I did it! Completed the Rock n Roll Brooklyn Half on Saturday and the Staten Island Half yesterday with many of my favorite running peeps. Surprisingly my legs feel great today. Full race recaps to come but for now I need to get my cold under control. (Yes, I ran both races with some major sniffles.)
double half weekend = double bling weekend
How was your weekend? I know Becky became a first time marathoner yesterday at Steamtown…NBD! (WAY TO GO!).
Happy Thursday!
My week started off a little rocky and I was really seeking out some cheer. Luckily I realized I can be my own cheerleader.
Go me!
Duncan helped cheer me up too.
pile of blankets = perfect pillow
Always makes me smile. He’s just my favorite.
But by last night I was feeling a lot better. My friend met me for sushi and we both agreed we were indulging in some fried ice cream.
Fried green tea ice cream. so good!
too much spicy tuna, kani, shrimp tempura and a boston roll
Today, I went on a short 4 miler and tried out my new ear buds. (Yup, my last pair died during that 18 miler on Saturday.)
yurbuds inspire 200
LOVING THEM!
I bought the Yurbuds Inspire 200’s and wow are they awesome! (Got them in Target for $29.99). They stayed in my ears! They sounded great and there’s this nifty magnet that keeps the two buds connected when you’re not using them so they don’t get tangled. Seriously #gamechanger!
Today’s run was the first run since that 18 miler too.
After all the muscle cramping subsided I realized my hamstring that I injured back in August while doing a cartwheel was killing me! So I’ve been just stretching and foam rolling up until today when I finally felt it was calmed down enough.
I drove to Brooklyn this afternoon to hit up the Rock n Roll Brooklyn Half Expo. Traffic was ridiculous and the expo was pretty lame but since they don’t allow anyone to get your race number for you and they don’t have race day bib pickup I HAD to go.
Shirt and race number: CHECK!
But one exciting thing….I crossed the Verrazano into Brooklyn and got so emotional…
VZ Bridge: Mile 1
NYC skyline
I am really feeling so lucky to be able to run the NYC Marathon this year. Oh, they PAVED the highway right over the bridge (mile 2). I am so excited for fresh blacktop! It might only be 1/2 mile of the course but hey, I’ll take it. For those of you who haven’t ever run the NYC Marathon before, the course is not the best running surface. We have POTHOLES! Lots of potholes! =)
So Saturday I’m running the Rock n Roll Brooklyn Half marathon and Sunday the Staten Island Half. These back to back halfs are going to be in lieu of a 20 miler. And then the taper!
I’ll try and catch up with y’all over the weekend to let you know how everything went. Hoping my body behaves and I can get through all 26.2 miles. I’m totally going to take it easy for both of these events.
What are you doing this weekend?
How do you feel about race expos? I think our stuff should just get mailed to us. =)
Yesterday I ran 18 miles and I was reminded of something very important. Fueling and hydrating properly in the days leading up to a long run is so very important. It was still raining in the morning so I decided to re-arrange my day a bit. I spent the morning sipping coffee and cuddling with the doodle which was pure bliss, and then got some freelance work and invoicing stuff done.
a perfect morning
the usual
By 1:30 in the afternoon I was ready to attempt my 18 miler. The rain had dwindled down to just a drizzle but the wind was still pretty intense.
23 mph winds!
I drove to my favorite long run route which goes along the boardwalk and to the Verrazano Bridge.
I’ve been able to make each loop about 7.5 miles now by going a little further past the end of the boardwalk on both ends so I only had to do two loops to get to 15 miles and then did some short out and backs for the last 3 (so I could be near my car in case I felt I needed to stop early).
My first 3 miles were into the headwind and while I felt like I was struggling I was actually keeping a good pace.
That’s the Verrazano behind me. =)
For miles 3-6, I had the wind at my back which was awesome. Overall I kept around 10:45-11:20 min miles for the first 7 1/2 miles. But somewhere around mile 8 or 9 I noticed my legs cramping up. I even stopped a few times to stretch which I don’t ever do. The water fountains along the boardwalk were still on so I took a few sips every few miles and I took a few honey stinger chews every 5-6 miles. But the damage was done. The second half of my run was painful. But I never gave up. I walked a little and shuffled a little but I just kept going until my Garmin hit 18. I tried to focus on how easy it was to cover 18 miles as far as my lungs were concerned. I never had breathing issues. The cool weather definitely helped. It was just the leg cramping that I struggled with.
18 miles is far!
I was so happy to be done. I was on the verge of tears at mile 16.5 and wanted to stop but I really sucked it up to finish and I am so proud of myself for that.
After 3 hours and 39 minutes I got in the car, blasted the heat and headed home. Man was I shivering like crazy. This morning I’m feeling super tight and sore…..especially my calves, and hamstrings.
Next weekend I have my back to back half marathons (Rock n Roll Brooklyn Half and Staten Island Half) so I am going to focus on all the important stuff this week….stretching, foam rolling, hydrating and fueling with more nutrient dense foods and less crapola.
Oh and a big thank you to my amazing sister-in-law Sharon who sent me a new iPod Shuffle after reading that I lost mine. Thank you! What a perfect early birthday gift. =)
Have you ever had muscle cramps?
How do you keep your electrolytes in check for long runs?
Do you like the taste of water?
Hi there,
I can’t believe we’re just hours away from October (or into October if you’re across the “pond”).
Not sure if I ever mentioned this more than 100x but October is my favorite month. It’s my birthday month and right smack in the middle of my favorite season. It’s also Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I posted exactly a year ago with some personal connection to this.
I was home from work at 6:45 and kicked into high gear.
I cooked dinner
I vacuumed my entire house including the carpeted stairs (which only happens after a supermoon 😉
I called Apple’s customer support to try and get some iPhone issues resolved (unfortunately they couldn’t fix the issue but they sent my issue to their engineer for further investigation.
I scheduled my mammogram for next week
I backed up my laptop and my photos on my phone
I packed up all my garbage and recycling for pickup
I played tug with this dood…
AND THEN……I went for a run. Yup, 8:30pm and I bolted out the door with a big old smile on my face. The rain and humidity of the day left and a cooler, breezier night arrived. I felt so “speedy”.
10:33 average pace?! Yippee!!!
bright shirt so I can be seen. (I ran on sidewalks and there were plenty of street lights so I didn’t wear any reflective gear)
And since (for safety reasons) I don’t run with music at night I didn’t miss my iPod Shuffle that I lost this past weekend. #glasshalffull #winning! I’m going to have to pick up one before the marathon unless I want to use my phone.
Since I had to return those Brooks Ghosts I went online and found one of the last pairs of Asics Cumulus 16s in a size 8. They were super cheap ($69!)
That’s really pretty low for someone training for a marathon but i’m content. Time to gear up for two crazy long run weekends followed by the t.a.p.e.r!
How was your September?
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