BX and SI to BK (Prospect Park 10 miles)

23. June 2013 · 1 comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , ,

Happy Sunday! It’s officially summer and it’s hot and humid here in New York City! (89 degrees 83% humidity as i’m typing this) 3 of the 5 boros representing today (Staten Island, the Bronx and Brooklyn). We met up in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park for 10 miles. Summer running means you have to have a “beat the heat” strategy. We started out EARLY (6:15am) while it was ONLY 70 degrees, which meant my alarm went off at 4:30am! I got dressed and had a quick bite, took the pooch out quick and then headed out to meet the peeps. Not gonna lie, it felt really hard today. It’s been becoming the norm for me to fall back and be the “caboose” of our running group. I don’t know if it’s the pollen, the heat and humidity or what but i just can’t seem to catch my breath lately. At one point I just blurted out that I felt like crap. Lisa chimed in “well at least you look cute”. I have to admit, I’ve been buying more girly type running attire lately. I’m totally on the running skirt bandwagon and this new trend of ruching up the sides…..LOVE IT! So flattering.

girly runner!

girly runner!

Both the top and the skirt i got at Marshalls. $14.99 each!!!! They are both AVIA. The shirt has a hood, ruching up the sizes that you can adjust to your liking with drawstrings. It also has some gathering at the base of the v-neck which helps the “girls” look nice and separated. So yes, Lisa was right, I did look cute!

Speaking of trying out new running gear, Lisa’s sported her new hydration pack today. It’s her second time wearing it and she’s figuring out how she likes it. So far so good.

Lisa, Mike and Elvia

Lisa, Mike and Elvia

And Elvia’s wearing the Kaleidochic skirt from Hot Chic Sports. You can see her modeling right here too. She’s a sponsored runner for them. Mike is just modeling his awesome runner calves =)

We did 3 loops of the park and then parted ways. I love seeing these guys each week.

Well, hope you’ve enjoyed your weekend. Question: Anyone get any new running gear lately? Do you purchase full price at sporting goods stores or try and find deals at stores like Marshalls or TJ Maxx?

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sizing up the area (for running)

21. June 2013 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized

After another hour wasted on the phone this morning with Sears customer service (still trying to get my credit for the water heater that was never installed from last week), I was able to squeeze in a quick 4 miler before getting ready to help my friend drive her kitties and dog to her new home about an hour away. After getting the kitties and dogs (of course Duncan came with) settled in, my friend Sue drove us into town to pick up a pizza. I immediately sized up the roads….suitable for running? HMMM…one big issue…the most ginormous, humungous, enormous, steep hill mountain i’ve ever seen!!!!

STEEP!

STEEP!

Luckily there are lots of parks not too far away. So I’ll be ok if i decide to visit overnight and need to get a run in while i’m visiting. Whew!

I find it quite funny that running routes are the first thing I think of when traveling. I’m headed to California in a few weeks and i’ve already mapped out some routes.

SIZEUP

 

Question: When you travel, what’s the first thing you map out? Pizza? A Running route? Liquor store? Mall?

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Dealing with (30 pound, furry) obstacles

19. June 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized

Wednesdays are usually a rest day. But it was exceptionally beautiful weather-wise this morning and I got the bug to run a few miles before work. There was however one small (30 pound, furry) obstacle.

30 pound, furry obstacle

30 pound, furry obstacle

Duncan knew it was Wednesday and thought he could  push down hard with his chin on my lap to refrain me from heading out for the run. He’s a smart dog. But I stayed strong and fought the guilt of leaving him for a whole 30 minutes of our morning time together. (We won’t mention that I shared my post-run fuel with him. Just a little piece of waffle.)

It was a GREAT run! Same 3 mile route as yesterday but faster and it felt a bit easier today too. It felt cooler and less humid.

photo 3

Hump Day 3 miles!

 

And Duncan seems to feel bad about trying to keep me from running.

Ashamed

Ashamed

So let’s go with this little pearl of wisdom for today: There will be obstacles that pop up (or curl up) during the week that might try and keep you from getting your run in. Fight them! (even if they give you the big sad puppy dog eyes) You’ll feel so much better gettin’ your sweat on! 

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The multiple outcomes of a 3 mile run

18. June 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized

Today, as I struggled to bust out a short 3 mile run (my “go-to” distance/route on workdays when
i’m pressed for time) I kept thinking about how inconsistent the outcome of these runs can be.

For some reason, I WANT to believe that 3 miles will ALWAYS be 30 minutes. HA! Well today’s run was 32 minutes:

humidity

88% humidity!!!!

But I needed to pull myself out of the “why does this feel so hard lately” abyss that I seem to have fallen into since the warmer weather began. So I took a sampling of data from 20 other 3 mile runs just to compare:

random-paces

 

 

Only 2 of the 20 runs were exactly 30 minutes. Some were 29 and some were 34. So what is my wisdom to share today? Numbers are a great gauge to see how we’re doing in general but they shouldn’t define our mood. This holds true for the scale too! 

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