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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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| doin' the wave |
| Tuesday, August 12, 2008 |
Wow!!
So the latest/greatest change to the NYC Marathon-this year there will be three wave starts!!
I know there were complaints about the one in the green start last year-but after hearing positive reviews of wave starts from marathons like Boston, I think this may not be so bad. Of course, they'll have to do away with the "F" start, but it's worth it for a cleaner overall start and less congestion on the streets.
This is-of course-providing that they really do police the corrals (as they do with the NYRR races), since as we all know, this has never happened in the past...
Other NYC Marathon-ers...what are your thoughts?Labels: marathon, nyrr |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 3:55 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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| 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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| 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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| decisions, decisions |
| Sunday, March 23, 2008 |
well, the latest switcharoo on the NYRR calendar has, I'm sure, left plenty of racing plans in flux, mine included...
This past week or so, there was a little controversy with the Brooklyn Half-was originally scheduled for April 26th, then there was an announcement saying it was getting moved, then said announcement went away, finally this week there was an announcement saying it was getting pushed back a week to May 3rd. Supposedly the reason being that it would not have been kosher-no pun intended-to have an event on Ocean Parkway during the end of Passover. (between this, and the scheduling of the Queens Half last year...does NYRR ever look to see when the major Jewish holidays are???)
So now the rescheduled Brooklyn Half falls the day before the Broad Street Run. Part of me wants to continue with my original plan-being that my long run is up to 9.3 miles, I think I will be more than comfortable with the 10-mile distance by that time.
However-Brooklyn is remaining as a club points race, so I think the pressure would be on for me to do that one, even as a training run. And if there were any teammates that were thinking of doing Broad Street (we do get a few Flyers doing it each year), more than likely they'll probably do Brooklyn instead. Also, as you all know...I do sorta have a score to settle with the Brooklyn course.
I figure I have a week to decide, before the prices go up...Labels: nyrr, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 8:31 PM |
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| yeah, i think those 2 boroughs are one and the same too |
| Monday, March 17, 2008 |
i couldn't resist.
hmmm...maybe that's why Queens is currently missing from the August calendar...they are planning a dual-borough extravaganza to just nip those last 2 boroughs in the bud. The day after a 20-mile Long Training Run, no less!! I'm sure lots of people will be quite sore that Monday...teehee :-pLabels: nyrr |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 1:58 PM |
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| those blue drinks are evil!! |
| Saturday, March 08, 2008 |
 See those drinks that me and crazybandanahead are holding? Those are Blue Moonaritas-just should be referred to as "just plain evil." I hadn't even checked in at the NYRR Club Night yet before I had one handed to me. Yep, just that alone shoulda signaled how the evening was gonna be.
Don't get me wrong, I did have a great time. After a lot of efforts in the last month or so to fill the Flyer tables (it was tougher this year-partially because the price had gone up again, but partially because once again, it was too close to the awards gala)-we got there, and had a pretty good group attending...from the open runners to the super vets.
 Our team was the recipients of team awards yet again...our open men won third in their division, and our veteran women won second in theirs (and from what I heard-were very close to first!!) I of course initiated the screaming, I mean cheering when they were announced...congrats again, but next year I want to see both of you get first and get up on stage! :)
Then-the individual awards...and as everyone was quite antsy to get do the dancing, I do appreciate the efforts to move along this part of the program as quickly as possible. Our veteran superstar had won her age group last year, and was up again this year but unfortunately lost out (you'll get em next year!!)
 And then came my favorite part...the dancing. And this year, I actually got nabbed on the NYRR site...with what is apparently my "signature arm in the air move" (as I was doing that same move in quite a few pics on the Flyer site!! Need a new schtick...) But by then, those damn blue drinks snuck up on me. Needless to say, there was no repeat of last year's post party, and I was glad I had off from work on Friday :)
All in all? Another fun and inspirational evening (and bandanahead agrees) If I can be running my best times 10 or so years down the line I'd be happy...but next year, stick solely to wine!! :) Labels: flyers, nyrr, party |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 3:49 PM |
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| another pointless race!! |
| Friday, February 22, 2008 |
Two years in a row!!
Last March, a club points race got cancelled, now it's happened again-the Snowflake 4-miler has been turned into a "fun run" due to the snow. Which means for me? Sleeping in!! No need to risk re-injury by running on slippery roads. Yeah, I know running in the snow is beautiful and special...but now's not the time for me to partake in that.
Unfortunately, the snow also disrupted my initial happy hour plans...trying to come up with an alternate...Labels: nyrr, race, snow |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 1:14 PM |
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| pointless race |
| Friday, March 16, 2007 |
as much as i hate winter, never have i been so glad that it came when it did.
tomorrow's NYRR 8000-which was at the ungodly hour of 7:30 am! (i can understand it in August, but in mid-March? though I bet that was because of the 8K champs afterwards) has not only been pushed back a half-hour, but will no longer be a club points race. which honestly was the only reason I signed up. whether i actually run it or not will be a game-day decision, but at least that pressure is off...
still doesn't mean I'm thrilled with this weather. I'm not. especially after those 2 spring teasers this week.
update 3/17:
looks like the decision was made for me, today was turned into a "fun run," but considering how it was a workout walking through the snow last night, i didn't even bother setting the alarm this morning...and seems that quite a few others at last night's Flyers happy hour were relieved too that it became a pointless race...Labels: nyrr, race, snow |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 3:55 PM |
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| devil with the blue dress on |
| Saturday, March 03, 2007 |
 yeah, i figure the title was appropriate given my attire for Club Night-and don't anyone start about how I really am the devil. (Oh, and this was the other dress I was deciding between for the Flyer awards gala.)
If anyone remembers, I organized the Flyer tables last year and was a sucker and volunteered to do it again this year. Though I did have a teammate help me out, it was a little bit more of a task this year, betweeen getting down to the wire to get recruits and communications between NYRR and us being not as good as they were last year...but whatever, we got the job done. Fellow blogger BCG joined me and 18 others to celebrate our team yet again!!
Our teammates had done good this evening...not only did our men get an award for second in the Open B Division (guys, this year will be your year!) but our veteran superstar won the award for her age group...I thought she was robbed last year, so was very glad to see her get it this year!! :) (and also inspiration that hitting the next age group does not always mean you slow down...as she had improved greatly the last couple years.) And once again, I think our tables' cheering had the highest decibel level :)
and eventually came the dancing part...same DJ as last year, and I think same songs as last year  (well, except for "SexyBack" since I always have to request it...it's a thing.) Wasn't as impressed with the DJ this year...I think the one at the Flyers awards gala played much better music (more 80s stuff, and more current stuff too.) Flyers FR, PD, SC and JD were my dance partners for most of the evening...well when guys twice my age were not trying to hit on me. Yes, I like older men, but there is a limit!! (I know I hit a new age group last year, but this was ridiculous...why can't guys my age be interested, dammit!! But one of them was quite persistent...after me, he tried hitting on BCG, then Madame President, then Madame President's husband!)
Unlike last year, when I think I was the last Flyer standing, we had quite a lively group this year that stuck it out til "New York, New York" (the last song of the evening.) JD was intent on keeping the party going and suggested we all hit Faces & Names for a round of post-party drinks. Which we did, and had a coupla more hours of drinks and lively conversation, and I don't know how the ass photos got inspired (see BCG's blog for a hint) but it was still pretty funny. (If a certain few of you are reading...memories of a certain someone's b-day, perhaps?) Before we knew it, was about 2 am and we all headed home.
Was a pretty fun evening...but in a way, a little bit...bittersweet...but hey, as the song goes, "i get by...with a little help...from my friends..."
now playing: "show me what you got" ~ jay-z Labels: flyers, nyrr, party |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 11:38 AM |
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| i'm...so...under pressure |
| Sunday, September 17, 2006 |
boy, this Long Training Run was the complete opposite of the one back in August...
And pretty much, a disasterous 20-miler for me. What happened? Well, when you're pace leading a 9:30 group, and those 9:15-ish types insist on pushing the pace and not listening to you or your fellow pace leaders when you yell to slow down, well you will die in the last few miles.
(Oh, and to add insult to injury, how about also chatting with a very nice, cute guy for the first 13 miles and having fun doing so-until he mentions a wife. Gentlemen, if you're married, please please please wear your wedding rings. I'm begging you. Have some mercy on poor deluded single women like myself.)
Well, it didn't start off so bad. After a lot of rain predictions, it looked like it was actually gonna hold off for us. Me and one of my friends who was also going to lead the 9:30s resolved to stick together this time (last time, she had wound up in a group that was pushing the pace and struggled at the end.) So the two of us and 2 others were the leaders at the front of the first 9:30 group. All the plans sorta fell apart in the first mile...as the pace was a little too fast, and the first mile marker was short, so we couldn't really gauge too well how we were doing. I kept yelling to pull it back, but the next couple of miles were still in the 9:15ish range. I just dropped back, otherwise I knew I was going to wind up dying, but the damage had already been done...
(what I think was going on here...is that for example, there is a pace group for 9:00, and one for 9:30. But where do those types in-between go? In this case, into the 9:30 group and they have a "pulling" effect on the group. I suggested that in the future, maybe the groups should be, for example, "between 9 and 9:30" and "between 9:30 and 10" and divide into 15 second subgroups. 15 seconds makes more of a difference than you would think...that's 6 1/2 minutes in a marathon!)
Unlike the very nice group I had back in August, this group just seemed to be kind of disobedient. The 7:00 pace group had passed us on the second loop, and I yelled for our group to get in the rec lane, as there were others coming through, and to share the park, but nope, once again, no one would listen. (Actually, the only one who listened to me and stuck with me and didn't push the pace was said cute married guy. OK, so I got through to someone!!)
The 3rd loop was miserable. JD and DL passed by with the 7:30 group and JD said I was "looking good" and I just shouted back "No I'm not." By that time, I was still maintaining 9:30s (give or take,) but falling way behind, to the point where I wasn't even leading a group any more. And I was really feeling crappy (no pun intended,) to the point where I had to make a port-o-potty stop around Cat Hill. Felt better afterwards, but completely lost my group. I remarked when I saw Jon pass by with his 8:00 group (and he looked waaaaay too happy for having run almost 20 miles) that "I didn't even know what I was leading anymore."
On the transverse after that loop, I saw my friend who was supposed to stick with me...well she looked as unhappy as I felt, and her story sounded a lot like mine. We stuck it out together through the final 4 miles...we didn't even think we could maintain 9:30s at this point, we're just like "get the job done." (I had taken off my pace leader singlet for that loop-partially because it had really warmed up, but partially because I was embarassed by how much I had fallen off the pace.) I was just dragging through that loop, plus even though I had taken 3 gels during the midst of this run (and I know I had eaten enough beforehand and the day/night before,) I was still feeling like nothing would fill me up and give me any energy. Finally, we made it to the end...was never so glad to be done with a training run in my life. I got my stuff from the baggage area, chatted a little bit with my teammate who helped coordinate the logistics for the pace leaders for this run (and thanked her for doing a great job-believe me, I know it is not an easy job.)
Unfortunately, this run knocked me out for the remainder of the day. Despite my intention to get some work done, it didn't happen, as my body decided it had enough, between this long run and just not getting enough sleep this week. (Not that I ever get enough sleep, so why should this week be any different than any other?) I don't know. Maybe, in hindsight, I should have dropped back a pace group this time around. But I still think I would have been fine had it not been for those fast few miles in the beginning. However, what's frustrating is that once again, at this point in the season, I should be feeling stronger and faster and I'm just not. (and to top it all off, getting on my co-worker's scale the day before and seeing the numbers being at least 10 pounds, if not more, over what I wanted to see...man, I really can't win here.) I mean, if a few 9:15-ish miles screw up a long run, then how am I ever going to run a sub-4 marathon?
Man, I just feel these days, like there's a dark cloud over me that doesn't look to be getting lighter or brighter any time soon. I think BrunetteChicagoGal called the reasoning for it right in her comment to me the other day. The work stress is spilling into all other areas of my life. The next 2 weeks are going to be heavier on the weekday mileage, little less on the weekend mileage, and I don't know how I'm going to get it all in without falling apart. (I've already established that social/personal life will have to be put on hold for awhile...) I'm just not a happy person right now, and unfortunately, I do not see things changing anytime soon...Labels: flyers, marathon, nyrr, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 11:50 AM |
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| if it looks wrong... |
| Wednesday, September 06, 2006 |
yep, i knew i was right to question that 23-minute first 5K split in that little 13.1 mile stroll through Manhattan. The latest results have that fixed...so looks like my splits (net time) netted out as follows...
5k-25:45 (8:18 pace)
10k-51:37 (8:19 pace)
"15k"-1:17:57 (who knows the pace...but dammit, if the 15K mat would have been in the right place it would have been a 15K PR.) so since i wound up with an 8:13 pace, guess i didn't run as bad a race at the end as I thought. (I'm still too much of a competitive biatch to say I'm completely satisfied though!! :-p ) wish i had more fun stuff to report, but unfortunately I think i've been spending more time at the office this week than I have at home. i even had to put a (temporarily) permanent away message on my instant messenger telling peeps to only IM me if it's business related or urgent (though some peeps seem to have an interesting definition of what's urgent...tee hee.) i hope to be able to stay awake through the Sex and the City reruns, but early morning and 6 miles will come too soon. sweet dreams, all. Labels: nyrr, race, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 10:19 PM |
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| staying on course |
| Monday, August 21, 2006 |
oh, it would have been just too easy Sunday to take a lazy day. but nah, i had no excuse not to bang out 12, just needed to take it slow.
i ran into Chelle right before I started my run and chatted a little about the race the day before (in addition to the running partners she mentions here.) I set off, determined to get my run in before the predicted isolated T-storms would move into the area. And boy was it hot...the first 6-mile loop wasn't that bad, but I struggled on the 2nd. I tried to chance not carrying Gatorade with me, hoping that my gels and Endurolytes would suffice but nope. Bought a bottle after about 9 miles and downed it faster than a tequila shot-which gave me the boost to finish up. And along the course, I saw Coach J 4 times and Moz twice :) And after I got home, I downed probably the nastiest recovery drink I've ever tasted (pleasant tasting, my a$$!) I had gotten samples for free at the multisport carnival...so you get what you pay for i guess...
Another thing that had been on my mind-Chelle did refer to a little bit here-the presence of "ringers" at the Club Champs. Basically, those who either have never run an NYRR race before in their life, or they only come out once a year for this race (it's double points...so for some teams, this is a good chance to catch up. or get ahead.) Despite the Flyer open women probably having, time-wise, the strongest team we've had at this race in a long time (might have been possibly due to this course being sans Harlem Hill,) our women wound up 9th, our lowest showing since I've been a member. And even though our team really isn't uber-competitive, it's still a little disheartening that we got pushed back since a couple of teams ahead of us didn't really "play by the rules." (well maybe they sorta did. But I remember there used to be a rule that in order to run in the Club Champs, you must have run at least one NYRR race for said team? what happened to that?) It happens every year...for whatever reason, it was more prominent this year, it seemed. On a more positive note, our open men kicked ass once again-the double points they scored in this race just lengthened their lead in the open "B" division.
So anyway, getting back to business...today was an XT day (running muscles needed the break!) tomorrow, I think I will tackle the West Side Hills in the morning to leave my evening free to enjoy some wine and music under the stars (and hopefully no rain this time!)
now playing: "so special (original mix)" ~ judge julesLabels: flyers, nyrr, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 10:58 PM |
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| tunnels of cheering |
| Sunday, August 20, 2006 |
oh, what a difference 2 months makes...
5-mile race in June: weather 78 degrees, 54% humidity-disaster
5-mile race yesterday: weather 77 degrees, 66% humdity (lies! i'm sure it was more humid than that)-million times better!
So yesterday was the much-hyped Club Team Championships. Unlike all the other NYRR races, this one is only limited to members of the local running teams-making for a smaller field, and a cleaner start since this one is yet another split-start race (men race at 8am, women at 9am.) I was sidelined for last year's race, but my main memory of the '04 race was hearing our guys cheering like crazy at the end, really helping me finish strong in a race that did not go as well as hoped (after a relatively mild summer, the heat and humidity were on full blast for that one!) Anyway, I was looking forward to using this race as a fitness check, to see where I am with my NYCM training. Thankfully, an easier course this year, eliminating Harlem Hill!!
The morning of, I timed my easy warmup jog up the west drive of Central Park to coincide with the first mile of the men's race...so I could cheer them on early on, I'm sure spectators were sparse at that time. The Flyer men in their red and white singlets were looking good in the early going. But by the time I was done with my warmup, I realized that I was already sweating a lot, and my heart was pounding-conditions were tough, this could make for a brutal race. Me and a few of our gals watched the end of the men's race to cheer them on. The first 11 men came in under 25 minutes-insane!! (With the first 2 neck and neck!) The first Flyer man came in at around 29 minutes-yowza, he did awesome!! The rest of the Flyer men started to come in, one  by one...and we took note that no one looked happy at all-kind of foreshadowing of what the conditions for our race were gonna be like!! Around 8:45, we headed over to the start on the 102nd Street Transverse-while there, I saw Chelle and then Uptown Girl...chatted for a coupla minutes with each, wished everyone luck...the usual :) Finally, the starting horn sounded and we were off!!
Mile 1-I wanted to be careful here-as the West Side Hills can make for a tough mile and a tough remainder of the race if I rabbit it. I saw a couple of teammates who run around my pace and stuck near them at the beginning, but I eventually did pass them before the mile was up-nevertheless, I didn't feel like I did this one too hard. The support from the guys cheering on the side was great. Hit this mile in 7:47. Perfecto.
Mile 2-this mile started off with a large downhill, so tried to pick up the pace a little bit there. Saw a big group of our guys running the other direction and cheering (thanks guys!) in addition to Sister Smile over by the 72nd St transverse. Saw a water table right before the mile 2 marker and decided to grab a cup-I had a feeling with the conditions, I'd regret it later if I didn't. Didn't lose too much time really, as I drank it "on the fly." Mile 2 was 7:41-still pretty good, and under goal pace!
Mile 3-this was a pretty mentally challenging mile. As this mile wound around the very bottom of Central Park, this part had the least crowd support. And the heat was starting to get to me a little bit. I made a strategic decision to back off a little bit in this mile-I wanted to save myself for Cat Hill and a strong finish. One of my teammates who was behind me saw that I was slowing a little and shouted encouragement to me to hang in there (she wound up passing me before the mile was up, but said to me afterwards that she "was hoping i'd stick with her." aww, that was nice.) This mile was 7:52-still good.
Mile 4-yep, you guessed it, Cat Hill. And gotta love our Coach J, he was standing right by the cat!! No seriously, he actually climbed up onto the cat statue. Not surprised, he did that in the Snowflake 4-miler too. He was cheering as I approached and I made a face that pretty much showed I was hurting and he shouted "come on, you're almost at the top!" Ugh. Glad that climb was over. And I was still feeling affected by the elements...so close to walking but didn't. Grabbed another cup of water at the end of this mile. Figured all I'd have to do is get through this mile and I'd pretty much be home free. This was my slowest split of the race at 8:12-but I was still passing women during this mile so I think everyone was equally affected.
Mile 5-this mile, especially the last half-mile, is what makes this race so damn worth it. Surprisingly, I still had a little bit left in me, so I picked up the pace. There was quite a bit of cheering for the first part of this mile, especially around Engineer's Gate at 90th, but nothing like what I'd see once I got past the reservoir around 96th St. This last part of the race is absolutely unreal-I felt like such a rockstar here. It started with a bunch of the Flyer, Reservoir Dog, and Harrier men screaming my name-and even though it was the very end of the race, hearing that just motivated me to run like crazy, and had me on a high and put a smile on my face that lasted til the very end of the race. Though Coach Toby yelled at me to "stop smiling"-hey, what I can say, I totally feed off this!! I also passed a CPTC woman who I had been trading places with throughout the race..I heard her coach yell to her "come on, you can pass one more!" I thought to myself, Sorry, but that one more is not gonna be me!! The remainder of this mile was what was described as "tunnels of cheering." Every guy, every team, screaming at the top of their lungs-whether it was for me, or their teammates, or whoever else...I forgot about the conditions, I didn't bother looking at my watch anymore during that mile, the cheers from the men just carried me harder and further. And wouldn't you know it, that last mile was my fastest split of the race-7:31!
Final result was 39:03, 7:48 pace. (and I would have been happy with 39:59!)
Right after the finish, I congratulated the Rez Dog girl who finished right behind me on a good race (she too, had been trading places with me throughout the race)...then I saw both Chelle and Uptown Girl again, and congratulated them both on their PR's!! In addition, a writer for NYRR asked me a coupla questions about the race...and woudn't ya know it, I got quoted :)
Afterwards was the annual Flyer bagel brunch and team photo. This year's photo was also a huge family affair as well...our Flyer toddler contingent had a pretty good appearance as well :) The team festivities were not over yet though!! A coupla hours later, a bunch of us headed to the North Meadow to take on CPTC in softball. Apparently they beat us big time in '03, time for a rematch? Considering a lot of us hadn't played softball in quite a while (yours truly hasn't played in 15 years!) we really, really held our own!! Had a nice lead going on until CPTC rallied back in the last inning. (but the teams weren't evenly matched...ours was mostly women, theirs all men!) was still a lot of fun though.
Great day!! I can't wait to run this race again next year. And if the cheers are even a taste of what to expect...November 5th should be a lot of fun :)
And as for my race performance, I think I ran well, ran smart, didn't let the heat defeat me, pulling back was worth it to have such a strong last mile. I think I could have come close to PR'ing if the weather was better-something to look forward to come fall, especially seeing how it plays out over longer distances. I did pretty well in sub-optimal conditions at a distance that isn't even my best strength, so...dare I dream of sub-1:45 at Grete's??
now playing: "get together" ~ madonnaLabels: flyers, nyrr, race, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 6:20 PM |
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| run your own pace |
| Saturday, August 05, 2006 |
another weekend, another long run in the bank.
The Flyers act as pace leaders for the two Long Training Runs that NYRR puts on for the marathon each year. Great way to get in your long run and help the NYC running community as well. They do 4 loops-the full 6, the lower 5, lower 5, middle 4...and you have the option to do the full 20, or less to fulfill your training needs. So I chose to do 16 at 9:30 pace.
I got there bright and early today (6:30...yikes!) Compared to the heat wave this week, the weather felt "chilly" (though it was probably in the 70s at the start and warmed up to the 80s by the end.) Checked in and picked up yet another oversized pace leader singlet (though better than last year's-I had done the last 2 loops, so there were only larges left by the time I started! oh, and the pace leader singlets were unisex) and headed on over to the 9:30 group. Me and a coupla others positioned ourselves near the font of the first group. We waited for the faster groups to leave, and off we went. First loop went pretty well, my watch showed we were pretty much on pace, but I felt I needed to drop back just a little because it seemed like the leaders were pushing it just a little.
After we finished the first loop, we usually take a couple minutes to re-group, let people use the portapotties, grab gatorade/water/gels. I took some gatorade and a gel with water-and I didn't think I took that long-probably no more than 3 minutes, but by the time I was done, my group had already left-I was a little annoyed at that, and there were a few others in that group who were in the same boat. So we all just decided to form our own little 9:30 group, and that worked out very well-they were a bunch of very nice people, and we even picked up a few others along the way. I was a little nervous about pacing without the other leaders to support me, but every split was dead-on...less than 5 seconds faster or slower than 9:30, which everyone seemed to appreciate!! going up the east drive, we saw one of the other 9:30 leaders who I guess got left behind by her group, so she just joined our little party :)
2nd loop just flew by, and I made sure to wait around on the transverse to make sure everyone had time to do what they needed to do, plus another group was coming in behind us so we did some consolidation. 3rd loop went just as well with the pacing-in fact some of the people in my group were disappointed I wasn't pacing the full 20!! :) (hmmm...maybe a certain other blogger's pacemaster skills were virtually rubbing off on me today? now if only i could do that in a race!) so we finished up the third loop and thanked everyone for running and sticking with it and wished them all luck on their fall marathons :) 16 miles down-and a fun 16 miles it was!!
afterwards, just hung around for a bit and socialized. saw one of the other 9:30 pace leaders who was in the group that left me behind and she said that they had wound up speeding up-damn, it was probably a good thing I didn't go with them for the 2nd/3rd loops. The Flyer bloggers were out in force, and all I spoke to sounded like they were very pleased with their runs-Sister Smile, jbl, Runner26, Sara-and I'm assuming Jon also had a good run too, though I only saw him in passing when I was finishing up my second loop. (oh and I think I may have possibly seen another blogger near the baggage area as well-but not 100% sure!)
So, 16. Longest run since the fall of '04. The 9:30 pace was a very wise decision, much easier on my body. And I can still keep going...in a way :) You see, last year this time, the 9 miles I had done at last year's Long Training Run was my last run for a month. No signs of stopping now!! On tomorrow's plate will be an easy recovery 3 miles. Then next week the long run gets scaled back a little bit. No worse for wear, though can seriously use a nap after this morning's mad-early wake-up call...
now playing: "nobody knows me (peter rauhofer's private mix)" ~ madonnaLabels: flyers, marathon, nyrr, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 5:12 PM |
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| on a night like this |
| Friday, March 03, 2006 |
 quoted from one of my teammates, talking about one of the NYRR races that included the pros:
"I gotta say, since I will likely never match wits with Tiger Woods at Augusta National, scramble for a first down in Giants Stadium, or knock a curve ball over the center field wall in The House that Ruth Built, it was pretty neat competing on the same playing field as some of the world’s top athletes."
That's part of what makes this running community so special-if for just one day or one night, to be brushing elbows with the best of them...whether they are local celebrities, or national running heroes...or the best of the rest...I really felt last night's Club Night was a very special atmosphere. Was nice to put aside any team colors and stuff like that and just have a really great night.
One of my first tasks this year as Flyer Member-at-Large was to get a coupla tables reserved and get those seats filled. Well fill them we did-26 people at our 2 tables. And boy did we have spirit too-we made sure we were heard when there was something Flyer-related to cheer about!! :) Our men's open team and women's veterans teams won awards-and one of our veteran women was nominated for an award in her age group but sadly did not win...but I have a feeling next year may be her year, as she has dominated her age group so far in '06. but still, to just for her to have been nominated...it's huge.
After the awards, we all danced...and danced...and danced...the music was great (though it's funny, at first we were wondering if it was the same DJ as the one at the Flyers awards gala, seemed like the same songs were played! good stuff though), and the rest of the park showed that they can party as well as the Flyers do :) All in all, another great evening.
I'll definitely be back next year!!
now playing: "on a night like this" ~ kylie minogueLabels: nyrr, party, socializing |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 1:25 PM |
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| as prestigious as it once was? |
| Tuesday, February 28, 2006 |
As everyone in the NYC running arena who has done their 9 qualifying NYRR races in 2005 (hell, seemingly *anyone* in the NYC running arena) knows, entry for the 2006 NYC marathon starts tomorrow. But for those who didn't get their 9 races in...
I was looking at the 2006 entry standards, and it looks they relaxed the qualifying times yet again!! Don't remember specifics about the other age groups...but for women under 40, the half qualifying time got relaxed from 1:34 to 1:37, and the marathon qualifying time got relaxed from 3:18 to 3:23. And apparently this is the 2nd year in a row that they relaxed the times-don't remember what the standards were in 2004 or earlier though.
Granted I am nowhere near running a 1:37 half right now (and I had my 9 races in, so it didn't affect me anyway.) But I know there are quite a few who probably didn't get their 9 in that did run a qualifying time and got "saved." Or those who had to cram their 9 in at the end of the year that now probably didn't have to. It's no coincidence that December races are *packed*...
But on the other hand...does this "cheapen" the prestige of qualifying for NYC? And with the time changes will most likely be more guaranteed entries...leading to less lottery spots open?
Curious to hear other thoughts on the topic.
And on the topic of NYRR...yay for Club Night on Thursday nite. I'll be there and I'm psyched for it. It'll be nice to mingle with the other clubs without everyone having to wear their team colors!! :-DLabels: marathon, nyrr, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 2:04 PM |
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| About Me |
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Name: nyflygirl
Home: New York, New York, United States
About Me: I'm a NYC workaholic by day, runner and socialista by night...here I blog about my (mostly) daily musings of running, work, dating, social life and whatever else is on my mind...
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