Well, my lazy running days are over. I have to step up the milage and the training. I'm hoping to do sub-10:00 miles soon!
Apr 11, 2011
My "Rave" Run
I went running with T today. We were supposed to do a long run, but it was hot and I was tired. We ended up doing 4 miles and walking 2. I guess it was a preview of what the summer will be like. What made this run great was the view. You can really tell spring is here. Along the trail was a carpet of green, dotted with yellow and purple flowers. It was amazing!
Well, my lazy running days are over. I have to step up the milage and the training. I'm hoping to do sub-10:00 miles soon!
Well, my lazy running days are over. I have to step up the milage and the training. I'm hoping to do sub-10:00 miles soon!
Apr 4, 2011
A Preview of the NYC Marathon
As part of my 13 half marathons in 2011, I knew I would have to do two half marathons in one month. But I don't know what possessed me to do them in the same weekend. The 13.1 New York Half Marathon, which my cousin G ran last year, was on Saturday, 2 April. The More Half Marathon, which I have run before, was on Sunday, 3 April. I did them both. I made a NYC running weekend out of it! And it was a good weekend for running. Overall the weather was cool, but sunny. More importantly, there was great crowd support at both races. It really does help. Great crowds and great volunteers! And in Central Park, I saw NBC's Al Roker. It looked like he was taking a nice walk around the park, while we were running past.
The More Half Marathon is old terrain for me. It's two loops of Central Park. What made it different this time around was instead of running clockwise, we ran counter-clockwise. It may not seem all that earth-shattering, but it does change the composition of the hill at the north end of Central Park. When you run clockwise, the hill is long and gradual with a bit of flat in between. Running counter-clockwise, the hill was long and steeper, with no flat anywhere . You crest the top and then you have a little downhill. Normally, I would like the challenge. But the fact was on Sunday, my legs were sore from Saturday. In fact, I was very tempted to just stay in bed Sunday morning and forgo the run. I ran, just not that fast.
So why were my legs sore? Part of it was the 13.1 miles I ran the day before. The half was flat, with some small minor hills, that looped in and around Flushing Meadows. I'm not all to familiar with Queens, so this run was a fun revelation in some ways. I got to see Citi Field, The Queens Art Museum, Arthur Ashe Stadium, the big globe, and even a couple of rockets ships (I still don't know what museum or exhibit they were part of, but they were there).
It might have been a bit of arrogance on my part, but I thought the flat course would treat my legs well. And they did. I actually finished faster than I thought I would with a time just under 2:18. It was still 9 minutes longer than my PR, but I guess this early in the season and with my sporadic training, my legs weren't going to bounce back as quickly as I imagined. On Sunday, I did the 13.1 miles in just under 2:33. If you add up the times I did 26.2 miles in a total of about 4:51 minutes (and with a good night's sleep included). This might not bode well for my goal of doing the NYC Marathon in under 4:30.
The More Half Marathon is old terrain for me. It's two loops of Central Park. What made it different this time around was instead of running clockwise, we ran counter-clockwise. It may not seem all that earth-shattering, but it does change the composition of the hill at the north end of Central Park. When you run clockwise, the hill is long and gradual with a bit of flat in between. Running counter-clockwise, the hill was long and steeper, with no flat anywhere . You crest the top and then you have a little downhill. Normally, I would like the challenge. But the fact was on Sunday, my legs were sore from Saturday. In fact, I was very tempted to just stay in bed Sunday morning and forgo the run. I ran, just not that fast.
So why were my legs sore? Part of it was the 13.1 miles I ran the day before. The half was flat, with some small minor hills, that looped in and around Flushing Meadows. I'm not all to familiar with Queens, so this run was a fun revelation in some ways. I got to see Citi Field, The Queens Art Museum, Arthur Ashe Stadium, the big globe, and even a couple of rockets ships (I still don't know what museum or exhibit they were part of, but they were there).
It might have been a bit of arrogance on my part, but I thought the flat course would treat my legs well. And they did. I actually finished faster than I thought I would with a time just under 2:18. It was still 9 minutes longer than my PR, but I guess this early in the season and with my sporadic training, my legs weren't going to bounce back as quickly as I imagined. On Sunday, I did the 13.1 miles in just under 2:33. If you add up the times I did 26.2 miles in a total of about 4:51 minutes (and with a good night's sleep included). This might not bode well for my goal of doing the NYC Marathon in under 4:30.
Mar 29, 2011
Team Tutu Runs the National Half-Marathon
26 March 2011
On a chilly Saturday morning, with the sun just peeping over the horizon, Team Tutu - T, E, and I - stepped out of the Armory and followed the crowd to the start line. We had two minutes to get there, but we weren't alone. There were large crowds still exiting from the metro and lines snaking up stairs and along the gymnasium floor for the bathrooms. No one was making a mad dash for the start. For us, this was a good thing. We were in corral 8 and it took about 15 minutes for that corral to hit the start line.
As we crossed the start line, the announcer identified us as Team Tutu, and I have had to admit I liked that moniker.
We signed up for the race and ran it dressed as we did because it was cheaper and less time consuming than the Disney Princess Half. I hadn't realized how many people would cheer you on if you put on a tutu and a tiara. It was great! We got a lot of compliments on the tutus from spectators, although some people thought we were princesses, most people thought we were ballerinas. I think it was from all the recent movies involving ballet -- okay, so it's only really two, but one was an Oscar winner. It also means people on the course looking for you, can usually find you. Wearing a tutu, you tend to stand out in a sea of shorts and running tights. The outfits also generated comments from fellow runners. In fact, one woman told us we'd love the Disney Princess Half (but I don't think we'd be the only ones wearing tutus for that race). One guy who ran, who I shall refer to as Lululemon man -- and I think from the picture you an see why, was incredibly supportive. 
He told me I should check out Half Fanatics. While I do have a lot of halfs lined up, this was coming from a guy who was running the full marathon and then planned to hop on a plane at 3pm and run a full marathon on Sunday in New Mexico. I might not actually qualify as a fanatic. Even better, he passed us on the course and then he passed us again. The only difference was the second time, he was chomping on an Egg McMuffin. Yep, he pulled off the course to get some breakfast! This is my kind of runner and my kind of fuel for a run!
Running with a group is different. As you know from Austin, I have been known to pull away when things are slow. But I was recovering from a cold and I liked the idea of a nice, leisurely run. This fit the bill.
All three of us were recovering from something and the course was probably a bit more challenging than we had anticipated, particularly for T and I who run in DC all the time. I guess we really do tend to stay on the flatter portions of DC. But it was nice to feel a part of something and cross the line with a group. Now that I reflect on it, even when I run with friends in a race, we tend to cross separately because running is a solitary sport for me and I'm a slow runner compared to my friends. Also, at the end, people (meaning not me) like to sprint. My race time was the slowest of the year. Granted it is only March, but I do need to step it up, however, if I want to break 4:30 at the NYC Marathon.
Next weekend is my two-fer Half Marathon Weekend.
On a chilly Saturday morning, with the sun just peeping over the horizon, Team Tutu - T, E, and I - stepped out of the Armory and followed the crowd to the start line. We had two minutes to get there, but we weren't alone. There were large crowds still exiting from the metro and lines snaking up stairs and along the gymnasium floor for the bathrooms. No one was making a mad dash for the start. For us, this was a good thing. We were in corral 8 and it took about 15 minutes for that corral to hit the start line.
As we crossed the start line, the announcer identified us as Team Tutu, and I have had to admit I liked that moniker.
We signed up for the race and ran it dressed as we did because it was cheaper and less time consuming than the Disney Princess Half. I hadn't realized how many people would cheer you on if you put on a tutu and a tiara. It was great! We got a lot of compliments on the tutus from spectators, although some people thought we were princesses, most people thought we were ballerinas. I think it was from all the recent movies involving ballet -- okay, so it's only really two, but one was an Oscar winner. It also means people on the course looking for you, can usually find you. Wearing a tutu, you tend to stand out in a sea of shorts and running tights. The outfits also generated comments from fellow runners. In fact, one woman told us we'd love the Disney Princess Half (but I don't think we'd be the only ones wearing tutus for that race). One guy who ran, who I shall refer to as Lululemon man -- and I think from the picture you an see why, was incredibly supportive. 
He told me I should check out Half Fanatics. While I do have a lot of halfs lined up, this was coming from a guy who was running the full marathon and then planned to hop on a plane at 3pm and run a full marathon on Sunday in New Mexico. I might not actually qualify as a fanatic. Even better, he passed us on the course and then he passed us again. The only difference was the second time, he was chomping on an Egg McMuffin. Yep, he pulled off the course to get some breakfast! This is my kind of runner and my kind of fuel for a run!
Running with a group is different. As you know from Austin, I have been known to pull away when things are slow. But I was recovering from a cold and I liked the idea of a nice, leisurely run. This fit the bill.
All three of us were recovering from something and the course was probably a bit more challenging than we had anticipated, particularly for T and I who run in DC all the time. I guess we really do tend to stay on the flatter portions of DC. But it was nice to feel a part of something and cross the line with a group. Now that I reflect on it, even when I run with friends in a race, we tend to cross separately because running is a solitary sport for me and I'm a slow runner compared to my friends. Also, at the end, people (meaning not me) like to sprint. My race time was the slowest of the year. Granted it is only March, but I do need to step it up, however, if I want to break 4:30 at the NYC Marathon.Next weekend is my two-fer Half Marathon Weekend.
Mar 28, 2011
Four Courts Four Miler
Before I got my horrible cold, I ran Pacer's Four Courts Four Miler race. It's basically their St. Patrick's Day run. They had a great shirt last year: technical tee with a clover leaf and it said "Kiss me, I'm a Runner." I loved that shirt. (I can't find it right now, hence the past tense.) This year's shirt was not so great. But they did have a nice gimmick. 
One of their staff members (Robbie) started the race 15 minutes later and if you didn't get passed by him, you got a sports bottle as you crossed the finish line. The course is an out and back. And the first two miles is essentially two miles of downhill (there's a little uphill at the end of the first 2 miles), which means the back is pretty much two miles of uphill. It was masachistic! About 200 yards from the finish, I could hear that Robbie was coming on strong behind us, so I pushed and crossed the line 38 minutes and 43 seconds after I started. And I did this all while wearing my St. Paddy's day (now lucky) headband.
One of their staff members (Robbie) started the race 15 minutes later and if you didn't get passed by him, you got a sports bottle as you crossed the finish line. The course is an out and back. And the first two miles is essentially two miles of downhill (there's a little uphill at the end of the first 2 miles), which means the back is pretty much two miles of uphill. It was masachistic! About 200 yards from the finish, I could hear that Robbie was coming on strong behind us, so I pushed and crossed the line 38 minutes and 43 seconds after I started. And I did this all while wearing my St. Paddy's day (now lucky) headband.
Mar 23, 2011
A Rough Week
Last Wednesday, I woke up with a head cold. I lost my voice a couple of days later, and got a horrible cough. I'm beginning to feel better, but I have not run in a week. Ordinarily this would not be a problem. But In the next two weeks I've got to run 3 half marathons. I'm a bit worried about how my lungs and my legs are going to turn out.
Feb 26, 2011
Austin Half Marathon
On 20 February, I ran the Austin Half Marathon. I ran the first few miles with JC and her friend N. But then I ran ahead. I ended up finishing in 2:31:31. It was a strong finish, for me, although I have mixed feelings about the time. I do think I could have gone faster. It's strange how competitive I can be about running. I know I'm not fast, but I don't like to let too many people pass me. 
The race was well organized. There was amazing crowd support, and there were water stops every mile or so. What surprised me, however, was just how hilly the course was. I know Baltimore was hilly, but at least there was a mile or so of flat. On the Austin course there was no real length of flat, it was either going up or going down. My one complaint about the race was at the finish. They decided to hand the race shirts out at the finish. I finished in the middle of the pack and frankly, it was crowded as hell. I'm talking a street full of people, packed to the gills, not moving, and waiting to get a shirt. I think they would have been better off just handing out the shirts at the expo.
After the race, we went to a nearby restaurant to celebrate. The food was great and it was a beautiful day to sit outside and celebrate our race finish.
We split a tamale with cheese and roasted poblanos, a nice egg breakfast with great roasted mushrooms and tomatoes. And the dessert -- it made the run worthwhile. It was a flourless cholocate cake with a hint of chili, carmalized bananas and brown butter banana ice cream. Oh, and I had a maragarita to wash it all down. There were a lot of other racers there. I'm glad I did it and that's race number two done. Next month is Sun Trust National. I have to start making my tutu!
The race was well organized. There was amazing crowd support, and there were water stops every mile or so. What surprised me, however, was just how hilly the course was. I know Baltimore was hilly, but at least there was a mile or so of flat. On the Austin course there was no real length of flat, it was either going up or going down. My one complaint about the race was at the finish. They decided to hand the race shirts out at the finish. I finished in the middle of the pack and frankly, it was crowded as hell. I'm talking a street full of people, packed to the gills, not moving, and waiting to get a shirt. I think they would have been better off just handing out the shirts at the expo.After the race, we went to a nearby restaurant to celebrate. The food was great and it was a beautiful day to sit outside and celebrate our race finish.
We split a tamale with cheese and roasted poblanos, a nice egg breakfast with great roasted mushrooms and tomatoes. And the dessert -- it made the run worthwhile. It was a flourless cholocate cake with a hint of chili, carmalized bananas and brown butter banana ice cream. Oh, and I had a maragarita to wash it all down. There were a lot of other racers there. I'm glad I did it and that's race number two done. Next month is Sun Trust National. I have to start making my tutu!
Feb 13, 2011
Love the Run You're With 5K
Today was the Pacer's Love the Run You're With 5k. Today's high is supposed to be in the 50s, but at 9am it wasn't that warm. Still, unlike yesterday, it wasn't windy, and there were places/stores open so we could go in and warm up. TK ran with bad cold. Not only that, she ran fast (well, faster than me). I was impressed. I did okay. Didn't break 30 minutes, but I was close with a time of 30:10. I'm still waiting to see the official chip time. I hope I wasn't off by too much.
I admit, I did the race, in part, because of the fun T-shirt design. I liked the one from last year and this year was just as cute.
But the shirt was purple. PURPLE?!?!
I admit, I did the race, in part, because of the fun T-shirt design. I liked the one from last year and this year was just as cute.
But the shirt was purple. PURPLE?!?!
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