Long Run Along the Hudson

I love running in Central Park, but every once in awhile I long for a different view (and a flatter course, let's be honest). On Sunday, I finally ran along the West Side Highway again - part of the Manhattan greenway.  I usually go south, down to the tip of Manhattan, but I decided to go north, for a change. It was nice. It's amazing the greenery right next to the Henry Hudson parkway!

The only downside was that the Garmin failed to locate me until after I got through the park. I think it would have been 8 miles.

I need to get my mileage up. This time next week it's the Flying Pig!

Moving the Finish Line

I play this game with myself when I run. I start small. I think to myself, "I'll only run the small loop today." But then when I get to the park, I'll usually head to the larger loop. Today, I stuck to the smaller loop, after all I'm "recovering." But while I was running the lower loop of Central Park on a beautiful spring day, spying greenery on top of glass buildings and dreaming of water, I noticed that while I ran over 2 miles, I was shy of 30 mins. I read recently that people should get 30 mins of aerobic exercise 5 times a week. So, I said to myself, you're close to 30 mins, run until you reach 30 mins. So I did. But when I hit 30 mins, I noticed I was just shy of 3 miles, so what did I do? I told myself, "Just run to 3 miles." And I did.  But this is what I do a lot on longer runs or whenever I feel really tired: I set a short attainable goal, reach it and then push the goal back, and repeat.
 


Now, if I could only find a way to make this strategy work for 26.2 miles.

More Half marathon

Today I ran the More Half Marathon. I've run this before - once when it was so hot they changed it from a scored race to a "fun run." Last year, it was 2nd half marathon of the weekend. This year it will go down as the half marathon that snuck up on me. I forgot I was running it until about a month ago. Of course, during the intervening month I managed to get a really bad cold and was out of commission for about 2 weeks.

I ran this with EH, her sister and her mother. Actually, I spent most of the first loop running/walking it with EH and then her sister. It was nice, especially since it was starting to warm up. This is a run I could have done in shorts and short sleeves, but didn't.

As you can see, I had a negative split. All in all, for what little training I did, it wasn't horrible.


So what did I do after? Well, I went to see a musical, "Once." Standing room only ticket. Yep, in the "Stupid Things Lynn Does After Running," this might take the cake! As if my legs hadn't been through enough, I decided to stand for 2-1/2 hours.  But, it was worth it. It was a good musical.


Now I'm not going to leave my couch tonight!

Maybe I've Run Too Many Halfs

This weekend is the NYC Half Marathon. A lot of people have been emailing me, asking if I'm running it. I am not. I didn't even apply to run it. This was the first half marathon I ever ran, and the NYC Half holds a special place in my running heart. Still, I think I burned out on halfs last year. I've only signed up for two half marathons, and the first is in May. Also, it's a lottery entry. I've never had much luck with lottery entries (cough, cough) Nike San Francisco (cough, cough).

Here and There Running

It feels like I haven't been running in ages, but I have. I've been experimenting with different routes. Running up 5th Avenue to Harlem (Marcus Garvey Park), running down Park Ave to Grand Central and back (which was short so I ran up Park Ave for a time, as well), trying to run along the FDR drive. You get the picture. But, I keep going back to Central Park -- doing different loops. On Wednesday, I did a longish loop. It was the first real day that felt like spring. I was out there in short sleeves. It was sunny and great and I felt like going. It also helped that my Garmin actually located me fairly quickly for a change. I'm still slow, but I have a feeling I'll be out and about running more often now.

Running in the Drizzle

I finally ran today. I think I did about 4 miles. I say this because my Garmin did not locate until about 15 or 16 mins on the page. As you can see below, the green start a little further north than the stop. Still, I'm glad I got out there. Better to run, than not run. And I won't be running tomorrow, so it was now or never.

The Lazy Streak Continues

I need to start running regularly. I need to start running regularly. I need to start running regularly. I need to start running regularly. I need to start running regularly. I need to start running regularly. I need to start running regularly.

Do you see a theme here?
I last ran on Saturday. What have I done since then? Baked cupcakes.