Heat wave!

It is unbearably hot in NYC. It has been for several weeks. I don't remember last summer being this bad. Then again, I wasn't training for a marathon last summer. Anyway, Saturday morning was a shorter run after last week's trek down the west side. We met at 6:45 in Central Park and did five miles. We had the option to add the "magic mile", but nobody wanted to do that. I feel like I sweat off at least 10 lbs! (Oh, if only that were true, right?)

One of the suggestions Andrea Moss made when we met is that I switch my Gatorade for coconut water because coconut water doesn't have artificial sweetners. Yesterday, the coconut water I carried with me didn't last very long. I'm experimenting with different flavors. So far, I like the plain and the peach mango. Yum.

After the run, we had a clinic on running form with Mary from Jack Rabbit. She gave us some exercises to do, so if you see me skipping in the park, don't be alarmed. She talked about balance, arm carriage, and foot positioning, too. I'll have to talk to my physical therapist about everything she said, because I'm sure my issues with running form have to do with what we're already working on. Mary also said that we should work on getting our strides up to 90/minute in order to maximize efficiency when we run. I've never counted strides and have no idea where I am, so I'm curious to try it. It has nothing to do with speed, but will allow me to conserve energy during races.

Lastly, I'm tapering off the medication. I'm down to once a day from twice. We'll see how I feel. Hoping for the best!

Settling in

I'm finally settling into my new place and loving it. Just got online at home, so I am a bit overdue on the update from last week's 14 miler. I met up with the breakaway group at 6am Friday morning (my parents were coming to town, so Saturday morning wouldn't have worked). The 6am start (at Columbus Circle) meant an insanely early departure from Brooklyn, but I was grateful once we got going that we were on the road before the heat of the day. And it was HOT. By 7:30am, I was already dragging, and we had quite a few miles to go. Lynn, super pace group leader, planned out our route along the West Side Highway because it has Gatorade vending machines, bathrooms, a breeze...and it's flat. Way to go, Lynn! It was beautiful along the water, and the group was great company. I couldn't have asked for better running companions!

By the end of the run, we were all pretty tired but feeling proud of our accomplishments. Later on the day, Michael, a first-time marathoner, designed a medal for us.



That's Sargent Friday with a 14. Very clever! Thank you, Michael, for the medal! It was a hot day, but we did it. The Jamba Juice I had afterward tasted delicious!

Christmas in July

Seriously, I am so excited this weekend is finally here. I can hardly stand it. I feel like a five- year- old on Christmas morning. Two friends have said, separately, that I look happier than I have in a year. I can't wait for a fresh start in the new place. Lots to do to get organized, but I think it will be fun.

I think it was all the excitement that got me out of bed this morning. I got up earlier than past Saturdays (4:45) in order to be on the Upper East Side by 6:45. As the runs get longer and the weather hotter, we meet earlier. It was pretty painful, I have to say. Everyone else in the world, it seems, is going to be at that hour! I made it uptown while still half asleep and ran a loop of the reservoir with Mary before the group arrived. We had the option to do extra mileage today, and I was glad to do it before the group run because it was so disgustingly humid outside. The reservoir is beautiful and the lap around it woke me up enough to finish five miles with the team. In total, I guess I did about 6.6 miles today. I felt pretty good afterwards, and spent all afternoon moving stuff over to the new place and dodging runaway shopping carts at Target.

This week I have my nutrition consultation with Andrea Moss from Spark! Wellness. I have a lot of questions for her about how I can get enough energy during the day, especially during the training season. I don't eat a lot of meat, so getting enough protein is always a concern. I'm hoping she has some creative ideas, and I will be sure to report back.

Parents are coming to town next weekend to help me settle in, and Dad wants to run with the team on Saturday morning. We'll see what he decides. We're doing 14 miles. Stay tuned...

happy 4th weekend!

I was dragging this morning (it was a very long week), but I was happy when I got to the park for our run. It was gorgeous out and the park was almost deserted. It is a holiday after all, and everyone leaves town. The rest of the week is supposed to be really hot, so we lucked out this morning. There was a cool breeze and it wasn't too humid. Anyway, we did 4 miles plus a "Magic Mile" around the oval. I shaved two minutes off my MM time! It's supposed to be a tool to predict finishing time for longer races. I did today's in 10:30, which is a little bit slower than my fastest 10k pace. About right, considering we ran 2 miles before it and 2 miles afterwards. At that pace, I am poised to break 6 hours at the marathon, and I'm hoping to get a little faster as the season progresses. I'd like to match (or beat) my time from 2006, if I can.

I'm feeling much better than I have in a long time. Part of that is the medication, the other part is my improved mood because of my upcoming move. Also, as much as I dread getting up early, I feel a sense of accomplishment by running with a team again. I really missed it during my rather long hiatus!