Race Recap: 2014 NYC Half

I have no idea how to start this recap because two things happened at the NYC Half: (1) I finally broke 2:00 and finished in 1:58:46, and ( 2) I felt absolutely terrible during the race.

So, let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start (name that movie/musical!).

Gear

I wore a Oiselle Lux Layer (does not seem to be on their website anymore), my best-purchase-ever C9 by Champion puffer vest, discontinued Lululemon tights, mittens, a Sparkly Soul headband, and Mizuno Wave Inspires.  

It was "feels like 23 degrees" at the start and was about 31 degrees for most of the race, but other than my face, I felt plenty warm in this outfit. I was on the fence about the Mizuno Wave Inspires for a while after I got them, but this winter I've really started liking them, and they felt great during the race.

Pre-Race

I wasn't able to do any runs the week before the race because I was so busy at work (the shortest day, I billed 12.7 hours) and Jess said to prioritize sleep over getting a run in. However, I was able to manage a 20 minute shake out run Saturday, taking advantage of the gorgeous, spring-like weather.

I woke up at 6:40 AM after sleeping terribly. I had decided to treat the race pretty casually when I saw how busy my week was going to be at work, so I wasn't extremely anxious. I still had that stomach flutter I get for all races, but I wasn't feeling the pressure of great expectations, which helped. I think my nausea had already started a bit, since I wasn't interested in food at all and barely got down 3/4 of a Picky Bar. 

I took a cab to Columbus Circle then jogged to the entrance at 6th Avenue and Central Park South. It was pretty cold out, but since I was moving continually, I didn't notice it as much as I did last year when I waited for 30 minutes in my corral. I met up with Brittany and we jumped in my corral. Brittany had been sick the previous week with strep throat and wasn't so sure about how the race would go, but we wanted to start together at least.

Almost immediately after we'd started chatting, the crowd started moving forward and just a few minutes later we were crossing the start line. "Are we really about to run a half marathon?" Brittany asked. 

Central Park

The new course that NYRR designed meant that we immediately climbed up Cat Hill then continued on the main Central Park loop. I was not a fan of the additional out and back they added at the top of Central Park. We ran out of the Park, along 110th Street up a gradual incline, around the Frederick Douglass statue, then back to where we exited and entered the park to run up Harlem Hill. The out and back just felt so tacked-on and the road was in pretty bad condition. I could easily see people tripping. 

After Harlem Hill, which Brittany and I were both happy to be done with, we saw Sourabh cheering with Mason at 96th Street. Shortly after we saw Fiona cheering -- hey, Fiona! I knew I should try to fuel around then, so I popped a chew in, but I could barely get it down. I had started feeling a bit lightheaded and didn't try to keep eating the chews. 

(1) 9:03

(2) 8:43

(3) 9:04

(4) 9:06

(5) 9:03

(6) 9:00

Midtown

After we exited the park, I got down about 3/4 of a gu between miles 6-7, but that was the last fuel I had. As the race progressed, I just kept getting more and more lightheaded, and I'm sure that was due in part to fueling, but I also felt nauseous and the thought of trying to get down more chews seemed impossible, so I just drank water from several aid stations. 

Thanks for taking this awesome picture, Kim!

We had a great pick-me-up at 52nd Street, seeing Beth, Kim, Allison, Leticia and Bernadette (did I miss anyone??), but after we hit a killer wind running east on 42nd Street, I think Brittany and I both felt like we were over the race. We both started listening to music. Huge thanks to Ke$ha and Pitbull for their fantastic duet, "Timber," which really got me through a tough time. What can I say, I love shitty music when running.

(7) 9:08

(8) 8:52

West Side Highway

By mile 9 or so, Brittany said her legs were just done, so we eventually parted ways. Those West Side Highway miles were the worst because I was feeling incredibly lightheaded. I'm not sure where it came from -- although I'm guessing my fairly sleep-deprived state and inability to take in much fuel had something to do with it -- but from roughly mile 6 or 7 onwards I felt lightheaded and somewhat nauseous. I kept wondering if I might pass out or throw up. I didn't, though, and each time I saw my pace drop too much, I just kept thinking about the people in my life who are going through way worse shit than a race that they chose to run not being perfect. 

(9) 9:08

(10) 9:17

(11) 8:59

(12) 9:16 [<-- I think this mile is messed up because I had overrun the course by .1 until the large buildings in the Financial District and the tunnel, and then my watch said I finished in 13.11; this mile was probably a bit faster]

Finish

Last year, I hated the Battery Park tunnel, since it seems to go on forever. This year, I loved it because it meant we were almost done and it was a bit less cold than the highway. As we emerged, I tried to push with everything I had left, but there just wasn't a ton left. I think the lack of fueling probably really hurt me when it came to that last mile, but I still was able to kick it up a bit.

(13) 8:45

(.1) ?? [tall buildings messed it up, it says 12:00 and there's just no way]

Post-Race

As I crossed the finish line, I stopped my watch and looked down with an "oh, 1:58, cool" shrug. It's funny that something I worked so hard for last year felt good, but not overwhelmingly exciting. It was almost an after thought to the happiness that was no longer having to run. My primary thought was, "where is Sourabh, I need someone to get me out of here because I am too woozy to navigate on my own." 

After walking through the exit chute for what seemed like forever (but let's be honest, it was probably no more than a half mile or so), Sourabh and I were able to meet up. He gave me a big hug and helped guide me to the subway. As soon as we got home, I ate a bowl of cheerios (basic carbs were all I wanted) then slept for two hours.

After a nap and some food, I think I'm happy with my time. I am 99% sure I could run a faster half, especially on a flatter course when it wasn't below freezing and I wasn't sleep-deprived and incapable of fueling, but I have finally reached my goal of going sub-2, and that's pretty damn exciting. 

SO MANY THANK YOU'S to Coach Jess! I have no idea how I would have navigated training for this half marathon and working an increasingly demanding job without her help, giving me guidance on what workouts to prioritize and which would be okay to skip. Jess: you are the best!

Did you run the NYC Half? If so, how did it go? Post your recap here, I want to read it! Super curious about how everyone else's races went. 

Pre-Race Day Catch-Up

Hey guys!

I sort of feel bad about not updating my blog during this training cycle, but it's been such a crappy one overall that I'm happy that every treadmill run wasn't captured. Not that I haven't put in the effort -- I really have! -- but the weather's been so miserable for most of the winter that a ton of runs have been treadmill-bound, and the ones outside have been less than stellar.

Winter gloom is not that exciting, when I actually get outside.

So... Sunday is race day! I would love to say I'm super excited but I'm not. It looks cold and I've been working so much that I'm pretty sleep deprived (I was in the office till 2:30 AM on Friday night). As I've said before, I'm not complaining... or at least not complaining much. I feel like I'm learning so much, and I'm on some interesting/complex projects that I'm enjoying. I just wish the past two weeks had been a bit heavier on sleep!

Let's just say I've been seeing a lot of this building, my work "neighbor."

Anyway, Jess put together a great training plan for me, and I tried to follow it as best I could. I am excited to push myself hard and see what I can do on Sunday. Brittany and I plan to start the race together and see how we feel. If it's "not our day," at least we'll have company!

Yay run buddy! (Who is much more photogenic, clearly.)

Brittany is actually the one part of this training cycle that has been awesome. We've done several long runs and midweek runs together and she's been a fantastic training buddy. We're roughly the same speed, but both of us tend to push the pace a bit more when we're together, so I feel like we have really "productive" runs. Oh, and yes, I like talking to her, too... kind of essential in a training buddy. (I think we've both ranted about the state of the student debt situation in America about ten times on runs.)

The Central Park Lake is thawing! Progress?

I don't expect work to be any less busy in the next few weeks, but I do think I'll have more to talk about. To start, hopefully a race recap will be up next week! I'm going on a vacation with the bestie and can't wait to soak up some California sun and stuff my face with salad and fruit. I just don't crave those things when it's freezing out, but give me summer temps and I'm all about a nice kale salad. As New York thaws out, I'm hopeful that I'll be more inspired to write about race training and exercise plans. I have a general idea of what I'll be doing post-NYC Half, but I need to flesh it out more.


How excited are you for spring??? If you're running the NYC Half, are you excited or apathetic? How has winter training been? 

NYC Half 2014 Training - Week 4 Recap

This weekend can best be summed up with this:

(source)

I'd apologize to non-Seahawks fans for the boring game, but... I'm not sorry. Sorry?


And with that, let's talk about training.


NYC Half 2014 Training - Week 4 Recap

Monday: 4.78 easy miles, including 5x20 second strides (45:35), with Abby.

Legs felt pretty tight, quads in particular, after quite a bit of hills over the past three days. Should have foam rolled Sunday night but was too lazy. Probably took this a bit fast but was running with Abby and chatting away, and my legs felt ok after the first mile, so I think it was fine considering tomorrow is a rest day. 4.5 miles without the strides.

Stride splits: (1) 6:50, (2) 6:04, (3) 6:46, (4) 6:11, (5) 6:04


Tuesday: Rest day.


Wednesday: Lackluster 40 minute strength workout.

1.5x Blogilates Hips, Butt & Thighs workout (repeated half the exercises twice) and 2/3 of the Lesko Dozen core workout.


Thursday: Unplanned rest day.


Friday: 45 minutes easy spin + 5 minutes strength.

Easy spin at the gym after dinner (15 miles covered, I think?). Finished with 2:00 plank and 12x: bicep curls, shoulder presses, tricep dips.


Saturday: 4x Harlem Hill repeats (4.5 miles).

Ran across 103rd St Transverse and up the east side then over to Harlem Hill (1.4 mi w/u). 

Harlem Hill repeat splits: (1) 7:58, (2) 8:19, (3) 8:20, (4) 8:18

Definitely went out too fast on the first one and felt it on the rest of them. I'm not sure I was hitting the right effort level (aiming for an 8 on a scale of 1-10), but .8 mi c/d


Sunday: 10.01 mile long run (1:34:08) with Sourabh in Central Park.

Apparently was too excited for the Super Bowl to take a picture. Ran a full loop of the park then the four mile middle loop. Ran 8.5 miles with Sourabh (a new personal distance record for him!) then put in my music and jammed out for the last 1.5 miles. Really good to get outside in some non-frigid weather.

Ate a Picky Bar and banana for breakfast then fueled with nuun in my water bottle. Refueled post-run with a chocolate milk then ate lunch of 3 eggs and a Starbucks multigrain bagel. Protein and carbs FTW.

Splits: (1) 9:41, (2) 9:22, (3) 9:29, (4) 9:45, (5) 9:35, (6) 10:03, (7) 9:30, (8) 9:28, (9) 8:28, (10) 8:41

Can you guess which mile was Harlem Hill? After hill repeats taking the hill at an 8:15ish effort, an easy pace up the hill felt pretty good in comparison.

Why the fast two miles? Sourabh ran with me for 8 miles and we stopped a couple times, so I wanted to push it more in the last two. I didn't feel like the stops really affected the run and made me faster; if anything, the stops took away from my rhythm a bit. But I still wanted to push it a bit more just to make up for the stops.


On Deck for the Week of 2/3:

Lots of speed work this week, which I'm looking forward to.

• 1 yoga class
• 2 strength workouts
• 4 x 800 meter repeats
• 1 easy run + strides
• 1 cutback long run (6 miles) used as time trial

How was your Super Bowl weekend? Have you ever tried a Blogilates workout?

NYC Half 2014 Training - Week 3 Recap

Hi guys!

Hope you had a great weekend! I was working almost all day Saturday, so it was a pretty low key weekend because I wanted to spend Sunday relaxing (i.e. sitting on the couch). I was really busy at work all week, hence the lack of posts, so a lazy Sunday was awesome.

This was basically me on Sunday after my run, minus the bitchy expression. I also finally saw 12 Years a Slave, which was incredible. I am 100% rooting for it for Best Picture and Chiwetel Ejiofor for Best Actor come the Academy Awards. I just thought it was far and away the best of the Oscar movies I've seen, and it's a film that I think will really stand up to time.

Anyway, since there's not much to talk about life-wise, let's talk training. It's only been three weeks but I feel like it's been months! I blame the deep freeze settled upon the eastern part of the U.S. for that.

This week, and going forward, I'm adding more notable fueling. I generally don't eat before my weekday runs, unless it's an evening run and I need to eat something between lunch and dinner to get me through my workout. On the weekends, though, I often go out a bit later, so I have to eat. I figure keeping a record of how I'm fueling can't possibly hurt!

NYC Half 2014 Training - Week 3 Recap

Monday: Recovery day.

I'm calling it a recovery day because I didn't 100% rest, as in I moved a bit. My legs felt pretty tight, so I spent 20 minutes cycling at an extremely low resistance. Just wanted to get them moving, and they felt looser and warmed-up after. Spent another 15 minutes foam rolling and stretching, focusing on my super tight calves.


Tuesday: 4 mile tempo run (35:16) on treadmill at 0% incline + 5 minute abs.

I wish pictures could capture how pretty sunrises are from the rooftop gym!

1 mile warm-up felt tough. Thought the run would be a struggle, but my legs loosened up and the tempo miles felt great. First tempo mile at 8:06, second at 7:53 and dropped to 7:03 for the last .15 miles. 1 mile cool down felt a lot better than the warm-up.

Finished with five minutes of abs -- one minute each: forearm plank, left side plank, right side plank, foream plank again, then 25 push-ups.


Wednesday: 60 minutes strength training with Amanda.

Started with two rounds of 30 seconds jumping rope, 30 seconds mountain climbers, and 10 push-ups with one foot in the TRX strap and one lifted off the ground. Then one round of heavy deadlifts, negative hamstring curls, side-walking squats with resistance band and squat jumps, boat pose with chest press and magic circle squeezes, and reverse crunches on TRX. Two more rounds of the first set, replacing jumping rope with weighted punches with high knees and weighted jumping jacks, then another round of the main exercises. Finished with some deep stretching.

Felt "off" when I woke up -- super sleepy and lethargic despite getting 7 hours of sleep. Went a bit slower than normal, and probably didn't give 100% effort, but still felt like Amanda kicked my ass hamstrings and core.


Thursday: (1) 60 minutes strength training. (2) 5 mile easy run (47:51) on treadmill at 0-.5% incline.

More rooftop sunrises... better than a treadmill picture, right?

Was going to run on the treadmill with friends who I invited over to my in-building gym, but one treadmill was broken down. Since I have constant access to the gym, I told them to run and I used the time to complete a strength workout. Completed two rounds of the Lesko Dozen core exercises + 15 minutes stretching and foam rolling. I'd run 1/2 a mile on the treadmill before they arrived, so only had 4.5 miles left for the evening.

Quick note of gym courtesy -- since my friends aren't residents, I made sure that they were okay with getting off the treadmills if a resident came up and wanted to use the treadmills. Only one resident did, and Julianne courteously hopped off for 20 minutes or so. Swear I wasn't taking treadmills away from rent-paying residents :)

Fueled with some Greek yogurt and a KIND bar around 4pm. Totally didn't want to run when I got home from work at 7:30pm, but Sourabh wisely told me I had to and accompanied me to Equinox. Ran 2.5 miles at .5% incline with average pace of 9:41/mile, before pausing for 5 minutes to answer a few work emails. Then ran 2 miles at 0% incline with average pace of 9:36/mile. Listened to a podcast with Ana Gasteyer, who seems like a really awesome person (you probably know her from the Schweddy Balls SNL sketch or as Lindsay Lohan's mom in Mean Girls).


Friday: Rest day.


Saturday: 9 mile long run (1:25:17), 6 miles outside and 3 miles on treadmill.

Warmest day in a while and it was still below freezing. Awesome. Had to work all morning so was running in the snow around 1pm. Since it was windy, by mile five I was over the snow-in-face and took it indoors. Had oatmeal for breakfast then fueled with a Picky Bar before and "refueled" with a bagel after. Something about cold runs makes me crave bagels. Listened to a podcast interview with Key & Peele, whose sketch show is hilarious (their sketches are on Comedy Central's website and they kept me entertained while I worked the rest of the day).

Had to do two rounds of Harlem Hills -- ran over the 102nd St Transverse then two counter-clockwise loops of the uppermost loop before heading down the east side, turning west at the Great Lawn and heading home from there.

Outside: (.2) untimed (1) 9:20, (2) 10:02, (3) 10:01, (4) 9:53, (5) 9:46, (.8) 9:31
Treadmill at 0% incline: (7) 9:23, (8) 9:13, (9) 7:58

I thought I was supposed to do the last mile fast but after looking at my training plan I wasn't. Oops.


Sunday: 5.1 mile easy run + 4x20 second strides (50:45).

5.1 miles easy paced with Allie while she ran the Manhattan Half, including Harlem Hill, then 4x20 second strides.

Stride splits: (1) 6:49, (2) 7:33, (3) 5:52, (4) 7:03.

Ate oatmeal for breakfast, otherwise didn't fuel. Felt a bit full the whole time. Legs didn't feel amazing, but I felt pretty good otherwise, despite the frigid temps.


On Deck for the Week of 1/27:

[Totally forgot to add this and am doing so Monday morning! Oops!]

• 1 easy run with strides
• 2 strength training sessions (1 long, 1 short)
• 1 spin session
• 1 set of Harlem Hill repeats (I'M SO SCARED)
• 1 yoga class
• 1 long run (10 miles! Back to double digits!)

Do you fuel for early morning runs? How? 

NYC Half 2014 Training - Week 2 Recap

Hi all!

Most importantly:

(source)

GO SEAHAWKS!!!!  As much as they've had a great season, I honestly didn't think getting to the Super Bowl would happen this year. I am so ecstatic that not only is my team headed to the Big Game, they're going to the Super Bowl in NYC!! I am now going to spend the next two weeks drinking Starbucks, listening to Macklemore, and wearing my Seahawks jersey. Gotta celebrate the great state of Washington.

And in case you were wondering about my thoughts on Richard Sherman: I view him like I view Kanye. The crazy is incredibly entertaining.

I technically have the day off today, but have several Monday-ish deadlines, so I'm working from home. Still, sweats > suits (although I rarely wear a full suit).

It got cold again in NYC this weekend, but I somehow managed to leave my apartment for multiple food dates with friends. Dinners on both Friday and Saturday nights and lunch on Saturday after seeing Frozen, which was adorable and fun.

As for training, last week had highs and lows -- a rough Monday morning run didn't start the week off great, but I ended with a fantastic set of hill repeats and great long run. I got more sleep near the end of the week and really saw the benefits. I had to push my toughest workouts to the end of the week, completing an Uplift Strength Class, hill repeats, and my long run in less than 72 hours. However, I got more sleep than usual ( and ate pretty well during that period, focusing on whole foods, and I definitely saw the benefits. I felt strong during each workout. Success!


NYC Half 2014 Training - Week 2 Recap

Monday: 42 minute easy run (4 miles) in Central Park & 4 x 20 second strides.

Every run can't be good, and this was definitely a bad one. Legs felt like lead and my easy pace was in the 11's when I started. Maybe due to poor sleep or adjusting to higher mileage again? At any rate, I got a late start so cut it at 42 minutes instead of the planned 45 since I also had to get in 4 strides (20 seconds on, 20 seconds recovery jog).

Strides: (1) 6:27, (2) 6:58, (3) 7:05, (4) 6:48

Since I was having a bad run, I decided to keep it flat and run around the Reservoir and the Great Lawn. The Great Lawn is my favorite place in the early morning hours because it's a giant dog party. Before 9 AM, people can walk their dogs off-leash in the park, so I love running by all the dogs bound


Tuesday: 60 minute strength workout.

Did two sets of The Dozen from Dr. Lesko at Oiselle. (P.S. their spring line is super cute. Buy things for me since I'm still on my self-imposed no-shopping-spree.) It left my core HURTING, and added in two sets of hamstring curls. Finished with about 15 minutes of yoga/stretching and foam rolling.


Wednesday: Rest / 45 mins. easy yoga.

After a terrible commute that took an hour instead of the normal 25 minutes because of subway closures, I couldn't make my planned yoga class, so instead I did 45 minutes of restorative yoga focusing on hips and hamstrings while catching up on Archer and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Finished with some foam rolling for an A+ on runner rehab.


Thursday: 3.4 mile easy run (32:00).

Ran along part of the Reservoir, did the Great Lawn loop to see the dogs playing -- heard some awesome dog names being called, like Roger, Malcolm, and Oliver -- then ran along the main CP loop north and west over the 102nd St Transverse. Kept it flat and easy in preparation for hill repeats on schedule tomorrow...

Saw Abby and a raccoon on the run. One was a welcome sight and one was not (I hate raccoons -- they're mean!).


Friday: 55 minute Uplift class.

Fantastic class. Loved the energy, loved the no-repeating-any-exercise (which made me push harder), and LOVED Kat as an instructor. Hadn't taken her class before, unfortunately, and she's hilariously awesome. Great energy and made me laugh multiple times with lines like: "no wine for anyone who stops! I'll drink your wine! Keep going!" (Uplift gives wine to evening class attendees. They're kind of awesome.)

Honestly can't remember most of the exercises, since we didn't repeat any so there were a ton. I get exercise amnesia


Saturday: 5.2 miles, including 5 Cat Hill repeats.

I put these off until 4 PM. In my defense, I had tickets to see Frozen in the morning. It was awesome. Anyway, I ran these at a pace that made me simultaneously suck air and want to throw up. The task was to run up Cat Hill, which is about .25 miles in total, five times. Each repeat felt hard, and by the end, I was willing my legs to move harder and they weren't. It's not a feeling I'm used to, since normally I feel like my lungs are putting the limit on my pace rather than my legs. I blame both the hill and the Uplift class the previous night.

w/u: 1.97 miles
Cat Hill repeat paces: (1) 7:40, (2) 7:25, (3) 7:41, (4) 7:35, (5) 7:36
c/d: 1.2 miles


Sunday: 7 mile long run (1:06:55) with last mile at tempo pace.

Forgot to take a picture while running so my post-run "fuel" of a delicious banana walnut muffin will have to suffice.

I was thinking my easy pace would be in the 10's after a tough Uplift class Friday night and hill repeats Saturday afternoon. I was pleasantly surprised that "easy" was in the 9's for all but one mile of the run!

Ran with Sourabh's friend, Allie, who's training for the Manhattan Half and we had a lot of fun chatting the whole way. We did the lower 5 mile loop of Central Park then finished with a loop of the Reservoir. Coach Jess U.'s  plan was for me to kick it up in the last mile to somewhere close to 8:00.

Again with the Garmin dying. I might need a new one. Sigh.

(1) 9:49, (2) 9:44, (3) 9:37, (4) 9:50 [lost .2 here], (5) 9:42, (6) 10:01, (7) 8:19

We were actually at 8:08-8:11 for almost the entire mile but hit a nasty headwind in the last .2 miles that dropped our pace to 8:19 and left our faces feeling frozen. I swear I thought I'd gotten a shot of botox or something. Focused on pumping my arms as hard as I could and keeping my mental game positive.


On Deck for the Week of 1/20

I'm hoping to keep the 7.5-8 hours of sleep going, along with concentrating on whole foods.

Here are the workouts Coach Jess has planned for me:

• 2 easy runs (both 5 miles)
• 1-2 strength workouts (depending on how I feel Friday -- yoga/strength/sleep are all options on the table)
• 1 tempo run
• 1 long run (9 miles, including two sets of Harlem Hills)

How was your weekend? Have you ever had Garmin difficulties and did you have to replace it?

NYC Half 2014 Training - Week 1 Recap

Hi all!

Hope you all had a great weekend. It warmed up in Manhattan a bit, thankfully,

My weekend was packed -- Sourabh and I had dinner and saw Her with a friend from undergrad on Friday night. Then on Saturday I ran a 10K (details below), went to Steph's birthday brunch (I love my runner friends SO MUCH), attended a self defense workshop at Uplift Studios (awesome -- and they're doing another one!), watched the Seahawks game (nearly passed out at the anxiety), and said goodbye to Laura at her farewell party (she's moving to Denver! I'm sad to say good bye but so excited for her new adventures -- also, Laura, come back soon!!!).

Finally, yesterday I did a recovery run with friends and took a yoga class. I really needed a bit of downtime after a busy week at work and a crazy Saturday. Sourabh and I also had to give the Golden Globes our full attention. To say I love awards shows is an understatement. It's our winter pastime -- watching the Globes, the BAFTAs, all the different Guilds shows, and of course... the Oscars!



NYC Half 2014 Training - Week 1 Recap

Monday: 55 min. Refine Method class.

I'm pretty sure I only woke up in the last 15 minutes of class after a shitty night of sleep, but once I woke up things seemed to be going well. Haven't taken Becca's class in a long time (I think my last class was on my law school graduation day!), and while I liked her then, I think she's an even better instructor now. Lots of hands-on modifications and corrections, and she moved around the room really well. Go Becca!

Class consisted of rows while bending over boxes, box step-ups, squat-to-overhead presses, tricep extensions, jumping squats, moving planks, regular planks, single leg deadlifts, sit-to-stands from the boxes with kettlebells racked, and box push-ups (I think that was it). Typical cardio interludes: high knee sprints, jumping jacks, etc. Hopped out of class 5 minutes early to grab a shower, hence the 55 minute class time.


Tuesday: 4 mile easy run on TM at 0% incline with Abby.

Unfortunately the treadmill screen was broken so I could only see my pace and mileage, not my final time. I started around 9:30 and ran the list mile in the high 8:00s because I had to get back to my apartment to change for work. It was SO cold out that treadmill was the only option for me. Chatted with Abby, who joined me on the treadmills, and it went really quickly!


Wednesday: 5 mile (45:00) treadmill run on TM at .5% incline.

Scheduled to do hill repeats but the continued deep freeze meant my lungs would have given up on life if I'd tried to run hard. Coach Jess switched me to a treadmill tempo run.

This was a total victory. Well, sort of. Alarm went off at 6:20 and I decided to reset it for 8:15, thinking I needed sleep after multiple nights of 6.5 hrs or less. But after 5 minutes, I realized I wasn't falling back asleep, so I got up and pounded it out. Surprisingly felt really good!

w/u - 9:30ish, mile 1 - 8:34, mile 2 - 8:20, mile 3 - 7:53, c/d - 9:50ish.

I think I could have run the first two a bit faster since I wasn't really breathing that hard. Huge shock since I struggled to maintain a sub-8:00 pace for 1/4 mile a year ago. Progress = AWESOME.


Thursday: 60 min. strength training with Amanda.

Warmed up with some dynamic movement and foam rolling then moved into TRX work coupled with boxing rounds of 2 minutes each. TRX moves included pull-ups, mountain climbers, pike-ups, reverse crunches, and one legged squats with a one arm fly holding a 5 lb weight. Boxing intervals included push-ups and star jumps. Also did one legged lunges with one foot on the wall, wall walk-ups for the hamstrings, and back rows. I think that was it? Felt tired and out of breath after only getting 5 hours of sleep.


Friday: Rest day.

Should have foam rolled and stretched. Didn't. Big mistake...


Saturday: .7 mile w/u + 6.2 mile (57:28) long run in Central Park - Joe Kleinerman 10K Race

Jogged to the start line at the east side of the 102nd St Transverse because I was running late (pun intended). It was a really dreary day, and on the lower loop you could barely see anything in the fog.

Ran this race as long run with a plan of 9:10-9:15 for most of the race then to drop the pace the final mile to "comfortably hard." Unfortunately I was stupid and didn't foam roll Friday and my legs felt really tight, unlike during my runs earlier this week. Bah. Lesson learned (I hope).

Not sure of my exact splits because my Garmin randomly died for 1/2 a mile, but here's what I have:
(1) 9:17, (2) 9:18, (3) 9:14, (4) 9:27, (.5) 9:38 (.5) ???, (6) 8:04, (.2) 8:03

I really fell off in miles 4-5 on the lower loop. Not sure why -- maybe the thick fog or some personal issues -- but since this was supposed to be an easy paced long run, I didn't want to push myself really hard and so I let my pace slow a bit. I was still able to kick it into high gear for the final mile, which made me happy.


Sunday: (1) 3.06 mile (29:11) recovery run in Central Park with Julianne and Ruthie. (2) 75 min. yoga class at Strala Yoga with Theodora.

Easy miles in Central Park. I didn't realize how windy it was and was underdressed -- took me an hour to warm up post-run! Legs felt pretty tired after my highest mileage week in a while, but fun to chat with friends.

Always love Strala's classes. Hadn't been there in ages because SoHo seems sooo far away, but glad I made it down there today. Fantastic class taught by Mike left me feeling so much looser. Yay yoga!


On Deck for the Week of 1/13

Phew, week 1 down and 9 weeks to go. Since the cold weather was insane last week, the hill repeats were pushed to this week.

Soo here we go!
• 1 yoga class
• 2 easy runs
• 1 session of hill repeats
• 2 strength workouts
• 1 long run


How was your weekend? Did you watch the Golden Globes?

Weekly Workout Recap: Weekend of Hercules

In case you don't use the Internet or have a TV, there has been some nasty, frigid weather hitting much of the U.S. I might have mentioned a few hundred times that I hate cold weather, so with the holiday and the inclement weather, this week ended up being a bit lighter for me. I start training for the NYC Half today, so I didn't sweat it. Literally, I did not sweat much, because when I did work out I was mostly running outside and it was so cold that I didn't start sweating till I got back indoors.

I kicked off NYC Half training with a Refine Method class this morning before work. I'm extremely excited to be back training, but I really have enjoyed a couple months of down time. So this week's workout recap will be brief -- there will be a lot more to recap next week!

I think I may also change my workout recaps to the name of the race I'm training for, to keep them more specific. Since I've started work, I haven't blogged as much, in large part because I don't have as much to talk about, but also because much of what my day consists of is now work which I can't disclose. It's not exciting, CIA-style secrets, or even the explanation of how Sherlock faked his death (PLEASE tell me you watch the BBC's Sherlock -- it's truly fantastic). However, due to client confidentiality, I can rarely talk about what I'm working on.

So at least for now, this blog has become much more running-centric, and that's why I want my race-specific training to be better catalogued.


Weekly Workout Recap

Monday: 2.5 miles to/from NYRR to pick up race bibs.

No picture because it was pitch black outside and Sourabh and I were freezing so just ran there and back.


Tuesday: Rest.


Wednesday: 4 mile Midnight Run in Central Park.

This race was a fantastic way to kick off the new year. It was Sourabh's first real race! He did a great job -- despite an extremely packed first two miles, we ran it in 37:53! He was also feeling awful before the race. So proud of him!


Thursday/Friday: Rest days. Although I did 45 push-ups on Friday, so that has to count for something...?


Saturday: 4.5 miles in Central Park with some awesome run friends.

Saturday was seriously cold. Honestly there's no way I would have run if not for the fact that I was meeting Allison, Beth, Gabby, and Nicole. But once I got out there and saw these smiling faces, how could I not have a good time? Our loop went extremely quickly and I was sorry to wave goodbye after 3 miles. I need more time with my run friends in 2014!

Sunday: 30 minutes indoor cycling.

Technically, while we all say "spin" like we say "Google" for Internet search, it's a trademarked type of indoor cycling. Since I'm a lawyer, I should probably respect trademarks. Soooo I was indoor cycling, not spinning. It's kind of amazing what a good playlist will do! Somehow what feels boring on the treadmill goes by quickly on the bike.

I posted this on Twitter, but in case you don't follow my every tweet, I suggested that all runners and cyclists immediately download Fitz and the Tantrums' "The Walker" for their run/cycling playlists. It's a fun song with an awesome retro beat and it makes me want to bounce along the street or pedal harder on the bike.


On Deck for the Week of 1/6:

In my first week of training, Coach Jess has already hit me with exactly what I knew was coming for this training cycle: hill repeats. Eek! Although, the one and only time I did hill repeats during Chicago training, they weren't as bad as I expected. So maybe I won't die? Fingers crossed.

• 2 hour-long strength training workouts
• 1 yoga class (+ 1 super easy yoga class optional)
• 1 easy run
• 1 "long" run (6 miles)
• 1 recovery run

Besides the obvious training, I need to get back on the foam rolling bandwagon and focus on getting enough sleep (7.5 hours+).

I'm also very curious about how fueling (AKA eating) could be affecting my running performance, so I'm going to be keeping a journal of what I eat and how I feel during runs. No calorie counts or anything -- I just want to better keep track of how the things I eat affect how I run. If I find any interesting correlations I will, of course, be sure to share!


Hope you weathered the storm if you were affected by it, and for those getting hit by another round of nasty winter weather, good luck!

My First Goal Race of 2014

Ladies and gents, I have my first goal race of 2014!

Last Thursday, I learned that I'd gotten into the NYC Half Marathon via the lottery! Shortly after the holidays end, I'll start training again. I'm looking forward to that added motivation. I'm also hoping race day won't be as cold as it was last year!

I'll be working with Coach Jess again. I not only had a magical marathon day on October 13, I loved working with her and thought she had a great attitude toward training. We're hoping to accommodate any potential work craziness in my training plan.

I'll have ten weeks to focus on speed and my goal is to PR. I'm not sure how much I'm aiming to PR by yet since I haven't run more than 8 miles since the marathon. Once I start training again I'll be better able to assess my goals. But obviously, I want to go sub-2 (which I'd have to do to PR, since my NYC Half time from this year was 2:00:00 on the dot).

Last year, I over-trained by running every run too fast and it left me feeling weak on race day. This year will be different, and I'm so excited to see what I'm capable of!

Remember this gem of a crossing the finish line pic?

I can't wait to start training for a race again. As much as I dislike running in the cold, I've missed the daily plans and mini goals that come with having a training plan. It's nice to have something to work toward outside of the actual workplace!


Are you in for the NYC Half? What's your first goal race of the new year?

Bits and Pieces: New Hair, NYC Half Presents & Core Foods Review

Lots of random things to share today!

I'm Blonde(r)!
Yesterday I decided I was sick of having dishwater brown/blonde hair, since I haven't colored my hair in two years, so I headed to a nearby salon for highlights. I'm typically very careful with who I let touch my hair because it's a lot thicker than it looks and I've had some disastrous haircuts and colors.

But I threw caution to the wind yesterday (seriously, it was really windy) and made an appointment at a salon near me, Blondi's, that had a 20% student discount. Highlights were $80 with the discount and a glaze to better blend things in was $35, for a grand total of $115. If you know NYC prices, you know that's a pretty good deal! A blowout wasn't included, but I just blow dried my hair myself before leaving. I think my stylist, Randy, did a great job and I'm pretty happy with it!

I then wore a pink headband, pink top, purple sports bra, and blue shoes to my workout that afternoon. Yep, full-on Barbie in honor of the blonde hair.

I mainly wanted to color my hair because I have so many photo-filled events coming up. In addition to races, I have Barristers Ball (AKA "law school prom"), graduation, and traveling with my parents for four days after graduation.

Core Foods Review
I received a sample of Core Foods in the mail through my role as a Sweat Pink Ambassador. I was excited because a healthy meal to-go means more time to sleep in the morning! These are definitely a meal since they range from 350-400 calories (the package says one of these plus a glass of water is the equivalent of a bowl of oatmeal).

However, I was dismayed by the taste. While they tasted ok at first, the aftertaste was really unpleasant. I sent one with Sourabh for him to try and he didn't want to finish it. I will admit, we're both a bit picky, and I have gotten over unpleasant tastes in the past for performance foods before a run. But since this is supposed to be more like a meal, I was disappointed.

The ingredients are great, however. Seven ingredients each that are organic and gluten-free for those who need that. There are also amino acids and lots of plant fiber in each one.

I love the idea of these, but I just wasn't sold on the taste. However, if you don't mind that when looking for performance foods, this might be something to check out!


NYC Half Presents

I got a few lovely presents in honor of my PR at the NYC Half that I wanted to share. I got them a while ago, but my phone died last Wednesday and I was phone-less for a week, so I couldn't take pictures of the necklace until now!

Sourabh got me this necklace after I mentioned how much I loved the quote on it. It's a custom engraved necklace from Erica Sara Designs that says "Above all, be the heroine of your own life," a Nora Ephron quote. I absolutely love the necklace and wore it through a tough strength-training workout just fine yesterday. (FYI: I'll be working at the ESD booth on Saturday, April 13, during the MORE/Fitness Half Marathon Expo. If you're in town, drop by and say hi!)

I got this gift before the Half -- a big box of nuun from my parents! It's great to have a stockpile of this stuff. I'll never be lacking in electrolytes ;)

And finally, these gorgeous flowers were a gift from my trainer, Amanda. They lasted a really long time and were absolutely beautiful. They made my apartment look like spring, even if it doesn't feel like spring outside!!

Have you received any special gifts after running a race?

Race Recap: 2013 NYC Half

First off, to everyone who texted or tweeted at me after the race, thank you so much. It was so amazing to hit the finish line, pull out my phone to find my friends, and then get flooded with congratulations. It was a tough second half for me and seeing that meant so much. THANK YOU!

Ok so, straight up: I did not go sub-2:00 because my final time at the NYC Half was 2:00:00. Yes, 2:00:00 precisely. I missed my A-goal by 1 second.

In normal times, I'd be pretty bummed about this. I'm a Type A person. I set goals and I want to meet them. And I'd been working so hard for the past few weeks before my calf pain, fatigued legs, and being sick.

But the race was after a week of battling conjunctivitis, AKA pink eye, and a cold, and waking up constantly for two nights in a row (nerves? having a guest? I have no clue). So I'm  pretty ecstatic with the result. I didn't break 2 hours technically... but it was by 1 second. It was a PR of 9:34 minutes. So I'm happy!

First, splits:

(1) 9:19
(2) 9:11
(3) 8:43 - this was after Cat Hill. I felt strong and it was flat so I wanted to take advantage (and I'm glad I did)
(4) 9:29 - Harlem Hill
(5) 9:23 - rolling hills
(6) 9:05
(7) 8:56
(8) 9:00
(9) 9:07
(10) 9:11 - SO TIRED.
(11) 8:59 - SO TIRED BUT MUST PERSEVERE.
(12) 9:03 - THIS IS THE WORST. WHY DO I DO THIS.
(13) 9:12 - SO TIRED I MIGHT DIE. ALSO WHY IS THERE A HILL COMING OUT OF BATTERY PARK TUNNEL.
(.19) 7:22 - breathing was basically wheezing, nearly collapsed after passing the finish line.

Now, on to the race recap.

OH MY GOD IT WAS SO COLD. Before the sun rose, the park "felt like 20 degrees." Thank the lord I had those throwaway sweats to keep me semi-warm until the start line. FYI, for those who don't know (like I didn't before this race), the sweats are collected for the Goodwill.

The gentleman behind me did not approve of my grey-on-grey sweats, apparently. 

When we got through the start line, my legs felt great. I saw Beth, Abby, and Liz right after the start line which was a great burst to start (if I'm missing anyone I'm sorry, I am writing this after two glasses of wine and a long day!!!).

I kept myself going at a slower rate to save my legs, although I let loose after Cat Hill on the flat mile for an 8:45 mile. Harlem Hill sucked, obviously, and the rolling hills left my legs feeling tight. I had Sourabh and my friends Katie, Hana, and Sarah to look forward to seeing in between the first and second rolling hills, which again gave me a boost.

Me, running away from my cheer group.

But as I headed downhill and then exited Central Park, they didn't go back to feeling "normal" like my legs normally do after hills. The energy of Seventh Avenue and the incredible atmosphere of Times Square kept me going at a speedy rate for miles 7-9, but I was flagging, and by mile 10 I was so, so tired. I popped in my headphones and put in my music to try to keep myself going (playlist to come!).

I've never felt a wall like I felt around mile 10. I looked at my Garmin and saw that I had 27 minutes to go 3.1 miles. I was so fatigued that I thought I had no chance of making sub-2:00 and that I'd be finishing around 2:03 or so at best.

Keeping my pace up on the Westside Highway was a real struggle. I had to keep pushing myself as my pace went up and then down in each mile.

New friend Dejuan and me!

I am so thankful that I found a buddy in my corral before the race! Dejuan and I exchanged brief pleasantries at the beginning of the course, then somehow ended up sticking by each other the entire race. After Harlem Hill, we high fived, and after we exited Central Park, I joked that it was just a "7 mile victory lap" to go.

It was so good to have someone I wanted to keep up with, to fist bump, and to smile at. Three cheers for race friends! At my lowest point on the West Side Highway, I'm not sure I could have kept going if not for having someone I wanted to stay alongside and who kept checking in with me.

So those last three were tough, tough miles. I felt so exhausted and thought my goal was totally out of reach (sorry if I wasn't super smiley when you said hi on the course, Ashley!). But I tried to keep pushing myself to make it happen. The last mile was slow (9:12) going through the Battery Park Tunnel and then up the incline coming out of it, but I sprinted for the last .1 miles at a 7:22 pace (.19 on my Garmin, looks like I need to work on my tangent running). To finish with 2:00:00 exactly.

After those last three miles, where I thought I'd be missing my goal by a lot and felt so disheartened, finding out that I'd finished in 2:00:00 felt fantastic (thanks to Abby for texting me with this news!).

So mostly, I am just so happy. A huge thanks to all the friends I saw cheering (including three who are not runners at all and came out just to shout at me AND THEN I MISSED THEM on Chambers Street because I suck). It meant so much to see people on the course!

Katie and me post race

Considering that the last couple of weeks were less than ideal, this actually only makes me more excited for New Jersey. I am hoping I can do something exciting on a totally flat course, especially if I don't have illness or pain issues to deal with in the weeks prior.

Hana and me -- she woke up at 5 AM to come in to the city and cheer! 

I was so happy to see how many people had great races today (and yesterday in DC as well!). Congrats to everyone!!! Today might have been rough in places, and yes there were totally moments where I wondered, "um, why do I do this??" but ultimately it only reaffirmed my love of running and the running community.

NYC Half Weekend is Here!

Ok guys, it's race weekend! Keeping it short and sweet and telling the world my goals. Not that I haven't done that already. As opposed to my first half, where the goal was just to finish and, hopefully, do so in under-10:00 miles, this time I have some BSGs: Big Scary Goals.

This is the determined look I hope to have for the whole on Sunday. 

From the moment I press publish until the end of race day, I'm going to eliminate negative thoughts and keep telling myself that I can meet my A goal. I am capable. I've had a rough week but I'm feeling ok today. The pink eye is mostly over it seems and I'm a bit sniffly and head achey, but hopefully two more nights of rest will lead to me being totally ready come Sunday.

So, here are my A, B, and C goals:

A: 1:59:59 or under. The further under the better.

B: 2:03:00. I wouldn't love this for obvious reasons. But hey, I'd take it. It'd still be a 6 minute PR.

C: PR, so anything under 2:09:34.

Those B and C goals? They'd be consolation prizes. I am gunning for that A goal and I'll be running for it with everything I have in the tank come Sunday morning.

Yayyy undergrad bffs reunited!
(BFF = best friend forever, Mom. Just FYI.)

My friend Katie, the reason I'm running the Chicago Marathon, is flying in to the city tonight. She's on spring break from medical school, so she's visiting me in NYC for four days. It's her first time in the city! I am SO excited that I'll have her cheering me on, in addition to a bunch of other amazing people who have said they'll be out there. They will be getting shout outs as well, believe me.

If you're cheering at the race, let me know so I can look out for you! I'm not sure what I'll be wearing yet. High of 45 and low of 32 with some sun is so tough. I'm waiting to see the projected wind speed -- lots of wind means cold means I'm bundling up.

Ok, that's it. I'm done. Time to foam roll, drink tons of water, and carb load for Sunday morning!!!


Are you cheering at the race? Running the race?? What's an unexpected NYC thing that Katie and I should do? WHAT SHOULD I WEAR???? 

Hey Body... Get It Together!

Thank you so much for all of your kind words yesterday! They made me feel much less nervous. I really appreciate it!

Only last night, I started frantically texting running friends about what felt like a sore throat. It got worse and worse all evening so I went to bed around 9:45 PM with a 7:45 AM wake-up planning on getting plenty of sleep (that part worked out).

Unfortunately I also woke up with the conjunctivitis that my boyfriend had been treating for a few days (AKA pink eye). Thanks, Sourabh. Oh, the joys of cohabitation. He's been cooking Indian food for us a lot lately, so I guess I'll let him stay.

I'm SICK. See, you can tell from my sad face and big headband.
But luckily I have that sweet owl mug that holds copious amounts of hot liquid. 

Anyway, it looks like I have pink eye (not so much the pinkness, just the gross crusty-ness. I'M HOT) and a sore throat that's potentially a cold given how my sore throats normally run. Wednesday of rest week. No me gusta.

My plan of action includes lots of rest, warm liquids with lemon and honey, and lots of zinc. But not at the same time as the tea with lemon since citrus + zinc = terrible nausea, just FYI. It's science, yo.

Thankfully, cheering me up is this giant case of Chobani that arrived yesterday!

Check out that deliciousness! Pear, banana, plain, strawberry, and a ton of the awesome new bite flavors. Sourabh and I shared a raspberry dark chocolate bite last night and it was super tasty. Can't wait to work through these and share some fun recipes. Thanks, Chobani!!

Ok, going to physical therapy and restorative yoga (with my own yoga mat so I don't touch anyone, don't worry) then curling up like Ms. Betty here.

Oh-so-happy fat kitty.

Have you been sick during a race week? How did you handle it?