Monday & Tuesday
To my intense relief, I was in better spirits this week. I took my usual SRD Monday, but my legs were still not 100% recovered from Sunday's 21 miler by the end of the day. So I decided to hold off my run until Tuesday night.
However, that didn't quite work out as planned. I had a meeting which involved going up to Columbia, and it was the first time that a business plan of mine was presented to the COO. That morning, I ended up being late for work because due to a stalled train, I had to get out of the subway at 59th street and figure out what to do. Thankfully, as a native New Yorker, I managed to get to the Second Avenue bus and I was only fifteen minutes late. Crisis averted! As for the meeting, it went as well as it could have, and I did my part, but a combination of nerves and all of the travelling involved to get up there combined with the stressful morning commute, tired me out, so when I got home, I just couldn't bring myself to go out. I felt car sick, even though I wasn't car sick when I was actually travelling.
On the bright side, I had some face time with my little sister, and even got to meet her madre - we didn't get far past "hola, como esta" since my Spanish is a bit rusty, but she seemed really nice, and I look forward to meeting the family in person in November. Necesito practicar mi español antes de la vacación en Noviembre. Belle - did I say that right?
Wednesday & Thursday
I ran 6.14 miles on both Wednesday morning, and Thursday night. I decided to ditch the Garmin and just go by feel, and whatever the pace was, it felt pretty good. It was nice to just be outside, and enjoy the slow arrival of fall. The air felt crisp, and I was reminded of why I loved running so much.
I had planned on running Friday, but after running Thursday night and staying up to watch the Presidential debate on DVR, I ended up skipping. Considering it was pouring in the morning, that was probably a good thing. That night, I went out to Koren BBQ with my friends Jen and Paul due to Paul's moving out of the city. He accepted a job in DC and will be there for the next couple of years. I didn't need another excuse to visit the capitol during Obama's second term *fingers crossed* but now I have one!
Saturday
On Saturday, I put the Garmin back on to do my last 12 mile run before the marathon. At first, my only route idea was to go over the Queensborough bridge a couple of times and then go to Central Park, but then I got inspired....
I started off at my place and ran towards the East River path. On my way, I passed some runners going up first avenue, and that's when a thought began to form. I decided to run the Queensborough bridge twice, then simulate the marathon course and go up first avenue. Team in Training had a couple of pace groups on the bridge, but they were easy to get around, so they didn't bother me.
Although there was a bike path on first avenue, I decided to stick on the sidewalks since they weren't crowded to avoid any possible bike incidents. Although I had to stop more than I wanted to, I was glad to get the experience of running the course. At 96th street, I pulled a Rosie Ruiz, cut upper Manhattan & the Bronx out and started heading west. What I had forgotten was how hilly that block was. It was a straight uphill for the next few avenues, but at least the elevation was similar to the Pulaski bridge.
After that, I ran down Fifth Avenue like I would during the marathon, and entered the park at Engineer's Gate and noticed that orange signs saying "Marathon Course" had been posted in the park. I ran down the park drive, and exited the park, ran down Central Park South, then re-entered the park and ran to the finish. As I crossed where the finish line would be set up, I started to feel excited, especially when I saw the bleachers being set up. I then ran two more miles to get home.
After I showered, I decided to go to lululemon to see whether I could find an outfit for NYCM. More details on that later in the post! That night, I went to my friend's bachelorette party, and while I had a great time, I ate a bit too much BBQ, which affected my run the next day...
Sunday
...but thankfully, not too badly. I still had an enjoyable run in Central Park, even with an unhappy stomach.
I noticed that they were setting up for a cancer walk, but I got out there early enough so that they didn't really start taking up most of the park drive until I was about to finish my run. It was kind of neat seeing people's enthusiasm, and seeing all of the pink, but I'm glad that I didn't have to deal with the crowds for too long.
After my run, I went to meet up with my aunt Edie, Matt, and Erin for brunch on the west side. I was a little annoyed that the bus was nowhere to be found and I had to take a cab across town. Considering what happened on Tuesday, especially since the MTA wanted to raise prices, I was not too pleased by that. Still, my meal was worth it.
 |
| Banana stuffed French Toast. Yes, you all should be very, very jealous! |
The Outfit
With NYCM two weeks away, I knew that I needed to figure out what to wear. My mother had ordered some things from Nike, but their tanks didn't fit me right, so I decided to go to lululemon and try some things on.
Long story short, after trying on a few things, I found an outfit which I really loved and bought it. But after I bought orange arm warmers, I realized that I could do a complete orange theme. So, I had a very important decision to make between the following two combinations. Everything is the same except for the shorts/skort. The back of the skort had a really cute, pleated pattern.
I was really torn, because while I though the skirt was adorable, I liked the idea of an all orange theme. However, my mind was made up after doing Sunday's 9 mile run with the skirt and the tank. I just felt so amazing and comfortable in a way that I hadn't felt in my running clothes in a long time. My decision was made. An orange / blueish purple theme it is! Thanks Cheryl for helping me locate the gel pockets in my skirt - they're kind of hard to see if you don't know where to look the first time. In addition, I had a back pocket I could use. Maybe if I can wear an armband for my phone, I'll have a way to carry everything with the new NYCM luggage policy.
I got the arm warmers at Super Runners along with these really cute gloves. They're both official NYCM marathon gear, but I just couldn't resist
For my Triathlete Friends
As promised, now it's time to discuss something very important. This past summer I volunteered for the NYC Olympic Triathlon in order to get guaranteed entry for next year's event. But after serious consideration, I realized that I'm not ready to tackle a triathlon at that distance, especially one at that size with the crazy logistics that any NYC race has. My running goals haven't been set for next year, and I don't want to compromise any dreams that I may have after NYCM.
So, as a result, I have one guaranteed entry to the triathlon to give away, but I am only going to give it to someone who I know personally, someone who I know will respect the distance, train properly for it, and will be able to finish it. Speed doesn't matter to me - this person could get last place for all I care - but I don't want this entry to go wasted. This race is one of the toughest Olympic triathlons to get into, and this person would be extremely lucky to get this opportunity. I would feel terrible if I gave away my entry, only to find out that the person has flaked out.
You can find all of the information, including the date and registration costs, here. If you are still interested, feel free to either comment on my blog or send me a personal email. Time is of the essence as the person has to sign up by November 5. I will give everyone equal and fair consideration, but to be fair, if family applies, they will come first. Since I want to get this out of the way well before the marathon, you'll have to let me know by the end of Wednesday night. I know it's not a long time to think about this commitment, but if the worst case scenario happens and the entry goes back to the lottery pool, I'll be alright with that. However, I want to give my friends and loyal readers this opportunity first.
Stay tuned for next week's entry discussing my goals, my timing, and other fun and entertaining topics. Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment