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| i gotta feeling |
| Wednesday, July 15, 2009 |
I gotta feeling...that tonight's gonna be a good night...
Whether playing on the iPod en route to Hoboken or by the race DJ, that seemed to sum up last nite's Party With Purpose 5K. To get right to the point-I finally ran a 5K race where I was happy with the pacing and set a PR in the process. But hey, this wouldn't be a race report without the details and the story, right...?
So I almost thought I would get stuck late at work, but thankfully I was able to change into my racing attire and escape the office by 5:30...hopped on the PATH train and made it to the Hobe with plenty of time to spare. Got my race stuff, and thankfully there was baggage check this year, so I didn't have to waste time trekking to/from NYSC to lock up my bag (not before seeing an encouraging good luck text message on the Crackberry :)) Not much exciting pre-race stories...but when I started my 2-mile warmup...well to quote the lyrics above (and just happened that the DJ was playing the song at the time)...I had a feeling this just may be my night. Did my warmup, still a little time to kill...saw Flyers ES, NS, YP and AH while desperately trying to find water...was hotter than I thought it would be! Why can't those fountains be on...oh wait, there are bottles by the post-race goodies...desperate times call for desperate measures :)
With around 15 minutes to go, was time to line up...and of course it was a total free-for-all. Me and ES, who were both out to really race, lined up a few rows back from the front. It seemed like we were a little back from where the start was yesterday, and I wondered out loud if that possibly meant that last year's short mile 1...well...wouldn't be this year. Of course the woman behind me heard it and started asking questions "was the course short? was the course long? will it be long this year? was the course corrected?" uh lady...I don't know. it's almost 7, can we race already? We started moving up...to where the real starting line was, which was the same as last year. By that time it was after 7 and we were all antsy to get going. Finally, finally, the starting horn sounded...
 OK Mile 1...gonna run it hard, but not go-out-too-hard-and-die-at-end hard. Again, faster runners passed me and I just let them go...didn't want to get sucked in. This mile was tight at the beginning, but opened up nicely...heard another DJ playing music, then time to go along the water. Ah, there's that mile 1 marker. And I am at...7:09! Looks like they may have fixed that mile this year...and you know what, I just may be able to keep this up for at least another mile...
So Mile 2 was the mentally tough mile. That is where I always lose my cool in 5Ks and fall dramatically off the pace. I really did not want that to happen today...just kept running hard, and when I started feeling hot and uncomfortable and about to lose my nerve, I said to myself "It may be hot out, but you're hotter." I kid you not...and I don't even know how that popped into my mind!! There's the leaders coming back the other direction...the turnaround must be soon. Turnarounds kinda suck because they cause you to slow down and lose momentum (so glad they got rid of those in Central Park races!) And the mile 2 marker showed up in about another half-mile...and this mile-7:18! I was pleased, I really didn't fall apart here, even with slowing for the turnaround. Things are looking good...
So I can run hard for 2 miles...could I keep it up for the last 1.1 miles? Only one way to find out...just go for it. I kept some of my recent speed workouts in mind...particularly those 1K repeats...tried to channel the energy I had those nights to right now. And I could see the pier in the distance...now all I needed to do was just get there. Finally, we were directed off the street and onto the running path...and I knew it wasn't that much longer. Oh look, there's Flyer FR cheering. There's the final turn...and once again, no mile 3 marker. I can see the finish...come on now, finish strong, who cares if it hurts, you can rest in a minute...not even!! Gave it all I had...and finished in 22:23 according to my watch...official time 22:25, 7:13 pace-and a PR by 12 seconds!! And that last 1.1 miles was done in 7:56...if my math is right, that was a 7:10 pace? Wow, I did finish really strong, even if I may not have felt it.
So afterwards, just waited around for everyone else to finish...me and NS checked out the "beer garden" and thought it was kinda lame, so met up with YP and AH and headed to a bar near the PATH station. I enjoyed a coupla pints of Honey Moon while sitting outside on such a nice night...yeah, I think we all made the right choice to pass on the "beer garden" :)
As for the race-very pleased. Not just with the final time, but even moreso, the execution-I just might have this pacing thing down for 5Ks :) And yeah, breaking an almost 5-year-old PR isn't too shabby either. Maybe, if I actually taper and have cooler conditions...could sub-22 be possible? Also I do suspect last year's course was short...this year I have no doubt it was a full 5K, so that makes it a little sweeter if that is the case. Funny thing-this year I was 23rd female and 7th in my age group...last year, 24th female and 7th in my age group with a race time about 20 seconds slower!! There were a lot more people running this year though (this year supposedly over 1,000 as opposed to around 600 last year...)...but damn-every year, the field just gets more and more competitive...
And speaking of "competitive", my next race just defines competitive, the Club Team Champs 5-Miler. Now 5 miles is the last "common" distance where my lifetime PR (37:51) is still from 2004...will that change on August 8th? Stay tuned... :)Labels: 2009 races, flyers, race, running |
posted by nyflygirl @ 8:30 PM |
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| red wine running |
| Monday, July 13, 2009 |
Well despite my previous concerns, yesterday's Long Training Run actually wound up going well. But as it turned out, keeping the pace was actually the least of my concerns that morning. To quote Lady GaGa "Red wine...I've had a little bit too much..." Long story short, lotsa sangria (and some white wine too!) on Saturday nite, not enough sleep. (This being one night after downing margaritas at the Boat Basin at a Flyers TGIFF. Hey...at least I'm getting this all out of my system now, right?) Even the extra hour didn't help too much!! I was still able to wake up and get over to the park in time, but this was not gonna be pretty...
 Ran the mile to the 102nd Street Transverse, to see one of the 9:00 pace groups starting their 2nd loop...meaning the 9:30s weren't that far behind. I just barely had enough time to grab a new paceleader singlet and stash my bag before I was told that my group was here. Thankfully I was paired up with my teammate TB (as we say, the 2 of us make up the "dynamic duo") and HM, so I knew I'd at least have good co-leaders. And boy, HM and TB had to virtually carry me through that first 5 miles...sweating off a hangover makes for a very quiet Flygirl. TB played cheerleader for this loop...was just way too early for me :) Well, at least it forced me to dial it back, because my worries about the pace? None really! We were all fine.
 One 5-mile loop down. HM dropped off after this loop, leaving the 9:30 group in the hands of the dynamic duo. Even though the thought of eating made me feel slightly nauseus, I knew I had to or regret it later. I downed a tangerine flavored PowerGel, hoping the double caffeine could help perk me up a little...it did actually seem to work. (hmmm-maybe something to think about for the later miles in the marathon? As the gel flavor I use doesn't have caffeine...) This loop actually felt a little better, I chatted it up a little more...and it did help that we had a bunch of really nice people in the group, who didn't try and push the pace...definitely makes the job a lot easier!!
Another 5-mile loop down! TB was done and left whoever was actually doing the full 20 in my capable hands for the last 4 miles-well actually mine and my teammate JC. Took my plain flavor PowerGel for good measure and was ready to go. All remants from the previous night out of my system, the last 4 miles were smooth sailing. That last loop seemed to fly by...as we made the turn onto 72nd street instead of heading south as we did for the last 2 loops, we knew we were in the home stretch. Then one more Cat Hill. The at 90th street...really almost home!! A couple of the runners picked it up for the last half-mile...JC and I just let them go, with not even 5 minutes to go, if they don't want to be "paced"...let them!! (though we too had a strong last mile!) Finally, we see the 20 mile sign on the 102nd street transverse and we are done!!
2:12 for the 14 miles...not bad at all!! I did feel like I had to hold back more than I have in the past, which was a good sign. And I'm glad I went with the 9:30s instead of the 9's, this felt more comfortable (though i dont know whether the 9's were on pace or not) and the runners were great, were very appreciative of our efforts. I told them no thank *you*-it helps to have runners who really work with you as well!! The organization was great as usual, as were the volunteers...nice perks this year included our own baggage area, misting stations on the course (nice!) and pretzels at the end (which I thought was much better than a bagel for a post-summer long run snack!)
Hung around a bit afterwards and then headed to brunch with some teammates...then after getting cleaned up actually headed back to the park for a coupla hours...yeah, can't get enough of that place :-P But I crashed mad early last night, everything did really catch up with me...
So yesterday's 15-spot put my mileage for the week in the masters category as opposed to submasters (let's see if you can get what I mean.) :) Legs actually felt fine today...could this mean good things at tomorrow's 5K race? I hope so...anything can happen!Labels: drinking, flyers, marathon, running, socializing |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 7:10 PM |
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| caught up |
| Thursday, July 09, 2009 |
I'm so
Caught up
Got me feelin' it
Caught up
I don't know what it is
But it seems hes got me twisted...
I'm so
Caught up
Got me feelin' it
Caught up
I'm losin' control...
I've come to the conclusion tonite that I really need to stay off the main Central Park drives when running the day after a speed workout. I mean, seemingly every single friggin group in the NYC area is in the park doing their workouts...CPTC, Urban Athletics, Nike, NYRR...I'm sure there are others that I am not thinking about right now, but you get the idea :) And believe me, it's not all that bad...there were some good peeps that I was more than happy to "run" into (haha) But for the most part...the lower loop that I stuck to was just a madhouse. And these guys weren't exactly running easy either...and I just got way too caught up in it, got sucked in here and there. Plus it wasn't exactly helpful that I was listening to fast-paced music on the iPod...maybe I need a slower-paced playlist for easy/recovery days?
Anyways, it wasn't a tempo run by any means for me, but it wasn't exactly recovery either. But instead of thinking "wow, I am able to run this well the day after a speed workout"...I'm actually not happy with myself at all. I'm supposed to be keeping easy runs easy for a reason, and I don't want to be becoming one of those runners that I hate :-P I'm actually looking forward to leading the 9:30 group this Sunday at the LTR, I'm glad to have a reason to force myself to really, really dial it back. But now I am paranoid I am gonna be one of those paceleaders doing 8:45s instead of 9:30s...
Alright, focusing on the positive now. Last nite was another speed workout where I had to check back to all my previous running logs to see if I ever did a certain hill repeat this fast, or a certain tempo pace. The verdict was that it was a solid improvement. Bodes well for me, but it is still early to be making any predictions. I am looking forward to the 5K next Tuesday...I think I'm itching to race a little bit and it'd be good for me to see where I'm at...Labels: marathon, running, speedwork |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 9:11 PM |
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| fourteen on the fourth |
| Sunday, July 05, 2009 |
OK, can someone please tell me how this long weekend went by so damn fast? And even moreso, how was it that the one month or so between holiday weekends (Memorial Day and then this weekend) went by so damn fast too? Does that mean that Labor Day will be right around the corner? I mean, I do have US Open tix for the week before Labor Day that I am looking forward to using but damn, don't want to think about it just yet...
So-two weeks into MCM training and chalking up another strong week. I was very undecided about which day to do my long run on...decided to do it whenever the spirit moved me, or something like that :) Which would be early Saturday afternoon...and how appropriate, doing fourteen miles on July fourth!! :) But really, after a great Friday night which included a Brooklyn BBQ, lotsa sangria and some good times afterwards, I just felt good and ready to rock on Saturday. The route included some CP miles and some Queensboro Bridge action...I know there are a coupla bridges on the MCM course, so still want to practice that...has nothing to do with the fact that I didn't want to do all 14 in Central Park. Nope, not at all!! Anyways, with the exception of the inevitable dodging of pedestrians, went well and pretty drama-free...and left me free to literally step outside my door and see the fireworks later. Well not really. But was only a few blocks away!! (not to mention a perfect excuse for a Boat Basin margarita!) Could possibly get used to this Hudson River thang...
So compared to the tranquility of Saturday morning, I awoke on Sunday with a little more angst, and I think that showed in my short Sunday run...forget I think, I knew when I saw Mr. Garmin say "4:00" at the first half-mile. Did try to call off the dogs then and there, but the run was still quicker than I wanted, especially for it being on the bridle path!! I mean, had I continued on for 21.2 miles at the same average pace for the 5 miles, I woulda had the BQ...hehe.
What's done is done. The good thing is that the hopeful MP actually did not feel like I was struggling or hammering, especially it being on a slow surface. And especially it being this early in training! But that doesn't mean I don't know how to be careful. I'll be running the Flyers "first Monday" downtown run tomorrow, but stick with the back group and make it a recovery effort.
Then, next Sunday is the first of the 2 organized Long Training Runs by NYRR. Yeah, I know it's early but I guess sometimes you can't do much about scheduling and just make the most of the situation. Which for me, means getting to sleep in another hour or so and running 14+ miles with lotsa runner support, paceleader minidresses singlets, water, Gatorade, gels, the whole nine yards. And even though long run pace for me has been falling in the 9-9:15 range lately, I decided to stick with the 9:30s this time again...partially to give my body a little bit of a break, but partially because I am paranoid the 9:00 group will wind up doing 8:45s...which I don't wanna do, especially if I want to converse with the runners.
And once again, I cannot believe this weekend has ended so quickly...Sunday at least definitely not was a total wash, what with yet another Yankee win, an exciting Wimbledon final (which did not end the way I wanted it too, unfortunately...A-Rod, you'll get em at the US Open!) and some, uh, quality time...yeah that's what I'll call it. :) Man, next weekend cannot come soon enough...Labels: holiday, marathon, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 9:06 PM |
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| the "k korner" |
| Thursday, July 02, 2009 |
believe it or not, this is a running-related post...not baseball. i know, i know, never would have guessed...
So lately 1000m...better known as 1K, has been a distance that's come up quite a bit in speed workouts. It's kind of a weird distance...its like, the first 800m is good and then it hits me for the last 200m, gotta work on keeping the form, keeping the speed up. I find it (as well as its not-so-distant cousin, the 1200m) to be the interval equivalent of a 4-mile race...is a 4-miler a long 5K or a short 5-miler, when it comes to racing style? Is 1K a long 800m or a short mile? :)
On the other hand, I do like the longer distances in speedwork...not that workouts are races or anything. Cuz they're not. But I feel like I always get dusted badly in 200s or 400s, whereas the fact that my endurance is a bit better than my speed can help me in longer intervals...can be a little more "competitive."
So once again, I'm running 1K repeats at my 5K pace....which still, even when holding back a little and not going all-out, is still faster than my PR 5K pace (7:17) I averaged 7:05 pace for the workout, so a 22-flat 5K. I do think that my 5K PR is way overdue for a falling...that and 5 miles, the 2 distances that I still claim "submasters PRs" for instead of lifetime ones and hope that can be remedied this year. The question is when. And will I ever pace them decently instead of running a fast mile 1, slow mile 2 then hanging on for the last 1.1 miles.
I do have a 5K coming up, the Party With Purpose 5K which I did last year and came everso close to my PR. This year I will be running it 2 days after a 15-miler, so I won't be completely tapered or anything. We'll see what happens...if I PR, great, if not...it's still a good race for a good cause and having fun with Flyer friends over a few drinks afterwards...and isn't that what it's all about?
And besides, the shorter race that I really want to shine at is in another month anyways...the Club Team Champs 5-Miler. If the conditions are right, and the cheering from the guys is in full effect as usual...I predict good things can happen :)
And with that, the office manager is barking at us all to get outta here-happy long weekend, everybody!! :)Labels: running, speedwork |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 1:55 PM |
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| rain again? |
| Tuesday, June 30, 2009 |
seriously. enough is enough!!
and stupid me decided to take yesterday as a running rest day and run tonite instead (well considering my legs were still a little tired from Sunday, I guess it wasn't stupid.) but either I didn't look at the weather forecast closely or it changed at the last minute, because torrential rain was not in the forecast. at least not 100% chance.
But I still wanted to get in some mileage tonite...rather than worry about cramming everything in at the end of the week. So I decided to try and wait things out...if it's lessened up to light rain by 7 or 7:30, that'll work for me. And wouldnt you know it, it stopped raining as soon as I started running...hows that for perfect timing?
And I had the running cap on...partially because I'll wear it when it's raining, but partially because...i dunno, I guess I just wasn't feeling like being loved by the running public tonite and thought I could go incognito...ha, never!! That plan really worked...all you peeps saw through the disguise :-P
And I was even iPod-less for this run!! I know, I know...who am I? But I just decided to leave it at home just in case it started raining hard again. Honestly wasn't too bad!! Maybe I'll actually leave it at home occasionally for shorter runs??
All in all, was glad to have gotten it in. A lot on my mind these days...and sometimes I feel that these runs after work are the highlight of my day...the one thing that is keeping me sane, perhaps! :)Labels: marathon, rain, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 10:13 PM |
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| week 1: in the books |
| Sunday, June 28, 2009 |
Am I really in marathon training? This week just felt way too damn easy. Well maybe not a total cakewalk, but easier than what the words "marathon training" would lead one to believe.
Well after Thursday's woe-is-me post...Friday's work day wasn't so much better, but the weekend activities, starting on Friday nite, more than made up for that ;-) However, that means right now instead of getting my beauty sleep, I'm trying to prolong the weekend as much as possible, not wanting Monday morning to come...the fact that I am watching the last game of the Subway Series has nothing to do with that though ;-)
So being a little ahead of my mileage going into today, didn't think too much of this morning's 13-miler. I mean, 13 miles are EASY!! And I got more than half of it in while running in the other direction of this morning's Achilles Hope & Possibility 5-Miler. And was more than happy to play cheerleader again, as these athletes seemed so grateful to have the support :-) Definitely left me with a very upbeat feeling during my run...I've actually never run or spectated this race before, but when watching, I kinda got deja vu of some times when I've been watching the NYC Tri...seeing the determination of some of these athletes...well kinda puts things in perspective for me when I want to complain, ya know? :)
So anyways, after I had 7 miles under my belt, I hung out near the finish with a coupla Flyers for a little bit and chitchatted and cheered...and oh yeah, I was supposed to have a running "date" of sorts for my last 6 miles but alas...another missed connection. *sigh* But no worries, I'm tough, I can do those last 6 miles on my own, and in fact, I'll do them iPod free too!! And actually wasn't so bad, except my legs were really, really fighting for that last mile...even afterwards, my legs were still shaking quite a bit...not sure what was up with that. Maybe not eating enough...or not taking Gatorade or something? It's still early, so whatever mistakes are made now have plenty of time to get fixed :) And wound up with 13.2 at around 9-flat pace...cool, a "long" half-marathon and I still broke 2 hours :-P
Additionally, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot set foot in either Central Park or the UWS on a Sunday morning without seemingly running into everyone I know. And today, it was not just Flyers or other runners, but also co-workers too. (why, oh why, do I run into everyone except the one I actually wanna run into? hehe.)
And once again, I have learned that wine (especially Riesling) is just wayyy too damn easy to drink.
Finally, this is my 600th blog post. 10 months have passed since number 500...yes I know, I seriously need a life. or a hobby. or both. :)Labels: blogging, drinking, flyers, marathon, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 10:10 PM |
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