I’ve decided that I am going to take the rest of the week off. Instead of 5 miles tonight, I’m going to a spin class. The rest of the week, I am resting, eating, stretching, rolling, icing and PRAYING that the break means fresh legs on Sunday. My dream of breaking 3:35:00 is all but gone at this point. I’m just hoping I can run the entire 26.2 miles.

(This really really sucks)

I’m worried that the time off will be detrimental to my training, but everyone I’ve talked to says it’s better than making my shins and calves worse than they already are.

Anyone out there have any more advice? 

Nike+ NYC

Last weekend, I switched it up from my usual JackRabbit long run on Saturday mornings and decided to try out the Nike+Live run leaving from their Upper East Side store (3^rd Avenue between 66^th & 67^th Streets).

(Hello, random bike)

While I love my JackRabbit runs,  I highly recommend checking out a Nike+ long run if you are cracking down and getting serious about your marathon training (‘tis the season!)

I’ll tell you the main reasons why I say that.

1)        The Nike+ runs start at 8 a.m. Usually, I’m all for a 9 a.m. start time on a Saturday morning- a little extra time to sleep in after Friday night never hurts, after all.  But when your mileage starts increasing, and you’re spending upwards of 3 hours on a long run, finishing after noon can put a monkey wrench in plans for the day.  This particular Saturday, my parents were coming to visit, so I knew I needed to be done running by 11ish.

2)        The Nike+ runs get up there in mileage- this past weekend there was an option to run a 4 mile route, 12 mile route or 18 mile route! I had been wanting to do 16, but ending up settling for the 12 mile group and adding my own 2 miles on the way home to make sure I was back in time for my parents. The different options definitely helped- and there aren’t many free, organized running groups that I’ve come across that go 18 miles!

3)        The group was definitely geared towards people training for upcoming marathons. One of the Nike+ staff members gave a little speech on the megaphone before we set out, reminding us that with the weather changing, we should start getting using to running in capris and other warmer clothes since that’s what we’ll be wearing for our races.

4)        For each mileage group, there were pacers. So for the 12 mile group, there was a <8:00/mile pacer, an 8:30-9:30/mile pacer and a 10:00+ “sexy pace” pacer. They were dressed in neon green and it was my first experience running with a pacer and super helpful! Although I do find that whenever a runner sets out to run a specific pace- they end up going faster.

5)        The group was very organized. You checked in when you got there, could check your bag inside, use the restroom (although the line for the one stall was insane), and then head outside to your specific group. They took a group photo of each group and we left pretty much on time, which was impressive for the number of people there (my guess is around 150 for the 3 different mileage groups).

6)        At the half way point, and along the run for the 18 mile group, there was a stop where you could pick up water, Gatorade, Kind bars, Cliff bars and Gus!

7)        Because the group is broken up into different paces, there is no stopping and waiting if people fall behind.

8)        They have pre-printed, legit, running route cards- so again, if you fall behind, you know where the group is headed and we don’t have to stop and wait for you or be worried that you’re lost forever.

9)        There are photographers that follow you out on the course and then they email you the pictures the next day, which is pretty cool!

Saturday I set out with the 8:30-9:30 pace group but ended up running with the front group. The 8:00 pacer was a great guy named Fish, who I had some great conversations with and soon we realized we were cruising along with 7:45-7:50 miles. It was a pretty great run. At the end of it, there was more coconut water, water, Gatorade and chocolate milk to grab and then I ran another 2 miles to home to make a nice solid 14 mile total for the day.

The only real con I can come up with for the Nike+ run is that you need to register for it online, and they do fill up. But I mean, technically, there is nothing stopping you from walking by the store and hopping into the crowd (shh, I didn’t tell you that!)

Here’s the link to sign up! 

22 Miles, 4 Margaritas, An Iced Latte and PB Choco Fondue

Work has been pretty stressful, and last weekend I took a much-needed trip home to Long Island for the long weekend. This has been the least summery summer of my entire life- I've been to the beach once, on my kayaks a big fat 0 times, and on my boat a big fat 0 times too. There were no trips to the ocean, no trips to Fire Island, no trips to Block Island, and only a handful of days spent tanning at the pool. Thank God for my family vacation in Rhode Island or I may not even know that summer happened at all! Needless to say, I was determined to make Labor Day Weekend, what most people consider the end of summer, count. 

That being said, there was also major work to be done. The weekends before Labor Day I was away in Virginia for work. This weekend, I will again be working. My marathon is now a month away. Hence, last weekend I had a major long-run planned.  My longest training run of marathon prep. Some people called me crazy for wanting to do a long-run over 18 miles. But I knew that mentally, I needed to reach at least 20 before I could walk up to that starting line at know that I have what it takes to finish 26.2 miles. 

I was dreading this run all week long. I wanted to go home and relax, eat, drink, and lounge on the beach. But before I could do that, I'd have to run 20-22 solitary miles around my boring (and might I add, HILLY) suburban neighborhood. 

I put out a plea on Facebook - somebody, anybody join me for part of this run! My uncle, who is training for a 100 mile bike ride, was unfortunately using Saturday as his rest day before a grueling 80 miler on Sunday.  My ex cross-country star BFF said she needed "sleep" or something. My half-marathon partner had a cross-fit competition scheduled. And no one was brave enough to be like, "Hey, I don't really know you but who cares, let's run!" 

A friend from JackRabbit was running the mile race in Farmingdale Saturday morning, and said he would try to meet up with me, but unfortunately, it didn't end up working out.  That left my Aunt Dawn, and we planned on meeting up around 7:50 so she could join me for a half hour of my run. 

I arrived home Friday night with all intentions of eating well, not drinking, and getting to bed early. Well I certainly ate deliciously. I certainly failed at not drinking. And I successfully got a pretty good nights sleep.

My parents and grandparents took me out to dinner and an amazing restaurant in our neighborhood- Blond. I started with a martini because it had St. Germain in it, so it was like a necessity, right? Right. The Elderflower Martini was strong (I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to vodka) but delicious.

My family knows me oh so well, and gave me the honors of picking out the three appetizers that we would split.  First choice, easy, was the garlic roasted shrimp with naan bread and chick pea hummus.  

Second, my dad's recommendation, was the yellow fin tuna tar-tar with sesame soy ginger vinaigrette, crispy wontons and wasabi aioli.  LOVED the way this was served! 

Last but not least was the crab cake with jicama slaw, avocado puree and spicy aioli.  It's been awhile since I had crab cakes, and these were delicious. Plus- jicama and avocado. Sold. 

I was having SERIOUS issues deciding what to order. I went back and forth a million times. I ended up ordering the special, which was fresh, local striped bass served over a shrimp risotto. Blond is known for their risotto, and it's always delicious. But sometimes I wish EVERY entree didn't come with it- because it's certainly not the most low-cal side. 

My grandpa's Veal Scaloppini with potatoes, green beans and mushrooms was pretty delectable and I did my fair share of picking at it. My dad went for the seafood pasta with a saffron cream sauce, my grandma had the shrimp with risotto, and my mom ordered the duck entree which came with SWEET POTATOES that I continually stole off her plate. 

Somewhere along the way I switched to red wine and boldly announced to my parents, "You're out to eat with Nanny and me...you KNOW we are ordering dessert." 

And that was how we ended up with an order of crispy banana spring rolls (killer) and a HUGE pot of chocolate peanut butter fondue complete with strawberries, bananas, rice krispie treats and marshmallows for dipping (even more killer). A recent discovery is the amazing combination of peanut butter and rice krispie treats. You're welcome. 

I rolled out of the restaurant, went to bed, and before I knew it my alarm was ringing- signaling that it was time to do the damn thing and run 20 miles. 

I put on my November Project tank and my new pair of running shorts and ate half a banana.  I buckled my stupid Nathan Trail Mix water bottle belt, filled my two newly purchased water bottles, placed them in their holsters, and was out the door.

(All the essentials!)

I started running and almost immediately realized that these belt was NOT going to happen. The water sloshing around in the water bottles was loud. It was heavy. The belt kept riding up. It was pretty much the most uncomfortable and aggravating thing in the world. A complete waste of money as I hope to never put it on my body again in this lifetime (that sounds extremely dramatic, but it was truly that awful).  About 3 miles in, I was able to ditch the water bottles on my grandparents front lawn but unfortunately the belt had to stay with me for my phone and Gu...it wasn't so awful once the water bottles were gone! 

I ran 4 miles before meeting up with my aunt in her neighborhood.  We ran a slow 2 miles together, about 25 minutes and it was a great way to get me in the mindset of, "This is not a race, just get the miles and don't worry about speed!" My aunts neighborhood was SUPER hilly so it was good we were going slow or I would have been shot for the rest of the run! It was really a great break in the run to be able to chat with someone and go a little slower (when I run by myself I have a tendency to be a little too speedy). 

From my aunts it was another 4 miles back to around where I started, putting me halfway there at 10 and feeling GREAT.  The entire time I just kept thinking, "Can this please just miraculously turn into the Wineglass Marathon and I can just run my race right now??" I drank half a water bottle my aunt gave me, and I am ashamed to admit that that's all I drank the entire 22 miles.  Woops. 

At mile 13 I ate my Gu (Double Espresso, baby!) and kept on truckin'.  There is really not a ton to write about this run. Part of me feels like there's no way it really could have been around 20 miles because I felt so good the whole time. Of course, there were moments of ouch, this is uncomfortable, and oooof I'm getting bored- but not once did I need to put music on and not once did, "I'm not going to finish 20 miles" cross my mind (although I DID think I might have to walk up the hill on one road- I kept going though!) 

My mom called around mile 20 (I had decided I felt good enough to go to 22) and said she was going to walk towards me.  I had been going back and forth on stopping at 20 or 22, but knowing that my mom would be meeting up with me soon gave me the extra motivation to make it those extra 2 miles.  I was even able to run one of my fastest splits for the last mile!

I had done it! And it wasn't awful! I know that I can do this marathon, but I am still very nervous. Everything clicked on Saturday. And I may not be that lucky on October 5. 

MapMyRun is what I used to track my run- so I am not 100% confident that it really was 22 miles, but I figure I at LEAST did 20.  According to the app, my pace was 8:37, which I was pretty damn happy with (especially considering I took it slower while I was with my aunt!)

I got back to my house and showered, not able to eat anything yet. But once I got out of the shower I was ravenous and made myself a giant bowl of oats. Then it was off to the beach to relax! Unfortunately, it wasn't the sunniest of days, and I actually had to keep putting my long sleeve shirt on and off when the sun went behind the clouds. But it was nice just to be in the sand (sadly I didn't make it into the water). 

When we gave up on sunning ourselves, I went over to my aunts house to borrow her foam roller and magic stick to stretch out. Then, it was HAPPY HOUR TIME :) My parents and friend went down to the yacht club where I had a well-deserved margarita and Corona. 

Then, it was back to the house for a home-cooked meal from my dad. It was an essential summer meal, and I was STARVED. He made corn on the cob, fresh tomato salad and juicy, tender, bacon-wrapped filet mignon.  I am so spoiled! My mom and I also neeeeeeded a baked potato, so we split one that was leftover in the house. 

I was gung-ho all day about going out and partying Saturday night.  Meanwhile, but 8 I was in my pajamas on the couch and the only thing I was craving was froyo- screw dancing and beer. Around 10 I drove to Red Mango and got myself a disgustingly toppings-filled cup of peanut butter froyo and picked up some for my dad too (his first froyo experience!) 

Sunday dawned and I woke up expecting to be hurting all over. Shockingly, nothing felt too terrible. I called the gym to see if my favorite boot camp class was still happening, but it was cancelled for the holiday weekend so instead I did a half hour deck of cards workout instead. 

Then, my parents and I headed out to the outlets for some shoppin'.  Instead of the fall clothes I had set out to find, I left the extremely crowded Tanger Outlets with a pair of workout capris (complete with pocket) and a new sports bra.  Oh, my life. 

I had been dying to go to a vineyard while I was home, but the weather wasn't great and the traffic was going to be awful so instead, we decided to do a late lunch at a place I have been DYING to go to every since seeing healthy looking salad pictures on Instagram.  True story. Added bonus? Farm Country Kitchen is a) along the Peconic River and b) BYOB so we brought a bottle of wine and kind of pretended to be at a vineyard while enjoying an amazingly fresh and delicious lunch that I will write up in a separate review.  The weather turned out being fabulous while we were there, too! 

When we got home, my mom and I curled up on the couch and I FINALLY got to watch Frozen! It wasn't AS amazing as everyone made it out to be, but I certainly enjoyed it! That damn little snowman made the movie, hands down. 

No one else was hungry for dinner, and I wasn't really either, but I made myself a big delicious salad with leftovers anyway. Because 22 miles? 

Then it was over to Nanny and Poppy's with my aunts and uncles for a get together and drinks. I ended up drinking 3 margaritas and was feelin' good. 

Monday morning I woke up, ran 8 miles, tanned on my deck, and met my friend for coffee at another place I had been wanting to check out- Crazy Beans.  They just opened their second location in Stony Brook (their original restaurant is in Miller Place, and is the one we went to).  They have INCREDIBLE iced and hot latte flavors like Peanut Butter and Jelly and Salted Caramel.  I wanted mine to be semi-healthy so I opted for mixing two of their sugar-free flavor options- Dark Chocolate and Raspberry and using almond milk.  

It came served in a mason jar and was DELICIOUS.  

The place is soo cute too- with little knick-knacks in every corner and this cute little monkey on the bar.  The food menu sounded out of this world, and I'll definitely be back for lunch and a full review one day! My friend swears by the gouda, apple honey mustard grilled cheese and though I haven't tried it yet- how could something with those ingredients be anything but incredible? 

After that it was time to head back to the city, with coconut chia granola, lox, bibb lettuce, goat cheese, blue cheese and beets courtesy of my grandma! 

(Already enjoying lox from Nanny!)

It was a lovely weekend- and I hope you enjoyed being filled in on every little detail. 

Kindly, Shut Up.

A couple of weeks ago, someone said something to me in Central Park as I passed them running that really got under my skin. 

Clearly, as I'm still thinking about it weeks later. 

I ran past this middle-aged man and he yells after me, "No fair! You don't weigh anything!" 

I know he meant it jokingly, and he didn't say it in a mean way at all. In fact, maybe he was trying to be nice by acknowledging my speed.  But it really bothered me. Just because I'm a smaller person, does that diminish what I accomplish as a runner?
A lot of people have been making comments like this to me. I think they mean the, "You weigh nothing" comments as a compliment, maybe? But I am a person. I have weight. What that weight is is unimportant.  

I don't care if you are overweight, underweight, or just the right weight. Every runner out there should be acknowledged for their dedication to pounding the pavement. It's just as hard for a 110 pound girl to get the motivation to wake up at 5 a.m. on a weekday to run 8 miles before work as it is for a 250 pound man. 

The thing I love most about the running community is it's positivity. Runners are always cheering each other on, pushing each other to go faster and farther. So little comments like the ones I've been hearing lately really irk me They undermine the dedication, miles and hours I have put in to getting faster and getting myself ready for this marathon.

End rant. 

I'll end with a positive Central Park running story! The other day, while I was running, I was pushing myself to catch up to a girl a little ways ahead of me who was rocking it.  Once I did, I passed her a little, and for about 4 miles we continued to switch back and forth, pushing each other.  Eventually, she left me in the dust, and we never spoke or acknowledged the fact that we were pacing each other, but it was pretty awesome! 

Have you ever had someone make comments about you as a runner that bother you? Have you had people say things to you as you pass them on a run? Do you race people in the park? Leave me comment, gosh darnit. 

Long Treadmill Runs and Food Galore

Greetings, from Leesburg, Virginia.

(Ok, I wrote that while I was actually IN Leesburg, Virginia...now I'm home). 

I just wanted to check-in and let the world know that I ran on a treadmill today for the first time in approximately- I don’t even know, MONTHS!

I didn’t just run on the treadmill for a half hour.

I ran on the treadmill for an hour. 7 miles.

And weirdly enough, I didn’t hate it!

I didn’t even listen to music, or watch TV.

I think I liked that my pace was whatever number I set my speed to. So I didn’t have to think about it. And I run slower on a treadmill, so it was a pretty relaxing pace.

After 7 miles, I headed outside and finished my remaining 3 miles on the resorts golf course, just to get some fresh air.

But I guess the moral of the story is the treadmill isn’t as evil as I usually think it is.  At least, it wasn’t this morning, after months without using it.

20 miles done in the last 2 days, 6 tomorrow, and then I am looking forward to using the resorts gym to lift some weights!! Something I haven’t been doing as much as I’d like because of the amount of time training for this marathon is taking up!

Edit: Monday I ran 6 miles on the treadmill, and again, it wasn't too terrible.  Tuesday I woke up and did 20  minutes on the bike, an arm circuit with a minute of jump rope in between each round, and a fast mile on the treadmill! 

I figured I'd add a little bit to this Virginian post about my trip. 

Or really, just say that it was pretty there and the food was good, and then post pretty pictures and foodporn. 

Started the strip off with a delicious breakfast at the airport

The first night, we went off the resort property to a restaurant called Sweet Water Tavern, where I had the Mahi Mahi special- served with GRITS! Which is a food I have been wanting to explore more and more. At Sweet Water I also learned about what are apparently called "Ozzie Rolls." As soon as these were placed down in front of us, I knew they were going to be a) Extremely unhealthy and b) Beyond delicious. I was right.  Turns out they are basically fried balls of bread, like a little doughnut, with some sugar on top and served with whipped butter. Yolo.

Every morning we had an amazing breakfast buffet and I LOVE BREAKFAST. If I could only eat one day for the rest of my life it would definitely be breakfast. Needless to say, I could never pick one thing I wanted, so it usually ended up looking like this- some of the hot options (eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, omelet, etc), some fruit and greek yogurt/cottage cheese, OATMEAL (obviously with all the fixings), and ya know- some casual smoked salmon and capers or banana bread with apple butter. Nothing like a light meal to start the day. 

This beautiful pavillion outside under the sunset was where we had our dinners every night. The first night was a BBQ and the second night, dinner featured a fish boil! Yummo. 

(Fish boil with a side of mac and cheese and allllll the vegetables I could find) 

After dinner we enjoyed a glass of wine and a game of corn hole- along with a beautiful sunset over the golf course. 

On Day 4 of doing nothing but eating non-stop (no joke, there was a constant rotation of chips, nuts, trail mix, cookies, granola bars, smoothies, candy, soda, coffee, fruit at 3 different stations around the hotel! AND I COULDN'T STOP EATING IT ALL!) it was time to board a lil baby plane and head home. 

Nutmeg State (Connecticut, Duh)

Why yes, I did have a wonderful Friday/Saturday in Connecticut two weekends ago, before my Fitness Friends Sunday, thanks for asking!

I had been a really bad friend to my Connecticut peeps, and it was time to suck-it up and hop on Metro North for a ridiculous fare and get my butt to the Nutmeg State.

It was a summer Friday, so after sprinting through Grand Central, I made a 2:30 train and Melissa picked me up in Milford. We had some time to kill, so naturally, we hit the mall. 

Shockingly, we were able to control ourselves and didn’t end up buying anything unnecessary.  Because really, as much as I can try to justify it, any article of clothing I buy at this point in time is unnecessary. My exploding closets and drawers are proof of that.

Next it was off to our old stomping grounds, Hamden, to pick up some of that oh so classy champagne to make it a true celebration of our reunion. $5 Andre. Poppin’.

We arrived at Allison’s apartment and I leaped into her arms. Then I made myself food. Typical. We got ready, chatted, Melissa “erased my face” aka did my make-up just like the good old Quinnipiac days, and we headed over to Town Walk to Nicole’s apartment where we popped the champagne and drank some delicious beer (obsessed with UFO grapefruit and raspberry… and Redd’s). Then it was off to New Hay Hay.

Of course, I graduate college and New Haven gets an awesome tequila bar named Geronimo’s, with a menu containing 12 different margaritas! I was so pumped to try it out. I perused the menu before even getting to Connecticut, obviously, and I definitely need to go back for their quinoa stuffed pepper at some point…

My friends are L0SAHS (yeah, you heard me guys) and ordered two pitchers of the strawberry basil margarita, when there were so many better options on the menu! The strawberry basil was verrrrry sweet and fruity- delicious, but reminded me of a daiquiri, not a margarita.  

Throughout the night I was able to try two others. First was the Santa Fe (1800 silver tequila, triple sec, pineapple and cranberry juices and fresh lime). This one was super smoky tasting, which no one else liked, but I did because it was something different.  I also tried another one- all I know is it had jalapeno in it and was spicy and it was delicious. I’m not a fan of spicy things, but jalapeno and tequila just go so well together.

The vibe of this place was awesome. It wasn’t too crowded (maybe because colleges weren’t back in session yet) and the crowd was fun but not crazy and annoying. The spiral staircase was a little tricky after 3 or so margaritas, but it kept things interesting.

No night out in New Haven would have been complete with some drunk food- pizza, to be exact.  We walked across the street to BAR where my dreams came true and I accomplished a bucket-list item…their mashed potato pizza! First of all, can we talk about the fact that a slice of their pizza is actually like 3 slices of pizza? SO GIANT we were in heaven. 

(Ok, so I'm not the world's best drunk food photographer...don't hate)

The pizza there is super thin crust. 

Complaints- b

ecause the crust is so thin, and loaded with mashed potatoes, cheese and bacon it got a little soggy. That being said, I liked that these toppings were paired with a thin crust because I didn’t feel AS guilty while eating it. I didn’t appreciate the fact that they absolutely burned the shitttt out of the crust though. The crust is the best part! And it was virtually inedible because they burnt it so badly. 

To a group of 20-somethings who had been drinking all night, this stuff hit the spot. But overall, I think the execution could have been better (and maybe it is done better, when the pizza-makers know they aren’t feeding groups of 20-somethings who have been drinking all night!) I’m still a fan in general of the idea of mashed potatoes on bread with cheese and bacon. How can you not be?  It’s like the best of Ireland, Italy and ‘Merica all in one.

The cab ride home made me so angry, because cabs in Connecticut charge ridiculous amounts of money. I’m still grumpy about it.

Somehow, I woke myself up the next morning for my scheduled long run. My plan said 16, but I was hurting and I had told myself that if I could bust out 12 miles after a night of drinking, I would be proud of myself. My shins had been bothering me, and I was mentally preparing myself to have to stop early. It's harder for me to cut myself a break than it is to push through pain. But after running on shin splints for months and winding up with a stress fracture and on crutches for a month, I know that I need to be smarter. SO I set off on the Farmington Canal trail not really knowing what to expect.

(My friend's apartment is literally right on this trail! So convenient!)

At the start, I felt great. I wasn’t hurting as much as I had anticipated, and I started thinking ok, 12 is definitely doable, and I shouldn’t completely rule-out doing 16. I kept running, knowing that no matter how many miles out I made it, I had to still make it back. After a stop at a deli to use their bathroom, I had to really push myself to make it to the end of the trail at the 7 mile mark. I turned around, intent on making it to 16 at this point. I got back to my starting point at 14 miles and planned to do a mile in the other direction and then back to my friend’s apartment. Miles 1-14 had been pretty good. Sure there were stretches where I questioned if 16 miles were going to happen, but for the most part I was cruising along- the weather was absolutely perfect, I never needed my music, the trail was flat for the most part, and I was thinkin’ thoughts and trying to enjoy. But those last 2 miles- 100% mentally and physically exhausting. Every joint in my body was aching and I knew I was basically crawling along at a snail’s pace. But I finished. And after being prepared for a disappointing 12 miles- being able to finish 16 felt great. Except then I started thinking about the fact that on October 5, I’ll be expected to feel like I did after those 16 miles…and then run 10 more.

That thought is a lot to handle. And so I’ve kind of been pushing it to the back of my head.

I got back to Nicole’s around 11 and quickly showered and went with her to pick up a bagel from Breuggers. I was tempted- but being from Long Island and NYC, I know better than to trust chain bagels ;) I knew I would be disappointed. So I just stuck with getting a McCafe and eating the oatmeal I had packed for myself when we got back to Nicole’s.

Allison came over and we headed out to Nicole’s apartment complex pool. HOORAY! Sun! Something I have NOT had enough of this summer. It was lovely laying out and talking. And then Jon joined us! And he had gotten a new phone! No more BlackBerry. Crazy.

Nicole and Allison did their ice bucket challenge, Melissa came back from her MBA orientation (congrats!) and we grilled up some eggplant and hot dogs and I did my nails before being dropped off at the train station to head back to the city.

I definitely can’t let it go that long without seeing those 4 again! Thank you for a great mini vacation, friends! You’re the best!

Confessions of a Missed Training Run

Last week and this week of marathon training has been HARD.

Forget the happy go lucky Facebook statuses about beautiful 16 mile runs. Forget the cheerful Instagrams from my 6:30 a.m. workouts. Yes, I love those moments. But overall, training is damn tiring and I am certainly not perfect. This is my first time training for a marathon and I’m still trying to find my way.

So I need to confess. I woke up this morning when my alarm went off at 5 a.m., stood up, and OUCH. My legs were really unhappy with me. My quality time with the foam roller has been seriously slacking. It’s summer and it's hot out and while I know I should wear my compression socks to bed, sometimes I just don’t feel like it damnit. Stretching takes time and is boring. Yes, I admit that these are all things that I am consciously deciding to skimp on, and I shouldn’t be. For these reasons, I was sore as all hell this morning (those Grotto steps at Gracie Mansion are no joke, people).  

I had been planning on running 9 miles alone in Central Park. It was dark out. I was tired. My body is exhausted from two consecutive weeks running over 30 miles. I know that teaching your body to run despite being tired is all part of marathon training, because I’ll sure as hell be tired at some point during a 26.2 mile run.

But not having Tiffanie or November Project waiting for me outside of my dark and comfy apartment, not having that helpful motivator called accountability, combined with absolute exhaustion and soreness convinced me to crawl back into my bed.

I reset my alarm for 6:00 a.m., telling myself that I would at least get in a quality loop of the park- closer to 6 miles than my prescribed 9, but better than nothing.

As I crawled back into bed, my legs seized up in cramps. Uhm, ow? Was it a sign I should just skip today’s run? Or was I just looking for an excuse? These are the things I asked myself as I dozed back off.

Alarm goes off at 6:00. Why, why, why? Typically, I have no problem hopping out of bed when my alarm goes off.  Overall, I’m one of those annoying morning people. So on the mornings when I feel this sluggish, I try to listen to my body, clearly telling me that it’s not feelin’ rested. But I had a happy hour planned for tonight, and a beer pong tournament, and I wanted to be able to eat nachos and chicken fingers and potato skins at the bar knowing that I had gotten a solid run in!

“Well, maybe I’ll just sleep a littttttle longer, get out on the road by 6:45, and at least get in 3 miles. Seriously, I need at least a little cardio before work or the day is going to drag.”

Alarm re-set for 6:30. Doze off again.

Alarm goes off at 6:30. This run is just not going to happen, and I finally need to admit it to myself. I’m disappointed. This isn’t like me. When I know I have to get something done, when I know that I have 9 miles to run, I do it, no questions asked. I’ve skipped a morning run before, but only because I knew if push came to shove I could get it done after work. This morning, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to make it up later.

Anyone out there have any words of wisdom? 

Operation GET YOUR BUTT IN GEAR

So the other day, I realized something slightly disconcerting.  My first marathon is less than 70 days away!

Ok, so the realization was more like fantastically horrifying, considering I haven’t run more than 12 miles in quite some time.

And that training schedule I had made myself? It looks lovely hanging at my desk, but I don’t remember the last time I actually did what it said.

So my friend Tiffanie and I decided last week that it is GAME TIME. She’s running the New York City Marathon in November (for Hope for the Warriors,

help her

!), so she’s got a few weeks more than me to prepare, but we both needed a serious re-commitment to training.

We’re aiming to run 7ish miles two mornings every week together before work. And trust me, we are far from the only people out there in the park at 5:30 a.m.  

Then there’s Saturday long runs with JackRabbit, my Tuesday spin class, Wednesday November Project, a rest day somewhere, and trying to keep up on my weight training.  I know I should get some yoga flowin’ in my schedule too.

So it was with my recommitted mindset that I set out on Saturday’s Yankee Stadium run with the JackRabbit crew.   We had done this route a couple weeks ago, so I knew my way and felt comfortable leading the pack. I wasn’t very chatty on the run, which I felt kind of bad about, but it was more of a solitary running kinda morning I guess.

It never fails to crack me up how confused people in the Bronx are by a large group of people running.  Half of them are convinced we’re running the marathon.  The other half just yell at us to “GO! FASTER!”

For those of you who would like all the intimate details of my run, I had the lovely experience of getting my period around mile 6. Yep. That happened.  Luckily, I had supplies with me.

Not much else to comment on for the run, except that mentally and physically I was feeling good, and hoping to do more than the planned 11 miles.  I felt like I had

at least

a half-marathon in me that morning (I had even changed my party from Friday night to Saturday night to ensure a hangover free long run on Saturday- look, I’m getting so mature and responsible!) I was scared that I would make it back to the store, get my water (it was SWEATY out there) and then mentally feel like I was done.  But since I was the second one back, it made it easier to drink my water, start Map My Run, and head to Central Park to see what more I could do.

The longer I ran, the more I wanted to get my mileage UP. I couldn’t hear Map My Run, so I wasn’t positive how far I had gone, so I just kept going. A bridle loop and two reservoir loops and back to my apartment. 6.36 miles. And the Yankee Stadium route had come to just over 12 miles.  Meaning, I had reached 18 MILES! The last six weren’t very pretty. They were slow. And everything hurt. And they had me thinking, “I’m going to do this + 8.2 MORE?!” But I did it. And now I feel so much more confident that I can get through this training, do a 22 mile training run, and cross that finish line after 26.2 miles on October 4.  

(8:47 pace, OOOOF)

I got back to my apartment, opened up my yoga mat, grabbed the evil foam roller, and could barely move for the next half hour. 

The only thing that motivated me was the fact that I neeeeded food. I then took an hour long nap, and didn’t even feel guilty about it because it wasn’t that nice out anyway.

(Lion mane)

So I guess my lesson has been learned. If you want to be able to run 18 miles, you should probably not drink your face off the night before a long run. (Notice I said my lesson was learned, not that I would actually heed this advice on a regular basis). But I’m glad that I had made it up in my mind to make this run a good one and did what I needed to do to make sure it actually happened. 

High fiving myself, sorry. 

RUN BKLYN

I’m a two-time half-marathon finisher! I ran the Brooklyn Half this past Saturday, hooray! I will now tell you all the deets, which you may or may not find incredibly boring.

Let’s start with the Brooklyn Half pre-party at Pier 2 near Brooklyn Bridge Park.  I absolutely dreaded going to this ALL DAY Thursday.  It was rainy. It wasn’t exactly warm. I knew at some point I still needed to get in 3-4 miles.  JackRabbit was running to the packet pick-up at 7, but then what was I going to do after work for 2 hours while I waited? Why did I have to go allllll the way to Brooklyn to pick up my packet, gosh darnit?! I was cranky. Luckily, the pre-party was on their A-game and as soon as I emerged from the subway in the faraway land of Brooklyn, there were people with signs directing me all the way to Pier 2 (and I say all the way because it was a TREK!)

Once I got there, my mood improved because runners! Music! Free samples! I started to get in the spirit.  The view was AWESOME! Had it been a nicer night, and had I been there with a group of people, I definitely would have loved to stay, had a drink, eaten some Chickpea and Olive, and enjoyed the music.  

(Alright, fine, I'll get in the spirit! SMILES, ready to run 13 miles!)

Instead, I did a lap by myself, sampled some Nuun (EW, tastes like medicine), got a free ZogSports shirt, picked up my packet, and was on my way back to Manhattan after snapping a few pretty skyline pictures.

Friday night before the race, as I wrote about, I ate atSouen.  I picked out my clothes, packed my bag check bag, and was asleep around 10:30.  My alarm went off at 5:00 (yes, ew is right), I got dressed, stretched, rolled and was out the door by 5:30 to meet my friends at the subway.

(The joys of running races...) 

 

It was SO awesome seeing just how many of us crazy runners were up at 5:30 a.m. making the trek to Brooklyn. 

We got off after about a 45 minute subway ride and started to make our way to security and I ate my nanner.  Security was annoying, because everyone had to take their phones out, take their watches off, etc. but hey, better safe than sorry! The line moved surprisingly fast.  But then it was a HAUL to get to bag check.  We just made it before it closed!

Then it was time for the portapotty lines.  Worst. The corrals were super cramped, I was freezing since I had had to put my jacket in my bag at the bag check, there was no room to stretch, and we had about a half hour to stand around.  

(Having company in the corals DEFINITELY helped!)

Luckily we were able to sneakily make our way up a bunch of corrals, which definitely helped because we were able to cross the start line around 7:55- if we had stayed in our corral it would have been MUCH later.

The first couple of miles through Prospect Park were stressful because we were trying to keep up a quick pace but at the same time, the path was super crowded.  Tiffanie, Rory and I were trying our best to stay together and navigate through the crowds.  Eventually, we got into a groove and I tried to look around a little to enjoy the view.  I had expected far worse hills during the park portion of the race, but really there was only one around mile 5 that was challenging.  It was also around there where the “Uh oh…I’m definitely going to need to stop for the bathroom” thoughts started to creep in.

By mile 6 I was forced to tell Tiffanie and Rory to enjoy the rest of the race, but I was going to need to stop.  I had hoped I would eventually catch back up to them, but it never ended up happening. I went to the bathroom, and mentally prepared to run the rest of the race alone (and without Tiffanie’s Garmin!)

Somehow I missed the mile 7 marker, so the jump from 6 to 8 was a HUGE mental help.  At mile 8 I had my espresso Gu, NOM. Unfortunately, at mile 9 nature called and I had to stop AGAIN! Both times I got to a portapotty I had to wait for someone ahead of me, too.  So frustrating.

Miles 7-13 were flat, wide, straight and pretty boring to be honest.  I had used music from 7-10 but decided that for the last 3 miles I would take the headphones off and enjoy the final 5K.  I wasn’t really pushing to finish at a certain time, and knew I had to come in somewhere around 1:50:00 for my friend. 

(Let's finish this thang!)

Then there was a sign for 800 meters and the street got super filled with people cheering us on so I thought “Oh, this is the final sprint” (Actually, I thought, “What the eff, I don’t know what meters mean!!!”) and started to push it.  Well, 800 meters isn’t THAT short of a distance, folk.  Then there was a sign for 400 meters and next thing I know, I’m on the Coney Island pier with the ocean next to me and sand under my feet (yeah, the boardwalk was sandy and I was super scared someone was going to wipe out!) I sprinted to the finish and bam, second half marathon complete in 1:46:50. Hoorah! And I got my first race medal!

(Yas!)

I got my banana, bagel and powerbar (uhmmm, MINT COOKIE, HECK YES!) and made my way to the baggage pick-up.  I found Tiffanie and Rory (they had finished at 1:46:00, awesome job guys!) and then found out that the truck with my bag in it had been in a car accident and no one knew when it would be able to get there- joy! So Tiffanie and I tanned and stretched and eventually, my bag arrived.

Next, we made our way to the subway to get to the JackRabbit after party so graciously hosted by Alex! On the subway, my stomach started feeling like absolute SHIT and I really thought I was going to throw up.  We got to Alex’s and I ate some delicious eggs with veggies and sausage on an English muffin :) 

(Post-race noms! Thanks Alex!)

Then, Tiffanie started to feel sick! We just couldn’t win! So we decided that since we still had a long journey back to the UES, we should probably leave. So we ate and ran, without even having a beer! Such a shame.  But probably for the best considering it took us 2 hours to get home!

I was so happy for a shower, carrots and hummus and a NAP (in my awesome Brooklyn Half technical shirt that I’m in love with!)

That night, it is really disgusting the amount that I ate (and drank, oops).  I’m a little embarrassed to show this to the world but uh, yeah, check out this quad of food I decided I was entitled to for running 13.1 miles!

(Froyo, guac and chips, pizza, lamb over rice.  Heaven)

Overall, I had a great time running the Brooklyn Half (although had I not had Tiffanie and Rory with me, I probably would NOT be saying! Thanks guys!) It’s so funny how during races, you’re tired, you hurt, you want to stop sometimes, and then when it’s all over you’re like “THAT WAS AWESOME WHEN DO WE DO IT AGAIN?!” I definitely want to run another half sometime in the near future- with a new goal time of 1:45:00 or faster!

Happiest Run

Let’s talk about how my run on Saturday morning was probably the happiest I have been in a very, very long time. I’ve talked to people who have cried happy tears during races before, and I honestly came close to having my first run-cry, although I held it together. 

I didn’t run for a week.  It was rough. After the Scotland Run last weekend, my body was muy muy unhappy with me.  “Why did you run that fast, up and down hills?” the giant, painful knots in my calves kept asking me with every step.  No joke. My shins were in pain while I was walking and I was having serious flashbacks to my stress fracture, crutches, boot nightmare from earlier this year.  So I (shockingly) tried listening to my body and not pushing it.  Which is something that I’m very bad at. So for 6 days I didn’t run.  I took one spin class, and did 20 minutes on the elliptical, but that was pretty much the extent of my cardio for 6 days.

And then, Friday night was a really emotionally not fun night.

So when I woke up Saturday morning, I wanted a good run.  But the worst thing ever is when you want and need a good run, and you get yourself all excited for an awesome run, and then it ends up kicking your butt and sucking.

Part of me was expecting that.

LUCKILY, I was beyond pleasantly surprised Saturday. The sun was shining. I was wearing shorts and a tank top.  There were tons of people out for the group run.  I’m starting to feel like I fit in with this group.  My legs felt like they were rested (gee Lauren, maybe rest CAN be a good thing) as we ran the now familiar 10-mile Randall’s Island run from the UES Jack Rabbit store.  I felt like I was running so easy, yet I was somehow leading the group the entire time? I seriously felt like I was on Cloud 9. I didn’t listen to music for a second.

And when we got back to the store, I had multiple people come up to me as if I was some legit runner, asking me questions and complimenting me and telling me I looked great out there today.  

What?! 

I honestly didn’t know what to say.  “Wow, you really run.” “You must run a LOT.” “You must have run in high school right?” (HA, that’s a funny joke). “Thanks for leading today” the leader said as I left…I honestly was dumbfounded.  I mean, I kept insisting to everyone that I am NOT by ANY means an incredible runner.  Today I just felt amazing, I had been off for 6 days, usually my entire body hurt…I had every comeback for the compliments (and thank yous as well).  But I’m not going to lie, when I walked home from the store, I was kind of floating.

I still don’t think I’m an amazing runner by any means- but I AM a runner.  Running makes me happy. Running is when I get some of my best thinking done.  A good run can make or break my day.  Running is like therapy for me.  And now, apparently, running is something I’m actually good at, thanks to sticking with it even through the runs that are painful and long and slow.  

And you know what? I would take 2387492 of those not so great runs for every one that was like todays. 

Oh my god, I might cry. I need to stop.

RUN HAPPY PEOPLE. 

"I Can Go the Distance"

This might be a really boring post for everyone out there to read, but I want to write about it as something to look back on, and it’s my blog so I’m gunna do what I want!
Before Saturday, the furthest distance I had ever run was a half-marathon.  I ran my first half-marathon in March 2013 and finished in 1:59:21 (read about it here if you want!) Then, when I was working in LA this winter, I went out intending to run 7 miles and ended up (according to Map My Run, so take it for what it is) running 13.27 miles in 1:48:33. 

Saturday, the plan was to head out with the JackRabbit UES running group for a “Boogie Down Bronx” 12-mile run, which ended up being a 14 mile run- my furthest distance ever! Hooray for progress! 

I never really know how to write about a run, but I’m going to attempt to anyway.  We started out by running along the east river and crossing over to Randall’s Island, where we looped around and crossed over the Bronx footbridge.  I like running on Randall’s Island! It was windy though, and colder than I thought, and I definitely should have been wearing more clothes.  But at least for this part of the run it wasn’t raining! Everyone was running pretty slow, which was fine by me. 

Once we got into the Bronx we headed to St. Mary’s Park. The pace was still slow, and I felt fine, but lazy…every time we passed a 6 train, there was a definite urge to just head home and wait for my parents to arrive.  But I kept going and soon enough we were at St. Mary’s where we stopped for a quick picture.  Ok, a not so quick picture.  I like laid back runs, but the longer we stood around chatting, I knew the harder it would be to start up again.  Plus this was ruining any sort of semi-acceptable pace.  And it was actually raining now.  Eventually, we set out from St. Mary’s to Crotona Park, which was a supposed 2 miles.  Well it felt like 200 given the weather.  For this stretch of the run, it was raining pretty consistently, it was windy, and I swear the temperature was dropping.  I had to stop at a bodega for a plastic bag for my phone, and my fingers were so numb I considered buying a pair of gloves while I was at it!  It seriously felt like we would never reach Crotona.  But sure enough, we did! We stopped for another picture and I decided it was time to take my first ever gel! I seriously had my doubts that it would have any kind of noticeable effect, but I was starving and figured it would taste good so why not? My first ever gel was the Clif Double Expresso Shot Turbo.  

(Yummy!) 

It was a LOT thicker than I ever imagined it would be, but delicious nonetheless.  After some dilly-dallying/walking out of Crotona Park, we headed back towards Manhattan on Willis Ave. and that gel for SURE had an effect.  My stride noticeably opened up and for the first time all morning I felt like I was in the groove.  It also helped that I was so OVER the rain that I just wanted these last 6 or 7 miles to be DONE.  Once we crossed over the Willis Avenue Bridge, I was on a mission to get back to JackRabbit AFAP (as fast as possible, duh).  
And I did! And Map My Run said 14 miles as soon as I got to the door of the store! Myself and another girl had finished first, and it was her first time running that far either! I was so excited, but I got even MORE excited when I told the store manager and SHE got excited FOR me! It was so great the way her face lit up and she ran to get me the foam roller and congratulated me and gave me Cliff bars :) I seriously LOVE the running community.  While running isn’t a team sport like I grew up playing, it’s seriously true that you can get to know people extremely well by running with them.  And since I started going on group runs at the different JackRabbit stores, I have met some incredible people and seen just how much camaraderie there truly is between runners in NYC.  I’m obsessed.

I rolled out my legs a little bit but then I had to run to meet up with my parents (what’s another .7 miles to run back to my apartment?) But the feeling of accomplishment stayed with me all day! Maybe it wasn’t a fast 14 miles, and maybe we took some stops along the way, but my legs carried me further than they ever have before (even pre-stress fracture) and for that I am grateful!

And I’m super thankful for that gel.  I also find it strange that for someone who hates the rain, I have now had 2 runs in the rain that haven’t completely made me miserable (only slightly miserable).  It’s so true that the discomfort you experience while running completely vanishes as soon as you finish and instead, all the curses you said in your head are replaced with “Wow, that was actually kind of amazing, I feel great now!”