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| harder, better, faster, stronger |
| Saturday, August 16, 2008 |
Those words, originally the title of a Daft Punk song, more recently sampled in a Kanye West song...ran through my head during today's NYRR Club Team Championships. Did that help? Read on!!
Now I'll reveal what my goals for the race were-and in honor of the Olympics, I'll use medal colors :)
Bronze-beat last year's time (40:10)-get revenge on last year!!
Silver-beat my 2006 time (39:03)
Gold-distance PR...sub-37:51
I was so nervous and excited for the race, I found it a little hard to sleep last nite. (Plus a certain finish of a certain swimming event had something to do with it too!! dayum...) But despite that, I got up right when the alarm sounded, and went through the usual pre-race routine...eat, drink coffee, stretch, get dressed, listen to music, make sure Mr. Garmin is charged...
As usual-I timed my warmup to go up the west side so I could cheer the Flyer guys on during the first mile. And yeah, I was nice and cheered for friends on other teams too :) And they all seemed very appreciative-being that the women's race is not for another hour, I'm sure that part of the course didn't have a lot of cheering support. Everyone was still pretty much bunched together, so pretty much all of the runners passed by in a matter of minutes. So I continued on up to 102nd Street, and found some of the Flyer women who had staked out a spot near the finish to cheer the guys on. Soon enough, the leaders came by...finishing in 23-and-change...are you friggin kidding me? I can't even do 4 miles in 23 and change minutes! Hell, there are times when I can't even do a 5K in that amount of time :) Around 28-29 minutes, we kept an eye out for the first Flyer, who I knew would be coming in around that time...we did think we saw one, but it actually turned out to be a Reservoir Dog-their singlets are very similar to our latest singlet style!! But one by one, the Flyer men passed by, running strong towards the finish.
After a while, I left to go warm up and loosen up and head towards the start...and yep, even though it was a small field-around 500-they still used the corrals...and yay, I was in the 2nd/red one :) It may not have mattered in a race this size, but was still cool. A bunch of my Flyer teammates were in my corral, as was Uptown Girl. Everybody was chatting it up, the starting horn took us by surprise!! Here we go...
Mile 1 (7:35)-through the west side hills...I knew this mile would give me an idea as to what kind of race I will have...I was gonna go for it!! The crowd support was fantastic...and Uptown Girl and I were running together for most of this mile, I knew I was having a good race when I could keep up with her :) Was feeling good, feeling strong...saw my mile split and was pleased...in the ballpark! :)
Mile 2 (7:28)-wheeeeee.....downhill mile!! A bunch of the Flyer and the TRD guys were running in the other direction and cheering. Still felt good!! After this mile I thought "cool, I'm on PR pace!!" :)
Mile 3 (7:45)-always the mentally tough mile!! Around the bottom of the park, so the least support. Plus, it had warmed up to about 70 degrees by then and was very humid...not as bad as it could have been, but this mile was unshaded and it took a little bit of a toll on me. This was when I started playing those words over and over in my head..."harder, better, faster, stronger." Keep me motivated. (Funny...when listening to music pre-race...yeah, I was listening to Kanye, but different song-"Champion"...funny what gets stuck in your head! Anyway, off the subject here...) A couple women did pass me, including one of my teammates, but I was still sticking with others, and even passing others. So all in all, not too bad. Just keep everyone in sight and I'll be fine.
 Mile 4 (7:58)-Flyer SD caught up to me right before Cat Hill...she was another good one to use as a rabbit, as when we're both having a good day, we're pretty similar in races. Cat Hill sucked as usual, but I felt strong climbing it, passed a few more women...guess hill work...well...works!! :-D After climbing the hill I edged ahead of SD for good...last time I saw her til the finish. Knew this mile would be slow, but was happy this was under 8 minutes...that hasn't happened in quite awhile!!
Mile 5 (7:25)-OK...I knew a PR was out at this point...I'd have to run under 7 minutes, which I didn't think I was capable of...so do the best I can, whatever that may be-I figured I had the bronze and silver goals in the bag :) As I approached Engineer's Gate, one girl who was running near me said "let's go" to me...we both picked it up!! As I passed the reservoir, I caught up to Uptown Girl and another Reservoir Dog, EV...as we entered the "tunnels of cheering" for the last half-mile (or as several Flyers started referring to it as-the  "tunnel of love") I passed EV, then Uptown Girl...I said "come on let's go!" to each of them. OK-there was a method to my madness...let's all work together to kick it in...one picks up the pace, of course I will try to follow suit...you get what I'm trying to say :) Uptown Girl and I stuck together to the finish, where once again, the cheering was fabulous...much better than last year, methinks!! I heard lots of "Go (my name)!" which made me very happy..though my face may not have shown it at the time!! Just around the last corner...go go go!!!
And I wound up with 38:11, 7:38 pace...my 2nd best 5-miler ever and a "submasters PR" :) Very pleased.
So after the finish, I said the usual "good jobs!"...and it was cool...Uptown Girl, me, SD and EV finished one after the other...so I guess keeping them in my sights was a good thing :) Everyone then went to their respective teams' festivities...we had our usual bagel brunch and team picture, and lots of chatting and mingling. (And one of the other teams even shared ice cream with us!! cool. :) )
So yeah...another one coming so close. But once again, my PR was set in 60 degree weather, on an easier course, with no tired marathon training legs. So all in all, I actually think I outperformed that :) Splits may have looked all over the place, but they were actually pretty consistent with the terrain. Kinda wish I had been able to push harder in that last mile, but considering that once again I was breathless and couldn't speak full sentences for a few minutes after the finish, I think I did give it all I had. And once again-I have not come this close in 4 years, so I'm glad that 2008 is looking to be a comeback year. And I think it could mean good things will happen in the half and the marathon coming up!! This predicts a 3:44 marathon (courtesy of the McMillan calculator) so maybe, just maybe, the 3:50 marathon goal will be within my reach...
And on the topic of marathons, I'm psyched to watch the womens' Olympic marathon tonite!! Go Deena! (This is providing that NBC doesn't switch coverage to the trampoline or whatever else :-p)Labels: flyers, marathon, nyrr, olympics, race, running |
posted by nyflygirl @ 5:36 PM |
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| lucky eights, luckier pace |
| Saturday, August 02, 2008 |
 Even though I was a paceleader for NYRR's Long Training Run and didn't have to register through NYRR, I did need a bib in order to put my bag in the baggage area. And I was amused at the bib number I got-888. Isn't that a lucky number? The reason why the Olympics are starting on 8/8/08? Whatever, I took it as a good sign that this LTR just might go well, unlike the 2 last year.
Once again, I decided to do my usual 9:30 group for 16 miles. Even though I've been averaging closer to 9-9:15s lately for easy/long runs, the slower group is better in terms of pacing, and interacting with the runners. Once again, all the pacers got a free technical singlet...white this year with orange and blue writing, I swear I must have looked like an advertisement for the Mutts :-p All the 9:30 pacers got paired off and assigned to groups depending on how far we were running, and thankfully I got paired with my good Flyer friend TB-as we've paced together before and therefore the problems that happened last year most likely wouldn't happen. And check out the results of the dynamic duo's handiwork!! :)
(For reference sake...Lap 1 included the Harlem Hills. Laps 2, 7 and 13 were from approximately west 102nd to around west 86th-the west side hills. Laps 3, 8, and 14 were mostly downhill, to around west 72nd. Laps 4, 9 and 15 were around the bottom of the park. Laps 5, 10 and 16 included Cat Hill. Laps 6, 11 and 17 were around the east 80s to the end, or near the end. Laps 12 and 18 were because for whatever reason, the mile 11 and 16 markers were before the transverse? More on that later.)
Can you say rock on? Knew you could. :)
Luckily, me and TB had a pretty obedient group for the most part. There were quite a few times when we had to yell "If you're running in front of us, you're going too fast" and "Stay in the rec lane!" but all in all, with the exception of a few who did wind up running ahead since me and TB refused to let them "pull" us to go faster, pretty drama-free. We were hitting our paces well for the first loop and both us and the pacees were happy. We finished the first 6 mile loop, and I grabbed Gatorade and took my Plain Energy PowerGel and before we knew it, we were back out for the 2nd loop.
In previous LTRs, only the first mile markers were on the course, so we were pleasantly surprised that all 20 miles were marked. However, after the first loop, the markers were not accurate...thanks to Mr. Garmin, we were able to re-assure the runners that we were not off-pace. Actually, Mr. Garmin was extremely helpful today...I'd check out our half-mile split to see if we were on pace or needed to adjust. Or TB would think we were going too fast but I was able to reassure her we were fine :) We finished the 2nd loop still on pace...was planning on taking another gel, but the only flavor that was being offered was Strawberry Banana...decided to pass and just have a little extra Gatorade, hoping that would be just as good. (Mental note-bring 2 gels next time...don't assume that they will have my flavor!)
Flyer SD joined us for pacing the next 5 mile loop...as she and I are pretty similar in races, I knew she'd be fine with the pacing. Although we were trying to keep the runners in the rec lane the best we could, seemingly every course marshall was saying "To the left!" Thanks to them, I got that damn Beyonce song (Irreplaceable) stuck in my head..."...to the left, to the left..." grrrr. :) It started raining a little during this loop, which felt kind of nice...it wasn't a brutally hot morning, but it was damn humid!! Since we were all doing 16, we all were happy to be done with the West Side Hills for the last time! And Cat Hill for the last time...after finishing with that hill, we (with the group's approval), picked it up ever so slightly for the remaining mile, as we were all feeling good!!
Finally, 16 and change miles were done. (And including the mile I ran to get there...gave me 17.6 for the day!) I checked out the splits on Mr. Garmin-TB and I couldn't believe what the average pace was!! Needless to say, there were many sayings of "we rock!" And we decided we must be paired together again for the LTR in September.
Did the usual....got water, Gatorade, socialized, etc. :) And yep, the bloggers were out in force for this one too!! Uptown Girl helped pace the 9 minute group...as did jb24, while Jon paced the later loops for the 8's. Mark walked by and said hi to me while we were all waiting to start...saw Moz when his group passed us and on the transverse (dude, I said hi to you when you guys passed but you didn't hear me...had the iPod on :-p )
Didn't stay around too long, as I was exhausted-some idiot (number I didn't recognize) decided to call my cell phone twice around 3:45 AM and leave a blank VM message each time. And I desperately needed what has become my favorite post-long run drink-a venti iced skinny vanilla latte. As well as a shower and a nap. (And was very thankful that the crazy thunderstorms held off until after I was indoors!!)
So I was pleased, after last year I kinda redeemed myself :) Yes, I did do well, but it wasn't just me-it definitely helped have a great co-paceleader and an obedient group...it makes all our jobs easier :) And during the run, I finally decided to say out loud and make public what the marathon goal is gonna be as of right now...3:50. Doable? I'll find out with my 2 tune-up races (Team Champs 5M and the Philly Distance Run.) Stay tuned...Labels: flyers, marathon, nyrr, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 4:30 PM |
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| cheering and multitasking |
| Sunday, July 27, 2008 |
Being the good teammate/friend/coworker that I am, I dragged myself out of bed at the crack of dawn this morning (well maybe not that early, but you get the idea) to head over to the park and cheer on the runners in the NYC Half-Marathon. My original plan was to just go down to 7th Ave around Central Park South...remembering Uptown Girl's story from last year about not being allowed in the park. But I decided to give trying to find a cheering spot in the west 80s a shot, as the leaders were due to come by any second. No worries-I got a spot right away and no one bugged me. Perfect timing-the race passed by a coupla minutes later and I cheered for a little bit before I headed for cheering spot #2...
...I needed to get in 4 miles today, and I had my running shoes on...so, of course I ran the 1 1/2 miles to 59th and 7th, and actually got a pretty decent spot there as well. I had unfortunately missed the leaders, though I did get to see them in the park, but I was really there to support the rest of the runners. Saw Crazy Bandana, Uptown Girl, Moz, Chelle, other Flyers and friends, a co-worker who was running...gave them all a good cheer. Some runners looked completely energized as they left the park and hit the streets. Others looked like they were struggling-possibly having gone out too fast in the park (and it was quite humid out!!) But again, it was actually kinda fun to be on the other side again. And the most amusing parts about playing cheerleader this morning:
- I had to tell the women next to me to stop yelling "You're almost there!" 7 1/2 miles is NOT almost there. That is the worst thing you can say to a runner at that point :-p
- Funniest comment from one of the runners-"I'm hot, but you're hotter!" (I think that guy meant it for the women next to me though...)
- Oh, and I think NYRR activated the 10K mats a little too early...as the coupla runners I was tracking had ridiculously fast 10K splits emailed to me, even before the 5K splits...til I figured out that the 10K mats were just past the start and that's the split that was getting captured :)
After most of the runners passed, I ran back uptown, then tacked on another mile...a little over 4 miles done and done!! (Which was a good thing, since between desperately needing to catch up on sleep and the thunderstorms which found their way into NYC this afternoon, who knows when I could have gotten it in...) Was sooo glad I decided to pass on the half again-just doing 4 miles in this humidity was killer. Besides, I prefer my half-marathon attempts to be less expensive and less humid :) But congrats to all those who ran!! :)
So yeah, the fact that I didn't do the half today meant I had to get in a long run yesterday, right? Well that I did, a creative route that included some Queenboro Bridge action. Wasn't sure how it was gonna go, due to starting around noon and not being appropriately carbo-loaded (thanks to a Flyers happy hour the night before) but actually went fine!!
The route...
And the splits...
Pretty satisfied-the legs felt fine, pacing was decent, did feel a little under-fueled in the last coupla miles (probably shoulda taken more than 1 gel-learning for next time), the Queensboro Bridge climbs are less intimidating to me each time I run the bridge...so mission accomplished I guess!!
And next week's long run will have plenty of company!! :)Labels: flyers, marathon, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 6:25 PM |
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| for the love of the team |
| Monday, July 21, 2008 |
Well, I did get in all the mileage that I wanted to this weekend (and then some!)...but also had my share of playing cheerleader in addition to other things...
So my plan for Saturday was to get in 14 miles-originally I was gonna try and get in 6 bridle path miles before the Run For Central Park, then run in the opposite direction of the race to cheer teammates on, then do 4 more. Unfortunately, I did oversleep a bit and only managed 2.5 bridle path miles beforehand. But that actually sorta worked out better, as it gave me time to get over to the east side...so I could see the runners at mile 1, and then again in the last mile. Everyone was sorta bunched together tightly in mile 1, so I wasn't sure if everyone saw me. But mile 4-others did see me and seemed to appreciate me being there (saw Laminator, Chelle, Peter, and other Flyers and friends.) I got to west 86th and decided to wait a few more minutes and cheer more people on before continuing. I saw Runner26 walking and called out to her to see if she was OK...she started running again. :) Flyer NS ran by and asked me to run the last mile with her, so I did...was more than happy to do so...she too, was frontloading beforehand and needed the extra support for the last mile...and for me, running to 72nd and back, meant less mileage I had to do solo afterwards. I left when NS crossed the finish and I ran back up to 86th and hopped back on the bridle path to finish the last 5.5 miles of my run...it was tough, I fought for it, I was so tempted to cut it short, but thanks to some good music on the iPod and just overall stubbornness, I didn't. :) And since Mr. Garmin was switched off for a half-mile, I actually wound up running 14.5...oh well!! :) But I'm honestly glad I decided to not do the race-I think it was more beneficial to my team that they see a friendly face at the end, then to have me run and score 15th for the team or something (I would have had to run a 40 second PR at least to score...wasn't gonna happen for me in that heat!)
Then Sunday, I got up bright and early to head to my usual cheering spot at 72nd/CPW on the run course for the NYC Triathlon. This year, I actually got there early enough to see the first few elite athletes!! Amazing to watch them. Bit by bit, the age group athletes started to pass by...I saw and snapped pics of the Flyers and other friends (unfortunately didn't see Josh!) By the time that the last few waves of 45-49 year olds were passing and the street was getting less crowded, I was getting a little concerned, as there were 2 people I hadn't yet seen. One of them had a swim split that I thought was too long and some other funky times reported on the tracker and I was afraid that meant a DNF-I was glad to see him finally run by (turned out when his wave started, they were fighting the current-and the swim is his least favorite of the 3 disciplines on a good day...) The other one was the son of a work bigwig who was doing his first tri, and I was getting concerned not seeing a bike split after so long-especially since it was getting HOT!! Finally, I did see a bike split and transition time, so I waited at 72nd/Columbus to make sure he was OK...since at that time the streets were beginning to re-open to traffic (the runners had to actually stop if Columbus Ave had the green light!) I finally saw him, walking...I walked with him over to the park-he had cramped up on the bike and was not in good shape-and it didn't help that 72nd st was not shaded. I left him at the park, where I knew he'd have much more support and told him to finish strong...he did finish :) I gave my co-worker who was at the finish an update and I mentioned that I walked with him a little bit and she said "That was so nice of you!" :) I really didn't think anything of it...keeping a fellow runner company almost seemed like second nature-us athletes...we're all in this together.
So, after a nap, and knowing that the evening would consist of margarita consumption, I had no choice but to get in my 3 recovery miles in the heat of the day. And after seeing what I saw today-I had no excuse to not suck it up and just do it!!
Even though it's fun to be a race participant...this was one of those weekends where it was much more fulfilling for me to be on the other side.
And 3 weeks down in my NYCM training!! All mileage has been accounted for, legs feeling just fine, if the only obstacle so far has been the heat and not injury...I'll take it!!Labels: flyers, marathon, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 1:27 PM |
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| naked shorts may be banned, but underwear is here to stay |
| Saturday, July 19, 2008 |
For the record-I didn't lose a bet or anything when I signed up for the Underwear Run...yep, I did it with my own free will. I had actually told a coupla teammates about it last year but wussed out on signing up...this year I figured what the hell, quite a few other Flyers will be there...we're all in it together and it'll be fun...
 And considering it was about 90 degrees...running in as little clothing as possible seemed to be the sensible thing!! The attire? A Flyers sports bra and a pair of red American Apparel briefs...originally with a pair of uber-short Running Divas shorts over it-kinda folded over so you could tell I was wearing underwear, but there was still some coverage :) But a few of my teammates convinced me to ditch the shorts...go the whole nine yards...I gave in. Crazy Bandanahead was there too...we posed for a pic, both looking like we stepped out of an American Apparel ad (actually, lots of American Apparel in the house!) Other Flyers were there, all with a variety of get-ups...from boxers to briefs to hot pants to regular bras to sports bras to Victoria's Secret-esque slips...quite the scene!!
So, we are off...and in probably the first 200 yards, I run into Peter, who's apparently videotaping this whole thing...yikes!! :) We ran together for a little bit and soaked up all the craziness...there were TV crews taping as well and we were both like "oh shit, is this really gonna wind up on TV?" :) After a while he went ahead and I stuck with Dr. Evil and DD...we ran by the Summerstage and could could hear "Rappers Delight" playing and I was in a silly mood and just singing along..."hotel, motel, Holiday Inn!..." Oh, there was also one guy who thought this was a race, I was running easy past him, and he just had to speed up and pass me...annoying!! We got to the transverse and everyone wearing underwear was directed to turn left...NOT go up Cat Hill! :) Nearing the end, I saw some teammates here and there, and they'd cheer for me...and the 2 guys I was running next to were like "cool, you have your own cheering section!" (ahh...to be locally famous in the NYC running scene.) The finish was the actual finish of the NYC Triathlon-was very cool to actually cross that finish line!! :)
Past the finish line, it was a total madhouse. Everyone was trying to get their free t-shirt and pair of boxers...then something to drink. Too many bodies in a small space in 90 degree heat after running 1.8 miles...you get the idea. There was free Chipotle food afterwards but as per usual right after running in the heat, I could not eat a thing. I found some of my teammates and we talked and laughed at how crazy we all were.
I'm glad I did this-one of those "only in New York" things :) And just for 1.8 miles, I sorta felt like one of those elite female runners...as in races they usually don't wear much more than I was!! :) I really thought I'd feel more self-conscious but I didn't...guess because everyone was in the same boat!!
And as the naked shorts in the post title-my "naked shorts" are still around, and in fact utilized on my long run today...that was just a joke in reference to this-thanks to Runner26 for pointing it out to me!! :)Labels: flyers, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 12:15 PM |
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| a pointy dilemma |
| Monday, July 14, 2008 |
So this coming Saturday brings the next race in the local club points series-the Run for Central Park 4-miler. And even though I am one of the Flyers' captains, and I will be urging my group of 30-something women to run the race...I have no desire whatsoever to run it!!
I was actually hoping to get in a long run on that day, as on Sunday I will be spectating and cheering on the run course of the NYC Triathlon. Right now, I gotta be choosy as to what short races I do...as I'm racing tomorrow and I think that is more than enough for the week. I could possibly add on miles before and after, but I really don't want to do that...don't feel like spending another $20 on that.
Oh the irony-me and my support of short races, and now i'm saying the team points schedule clashes with my marathon training. But on the other hand, I prefer to run short earlier in the year, where the team points schedule includes 15Ks and half-marathons that I'm not in shape for. Yeah...I'm not speedy enough to even score for the team, so why am I fretting. Well, I guess in a way, I feel I need to "lead by example"...if I am asking those girls to run those races, I should do the same if possible!!
And don't get me wrong. I'm proud of our team's successes, it's great to see them honored at Club Night year after year, I hope this year is the year that our men's open team wins first in their division...I do support them wholeheartedly. But-when it comes down to it-I do have individual goals. And I know there are quite a few others who feel they are in that same boat. And is it really fair for NYRR to decide what my goal races for the year should be, just because I am part of a team? And I don't think that makes me-or anyone else in that position-any less of a team player.
Curious to hear thoughts from other local NYC club peeps on this!!Labels: flyers, nyrr |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 7:19 PM |
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| not bad for just a training run |
| Sunday, July 13, 2008 |
Ugh. This morning, I was really questioning my sanity at deciding to do the Park to Park 10K, after a nite full of caipirinhas and wine and obviously not a lot of sleep. I woke up feeling slightly hung over, and slept til the last possible minute...meaning not being able to get in my full pre-race routine. I pondered going back to sleep and just going to the pool later...but I knew I was gonna need to get in the miles somehow, so I dragged myself out the door...wearing my regular trainers as opposed to my lightweight ones to ensure that I wouldn't race this thing.
Warmed up with a mile to the baggage area and dropped off my bag and found my way to the start...didn't spot many Flyers, though I think quite a few were doing a long run up in Van Cortlandt Park today. Headed to the red corral...but honestly, I am not sure how well these corrals were being policed today, as I saw someone that should have been in the green corral (2 corrals back) lined up right near me. Whatever, I wasn't racing this thing so it didn't affect me but still...whats the point of having these corrals if they aren't being policed?
 So, we were off. I was content to stick to the right, and just let whoever pass me. I concentrated on just staying relaxed and keeping an easy, consistent pace...slowing for water when I needed it (but practicing my funneling technique...didn't slow down to walk) and pulling back if I felt I was breathing too hard (which I don't think happened once!)...I did reserve the right to pick it up a little in the last mile if I was still feeling good :) And how did this turn out?
9:03
8:56
8:49
8:58
8:51
8:26
1:42
54:45, 8:49 pace. Perfect!! Once again, pretty damn good pacing job, huh? I was quite pleased.
Afterwards, I found my teammates and a few of us hit up Lasker Pool...a Flyer tradition continues. There won't be any pics of us on the NYRR site this year, but it was still fun!! And the cold pool felt so damn good.
I sorta hesitate to categorize this as a race report, since this wasn't a true race effort, but I guess you can say this is one of what will be quite a few dress rehearsals for the big one. Also-I was wearing my HRM but didn't look at the readings until afterwards...wanted to see how capable I was at judging effort without constantly looking at the numbers. Wouldn't you know it, the average heart rate wound up being smack dab in the middle of my easy zone. Nice!! It was at its highest on the hills, but that's to be expected. So, could 8:49-or somewhere in the viscinity-be my marathon pace? Got 16 weeks to find that out, let's see what happens in that time...Labels: flyers, race, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 5:29 PM |
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| what the hell is in the water? |
| Tuesday, July 08, 2008 |
seriously. is the marriage bug catching in my office or something? in the last coupla weeks there have been not 1, not 2, but 3 engagements (2 of the 3 just happening last week!) which i found out about yesterday and today. and my favorite part is being told "you're next." please. i've been hearing that for about 10 years, and it's really getting old...seriously, what do you say to respond to that? "No i'm not!"
so yeah, i think that left me a little out of sorts yesterday evening. i did participate in the Flyers' First Monday run...5 miles along the west side and around the bottom tip of Manhattan and ending at a great viewing spot to see all 4 waterfalls, then hitting up a downtown bar for drinks. Though I guess it was fun, I made sure to keep it a recovery pace...I dunno, my heart was sorta not in it...more emotionally tired, I think. (Legs surprisingly not sore-maybe there is something to those trail surfaces...) Hindsight, i probably shoulda just run solo and called it a day (night)
Wouldn't you know it-this was my horoscope for yesterday...
"Today you may be too overwhelmed with emotions to get anything done. Instead of repressing your feelings, give in and have a good cry. You'll feel better once you let everything out in the open."
and today...
"Romance is on your mind a lot today. You want to have a fairy tale love affair, but you're also unsure if you want to risk heartbreak. Keep in mind that a passionate relationship is attainable, but only through hard work, compromise, chemistry and a little luck."
I swear, how do these people know?
Yankee game tomorrow with work! This should be, uh, interesting. And speaking of baseball, anyone else see those baseball-themed Statues of Liberty promoting the all-star game that are strategically placed around the city? I snapped this pic of the Detroit one thats in my building...wanna get a pic of the Yankees one! :)
 Labels: baseball, flyers, running, socializing, work |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 2:10 PM |
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| bridges and arches-and celeb sightings too!! |
| Sunday, June 22, 2008 |
 This past Saturday, I participated in a annual Flyers tradtion-the "Bridges and Arches run"-an 8 mile jaunt over bridges, under arches, and discovering many hills that should probably stay undiscovered :) I was tapped to be one of the "shephards"-cute name for one of the run leaders :) I had done that 2 years ago and was glad to do it again! This is definitely one of my favorite runs and I was a little disappointed to have missed it last year when I was in San Francisco. And if the run wasn't exciting enough, while at brunch we had a celeb sighting!! Check it out in the picture below :)
So...this run was the longest run of a 28-mile week (which also included 2 yoga classes and a spin class.) I will say though...the legs did feel tired by today!! Hope that is not a taste of things to come as marathon training begins one week from tomorrow!! In prep for that, I got new shoes...figured this week is as good as any to road-test the Asics Cumulus 10s...see if they feel as good on the roads as they did during the treadmill test run-or if I will need to stockpile several pairs of the 9's. Better to know before training starts, right?
Non-running stuff in the last few days included...
- happy hour with the coworkers at Red Sky Friday nite to welcome the summer interns-oh, and an excuse for an open bar too...
- saw Altar Boyz today-absolutely hysterical. Go see it if you already haven't. If you like boy bands-and/or mocking boy bands-you'll like this :)
- Jury duty is over with, done with, won't be buggering me for 6 years!! Came thisclose to getting picked for a case though...guess I said the right thing to not get picked! :)
One more week to go before it's time to get to work...man, it's so so close!! Though can the weather gods please spare NYC of the constant thunderstorms? :)Labels: drinking, flyers, marathon, running, running shoes, socializing, work |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 9:59 PM |
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| no t-shirt this year |
| Monday, June 16, 2008 |
The past few years, i've picked up a t-shirt from the Father's Day 5-mile race and given it to my dad as part of his Father's Day gift (figured he can always use a new t-shirt for the "rotation"! :-p ) However, he was a tiny bit disappointed this year when I showed up with no t-shirt in hand. (Though I think that disappointment was short-lived when he got his gift of a new Mickey Mantle shirt.)
Yeah-for the first time since I've been running NYRR races, I decided to bail on signing up for this year's Father's Day race. Even though it's on the friendlier of the Central Park 5-mile courses (clockwise lower 5), the race has been plagued by hot weather the last coupla years and I was not up for a repeat of last weekend. Instead, I figured I'd just get an easy run in and cheer on the guys...might as well, as they were nice enough to cheer for me last weekend :) Turned out to be the right decision, it was humid as hell out and just an easy-paced run felt tough. However, the Flyer guys done good for this race.
Plus also, I was able to get a longer run in on Saturday...if I were racing, I probably wouldn't have done that...but with marathon training starting in 2 weeks (eek!!) I really have to get comfortable with double-digit mileage runs. Did about 11 and a half miles...down the west side, around the bottom tip of Manhattan, up the East Side a little bit. Was raining the last few miles of my run and it felt great. However, saw lightning near the end and wasted no time in trying to find a subway. And once I got out of the subway on the UWS, it was a torrential downpour...the first of many that evening.
Yeah, I shouldn't have procrastinated-but I was knocking back a few Boat Basin margaritas at the Flyers' TGIFF happy hour (good lord, I keep forgetting how strong those strawberry ones are) and my body desperately needed an extra coupla hours of sleep. Was fun...big turnout this time, I think partially because the 40+ peeps missed hanging out with us under 40s so much 2 weeks ago :-pLabels: drinking, flyers, running, socializing |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 1:15 PM |
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| the need for speed relay...i mean "fun run", report |
| Monday, June 09, 2008 |
 yeah, there is meaning to that title. you'll see later.
Third time doing the Need for Speed Relay, second time with Flyer Team Black!! Yeah, we all liked each other so much we actually wanted to spend another day in a van together. :) Unfortunately, DM had to drop at the last minute due to other commitments...but we gained 2 new members, including the Laminator!! (actually...this team was almost half bloggers!! as you will see...)
I was nervous about the weather forecast, especially considering my choke job at the Mini the day before. All I could do was prep-hydrate, consume as many salty foods/snacks/drinks as possible...and just plan to take things easy and conservative. Actually-as I had the last leg, I was most nervous that there wouldn't be any water left by the end...so I planned to carry a sports bottle of Gatorade with me.
 So, as our team's start time was in the last heat-8:45 am-didn't mean as early a wake-up call than in the past and we hit the road around 7:15 am...making it up to Bear Mountain in plenty of time. We then met up with the Flyer Red team, who had the same start time as us (the Flyer White team and the Flyer Diamonds team had earlier start times) and just chatted, took pics, pre-gamed. Soon, it was getting close to 8:45 and time for our runners to be at the start-DG for us, PD for Flyer Red. They made several last announcements...including possible course evacuation plans in case of severe weather conditions (remember this...comes into play later.) All vans had to be out of the area before the runners were off, but RB (aka Dr. Evil) decided that he couldn't wait til the next exchange area for a bathroom break. The announcer decided to take advantage of that and embarass him :-p
This time...I'll give a leg-by-leg description of the day of Team Black...
Leg 1-While DG was running, our plan was to stop near the midway point of the leg to cheer and offer water if he needed it. Saw PD, who looked like he was working hard. A vehicle came by and said there was only one other runner on the course...it was DG, who looked like he wasn't doing well-he was walking, and followed by the sweep ambulance. We gave him water, sprayed him with a water spray bottle that we had, and told him to just take it easy. It was a little unsettling, seeing DG followed by the ambulance, but on the other hand...at least he's being watched. We then drove to the exchange area and walked to the hand-off point...on the way, we saw the Red team, and PD said he had to walk a few times...man, the heat was knocking the strong down, and it was still early!! We waited for DG to come in...saw the girl who was just ahead of him on the course, saw the sweeper ambulance...and boy, was I worried-thankfully a race official said DG was fine, was just walking and needed some Gatorade and shortly we saw him, running into the transition area and handing off to RB. He said it was a tough time, but also admitted to going out too fast in the beginning...well that just solidified my plan to be conservative!!
Leg 2-on the way to this leg, I texted Runner26, who ran this leg for the Diamonds team, to make sure she was OK, and she replied back that it was tough, hot but she felt fine. Her team was leaving the exchange area just as we got there, and we saw the Red team waiting for their runner. However-we found out some not-so-good news...as apparently there were route marker arrows on the trail switched and/or moved and so people were getting lost. The Hellgate team, who had been leading after leg 1, had their leg 2 runner get so lost that they had race volunteers looking for him...that's how bad it had gotten. We were looking up into the woods for RB to come down the hill to the finish...but RB ran to the finish from the other direction-apparently he made a wrong turn near the end! He handed off to the Laminator, who then was running the longest leg of the relay-9.3 miles!
Leg 3-we picked up another passenger on the way to the next exchange area!! We offered to give a ride to Matt from Hellgate since the remainder of his teammates were staying behind to make sure their leg 2 runner made it OK. All 4 Flyer teams were at the next exchange area waiting for their leg 3 runners, so we all gabbed and tried to stay out of the sun. But we were hearing runners were getting lost on this leg too...man, does it ever end??? We saw JM and JS come in for the White and Diamonds teams, respectively. However-this caused concern as team Red's runner, SS, had passed them both during the leg and he had not come in yet. And considering he's a very fast runner...even if he was taking it easy and just going at training pace, it was still too long a time for him to be running 9.3 miles-and we let the officials know of the concerns. And then we saw a Flyer singlet and a red bandana...it was Crazy Ban...oops, sorry, it was our Laminator!! :-p He had gotten lost too-added approximately a mile, but was glad to have made it in one piece. A few minutes later, SS did make it in...he was thankfully OK, but did get lost and added a sh*tload of miles on because of that.
Leg 4-this was actually a pretty drama-free leg. jb24 did a great job running the 2.9 miles and then handed off to GW.
Leg 5-we passed all 4 Flyer runners on the way to the next exchange area and honked and cheered for them...unfortunately we had to do a U-turn as we missed the turnoff onto the Saw Mill River Parkway!! When we got to the exchange area, we saw Matt from Hellgate again-we offered to give him another ride as his teammates were MIA (as it turned out, they were tending to a fallen runner!) GW made it in and described feeling chilled-like I did during the Mini...and that he would not have made it if another Flyer hadn't offered him some of her water. Man...the conditions were no joke today.
 Leg 6-another low-drama leg for the most part...no getting lost getting to the next exchange area, and TH did well running this leg, with little complaint except the usual "it was HOT!"
Leg 7-this was my leg the last 2 years, but this time I decided to let someone else have a chance at it, this year it would be our Cap'n SW. 2 legs to go til I'm up. I started to prep...stretching, dousing myself with water...I was actually a little nervous not just because of the heat, but we were the 2nd Flyer team-and I know Team White's runner who was running leg 9 is much faster than me and I knew I wouldn't hear the end of it if she passed me. But I had to do what I had to do...and finish upright. Anyway, SW finished and handed off to Johnny (and I think SW was very happy that i did give her this leg!)
Leg 8 to the end...the real drama:
I was psyched, but quite nervous to run my leg. I was excited to cross the finish line for my team, but apprehensive about the heat, knowing I don't handle it too well! Fortunately, there was a bit of cloud cover and it had cooled a tiny bit (probably only 90 as opposed to 92 degrees.) Being that Johnny was gonna kick butt on his short leg, we knew I wouldn't have much time to prep-so my teammates dropped me off by the exchange area and then went to park the van. After a couple of minutes-I heard something that in the back of my mind, I thought could happen (think back to before the start!) but hoping wouldn't... "Attention-due to severe thunderstorms coming into the area-we have to shut the course down and stop the relay!"Meaning-those who were already on leg 9 could finish, but for every other team-they had to finish the leg they were on and call it a day. Unfortunately, this meant Team Black's day was over after leg 8 and I would not get to run my leg. I was PISSED!! After all this, I don't even get to run? (plus...a good friend of mine was supposed to run this leg 2 years ago but due to circumstances beyond his control, couldn't...so I wanted to run this leg "for" him :) ) A lot of others were none too happy either-"They let us run around in 95 degree heat all day, and now they're shutting things down because of a little rain?" I've run 2 half-marathons in the rain!! Hell-I'd WELCOME rain at this point to cool things down!! Thank god-my teammates were very supportive. GW gave me a consoling hug-he just knew how upset I was and that was honestly what I needed at that moment. My team did ask me if I still wanted to run my leg "unofficially", but knowing that the Flyer Red team was going to be the only Flyer team to finish-I did want to support them at the finish line. So to the finish we went...and we were passing runners...some still "officially" running, some not...so my teammates encouraged me to at least run part of my leg and still cross the finish line.  So run it I did-ran what turned out to be the last 3 miles of the 5.7 mile final leg. Make no mistake-it was hot-but i just took it easy and played it smart. By that time, I was just wearing a sports bra and my running skirt w/ no singlet but it was not making much of a difference, temp-wise. But it actually wasn't so bad, i was thinking "I'm sure i could have done the whole 5.7 if need be!" I still couldn't believe we missed the cutoff by a matter of minutes...yeah, i guess you can say i was running on pissed-off energy. The finish line did come, sooner than I thought...turned the final corner, heard music, applause, my great teammates cheering as I crossed the finish line with a smile. Yes-I crossed the finish line of the first annual "Need For Speed Fun Run!" :) I kinda felt like those who crossed the finish line at Chicago '07 after it was made into a "fun run"...hey, we wouldn't be Team Black without bending the rules at least once!! :) And didn't do half-bad, time-wise...Mr. Garmin said about 3 miles in 27:19.
 At the after-party, I just went straight for the beer....didn't even feel like eating. We were allowed 2 large cups of beer and i downed em both. And the announcement was made that the real reason why the race was shut down was heat-related...too many people going to the hospital due to severe dehydration....apparently local authorities told the race organizers to shut things down. Just like Chicago i guess...and honestly, why didn't they say that from the beginning? i would have completely understood-it's nice to try your hardest for the team, but at the end of the day-you just want everyone safe and sound, and thankfully all 4 Flyer teams were...which was the most important thing. After the first coupla legs, i think the only thing on anyone's mind was finishing in one piece.
So-after all is said and done, it was still a very memorable day...one that really showed the true definition of teamwork-within the team and outside of it. And it was a fun day with the team...including some "team Black moments." And I was able to "liveblog" the race from my Treo!! I posted periodic updates on the Flyers' message board...gotta love technology!! As for the race organization...I don't blame them for their decision to stop the relay early, as it probably saved lives in the end...however, being that we missed the cutoff by a matter of minutes...if only the trails were better marked and less people getting lost...if only they decided with the conditions being treacherous, to make the start earlier...we could have made it in time for me to run the last leg, to cross the finish line officially for my team. Or that could have prevented other complications from happening (such as the one that needed medical assistance in leg 5.)
But-as I said before-most important thing was that everyone was OK in the end. And would I do this relay again? I think I would-I think this year was an anomaly with the weather and hopefully this is a learning experience!! Labels: flyers, race, running, running skirt |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 9:38 PM |
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| need for speed relay 2008-the cliffs notes version |
| Sunday, June 08, 2008 |
oh boy...this year's edition of Need For Speed was a doozy.
Mother Nature was, well a mother f*cker today. It was hot as hell from the beginning. Everyone was struggling. Some were getting lost on the trails. But all Flyers were putting up a great fight.
However-out of 4 Flyer teams entered-only one was allowed to officially finish-and that was not the one I was on.
As we arrived at the exchange area for leg 8 to leg 9 (the final leg!)-we were told that due to "severe weather coming into the area", that the relay had to be shut down, that anyone who started on leg 9 can continue to the finish...but for everyone else, they had to finish the leg they were on and call it a day.
So guess who on our team was supposed to run leg 9? Yep, me. Boy, was I not a happy camper.
At first, I just wanted to go to the end to support the one Flyer team that can finish-but halfway there, my teammates saw others still running and encouraged me to...so I did the last 3 miles of that leg. Nice and easy...it was hot, but I had Gatorade with me, ran conservative and felt fine. And was able to cross the finish line-albeit unofficially. (And I knew I could have done the full 5.7 if I was able to....)
At the "awards ceremony" (lord only knows how the placings were determined...)-they mentioned the real reason for stopping the race-it was the heat, there were way too many reports of dehydration. (which honestly-if they had just said so from the beginning, I would have understood...)
But thankfully-everyone-at least in the Flyer camp-was OK. That was the most important part...
Anyway, full report to come in the next day or 2. Need to rest now...Labels: flyers, race, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 6:46 PM |
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| mini 10k 1, me 0 |
| Saturday, June 07, 2008 |
 oh. my. god. this is one race you definitely do not f*ck with.
Well, the Mini 10K actually didn't start off so bad. Though the weather predictions were frightening, I was really just planning to play it by ear. Even though it was hot when jogging to the start area, I was still kinda sorta hopeful...
So I met up with some other Flyers (including Runner26) and we headed over to the start line...and after all the fuss about the bib color yesterday, actually quite a few of us had red bibs. And honestly, once the barrier between the red and blue corral was taken away, we were able to move up and actually had a pretty good starting position. Now all we had to do was wait for the starting horn...
Mile 1 (7:38)-I knew this was gonna be a fast mile, but I really did try to hold back some effort here. Crowd support was great along this stretch, saw Crazy Bandana-head taking pics :) Saw my mile split and was surprised.
Mile 2 (7:56)-into the park and saw Flyers EF and SK cheering (as well as PD right before I entered the park.) Again, tried to maintain a comfortably hard effort...hmm, maybe the weather isn't gonna defeat me this time.
Mile 3 (8:10)-first of the killer hills!! When I got done with that, really tried to use the downhill as much as I could to my advantage...saw the Flyers' Mr. President cheering. Slowed for water in this mile-I knew I would regret it if I didn't, as I didn't take in mile 1 and felt like I needed it.
The 5K point...hit that in 24:43 and thought, hmmmm, not bad!! Still under 8's. Maybe I actually am holding it together.
 Mile 4 (8:47)-Or so I thought. Things started to go wrong here. Even though my legs were fine, breathing wasn't too hard, my body was giving signs that it was not responding too well to the heat-actually felt a little clammy and chilled-so I had to back off the effort for a good part of the mile. Saw Flyer JB running in the other direction and cheering...and Flyers GW and LH at Engineer's Gate...and just like last year, GW yelled at me to save some effort for Need For Speed tomorrow. Was so tempted to yell back "f*ck you" but didn't :-p
Mile 5 (8:35)-Thank god for two cheering contingents in this mile, otherwise it would have been much worse...still wasn't feeling great. First, at 84th Street, Uptown Girl and a bunch of her TRD teammates were cheering. As I passed I yelled out to Uptown Girl something like "You were so smart to not sign up for this!!" Their guys were cheering hard and trying to encourage me-thanks guys, I really did need it around this time!! :) I did see both Gatorade and water tables in this mile and did slow down to a walk instead of drinking on the run-I really needed the Gatorade then. Too bad it was so watered down!! I told myself then, "less than a half-mile til the Flyer guys." Down the hill and yep, Bandana-head and the rest of the NYF cheering contingent was there and so was the mile 5 marker.
Mile 6 (8:58)-this felt like a death march...I did the one thing I did not want to do and had to walk. Flyer JS passed by and asked if I was OK...I told her I was, but she did look back a couple times-thanks, JS. :) Now....it was just about survival...I just wanted it to be over. Saw PD again cheering...I kinda signaled that I wasn't doing too well. Once again...was so glad to see the "800m to go" sign.
last .2 (1:46)-meh...no finishing kick here. was totally spent, and the hill to the finish did damage again.
Wound up with 51:50-8:21 pace (wanna hear something funny? last year's time was 50:51, 8:12 pace. Talk about a reversal!!) 5K splits of 24:43/27:07...damn.
 Afterwards, first thing I got was Gatorade and water (smart move to have those tables first this year!!) and downed 'em faster than a shot. Then got the finisher's medal and rose...sorry, I meant pink carnation. Then found my teammates and other friends and shared the usual "OMG, this sucked" stories :) I did stick around for the awards ceremony, and the raffle drawing (hey, I hoped one good thing would have come out of the morning!)...just looking at the top finish times, looked like the elites were affected too!!
As for me? Did I make some race-day errors? I honestly think even if my first 5K were a minute slower, that the heat would have still gotten to me. Unfortunately the only way to deal with it is being acclimated, and obviously I wasn't (unlike, say, Club Champs in August.) I know I should be happy to have just made it though, and believe me I am. Just sucks when Mother Nature messes with goal, or even semi-goal races. (and dammit, will I ever run a sub-50 10K again?) Was thinking of doing next weekend's 5-miler as a chance at some sort of redemption, but the weather forecast doesn't look too great for that either...so wait it out til Club Champs, I guess.
And tomorrow? It's gonna be an easy (pace, not effort) run-definitely not by choice!!Labels: flyers, race, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 1:14 PM |
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| one weekend down |
| Sunday, June 01, 2008 |
yes, of course in the season that goes by quickest, as does the first weekend of said season. i really hope this is not a trend though!! two highlights of the weekend...
...first one being the first of the Flyers' summer "TGIFF" happy hours. Was the Central Park Boathouse and thankfully, no rain as has been the trend for most of the Boathouse happy hours :) However, there was a sorta conflict this nite-as our team's 40+ runners had their own social event that night, but we all felt the TGIFF party should go on because...seriously, why should the under 40s have to stay at home? But, being the mischief-maker that I am, I made it my duty to let some of our masters men know via text message what they were missing. Or what I made them believe they were missing :-p (c'mon...dancing on tables...that's believable, right?) And eventually, some of those guys did pay us young'uns a visit after their social was over...ah, never can resist the pull of the under-40 crowd :)
Today was another visit to Rockefeller State Park...a different route...little bit longer (around 8.5 miles), a coupla different trails...and one hill that I felt was almost as bad as that one killer kill in the Palisades!! But honestly, I can't say enough about the trail surface, I think as one of my teammates has told me plenty of times in the past, it really does lead to shorter recovery time. Was a fun time...during the run and before/after the run...Harley motorcycles on the highway and on the streets with the drivers fist-butting at every intersection :)...peanut butter chocolate chip pancakes at brunch...yum.
************************************************************************************
And got quite a bit of stuff going on, running-race wise this summer!!
- Starting off with the annual favorite Mini 10K...please weather gods, have mercy on us this year!! (In other words, the weather forecast has 6 days to improve...)
- Then for the thirs year in a row, doing my weekend double...Team Black will be back for the Need for Speed Relay...this year I have a different-but still easy-leg. But I'm really just in it for the hijinks in the Team Black van :-p
- Not exactly a race, but still an organized run...the Underwear Run on NYC Tri weekend. I really hope I do not regret signing up for it...lol
- Thinking of possibly doing a weeknight 5K in Hoboken in July...
- Of course, the Club Team Champs 5-miler in August
- And signed up for the Philly Distance Run in September!! (still officially summer) Have been dying to run a flat half-marathon for awhile...and hey, Philly has shown that it can put on a great race ;-)
And in the midst of all this...damn, can't believe NYC Marathon training starts in 5 weeks. Meaning I have 5 weeks to come up with a training plan. In 2006 I peaked at 42 mpw...but then, I didn't really cross-train. I'm sorta thinking this time around that crazy mileage wouldn't be a good idea-peaking at 45 mpw maybe? 50 tops?-since I would like to fit in more cross-training....the quality over quantity idea. Since surprisingly my race times have gotten better this year while running less miles. Dunno if I'm making sense here... :) (doublechecked-actually NYCM training would begin on June 30th...meaning 4 weeks to come up with a plan!! eek...) Labels: drinking, flyers, marathon, running, socializing |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 8:10 PM |
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| i love me some cilantro |
| Friday, May 16, 2008 |
Not the herb (though I do like that too!) but actually the restaurant. Seems to have been a hit with the Flyers the last 2 weeks!! And personally, I can't pass up their chicken fajitas with whole wheat tortillas and frozen pomegranate margaritas (which are much stronger than the overpriced Rosa Mexicano ones!)
Last nite a few of us gathered there for a little team powwow...yep, Team Black is back for another go-around!! If last nite was any indication, we're in for another fun day...I'm sure there will be a lot of "talking legs." :-p
Then last Wednesday was the Flyers' annual "let's celebrate Cinco de Mayo not on May 5th so we can avoid the crowds!" fiesta. This consisted of a 3-stop bar crawl...had the option of doing 1 stop, 2 stops, or if you have the endurance...all 3!! And you know I am better at endurance than I am at sprints...so you can guess what I did. Yep me and only 2 other brave souls decided on the early start and had a $3 margarita at Blockheads...before trekking a few blocks to Mustang Grill, where a few others started to join us. We had the back room to ourselves for a bit, so that was fun!! Finally, we headed a few blocks north to the final destination-Cilantro, which had the biggest crowd of the nite. More margaritas, some salsa, guac, fajitas, you name it...some fun trivia quizzes on NYC Mexican restaurants, Cinco de Mayo history, and tequila. I scored 100% on the first 2 (the restaurant one I finished answering in a minute!) but didn't fare as well on the tequila one. But was fun-and like any endurance event, paced myself well!!
Oh-that event was a certain other blogger's first Flyer event...yep, the Laminator is officially one of us. (welcome to the dark side...hehe.) Definitely as nice in person as he is on his blog...heck, he kept me company last nite during the group run when no one else would (probably since I called him out on this post...hehe.)
And on the topic of last nite's group run, a little bit of a mini-rant. OK...according to Mr. Garmin, I ran about a 9:10-9:15 pace for the loop last nite. Which considering the fact that my legs were still tired from Wednesday's tracky behavior and just felt like an easy run to "shake them out" a little bit...was pretty much what I should be doing. But the fact that in a group of about 15 people, I was SO far behind everyone...am I crazy, or is something wrong here? Since when has 9:15 pace become back of the pack? Yeah, I know-the runs are different for everyone, some are faster, some may not be using this as an easy/recovery run...but it is insane that I still have to worry about having to run by myself, or getting dropped. There...rant over.
(And in case anyone was gonna say it's the pot calling the kettle black...yes, I did use to be one of those. And I did learn my lesson and dealt with 3 years of injury/overtraining BS because of it. Trying to be smarter now...)
Got my bib for tomorrow's race...I'm yellow!! Which is the 3rd corral for those keeping track at home...not too shabby!! I'm curious to experience this whole corral hoopla for myself.Labels: drinking, flyers, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 12:45 PM |
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| NYRR probably thinks I don't even run |
| Wednesday, May 07, 2008 |
Just got my Spring 2008 issue of NY Runner magazine in the mail yesterday...and first flipped to my favorite section, the "This Running Town" pullout...as it highlights the local scene.
 And on the back cover...well looky looky here. Why it's me and Flyer JD, smiling pretty for the photographer before the Colon Cancer 4-miler. Very cool! :) So...why the title? Well, thats because any pictures that NYRR has captured of me and published-be it print or online-I'm either.... frolicking in Lasker Pool after the Dash and Splash looking silly on the dance floor posing with teammates before a race They have yet to get a picture of me actually running :-p But honestly-not complaining. I actually think it's kinda funny!! Labels: flyers, nyrr |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 10:51 AM |
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| start slow, hammer home |
| Sunday, April 13, 2008 |
So obviously at today's Run as One 4-Miler, I didn't want to make the same mistake that I made in Wednesday's speed workout, and blow it in the first mile. Did that strategy work? Read on...
Arrived at the race to usual NYRR chaos. Looked around for the baggage area for several minutes to no avail...25 minutes to the start!! Finally asked a volunteer who pointed me in the direction of the stairs by the stage...ah, shoulda known from last year. But man-getting in and out of the baggage area was ridiculously crowded...I'm sure there were quite a few people who missed the boat for the local elite start (since they have to be lined up 15 minutes early) or even the actual start due to not being able to find the baggage and taking forever to get in/out of there. So dropped off my bag, got to the start....lined up between the 7 and 8...all with about 10-15 minutes to spare. And oh yeah-I went iPod free for this race! Did that help? Maybe...
Mile 1-crossed in a little over a minute, did once again have to dodge walkers, but it wasnt as painful as other times...helped having the extra running lane!! I tried to keep Wednesday's workout in mind-and run this mile hard, but at a pace that would leave something in the legs for the rest of the race...this mile was 7:53...not bad, but a little slower than I would have liked (3 seconds slower than this mile in last month's 4-miler...)
Mile 2-picked it up on the flatter mile. Saw teammate SD up ahead-she and I are pretty similar at the short distances, so I made her my "rabbit" for the remainder of the race-keep her in my sights, if at all possible. This mile was 7:34-now that's more like it!! At 15:27 cumulative, definitely on track to better last month's race as long as I don't fall | | |
