not the decision i wanted to make. but the one i had to.

this post title is mainly referring to the Flyers 2007 exec board elections. As I previously hinted, I did get nommed for something. Specifically, 2 nominations for president (supposedly I did get a nomination for VP too, but that never was confirmed...) As much as I would have loved to have been involved in next year's exec board, I had to decline my nominations. The primary reason is-you guessed it-work. I still will be an active Flyer, and will still be involved, but can't be to that extent right now. I already had to slack on my Flyer responsibilities the last couple of months due to the workload kicking me in the ass, and since the situation does not look to be getting any better...just wouldn't be right to take something like this on. Honestly, I thought I'd be relieved to get a year break, but I actually feel a little disappointed. First off, there is a great group of candidates (including 2 fellow bloggers-I'll let them out themselves if they want to) that would have made a great team. But moreso, having to put aside something that would have made me happy because of something that does not make me happy at all (this may be the topic of a future blog post.)

This weekend went by way too fast, as has seemed to be the case lately...yesterday I took pictures of the Holiday 5-Miler and then attended our "Meet the Candidates" event. Even with 2 uncontested positions, this is going to be one very close election-so many great candidates. Last night was a very fun 70s-theme party (I had to raid my mom's closet for this one-she actually had a very cool top that she wore in the 70s. I wore it last night and it was a hit) and today was a lazy day of sorts. But last night was just one of those good nights that i really needed big time after this past workweek.

As for the running, I'm actually feeling a little better about it, especially after talking to a few of my teammates-good to know that I'm not alone in feeling like this. And I had a little talk with Coach J yesterday after the candidates event-he gave me a little debriefing of my marathon training. And as for future goals-he told me based on this marathon-where the training plan wasn't one to give one an "optimal" performance, but just to get to the start for the first time-that a BQ is definitely in my future, possibly as early as my second one. Of course, whether that will definitely be the goal next year has yet to be decided...(i'm thinking 3:50 for now-will be adjusted based on how the spring goes.)

Ran 20 miles this week-highest since the marathon. 4 days running, 2 days spinning, finally sorta feeling back on track. And it is December 3rd and I have yet to wear tights once since I put them away for the spring/summer :) Though I have a feeling that might come to an end this week. Just hope it will be shorts weather on Sunday-I already have my outfit picked out :-p

crazy-ass weather

is it just wrong that it is November 30th and I am still able to go running outside wearing nothing but shorts and a sports bra?

and that i actually felt warm in said running getup?

(hey, as long as I don't have to wear tights just yet, the weather is fine with me...)

still alive

haven't said much lately, but still alive.

the holiday weekend-1 day on long island, the remainder in NJ, was low-key and relaxing...not long enough though. lot on my mind lately that's been bothering me. (give you all 3 guesses what that is...more possibly to come in a future post...)

running has been kind of crappy as well. 3 weeks after the marathon and still don't feel like i have my legs back. did 4 miles tonight and completely felt like i was dragging. Hope I don't put up a totally embarassing performance at the 10K next weekend...

got 2 noms for a position on the Flyer exec board...have til the 1st to decide whether or not to accept. let's just say this is going to be a tougher decision than last year, as there are other (non-Flyer) factors in the decision...

happy turkey day

happy turkey day
Originally uploaded by nyflygirl76.

With la familia right now...happy thanksgiving to everyone!

at least it didn't say i have an annoying accent

shamelessly stolen from Skylight (moreso because I couldn't think of anything else to blog about...)

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Philadelphia Your accent is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak! If you're not from Philadelphia, then you're from someplace near there like south Jersey, Baltimore, or Wilmington. if you've ever journeyed to some far off place where people don't know that Philly has an accent, someone may have thought you talked a little weird even though they didn't have a clue what accent it was they heard.
The Midland
The Inland North
The South
The Northeast
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

I guess it got the Jersey part right, but wrong part of the state.

And oh yeah, I did get a coupla short runs in this weekend. And they didn't feel as bad as my I thought my first post-marathon runs would. Now the real challenge is to be more than a "weekend warrior."

And I had a date this weekend. And it went well and there will be a second (after the holiday weekend.) And that is all I am saying about that :)

And my weekend starts at 2 PM tomorrow (hopefully!)

"so, what month are you?"

these were probably the 2 most-used pick-up lines at last night's Raising Heartrates Calendar kickoff party. my post title-and "are you in the calendar?" (not to mention the follow-up when you inform guys that you're not in said calendar "oh, you definitely belong in there.") I should know because I heard all those lines several times last night. yeah-nice try, guys.

But still, was a great time. Took place at a swank bar in the Meatpacking District, PM Lounge. The kind of place where the prices of my glasses of wine were in double digits, and the drink special was a (pretty good) $8 passionfruit-type cocktail-kinda makes you wonder what the non-special price was! (Now I know why I have not gone there before, even though it's within walking distance from work.) The place was absolutely packed-but I still saw quite a few people I knew-from the Flyers, and from other tri clubs. (actually-I had also seen on the evite that an obnoxious trainer I had once used had RSVPed yes-I kinda wish I had seen him so I could have rubbed my marathon time in his face. haha.)

taking it easy tonight. 2 late nights in a row (Wednesday was an industry happy hour that was pretty much only attended by my company, and I think after that night we will have lost our privileges to expense our drinks at the next one), rough workweek and I'm just beat.

good luck to those running Philly on Sunday!! And to those of you running the Race to Deliver on Sunday, good luck-I'll probably be taking pics, providing I wake up in time :)

And I am going to run tomorrow, goddamit. I'm not really liking this inactivity anymore.

in search of: my dance partner

i love dance music, and i love to dance to it. i think those of you who have been at events like the Flyers awards party know that. yet I felt completely out of place and out of sorts at the Flyers' salsa night the other night. I just couldn't get the steps down, no matter how hard I tried, even when another teammate tried teaching me. Finally I was like "forget it" and was more content to just observe while sipping a glass of sangria. I'm probably better off sticking with things that I can do right on the first try...like running a marathon ;-) (Think I also just felt "off" that day...rainy day, Monday, bad work day.) But still...dancing is much more fun and enjoyable when there are no rules, no steps to memorize, and just go with it.

But it seemed like the scene that night seemed to resemble my dating life in general. First off, too many women, not enough men (representing how much I need to compete.) Those who can't do, stuck on the sidelines, those who can do, get the attention, get the guy. I even said to my teammates that night "I bet this would be so much easier if I had the right partner." So there you go. Where's my dance partner? I ain't getting any younger...

(Yes, I can probably come up with dating analogies for anything. Don't make me repeat the running shoe analogy.)

on the topic of running, I still have not run a step since November 5th. it's not due to laziness, and the legs feel fine...just been getting home way too late in the evenings, and am just tired all the time so AM runs are not happening. this cannot continue though...not if I want to still be able to fit into my clothes...i hope to get something in this weekend!

still in recovery

i've been quite lazy this past week and don't feel any guilt whatsoever :)

well actually, I eventually will feel guilty if I don't stop eating these limited edition Candy Cane Hershey's Kisses (white chocolate with mint candy bits...this is chocolate candy perfection.)

It was a nice, semi-lazy weekend. Yesterday, MF and I got much-needed (and very appreciated by my calves/hamstrings) post-marathon massages, and did some shopping in Chinatown.Today was yet another get-together of the NYC running bloggers, this one in honor of Liam's (and his son-who's celebrating his 21st b-day!) visit to NYC. We all knocked back some beer (well most of us) and some food at Westside Brewery, and also in attendance were Sister Smile, jbl, Skylight, Runner26, Sara, BrunetteChicagoGal and Uptown Girl-and as usual, a great time was had.

Anyway, for the first time in awhile, it was nice to have a weekend go by and not have major mileage on the schedule. But my legs feel rarin' to go, probably sometime this week, but ease into it.

So thanks to a certain couple of teammates, I am considering Chicago for next fall :) I've heard nothing but great things about this race, especially the crowd support. Only concern I do have is the start. Not to sound like an "elitist" here-but one of the big pluses to NYC was that I had such a great starting position. In Chicago-unless they loosen the standards this year, the preferred start standards are 1:45 half/3:55 full. (I'm sure my 1:43 from Vegas-Jan '05-would be outside the qualifying window.) So unless I get a 1:45 half next year, I'd be in the open start. Is that start a "free-for-all"-meaning there's a chance I'd get stuck behind people doing 5 or 6 hour marathons-or is there some order? I know I have until next spring to worry about that, but it's never too early to start thinking about these things :)

And once again, Brightroom hates me...as the pictures they got of me were crap-just "crowd" pictures. Little disappointed that for my first marathon, to not get any pictures of me actually running (well except for the 2 that I posted before.)

I was amused to hear this from a co-worker the other day-he wanted a client to take out questions about blogging from their questionnaire because "nobody blogs, or reads blogs." Guess I live in quite a different world...

so what's next?

yeah. good question!!

well in the immediate future-recovery. taking an entire week of rest-my legs have earned it. today, the last bit of soreness went away from my quads (and subway stairs are no longer a problem) but still don't want to push it. might start running again next week, might not-play it by ear. I do miss my Monday night spin classes, so now that I don't have to worry about fitting miles in, would love to revisit those.

And for the rest of the year-just ease back into it. Might not go back to speedwork until '07. Most likely I'll be able to make an appearance at next month's club points race, the Joe Kleinerman 10K-I think 5 weeks is enough recovery time. Little iffy about a 5-mile race on Thanksgiving-too close, I think.

But I'm sure the burning question is-will I do another marathon? The answer is yes-but not until next fall. I want to stay away from the spring for now, as I am afraid that year-round marathon training may lead to burnout, plus I'd like to target some shorter races for late spring, like April/May. I've never run a 10-mile race before, plus I'd still like to get that half-mary time under 1:45. So that's the plan for spring to keep me motivated, but not burned out.

And for fall-well I have my 9 races done so I have a guaranteed spot in next year's NYCM, should I decide to go for it again. But I'm debating whether to make a repeat performace there, or run a different one in hopes of a faster time (only downside to that would be not having the home field advantage like I have in NYC.) And a couple of you on and off the blog have hinted to me at the possibility of trying for a BQ...I'll have to play it by ear. 18 minutes is a lot of time to shave off. Maybe, with a little more mileage (I peaked at 41 mpw this time around) I could get there, but it would also depend on other things in my life allowing me the time to get in higher mileage-and if my body will hold up as well. But I have plenty of time to try for a BQ (and hey, if it takes long enough I'll only have to shave off 13 minutes!!)

So that's the plan for now. We now return to our regularly scheduled recovery...

this town is my town-after the race and beyond

So after 3 hours, 58 minutes and 26 seconds, I could finally stop running. And my quads were not too happy about that!! Surprisingly, though I did feel some leg fatigue in the final 10K, nothing really hurt overly bad. But man, after I crossed the finish line and started walking, my quads rebelled-to the point where a volunteer asked if I needed help. I thanked him, but I was fine and could walk on my own.

The finish chute was mad crowded...got my medal, got my finisher photo, got my mylar blanket...saw Moz had just finish and we congratulated each other and walked and chatted for a few minutes, until we parted ways at the chip removal-I kept walking because I wanted to keep my chip (I said that I when I run my first marathon, I will keep that chip as my permanent running chip.) Then came the trek through Central Park to my baggage truck. Never before have I cursed having a last name in the middle of the alphabet :-p I finally found my truck, got my bag, and kept walking. After passing another couple trucks, I heard a voice shout out "Hey Flygirl!" It was Chelly-she was volunteering, helping with the post-race baggage. We chatted for a coupla minutes-she's hoping to run the marathon next year!! Good luck to you!!

I finally exited the park, and as I made my way up CPW, I saw a very familiar-looking guy in a Flyer singlet..."Skylight!!" I shouted. (well I actually shouted his name. But I ain't posting it here :-p) "I did it!! I broke 4!!" he congratulated me and walked with me the few blocks I had to go to meet up with my family. He also gave me the great news that Sister Smile had BQed! We parted ways when I saw my family (one advantage to living on the UWS-not having to deal with the family reunion area!)-and wouldn't you know it, Phil walks by and yells congrats. (I can't ever escape you bloggers!! LOL...) I posed for pictures with my medal and stylin' mylar blanket before we headed back to my place so I could shower and change. And oh boy...walking down the stairs to my apartment was not pretty. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. I cleaned up because la familia needed to grab a bite to eat (and oh yeah, I guess I did too.) Headed to City Grill where I got what I was really craving-burger and fries. And the first of what would be quite a few glasses of wine that evening.

I did originally want my family to come with me to the Flyers' post-marathon party, but they were tired from the long day, so they went home and I headed east, wearing my medal and Running Divas shirt :) The party was definitely underway by the time I got there!! And I was flooded with congratulations all evening-definitely felt as much as a rockstar then as I did during the race :) And I don't know what they were more surprised at-the fact that this was my first or that I broke 4 on the first attempt!! (HC has always said to me that it is very hard to break 4 on a first marathon attempt.) The bloggers were represented by me, Skylight, Sara, and BrunetteChicagoGal. Downed 4 glasses of pinot grigio in the time I was there and chatted and mingled and just had a great time. Everyone I had spoken to seemed very happy with their races...the success stories include-but are not limited to-the following:

DL not only breaking 3-but beating Lance!! YEAH!!! (and making it on TV while passing Lance at the end!)
Plenty of other first time sub-4's, with major PR's on top of it.
MF battling a knee injury-but still ran a 3:29 and bettered her time from last year.
One of our female distance superstars running 3:17-the best Flyer female marathon performance this year...
Not only did Sister Smile BQ...but another one of our guys who had a breakthrough year BQ'ed with a 3:19.
Sara blew away her 4:30 goal...
Runner26 made it to mile 18 and then some-she was able to complete the marathon comfortably.
And a non-Flyer friend of mine who when running NYC the last 3 years, battled cramps and the Queensboro Bridge. Well I was happy to see that not only did he have a major course PR this year, but a marathon distance PR too!!

Monday...I had no problem sleeping in. The calls and congratulatory emails were still coming in. Both my mom and Coach J said that I "outperformed Lance." I picked up the special marathon edition of the Times yesterday, and got my medal engraved today!! With the first marathon, you want to remember it all...

It really sunk in after hearing all the kudos...I really kicked ass on this marathon. Somehow it just all came together. You hear that it comes together after 2 or 3...but the first time?? Led me to wonder-what exactly did I do right? I thought about it and came up with this...

• The weather-but that was a no-brainer. (And out of my control too!)
• Nutrition and hydration were right on. Besides having 2 PB/salt bagels before the race-I gelled once before the race, and at miles 6/11/16/21-and I never felt depleted. Everything was fine when it came to getting water/Gatorade (of course the conditions may have helped with that.)
• My brother said that I probably "did everything I was supposed to, read everything I could on the subject"...yep, I did do my research. Practice makes perfect, especially when it comes to certain parts of the course.
• There were a few fast miles in Brooklyn-but I recognized it early enough to pull it back, instead of thinking "oh, it'd be so cool if I can keep this pace." Yeah, maybe I could have held it for the first half, but would have died in the second.
• HC told me this once: "slow is smooth, smooth is fast." As much as it meant swallowing my pride a bit, I think slowing training runs down really helped me handle the mileage without feeling banged up. And it also left me fresher for marathon day.
• Certain runs like my 2 back-to-back medium-long run weekends, or fast finish long runs like the Palisades and the 18-mile Tune-up really helped teach my legs to hang in there when tired (Coach J, you were right about those 2 weekends!)
• I made it a rule of thumb-no speedwork right after a hard half and/or long run, and didn't do any during the month of October. Too close.
• Most importantly-I set realistic goals. Though I had people telling me BQ...or 3:50...I knew what I was capable of-I predicted 3:55-4, and wound up pretty much in the middle of there :)

So the big question-how can I repeat this again? And when? Well the latter question to be answered in another post... :)

this town is my town-the race

And so it began...

Staten Island
Mile 1-9:40
Mile 2-8:14

What an experience, running that bridge-so much excitement, the planes and everything flying overhead...the start was surprisingly, and thankfully clean-I was actually able to start actually running right away, but conservatively, keeping the bridge in mind. TB and I stuck together at the beginning...but she pulled ahead partially through mile 1 and I let her go. I saw a mile 1 marker when my watch said 8:15 and freaked out for a second...but then realized it was for the blue start, and that I still had a little ways to go :) And I didn't freak out on my actual mile 1 split either...I totally expected that with the incline, and knew I'd make it up on the downhill. And by then, it was pretty much ideal temperature, so I tossed my arm warmers to the side. So I exited the bridge, pretty much right on pace!! One borough down, 4 to go!! And now the fun would really begin...

Brooklyn
Mile 3-8:53
Mile 4-8:37
Mile 5-8:42
Mile 6-8:52
Mile 7-8:54
Mile 8-9:16
Mile 9-9:08
Mile 10-8:58
Mile 11-9:27
Mile 12-9:09

Now, I know I have said in the past that Brooklyn will "never be my borough," but that was not the case today. Brooklyn was a huge, huge party. I loved miles 3-7, running up 4th Avenue through Bay Ridge, Sunset Park and Carroll Gardens...as I guess my splits showed :) Uptown Girl warned me about this-"Brooklyn will make you want to go out fast!" Oh well :) I spotted JGo from the Reservoir Dogs running near me around mile 4 and we chatted for a coupla minutes and wished each other luck for the rest of the race. Around mile 6, I saw NS from the Flyers cheering and holding a "Go Flyers" sign and offering me banana pieces (I declined, as I am probably the only runner who can't stand bananas.) And the best sign ever was near the 10K point-"SLOW DOWN, THIS ISN'T A 10K!!!" Miles 7 and 8 were even cooler, it seems like the crowds and cheering just intensified there. To my left, I heard the Spanish version of "The Cup of Life" by Ricky Martin (best version of that song, IMHO!) To my right I heard "Eye of the Tiger." Who the hell needed an iPod today? Not I!! And even though I know some NYC marathoners have said that the Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower by mile 8 is visible for miles, teasing you...I briefly noticed, but did not dwell on it, or how much further I had to go to reach it...sorta living in the moment here :)

The course merged just before the mile 8 marker on Lafayette Avenue-the nicely open road I had been running on for 5 miles seemed to bottleneck for mile 9. Actually a blessing in disguise, as I knew I really needed to pull it back. Mile 10 was through the Hasidic part of Williamsburg, and though a little more low-key than the 4th Avenue fiesta, still some support there. Miles 11 and 12 in Greenpoint seemed to have some familiarity...because that was part of the route we ran in the Hunter Moonlight Run back in October! It looked much different in the light :) (XMas decorations were already up and it looked so festive...like I was running through a big block party.) I was hoping to see Jon amongst the cheering crowds in this area but missed him. Before I knew it...I was approaching the next big climb of the course, and I had conquered 2 boroughs!!

Queens
Mile 13-9:13
Mile 14-9:22
Mile 15-9:20
Mile 16-9:20

Over the Pulaski Bridge and into Queens. That bridge was another stop on the Hunter Moonlight Run, so I was completely prepared. Hit the half-marathon point on the bridge at 1:58:02-perfect, exactly 9 minute pace! If I could keep this up through the second half that would be great. Down off the bridge and running strong...and then it happened.

I was rounding a corner during mile 14-and some idiot who I guess thought I was moving too slowly knocked me down and didn't look back. With the help of a couple other runners, I was able to get up, but my knee didn't seem to like that fall too much. At this point, I thought my race was over...but I really took it easy for the remainder of that mile to kind of work out the kinks. I had regained my composure by....you guessed it...the Queensboro Bridge. (Though before we arrived at the bridge, I saw Silvercup Studios-where Sex and the City, in addition to other shows, is filmed. Cool.)

You hear so many horror stories about the bridge. So many people who run NYC dread it. For some strange reason, I was actually looking forward to it. I had run the bridge several times in training, so I knew what to expect. And that paid off-not only did I feel strong and steady while climbing the uphill portion of the bridge, but I was passing quite a few people (I do also think part of it was the excitement of knowing what was waiting for me on the other side!!) On the uphill part, a bunch of people were shouting "What goes up...must come down!!!" I cheered when the bridge crested and the downhill started "all downhill from here!!" Oh-and there was one part of the bridge where there was construction and was absolutely pitch-black-man, I was really, really watching my footing again, afraid of another wipeout!! Finally, we left the darkness of the bridge behind and were welcomed by screaming spectators on the exit ramp...just a taste of what was to come for the next 3 1/2 miles.

Manhattan-1st Avenue
Mile 17-8:58
Mile 18-8:56
Mile 19-9:01

This was the part of the race I was so looking forward to...not just because it was in my borough, not just because the fans were 4 to 5 deep here...but I had my own personal cheering sections to look forward to. (Best sign I saw in this stretch BTW-"Your feet hurt because you're kicking so much ass!!") First was a "Go Flyers" sign above Banshee Bar on 74th St (and I did hear some of that same cheer as well!!) But what I was looking forward to was just past mile 18...the PowerGel station, and in turn, my teammates!!! I was soooo happy to see them...their cheers gave me more energy than the Plain Energy PowerGel that I got from them did (yay, they had my flavor!)

But I had 2 more things to look forward to before I crossed into the next borough...approaching 104th St, I saw a familiar faded Yankee cap that belonged to my brother. My parents, brother and cousin were there cheering and holding signs for me-my brother even ran a few yards to high-five me!! I was looking forward to seeing them again later on 5th Avenue. A half mile later was the Reservoir Dogs' cheering section!! Uptown Girl and her teammates cheered like crazy for me...what just the ticket I needed to finish out that mile!!! (especially since pretty much north of 100th St, the crowds really thin out compared to the insanity of the 60s, 70s and 80s.) And to the Bronx I go...

Bronx
Mile 20-9:23
Mile 21-9:23

Crossed over the Willis Avenue bridge (made a little more tolerable by a red carpet-cool, we were like royalty :-p) and into the Bronx. I saw PD with the rest of his bagpipe crew on the bridge-his back was turned so I had to yell and wave to get his attention. The Bronx was short but sweet-kinda like a big boom box party :) And crossing back over to Manhattan on the Madison Avenue Bridge, I was able to get a glimpse of Yankee Stadium...yay!!!!

Past mile 20 was uncharted territory for me, as I did nothing more than 20 miles in training. Though I had slowed down a little bit from the first half, was still feeling fine and showing no signs of bonking. I did not have to do any walking just yet (though at some of the water/Gatorade stops, I had to slow dramatically due to some major bottlenecking-but I was able to drink on the run.) I did some quick math and noted that I needed 58 and change for the last 10K in order to make it under 4. I told myself I'd be OK if the clock time was over 4. I wanted to finish strong first, and if I could do that with the chip time under 4...even better. With some fuzzy math, I estimated I'd need to average 9:20s for the remainder...so my plan was to try and do that, then once I hit Central Park, leave it all out on the course.

Manhattan-5th Avenue to the finish line
Mile 22-9:19
Mile 23-9:15
Mile 24-9:27
Mile 25-8:58
Mile 26-8:49
Last 0.2-1:52 (8:32 pace)

Back in my home borough, to finish what I had started. I had no doubt in my mind at that point I was going to finish. It was now just a matter if it would be under 4 hours, and it was going to be very close at this point!! I heard "Eye of the Tiger" again during mile 22...and you know, I honestly welcomed hearing it again :) Was looking for another teammate of mile who was cheering near Marcus Garvey Park at mile 22...dang it, missed him!! But saw our men's masters captain cheering near 110th and 5th...around the time where the last killer incline would start!! And my family cheering contingent made one more appearance at 104th St...my dad got a picture and my mom shouted that I'm almost done, I've got it...normally, you just want to tell people who say that to shut up, but I believed her :) The remaining half-mile or so uphill on 5th Ave...although my mile split shows the perceived effort, it didn't feel so hard-the crowds are fabulous here. Finally I got to 90th Street and entered the Park at Engineers Gate, and was welcomed to cheers from the Flyers' secretary, who was cheering with CPTC's "Wall of Orange." (and yes, they actually cheered for me. Well, I know one of them did.) Now I was really home. I knew once I got here, I was golden :)

At this point, I knew every single hill in this park, I knew what to expect when...the crowds were screaming my name (so glad I had my name on my shirt!!) and knowing I didn't have much further to go...I picked up the pace and as I mentioned before-left everything I had out on the course. Cat Hill downhill was sooo welcomed at that point...and I was so happy to see my mile 25 split, I knew I had sub-4 in the bag. But wait a minute...right around the mile 25 marker, I passed Morrissey...that wasn't supposed to happen!! I hoped he was OK.

We exited the park and headed out onto Central Park South...another uphill but I didn't notice it. I didn't notice the avenue signs so i didn't even know how many more I had to cross. I just noticed the crowds. The TimeWarner Center, the fountain at Columbus Circle, was getting closer and closer...and another kick-ass split for this mile...I was still able to move my legs this fast, at mile 26...this was unbelievable!!! Not only did I NOT hit the wall, I knocked it down!!

Columbus Circle had the big video screen, and the last thing I remembered there was a band beginning to play "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benetar...I thought that was a very appropriate song to hear at the time. Set me up for that last .2 miles to Tavern on the Green...and yes, another uphill that I didn't even notice. Either all my practice running that hill paid off...or once again, the crowds carried me...or I was just too focused on that finish chute up ahead. I got closer and closer and saw the clock still said 3:59:xx...OMG, I couldn't believe it. 400 yards to go...300...200...100....I put my arms up in the air just as I did when I finished my first half-marathon...but this one was so much bigger. In less than 4 hours after I started this journey on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge...I crossed that famous NYC Marathon finish line at Tavern on the Green.

Clock time-3:59:37
Net time-3:58:26 (half splits 1:58:02/2:00:24)


Placing:
11576/37840 overall
2082/12312 females
781/4362 females 30-39


After the finish line and beyond to follow in the next installment!!

this town is my town-before the race

Sunday, November 5th, 2006. 3:30 am.

Normally, I would complain about being awake at this ungodly hour on a Sunday, but this wasn't just "any given Sunday." This was Marathon Sunday. Between the sounds of Shakira coming from my clock radio and my excitement about what lied ahead for me that day, I was wide awake, and happily so. Yeah, that was kind of early considering I wouldn't have to leave my apartment til 5:15, but I had things to do...have a cup of coffee, have a pre-race bagel (salt bagel with White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter-best thing before a long run/race!) and make another one to have a coupla hours later, pack my UPS bag, get dressed, apply BodyGlide, listen to some music, etc...and not feel rushed. Finally, 5:15 came-MF picked me up in a cab and we headed over to the east side to catch the Flyers' bus to Staten Island. And MF told me that she apparently hailed the last possible cab before the cab drivers' shift change. We both took this as a good sign for the day!!

Took us no time to get over to 86th and Lex where the buses were loading. MF and I got onto the first bus, as did Runner26. We all chatted on the way to Staten Island, and the ride was thankfully smooth and traffic-free (apparently the past few years, buses have been caught in traffic and did make it to SI-but with not enough time to spare.) We arrived at Fort Wadsworth mad early-I think like 6:30-6:45? But honestly, I'd rather have time to kill instead of being on the bus and stressing. So it was all good. First order of business-use a porto-potty while the lines were short!! Then me, MF and Runner26 found a spot in the orange "village" to hang out. We chatted, ate, hydrated, MF pondered putting her name on her singlet, just observed the goings on...was a nice bonding experience. After another bathroom break, another friend/teammate, TB, found us and hung out. But it was chilly-the rest of me was OK, but my feet had gone numb. I was saying "I have cold feet-literally!" (They did warm up once we were off the grass and lined up in the corrals.)

Honestly, the time seemed to pass by so fast...before we knew it, was getting close to 9 am, and time to check our UPS bags, put the final touches on our running outfits and line up. I made one last minute decision-I had terrain-specific pace bands for 3:55 and 4, courtesy of the Nike booth at the expo...at first I was thisclose to putting the 3:55 one on...but decided I really want to go with my own pacing and not be a slave to what a bracelet says-so I threw those back in my bag before checking it. We left MF, who had a spot in the local competitive women's start and headed towards our corrals-where we wished each other luck and went our separate ways-Runner26 to her corral, TB and I to ours in the F3000s. And lucky for us we got there early-Sister Smile already mentioned this, but there were way too many people who should have not have been there-meaning men-and no one was really policing it. There was actually a group of people sitting down in a circle right smack dab in the middle of the corral-like they were friggin protesters or something. Whatever. I decided to finally shed my throwaway shirt and pants and take my pre-race gel (I try to take one 30-45 minutes before a long race) and soon enough, we were moving towards the bridge. Since while lined up in the corral, we were standing near the 3:50 pace group, TB and I tried to stay as close to that as possible so we didn't "lose our position." We made it to the bridge still in a great starting position-TB predicted we'd be across in 30 seconds.

Was still a little chilly at the start but not too bad-by then, I was just in my singlet, shorts, makeshift arm warmers and just ditched my throwaway gloves. I saw Derek trying to line up in our section and called out to him but he did not hear me. As always, wants to get with the ladies :-p 10:10 was getting closer and closer...we heard the elite male introductions, the national anthem...then Mary Wittenberg's voice announcing...

"New York City awaits you!! The world awaits you!!"

This was it. Before we knew it, the cannon sounded, and "New York, New York" started playing. The start I have seen many times on TV, now finally living it. After a minute and 11 seconds, I had crossed the starting line, and was on my way to take on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, to take on 26.2 miles, to take on the 5 boroughs.

The actual race portion to follow in the next installment of "this town is my town"...

sub-4, baby!!!

quickie post since I need to head out to the Flyers' post-marathon party...but I leave you with this...

5K-27:40 (8:55 pace)
10K-54:52 (8:50 pace)
15K-1:23:08 (8:56 pace)
20K-1:51:51 (9:00 pace)
Half marathon-1:58:02 (9:00 pace)
25K-2:20:54 (9:04 pace)
30K-2:48:50 (9:03 pace)
35K-3:17:38 (9:05 pace)
40K-3:46:28 (9:07 pace)

Finish-3:58:26 (9:06 pace)

ok, not the smartest run race in the world :) , but a 2 minute positive split really isn't so bad considering the second half is tougher and i took a fall in mile 14...but had a very strong last couple of miles.

full report to hopefully come before I have to go back to work on Wednesday!! And congrats to everyone else who ran today!! And many thanks to the spectators and volunteers :)

this is it...

this is it...

oh, this time I know it's the real thing...

It's so close, and so surreal. In less than 24 hours, I will be toeing the start line on Staten Island.

And can I just say, this was quite the memorable training cycle?

Let's see...torrential downpours during not one, but two half-marathons.

Record heat waves not once, but twice!! (and yet, between speedwork and recoveries, toughed it out and did not hit the dreadmill)

Led 2 Long Training Runs around Central Park...one with a very cool group, another with the most.disobedient.group.ever. (with the exception of one person ;-) )

Tackled killer hills in Lake Placid and the Palisades...

Fun runs with the Flyers...be it a nighttime jaunt through the boroughs or just a Saturday morning run with impromptu brunches, or exploring the last 10 miles of the marathon course...

An awesome 5-mile race where the entire time-but especially the last half-mile, I felt like a rockstar.

Hit the next age group with a bang...

A kick-ass 18 miler when I needed it the most...

The "naked shorts" making their debut in Staten Island...

Crowded nights in the park (and a certain teammate teasing me about said rants...)

I'm sure I can think of many more, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head :)

So that's it. The hard work is done. Now the fun really begins. And it is gonna be fun. How grateful am I that I will have the home field advantage for my first marathon? I can't wait to see the sights, and see my friends, family and teammates along the way.

And I've got a plan-just need to stick to it like glue. Keep those magic nines as long as possible...

And to all my fellow bloggers, readers, commenters-thanks so much for your support in this journey that in blog-land, was a year or so in the making...but in reality, 3 years in the making. The day before the '03 marathon was when I decided I was going to run it someday. I just can't believe that day is actually almost here.

For all of you who will be on the course cheering-look for the gal in the red Flyer singlet who looks like my picture :-) For those further away and interested in my progress-you know the bib number (and it's OK to post updates in the comments, but I have one favor to ask-if you're doing any copying/pasting, please no posting my name-thanks!)

Gonna be an early night for me, so that's all she wrote until I cross that finish line at Tavern on the Green. Once again-thanks for your support (and best of luck to all the other bloggers who will be running tomorrow!)

from the pasta party...

pasta party
Originally uploaded by derek7272.

that's Derek and I, with our mutual friend/teammate MF on the left.

Flyers pasta party last nite was a lot of fun-great food at one of my fave restaurants, inspirational words from Coach Toby, and great company and chatter to get everyone psyched up for the big day...

(i took the pic with my new camera, but Derek beat me to posting it so I'm nabbing it from his Flickr :) )

i'm so excited. and i just can't hide it!

the M34 and M42 buses packed with people carrying clear UPS bags filled with goodies...yep, can only mean one thing, expo time is here!! I wanted to get it out of the way early, so I met up with my teammate TB earlier this afternoon and we hit the expo!

And guess who checked my registration card? Fellow blogger Brooklyn.

So, we got our bibs, goody bags-and our long-sleeve NYCM tech shirts!!! Yep, they're going high class this year for the race souvenir. Really nice shirts too...

We then split up for a little bit do do some browsing/shopping and then met back up after a half hour. For me, this was the damage:

• new pair of Mizuno Breath Thermo gloves to replace the ones I lost near the end of the winter. (And the guy at the Mizuno booth who rung me up said "Go Flyers!" to me though I didn't even recognize him...he said that he's seen me at races wearing my Flyer singlet and that "yeah, you're well known." I bet he's a blog reader. teehee.)
  
• a pair of $2 throwaway gloves for the start


• a pair of black Nike Tempo Track shorts that said "Run NYC" on them


• a long-sleeve shirt that says "running diva" on it. (and TB got the same one and we're planning on that being our post-marathon party attire!) c'mon, that's soooo me...
  
• a free LiveStrong bracelet "if I promise to wear it on Sunday." I said I'd wear it while I'm passing Lance (is anyone else hoping he bonks? that's the consensus I'm getting.)

a couple more amusing pieces of attire I spotted at the expo...

I think Asics had the right idea with this one...

And from the same people who made the running diva shirt...I'd never wear this but it was just too funny to not get a picture of. Especially since I know this is a very common slip of the tongue :)

So exciting to get all this stuff (the bib, chip, etc...) and actually be able to use it this year!!

Tonite is the Flyers pasta party...yay!!

And how great does Sunday's weather forecast still look?? High of 52, sunny, low wind!! Looks like singlet weather to me, considering I felt warm in long sleeves during my 4 miles this morning and it was in the 40s!! (I will have makeshift arm warmers for the start though...)

five stages

Found this one on the Reservoir Dogs' message board-I was amused by it so I'm mentioning it here...

Quoted from one of their members:

Tapering for a marathon can be extremely stressful. I always seem to go through 5 distinct stages:

1 - Relief - "Woohoo, no more long runs!"
2 - Boredom - "Where's the remote control?"
3 - Neurosis - "What was that crack?" "My shin/knee/hamsting/ankle/butt hurts."
4 - Hysteria - "Aaaahh!!" "Why did I skip that 16/18/20 miler? I'll never be able to run 26.2 miles".
5 - Elation - "I did it!"

Hmmm....and for me...

1. Check!

2. Not so much. I've got plenty keeping me occupied.

3. mmm-hmmm. I've been guzzling Emergen-C like it's water and popping Halls' Vitamin C drops like they're candy.

4. Not really. I'm actually pretty content with how I trained for this one.

5. We shall see on Sunday!!

In other news, got an email from my great-uncle today...did I ever mention he was a marathon runner too? If I haven't, well yes, he has run NYC 26 times. But has since hung up his marathon shoes-his last was in '04 at age 80...this time will be participating from the sidelines (volunteering.) In that email chain was one from my dad to him talking about their viewing plans for the day...where my dad mentioned "...she sent us her projected schedule, which i'm sure will be too optimistic for a first time marathoner..." um...yeah. good to know you have such confidence in me. (there were quite a variety of times on there, FYI...some yes, slower than 4 hours.) guess he didn't mean for me to see that email...

At least the weather is still looking good...perfect, in fact.

"it's the final countdown..."

(this blog post title is inspired by one of my teammates/readers, who could not get this song out of his head for a very long time :-p )

still cannot believe it, but there is less than a week to go. the work is done. this week is all about carbo-loading, resting, expo-visiting, other shopping, light (no more than 10 miles total) running, visualizing, daydreaming...the list goes on.

yesterday i was talking game plan with la familia, about where they were going to catch me on the course...i thought "oh shit, this is really happening this time." unreal.

Anyway, my last double-digit run until next Sunday was the last 10 miles of the marathon course with the Flyers. Was good practice-while I have done that last mile several times, miles 16-23 of the marathon course were still unknown territory to me and now I know where to expect the hills, and where to request my family cheering section. Anyway, I ran the first coupla miles with Runner26, then ran with another teammate for the remainder. The part where we entered the park was fun, since it was perfect timing-the leaders of the Marathon Kickoff 5-miler were just beginning to approach. Before we left the park around 67th street, we managed to cheer for 2 of our speedy guys as well as a bunch of others :) Finally, we finished up, and a bunch of us headed to brunch at Westside Brewery. The food was great there, as usual...was a mini-bloggers convention (Skylight and Derek were also in attendance-though the latter was not being social :-p) ...good conversation on anything from the marathon to me declaring that the infamous Sugoi shorts I wore in the Staten Island Half will now be known as the "naked shorts." :-p And before the run and during the brunch, I put my new toy to good use :) Can't wait to try that baby out during a race that I'm not running...

So that's it. Nothing left to do but put trust in my training, that it got me to the start line and will get me to the finish line. Oh, and still obsess about the weather. The latest update from weather.com is looking pretty good...

what was waiting for me in the mailbox...

...upon my return to NYC.















pretty much in line with what I thought I'd get, pretty close to the number I was assigned (but never used) last year.

of course, I will be thinking about if there is any significance, or hidden messages, about this number :-p

greetings from PA

yep, the timestamp is right. it's almost 5am and i'm wide awake. and never will i complain about working the day shift again.

blogging from a hotel room in a Philly suburb where I had to supervise something for one of my projects from 7:30pm to a little after 4am. OMG, i thought it'd never get done.

i desperately need some sleep right now as I have been awake for 22 hours straight...but damn, the coffee I had during the evening did a number on me...sigh.

(oh and instead of printing out MapQuest directions from NYC to the hotel, I printed out 2 copies of the directions from the hotel back to NYC. Never fear, I'm great with following directions in reverse. Yeah. As long as MapQuest doesn't screw up. Which it did at one point.)

replies to previous comments to come when I am back in NY and on a faster connection than this so-so wireless...

a fortnight away

2 weeks...2 weeks to go before the big day.

This weekend consisted of another pair of back-to-back medium-long runs, but less mileage than last weekend. Both went very well. Yesterday was 12 miles and took that relaxed and easy-and ended it with an out-and-back over the Queensboro and then ran to the Columbus Circle subway station, which meant getting acquainted with the incline along Central Park South. (still no Marathon Route banners up in Central Park, but on the Queens side of the bridge, I caught a glimpse of something Jon did last week too...a blue Marathon Route banner!) Today was a 10-miler which was an out-and-back from my apartment, down Riverside Park and the West Side Highway to Houston St. and back. I timed the part once I got to Riverside Park...and the "out" portion was at a 9:10 pace, the "back" at an 8:35 pace. Obviously I had something left there!! Let's hope the same strategy plays out 2 weeks from now...

Oh yeah-and I decided I will be attempting to go on the wagon for the next 2 weeks. I knew there was no avoiding alcohol this weekend-between a Flyers happy hour on Friday (where I knocked back 3 spiced vanilla mojitos-hey, I needed those, the kind of workday that I had), then last night was a doubleheader between a watermelon martini for a teammate's birthday, then a little bit of red wine later in the evening at a dinner for another teammate who's leaving NY. So that's it until the post-marathon party. (We'll see how successful this is...)

Mileage-wise, I ended up just under 35 this week. The next 2 weeks will have more dramatic cutbacks-this coming week 20 miles total (capped off next Sunday by running the last 10 miles of the marathon course) then the following week will be 10 miles at most before the big day. No weekday runs longer than 4 miles. As for other non-running stuff...well, Coach J said to me "an important objective for the taper period is to minimize stress." I say easier said than done. Is it just wrong that I will be screening all phone calls when I am off Wed-Fri before the marathon because I don't want anyone from work bothering me?

And a quick scan of the message boards says everyone's antsy to get their registration card/bib number for NYC...a quick check back to my blog last year says that the numbers were up for over a week this time last year. Wonder what's the dealio this year...

In case I didn't need anything more to obsess about, the 15-day forecast is up at AccuWeather. I know this will be subject to change a million times between now and race day but...

Saturday Night, Nov 4
Partly cloudy. Winds from the WNW at 10 mph.
Realfeel®: 40 °F
Low: 43 °F
Sunday, Nov 5
Times of clouds and sun. Winds from the WSW at 7 mph.
Realfeel®: 54 °F
High: 57 °F

So far so good. Still looks like singlet weather to me. (well yeah, considering yesterday's run was in the low 50s and windy and I still had to take my short-sleeved shirt off because I was getting warm.)

And congrats to all the Chicago runners today!! (I tried tracking the 2 Flyers I knew were running...the site wasn't updating anything past their 5K for hours! And what about that men's finish...? As for the women's race, I guess that is a lesson learned in what good pacing shouldn't be :) )

now playing: "don't stop til you get enough" ~ michael jackson

staten island half pics

ok, i guess you can make the call...were the shorts too revealing? or just best saved for a non-windy day?

more partially nekkid pics here

bring on the taper!

and not a moment too soon!!

capped off my last peak week, 41 miles, with the Staten Island Half meant to be run around marathon pace-ish....close enough...

Mile	Split	Mile	Split
1	8:46	8	9:21
2	8:32	9	8:54
3	8:46	10	8:52
4	8:50	11	9:00
5	8:56	12	8:57
6	8:44	13	8:24
7	8:43	.1	:47

Final time of 1:55:32, 8:49 pace. I guess technically it's a PW but I really don't want to count it as such since I was not racing it.

Some notes on the race today...

• Was very underwhelmed by the course-now that I've done halfs in all 5 boroughs, Queens will continue to always be my favorite.
• Miles 6 and 7 were fun as that was where the turnaround was so I could see runners going in the other direction and cheer them on. And thanks to the Flyers who cheered back, and to the 4 Rez Dog guys who were cheering for me too :)
• Mile 8 had a hill that was a bigger bitch than I am.
• The Mile 12 point psyches you out, because you can see the finish area, and at that point, you just wish you were there...
• The song I am listening to now is one of the coolest songs to have playing on your iPod when sprinting to the finish.
• Weather was nice-would have been perfect marathon weather with a little less sun and a lot less wind (the NYRR site is full of sh*t...3 mph wind, my a$$! I felt like we were running into a headwind the entire time.)
• Good thing about the shorts I bought the other day: they felt at times like I was wearing nothing. Bad thig about the shorts: they felt (and probably looked) at times like I was wearing nothing. (My teammate who bought the same ones had the same consensus.) Can't wait to see the Brightroom piccys for this one...
• The 8:30 am ferry was a mob scene. As a result, exiting the ferry was a mob scene. And I'm sure baggage was a mob scene. I'm sure quite a few people missed the start (or maybe not, looked like it was delayed 10 minutes.)

So not too shabby considering I did 15 on Saturday, right?

Not kidding there. My coach's reasoning behind it...total weekend mileage is only 2 more than last weekend-it's just broken down more evenly. It would be a good strength-building weekend, as long as I took it easy. And you know what? He was right.

Anyway, yesterday was the Flyers' annual Fall Foliage Run through Croton-on-Hudson and around the Croton Reservoir. (I actually recognized a couple of the roads and landmarks from the Need For Speed relay!) Was a pretty run, with the leaves changing colors. I took it very easy, which was not too hard to do since parts of the run is on the road and I was trying to follow directions I was given. The organizers and volunteers once again did a great job (there was a water/Gatorade stop every 3 miles-nice to break the run up like that.)

So whereas 15 miles would have did me in for the weekend a few months ago, I was still able to get a good run in today. Granted, not a PR effort (and that was his reasoning for scheduling this weekend...to ensure that I wouldn't race the half!), but 13.1 quality miles in the bank...and surprisingly, not feeling sore at all (but I bet I will tomorrow!)

I think I can do this, kids.

now playing: "think about the way" ~ ice mc

pre-taper madness

yeesh, it's already grabbing a hold of me. and of course, the way i dealt with it was by shopping.

First, the other day I cleaned out my local GNC when I saw they had almost a box full of Plain Energy flavor PowerGel-since it's one of the newer flavors, it seems like it's tougher to find... (and yeah, I decided during the training cycle to switch gels. I like the new thinner texture of the PowerGels and that they have more sodium, and the new plain flavor, and I can't seem choke down the E-Gels any more without gagging-too thick...)

Then last night was another 20% off shopping night at JackRabbit Sports for the Flyers. The damage? A new pair of shoes (I got the white/silver/lime pair) that will hopefully replace my Cumuluses when they're shot, a new watch (because my current one is 2 1/2 years old, it's a Nike one and I've heard that its a pain to get the battery replaced, I wanted a watch with more laps and I'm paranoid that it's going to break down in the next 2 weeks or even worse, during the marathon) and a cool pair of not marathon-perfect, but half-marathon (or training)-perfect shorts. I think I needed to be cut off by the end of the night or something.

Oh-and I'm also obsessively checking the NYCM entrant database to see if the bib numbers have been posted yet.

Damn, I expect to be quite a character during the next 3 weeks. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

back to reality

this post will be a mishmash of things that I really hadn't been able to wrap my head around the last few days. but nowhere in this post will be any baseball/playoffs talk...doesn't feel right to do so today...so damn tragic. (and those of you who live either in the building or nearby...hope you're all ok and safe.)

In terms of running, my legs did not like at all what I did to them Sunday, as they have just been majorly dragging this week. meh...guess that is to be expected. Good news is that I got my weekday runs out of the way Mon-Wed, now 2 rest days before tackling this weekend's badass mileage. I think this comment may be dead on to how I've been feeling. I don't think I'm at the point where I hate running just yet, but the endless bridle path and rez loops in the AM have gotten sorta...well...boring. And work has prevented me from making it to group runs lately, but I feel like I have to run alone these days since my legs won't let me keep up with a group right after a hard workout or a long run. I think the only runs I've really enjoyed lately were last week's Hunter Moonlight Run (where I actually met fellow blogger BrunetteChicagoGal! And this was a great course-nice dress rehearsal for NYC) and Sunday-even though it was 3 loops of Central Park...and been there, done that, I loved having lots of comraderie. Or even evening runs when the park is sorta packed...I like running clockwise, I feel it's a more social direction...the park seems so empty in the mornings, even now. I don't know...I'm just rambling here. But it seems like it's a common theme at this point, I've heard from others that they're more than ready to taper and just want to get their race on. Taper officially begins Monday, and not a moment too soon. And the week of the 23rd will include a short (but unglamorous) business trip, which may be good to help combat taper madness...

On the topic of work, this morning was our quarterly meeting. And just like 3 months ago, my smartazz co-worker uses music in his presentation when talking about the financial update. I think "The Heat Is On" sounds a little better than "Bad Day," dontcha think? And to make this day an absolute waste of a day in terms of being productive, this afternoon the company celebrated Oktoberfest (complete with home-brewed beer and custom made mugs!) Nice to have fun stuff occasionally, doesn't fully make up for other things though...

And since I've pretty much given up on Survivor this season, and Amazing Race hasn't really grabbed my attention yet this season, The Bachelor has been my source of reality tv entertainment this fall. The usual catty biatches and some guy built up to be like god-status kissing them all and making some cry. Same crap, different season. I don't care who wins, as long as it's not Erica or Desiree. (Not that the guy is any prize, but I just don't want to see divas like them rewarded for their behavior.)

Happy hump day everyone...

18 glorious miles

(plus 2 warm-up beforehand...)
today's miles have officially redeemed me for Grete's Great Washout and the LTR #2 fiasco. I think this says it all...

Loop 1 (53:01, 8:50 pace)		Loop 2 (52:53, 8:48 pace)		Loop 3 (52:31, 8:45 pace)
Mile	Split	Mile	Split	Mile	Split
1	8:56	7	8:53	13	9:09
2	8:49	8	8:50	14	8:59
3	8:39	9	8:46	15	8:33
4	8:49	10	8:37	16	8:43
5	9:01	11	8:52	17	8:50
6	8:47	12	8:55	18	8:17

Final time was 2:38:25, 8:48 pace.

My original plan was to start off the first loop slower than 9's...then pick it up with each loop and try to get some marathon pace work in. What happened? I was actually surprised to see those first coupla splits, but I just went with it...

So, I tried to put last week behind me and start fresh for today. The weather was perfect, and even though the iPod was on the fritz (though I just got a replacement one today for free-yay!) I had my Rio Cali loaded with great songs and set on shuffle. I was running this at the end of a 41 mile week, so I wasn't going to be tapered or anything.

I jogged 2 warmup miles to 102nd street and a little bit down the east drive (and one of the marshalls was yelling that "the race is THIS way!" umm...haven't you seen anyone adding on mileage before?) I ran into Jon just as I finished up my warmup and we chatted while I waited on the long-ass line to check my bag and we walked over to the start, where we lined up with a bunch of other Flyers, and eventually we were off!!

Mile 1 was very crowded, and but felt pretty relaxed and content to let whomever pass me since I'm sure no one lined up right. However, I still had Jon in my sights near the first mile marker and hoped I hadn't rabbited the start. Was a little faster than I had planned, but not so bad. I tried to pull it back for mile 2 but another one faster than expected...hmmm. I decided to just take advantage of the fact that I was feeling good and just go with it. Sister Smile was running in the other direction, cheering on the runners-thanks and good to see you out there! I was still feeling strong through the first loop, so tried to either maintain or pick it up a little for the second. Saw Derek and he ran with me for miles 11-14. But I honestly did not feel like chatting, I just felt like running by myself, listen to my music, do my own thing. (BTW-you are officially not allowed to run with me at the marathon :-p )

The last loop had heated up quite a bit and I felt it getting to me a little. By that time, I knew I could ease up a bit and still put up a good time, but I felt I needed to prepare the mental game...c'mon, no slowing down with 6 miles to go in the marathon!! Once I hit mile 14, it became more of a countdown to me..."you got a 4-miler to go...now not even a 5K...2 miles, that's 4 songs...1 mile, take it strong to the end!" And that last mile turned out to be my best! I finished up strong (hey Josh-was that you I saw near the finish line?)...and thanked the Harrier guy that I was sorta pacing off for a good part of the race and told him "good job!" (we had been sorta trading places throughout the run until I passed him for good around mile 15. I finished a few seconds ahead on the clock, he got me with 1 second on chip time-so all in all, pretty much equal.) Chatted with a coupla other Flyers and said hi to a coupla Rez Dogs before walking home (and who comes up to me while I was walking home? The cute married guy who was in my LTR #2 pace group. Too funny.)

And as for today, I really needed this one. Finally, the hard work is paying off. Very respectable time, considering it didn't even feel like a race effort (well until the last loop-but I think that was more due to the heat.) Plus, I didn't lose time at the water/Gatorade tables...yay, I finally got the funneling thing down! (Only took 2 years...) I doubt 8:48 is going to be my marathon pace (not too sure I trust Toby Tanser's theory that your pace for this 18-miler will be your pace in the marathon)-the goal remains the same-4 hours. But at least it's a little boost of confidence that all is not lost and a 9-minute pace is realistic (of course, as long as the weather cooperates.)

One more 40-mile week to go...man, I can taste the taper!! It's getting soooo close...

now playing: "maneater" ~ nelly furtado

grete's pics

real post to come hopefully sometime this weekend...crazy week.

but found my brightroom pics from grete's a little early...who knew the wet look was back in style. (thank god i wasn't wearing white...)

more pics are here

karma

(yep, be prepared, another bitchfest. if you don't want to read, please press the back button immediately. in addition, if you intend on leaving a snarky comment, you best be signing your name.)

the veterans of the NYC racing scene say the same thing about Grete's Great Gallop..."everyone PR's at this race"-between the traditionally cool temps, and being at the peak of marathon training. As a result, I was really, really hoping for a sub-1:45...or at the very least, an improvement on my previous half times from this year.

well I guess someone didn't like my bad behavior Friday nite, because karma truly bit me in the ass today. The weather? Think 42nd Street for me during the NYC Half. And imagine that for 20 minutes before the race, and throughout the entire race. (Thank god I actually decided to wear the DS-Trainers for this one...my regular trainers would have felt like bricks.)

The splits tell the sad story... (hey jbl, hope you don't mind that I adopted your chart from last year...I liked your course descriptions.)

Mile	Split	Notes
1	8:04	South end to 59th and then up to Tavern on the Green
2	8:19	West Hills
3	8:03
4	8:15	Harlem Hill/Lasker Pool
5	8:31	East side including the Museum Moguls and Cat Hill
6	8:19
7	8:23*	South end to 59th and then up to Tavern on the Green
8	8:29*	West Hills
9	8:14
10	8:25	Harlem Hill/Lasker Pool
11	8:37	East side including the Museum Moguls and Cat Hill
12	8:14
13	8:10	South end to 59th and then up to Tavern on the Green
.1	0:54

*I hit the mile split button a coupla seconds late...so mile 7 was probably in reality 2-3 seconds faster and mile 8 2-3 seconds slower.

Final time-1:48:57, 8:19 pace-my 2nd worst half of the year. I knew from the beginning I did not stand a chance for sub-1:45. But I just never felt good the entire time...to add insult to injury, the iPod shut off after mile 10. I looked at my watch after mile 11 and saw that unless I really picked it up for the last 2 miles, I might not make it under 1:50. At that point, since I didn't have my music, I just wanted to finish the damn thing... (and in another cruel twist of fate, the weather clears up around noon, and the afternoon has weather that would have been perfect for the race!)

I know the conditions weren't ideal, but I'm still disappointed. Disappointed about a waste of a good racing attempt due to something I could not control. (This would have been my last chance to race a half...Staten Island is too close to the marathon.) Disappointed that I didn't feel like an athlete-I felt like a fragile flower that wilts at the first sign of bad weather and can only grow if the weather is 50 degrees and dry. Disappointed that after 3 months of consistent marathon training, I can't seem to improve on my half times...I'm like stuck at that 1:47-1:48 plateau. In fact, I'm not improving in general-I've been struggling to keep training runs under a 10 minute pace (man, do I miss the days when I could run sub 9's) and I just really, really needed a good race to give me a boost of confidence and I didn't get it.

(And I don't want to hear from anyone that I was still recovering from Friday-I really did feel fine on Saturday, and besides, I've read too many race reports that read "I got soooo wasted last night and was so hung over this morning, but I still PR'ed, yay!")

Once again, I'm just feeling pretty lost. Running is the one thing in my life that I really need to be going right about now, and it's not. I guess I'll just suck it up for 2 more weeks and pray that tapering will help...though I am a little skeptical. After this one, I'm not sure what my future as a marathoner will be....is it truly worth it if the training just sucks the life out of you and your running legs?

now where's that damn Daniel Powter song when I need it...

milestone birthdays

"This has been my best 'milestone' birthday," said I a few times last night.

If it were me, I'd be content to let these "milestones" go, but , but society says you need to acknowledge...

I guess my first milestone was 13, with my Bat Mitzvah. Big deal in my family, as I was the first female in our family to get Bat Mitzvahed. The actual party part, I felt was more my parents' party than my own. While some of my other friends had fun themes that they chose, my parents pretty much called the shots. And at that age, I was quite shy and awkward and just felt like I wanted to dodge the spotlight (and was useless on the dance floor!)

Next milestone...18? I think that one may have been birthday cake and drinks in the dorm (I didn't have fake ID yet)

21 was a doozy. It was a Friday, I think I started drinking around 4:30. The bar I went to-the one bar that you actually needed to be 21 to get into-gives out a complementary champagne bottle on someone's 21st b-day. My intention was to share it. I was told by friends "No, you drink it, it's your birthday." I'm sure you can imagine how that one turned out.

25 I guess would be next...and I actually was not in much of a celebratory mood for that one, as it was 2 weeks after 9/11. (Plus I think the actual day of was on Yom Kippur...) But did dinner/drinks with some friends and co-workers.

So that brings me to the next "milestone," 30. A couple friends convinced me to not let it go and to do something. So, I rented out the 2nd floor of Red Sky, sent out an evite, and lo and behold, approximately 50 very cool peeps were joining in the celebration last night. The drinks were flowing, the music the DJ was playing was great, and I was working the room like a good hostess should. (And I used my influence with the co-owner to my advantage...as another party at first was taking our area...but no I was not having that one!) But yeah, when you work the room, you tend to lose track of things (how many Cosmos I had knocked back) or forget to do things (like grab a bite to eat.) I did have to get cut off, and I did have to get some assistance getting home. Not the way I would have wanted the night to end (I felt bad making friends worry like that) but it could have been a lot worse...but so much for me getting smarter with age! hah!

(Surprisingly, didn't feel too bad today...guess I got most of it out of my system last nite and slept the rest of it off...)

But despite how it ended, I enjoyed myself, I was very happy to see everyone, and glad to see everyone enjoying themselves too. This was the best milestone birthday because the celebration was truly "mine"...if it makes any sense.

Resting up today and hopefully will be OK for the half tomorrow morning!! (and hope the predicted rain holds off too...) I picked up my bib today and saw the "F30" on it...oh man, it really is official now!! :)

now playing: "can't get you out of my head" ~ kylie minogue

catch my breath

crazy week!

Tuesday I had a nice lunch out with my group at work at a cute little Italian place in the Village...though I think some of us enjoyed more the drink than the food :-p And I got cupcakes too!!

And as planned, I did escape work at 5:30 (but barely made it to speedwork on time, thanks to delays on the 6 train!) Our workout was 10 laps of the dog track...

Repeat #	Time	Pace	Repeat #	Time	Pace
1	1:23	6:35	6	1:26	6:49
2	1:23	6:35	7	1:28	6:59
3	1:26	6:49	8	1:28	6:59
4	1:25	6:44	9	1:28	6:59
5	1:26	6:49	10	1:27	6:54

All sub-7 considering I was still feeling that giant (10 oz) appletini I had at lunch? Wonder what I could have done had I not been drinking that day :) But it was good to see everyone, I hadn't made it out to speedwork at night in a month and a half! I know I sound lame, but that was it for the night...I was beat and there was still running and work to be done the next day, and the next...

But no fears, I do plan to celebrate my birthday in style, and that will be tomorrow night. Better to live it up on a non-"school night," right?

Oh, and in deja vu from last year, MS sent me flowers again for my b-day. This year, however, 1-800-flowers did not screw up, and he used a pseudonym on the card...as last year the receptionist called him up to ask why he was sending "I love you" flowers (1-800-flowers' screwup) to me when he's married. So the fake name was in case said receptionist was reading again.

And I still need to pick out my big present...a new digital camera!! I have an idea which one I want...recommended by a friend of mine. And my aunt and uncle say a "special 30th birthday present is on the way"...intriguing. And of course, I would not mind a belated birthday present on Sunday.

Final running note...I know this article has been discussed to death, and I've commented on other blogs, so I'll just put what I have to say here...in a central place of sorts.

I do know that it can take a 5 hour marathoner just as much training, effort and heart as a 3 hour marathoner can. It doesn't make someone less of a runner/athlete because they are not genetically programmed to run 6 minute miles. So therefore, I don't agree with the author's point of "slowpokes ruining the marathon." And everyone has to start somewhere...and as I have posted before, one of the special things in this sport is that ever so often, you can toe the same start line with the best of the best.

However-this may sound a little harsh, what I don't like seeing in this sport is people who really don't "respect the distance." Who want to just run a marathon because it's the trendy thing to do and really don't put the effort into training for it. Why do I think that? It's situations like this why you see groups of people cutting a course to beat a cutoff time (as was shown at last year's Marine Corps Marathon.) Or even worse...could lead to injury and burnout very early on...it'd be a shame for someone to really not get the full benefit of how much fun running and smart training can be. I know I know-pot.kettle.black. I thought I was doing things right-when I had the marathon on the mind as a goal-I made that a goal for a year or 2 down the line. I started off with shorter distances, before moving up to a half, and wanted to get a couple of halfs under my belt before tackling a full marathon. (And you all know how that story went...)

Then again, I can't assume everyone is a competitive biatch like myself. And a lot of people tell me that for this marathon, my goal should be "just to finish." But that's just not good enough for me, what's the point of 18 weeks of training for just a 26.2 mile long training run? Yeah, I'm sure I could "just finish" in 5 or 6 hours, but where's the challenge? How about making the goal "having a marathon performance I can be proud of"? Sounds much better, dontcha think? Set the bar high, but not too high. Hence, the 4-hour mark dancing in my head...

But to each his/her own...(well, as long as you share the road in Central Park! :-D )

officially a submaster

even though i have been the 30-somethings co-captain of the Flyers since this January, I join the age group officially today. (and it will be announced to the world-at least the Flyers world- where our weekly email will say that I am "now a submasters runner." thanks to Dr. Evil for that one ;-) )

official celebration won't be til the end of the week, but for today my present to myself will be leaving work at 5:30 and going to speedwork (haven't been able to go in weeks!) we'll see whatever other little surprises pop up along the way...

fall into fall

yeah, even though the calendar said it was fall a coupla days ago, it hasn't felt like it. as this morning's 4-miler felt as humid and muggy as one of the summer mornings.

I decided to do a little re-arranging, as shown by me sneaking in a 4-miler this morning where I previously had a rest day. this week was originally intended to be a cutback week in anticipation of the holidays creating a "washout" of sorts, and this coming week would be the first of my peak 40-mile weeks. However, I really do not want to be racing a half marathon at the end of a 40-mile week, and lord knows I ate enough this weekend* that said short run was necessary. (I was just reminded of why I do not like running around my hometown, the sidewalks are not kept very well.) So 40 down for this week, cutting back to 34 this coming week, with Grete's Great Gallop at the tail end of the week.

Oh, and for my long run this past week on Friday-I decided on a little bit of a creative route that included some park time (where I ran into Derek and he ran with me for the first couple of miles-though it looked like it was killing him to slow down to my snail-like pace) but eventually headed out of the park to do an out-and-back over the Queensboro Bridge. Decided it would not hurt at all to get in some mental prep...anyway, the bridge really wasn't as bad as it has been advertised (I think the hills in Lake Placid and the Palisades are much worse)...especially going from Manhattan to Queens...but going back the other way, I can see why it may be tougher. As I said, good mental prep and I intend to do this long run one more time.

*That includes 2 Rosh Hashanah dinners, birthday-specific desserts (ice cream cake, and a tollhouse pie-think a chocolate chip cookie made into a pie!), and dinner tonite with la familia at Sambuca for the soon-to-be birthday girl...

my family is insane

I think these pictures say it all. Rosh Hashanah dinner at the parentals' last nite, we had a Yanks centerpiece on the table once again. (and my mom was nice enough to buy a Mets one for my uncle.) And the aunt, uncle and cousins bring their doggie as usual, this time dressed in a Mutts jersey. And there was quite the heated discussion during dinner, complete with these words being uttered many times by my cousin: "I hate the Yankees."

Off to Long Island in a bit for round 2....and L'Shanah Tovah to anyone else celebrating!!