not a white singlet kind of day

With the exception of 2006, sounds like the NYCM 18-Mile Tuneup and white singlets do not mix (at least when I run it!)  Last year, the excuse being "with 93% humidity, you can bet the white one would not be a smart choice today!"  This year?  Rain, rain and more rain.  With a little bit more rain on top of that.  Whatever, I can deal, I'm tough, I ran my first 20 in the rain, remember!!  Plus it's just a long run, not a race.  (Boy, oh boy am I glad that I changed my initial plans to do a half marathon this weekend instead of the previous one!)

So I awoke way too damn early with a "let's just get this over with" mindset.  And waited til the last possible minute to leave...as I wasn't frontloading and didn't want to stand around more than I needed to.  I didn't even bring a bag...whats the point?  It would just get wet anyway, and I planned on leaving ASAP when I was done.  So on my way over...and I realized that I did have to get to the start before the corrals closed...forgot about that!!  Let's hustle a little.  I made it there and even though I had a red bib, I went to the green corral and met up with Runner26, as we were gonna try and run at least a little bit together.  So of course, before we could start, there was another Queen Mary speech about what a great day it is for running, what a great event this is, yadda yadda yadda.  (Personally I wish they'd ditch this and replace it with a 3rd LTR, but I know it's a numbers thang, $$ wise...)  And we are off and running.

So I guess the first few miles were pretty uneventful...Runner26 and I kept a consistent pace of 9:20s (I even said after the 2nd mile "we are nothing if not consistent!" and Harlem Hill didn't sneak up on us like it did last year ;-)  However, the two of us got separated after the water station at mile 3...oh boy was that water station a disaster, i swear there needs to be some etiquette lessons.  I'm one who prefers to drink "on the fly" and not walk through the water stops, yet it never fails, there are always collisions or near-collisions with those walking who will not get out of the way...anyway, as I was saying, me and Runner26 got separated after here, but she wound up running a great race anyways-very consistant pacing and a sweet PR-and she did it on her own! :)  (v. proud of you, girl!) 

So I just settled into nines, give or take a few seconds...I feel the next 6 miles or so were pretty uneventful.  Well for the exception of Crazy bandanahead taking pictures (what else? :) ) near Cat Hill...thank you bandanabrain :-P  Oh, and so after that same water stop, this time around mile 9, there was a way-too-enthusiastic volunteer...while I give her credit for trying, was just not in the mood to hear it...i actually said out loud "I want some of whatever she is on" and a coupla other runners by me laughed :)  And on that lower loop, I saw my friend BC volunteering as a course marshall and he called out to me...was good to see him.  And of course bandana-brain by Cat Hill again, and he even said "i'm gonna get you every time" or something like that! 

But around this time, I was wondering what was going on...I should have been lapped by now...either the field wasn't as loaded today or the rain either kept the racers away or slowed the leaders down?  Well i guess I didn't need to fret, sure enough the leader passed by during mile 11 :)  And I was only lapped by 4 people total (actually just barely 4-the 4th place finisher made the turn onto 102nd right as I passed by.  hmmm so maybe that one doesnt count?)  So yeah, this was prolly like a record for me.  And since we passed near the finish, I heard music playing and "Celebration" by Madonna was on...and hmmmm guess I sped up a little for mile 12.

One more loop to go...I didn't want to race this last loop but I was so ready for this to be over.  I had picked up the pace slightly, but I was still well within my comfort zone, which was good.  Saw BC again on the lower loop and was hoping to see bandanahead again...guess he left-smart guy :)  Going up Cat Hill, I pulled up alongside Flyer JW and we worked together to get up the hill (though surprisingly, Cat Hill was not a problem for me at all each time...in fact, I passed people there on each lap) before he took off once we got to the top.  Only 1 1/2 miles left, all downhill from here.  Thank god.  Flyer EA was cheering by Engineer's Gate...crazy, but much appreciated :)  Finally, the finish was in sight...was great to see the "finishing lane" right before 102nd.  (Now does anyone else think this is sorta a recipe for disaster?  We're told to stay to the right when lapping runners, yet the finishing lane is on the left and the passing lane is on the right...makes no sense, I tell ya!)

By the numbers...

And the Flyer women came in 2nd and I was the 5th scoring female for the Flyers. Obviously a lot of the fast ladies slept in today because under normal circumstances, I would not be in the top 5 :)

So as I said before, I didn't want to stay around too long, but posed for posterity for the NYRR site with Bandanabrain (ah that's where you went!) and Flyers AW and LZ.  By then I was freezing, so I got out of there...and yes I was lazy and took the subway one stop.  Oh and on the way to the subway, a couple of people recognized me from leading their pace group at one of the NYRR Long Training Runs (and apparently one of them was using me as a rabbit for the last 2 loops!)...and on the subway was someone who was in my group at the Bridges Run!  Kinda cool getting recognized like that :)  Anyway-home, hot shower, Snuggie, nap...in that order :-P

So even though the conditions were sucky, still a solid run in the books.  And based on my heart rate data, it is encouraging that an 8:30 pace for the last loop still fell in the easy zone, even after having done 12 miles before.  One more tough week to go...boy oh boy I can't wait to taper!!  And I think my body agrees with that, I will be handling it with kid gloves this week...

whatever it takes

Even though I had a race a few days back, still no rest for the weary when you are in marathon training mode. Read: no rest day for me on Friday, still had to get some miles in...and even better so, in the morning before work!! I don't know how, but I made it happen...

Then this weekend begins the 20-mile long runs for me. In the past, I made sure that my 20s were on weekends that had either organized long runs (e.g., Bridges Run, LTR #2, Palisades) or long NYRR races (i.e., the 18-mile Tune-Up.) Back in 2006, it meant having to do two 20-milers on back-to-back weekends...which in hindsight, was not a smart move but hey I guess I had to make that mistake to learn from it, right? I will have support for 20-milers #2 and #3, but was unsure what to do for #1. Thankfully, Flyers JM and DG organized a long run up the west side to the GWB and back for this past Saturday. Just add some miles in the park and that will get me to 20-perfect.

Yeah perfect except some idiot guy named Danny was threatening to make this past weekend a washout, Saturday especially. So what can I do? Two options-keep the 20 on Saturday and run in the rain but with company, or wait til Sunday and run it solo. I decided companionship was more important...you know, whatever it takes, I need to get these long runs in, especially the 20-milers. And it doesn't hurt to be prepared in case of inclement weather on race day.

So that is what I did. I prepped well on Friday nite...carbo-loaded with some pasta and relaxed with some great company ;-) and watched the Yankee game-YAY for another walkoff win!! And hey, they got their game done in the rain, theres no reason I can't run in it. And I did get up Saturday morning and tell myself I was gonna do it. Unfortunately I slept a little later than originally planned, meaning I would have to do the extra 5-6 miles after the main part of the run instead of before but I'll deal with that when it happens. Eat, drink, get dressed, apply lotsa bodyglide, put on the Flyers running cap, fill up the fuel belt (catching raindrops in my mouth doesn't quite cut it in terms of hydration!) and get out the door and run the mile or so to 72nd.

And thankfully, there were quite a few others who decided to brave the elements with me and get their long run in. We actually had a very nice group going of Flyers old and new. The conditions may have been crappy, but the run actually went by pretty quickly and went well. I was feeling strong and steady the entire time, never once felt under-fueled or under-hydrated (gelled every 5 miles and took water when I needed it) and it was nice to find a new route to do long runs on (whenever I run on the west side path, I usually run towards downtown-never have run up in the direction of the GWB before.)

Back at 72nd, main part of run done, 6 miles to go, thankfully JM was doing more mileage, so off we went...around the bottom of the park, up the west side, through the hills, and during that time the rain picked up even more...thankfully we were almost done!! We parted ways at 102nd street where I cut off to run back to the west side. Thanks JM, for pulling me along that far...I got a little over a mile to go...at that point, this was nothing, and I actually felt good enough to pick up the pace a tiny bit-if anything, just to be done quicker!! :) Before I knew it, 20 miles were down and I was walking to Starbucks for a venti skim caramel macchiatto (recovery drink!) 20 miles-done and done!!! And here is how it went...



Pretty consistent, right? And I actually felt like I could have done another mile or 2...or another 10K! :) I'm taking it as a good sign, especially considering my first 20-miler last year was a bit of a struggle. And with my short recovery run today-my weekly mileage climbed from the masters category to the veterans for the first time ever-let's see if anyone gets that ;-) But it will be back in the masters this week...

And thanks again to my teammates who organized or showed up to the run Saturday-definitely made the wake-up call worth it!! :)

after the storm...

I know we've had our share of storms this summer, but this latest one was a doozy...

So Tuesday nite. Perfect nite to sip some drinks at the Frying Pan right by the Hudson River...next best thing to being on a boat...oh wait a minute, we were on a boat of sorts :) Not to mention celebrating a certain someone's "prime" birthday ;-) But then we saw the bolts of lightning. And heard the thunder. And why we didn't leave right then and there, I don't know...oh yeah, someone thought this would just be a "heat storm" and there would be no rain. Uh, famous last words, as the skies opened up like crazy. First things first, let's get the hell away from the water!! Ducked for cover under an awning in front of a school and just tried to wait it out...which took about 15 minutes. And not surprisingly, no cabs were stopping so once it stopped raining, we just subwayed it home (wow, the subways were actually running?) Rumor has it the b-day girl enjoyed this so much she was singing and dancing...or was that the sangria talking? Let me tell you, I didn't have a lot to drink but I sure sobered up quickly once the rains came...

But even though I didn't know it at the time, i was lucky I was not uptown, as the UWS got hit majorly hard by the storm-especially Central Park. North of the reservoir, the park drives and bridle paths were just littered by fallen trees and tree branches...I was shocked to read about it and when I saw it with my own eyes yesterday...couldn't believe my eyes.


The tree by the fountain at 93rd st and the west drive...where we've all stopped for water quite a bit, where I've used as a start/finish point for West Side Hills repeats...


The Great Hill track, a popular speedwork place for many...

And yeah, that almost caused our crew to resort to a "plan B location" for speed yesterday but thankfully not the case. Just had to go shorter (length of repeats, that is) and sweeter...yeah it was sweet, as despite the humidity and fighting a cold, I felt I really nailed the workout. Of course I had a good rabbit-thanks so much, Moz! With the halfway point of MCM training approaching, the confidence is still there...

On the topic of lightning bolts...or Usain Bolts...the World Champs 200m today...wow. Just wow. He makes it look too damn easy.

rain again?

seriously. enough is enough!!

and stupid me decided to take yesterday as a running rest day and run tonite instead (well considering my legs were still a little tired from Sunday, I guess it wasn't stupid.) but either I didn't look at the weather forecast closely or it changed at the last minute, because torrential rain was not in the forecast. at least not 100% chance.

But I still wanted to get in some mileage tonite...rather than worry about cramming everything in at the end of the week. So I decided to try and wait things out...if it's lessened up to light rain by 7 or 7:30, that'll work for me. And wouldnt you know it, it stopped raining as soon as I started running...hows that for perfect timing?

And I had the running cap on...partially because I'll wear it when it's raining, but partially because...i dunno, I guess I just wasn't feeling like being loved by the running public tonite and thought I could go incognito...ha, never!! That plan really worked...all you peeps saw through the disguise :-P

And I was even iPod-less for this run!! I know, I know...who am I? But I just decided to leave it at home just in case it started raining hard again. Honestly wasn't too bad!! Maybe I'll actually leave it at home occasionally for shorter runs??

All in all, was glad to have gotten it in. A lot on my mind these days...and sometimes I feel that these runs after work are the highlight of my day...the one thing that is keeping me sane, perhaps! :)

weekend washout?

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm sooooo over this weather...yeah, cool weather is great for running. But I'm sorta missing being able to wear all my cute summer dresses.

And the rain is another story...when usually the rain goes away for the weekend, doesn't seem to be the case this time...and it's messing with all my weekend running and non-running plans.

Will tonite's happy hour be outside or will it need to be moved indoors? Tomorrow's run with the Flyers, will it get called on account of rain (heavy rain-not a drizzle). Should I get in my longer run today instead? And not to mention my plans to watch the 5-miler race in the park on sunday and cheer...but I guess I really have no excuse to wuss out of that :).

So much for global warming, huh? :)

"suck it up, cupcake!"

i think i read that expression once on (the formerly) Uptown Girl's blog....and just thought about it tonite...

So I ran 3 days straight-Saturday, Sunday, and our "First Monday" NYF downtown run. Nice, flat easy run that ended down by South Street Seaport and had us partaking in drinks at Jeremy's Ale House...which was only worth it for the styrofoam "quarts" of beer. Next time, I will have to partake in one instead of sticking to the pints (right, Laminator?) Oh yeah, it was fun to hang out and chitchat too.

Obviously I was due for a rest day, which I figured I'd do the smart thing and take it yesterday and run today. Of course, I didn't check the weather forecast and see that yesterday's conditions seemed much more favorable...when walking home from work today I was thisclose to bagging it and cross-training instead...figuring I could make it up tomorrow or Friday.

But with MCM training starting in 2 1/2 weeks (eek!!) I had to get out of that mindset. I'm gonna have to get the miles in whether I like it or not, and may not be able to reschedule. So before I lost my nerve, I just threw on the running gear and hit the park. The rain had actually slowed to a drizzle...yet the park seemed empty, strange for a Wednesday nite, even stranger considering it was "National Running Day"! But I just felt like I had the park to myself and it was great :)

And oh yeah, even though I am kinda sorta tapering for a little 10k this weekend, I injected some speedy stuff in there...some quarter-mile pickups at 10K effort while taking it easy inbetween...felt pretty damn good, felt like I could do more but I know to quit while I am ahead...learning from previous mistakes :)

And is it me, or does it seem strange that the first week of June is unseasonably cool and rainy? ;-)

can someone please end this week?

seriously, if there is any way I can skip over to Saturday night, that would be fabulous. thanks in advance.

i swear, it's been a quiet year work-wise, why does all hell need to break loose around the most important day of the year for me? trying to wrap up loose ends, making sure all bases are covered since i plan on taking off thursday & friday to de-stress...yet I have been told that i may need to be reachable if a question comes up on a certain project...arrrgghhh... (even though apparently that is an absolute last resort...)

all this damn stress is not good for me right now...not good...and knowing how stress affects my running, i'm seriously afraid that it is gonna affect my performance on sunday...that i'm just gonna have to take it as a "fun run." we'll see...

did i also mention that it's raining like crazy and i left my umbrella at home?

sigh.

and in other news-is it possible that we may be seeing november baseball once again? though for the sake of certain people (yes, all you Phillies fans ;-) ) i hope that is not the case!

it's tracky

It's Tracky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time
It's Tracky...Tr-tr-tr-tracky
(with apologies to Run D.M.C.-but I just had the song in my head and couldn't resist the tiny modification)

Anyway-yesterday brought me to do speedwork at the East 6th St track, which is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. Actually-forget "becoming"-it *is* a favorite. And like last week-a tempo-paced workout was in order, and not to go all out. So with the help of a certain great pacing partner, we decided to aim for between 7:30-8:00 pace for the 800 meter intervals...then take it from there for the shorter ones, but not to push the pace too much. And how did it work out?

Interval length	Time	Pace
800m	3:45.90	7:34.44
800m	3:44.10	7:30.82
800m	3:46.24	7:35.12
800m	3:48.49	7:39.65
400m	1:51.43	7:28.32
400m	1:51.49	7:28.56
400m	1:50.34	7:23.94
200m	0:54.20	7:16.13
200m	0:52.70	7:04.06

Pretty damn consistent, right? The pace actually felt pretty good the entire time-didn't feel like I was "dying" once, even with the shorter recoveries than normal. I don't know what it is about this track, I always seem to have a great workout here.

Oh!! But this workout is not without just a little drama...as the predicted thunderstorms actually did happen, with about 3 repeats to go. Was crazy-the sky looked greenish, the wind and rain blowing sideways, absolutely pouring, puddles forming on the track...at first we all thought this was crazy fun, but by the time we got to the 2 x 200, we just wanted to be done...hence shortening the last recovery and speeding up a bit!! (but again...still not all-out.) And I was grateful I chose to not wear a light-colored sports bra...you figure out why. :-p

And thankfully, some of us drowned rats were troopers and indulged in some "recovery beverages" (aka beer-Blue Moon for me, of course!) and good eats-thanking my lucky stars that I had dry clothes to change into...

Ahhhh...working from home in the AM, Yankee game in the afternoon, great track workout in the evening followed by after-speed drinks...if that ain't a perfect day, I don't know what is :-p

And shockingly-I was awake around 5ish this morning without having to use the alarm...that *never* happens!! Decided to take advantage and run this morning...some nice recovery miles on the bridle path...beautiful morning (but a bit humid!) Leaves me off the hook to squeeze it in tomorrow...since I'm gonna be out tonite as well, not sure if I'll have the same fortune of happily rolling out of bed before 6 am tomorrow!!

rain, rain go away...

Seriously...enough already. I can understand once or twice, but every single friggin day...?

Brief rain patch during the Yankee-Sox game I was at on Thursday...not enough to warrant a rain delay though. Our seats were covered though, so it would not have affected us. But man, even the 5 beers downed during that game (yeah, got an early start...thanks to baby bro wanting to start pre-gaming a little after 4) did not drown out the fact that the Yanks did not show up to the game :-\ I'm going to the game this Wednesday, Andy better be dandy then...

And rain threatened to dampen (haha) plans for the 4th, but surprisingly, it really wasn't so bad...yeah was still raining, but wasn't the t-storms predicted, wasn't really annoying. We had a great vantage point for the fireworks over on the Brooklyn side of the river-we got to see the fireworks to both the left and right of where we were-and according to this post on Gothamist, we had the right idea!! And even better...we had a great viewing point of not 1, but 2 of the "NYC waterfalls" :) Of course, afterwards the entrance to the subway seemed to resemble the subway station at a Yankee game when everyone stays for the full 9 innings...but that was a good reason to grab a drink and wait for the crowds to lessen...right? :)

Rain again today...OK since my long run was planned for tomorrow, but damn...rain is predicted yet again for tomorrow!!! Yeah, nothing I can do, I'll get the miles in. But that doesn't mean I'm happy about it :)

workout. wednesday. wet.

(hehe certain person...i told ya about the title!!)

This post came later than I would have liked, but unfortunately the jury duty assembly room where I spent a good part of today-even though it had free wifi-wouldn't allow access to secured sites-therefore no blogging. damn. (though compared to the last time I had jury duty in 2003-having free wifi is a blessing!!)

so yeah. wednesday's workout. the plan was to hit the reservoir and/or the bridle path to avoid the mass of humanity known as the Corporate Challenge. How crowded was it in the park? Well, I had to cross the park drive just to get to the bridle path and even that was work. I actually had to mock-run with the masses for a tiny bit just to get across. yeesh. and it was raining, pouring!! ahhh...in true Corporate Challenge tradition (in the 4 years I did it with my company-either it was raining, or crazy hot.) And yet, I was crazy enough to do speedwork. Go figure. (I guess it was better than the other evil...at least it wasn't 100 degrees.) So...it was a long-ass workout-a mile on the rez, then a bunch of pickups on the bridle path. The damage is below:



Guess starting off the workout with the fastest mile split I have ever done in a workout was not the best idea!! (OK, beat it by only 1 second. But still.) What happened was that I was in a pack with faster peeps than myself, and they sorta pulled me along (splits for that mile were 3:35/3:42...you get the idea.) I did feel like I was working hard for the rest of the workout (and the heart was definitely working hard), though the splits didn't show it...though the consensus was that the GPS signal is weaker on the bridle path and I could possibly add .01 mile to those pickups (cuz as we know, that can make a difference when it comes to pace...)

But all in all, I guess not too shabby. And wouldn't you know it, the minute we got over to the west side, it stopped raining...hmmm, maybe that's a sign or something!! Though the bridle path was a mess...boy did I get dirty :-p

And funny moment of the night...we saw lots of Corporate Challenge people cutting the course, on the bridle path, on the reservoir, whatever....i jokingly yelled at one of those times "somebody get their bib number and DQ them!!" yeah right...like it's possible for anyone to get DQed in that race...no chip timing, seemingly no rules as well!!

vanity miles

OK...upon hearing the initial forecast yesterday, at first it was gonna be solely a cross-training day. But the yoga class I was gonna take wasn't til 8:15...I should probably try and sneak in some time on the dreadmill while I'm at the gym.

But I left work and saw that the sky really didn't look all that threatening and thought "hmmm, maybe i can sneak in a lap or 2 of the bridle path before yoga instead of running on the dreadmill."


And I was gonna do that. Had the running shoes on, the Garmin on, the whole nine yards...but I had barely gotten to the park when I saw the lightning and heard the thunder and turned around...really didn't want to chance it. And once I got home...I was debating whether I wanted/needed to sneak in any extra dreadmill time. But vanity won out...I thought about jogbra season, the upcoming Underwear Run, and that forced me out the door and through the torrential downpour (SO glad I bailed on running outside!) to the gym and got in 2.3 vanity miles (all I had time to fit in!)-all I had time to fit in (rush hour at NYSC, gotta wait for a treadmill!) but better than nothing...right?


Yep, I guess just like 10 years ago, vanity was the motivator once again...boy do I need help!! :)

i need to stop checking the weather

Forecast for Sunday don't look too good...



Yeah I know it's still 4 days out and it can change...but I still don't have to like it. Well if it does happen, I just hope my 15K and 2 half-marathons in the rain back in 2006 prepped me enough for this...

(or if there would be a window of no rain, say between 8 and 10 am, I'd love that too :) )

oh MTA, you amaze me...

why, oh why, when it rains, and rains hard, the whole subway system goes down.

I am writing this while working from home...minute I heard the subways were out, I just turned around. I knew I wasn't gonna get a bus or a taxi. Why did I know this?

Why yes...same thing happened 3 years ago.

Glad to know my $76 a month is going to something.

BTW-those who can't get onto the MTA site to check service updates...try this link instead.

music in central park and good weather don't mix

Unbelievable. Not only was last month's Opera in the Park a rainout, but so was last night's Philharmonic in the Park. And wouldn't you know it, the same thing happened this time last year. And who can forget this? Second showing (not that I care so much about the music, just wanna sit outside and guzzle wine) is next Tuesday, and I fully expect rain in the forecast.

On the running front, the mileage the last coupla weeks has been consistently in the 30s for the first time since marathon training last year. I'll be toeing the line at this weekend's Dash and Splash-whether I race it or not will be a game-day decision based on the weather (but I honestly care more about my wardrobe choice...teehee.) Next up after that will be the SF half...

And on the topic of that, even though I have everything booked, I have been too crazed to even plan an itinerary besides the race. Yep, you guessed it...work. Trying to get a shitload of stuff done before I leave, plus someone in my group going on maternity leave once i get back...you guessed it, August-November are gonna be brutal.

And all of this has sorta made me lean towards not running the marathon this year...I just know I am going to have no time to seriously train, and I know myself, I wouldn't be satisfied with just completing it and not trying my best.

Not excactly the happiest blog entry but that's life in a nutshell.

the calm before the storm

yesterday felt like that. literally.

Definitely felt that I made the right decision bailing on Brooklyn, though it looked like there were a lot of good times and a good brunch afterwards. I was able to sleep in, and do a run at my own convenience. That I did, 10 miles in the afternoon, when the weather was in the 50s and perfect. First double-digit run since the marathon and didn't feel half-bad. (Could it be the cross-training that I have been doing has been making a difference too? Maybe...)

As I'm listening to the heavy rain now, I can't even imagine what is going through the Boston marathoners' heads right now. For those who had to defer this year's entry-do you feel just a little bit relieved? (I remember I did before NYCM '05, when I saw that it was going to be another scorcher...and well, you know what happened in '06!!)

Tomorrow will be a big day, not just tracking my teammates, but we have someone new starting in our group-someone that will hopefully last longer than 2 months (we're optimistic!) And continuing to help do damage control on another project...boy, never thought I'd see the day when a client says the word "f*ck" in an email (not directed at me or our company though-the damage was done on the client's end.) That email is getting saved forever...heh heh.

i paid 60 bucks and all i got was this lousy nike dri-fit shirt

yep, this race report is gonna be a bitchfest. if a bitchfest is not what you want to be reading, then i suggest you press your browser's back button immediately. thanks in advance.

and if you continue on, i simultaneously thank you and apologize.

well actually, the dri-fit shirt was actually the only good part about the much-hyped NYC Half-Marathon for me. (what can i say. baby blue is my color.) i hate to say it, but I was very underwhelmed by today's race, and very disappointed in my performance.

Mile	Split	Comments
1	8:07	nice clean start from the purple corral...down cat hill
2	8:17	around the bottom of the park, up to Tavern on the Green
3	8:25	up the west side incline to around west 90th
4	8:08	up one of the first harlem hill inclines...down the big downhill
5	8:31	steeper harlem hill. meh.
6	8:23	to just past the start line...and i'm thinking this mile was a little long.
7	8:08	same here...this mile marker should have been much closer to the mile 1 marker
8	8:13	yay...finally out of the park and onto 7th avenue
9	9:11	oh you gotta be f*ckin kidding me. we're on 42nd street now...and it starts raining. hard.
10	6:51	on the west side highway...well that comfirms mile 9 (as well as the 15K mat) was long...
11	8:23	so much for negative splits...
12	8:20	the road is slick. im trying to pick it up as much as possible without wiping out.
13	8:05	the faster i run, the faster i finish...
.1	.49	finally...

Final result was 1:47:51, 8:13 pace. (not even bothering posting my 5k/10k/15k splits, as they were all wrong.) Yes, I know...there are plenty of people who would love to break 1:50...break 2 hours, or whatever else!! But when I was gunning for 1:45, this was an extremely disappointing result. If a lot of others had a bad race, that would be one thing, but it seemed like almost everyone else PR'ed, or had a good race today. (yep, the green-eyed monster rearing its ugly head...why can't that be me??) I don't understand, I'm not slacking off with my training or anything. I stuck to my plan...average an 8:15 pace for the first 8 miles and then use the kinder terrain of the city streets to pick up the pace but my legs just did not want to get with the friggin program. It frustrates me to put in the effort and continuously fall short. I could and should have done better than this-I've already gotten 1:47 before, I want to improve on that-I'd love to not have to have that damn asterisk next to my half-marathon PR.

I do have to admit, running down 7th avenue was pretty cool, and it was a good thing that the rain did hold off until after the race start, it sorta felt good and beat the hell out of 90 degree weather. (And I do have to commend the volunteers and spectators who came out in this-your efforts were really appreciated!) I do think there was really no excuse for the mile markers being off, and that both the start and baggage logistics could have been much better as well. it was a nice novelty race, not sure I'll be doing this one next year.

and as this will be my last race as a 20-something runner...this wasn't exactly the way I wanted to be closing out my 20s. Next race will be Grete's, 5 days after hitting the next age group...

i can see clearly now...

oh, being that I decided to take a summer Friday, i thought it would have been a good idea to accept a last-minute drinks invite last nite with the co-workers and move my 8-mile run to this morning instead. hindsight is always...

well it wasn't all that bad. last nite we had drinks at Buddakan since someone in my group was celebrating a birthday. I had this one great drink...though i can't for the life of me remember what the name of this specialty cocktail was-maybe "Charm"?-anyway it was passionfruit liquor and champagne-y goodness, with blueberries at the bottom. And blueberries are good enough on their own, but liquor soaked as well... :)

so this morning, i found myself in the same boat as jbl-wanting to go out and run, but didn't want to chance it during the torrential downpour. i waited it out and headed out a little after noon. i figured getting the rain out of the way would mean it'd be a little cooler and less humid-nope, so damn muggy. (at least it meant i'd get both a running and swimming workout in. or something.) slugged it out...ran into Derek when i had a little over a mile to go, and boy he pushed me through that last mile. not my greatest 8 miles, but it's 8 miles in the book. and all i have left on tap for the week is a 14-mile long run, which i will be doing up in Lake Placid this weekend :) (the predicted high temps are in the 70s...how great is that?)

and thankfully, today's run was done before the rains picked up again and again. once again, it's forced happy hour plans indoors, but as always...the party goes on.

in the "i'm so glad i'm a runner" files

well tonite was the Philharmonic concert in Central Park. With only a 30% chance of rain predicted, I was pretty optimistic the weather gods would spare us tonite.

and they did, for the most part. it did drizzle a little in the beginning, but it felt pretty nice, as it cooled things off a little bit. i have to admit i wasn't listening much to the music...too busy sipping on wine (red red wine...goes to my head...) and socializing...time really flies when you have fun, before i knew it, it was 9:30 and the fireworks signaling the end of the music were going off. it was much too soon for some of us, so a few of us said "oh, we'll stick around for a little bit."

famous last words.

before we knew it, the skies opened. and poured hard. and harder. it reminded me of the last night i ran in a rainstorm. from then, it was a game, to just get the hell outta there and home somehow ASAP. as i was closest to the east side at that point, i figured i'd get out to 5th avenue and either get a cab or the M79 bus, whichever came first. while trying to get out the park some guy says to me "well at least you look good." (hey, something positive has to come out of this, right? typical new york moment...) finally made it to 5th avenue and ducked under the first awning i could find. and as soon as the first bus comes, i just book to make sure i get on that bus, and i do. and as soon as i make it to the west side, i just run the few blocks home as fast as i can. but my relief was short-lived as i find that my mini-wallet (that just held my money and ID) was missing.

uh-oh.

i grab my umbrella and hotfoot it out of my building...i thought i'd have to go as far as 81st St (where my loverly Banana Republic shopping bag had broke) but thank gawd, I didn't have to go as far as all the way down the street where I found my mini-wallet.

so, can i credit being a runner with the fact that it gets me from point A to point B in everyday life that much faster? i think so. (and i think i've actually heard this quote before too...can't remember from who though!) oh an the fact that i was wearing very runner-specific attire-a dri-fit tank and one of my running skirts-but did the job at looking stylish and being functional at the same time, especially with the weather! :)

well, at least the rain should end the heat wave...right? :)

now playing: "she drives me crazy" ~ fine young cannibals

over the hump

3 days down 2 to go...

not the smartest thing i could have done...but anticipating rain tomorrow morning, and having a meeting tomorrow after work, I decided to get in my last weekday run, a 7-miler, during the day today. (i had to take a half-personal day due to something i can't mention on here ;-) ) don't know if my legs were just tired from speedwork, or because of the incredibly muggy weather, but the 7.3 miles I ran today took so much more out of me (and was slower-paced) than my long run this past Sunday. I was secretly glad that the Philharmonic got rained out tonite...though it would have been fun to hang out with my fellow Flyers, sip some wine and listen to the music, I was just drained.

Also, a tip to fellow bloggers-if you ever wanted to edit comments on your own blog-this is how you do it. I use that to the fullest extent when I see spammers leave comments (and there have been quite a few in the last few days.)

c is for cookie-or not!

arrrgghh!! my favorite cookie place in Chelsea Market is closed til the end of this month!! The place that has the half-price cookies after 6pm and are a welcome treat on those days when working late...

but come to think of it, that may actually be a good thing. i do not need to be stuffing myself with cookies during marathon training...right? :-) (i know a couple of my readers don't agree with that though ;-) )

rest day today. thank god, since it's like a friggin monsoon outside. i'm cranky enough since the caffeine from my venti Starbucks vanilla latte hasn't kicked in yet. :-p