Ok, so I'm a bad blogger. I missed a week or two in there between our 20 miler right before the hurricane and yesterday's 23 miler. In my defense, I've had a fair amount going on. (New job, whee!) Anyway, I got up at 4:15am to be in Manhattan for 6:15. I have a routine in the morning before a long run that includes a full breakfast. I am not one of those runners who can do so without eating. Plus, it takes an hour to get into the city at that time of day. Anyway...
Our route started at Columbus Circle, went down the West Side Highway, down to Chambers Street, over the Brooklyn Bridge and into my favorite borough. We were a small group, since there was another crew who started at 5:30. It was good, though. We kept a nice pace and we were all feeling really strong throughout most of the run. The weather was spectacular, sunny but cool. I always love going over the bridge, and it was fairly quiet because it was so early. I'll never get tired of the view from up there, even if it was a little obstructed by construction.
We arrived in the BK and ran through the borough hall farmers' market, which was pretty empty at 8:00. Everybody immediately began commenting on the cute babies and dogs that Brooklyn is so well known for. We continued down Court St, to Union and through Gowanus and Park Slope to Prospect Park, where we encountered a fantastic aid stop. (Thanks, guys!) I stocked up on m&ms, my fuel of choice this season. I don't know why, but they seem to be working. I also grabbed a couple of mini- candy bars to put in my pocket, since I contemplated finishing the run in Brooklyn rather than coming all the way back into Manhattan and taking the subway home. I never eat that much sugar in my daily life, but for some reason, my body was craving it. I figured I'd better listen and oblige it.
We did a loop of the park together as a group (going clockwise to avoid going up the big hill). I saw my former roommate (hi, mar!) which was a great surprise. I did decide to finish the remaining 10 miles in the park on my own, rather than reversing the route. (I absolutely hate the WSH because I know exactly what street I'm on and how much farther I have to go, which is terrible at the end of a run. Also, I live two blocks from the park, so this made much more sense). I was sad to see the group take off without me, but I was feeling much, much better after 13 miles yesterday than I was after 13 miles a few weeks ago during the 20. I had my ipod with me, so I listened to podcasts to make the last 3 loops of the park go faster. It was monotonous, but between the podcasts and the candy, I was doing ok. Overall, 23 miles took about 6 hours (with a few stops thrown in). I really want to break 6 hours at the MCM, which is only 6 weeks away. Scary!
We have one more long run between now and the end of October. It's supposed to be the full 26, but I think I need a month to recover from that, and I only have 3 weeks this year, since MCM is the week before the NYC marathon. I haven't decided if I'm going to do the whole thing, since I'm not signed up for another race. If I'm going to run 26 miles, I may as well get a medal for it! For now, I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing (lots and lots of yoga, strength training, etc). It seems to be working. My training this year has actually been quite pleasant. No wall yet!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Thursday, September 01, 2011
20 miles, Brooklyn style!
Hurricane Irene was not going to stand in the way of my 20-miler last Saturday. I had to alter my plans slightly once I learned that the MTA was suspending subway service starting at noon due to the storm. There was no way that I was going to get all the way uptown, complete a 20-mile run, and make it back to Brooklyn before noon. I was all set to do the run by myself, but then my fantastic pace group leader put me in touch with another Gallo who was planning to run in Brooklyn. We talked and agreed to meet up at 5:15am the next morning to run loops in Prospect Park. Boring, but there are water fountains and bathrooms. She even said she was going to use her car as an "aid station" so we could stop and refuel along the way.
She arrived right on time the next morning to pick me up, and we found a space right near the park. She brought me a poncho as a present, and I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to use it. The car was stocked with water, gatorade and snacks--better than anything I could've asked for. And I had company for the run. Awesome!
As we got started, my very sweet and generous running companion immediately began divulging very personal information. Don't get me wrong, this happens sometimes during a long run. You figure, hey, I've got all the time in the world, why not get to know the group? But there's a line, and my companion's disclosures were very close to crossing said line. I learned, for example, all about her ex-boyfriend's efforts to seduce her after they'd split, all the issues she had with injuries and blisters, and how she'd lost 70 pounds by walking in Prospect Park. (Very impressive, plus she knew everyone we passed all morning long). All of her stories came down to minute detail. She was a talker (a loud, enthusiastic talker, at that). I thought to myself, "I'm not sure I can do this for 20 miles." But then again, all her chatter meant that I didn't really need to respond. Plus, I appreciated the company. So on we went. Rather than be annoyed by it, I decided to find the humor in it. I'm telling you, you can't make this up.
After a couple of loops of the park, we were joined by a friend of my running companion. Her friend was a relatively new runner preparing for a half marathon this fall. She joined us for a loop and a half or so, and it was great to have her with us. I watched my running companion transform into running coach (she runs a wellness program at her job, and that's how she knew this friend of hers). I appreciated the break from the tell-all I'd been hearing before, and I was even more excited to stop at our "aid stop" once we hit mile 10.
I definitely didn't want to run 3 more loops of the park after already running 10 miles. (My plan was for a total of 6 loops, 19.8 miles. That's almost 20. And there was a hurricane coming. Good enough). The Oreo I had at the aid stop gave me a little boost, though, and we were off. My companion's plan was to run 18, so she joined me for another loop and a half and then bid me farewell, planning to cut across the transverse to finish up. On our last loop together, her feet were bothering her, so she took her shoe off to give it a break (all the while reminding me of her blister prevention routine). As soon as she did, she exclaimed "Oh, relief! I feel like I just made love!" I almost fell over laughing. She then made a comment about how it was like I walked in on my mother (which, luckily, I have never done). I was hysterical and horrified at the same time.
Anyway, I recovered from that episode and kept going. We were caught in a brief shower, which felt good to me, but she decided to turn around and get her poncho out of the car. Honestly, I was kind of grateful to do a loop and a half on my own (I was at mile 15 by that time) and have some quiet. On my last loop, though, my feet started to drag, and I had to shuffle after each of my walk breaks in order to start running again. The weather was also not cooperating. It would rain, and then stop, and then pour, then stop. On the home stretch of my last loop, the skies opened up and drenched me. I had to wring out my shirt and hat. Just as I turned the corner and thought, "Why am I not done with this loop yet?" I saw my fellow poncho-clad Gallo waiting for me at the 20 mile mark, holding my poncho and an Oreo cookie. As she saw me, she yelled out, "We started together, and we're going to finish together!" Then she wouldn't let me stop until I hit the 20 mile mark according to her Garmin (those few trips to the aid stop got me from 19.8 to 20). Oh, that Oreo cookie was delicious and I was so happy to be done. I promptly went home, stretched, and then proceeded to lay around like a slug for the next two days. Thank you, Hurricane Irene, for that.
She arrived right on time the next morning to pick me up, and we found a space right near the park. She brought me a poncho as a present, and I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to use it. The car was stocked with water, gatorade and snacks--better than anything I could've asked for. And I had company for the run. Awesome!
As we got started, my very sweet and generous running companion immediately began divulging very personal information. Don't get me wrong, this happens sometimes during a long run. You figure, hey, I've got all the time in the world, why not get to know the group? But there's a line, and my companion's disclosures were very close to crossing said line. I learned, for example, all about her ex-boyfriend's efforts to seduce her after they'd split, all the issues she had with injuries and blisters, and how she'd lost 70 pounds by walking in Prospect Park. (Very impressive, plus she knew everyone we passed all morning long). All of her stories came down to minute detail. She was a talker (a loud, enthusiastic talker, at that). I thought to myself, "I'm not sure I can do this for 20 miles." But then again, all her chatter meant that I didn't really need to respond. Plus, I appreciated the company. So on we went. Rather than be annoyed by it, I decided to find the humor in it. I'm telling you, you can't make this up.
After a couple of loops of the park, we were joined by a friend of my running companion. Her friend was a relatively new runner preparing for a half marathon this fall. She joined us for a loop and a half or so, and it was great to have her with us. I watched my running companion transform into running coach (she runs a wellness program at her job, and that's how she knew this friend of hers). I appreciated the break from the tell-all I'd been hearing before, and I was even more excited to stop at our "aid stop" once we hit mile 10.
I definitely didn't want to run 3 more loops of the park after already running 10 miles. (My plan was for a total of 6 loops, 19.8 miles. That's almost 20. And there was a hurricane coming. Good enough). The Oreo I had at the aid stop gave me a little boost, though, and we were off. My companion's plan was to run 18, so she joined me for another loop and a half and then bid me farewell, planning to cut across the transverse to finish up. On our last loop together, her feet were bothering her, so she took her shoe off to give it a break (all the while reminding me of her blister prevention routine). As soon as she did, she exclaimed "Oh, relief! I feel like I just made love!" I almost fell over laughing. She then made a comment about how it was like I walked in on my mother (which, luckily, I have never done). I was hysterical and horrified at the same time.
Anyway, I recovered from that episode and kept going. We were caught in a brief shower, which felt good to me, but she decided to turn around and get her poncho out of the car. Honestly, I was kind of grateful to do a loop and a half on my own (I was at mile 15 by that time) and have some quiet. On my last loop, though, my feet started to drag, and I had to shuffle after each of my walk breaks in order to start running again. The weather was also not cooperating. It would rain, and then stop, and then pour, then stop. On the home stretch of my last loop, the skies opened up and drenched me. I had to wring out my shirt and hat. Just as I turned the corner and thought, "Why am I not done with this loop yet?" I saw my fellow poncho-clad Gallo waiting for me at the 20 mile mark, holding my poncho and an Oreo cookie. As she saw me, she yelled out, "We started together, and we're going to finish together!" Then she wouldn't let me stop until I hit the 20 mile mark according to her Garmin (those few trips to the aid stop got me from 19.8 to 20). Oh, that Oreo cookie was delicious and I was so happy to be done. I promptly went home, stretched, and then proceeded to lay around like a slug for the next two days. Thank you, Hurricane Irene, for that.