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| running more forgiving than life sometimes... |
| Tuesday, August 19, 2008 |
so, the baby bro finally broke down and joined Facebook (though he swore up and down that he never will.) and i was shocked to find on his friends list...was the Ex-Boyfriend. (and apparently the Ex found baby bro via the "email friend finder"...meaning they must still keep in touch. why my brother keeps in touch with someone i broke up with 8 years ago, i will never understand...) So yeah, I had to sneak a peek at his friends list...which of course included his wife...and some other peeps I remember from college, some with their shiny married names, others with their babies as their profile picture...
and it's not just that, it seems whenever i browse the listings of people I graduated high school and college with, that's all I see-peeps with married names, or either their babies or wedding photos as their profile picture. And I think "my god, that's so many...what's wrong with me that I'm just not there yet?" Yeah, no matter how much I may have accomplished so far, there's a part of me that really feels like a loser that I haven't settled down and started a family yet. I turn 32 in a month, it's not like I have all the time in the world...
Then I get to thinking...ya know, we have runners in their late 30s winning Olympic marathons-as was the case this past weekend. Some runners run some of their best times as a masters or vet runner, in fact we're told that improvement comes with time, especially in the marathon. Qualification standards are made easier for us, the older we get (at least for Boston and NYC.) Running is a sport, a way of life that seems so much more forgiving than...well, real life. There's no "hurry up and do something by a certain time" (well, unless you're trying to achieve Olympic qualifying standards, but that ain't me!) Older runners are admired for their accomplishments, not looked down on. Guess in the race of life, I will always be trying to keep up, but maybe in this race, I'll have more of a chance of winning...Labels: life, random stuff, running |
posted by nyflygirl @ 2:09 PM |
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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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| the excitement is mounting... |
| Thursday, August 14, 2008 |
Thank god I'm taking a summer day tomorrow, I'd never be able to concentrate otherwise.
First off...all the Olympics action had kept me up late at night (yum...male swimmers and male gymnasts...) leaving me a bit sleep-deprived this week. And to compliment what Uptown Girl said...just wait until track and field starts!! I'm gonna need some uber-strong coffee next week :) Little bummed that the women's 10K will be in the wee hours tomorrow nite, but I guess that's what DVR is for. (And yeah, I'll probably find out the results beforehand, but I won't post spoilers until the event actually airs.) Then the women's marathon on Saturday prime time!! Though I'm sorta looking forward more to the men's marathon-that one is a little more personal to me, as I saw some of those guys qualify in my own backyard!! And that is just the tip of the iceberg!
(And to all the Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte fans...you're welcome for the link to that pic :) There's an even better one in the August 18th issue of US Weekly but I can't find it online!)
Then I know I sound like a broken record, but excited for Team Champs on Saturday!! :) The weather is looking to be as good as it was last year...unfortunately I wasn't able to capitalize on it then, but I'd like to think I'm in better shape now and can get revenge on last year's race. Goals...I have an idea but don't want to say. All I know is-I'm going for it. Only way to know where I'm at!!
And to top it all off-I just found out that I won a free running skirt from RunningSkirts.com!!! Thanks to being a "fan" of their Facebook page and wearing one of their skirts in my profile picture-which was this one from Need for Speed. Hey-who doesn't love free running apparel? A girl can never have too many running skirts... :)
Now if you excuse me, I gotta try and work for the next few hours :)
(Also-can anyone else believe it's been 5 years since the infamous blackout??)Labels: nyc, olympics, running, running skirt |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 1:58 PM |
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| running the streets |
| Sunday, August 10, 2008 |
My long run yesterday included one of the best ideas that this city has had in awhile-the "Summer Streets" initiative...where Park Ave, 4th Ave and Lafayette Ave were closed to cars between 72nd Street and City Hall. So it made sense to incorporate this into a long run...hey might as well take advantage of this unique opportunity, right? :) So Flyer GW included Flyers that were willing participants to join him and Team For Kids for a long run that would start downtown and go up to the park, and continue with several bridle path loops to get in the mileage. Cool!!
Well the only downside was that we were getting an early start to coincide with NYRR's little fun run-meaning a 7:30 am start downtown, and getting there a little earlier. Meaning leaving my apartment a little after 6 am as the trains are always retarded in the early morning on a weekend. (And it was annoying that the A train I was on kept stopping due to "train traffic ahead"...what traffic???) But I did get there in time.
 Despite the fact that it really wasn't that crowded, all the Flyers that were there were kinda scattered. So I was pretty much solo (well, as solo as one can get with other runners around) for the streets portion, which was fine as I kinda wanted to "take things in" and not get distracted. Running the streets was everything I expected and more :) There were even water stops for us too...nice!! There was still east-west traffic at a few major cross-streets so we had to stop every so often but that honestly wasn't a problem. Was cool to run through Soho, by Astor Place, through Union Square...and then my personal favorite part, Park Avenue. Unless you qualify for the Corporate Challenge championship, you don't get a chance to run on a car-free Park Avenue, so this was great. After emerging from the darkness of the underpass by Grand Central onto the open road-kinda felt like 1st Avenue in the marathon!! 72nd Street came way too soon, and to the park we all went.
Around the bottom of the park, TFK had a "water stop" which was where some regrouping took place before hitting the bridle path...I met up with 3 other Flyers and we stuck together for the remaining miles...which was fine-I definitely preferred having the company in the park :) So we stuck together and completed around 9 more bridle path miles, and I ran back uptown from the bottom of the park...making it somewhere between 17-18 miles for the day (Mr. Garmin was going quite flukey on the streets, so not quite sure what the exact mileage was.)
As for the long run, the legs felt fine-the surface of the bridle path and the absence of killer hills on the streets helped with that. I kept it easy (pace between 9-9:30, depending on how hilly it was) the heart rate was in the easy zone the entire time. I felt a little weak and under-fueled though, which surprised me, as I did think I ate enough the day before and the morning of, and I took 2 gels during the run. I didn't have any Gatorade or any other sports drink though, and I probably should have. Also, not that I like talking about female issues, but it was that time of the month and it wouldn't have been the first time I felt weaker or more sluggish because of that-any opinions on that, lady runners...is that common or unusual or something else? :)
Recovered with my usual venti skim iced vanilla latte, in addition to a coupla naps with the Olympics on the TV in the background...needed to get re-energized in order to enjoy some strawberry margaritas and Electric Lemonades that evening :) And after sleeping til noon today, got in a coupla easy reservoir loops before the rains came to close out this running week.
And even though it hasn't been a struggle at all to get in the miles, I still say yay for this week being a cutback week. I'm more excited for Club Champs on Saturday...I think I'm itching a little bit to race and it'll be interesting to see what I can do...Labels: marathon, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 8:26 PM |
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| garmin-less |
| Friday, August 08, 2008 |
so Wednesday, as I would be going straight to the East 6th street track from work, I had Mr. Garmin in my bag, ready to go when I was. However, the battery was low...huh!! How did Mr. Garmin get turned on while in my bag? Well thank god I still had the old-school stopwatch with me...the Garmin really wasn't as necessary for pacing in a track workout, just means I'll need to find out the distance run from my office to the track the old-school way (GMaps pedometer)
So, the workout. 1200m at tempo, 400m recovery, 800m a little faster, 400m recovery, then 4 x 400 with 200 recovery, even faster. I was told to pace the "7:30ish" group (guess I have a rep as being a good pacer or something?) and surprisingly, everyone for the most part obeyed the pacer :) (well until the 400s where we declared it a free-for all.) And this was the damage...
| Interval length | Time | Pace | | 1200m | 5:42.29 | 7:39.05 | | 800m | 3:46.77 | 7:36.19 | | 400m | 1:47.02 | 7:10.58 | | 400m | 1:49.75 | 7:21.56 | | 400m | 1:48.55 | 7:16.73 | | 400m | 1:44.75 | 7:01.45 |
For whatever reason, I wasn't as excited about the results of this workout as I had been about a couple other recent ones-I didn't have the same "I so nailed this!" feeling. I think this is really starting to show the effects of those long runs being in my legs. I did actually feel comfortable cruising along at tempo pace for the 1200 and 800, but there was no way I could have gone any faster in the 400s. But on the other hand, I was able to negative split a good majority of these intervals (definitely the 1st 2...and maybe also the last coupla 400s?) so at least the pacing is there. And if the 7:35-7:40 pace felt comfortable...maybe try shooting for that next Saturday?
But, I guess I do also have to remember that I'm training for a marathon, not a 5K...that if I want to run a 3:50 marathon, it will have to come at the expense at other things...and that at this point, speedwork should only be something to sorta "keep things interesting"...and be an excuse to socialize, eat and drink afterwards :)
Thursday became an unplanned rest day-was too tired to get up early, and then I had the Flyers' summer social party in the evening. Was a lot of fun...held at a favorite venue-the penthouse party room in a teammate's apartment building which had an outdoor portion with great views of the city. And of course, wine was in abundance :) Was fun to sip wine and chill outside-though I probably shoulda checked the wind forecast before choosing my party attire (think this effect going on.) I do never seem to learn my lesson about wine hangovers though, thank god I was smart enough to take today off (I do have summer days I need to use up this month, today was as good a day as any to take it!) Will partake in a short, easy run once recovered...
And YAY for the Olympics starting today!! Let the games begin!! :)Labels: drinking, marathon, running, socializing, speedwork |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 11:50 AM |
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| status quo |
| Tuesday, August 05, 2008 |
how can it be that things are seriously status quo, drama free? (well with the exception of finding out single women are the enemy. don't ask.)
since i last left you...
easy peasy bridle path recovery run on Sunday
First Monday run with the Flyers, and once again getting dropped by "the cool kids." I guess the only place I can keep up is the bar!
yoga tonite, track workout tomorrow.
long run planned for saturday, including the streets of NYC.
and a coupla other easy runs thrown into the equation for the week.
Yeah seriously, everything is seemingly moving along like clockwork. Next week I get a little break from the mileage, as I will be tapering for Club Champs...plan to race this one all out. Even though the mileage really hasn't broken me down or tired me out yet, I'm sorta welcoming this little cutback. What should I do with all the extra time next week? :)Labels: marathon, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 9:35 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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| bulls-eye!! |
| Thursday, July 31, 2008 |
Tempo workout time again!! 1 x 1600m, then 6 x 800m, all with short recoveries, all on a stretch of road in Central Park. A workout that honestly sounds worse than it really is...one that rewards you if you pace it right, punishes you if you don't. Target pace? Whatever the McMillan calculator says is my "Tempo Intervals" pace. Based on my recent 5K, it told me to shoot for between 7:35-7:51 pace. Did I?
| Interval length | Time | Pace | | 1600m | 7:32.22 | 7:34.86 | | 800m | 3:49.30 | 7:41.28 | | 800m | 3:47.12 | 7:36.89 | | 800m | 3:53.68 | 7:50.09 | | 800m | 3:49.48 | 7:41.64 | | 800m | 3:48.73 | 7:40.13 | | 800m | 3:41.35 | 7:25.28 |
Not trying to gloat or anything, but damn I was on last nite!! And I was glad to have enough in the tank to give the last repeat a good final kick. It was a humid night, and I thought it was gonna affect me, but it actually wasn't too bad!! Maybe I actually am acclimating!! And even though, mileage-wise it was a long workout, it totally seemed to fly by...guess that was another sign of a good workout. (As compared to those workouts that are "do as many repeats as you can in XX number of minutes...those honestly seem to drag on.)
And the legs feel fine today...good sign for the only other big task I need to accomplish this week-16 miles at 9:30 pace. I know I can do it...well as long as other pace leaders behave themselves and remember it is not a race :)Labels: running, speedwork |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 1:16 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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| understatement of the century |
| Saturday, July 26, 2008 |
And in other breaking news, the sky is indeed blue.
All joking aside-good luck to all who are running the NYC Half tomorrow!! I hope to make it out to do some cheering...
On the topic of half-marathons...anyone else see this article in the NY Times yesterday? Great to see half-marathons getting their due respect...can 5Ks, 10Ks and 10-milers be far behind?Labels: running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 11:11 AM |
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| mini l'alpe d'huez |
| Thursday, July 24, 2008 |
(with thanks to JS for the post title idea!)
so in honor of a killer hilly stage of the tour de france, doesn't it just seem appropriate that there is a killer hilly speed workout that same day?
 oh yeah. it was relatively short, but boy was it intense. repeats of that hill that leads up to the Great Hill track. I've actually run on that hill before in training runs-as part of the Arches and Bridges Run-and that is the only hill I have ever had to actually slow down to a walk on during a training run. Never on Harlem Hill, never on the Palisades, but yep, this 8% grade hill is certainly a killer. Just look at the picture below-just the fact that there are steps on this hill just illustrates the steepness (for the record-I didn't cheat and use the steps)
And just for fun-let's see if you can guess which were the uphill laps and which were the downhill ones. (Laps 1 and 2 were warmup, Lap 3 was a 5K-paced pickup, Lap 12 was cooldown.)
Only 4 round trips of the hill, but holy shit it kicked my ass. The lap splits/paces are really deceiving, I think the max heart rates hit really tells the story of the intensity. And I had to be really careful on the downhills-didn't want to mess up my quads by going too fast down a steep hill. And thank god the predicted thunderstorms held off, but boy the humidity was killer...I probably looked like I jumped in a pool by the time this workout was over :)
Needless to say, I slept like a baby last nite. And more power to those bikers who have to deal with this steep of a hill for more than .16 miles at a time!!Labels: running, speedwork |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 1:31 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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| so close!! |
| Wednesday, July 16, 2008 |
Damn!! To miss a 5K PR by a matter of seconds!! But considering I haven't even come close in about 4 years...I am sure taking it!!
Being tired of the Central Park races and climbing Cat Hill for the umpteenth time...I was looking for a fun race to do, figuring the early part of marathon training would be the best time to indulge in a 5K or another short race. I remembered a teammate of mine talking about the Party With Purpose 5K in Hoboken and thought...flat, certified course, no crazy crowds? Bring it on!! And a night race too, which is always fun.
So the pre-race routine went as follows...escape work, hop on the PATH train at Christopher Street, arrive in Hoboken, pick up my bib and chip, go to the nearby NYSC to change and lock up my bag, stretch a little bit, warm up for a coupla miles...easy peasy!! Only thing that unsettled me a little bit was not knowing where the start was...wasn't clear...had to sorta follow where everyone else was lined up and sneak in there :) Anyway, Flyer YP and JS from the Rez Dogs were lined up with me...the last pre-race bit of advice JS gave me was "don't go out too fast." Guess he knows how I pace short races :) Anyway, the gun sounds and we start...
...and we're off and running. I really, really tried to not let the faster people suck me in, not get intimidated if people were passing me...just concentrate on running hard but not all-out. The first mile went along the water and I wasn't delirious yet, so I actually enjoyed that :) Anyway...the first mile came up sooner than I thought...in 6:46. Holy.shit. That's my fastest mile split ever in a race. At that point...3 thoughts went through my head:
1. OMG-I really did go out too fast.
2. But it didn't *feel* too fast!! This could be interesting if I kept up the effort.
3. I don't feel like looking at the distance on Mr. Garmin right now, but maybe this mile was short.
Whatever, I just kept plugging along for mile 2, if anything it gave me a little boost of confidence...as my preliminary goal was to run around 23 minutes...preferably under :) Had a turnaround at around the 1.5 mile point...probably the only "slow" part of the course (turnarounds always seem to do that!!) Mile 2 came up in a more realistic 7:29...ok, maybe I slowed but I was at 14:15 cumulative...hmmm, could I really be on PR pace???
Mile 3 was pretty much the same as mile 1, just going in the opposite direction, but at that point, I wasn't really taking in any sights, I was just concentrating on running hard. I passed a water station and someone cheered and called me by name but I didn't even see or know who the heck it was :) I tried to keep things like the OT 5K in mind to inspire me to stay strong and pick it up just a little bit more (I wanted to run a "smokin' hot" last mile...hehe.) Finally, in the distance I could see where the turnoff was to the pier and the finish...all I had to do was GET there!! No mile 3 marker, but as I got to the turnoff, I looked at my watch quickly and saw the time was 21:xx, and not knowing how long I had left to go...holy shit, this is gonna be CLOSE!!! I decided to not look at my watch again til the end and just run, who cares if it hurts, it'll all be over soon. I thought of Amy Begley trying to make the "A" standard in the 10K by seconds. I heard both JS and YP cheering for me. I heard the announcer encouraging those of us approaching to get in under 23 minutes!!! I pulled out one last finishing kick...crossed the chip mat, stopped my watch, breathed a sigh of relief it was over.
And did I do it? Not quite...according to my watch, wound up with 22:42, 7:19 pace (22:44 according to the official results)...missing my 22:37 PR by a matter of seconds!! 8:27 for that last 1.1 miles (which I think was long and mile 1 was short...I know I slowed, but not that drastically!) But I know I gave it my all...as I hit a new HR max (188...I was previously claiming 185) and I was just delirious afterwards...when I got my clip clipped, I couldn't even speak full sentences.
So, afterwards, I caught up with YP (who had a huge PR) and JS (who ran just over 19 minutes and was very happy with his race!)...checked out the results to see if I possibly could have placed...dammit, 7th in 30-39!! The times really got more competitive this year...but oh well, still damn good!! JS and I then celebrated our races with a coupla Blue Moons at the post-race party (gotta love drink specials for race participants!) and my baby bro even joined us to catch a coupla innings of the All-Star game at the bar. Fun nite-definitely worth skipping the Philharmonic picnic with the Flyers for :)
And as for missing a PR? Seriously, when you consider that said PR was set in 50 degree weather (it was around 80 last nite), no tired marathon training legs (I had done a long run Saturday and the 10K at training pace on Sunday-so not exactly tapered!) and that I have not even come close to that time since the PR was set...I was very happy!! Yay...back in the game!!Labels: race, running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 9:11 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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| i'm seeing red |
| Saturday, July 12, 2008 |
I got my stuff for tomorrow's New York Park to Park 10K (which included a sleeveless shirt for a change!) and was pleasantly surprised to see another red bib. It was one thing to get that number at the Mini 10K, due to the women-only field, but I find it hard to believe that there aren't more peeps speedier than me who are registered for this race...unless they are saving themselves for next week's club points race...or if the Bon Jovi takeover of Central Park forcing this race to be pushed back a day caused a conflict...
Whatever, I'll take it.* :) Shame, I will not be putting in a race performance worthy of being in the 2nd corral-as I am not planning to "race" this one...I'm preferring to save my race effort for a Tuesday night 5K, I really only signed up for the pool access (ice bath without the torture of one!) However, if the race scoring is as screwy as it was last year (as my teammate Johnny blogged about) maybe I will find a few minutes magically shaved off my time :-p
*Don't get me wrong...I still want that coveted blue bib!! Someday, someday...Labels: running |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 6:21 PM |
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| it's tracky |
| Thursday, July 10, 2008 |
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!!Labels: drinking, marathon, rain, running, socializing, speedwork |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 1:43 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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| maybe blue moon isn't the best carbo-loading source |
| Sunday, July 06, 2008 |
For the record-despite what the post title says, said Blue Moons were not my sole carbo-loading source last nite. Actually, I wasn't planning to indulge, but I had a request from a coupla friends to meet up for a drink or two so why not. And I wasn't planning on getting loaded with an early wake-up call this morning.
So today, to finish off week 1 of marathon training, I did my long run at Rockefeller State Park. Although I knew other Flyers were doing a long run in Central Park...hmmm, Rockefeller vs. the CP bridle paths, tough decision!! I wanted to do about 12 miles, which I thought was completely doable (never mind the fact that I hadn't run that far since the very beginning of this year.) C'mon, I do 16-mile training runs in Central Park at 9:30 pace!! 12 miles is EASY!
 
Good lord, even though I have run there before, I forget how nasty the hills are. I'm sure you can tell from my splits what the worst of it was (and where the downhills were too!) But man, this was the toughest long run I've done in awhile, and the mental demons definitely did get to me in the last 2.1 miles, I was at the "just move your feet as fast as you can without stopping and walking" point. (Though throughout there was a lot of cursing and "I hate you all!" under my breath :-p) Thankfully-the predicted rain held off...and actually wasn't brutally hot for a change!!
Boy did that long run humble me, I know what I'm capable of and it's better than this...guess I am not as hill trained-or distance trained-as I thought!! I did briefly wonder if I was falling into the overtraining trap again but I don't think thats it (plus my RHR has actually gone down a few beats since I checked last-which as far as I know, contradicts that.) Nope, I just think that if I want to break 4 again, I'm gonna have my work cut out for me for the next 17 weeks-no resting on the laurels of 2006. Wish me luck...
Needless to say, after that run, brunch and then even more beers when returning to the city was just what the doctor ordered. As well as watching a killer Wimbledon final...GO Nadal!!! I so hope I get to see him play again at the US Open this year :)
Man, this has been an exciting sports week!! Even more dramatic moments at the Olympic trials...
- The womens 5K final!! I'm sure Shalane Flanagan thought she had it wrapped up, but guess again...Kara Goucher and Jen Rhines gave a sneak attack at the very end that she couldn't respond to! I was glad to see Kara win after coming in second in the 10K, and I like Jen Rhines because she supports the whole "you-don't-have-to-run-marathons-to-be-a-runner" thing :-p
- And on the topic of Kara, did anyone notice this comment she made in her post-race interview? "I told my husband and my coach that I'd do them both if I won." Yeah of course-she was gonna do both the 5K and 10K in the Olympics!! Some people, who will remain anonymous (well considering they post on LetsRun, of course they'd be anon!) thought otherwise. :-p You be creative and figure out what the misconception was.
- Tyson Gay in the 200m-YIKES!! Here's hoping he rehabs in time for the Games
- Great run by Anthony Famiglietti, he just dominated the steeplechase!! Nice to see one who's a regular on the NYRR race scene win big :)
Now that the trials are over, I can actually get to sleep at a decent hour. At least until August 8th! :) Labels: drinking, marathon, olympics, running, socializing, tennis |
| posted by nyflygirl @ 10:10 PM |
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| rain, rain go away... |
| Saturday, July 05, 2008 |
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 :)Labels: | | |
