I had a total love/hate experience with this race. First off it was small, maybe 300 people (love), awesome town (love), ocean views along the boardwalk (super love) and TONS of rain, like 8 miles worth (hate), super wet sneakers (hate) and chaffing due to soaking wet shorts (hate) and my time didn't record (hate).
Despite the hater feel, I absolutely would run this race again, even in the rain! I love distance running and according to my Garmin I maintained a 9:16 pace which was really awesome. I ran with a friend who I have never run with so that was good, his time recorded and according the FLRRT we (err, he) finished in 1:33. SUPER LOVE.
I felt good throughout and wanted to stop around mile 8 but I kept going, I didn't even slow down during the water stops, just kept running with a cup in my hand which is a first for me. I tend to slow or walk a few of the water stops during longer distance races.
Right now I'm obsessed with running another half, based on this race I'm sure I can get close to a 2:00 half at the very least a 2:05) The only stinky thing is that aren't any in the near future aside from one in CT but I'm not sure it's worth the trek. Looks like I may have to wait until Sept which again means I will have to travel to CT as anything on Long Island either happens the week before or weekend of Chicago.
#runnerproblems
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Brooklyn Half Recap
Last Saturday I ran my 9th half marathon!!! I still find it hard to believe that I run and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE long distance races. Remember, I'm a former fat girl who used to drink beers and smoke butts.
I set out to run the Long Island half as a training run for Brooklyn, that little training run ended up being a PR so I now had even higher expectations for this race. I went in with no sleep, was up at 4:30 in the car by 5 barely making it to the start on time...and I had to pee...bad!
NYRR does an ahhhmozing job of setting up races so I was super surprised there were no porta-potties at the start, especially since 15k runners were running this race! It was almost a bad scene but I took the cue of my male compadres and peed along a fence on Flatbush Ave behind the only fat tree I could find to somewhat cover my bare ass! It was do or die so I didn't care. Even though I once almost crapped my pants during a race, I found a place to go, but it was a new scene having to pee in front of thousands.
Ok, back to the running. I did manage to PR (2:08) but it was a tough race for me! The last few miles were torturous, not at all like LI when I breezed through the last 3 miles. I was struggling, but I managed to keep my pace somewhat steady and I kept reminding myself that I could do it. Once we entered into the Coney Island section of Ocean Parkway I knew I was golden and that the PR was going to happen - now the question was by how much I would PR (2 minutes!!!) I didn't care though, it was hot, I was done and I wanted the race to be over.
I have to say, although the 2nd part of the race was pretty boring (Ocean Ave for like 6 miles) it was so fun to run this race. Ending on the Coney Island boardwalk was a blast and really energizing. I will definitely run this again, unless of course NYRR changes the course distance like they did for Queens and the Bronx which has really made me super mad (sorry NYRR, I considered unfriending you but instead liked someone else s nasty post about the changes). I LOVE the half mary distance and was planning on KILLING Queens since I had such a crappy run last year. Oh well.
This week I've been taking it easy, I have a slight head cold and I'm running the Long Beach 10 miler on Sunday. I squeaked in 2.5 miles before work so that was good and a run on Monday after work, better than nothing.
I set out to run the Long Island half as a training run for Brooklyn, that little training run ended up being a PR so I now had even higher expectations for this race. I went in with no sleep, was up at 4:30 in the car by 5 barely making it to the start on time...and I had to pee...bad!
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| Picture me in between these guys (image via google) |
Ok, back to the running. I did manage to PR (2:08) but it was a tough race for me! The last few miles were torturous, not at all like LI when I breezed through the last 3 miles. I was struggling, but I managed to keep my pace somewhat steady and I kept reminding myself that I could do it. Once we entered into the Coney Island section of Ocean Parkway I knew I was golden and that the PR was going to happen - now the question was by how much I would PR (2 minutes!!!) I didn't care though, it was hot, I was done and I wanted the race to be over.
I have to say, although the 2nd part of the race was pretty boring (Ocean Ave for like 6 miles) it was so fun to run this race. Ending on the Coney Island boardwalk was a blast and really energizing. I will definitely run this again, unless of course NYRR changes the course distance like they did for Queens and the Bronx which has really made me super mad (sorry NYRR, I considered unfriending you but instead liked someone else s nasty post about the changes). I LOVE the half mary distance and was planning on KILLING Queens since I had such a crappy run last year. Oh well.
This week I've been taking it easy, I have a slight head cold and I'm running the Long Beach 10 miler on Sunday. I squeaked in 2.5 miles before work so that was good and a run on Monday after work, better than nothing.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
No Sleep 'Till BK
I love the Beastie Boys. And I love Brooklyn so lets hope all the love I have for a tiny borough will carry me through the Brooklyn Half tomorrow!
I have some pretty high expectations for this race, considering I had an epic hill run on Weds (and shaved about a minute off my time) and my last half 2 weeks ago was a PR, I'm really thinking that I have a shot at a 2nd PR. I know, I know, I shouldn't get too ahead of myself, especially since the NYRR has issued a heat advisory and I haven't ran in temps above 70 since last summer, but I just have a feeling :)
It's a pretty cool course that starts in Prospect park and ends at Coney Island. I'm heading over with some friends so I think a boardwalk stroll and a ride on the Cyclone might be in order. I'm pretty afraid of heights which I found out a few years ago while riding the Cyclone - so we'll see if I actually make it up there, lol!!
On a food note, things have been going really well. I did have a bagel this morning which was partly due to laziness and not having anything prepared, it was good but not great and I'm super happy about that, the last thing I want is a bagel relapse! I'm feeling so great and am making really healthy choices, don't want ruin my good work! I'm going to rationalize this one my saying the carbs are good for my race tomorrow...(#lies).
I have some pretty high expectations for this race, considering I had an epic hill run on Weds (and shaved about a minute off my time) and my last half 2 weeks ago was a PR, I'm really thinking that I have a shot at a 2nd PR. I know, I know, I shouldn't get too ahead of myself, especially since the NYRR has issued a heat advisory and I haven't ran in temps above 70 since last summer, but I just have a feeling :)
It's a pretty cool course that starts in Prospect park and ends at Coney Island. I'm heading over with some friends so I think a boardwalk stroll and a ride on the Cyclone might be in order. I'm pretty afraid of heights which I found out a few years ago while riding the Cyclone - so we'll see if I actually make it up there, lol!!
On a food note, things have been going really well. I did have a bagel this morning which was partly due to laziness and not having anything prepared, it was good but not great and I'm super happy about that, the last thing I want is a bagel relapse! I'm feeling so great and am making really healthy choices, don't want ruin my good work! I'm going to rationalize this one my saying the carbs are good for my race tomorrow...(#lies).
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
A Day In The Life
I love all the dorky DITL posts that have been popping up for awhile now. I love to see how people live on the daily...hello voyeur (errr stalker).
Anyway, here is a typical DITL of yours truly -
7:10 Hit snooze
7:20: Up and at 'em...brush teeth and hit the shower, done in 10, do hair and makeup, re-blow out bangs like 10 times, damn you cowlick that just appeared out of NOWHERE! Weight myself , throw clothes on. Feed Olive Marie.
8:00: Make breakfast which these days has been a protein shake, grab my lunch and a frozen waffle for later.
8:10: In the car and ready to tackle Long Island traffic (or in my case mostly no traffic, thank you god!)
8:30: Walk in to work say hi to the staff, pop in to say hi to boss head to the "West Wing" which is the marketing area (err hallway, where my cube, yes cube..uggh! is).
8:30 - 8:45: Gab with my work BFF about what's going on/what went on, usually the boy and her wedding planning.
8:45 - 9ish: Huddle with the team to plan our day, discuss new projects, ect.
9ish - 12: Drink lots of water, toast up frozen waffle around 10:30, check email, FB, blogs, work stuff.
12:00: Lunch is here! We often order in, we have a "perk" that if you work through lunch they pay. If I'm eating my own lunch I'm usually in the kitchen putting it all together (lately I've been eating Boca Spicy Chicken patty over salad with lemon juice, yum).
12:30 - 5: Work and work. Go through my to-do list, make calls to my sales team, work with freelancer on new co-op advertising, a few calls or an offsite with the ad agency to discuss whatever we have going on. Facebook and blogs (sometimes for work purposes..teeheee).
5 - 5:30: Close up and go home, write to-do list, say goodby to staff.
5:30 - 6: Home! Brush teeth!
6 - 7: Quick run and a shower (or a class or a swim)
7 - 8: Eat dinner.
8 - 9: Meeting, unless it's a Monday then I don't exercise (usually) and head to a 6:45
9 - 10: Chat with friends, maybe go online, make lunch for tomorrow, iron clothes for tomorrow
10ish: Head to bed where I obsessively check out what's for new/cool/interesting in the grocery items section at Amazon on my Kindle Fire (true obsession, it's so funny).
So yea, probably not too interesting, but that is a typical work day for me.
I do spice things up with the hill run on Weds, but pretty much that's how I roll. Depending on the week the boy may be there, but for now let's just say we are togethr-ish, which means weekends mainly.
What about you?
Anyway, here is a typical DITL of yours truly -
7:10 Hit snooze
7:20: Up and at 'em...brush teeth and hit the shower, done in 10, do hair and makeup, re-blow out bangs like 10 times, damn you cowlick that just appeared out of NOWHERE! Weight myself , throw clothes on. Feed Olive Marie.
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| Olive Marie = beast |
8:10: In the car and ready to tackle Long Island traffic (or in my case mostly no traffic, thank you god!)
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| Lame car shot! With straight hair! |
8:30: Walk in to work say hi to the staff, pop in to say hi to boss head to the "West Wing" which is the marketing area (err hallway, where my cube, yes cube..uggh! is).
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| West Wing - this is where marketing magic happens. Office coming soon, or I'm walking... |
8:30 - 8:45: Gab with my work BFF about what's going on/what went on, usually the boy and her wedding planning.
8:45 - 9ish: Huddle with the team to plan our day, discuss new projects, ect.
9ish - 12: Drink lots of water, toast up frozen waffle around 10:30, check email, FB, blogs, work stuff.
12:00: Lunch is here! We often order in, we have a "perk" that if you work through lunch they pay. If I'm eating my own lunch I'm usually in the kitchen putting it all together (lately I've been eating Boca Spicy Chicken patty over salad with lemon juice, yum).
12:30 - 5: Work and work. Go through my to-do list, make calls to my sales team, work with freelancer on new co-op advertising, a few calls or an offsite with the ad agency to discuss whatever we have going on. Facebook and blogs (sometimes for work purposes..teeheee).
5 - 5:30: Close up and go home, write to-do list, say goodby to staff.
5:30 - 6: Home! Brush teeth!
6 - 7: Quick run and a shower (or a class or a swim)
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| Typical running route |
7 - 8: Eat dinner.
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| Baked stuffed chicken, I'm a culinary genius! |
8 - 9: Meeting, unless it's a Monday then I don't exercise (usually) and head to a 6:45
9 - 10: Chat with friends, maybe go online, make lunch for tomorrow, iron clothes for tomorrow
10ish: Head to bed where I obsessively check out what's for new/cool/interesting in the grocery items section at Amazon on my Kindle Fire (true obsession, it's so funny).
So yea, probably not too interesting, but that is a typical work day for me.
I do spice things up with the hill run on Weds, but pretty much that's how I roll. Depending on the week the boy may be there, but for now let's just say we are togethr-ish, which means weekends mainly.
What about you?
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Good Eats
I have been to the best of my ability cleaning up my food and for the first time in a looong time I can say that I'm actually sticking with my plan! Woohoo!
I met with my food coach again and we talked about adding in some new to me whole grains. I'm down with it, plus she gave me some millet to try. Not sure what I want to do with it yet, but I have a few ideas for some fun side dishes. Anyone have ideas?
I've completely eliminated caffeine - yes, that means no coffee. It's been 22 days and I have never felt better. It's crazy how good I feel, I also think that has to do with the fact that I have also given up fake sugar with the exception of a few Stewart's diet root beers. No more stomach pain! And I hardly feel tired.
I'm still struggling a bit with the sugar, but I have cut waaaaay back on my intake, same with bready like things. No bagels, but I find myself craving cakey things so for now I'm satisfying that need with Vitatops. I love those bad boys!! I have also added in a ton more fruit, and for this non-fruit love it's a big deal!
I think the coach is working out, I like the accountability and the incite she gives. It also helps that she's a friend and one of my running partners. Which is a nice segway....
Running!
I took Monday off as a planned rest day then ended up having to take Tue off as well. Last night I was rushing and by the time I ran it was after 8, wet out and almost dark so I squeaked in a 2.5 miler. So short, but it felt great to runnnnn!!!! Hoping to run 4 tonight, swim tomorrow then 10 on sat and a possible 5k race on Sunday.
Ahh, running and good foods makes this gal happy! And hopefully skinny!!
I met with my food coach again and we talked about adding in some new to me whole grains. I'm down with it, plus she gave me some millet to try. Not sure what I want to do with it yet, but I have a few ideas for some fun side dishes. Anyone have ideas?
I've completely eliminated caffeine - yes, that means no coffee. It's been 22 days and I have never felt better. It's crazy how good I feel, I also think that has to do with the fact that I have also given up fake sugar with the exception of a few Stewart's diet root beers. No more stomach pain! And I hardly feel tired.
I'm still struggling a bit with the sugar, but I have cut waaaaay back on my intake, same with bready like things. No bagels, but I find myself craving cakey things so for now I'm satisfying that need with Vitatops. I love those bad boys!! I have also added in a ton more fruit, and for this non-fruit love it's a big deal!
I think the coach is working out, I like the accountability and the incite she gives. It also helps that she's a friend and one of my running partners. Which is a nice segway....
Running!
I took Monday off as a planned rest day then ended up having to take Tue off as well. Last night I was rushing and by the time I ran it was after 8, wet out and almost dark so I squeaked in a 2.5 miler. So short, but it felt great to runnnnn!!!! Hoping to run 4 tonight, swim tomorrow then 10 on sat and a possible 5k race on Sunday.
Ahh, running and good foods makes this gal happy! And hopefully skinny!!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Long Island Half (PR Included!)
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| Pre-race car shot! |
So to start off I saw the boy Sat (don't judge) and didn't really sleep too well, which is weird for me as I NEVER have night-before-race-shit-sleep. But anyhoo, I woke up at 5, tried to meditate (err, poop, lol) checked the weather and had oatmeal. I never do this, I like to give myself as much sleep as possible but my stomach was weird during 2 of my runs last week so I wanted to try and take care of biz...
Oldest friend ever Ray got to my house at 6, we picked up Running Partner Andrea and headed over to the start, chilled at the car, talked to some friends who were running then made our way over to the start which was probably a mile or so walk (we parked at the finish) waited on a huge porta-potty line with our friend Tara (from the Biggest Loser, love her!) who was taking pics with fans and kissing babies - it was great. Next thing I knew the gun went off and we were off - literally. I wasn't even in a coral but at the end of the day it didn't matter, thank god for start mats! I haven't ran a non-NYRR race in ages so I always forget how different the coral situation is - loosey goosey compared to crazy NYRR crowd control. It all worked out as I was perfectly placed and didn't encounter too many walkers and everyone was running about a 9:30 pace.
The miles were all a blur, nothing too spectacular on the course, in fact it was pretty boring. We did get a chance to run through some towns I never go to so that was fun, but otherwise the course is not too exciting. At the 10 mile mark I had a feeling a PR was in the works, I knew stopping was not an option. Past races I have fallen apart around mile 11, not this time, I breezed through 10-13 like it was my job...I knew when I hit the finish that I had PRd so I naturally got a little weepy. That damn finish line always makes me so sentimental!
I grabbed my medal tried to squeeze through the bottleneck of people to get back to my car to meet Ray who finished in 1:46 and Andrea who ended up in the medical tent...silly girl ran the race with a fever. I'm happy to report she's fine, but friends, don't run while feverish!
Overall it was a great day! I know I shouldn't get too cocky, but I feel fairly confident in saying that I can expect some good things this season based on the outcome of this race. To PR so early on was definitely not expected but shows that I'm a much stronger runner. Of course I totally thank the Hills for that, plus I'm really determined to crush my marathon time this year in Chicago, so I'm doing the work and getting things done!
Friday, May 4, 2012
Food Coaches And Hill Training
Some new and not so new "New" stuff is happening in my world and I'm pretty excited about it!
The first being I hired a food coach. My friend Sheila is just about done with her program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition so she agreed to take me on as a client. So what is a food coach? Basically someone to help me on my journey, to provide some tips and suggestions, but most importantly someone for me to be accountable to. If I learned anything during marathon training it's that I needed the coach to help get me going, otherwise I would have stalled on my training. I found out first hand that accountability and reporting in to someone works and it has carried over to my training today. It's an automatic given that I will hit my miles and get 'er done every week...although I'm not with my coach, we still talk but I'm now a full fledged self supporting athlete and I attribute that to working with Bob for those 5 months or so.
Ok, so back to the food coach, I'm not really sure what we will be doing but I have agreed to work with her for about 6 months. The plan is to meet 2x per month to evaluate where I am and for her to show me her magical nutrition skills. We met last week and my homework was to limit the whites and log all my food. I'm a pro at logging and I'm getting better with the no white thing. We decided that I would limit not eliminate and for now it seems to be working. My start weight was 167 and as of my official Mon weigh in I'm at 162. Not too shabby.
I'm excited to see how this goes. I'm feeling like this is my year, err summer to clean up my food and get to a good for me weight. I'm not fixated on a specific number, I really just want to wear a bikini which is something I have never done.
Some other new stuff, although I have mentioned it before, has been the addition of hill training to my weekly workouts. I seriously should have been hill training all last year while training for the marathon...I missed the boat on that. Not this year! I just linked up with the Selden Hills Warriors and run with them every Weds. It's definitely the most challenging 10k course I have even ran. It's hard, I'm generally at the back of the pack, but I love every second of it. This week I felt so much stronger (until I though I might crap my pants, sorry, TMI) A few of the guys commented on my progress which is always cool. This has to be the friendliest group of runners ever, It's a little far from my house, but it's so worth it!
Oh, and I'm super excited for the Half on Sun, new course for me, first half of the season....all good stuff!!
The first being I hired a food coach. My friend Sheila is just about done with her program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition so she agreed to take me on as a client. So what is a food coach? Basically someone to help me on my journey, to provide some tips and suggestions, but most importantly someone for me to be accountable to. If I learned anything during marathon training it's that I needed the coach to help get me going, otherwise I would have stalled on my training. I found out first hand that accountability and reporting in to someone works and it has carried over to my training today. It's an automatic given that I will hit my miles and get 'er done every week...although I'm not with my coach, we still talk but I'm now a full fledged self supporting athlete and I attribute that to working with Bob for those 5 months or so.
Ok, so back to the food coach, I'm not really sure what we will be doing but I have agreed to work with her for about 6 months. The plan is to meet 2x per month to evaluate where I am and for her to show me her magical nutrition skills. We met last week and my homework was to limit the whites and log all my food. I'm a pro at logging and I'm getting better with the no white thing. We decided that I would limit not eliminate and for now it seems to be working. My start weight was 167 and as of my official Mon weigh in I'm at 162. Not too shabby.
I'm excited to see how this goes. I'm feeling like this is my year, err summer to clean up my food and get to a good for me weight. I'm not fixated on a specific number, I really just want to wear a bikini which is something I have never done.
Some other new stuff, although I have mentioned it before, has been the addition of hill training to my weekly workouts. I seriously should have been hill training all last year while training for the marathon...I missed the boat on that. Not this year! I just linked up with the Selden Hills Warriors and run with them every Weds. It's definitely the most challenging 10k course I have even ran. It's hard, I'm generally at the back of the pack, but I love every second of it. This week I felt so much stronger (until I though I might crap my pants, sorry, TMI) A few of the guys commented on my progress which is always cool. This has to be the friendliest group of runners ever, It's a little far from my house, but it's so worth it!
Oh, and I'm super excited for the Half on Sun, new course for me, first half of the season....all good stuff!!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Oh April, Where Did You Go?
It's been quite the month, lots of stuff happened which led me to be a little quiet on the blogging front. But WOW, when I think about it, the month flew by! I had a hefty list of goals to conquer and while I didn't make them all, I'm happy with the progress made.
First things first, I'm down about 5 pounds! FINALLY.
Here is the story with that - stomach flu was the catalyst (yuck), I gave up caffeine (14 days!), decided to commit to working with a health coach (yay for accountability) and have really cleaned up my food (limiting all whites big time).
Hooray for me.
Ok, so the other goals...well let's just say I was crazy in my head, no yoga, didn't commit to a tri but I did kick a little ass at work, I ran the hills and got in one swim per week. Boom!
Ok May, here is is....
Continue to lose weight
Continue to kick work's ass
Stretch or get back to yoga, I'm waaaay too tight
Get on the bike
Smile more often
Keep up with my morning readings to help stay out of my head, feel my feelings about the breakup (woa sappy)
Tonight I'm back to the hills then a swim tomorrow then rest or light activity...Long Island Half is Sunday and while I'm using it as a training run, I don't want to have dead legs. I'm excited for this race, have never ran it and it's a biggie. I'll rep my new "hills" team shirt and hopefuly kick some ass!
First things first, I'm down about 5 pounds! FINALLY.
Here is the story with that - stomach flu was the catalyst (yuck), I gave up caffeine (14 days!), decided to commit to working with a health coach (yay for accountability) and have really cleaned up my food (limiting all whites big time).
Hooray for me.
Ok, so the other goals...well let's just say I was crazy in my head, no yoga, didn't commit to a tri but I did kick a little ass at work, I ran the hills and got in one swim per week. Boom!
Ok May, here is is....
Continue to lose weight
Continue to kick work's ass
Stretch or get back to yoga, I'm waaaay too tight
Get on the bike
Smile more often
Keep up with my morning readings to help stay out of my head, feel my feelings about the breakup (woa sappy)
Tonight I'm back to the hills then a swim tomorrow then rest or light activity...Long Island Half is Sunday and while I'm using it as a training run, I don't want to have dead legs. I'm excited for this race, have never ran it and it's a biggie. I'll rep my new "hills" team shirt and hopefuly kick some ass!
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