Well, you never forget your first kiss 5k. And seriously, it seems so funny to me that I’ve been running races since 2006 and have never, until today run a scored 5k. Plenty of 4 milers, 5 milers, 10ks, half-marathons and full marathons…but I digress.

Yesterday I hit up the NYC Marathon Expo to pick up my Dash to the Finish Line 5k race number.

just 3.1 instead of 26.2 this year. #slacker

It felt weird to be picking up my 5k bib when 50,000 other people were picking up their marathon bib! I chose this race because I knew I wasn’t running the marathon this year and I wanted to still be able to take advantage of the energy that builds in the city marathon weekend, and with the race finishing at the marathon’s iconic finish line, this seemed like the perfect fit. Not to mention I got excited to finally register for a scored 5k.

This morning I was up at 5:30 am to head out by 6:30 am and start my journey to Manhattan. It was 46 degrees and raining when I left the house. I didn’t let the weather upset me though because hey, I ran a PR at the Love Run half-marathon this past March in the cold, pouring rain right?!

I drove across Staten Island and jumped on an express bus that would take me the 7 miles (over the Verrazano Bridge and thru Brooklyn) into downtown Manhattan where I would then hop on the subway to get up to Grand Central and then trek by foot another 1/2 mile to the corrals. I should have arrived downtown at 7:30 am but an accident caused a major traffic snarl and when I got off the bus it was 8:10!

anxiously riding the bus. took my handy dandy rain poncho, and my metrocard for the subway.

I managed to get down to the subway and on a train by 8:15. I looked at my phone app and it said the train should take 12 minutes to get to Grand Central. I kept doing the math. Holy crap I was cutting it close. At 8:27 I began the mad dash off the train, through the terminal and up the stairs. At 8:30am I started running as fast as I could to the start line. I got to the corrals at 8:34 and was so freakin’ relieved to see crowds of people still there. Thankfully with close to 10,000 runners I made it to the back of the pack and successfully started 12 minutes after the gun went off. Whew!

The race was CROWDED! Apparently there was a large percentage of international participants who probably had a family member running the marathon tomorrow. There were a lot of walkers and kids too. And there I was at the back trying to run as fast as I could. There were puddles and potholes to dodge, and I spent a good amount of the race weaving around people and probably ran the LONGEST tangents ever. Not smart Sally! But hey! I was on a mission to break 30 minutes. I knew that a good part of miles 1 and 2 were downhill so I just booked! And then once in the park I slowed a bit up one small hill and as soon as I saw the 26 mile marker for the marathon I kicked it into high gear. I knew I just had another .2 miles to go.

My friends will be so happy to see this mile marker tomorrow!

I finished in 28:34. The rain wasn’t even an issue. And ultimately the crowds didn’t hold me back. Heck, the traffic snarl left me so frustrated that I don’t think anything could have held me back from running hard. While this was an automatic PR thanks to it being my first 5k it was actually faster than my goal pace. I knew I could keep a 9:30 pace but my A goal was to run a 9:15 pace. I ended up running a 9:12 pace! YAY! and my Garmin showed 3.2 miles (thanks to my dodging and weaving) which read 8:59 pace. I’m so thrilled! It only means that I’m capable of more and I’m looking forward to running a few more 5ks in the future.

While walking to the subway to start my journey home, I made a little pit stop at Magnolia Bakery.

Blueberry crisp and hot coffee: yes please!

And before I knew it I was back on the bus.

No finishers medals, but I got an apple and water and a power bar.

this Columbia vest is one the best pieces of gear i ever bought.

So here are the stats:

2 hours 6 minutes to get to the start

28 min to run the race

1 hour 20 minutes to get home

8th NYRR race for 2014 complete leaving me with only one more to complete before the end of the year to secure my spot in next year’s NYC Marathon

oh, and 2 towels to dry the dog after walking him in this rain when I got home.

Have you ever missed the start of a race?

Have you ever cut it that close before?

Do you run faster in the rain?

What are you doing this weekend?

Anyone running the NYC Marathon tomorrow?

First I have to share this funny link about 10 things nobody tells a woman before running a marathon

OK, now let me fill you in on my weekend. Yesterday morning it was POURING RAIN! I took the doodle out quick and then we curled up on the sofa watching old episodes of Mad About You while I sipped my coffee.

Duncan was waiting patiently for the rain to subside so he could take his tennis ball outside.

I took advantage of the weather and forced myself to do the mundane task of shredding old bills and filing new ones.

I’m terrible at keeping up with this. I want to go paperless but I need the bill to arrive in the mailbox to signal that I need to pay it. I’m a visual person.

I filled an entire bag of paper.

All of a sudden around 3:30 the rain just stopped and the sun came out. I didn’t hesitate and grabbed my running gear and drove back to the beach where I ran on Thursday to try and get my long run in.

I wanted to hit 10 miles but at mile 7 I felt that same ache in my right knee (that i felt on Thursday) and after another mile and change it was getting more uncomfortable. I thought I’d just try and stretch a bit and then finish the last mile and change but when I squatted down I felt a sharp pain in the knee. So I did the smart thing and ended the run right there.

Luckily there was no pain at all when walking so I hurried home, showered really quick and then took the doodle to the park to walk briskly for the 1.3 miles I didn’t get to run. Bingo! 10 miles even!

Duncan has the cutest little waddle walk…

This morning I hit the road at 7am to head down to the Jersey Shore to be a spectator and supporter for my boyfriend who was running the Jersey Shore Half Marathon. It was super windy and the temps at the start were in the upper 40s. But the wind didn’t seem to impact him at all. As a matter of fact he busted out a huge PR of 1:48:49, almost 5 minutes faster than his previous best. So proud of him! And I really enjoyed the spectator friendly and scenic course. Here are some shots I took along the course (i took lots of great shots of the boy, but he is camera shy so you’ll just have to enjoy the scenery mmkay?)

gorgeous views at mile 6

course views!

I stood right at the finish to see him sprint in

When I got home I I felt like I had run too. I think it was a combination of me being sore from the run yesterday and a little windburn/sunburn action too. So I took a little ibuprofen and laid down for an hour and then I was good as new. Next thing you know I was ready to take the Doodle for one final adventure before the weekend came to a close. I’ve been in a rut lately with where I take him so today I chose a new spot. We went to the trails that start out by the golf course. It’s so beautiful there.

magical

pretty!

I love natural tree trunk/root sculpture.

Next weekend I’ll be running the Staten Island Half Marathon. I’m going to do a short run on Wednesday and maybe another short run on Friday and that’s it. I want to make sure my knee can go 13 miles next weekend =)

So how was your weekend? 

Holy bejeezus! I can’t even believe that Sunday really happened.

I completed the Jersey Girl Triathalon and managed to live to tell. Here’s how the day went.

3:40am Alarm clock goes off
I popped up and got myself together. I had packed all my gear the night before. I even put the bike in the car the night prior as well. My gear was all put into a backpack with 2 separate clear bags. 1 containing what I needed for my bike and 1 with my running gear plus a towel in each bag as well. Unfortunately I was too nervous to eat so I just put a few teaspoons of sugar in my coffee figuring at least I’d get some calories.

5:45am Arrive at race destination
I sat in the car waiting for Jane watching the pouring rain and wondering what the heck I was getting myself into.

bikes on a bike rack before dawn in the pouring rain…yup, they must be headed to the triathalon too

5:55am Jane and her posse arrive
We start to unpack the cars and make our way to set up our transition area. I had planned on wearing flip flops to the transition area but I must have been half asleep and packed 2 right feet! (I have 2 of the same pair). Luckily this was the worst thing that happened all day. =)

two right feet

6:00am-6:40am pre-race stuff
We first made a pit-stop to the ladies room and then took the time to set up our bikes and gear in the transition area and then went to get marked. I just assumed that they used wax crayons or something but they used sharpie markers! I still have some residual marker left on my skin 2 days later! Then it was time to grab a bunch of pictures since we all looked so sexy in our swim getup.

I feel like a prisoner…but it’s nice to be 29 for the day instead of 40 =)

6:40am-6:53am Heats line up
We were the second heat and lined up waiting to go into the ocean. Not gonna lie, I was shitting a brick.

don’t let the smile fool ya.. I was freaking out!

The water was choppy I’m guessing due to the rainy weather we were having. The swim angels were all waiting to to buddy up with whoever needed assistance. As soon as they gave us the go I buddied up with Paul, my “angel”. He said to wait for the bulk of the girls to get in the water so we would have some clear space and then said we should wait for 3 big waves to come in before starting to swim past the break. I was so disoriented. The swim cap was squishing my head and the goggles had already become foggy and covered with rain drops and I think I just misjudged the waves and started into the water as a wave came crashing in. I panicked and of course opened my mouth and gasped in fear as I swallowed the wave (and this is not like eating hills for breakfast). After it passed over me I started hyperventilating (yep, keeping it real.) I almost made an about face until I heard Paul talking to me. He just kept easing my mind and instructing me on my breathing and told me to just point my arms toward the buoy. I told him I could only do the doggie paddle. Poor guy, probably had no idea what he was in for. I actually found myself enjoying the water somewhere around the 1/2 way point. Things were under control and I could see the second buoy was so close. Once I reached it I just had to make a turn and head toward the shore. Here’s where I really found myself chipping away at my fears. I now knew that the waves were out of my sight and I was freaking out that one would just come and knock me down. But I realized that you actually get a little warning as the water level drops a smidge just beforehand (oceanographist I am not. and no oceanographist isn’t a word but you get what I’m saying). Paul told me when I felt that to just let the wave push me forward. Before I knew it I could stand….almost done….but of course in the very last minute when I stood up and tried to walk gracefully out of the ocean a wave came and knocked me down to my knees. I laughed at this point. I was SOOOO freaking pumped that I made it through the scariest part of this triathalon and the rest would get easier. A volunteer grabbed my hand and helped me out of the water and I slowly trotted through the sand and up onto the boardwak where they hosed off my feet and I grabbed a cup of water. This was mostly to clear the salt water out of my throat. I wasn’t really thirst yet. =) The swim took me just over 10 minutes.

7:04am-7:08am T1
I spent 4 minutes here swapping swim cap for bike helmet, goggles for sunglasses, drying off my feet and shoving on socks and sneakers. I don’t have a road bike with clipped in style pedal/shoes so I just put my running sneakers on. One less thing to do in the next transition. I grabbed a couple of energy chews and a swig of water from my water bottle and then walked the bike out of the tranisiton and to the bike mount/start. The ins and outs of the transition was fairly foolproof and alleviated my fears of potentially being disqualified for missing a mat or mounting bike too soon etc.

7:08-8:09am Bike
The bike was fairly relaxing for me. It was along the same route as the NJ Marathon and I knew the ins and outs. Most of it was an out-and-back along Ocean Ave (parallel to the ocean). The roads were slick and it was still lightly raining but I tried to keep my mind off of that and just sang songs out loud (Sara Bareilles’ Brave and One Republic’s I Lived to be exact) as I heard the constant “on your left” coming from behind me. I averaged just under 11mph which was about 2 mph slower than I expected I’d ride. But honestly I’m still happy with my bike time. I wasn’t in competitive mode at all. I was euphoric about my swim completion and just processing the whole experience over and over.

Just cruisin’. Smiling and I didn’t even know I was being photographed so that’s a genuine smile

8:09-8:12am T2
This transition was much faster and easier for me (less than 3 minutes). I swapped the bike helmet for a baseball cap and pulled on a running skirt. Ate 2 more energy chews and grabbed another swig of water from my water bottle.

Photo courtesy of my surprise spectator Greg

8:12-8:42am Run
Now the 3 mile home stretch was upon me. Just 1 1/2 miles out and then back. I was SO pumped for this. Just as I crossed the mat to officially start the run, I heard someone call out my name. I looked up and saw it was a surprise spectator…my friend Greg. I was so happy to see his friendly face. I felt like my legs were heavy but I finally had the chance to pass people. I was in my element and ironically the finish line for this is exactly the same as the NJ Marathon. And I FELT exactly like I was at mile 25 of the marathon. Exhausted, spent but exhilarated and so friggen happy!

closing in on the finish!

annnnd DONE!

Happy Runner Girl (who swam and biked first)

I was the last of Jane’s posse to finish and they were all enjoying massages and snacks at the post race festivities. Once everyone was refueled and relaxed we took some obligatory bling pics. Jane finished 3rd in her age group with a time of 1:11 (the overall winner finished in 1:02). And Jane’s mom finished in 1:27! Not too shabby for a 54 year old woman. She even had to stop to get one of her pedals repaired. I finished in 1:47 which is 13 minutes faster than I predicted. I know i can shave 15 minutes off my time easily if I just learn how to swim properly and get a little more confident on the bike (and maybe upgrade to a real road bike). But who knows what lies in my future as far as sprint TRIs go.

The entire event was just awesome. There were so many first time triathletes and so many supportive volunteers. It was the most inspiring and uplifting event I’ve done in a while. Girl power!!! I’d highly recommend this event for anyone who is curious about triathalons.

Do you know how to swim? Did you learn as a kid or an adult? Ever done a TRI? How about bikes? Do you own a road bike?

Hi friends, romans, countrymen

Hope your weekend is buzzing along nicely. I kicked mine off last night when I met my friend at the diner for a bite to eat. It ended like this…

Rice pudding topped with whipped cream

I’m blaming the supermoon for my lapse in judgement.

But let me tell you it was so worth it! Best rice pudding I’ve had in a while. And whipped cream is my favorite food group.

This morning I took the doodle to the groomer and then traveled to the park where the big fundraising event for the dog park was taking place. I parked the car here:

End? Hmm….Foreshadowing perhaps…read on!

I saw lots of friends and they all were so confused to see me without my doodle sidekick. There was a “dog wash” where you could get your dog squeaky clean for a small donation, pet store and pet care vendors with free samples and goodies, an animal rescue organization with some of their available pups (be glad I didn’t take pictures because your heart would have melted and you would have wanted to travel from wherever you are to come adopt one.) It was quite the turnout and with the 50/50 and themed basket raffle combined with the sale of some other items the dog park organization raised lots of money to go toward the maintenance of the dog park. Success!

Finally I looked at my watch and realized I needed to hightail it out of there to get back to the groomer where Duncan was ready for pickup. Got in my car. It didn’t start on the first try or the second. I freaked for a second. I just replaced the battery. Hmm….maybe the alternator? Nah. It’s gotta start. So I tried again and this time it turned over. Whew! I made it not a mile up the road when all of a sudden the check engine light came on, the RPM tachometer needle literally started going haywire from 0 to 7 over and over. I tried to make a quick right and pull onto a side street but the car died and power steering locked. Next thing I knew I was coasting right toward the curb where the street sign pole was. I quickly threw the car in park and put my hazards on. Called my friend Nicole who was still working at the event with her husband (she’s the owner of the pet care company I use for Duncan) She sent him to come help me out. We got the car started and he said he’d follow me the 3 miles home. So off we went about one more mile and then the same thing happened but this time we were now on the highway! So I coasted over to the shoulder. There was white smoke coming out of the muffler and it smelled like a combination of gasoline and exhaust fumes. We tried to start the car again and hoped we could get a little farther since I was only 2 miles from home now. No good. This time it wouldn’t start again. That’s when I realized Duncan still needed to get picked up at the groomer.

Ever see an emergency call box up close? I did! Then I gave my “oh well” selfie a shot, and finally panicked that i only had 2 sips of water left because I’m a drama queen

So I gave Bobby my house key, Duncan’s leash and cash to pay the groomer and he left to go get Duncan and bring him to my house while I called up GEICO emergency roadside assistance. I get a free tow but since I was on a restricted access highway I had to pay and I’ll get reimbursed. About 45 minutes later my knight in shining armor a fluorescent yellow t-shirt arrived.

In all the years I’ve been driving (close to 25 years) this is the first time I’ve ever needed to be towed. So I shouldn’t complain =) We got my girl to the mechanic but they were closing so it’s now parked there until Monday when they return. I didn’t know if I wanted to ask anyone else for a favor so I started to walk home. It was hot and almost 4pm already and I knew a 3 mile walk would take me an hour. So I caved and called another friend who scooped me up and brought me home. I was now stuck in the house and thirsty and needed to decompress from the ordeal (yeah, don’t ever let me sign up to be on Survivor) so I decided to make an adult beverage.

Mango, Pineapple and rum cocktail in the works

I had frozen mango and pineapple in the freezer and two types of rum, perfect for a summer cocktail!

It’s all good!

Once I was finally relaxed and over the whole breakdown thing I decided to research a little bit more about my ankle tendonitis. It’s been starting to get a little achier and while I know it’s because I’ve started running again I just had a feeling my nagging tight and sore calf muscle was related. Sure enough it turns out that there is a trigger point which I vaguely remember from when I had acupuncture that causes referred pain to the outside of the ankle right where my discomfort is. While I’ve been using a tennis ball to massage the back part of my calf I haven’t been digging in to the trigger point area to get a good release. Now I’m on to something! I spent about 30 minutes tonight working on it and I can’t believe the almost immediate relief I felt. The human body never ceases to amaze me. Duncan wasn’t exactly thrilled that I was using his tennis ball and rope toy for stretching and trigger-point massage.

He wasn’t too thrilled that he got a haircut and bath either.

Meanwhile I was feeling sad when I realized without a car I wouldn’t be able to drive to Brooklyn to run with some of my peeps. But tonight I got a text that said they’d come to me!!!! WOO HOO!!! So I’m off to go map out a 10 mile route for us.

I’ll report back tomorrow on that. =)

So tell me your breakdown stories. Also, if you’ve recently bought are leased a car tell me what you got. I’m starting to think it’s the safe way to go even though I love my Jeep.