The only professional photo B + I were in from the Manhattan Half and it was with our friend M! 

Whoops! I forgot to post about the Joe Kleinerman 10k that a bunch of us ran on January 7. I had been waiting for my friend K to post a picture she took of a bunch of us but I guess I’ll post it later! Anyway, race day was beautiful! Despite being early January, temperatures were in the early 50s and it was a lovely sunny day. I actually didn’t push myself too hard b/c I wanted to get in additional miles at the end so I could keep training for the half marathon in late January. I really enjoyed the race, just one loop around Central Park kept it interesting and everyone seemed to be in a great mood because of the weather. After crossing the finish line, I said hi and congrats to M + J and then ran back to the 4/5 train at 59th and Lex. I spent most of that trip running behind another runner which helped me keep pace and motivation. In the end it was about 9 miles, right on track! I did the 10k in 56:50, about a 9:10 pace. Not my best, but I’m glad I saved energy to get in the extra mileage. Once we were all showered, it was off to Sunburnt Cow for Bloody Marys to celebrate M’s birthday!

This past Saturday I ran Grete’s Great Gallop, the half marathon part of the Norwegian Festival this weekend. B, J, my brother and I all met up in Central Park, wished each other luck and then split into our respective corrals. This was going to be my brother’s first half marathon so I was very excited for him! This was also going to be J’s second, so it was also a big deal. Unfortunately my left knee has been killing me for the last few weeks. I’ll blame it on not stretching after my long BK bridge park run, but I think I’m also adjusting my stride for my new sneakers. I went into the race just hoping to finish.

Miles 1-5 were kind of hard, I was very aware of my knee and weaving around people caused more pain so it felt like people were passing me. Something great happened at mile 5, maybe it was because I had already done almost a full loop of the park, or because right there started the last few miles of the marathon, but I felt great. I was happy and didn’t notice my knee. Then I hit a wall at mile 10. Perhaps it was because I had just gone up a hill and then down and then was about to go up a longer one, but it hurrrrt. By the time I got up that second hill I actually felt nauseous and was nervous I was going to barf. I have no problem throwing up, but I believe if they see you vom they make you stop, I didn’t want to be forced to stop. With the nausea came back my knee pain. The next few miles were tough. Things that got me through - seeing an elderly man with a shirt on saying that he had run every single NYC Marathon, how inspiring! Also, watching the Achilles volunteers and runners practice alongside our race was motivating, if they are up for the task of running, I certainly could be! I didn’t get to do my normal sprint to the finish but I made it without stopping and without barfing! After chugging a lot of water and eating a plum I felt much better.

I was upset that this could have been my worst half, but then when the results were up, I saw that it wasn’t! In fact, it was faster than when I ran BK with Sara and McKenzie and faster than my first few races. In all, I’ve now ran 11 half marathons and this was my 6th best (or 5th worst, but I prefer to look on the bright side). I’m hoping to bring my half time back down to where it was for the NYC half and the BAA half. To do so I’m going to get back on doing speed workouts during the week and keep an eye on my long run times as well. I’m glad I had this race as inspiration and hope it will keep me moving forward.

Because I got back from Amsterdam late Monday night I was able to take Tuesday off without using a vacation day. My day involved sleeping in, scrubbing my apartment, doing laundry and dropping more off, grocery shopping and going for a run. My friends and I recently signed up for the Grete’s Great Gallop half marathon in Central Park so I decided to make my way up to the park and get a nice run in. My head was pounding from jet lag but I was able to get in about 5 miles. To mix things up a bit, I ran up from Columbus circle, did a lap of the reservoir and then ran down the east side.

One thing that caught me off guard was the cars in the park. I usually run there in the morning, evening or weekend, when cars aren’t allowed. Having cars in the park forced the bikers into the running lane and squished the runners into one lane. More than once another runner and I were coming straight for each other. I’m all for sharing the road with bikers, but next time I’ll make sure to run when only runners and bikers are allowed.

I realized I never did a post on the Nike+ app I got for my iPhone. As I may have mentioned before, I used to love using my Nike+ chip with my iPod Nano. Unfortunately, during one trip I lost not only the chip but my holder that allowed me to wear non-Nike shoes. Since then, I’ve had to map out my runs ahead of time and haven’t really known what pace I’m keeping. The pace thing is a big factor because I tend to go fast out the gate and exert too much energy. Fast forward to almost a year later when I saw that Nike was offering its GPS Nike+ app for free. Not knowing how it would differ from my original, I downloaded it. I’ve been pleased with the app, the use of GPS allows me to run without a chip in my shoe, which I frequently would forget to switch when I rotated shoes. One downfall is that I don’t use my iPhone on my run, I still use my iPod because it has all my songs and I have a clip and an armband. So lately I’ve found myself running with my iPod clipped on and carrying my iPhone in my hand. Occasionally I’ve listened to Pandora radio on my run, using my iPhone, but carrying the phone is still awkward. 

I took the app to Central Park yesterday so I could tackle some hills in preparation for the big one at Falmouth. I ran in the opposite direction as the rest of the runners so that I would be going up two major hills in the last 1/4 of my run. The strategy worked out great. I got in a good 3.5 miles of mild hills, after that I was a bit tired but still powered through the hills. It was great training and I’m really thankful I got out of work early enough to do it. It was nice having my iPhone with me because I thought the loop was only 4 miles but it ended up being 4.5! Every little bit helps!

Monday night I was fortunate enough to get out of work at a decent time so I scooted up to Central Park. I did two laps around the reservoir, getting in a little under 3.5 miles. After being away from NYC for 9 days, running in the park with the great view of the skyline was positively exhilarating. I just felt so happy to be out running in the daylight, running in NYC and just running in general! It was a fabulous evening. I even tested out the free Nike+ app I downloaded for my phone the other day, a review will come soon.

This morning I ran the More Magazine | Fitness Magazine Half Marathon. The course was two loops + a bit around Central Park. There were a few things this spring that got in the way of some of my long runs so I was a bit nervous about this race. I went into it planning to take it easy, have fun and feel good throughout. After completing it, I can honestly say I succeeded in doing that. A combination of the gorgeous weather, a great playlist and enthusiastic support from husbands, fathers, brothers and children on the sidelines made for a great race. The last two miles I was able to amp it up a bit I hadn’t expected to PR (1:53:10 in last year’s NYC Half) but my time of 1:56:16 came pretty close considering I was taking it easy. 
(as you can see I had a lot of fun with my new phone and the instagram app after the race. expect the quality of my photos to be hugely improved!) 

I headed up to Central Park for my ten mile run this morning. On my way up I realized that 1. I had not run this far since the marathon and that 2. I had not been up to Central Park since the marathon. It’s time! I had mapped out a ten mile route taking me the full outer loop of the park and then on the inner loop running from 72 and 102. It felt great to be back in the park. It was jammed with runners, bikers and tourists but the energy was electric. Armed with a good playlist, the 10 miles flew by. 

Because I’m a member of the New York Road Runners, I was able to leave my bag with my phone, sunglasses, keys and reusable bags (for a later Trader Joe’s run) while I went out on a run. Being able to use their headquarters for storage and a bathroom is invaluable. I feel naked going all the way uptown without a bunch of stuff but runs feel weighted down with them. Keeping my stuff there is perfect!

My running schedule was completely off this week. Because I did my long run on Monday, my two weekday runs were scheduled for Wednesday and Friday. Thursday night at the bar, I forgot this. Despite chasing my accidental beers with loads of water, when my alarm went off at 6 the next day, there was no getting me out of bed. I packed up my stuff and decided to run in Central Park after work. I had to pick up my number for Sunday’s Marathon Tune-Up anyway, so I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone.

It ended up being a blessing in disguise. I cannot recall the last time I ran in the park at twilight. It was absolutely beautiful. The park was full of activity. I realized earlier that I confused my schedule and ran 8 on Wednesday when I was supposed to run 7, so today I decided to do 7 instead. My shin hurt a bit in the beginning, but after a mile or so, I was feeling great. I slipped onto the bridle path as often as I could and my joints seemed to thank me. Switching up my runs to Central Park is not only enjoyable, but beneficial. The hills are a great workout and prepare for the many hills of the marathon, versus the fairly flat East River path. I paused occasionally to take photos like a tourist, but they were definitely worth it. After doing almost a full lap of the park, I headed onto the running path around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. Running around the water on the gravel was a lovely way to end the run. 

One thing I forgot to mention was that I hadn’t realized my iPod was dead until I left work. Though I prefer to run with music, not having it certainly isn’t a dealbreaker. Forgetting my sneakers or shorts or a sports bra are probably my only things that not having them would prevent a run. What are your dealbreakers?