Ouch! More Half Marathon update.

Sunday was the More half in Central Park - very exciting for 2 reasons :

1. I had a room at The St. Regis (!!!!!!)

2. this was my first half (and I was actually prepared !!!)

Race weekend was pretty mellow, headed downtown Sat. to the expo to pick up our race packs and walk around. Not a whole lot was going on there, I was expecting to see more exhibitors, but there was some cool stuff. I picked up a technical shirt that has on the back 'Run Like a Girl' - super cute! Saw some friends and went to dinner, then took a bath back at the room. Baths at hotels usually skeeve me, but the St. Regis is truly unlike any hotel out there, marble and chandeliers EVERYWHERE, plus a Bently that will drive you anywhere within a 1o block radius!

Sunday was race day and it was HOT...amazon hot. Temps at 7:00 am were in the high 70's and counting. The race officials called off the full marathon and declared the half a fun-run, which to be honest was a little annoying as I didn't wear my Garmin thinking the whole thing would be timed (lesson learned, will ALWAYS wear it during races where my time is important to me).

I started out steady, not too fast and made the decision to walk through each water stop to make sure I was getting the proper hydration. I'm sooo glad that I followed that strategy as I saw quite a few people sidelined because of dehydration, I've been there before and it's not pretty!

I felt strong and steady throughout most of the run - mile 12 was hard, I walked a bunch, but I'm ok with it, it was freaky hot and hilly and I knew I was going to finish injury free and with a smile on my face.

I'm still a little sore and have not ran or exercised at all....was hoping to get a run in tonight now that my quads are better, but work in CRAZY!! Swine flu is in full effect and since my company manufactures face masks we are in hyper mode right now.

Looking forward to my next half, which depending on the weather may be this Sunday - the Long Island half is set to go off Sun at 8am. I didn't register, I have until Sat, so we'll see. I'm definitely ruining the Brooklyn Half on May 30th....woo-hoo!!!

10!

I am gearing up for a 10 mile Easter run...whew!!! Not sure if I am looking forward to it or not, but I am ready and know I will get through it. Last week's 9 miler was good, I felt strong, although the last 2 miles were tough and in the wind - but I got through it!

Looking forward to spending time after the run with family and friends....hoping I'll be able to stay awake, last week's run left me EXHAUSTED!!

***Update - I ran 8, but still happy and still ready for a great day!

Back?...Back?!...Back!!!

Ok, so I'm Back:
Running a lot
On my food plan (the no flour/sugar/wheat one!)
Posting to my blog

It's been fun slacking, eating pizza and bagels and running very little, but the results sucked! I was tired, grouchy and gaining weight. So I made the decision to go back to 'The Plan' and ya know what? I feel really great. I didn't loose any weight this week, but I gained back control and that is a wonderful feeling!!

I'm also almost done with ski season (going up this week for a few final days) which is really where my energy has been these last few months. Next season I'll really have to figure out a plan where I am still getting my weekend runs in - it's hard to manage both the slopes and running (which is basically why I bailed on San Diego - a spring marathon is too much when skiing in full force!).

Oh, I'm running the Moore Half in NYC. Ran 9 miles yesterday, scheduling in a 10 miler for next week, then hopefully another 10 miler then the race. Woo-hoo!!