I’m getting into a bit of a routine now with the new job. Dressing business casual has been an adjustment to my normal jeans and hoodie sneaker ensemble but I’m more comfortable that I expected and I’m looking forward to the coming months when I can wear flowy tunic tops, capris and sandals.
Business casual wet hair.
Driving in has some pros and some cons. I started listening to podcasts while I drive and it’s so much better than listening to the radio play the same 2 songs over and over again. (Sorry Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift!) After being his guest on one of his recent podcasts I’ve been listening to some of the latest episodes from Denny at DizRuns including one with Jessica from rUnladylike. My commute has been anywhere from 40 minutes to about an hour and 15 minutes and the podcasts are usually about 55 minutes which is just perfect.
Last night was the longest drive home.
The distance from my office to my house is 23 miles. It took 1 hour and 15 minutes. Hmmm, Meb could probably have made it about 15 miles in that time.
I am still struggling to get my 10,000 steps in. I haven’t been taking much of a lunch because on Day 2 I was assigned a large project to work on. We just presented it last night and it was well received. Makes me feel good that I’m already feeling comfortable with the work load and learning curve.
I was able to go for a 3 mile run on Tuesday evening but other than that just some evening walks with the dog.
7:30PM Tuesday night 5k
I’m definitely going to have to put in at least 30 minutes more of walking or a quick run each morning if I want to keep get anywhere near 10,000 steps on weekdays. And this is VERY important to me. So let’s see how next week goes.
I’ve been trying to eat healthy-ish so I packed my lunch today. A nice little turkey sandwich and some pretzel crisps. (and a 2 clementines that were camera shy)
So excited tomorrow is Friday. I’m really looking forward to the weekend.
Do you pack your lunch or are you a big lunch purchaser?
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.
Sorry, no shopping today, no great deals to share. I don’t buy into the whole Black Friday thing. Cyber Monday, on the other hand is totally fine by me =) And today I’d like to call Alka Seltzer Friday. C’mon, don’t tell me you don’t have a smidge of indigestion goin’ on today?
Yesterday included a marathon of eating but it started with a lil’ run. Shocker! I stopped at 4.3 because I wanted it to rhyme with turkey. I’m a nerd. It was windy and cold and Jack Frost was nipping at my nose cheeks.
4.3 for turKEY
Running outdoors means there are always things to battle. Hard to believe just a few months ago I was worrying about cicadas landing on me.
nasty bugger
So who ate pie? Me! Who’s in a carb coma today? Me! Not only did I have mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and stuffing but I also had potato latkes since Chanukah and Thanksgiving overlap this year (Thanksgivukah).
Next stop was driving to my brothers house where I left this guy to hang with his furry cousin and some adult supervision.
not enthusiastic about the taking photos bit
I then hitched a ride with my brother and his family to my cousin’s house for the main event. Traffic was intense. I got the run-chies. So I did what any one would do and broke into the container of fresh whipped cream that was supposed to go on the cake we brought. It worked. And honestly the cake was delicious even without the topping.
Caught up on my running reading and took lots of traffic selfies.
Reading does a body good
The niece photobombing from the 3rd row
After close to 3 hours we arrived and stuffed our faces while enjoying the company of family, including my cousin’s newest addition, Teddy a sweet little poodle who they rescued just a few days ago. This boy struck gold. And he was so sweet.
pretty apricot curls and Teddy the poodle =) Seriously is my niece not so beautiful?!
This morning, I convinced the niece to run with me. She ran 1 solid mile with me. I’m pretty darn proud and I know i’ll get her ready and excited to run a 5k with me in 2014.
We are so alike we both ended up wearing black 1/2 zip long sleeve shirts today.
I felt like running a little more so I took Duncan for a mile lap as well. A minute slower because he stopped to pee in a pile of leaves once and at a hydrant once.
Duncan was pooped after that. Amazing how 11 minutes could tucker him out so much.
tuckered out doodle
I probably should have run a few more miles solo but there was pie being served in the kitchen. The pie won out! After a little more visiting and a little more squirrel watching Duncan and I headed home.
double doodles
And now it’s Operation Clean! I’m determined to get my house spotless decent before the end of the weekend.
I hope you all enjoyed your Turkey (Tofurkey) day. What fun things do you have planned for the rest of the weekend. Anyone get any great deals today? Anyone want to admit how much pie they ate?
The distance from my office to my house is 23 miles. It took 1 hour and 15 minutes. Hmmm, Meb could probably have made it about 15 miles in that time.
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