The road to 26.2 - 9 miles

Well, last week's long run started off well, and ended with a $16 cab ride and a bag of frozen pees on my knee.  Quite the let down after the last long run.  I had a friend staying with me for the weekend and knew it would be tough to run my scheduled twelve miles and then play tour guide all day, so when my Friday night dinner plans fell through I decided to get my run finished that night.  I was excited about this idea, as I hadn't done an evening long run, and it would be the first Saturday I can remember for months that didn't involve an alarm clock.

I ran down the West Side Highway, enjoying the sunset over Jersey and the view of the Freedom Tower lighting up as I got closer to the financial district.  I'd reached Battery Park when I hit six miles and turned around.  It was soon after the outside of my left knee was bothering me.  I took a few walking breaks but mostly ran and just tried to go at a slower pace.  By mile seven it was really bothering me so I stopped to try to stretch it out but nothing really felt good.  I kept going, taking more and more longer and longer walking breaks.  I walked almost all of the eighth and ninth miles.  Running was not an option unless I wanted to be in pain, and it wasn't a good pain that you push through.  Even walking was uncomfortable.  After a lot of contemplating I finally decided to hop in a cab when I saw one around 20th.  Walking another 50 blocks just seemed brutal.  My feet were hurting at this point also from favoring my knee.

The cabbie was nice enough to drop me off and wait while I hobbled up to my apartment to get my wallet (obviously he wanted to get paid, but a lot of cabbies would complain; he was really nice.)  My doorman offered to give me cash but I just hustled up to my place to grab my wallet.  I paid the nice man and then hobbled to the grocery store for some frozen peas, and took it easy for the rest of the night.

Walking all over the city the next day wasn't exactly ideal, but it wasn't too bad unless I was going down stairs.  (Subways, Highline...ouch.)  After talking to a bunch of runners, and doing some research, I'm pretty confident it's an issue with my IT band.  Luckily I already own a foam roller so I can focus on rolling out both bands every day.  This week I'm taking it easy and giving my knee a break.  It's tough not to run since I'm in the routine, and I hate falling behind in training.  Mondays have always been a work out day, even before training, so it felt strange to skip it.  Obviously I'm grateful I'm still 9 1/2 weeks from the marathon, it could be so much worse.  It's just too bad this is the week I'm resting because so many of my friends are out of town and I have nothing on my calendar after work.  Normally my weeks are so busy trying to juggle training, seeing friends, and it seems like there's always an out of town visitor, or someone's birthday dinner, or some other obligation.  This week, nothing.  Oh well, like I said, I'm just grateful it's not close to the marathon.

Running the GW, my first double state run

Last week I ran a midweek run across the George Washington bridge.  This was my first time on the GW bridge (on foot) and the run was fantastic!  The time of day was perfect (no filters in these pics) and the views of the city and the Hudson River were spectacular.  Twilight is my favorite time of day to run.  I love seeing the buildings slowly light up.  As usual I was overwhelmed with gratitude to live here, and for my healthy body that allows me to run.  I remember thinking during this run, I will never not be a runner.  I dare anyone feeling sorry for themselves to go for a run and still be unhappy.

Despite confusion getting off the bridge (running a mile out of the way down an off ramp and back) and rolling my ankle, it was still a fantastic run.  The bridge, as well as the other four miles were quite hilly so I was beat when I was finished.  This run was my first one wearing my charity jersey(?) and also using a sweat band.  I have been wanting a sweat band since I was training for my half and finally remembered to buy some.  I didn't love it as much as I thought I would.  It was nice to be able to have something to wipe my face with, but my wrist got claustrophobic.

The road to 26.2 - 14 miles

Also known as, the best run I've ever had in my entire life.  I had a 12 miler scheduled and I was nervous, as usual.  Yes, the 10 had gone so well, but that was two weeks before.  Maybe I got lucky.  Twelve is practically a half marathon, and that's something people totally train for.  I did my best to prepare, and it completely paid off.
My alarm went off at 6am and I decided considering the rain and cooler temp, I didn't need to jump out of bed, and slept another 30 minutes.  I finally got up and took my time getting ready.  I finally was running about 7:15am.  I ran to the park, crossed it at 72nd, and made it to the top of Summer Streets at Park Avenue.  It was only 64 degrees and with the rain it was definitely feeling cooler than pretty much every other run I've done in the last four months.
I made a conscious effort to jog at a leisurely pace since now I knew I was supposed to tack on an extra 1-2 minutes per mile for the long runs.  I was surprised when I hit my first mile and it was 8 something minutes. Hm, weird.  Fluke.  I obviously don't trust my app 100% when it tells me the min/mile, but the total time is accurate, and the mileage is pretty much on.  When I ran my half marathon the mile marker on the course almost always matched exactly to when my app was telling me I passed a new mile.
Anyway, as I ran down Park Avenue, feeling fantastic, mile after mile I was hearing that I was averaging a little over 8 min/mile.  I was floored.  I didn't see as many water stations as I had the week prior, when I was running Summer Streets in the opposite direction.  The truth is, I wasn't exactly looking for them either.  Last week it was so hot and humid, and I had actually felt thirsty, but this week, not at all.  I had Gu Chomps for miles four and eight, and usually when I eat these I'll take a little walk break to give myself a minute to rest and also make it easier to eat, but I was just feeling so great I didn't want to stop running.
I made it down to the end of summer streets and had to get a little creative through side streets to make it over to the West Side Highway.  I was thankful I lived in the financial district for three years, so I was familiar with the streets.  When I was jogging through, making my way west, there were not a lot of people out, and it was raining a little harder than it had been the rest of the run.  I realized it was slightly chilly, but I just felt so great.  I was so incredibly happy.
I finally made it over to the highway running path and started heading north.  I could not get over how amazing I felt.  Around mile ten I thought to myself I really almost feel like I could run the whole dang marathon right now.  I had to stop at a bathroom, which was a first, and really frustrating.  Luckily I could pause my app so it didn't keep the clock running.  I know if I were in a race the clock would continue to run, but I just wanted to keep my running pace w/o the bathroom break.  Oh well.
Funny how the mind works, at about mile 11 I started to feel the aches and pains and felt myself slowing down, mentally knowing I only had to run 12.  I had already decided that I was going to keep running past 12 because I wouldn't have quite made it home, and I figured I could pass my furthest distance run of the half marathon.
When I got to where I should have cut off the highway to go home I was at about 13.5 miles.  I decided to keep running another quarter mile, then run back, so I could make it an even 14.  That last half mile definitely felt longer than any other 2-3 miles that day.  It just seemed to drag!  By the last couple miles my feet and knees had been hurting, and I wanted to be done.  It had rained probably 11 or so of the miles, and my clothes were completely stuck to me.
I was so so happy and felt so proud of myself.  I couldn't believe it when I looked at the clock after I passed the half marathon point and realized I'd cut over 10 minutes off my half time!  I'd wondered if it would ever be possible to get under a two hour half marathon but it seemed crazy to me.  I finished my 14 miles in just under the time it took me to run my half.  I'm sure I'll never run that quickly again (and shouldn't for these training runs) so I have to pat myself on the back a bit this time.
The rest of Saturday I felt relatively good.  When I would sit for a long period of time my knees would hurt when I got home, and after getting a manicure and pedicure that afternoon I had to walk down some stairs and I was really in pain in my knees, but otherwise felt great, and feel really great today!

The road to 26.2 - 7 miles

I wonder if I'll ever get over long run anxiety.  Any run longer than five miles makes me nervous and anxious. Last Saturday was a cut back week so my "long" run was only seven miles.  I was still nervous.  Friday night I stopped by a sporting goods store and bought some more Gu Chomps and I can't even tell you how delicious the watermelon chomps were the next day.  I could eat them as a snack.
Summer Streets is happening right now, which is awesome.  Three Saturdays this month they shut down about five miles of Park Avenue and it's open for runners, bikers, roller bladers, etc.  There are tons of pit stops along the way with different activities like a rock climbing wall, ziplining (I really felt like stopping to do this) and bike rentals, all free.  There's also water stations along the way.  It's very well organized.
Laura had suggested I incorporate Summer Streets into my long runs but I completely forgot the first week.  Thankfully Brenda reminded me so I could take advantage last weekend (and will this weekend as well.)  I decided I would take the train down to the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge, run that, which ends right at the bottom of Summer Streets, and run all the way up to 72nd to the east side of Central Park, and then cross over to go home.  What a pain it was to wait for a train so early on a Saturday morning.  From the time I left my apartment, waited for a train, and then schlepped to Brooklyn, it had been forty minutes.  I thought to myself, Seriously?  You're about to run home from a place it just took you forty minutes to get to???  I think the commute was actually more painful than the run.
I felt like I was going pretty slow, and, I was, however in typical fashion the second half of my run went much faster than my first and I finished in just over an hour and ten minutes.  I just found out, however, that I should be running at a much slower pace during my long runs, than my weekly runs.  On one hand, that makes me feel a little better when I feel like I'm going so slow, on the other hand, I don't want to lower my 10 min/mile average goal because then it makes the run longer...
It was definitely cool to run up Park Avenue.  When I was in lower Manhattan I just felt like I was in a race or something, but it was especially cool when I got into midtown, since it's always so busy.  It was neat to run around Grand Central and finish up at the park.  I thought mileage wise I'd have to run all the way home but I hit my seven mile mark just as I got to the park.  I let myself walk home so I could have a cool down, and it was really nice to walk through the park in places I'm normally running.  I also realized how much bigger the park seems when you're walking vs running.
This weekend my mileage goes up to twelve and from now on until the week before the marathon, my Saturday runs will be double digits.  It seems freaking crazy.  And it seems freaking crazy that I'm running twelve miles and nine weeks from now, when I run twelve again on a Saturday, it will seem short.
I have to mention my socks in the above photo.  I've always run with regular socks, however was given a Nike giftcard after running my half marathon.  It was fun to shop around the store and look at buying things I otherwise wouldn't if it was my own money.  I hate spending money on running clothes/gear, for some reason.  I decided to try out these socks, and I LOVE them.  I wear them for every long run, and I will definitely be buying more.

The road to 26.2 - 10 miles

I don't have the commitment or time to write about every run, but after reading up on Chloe's training for her marathon a few years ago, I decided I would at least write about my long runs.  The shorter weekly runs are typically about the same.  Sometimes a run is difficult for some reason, or sometimes I have a really great inspiring run, but for the most part they're predictable.
I've been feeling a bit behind in my training.  Part of me feels like training for a half first wasn't a good idea.  I was so nervous about the race, so I was pretty faithful in my training.  Then, the race ended up being so fantastic, and not nearly as difficult as I expected.  I think this, along with my two weeks of down time, maybe gave me too much confidence and I lost a bit of momentum.  At this point I'm really not running more, mileage wise or times per week, than I was when I was training for the half.  I guess the only difference at this point is the weather.  It is definitely more hot and humid than when I was training for the half.  However, on the other hand, I also feel like I've gotten a lot more comfortable running in the humidity.
I've been running slower on average, and I'm not sure why.  My regular mid week runs have felt more difficult than they did in the past.  It's really bothered me, making me feel like I've digressed.  I was really nervous about my ten mile run this last Saturday.  I was supposed to run nine miles the weekend before and was just feeling exhausted from weeks upon weeks of travel on the weekends and a hectic work/social schedule during the weeks.  I'd gone camping and we cut out early because of bad rain, and I was just over the idea of trying to get that run done.  I finally found a bit of motivation and told myself to just do six.  I ran the loop in the park and it was pathetic.  I felt like I'd run nine, but only ended up doing 6.3, and took a lot of walking breaks.
So, I felt like if I could get this ten miler done I would feel like I was caught up after feeling behind for what seems like the first four weeks of training.  I made a point to really prepare.  I had a yummy pasta dinner for Friday night, got to bed early, and was good about hydrating Friday.  I'd gotten some different kinds of supplements.  Up until this point all I'd ever used were the Gus, and I hate them.  It takes a lot of concentration to not gag when I eat them, so for this run I had some energy jelly beans, and some Gu jelly blocks.  I have sort of wondered if these were like placebo pills.  I don't really feel a difference.  I mean, yes, I'm getting the runs done when I take them, but I don't really notice a different feeling.
I got up early and headed to the West Side Highway and planned to run downtown five miles and then back.  I ate the jelly beans first (I thought I was supposed to take them mid run, but the package said before activity.)  Like usual, the first 4 miles sucked.  It's so hard not to think, "Wow, two miles done....I have to do that four more times."  I stopped at pretty much every water fountain I saw to have a sip of water.  I feel like this is something that really helps me out.  I can't exactly pinpoint this as helping me through the half, but for some reason I feel like it was the best advice I got.  I have two running belts for water, but I've yet to try them out.  The less I have on me, the more comfortable I am running, and strapping on a belt just doesn't seem appealing.  I keep meaning to try it out on a shorter run but I always forget.
After my fifth mile I ate the Gu jelly blocks and they are hands down my favorite energy booster.  I will never have another Gu again!  They were gummies were delish!  I also think they definitely made a difference because on average each mile in the second half of my run was ten seconds quicker than the first half.  My very first mile was 9:20, which made me happy because that is about my usual, however, every mile after that was a little slower.  I was happy when things picked up after my fifth mile and I was able to get my complete average back down to under a 10 min mile.
I felt so good when I was done with this run.  I felt like I had my groove back.  This weekend I cut back to a seven mile run, but then after that every long run is two digits until the week before the marathon when I cut back to eight.  Scary.

Running for a cause

I sent out the below email to friends and family for fundraising.  This is my story which explains why I'm running the marathon (as well as the link to donate, should anyone feel generous.)  :)  I've italicized where I've made slight adjustments to keep personal info safe from google searches.

Dear family and friends, I’m so excited to tell you I’ve committed to running this year’s ING NYC Marathon on November 4th! Over the past five years I’ve stood in the crowd in the last stretch of the course in Central Park and cheered on my friends and other runners, dreaming that I might one day be one of those runners. I watched and cheered through happy tears, so inspired, knowing the months of preparation and dedication that came before that day.

There is one person in particular from whom I’ve learned the most about running; my friend Dina M. I was fortunate enough to meet Dina at my first interview at (the bank at which I worked,) my first job in the city. Dina immediately made me feel at ease, and as soon as my first day on the job I knew she would be my go to person anytime I needed help. I can remember like it was yesterday, standing outside the building on my first day, feeling completely in over my head. I was 23 years old, 3000 miles from home, and working my first real job out of college for a bunch of intimidating Wall Street traders (or so they seemed at the time…I couldn’t have been more wrong.) I recall telling my dad over the phone that the bright spot was my new friend Dina, who seemed to be so helpful. I had no idea what a dear friend and influential part of my life she would become.

For almost four years Dina and I worked closely together, usually sitting only about two feet apart (it’s close quarters on a trading floor.) You can imagine how well you get to know someone working in such tight conditions for years. Dina gave me advice on everything: finding an apartment in the city, family matters, dating, negotiating, shopping, etc. As a seasoned New Yorker, she taught me so much about life in the city. We discussed our favorite trashy tv shows, the Yankees, weekend plans, and of course, office gossip. Dina was my confidant, my support, and, as she put it, “the mother hen.” She truly took me under her wing.

Dina was an avid runner. She has completed the NYC Marathon eight times. I would hear her talking about her training and be in such awe. Hearing about all her running inspired me to want to run. I’m embarrassed to admit, for years I took a very lazy approach. I had no commitment, always willing to drop a plan to run if something else came up. I might run a mile or two here and there. If I ever ran more than two miles without having to stop it felt like such an accomplishment. I’d tell Dina about it, and instead of rolling her eyes she always acted so supportive, and most importantly, like she believed in me. She truly made me feel like I could be a runner.

Even though I only had the opportunity to run with Dina once, it’s a memory I cherish and will never forget. She and our other friend Val were doing a simple two mile loop in Central Park and let me tag along. I complained pretty much the whole time, and took frequent walking breaks. Instead of getting annoyed with me, they encouraged me, and didn’t allow me to think negatively.

In May 2010 Dina was diagnosed with brain cancer. She battled through extensive rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, all the while continuing her dedication to her job, spending time with friends, and when her doctor would allow it, running. I have never been more proud or felt more love for Dina than the moment I saw her run past me in the marathon that same year. What a blessing and privilege to jog with her for a couple minutes at the twenty third mile. She did not let the cancer define her or hold her back, and went on to run her last marathon in 2011.

In April of this year Dina’s fight with cancer ended when she left us and moved on to the next phase of life. It was only about two months before that I’d finally gotten serious about running and had signed up for a half marathon in June. The last time I saw Dina was about two weeks before she passed away. I was so proud to tell her I’d signed up for the race, and had started training. I promised her that day if I ever worked up the nerve to run the full marathon, I would raise money to research a cure for brain cancer. There is not a day at the office I don’t use one of the tools she’s taught me, not to mention all the life lessons I learned along the way. I will always be in debt to her.

When I crossed the finish line of my half marathon she was the only person I could think of, knowing she was beaming down at me. I have developed a love for running, and am so excited for the marathon. It’s a true honor to run in Dina’s memory. I have felt her spirit with me during my training runs in the park, and I know she’ll be with me on marathon day, pushing me along and telling me I can do it. She will be my biggest cheerleader.

I have a goal to raise $3500 by race day. Through your generosity I know I can succeed. Please consider making a contribution towards the fight against brain cancer by clicking on this link.

Sincerely,
Rachel

Aloha

via

In typical fashion the summer is blazing by.  In three days I leave for Kauai and I don't feel prepared at all.  I found out on Christmas we were going and it was almost seven months out.  Can't believe it's already snuck up on me.  I guess this is normal for every new year of life, but this has been, by far, the fastest year of my life.  How is it already mid July?
A little of what's been going on....
-my mom came out for a long weekend over Mother's Day in May
-Chelse, Becky, Rachel, and I went to South Beach for a long weekend and I turned the big 29.
-my Grandpa Hope passed away June 23rd; sad for us but the best for him, as he was 89 and ready.  My dad and all my siblings were able to make it out to Rexburg to be with my grandma for a few days.  My mom unfortunately couldn't make it because she was in Europe chaperoning some high school kids.
-Spent the 4th of July in the city for the second time in six years, going to the beach and watching fireworks from Karli's roof.
-Brad and I did our open water dives to finish our scuba certification last weekend in Massachusetts.
-Marathon training has officially started and I've managed to get some runs in before work to beat the heat and humidity.
-And in almost 72 exactly I'll be on an 11 hour flight to Kauai.  When I get back July will be almost over. 

13.1

I think I'm still on a high from the half marathon.  We all know how annoying those people are who do something like this and talk about how much they loved it, but, I can't help myself, I really really loved it.  All of it.  Everything was better than I anticipated.
On Friday I picked up Karli around 5:45pm and we were on our way to Philly.  My friend Renee graciously gave us keys to her apartment in King of Prussia for the night.  Unfortunately she was in Jersey for business so I didn't get to see her, but she was sweet enough to still let us stay and her apartment was so homey and so much more comfortable than a boring hotel.  She left snacks out for us and continually told us to make ourselves at home and help ourselves to anything.
We were hoping to get to Philly before 8pm so we could pick up our bibs, however, in typical form, traffic getting out of the city was horrendous.  A little before 8pm we decided we were starving and there was an Olive Garden nearby so we decided to make our pit stop to carb load.  Yes, Olive Garden.  I have no shame, I love it.  I had told myself I would only drink water, and then told myself I was allowed one Diet Coke, however, I went for a second.  I cannot deny the deliciousness that is fountain soda.  At one point I found myself holding the straw to my water but still leaning over to my DC to sip.
We were able to find a grocery store nearby to pick up some breakfast items, and then headed the rest of the way to Renee's.  I was seriously floored that it was after 11pm when we got to her place.  How had it taken over five hours??  Ugh.  I was really annoyed it took us so long but there really wasn't anything we could have done aside from leaving work early, which wasn't an option for me last week.  We quickly got ready and hopped into bed for about four hours of terrible (for me) sleep.
The alarm went off at 4:45am and we were out the door by 5:15am.  We had to drive about 45 minutes to the bib pickup spot, and then took a shuttle bus to the race.  It was a pretty small, relaxed race, it seemed.  Only about 1000 participants.  I'm not sure if that's normal or not, but all the races I've done/seen in New York are massive.  The 10k I ran in May had 10,000 registered runners.
The laid back feel of the race helped with nerves.  On Thursday night I ran the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge which was just a 3.5 mile loop in the park.  Shouldn't have been a big deal but with all those runners and booths it creates anxiety for some reason.  I ran that race at a much faster pace than I typically run, 8:52/mile, and it was mostly uphill, so I was very conscious of the fact that I needed to pace myself in the beginning of my half.
The waiting around was definitely the worst part of the whole day.  It wasn't bad, but I was a little chilly (didn't think to even pack a jacket) and I was just antsy to get going.  I was kicking myself because even though I had half an english muffin before leaving Renee's, I'd brought my banana along because there was a period over two hours between leaving Renee's and the race start, and I left my banana in the car.  Womp womp.  Luckily, Karli and I made a friend with a girl named Gretchen, who was also from the city, who gave me a power bar she wasn't going to eat.
Finally it was time to start.  We were in the third wave and it wasn't packed at all.  The path was pretty narrow, but I didn't feel crammed at all, like I have in other races.  I was very focused on keeping my pace slow, but I was surprised when I saw the first mile marker and my pace was 9:47.  It was that point I realized I could pick it up a bit.  It wasn't until earlier it the week I realized I should pick a goal for my time.  I honestly hadn't thought about it, because I just didn't care, only wanted to finish.  I told myself if I kept an average pace under 10 min/mile, so 2:10, I'd be happy, but really just happy if I finished.
The race was relatively easy.  There were a handful of very steep hills, much steeper than I'm used to, but they were short, and at every hill I repeated to myself, "Dig deep, this is what you trained for."  I was proud to never have to walk up a hill.  There was a point around mile two when I thought to myself, What the hell are you doing??  But other than that I remained pretty positive.  The trail was a lollipop shape; out, loop, and back, so when I'd pass one mile marker I'd notice the return mile marker, which was a little cruel.  I remember seeing nine and thinking it seemed so far away.
It always takes me until about mile three or four to get into my groove; usually those first few miles sort of suck and I feel overwhelmed thinking about all I have ahead of me.  I planned to have a Gu at miles five and nine, and the water stations were about every 1 1/2 miles.  I got some advice to walk through every water station and have a few sips.  I took this advice and it was great.  There is such a stigma about taking walking breaks, and I hate to do it myself, but I have realized when I do, it barely affects my overall time, and the more I talk to people who allow themselves walking breaks, the more it seems to help with endurance.  I always took a few seconds to walk while I took a few sips.  I honestly walked maybe five seconds at each station, and I'm happy to say I never walked because I had to, only at those fuel stations because I wanted to.
Around mile six or seven the path turned into a trail.  We'd been warned about this.  It was my least favorite part of the race, but ironically my body felt the best during these miles.  It lasted probably two miles.  It was basically like hiking through a forest.  There were rocks, twigs, uneven paths, even horse poop.  I couldn't believe how some people were flying through there.  I lost balance slightly on one foot at one point and am so grateful I didn't twist my ankle.  In hindsight I guess it wasn't the worst thing in the world because it took my focus from my body and running, to the trail...it was a distraction.
The rest of the trail was great and I feel like it was relatively easy due to being mostly flat and mostly shaded.  The weather couldn't have been better, low 70s and I didn't notice any humidity.  I sweat, but never once felt too hot.
Around mile nine or so I felt my legs starting to hurt a bit.  When I slowed down at one of the last water stations I felt my legs tightening up and thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to stretch them out, but I was too stubborn, knowing I wasn't far from the end and wanted to keep pushing.
Surprisingly, mile nine seemed to go the quickest for me.  I was truly surprised when I saw the mile ten marker and thought to myself, "Already?"  I could not stop being surprised at how great the whole race was going.  Making it past mile ten felt great.  That was the longest I'd ever run before, so as I continued, feeling really good, I felt really proud, and so excited that I only had a few more miles.  
After that every mile marker felt like a new accomplishment.  I was feeling great and especially great when I would pass a guy.  When I hit twelve I decided to crank up the pace for the last mile.  I ran at what felt like 90% the whole way, and this is when I started to feel fatigued.  I kept thinking the finish line was right around the corner, and it just wasn't.  I finally found myself thinking, "When is this going to end?"  And then I saw that blessed finish line.  At that point I gave it everything I had and pushed 100%.  I felt like I was going fast, but sometimes when you're that tired you're actually going a lot slower than you think.  There was some decent crowd support, which always helps.  I finally crossed that finish line and couldn't believe it when someone was handing me my medal.  It was surreal.  I turned around and looked at the finish line and thought, That was my half!  I just did it.  I just ran a half marathon.
I walked back so I could root on Karli at the end, and as everything sank it I was overcome with emotion and started to cry.  I fought it because when you see a girl crying alone it's not totally clear if it's a good thing or not after a race.  I didn't want anyone worrying that I was hurt, or that something was wrong.
I stretched out as I watched for Karli, and then when I saw her I cheered like a fool, and then ran to the finish line after her to hug her.  We then walked over to the snack/water table to get some eats.  I couldn't get over how happy I was.  We were able to find out friend Gretchen again and all sat and stretched and chatted together.  When we decided to make our way back to the shuttle buses I realized my hip flexor was in bad shape.  I'd been trying to stretch it out while we were talking, but it was really hurting.  I was limping pretty badly to the bus, the point that Gretchen said she was worried.  I tried to walk it off, and thankfully it eased up later.
We took the shuttle bus to our car and there was a celebration with beer and bratwurst (it was a German 1/2, people were even running in lederhosen.  Karli and I took a look around, decided we were over it, and hopped in the car.  When we got back to Renee's we were both so exhausted.  She told me I could hop in the shower because she didn't want to move for a few minutes, and I told her I was about to say the same thing to her.  So we both just laid there for a while, and I finally showered.  I'm not one to take a long shower, but this shower was so amazing.  I just wanted to stand under the hot water and never get out.
We finally left Renee's place and headed to Philly to get some cheesesteaks from a great little hole in the wall she recommended.  The traffic was awful getting to Philly, so we didn't actually eat until about 3 or 4.  We were famished.
After that we were on the road.  Traffic was awful, per the usual, and when we were about 30 miles outside of the city I finally had to pull off and have Karli drive because I was so exhausted.  I honestly am so happy I don't have to drive normally.  I think traffic has got to be my most hated thing in life.
I was so happy to get home and just go to bed.  I was out cold by about 10:30pm, and when my alarm went off at 8:30am the next morning I easily could have kept sleeping.
I'm happy to say I wasn't too sore.  My knee joints were hurting a bit, but I mostly was fine unless I sat or laid down somewhere for a long period of time.  Today I'm feeling great.
My official race time was 2:04:23.  My running app had the same time, however I'm not convinced my splits are totally accurate.
Mile 1: 9:47
Mile 2: 8:56
Mile 3: 9:48
Mile 4: 8:55
Mile 5: 9:32
Mile 6: 10:02
Mile 7: 10:23
Mile 8: 10:32
Mile 9: 9:50
Mile 10: 9:47
Mile 11: 9:31
Mile 12: 9:27
Mile 13: 7:40
I can honestly say I loved this half.  It made me so excited for the full in November, and other races in between.

Wow

Things have been crazy, to say the least.  My social life has been crazy, travel has been crazy, running has been crazy, and work has been Insane.
I have not fallen off the training wagon.  I have missed some short runs here and there, but have managed to always get at least one, usually two runs in during the week, and my long runs.  I did an 8 miler in the Berkshires, a 9 miler in the city Memorial Day weekend and was almost killed by the temperature and humidity, and a 10 miler last Saturday in the city which was amazing.  My half is this Saturday.  I feel badly I haven't kept up my running log.  I really wanted to, but it's just gotten pushed aside.
There's so many things I'd like to write about...the Berkshires, my mom's trip out, my girls' trip to Miami for my birthday, going to my first Subway Series game with ten friends for my birthday, but there's just no time for anything.
I ran twice in Miami and the humidity and heat were so brutal.  I have never been much of a sweater, so I didn't realize my body was capable of sweating so much.  So gross.
I've had a lot of great runs during my training, and I'm looking forward to more great runs with my marathon training.  One of my favorite moments though, was my run on my birthday.  I'd gone running on Saturday around 8am thinking it wasn't too hot and it was actually cloudy so the sun wasn't bad.  The first couple miles we were getting rained on pretty hard, and I was feeling like such a badass.  Little did I know it would be so much harder once the rain quit and the sun came out.  This was a six mile run and man, was it tough.  We finished up and then stopped by the pool to talk to Chelse and I thought I'd be fine in the shade but I truly thought I might pass out so I just kept walking into the air conditioned hotel.
Because of this, I learned my lesson, and Monday morning Rachel and I were up before the sun came up for our five miler.  There was a boardwalk that went for miles and miles along the beach.  I've never really run along the beach, that I can recall, so it was a gorgeous view.  I happened to glance back just as the sun was peeking over the Atlantic and it took my breath away.  There truly was not a picture I could take that could capture this huge bright orange ball coming up over the water.  It made me want to cry.  It was definitely, hands down, the best way to start my 29th year.

Running update

The last two weeks have been weird.  I've missed a few runs and haven't felt like writing about the runs I made time for.  The week of May 6th I did two four and a half milers, the second with strength training after, then Saturday I had a 10k, so I only missed my three miler, having a weekly total of 15.2.  Actually, it's a little more than that because I ran a little longer than I needed to for each run.

This week I did my four and a half miles Monday and haven't run since.  I actually did have intentions of doing my second four and half miler Wednesday but when I got home my stomach was killing me.  I laid around for a little while thinking it would go away but it didn't so I threw in the towel, telling myself I'd get to bed at a decent hour and get up early to run.  Well, that didn't happen, and I had plans last night with old colleagues so it just didn't happen.  Tomorrow I've got eight miles scheduled so it'll be interesting.  My official longest run to date is 6.5 miles so this is a decent bump up.  It'll be in a new location, which is never great for me, but I think it'll be relatively flat.
Now, going back to my 10k.  It.  Was.  AWESOME!  I loved it.  I mean I seriously freaking loved it.  The funny thing is this was the race I committed to and it sounded so scary, and now here I am signed up for a half and a full.  This was my first real race.  I've done fun run 5ks before, but nothing that was really official.  I had to go pick up my bib and time keeper for my shoe and it all just felt very official.  My mom was going to be in town and she said she wanted to come watch me.  I figured it was just a 10k and not really a big deal but whatever.  She's a good cheerleader.
The morning of the race I was surprised to wake up nervous.  I was not expecting that at all.  I've done this length before and I've run this course.  It was the six mile loop I'd done two weeks prior.  I assumed I'd walk the hill at the top of the Park again, especially since I heard running the direction we would in the race was more difficult than the direction I'd run it before.  Oh well, I'll look a little lame with all these real runners but, whatev.
I emailed my friend Val to ask her how early I should get to the race.  Val is a friend of mine from my last job.  She hasn't always been a runner but a few years ago Dina got her into it, and this last year she ran her first marathon.  I was so excited to cheer for her from the sidelines.  I once went running with Dins and Val after work.  It was just a two mile run but I struggled so much and Val said I reminded her of herself before she became a runner.  That gave me some hope.  People who've always been runners don't inspire me, but people who used to be like me make me feel like I really can be a runner too.
I was so happy when Val emailed me back saying she was running the race as well!  Since this was my first race I was glad to know I'd see a familiar face.  Val is part of a running crew Dina was in.  Val told me we'd see each other at the start line, and I figured once the race started they would all speed off, which was fine and what I'd want them to do.
I was running a little later to the race than I'd anticipated, and there were 10,000 runners registered for the race so I had to run probably an extra quarter mile further behind the starting line than I expected.  I was so happy when I finally saw Val.  I met some of her friends and we chatted a little bit as the race started and we slowly made our way to the start line.  I got separated from her in the crowd but didn't think much of it.  I was a little emotional just after crossing the start line thinking about Dina.  She should have been there running with us, and I really missed her.  It wasn't too long after this, maybe a quarter mile into the race I felt someone touch my shoulder and I looked back and it was Val.  We ran together almost the whole time.
Because we were in such a tight crowd it was difficult to go very fast.  I figured I just wouldn't worry about my time.  Imagine my surprise when my app checked in at my first mile and it had only been 7:41.  Floored. Now I understand why everyone says be sure to pace yourself at the beginning of the race so you don't burn out later.  I truly felt like we were running at a pace of an 11 minute mile or so.  I ended up leveling out a bit later and finished in 1:01:57.  This was for 6.56 miles, however, since I started so far back from the start line.
I can't say enough how much I loved this race.  Everything people tell you about races is true.  I felt like I just had a big smile for the first couple miles.  Even though it was difficult to jog in such a tight crowd, it was still so fun and I felt so much energy.
When we finally got to the dreaded hill I was happy because I was feeling so great.  So great I never stopped to walk.  Floored, once again.  I just kept thinking over and over, I can't believe how great I feel!
Val hasn't been running as regularly so she wasn't as prepared for the race as she would've liked.  I ended up slowing down a bit to let her catch up with me and after the second time I did this she told me not to slow down and she'd see me at the finish line.  I wanted to run with her, but when she insisted I said okay and took off.  I couldn't believe how this was playing out.
It was between miles four and five I started to feel tired, and by six I was pretty much ready to be done.  I pushed hard those last .2 k so I was so beat when I crossed the finish line.  The finish line was in the same spot it will be at the marathon so for that last mile or so I imagined what it would feel like 6 months from now when it's marathon day.  Some of the volunteers working the race were clapping and cheering and I can't believe how much it actually helped.  Knowing my mom was at the finish line was awesome too.  I couldn't believe how happy I was knowing she was there.  I also was able to see her at the beginning of the race when I crossed the start line.
When I finished I was so beat and needed a couple minutes to get my breath, then I made my way back to the finish line to cheer on Val.  She crossed the finish line and hugged me and told me how proud she was of me, and then started to cry, and then I started to cry.  I know we were both thinking of Dina and wishing she was there.  At Dina's funeral Val spoke about her first run and how Dina ran with her the whole way.  Val has promised to pay Dina's help forward and help me with training, so this was very special to have Val with me my first race.  I wish so badly Dina could have been there running with us too, but I know she was in a different way.

Monday May 7th - four and a half miles

I'm constantly reminded that I should never skip runs, not because I skip them, but because when I really want to skip them, and then do them anyway, they're usually some of my best.
Yesterday I had a bad day.  Not for any real reason.  I was really busy at work and overwhelmed, but it wasn't necessarily a bad work day.  I was grouchy, tense, sad, overwhelmed, and annoyed.  Part of it could have been the terrible night's sleep I'd gotten, but usually being tired doesn't make me have a day like I did yesterday.  I also have felt like I'm just starting to deal with mourning the loss of my friend Dina.
When I left work it was raining a bit.  Great.  I really didn't want to attempt 4 1/2 miles on a treadmill.  I got home to change and let myself decompress for about a half hour.  I seriously didn't want to go out.  All I wanted to do was climb into bed and feel sorry for myself.  I just felt exhausted.
But.
I sucked it up.  I put on a hat and my running clothes and headed out.  It had basically quit raining, only an occasional drop here and there.  I told myself I would let myself run at a comfortable pace and just take it easy and try to enjoy it.  Also, it's not a bad idea to get some rain runs under my belt because who knows what the weather will be like on my race days.
And enjoy it I did.  Wow.  It was an amazing run.  I felt great basically the whole time.  My knee bothered me a bit, I think mostly because of the rain.  The Park was the most empty I think it's ever been when I've been running.  It was AWESOME.  I always wish for less people in the Park while I run.  I always want more solitude, and last night I got it.  It really was just an all around great run and I have to admit that I loved it.  I found myself so happy when I was finished.  I didn't feel like I was killing myself at the end, and felt like I could have run another two miles easily, which is what I'll be doing at my 10k this Saturday.  These runs always come when I need them.  Such a nice confidence booster.  I did get intimidated thinking about how in under two weeks I've got an eight mile run and that's almost double what I ran last night, plus I'll be doing it in a new place since I'll be out of town, but I told myself to not focus on that, but how confident I'll feel after I do it.
mile 1: 9:27
mile 2: 9:24
mile 3: 9:25
mile 4: 9:38
average: 9:25/mile
total: 44:01
4.68 miles
(when there's a half mile I don't want to figure out how long it took me, the app lists it as the mile average, yet I didn't run the full mile and I don't feel like doing the math)

Saturday May 5th - 5K

I was supposed to run a 5K race this weekend so I was really happy to find a local race to sign up for.  The lame part is, I didn't end up running in it.  It was a combo of reasons.  For one, they didn't mail me my bib so I was going to have to show up around 7am or soon after to pick it up, then stand around for all the race festivities because it was a fun run/walk, and then the race didn't start until 9am.  That was manageable until I was up until 4am the night before/morning of.  I'd gone to bed shortly after 11pm but a friend called around 11:30pm.  It was strange that this friend was calling at this hour on a Friday night so I picked up and he needed to chat.  This chat turned into a four hour chat, and one of those where you can't exactly say, "Hey, I have a 5K tomorrow so I gotta go."  I knew I had a 10K a week later so it wouldn't be the end of the world if I missed this race.
I woke up at 8am the next morning feeling like I'd been hit by a truck.  I didn't eat great the night before, hydrate, and obviously didn't get enough sleep.  I was able to fall back asleep for about an hour and then did my run in the Park.  It was brutal.  It wasn't a hilly path at all, and actually my time didn't really suffer as much as I'd expect, but I hated pretty much all of it.  Maybe part of it was running a path with which I wasn't familiar.  I had to drop off some things at a friend's and then needed to stop in my office so I figured I'd just run it because it was about 5K.
It was a good lesson to learn that I definitely need to prepare myself for my runs.  Luckily I learned it on a short run.
mile 1: 9:23
mile 2: 9:14
mile 3: 9:50
average: 9:28/mile
total: 27:44
2.93 miles (weaksauce)
(weekly mileage: 13)

Wednesday - May 2nd - four miles + strength training

So I was definitely a little tight in my calves from running hard on Tuesday.  Nothing major, but it made this run slightly more difficult.  On top of that, my friend Rachel (name twin) was in town and she's training for a marathon in SF and needed to do a four miler also.  I told her she should run with me.  She said she was just getting back into shape and hoped she could keep up with me, however, she's been a runner off and on for a long time, she's done halves before and has always been a great distance runner.  Needless to say, right when we started running she took off.
I was able to keep pace until about two miles in when I couldn't quite keep up.  On one hand, it was good motivation.  I couldn't get too far behind because she didn't know the trail and when to turn off, on the other hand, I was running at a faster pace than I was comfortable.  However, that is probably a good thing.
Once we were about a mile and a half from being done I was able to catch up from being about 6 paces or so behind, and from that point on we stayed about neck and neck, occasionally with me pulling ahead.  She hasn't trained on hills yet so it made sense.  Also, she'd lost track of our distance and that really gets in your head.  I don't really care about beating anyone, but it was nice to see maybe I've built up a little tolerance for the hills.
We finished up and then did some lunges and squats and were seriously hurting after.  It was a great workout and I was beat.  My legs have been hurting today and I know it's only going to get a lot worse tomorrow.  Hurts so good.
Mile 1: 9:10
Mile 2: 9:07
Mile 3: 9:24
Mile 4: 8:25
average: 9:02
total: 36:21
4.02 miles

Seasons

I talk about it all the time, I know, but I really really love the seasons here.  It's not technically summer yet but I snapped the photo on the bottom left this week and couldn't resist making this little collage.  These are all shot in the morning during my commute to work.  Only the winter picture has been altered with a filter, but the others are just straight from my iPhone.  I wish I had the original winter picture but I must have deleted it.  I wish I could put into words how much joy this walk every morning (when I'm not running late!) brings me.  It's overwhelming.  I'm so thankful both of my parents have been able to take that route with me when they've been here on various trips.  I know people say California has the best weather and in some ways it does, but I really truly love having seasons.  Even the hot muggy summer.

Tuesday May 2nd - two miles

Last night was a quick run.  It was only a two miler and I had a friend in town I was trying to meet for dinner so I tried to just quickly get it over with.  The weather was perfect which meant the Park was packed.  When I was walking home through it after work it seemed to be the busiest it's been all year.
Typically I feel like I'm running at my usual pace or a bit slower, but initially I knew I was running fast.  Between the perfect temperature (66), all the happy runners out, being in a bit of a rush, and feeling energized, I was blazing.  I was surprised, however, at my first five minute check in when my app said I was running at a pace of 6:something.  I'd run 3/4 of my first mile in five minutes.  I decided to push hard since I only had a short run to see if I could finish the mile under 7.  That would definitely be a PR.  Sadly, my initial speed and the hill took its toll and I didn't make it, but I'm think my time for that mile was still a PR.
I can understand why everyone says you have to pace yourself in a race and make sure not to go too fast in the beginning.  I wouldn't have pushed it that hard if I was running more than two miles, but I can see how you could easily run too fast if you didn't make a point to keep your pace.
Mile 1: 7:07
Mile 2: 8:53 (Ha!  Almost two minutes slower, you can tell I was wiped out, and going uphill instead of down)
average: 8:00
total: 16:11
2.02 miles

Also, this is happening...

I don't think I could be more thrilled or terrified.

Monday April 30th - four miles

The four mile loop in the Park is definitely my favorite run.  It just seems like my runs go well, the last mile is pretty much a decline,  I see the north, south, east, and west sides of the park, the distance is long enough that it's still a challenge, but not terrifying, and I just really enjoy it.
Last night my pace stayed a little lower than usual (or so it seemed at least) so when I hit 30 minutes and only had 3/4 mile left I pushed hard to see how close I could get to finishing in 35 minutes.  I was really happy with my final mile time and my overall average but I'm paying for it a little now.  I typically don't get sore from just running anymore, but my calves felt tight last night and this morning when I got out of bed one of them cramped up.  They both feel a little tight today, especially the one that cramped.  Oh yeah, and the best news is last night I realized my knees didn't bother me at all while I was running!  Usually there's at least some discomfort at some points, but it wasn't until my foot was bothering me a bit that I realized, "Hey!  My knees aren't!"
Mile 1: 9:13
Mile 2: 9:11
Mile 3: 9:31
Mile 4: 8:51
average: 9:12/mile
total: 36:52
4.01 miles

Saturday April 28th - six miles

The Central Park Loop.  I did it.  And it wasn't terrible.  I was nervous for this run, and especially nervous when my alarm went off in the morning and I looked at the temperature and it said 40s, but felt like 34.  It just didn't sound appealing.  50s is great, but 30s?  Luckily, I got myself out the door and with the gorgeous sunshine it seemed to feel more like 50.
I started off my run and felt good, but like I was going slower than usual.  I was surprised when my app checked in at five minutes and told me I was running at a pace of 7:something.  I never run that fast.  Obviously I didn't keep up that pace but was glad to keep a pretty decent pace overall to counter two walking breaks.  My usual spot after the b of a hill on the east side.  I only let myself walk about two minutes, but the next break was worse.  The dreaded Harlem hills.  WHOA.  Beasts.  Luckily the first part I was running down.  As I ran down it I was so grateful I wasn't the people running up.  However, my turn came.  It wasn't as bad as the people who were running the opposite direction of me, but it was rough.  It was also when I was about four miles in so I was already a little tired.  I let myself walk most of it and then ran the rest of the way home.  I feel a little embarrassed admitted it, but aside from that, I don't really care.  I still averaged under a 10 minute mile and the really important part, I still did it.  When I found myself struggling I told myself this was the one hard thing I had to do all weekend.  Kind of puts it in perspective.  And I felt like a total bad a when I finished.
Pretty clear to see when I had my walking breaks:
Mile 1: 8:25
Mile 2: 10:20
Mile 3: 9:43
Mile 4: 10:33
Mile 5: 11:11
Mile 6: 9:32
overall: 9:57
(Weekly mileage: 14.5)

Wednesday April 25th - four miles + strength training

Wow.  I definitely got my wish last night.  My run was great.  Every time I've had to run four miles so far I've created my own route, but last night I did the four mile loop in the Park and I loved it.  The bulk of it includes the paths I usually take, but I went a little further north than usual.  There were less people on the east and north sides which was nice.
Throughout most of the run there was the slight pain, but I kept thinking about how I felt good.  The last mile was great, in fact I shaved 15 seconds off my last mile from my third.  I know I said I'd probably post all my mileage and then I quit, but I guess I'll just post when I feel like it.
Last night's:
Mile 1: 9:09
Mile 2: 9:07
Mile 3: 9:42
Mile 4: 9:27
I definitely could have kept running.  I'm always glad when it's over but I could have kept going.  I checked my gps and I'd actually passed the four mile mark already so I walked the rest of the way out of the park.  I've been neglecting strength training which everyone told me not to do so I'm trying to be better about doing it.  I got to the top of the hill where the park opened up to Central Park West and did some squats and some lunges.  My legs and knees were killing.  I can't decide if this would be better to do before or after my run.  I don't want to get my legs too tired before I even start running, so I guess I'll stick to after for the time being.
After I went home and showered I laid on my bed for a little to make a phone call.  After chatting for a little while I got up and my legs wanted to cry.  I never really get sore from running but I knew I'd be hurting from the post run work out, and today they definitely are starting to tighten up.  I can't wait to go home to my foam roller.
I felt so happy after my run last night.  I wish every run could be like that, but I know that's not reality.  Next up is my six miler on Saturday.  Scary!  The following two Saturdays I have races, a 5k and then a 10k.  It feels SO good to think about the 5k as easy.  The Saturday after my 10k race I have to do an 8 miler which seems insane.  Especially because I'll be out of town.  I'm just not going to think about it right now....focus on the six miler this Saturday.

Tuesday April 24th - two miles or cross train

I want to be at the point that I have a short run (or any run, really) and think, "That was great!"  Even though the two miler wasn't difficult, I still found myself thinking it was taking longer than expected.  It was only eighteen minutes, but before the end of the second mile I found myself wondering if my gps had quit working.  Maybe I have a bad attitude this week or something.  It's been a rough few days.  Hopefully tonight's run won't be too bad.