Fairfield Half....or the Time I Seriously Tanked.

2:21:59.  Official time.  My PR and last race was 2:07:00 (Brooklyn).  Ouch.

All I can say was that this was one hell of a hot and hilly race.  And I do not care what those people in CT kept telling me, the new course was NOT FLAT!  I knew at mile 2ish when we charged up that monster hill that I was not on Long Island anymore. 

But you now what, I'm not disappointed (which I normally would be).  I knew going in that I probably was not going to hit my goal time of 2:05, I knew at mile 6 that I wanted this to be over, so I played it safe, dropped my pace, drank a ton of fluids and tried to have fun.  My one regret - not taking pictures (aside from the required cute pre-race pics with the girls).  This is a must run again for me, although the race directors should really consider starting this race at 7:00 - 8:30 is too late for a race that is in June...wayyyy to late. 

So for learning lessons - go back to running the Selden Hills.  Those hills would have prepared me for the race.  The dump which I have been running is good for my overall training/conditioning but does not justify a hill run.  Lose weight (duh, goes without saying).

Aside from the heat and hills, the course was beautiful and the spectators were AMAZING.  Seriously, I don't know what it is about CT, but they really come out to support their runners.  Back when I did the Stratton Faxon Hartford run a few years ago I felt the same way - full neighborhoods come out to support, plus there were bag pipers, bands, cute kids handing out Hershey kisses, a crazy lady chasing the course with a huge sign of Joey Fatone's head (OMG amazing).  Plus it seemed like at least one person on each block had their sprinklers blasting for the runners to get some much needed relief. 

Starting and ending on the beach was awesome too, as was the pizza which I couldn't stomach (I know, who am I?!?!?). I do wish they had more water at the beach - in fact I didn't see any.  Just iced tea, lemonade and fruit punch - which I threw up on the side of I95.  Ooops.

Next up - a bunch of random NYRR races, maybe a few of the summer runs.  Nothing big until the NYC marathon.  I'm looking forward to a little break between training cycles.  I'm going back to Crossfit and running and maybe even a little spin or yoga at my gym, but I'm not stressing over any of it.  It's summer and I want to enjoy and most importantly have fun!!

Sweet 16

I promise this is going to be about running and not my fat ass, but I ate like a beast this weekend so I can't really complain that the scale didn't move this morning, even though I burned 1,800 calories on my 16 miler! Waaaa!

Love how I look all sweet while the boy is on beast mode...

Now that that is out of the way, let's talk running!

Saturday was my first Chicago training run where the temps were actually bearable and it wasn't crazy humid.  I though I had died and gone to running heaven! Running Partner and I decided to run the Massapequa Preserve which is such a great place to run.  I love the energy and seeing tons of people, which in a way reminds me of the vibe when I run in Central Park (but on a waaaay smaller scale).  I ran into some Team and Training friends as well as my old running club peeps which is always nice.  I love that I belong to a running community!

No long run is ever easy, but it was amazing how much better I felt compared the last few weeks.  Even though we headed out late (around 7:30) it was comfortable for pretty much the whole 16 miles, it also helped that the preserve is mostly shaded.  We took 2 gel breaks and one bathroom break at the polo fields so I could harass/beg bikers for some anti-chafe cream/chamois butter - my arm was chafing soooo bad and I knew at the point it would only get worse and that I needed to put something on it stat! Once that was out of the way we headed back. I definitely slowed down for my last 2 miles, but my average pace was 10:04 not including breaks.  Slow and steady, but doable.

I needed a good run.  Now I need a good week with food.  Crossing fingers.

Last night with sore legs I ran the Summer Run Series Belmont 5k...nothing special, I think I finished in 30 minutes.  This is a bitch of a crowded race, 1500+ people on a verry narrow course, but for me the Summer Runs are more about seeing people than racing.

This week I have a 6 miler than an 18 miler which I'm running in Central Park. I may add on a 4th short run and either yoga or spin depending on the gym sitch...looong story which I will save for another post.

Also, on a side note this is my 300th post!!

4 lbs, 2nd Summer Series Race and a Life Recap

Woa, I have been a bad blogger. Last week I was not feeling anything, hence the lack of posts. I'm hoping for a better week!

Monday was the 2nd Summer Series run over at Sunken Meadow, home of Cardiac Hill!My strategy is always to run for fun, not for time (1:03), the race is too crowded and bottle necks up in spots, but it's an awesome 10k course with hills, grass, roads and dust! LOVE IT! I felt strong, even on Cardiac Hill and basically just enjoyed the scenery. I didn't hang for the after party, which was ok since I saw a bunch of people before the race started.

So after battling with my weight these past few months, I made the decision to go back to my food plan...4lbs gone, I'm pretty sure I made the right decision (I will write a separate post on this later).

Overall life has been good, I'm just mellow. Still working through the feelings about the boy. Had a date, not my type, but still nice to get out there! Went to a bunch of parties, baby showers and comedy shows, ran a million miles for the week...not too shabby for a single gal :)

1st Summer Run Race

Monday was the first of the Summer Run Series, always a great time and something I missed not participating in last year. I wasn't expecting to PR, although I was about a minute off, but I had fun, saw some people I hadn't seen in a while and ran a solid 48:19, 9:39:48 pace. I was really happy with my effort, my pace was pretty steady except for mile 3 where I got tripped up at the water stop, other than that the race was perfect.

Tue was a spin day and yesterday was an off day, today I'm supposed to lift and try and fit in a yoga class, but I might run the 6 that's on tap for tomorrow. I have plans tonight and there is no yoga class, plus I'm feeling lazy, it's funny how a few slow days can make me feel like it's been forever since I had a solid workout - a definite change in attitude, I'd say!

I've been a little funky this week, which is OK, because I know it will pass, but it still sucks! Food has been so, so. After reviewing my log from last week it is painfully obvious that my body just can't handle carbs or sugar, even though I'm within my calorie range and working out a ton, I'm not losing. The plan is to eat whatever carb heavy stuff I have in the house (which is not much, and all pretty healthy) then go back to what I've been dreading - my FAA program. In order to be true to myself, I have to admit defeat, no matter how I slice it I just can't do sugar/flour/wheat...so I'm waiving the white flag and surrendering!