It's All About Perspective

It's been a while since I've written an entry, and I am at least three race reports behind. There isn't one clear-cut reason why I haven't written, but it's mostly because I've lacked the inspiration to sit down and put something cohesive together.

A large part of my insecurities has stemmed from a poor start to my running year. While things have been looking up over the last few months, I don't feel like I'm doing as much as I should be for the marathon. While a part of me realizes that having a conservative approach makes sense, it isn't easy to convince myself of this on an emotional level. I realize that it was partly due to the people I have encountered over the years since I have started my journey. 

I have met runners of all shapes, sizes, and running philosophies, and no two of them have the exact same spectrum of speed, miles per week, preferred running brands and training methodologies.

On one end of the spectrum, there are those people who are amazed at my mileage. In fact, there are people my family and coworkers who think that forty miles per week in marathon training is a TON of mileage and that I'm insane. There are those who consider me a fast runner even though I barely hit the 60% in my age group even when I'm at my fastest. In fact, it's all too easy to get an ego boost from all of this before I remember that... 

On the flip side, I know people who have complained about "only" running 200+ miles in a month. A lot of these people do their recovery runs at paces that are impossible for me I can only dream about, and who qualify for the Boston Marathon on a regular basis. I know people - and their friends - who have run 100 miles in less than 40 hours and act as if it's the most natural thing in the world. Did I mention that at least one of these people is only 12 years old? It's all too easy to think that they assume that efforts are a joke and that I have no business even talking about running around these people, even though these people have been nothing but supportive of me. 

Let's face it: we're all a little judgmental when it comes to other people's training. In the interest of full disclosure I know I am. But then I found the following quote: 

“One person's craziness is another person's reality.” ― Tim Burton

It is all too easy to sit back and think that other people's methods are completely insane. But the important thing to remember is that we're all human, and that what works for some doesn't bode well for others. In addition, there are those who have to run under far more difficult circumstances, and if I were in their shoes, I don't think that I would have the same tenacity as them to keep going, or even start for that matter. Besides, I have learned about both over and under training the hard way, and perhaps people have to learn through experience, aka the hard way. 

I started this entry with the idea of making a point in a humorous manner and in a way that doesn't actually insult anyone. I'm not quite sure that I hit the mark, especially since I am finishing this entry pre-coffee before 7am, but I hope it gave you something to think about as I return to the world of blogging after a three plus month hiatus. Feel free to share any perspectives you may have in the comments section. 


Thanks for reading! 

The Return of Ocean Parkway: My Redemption HM

Brooklyn Half 2011: 2:01:50

Brooklyn Half 2012: 1:56:26

Actual PR: 1:48:16 (Staten Island HM 2012)

Overall Place: 7088 / 21318

Gender Place: 1884 / 10563  

    adjusted for AG %: 2339 / 10563

Age Group Place: 614 / 3170 

AG %: 59.12% 

Pre-Race

I went into this race expecting very little. When I registered for this race on February 15th, I hadn't run a single mile in the previous month, and wasn't 100% sure when I would run again. After I completed the Coogan's 5K in early March, I started an HM training schedule that had much lower mileage than I was used to. Once I hit the 10 mile mark again, I felt a little more confident, but was still worried about embarrassing myself. At the time, I would have been very happy with a sub-2 finish.

Although the location of the expo wasn't really that convenient to me, getting there wasn't as difficult as I expected it to be. Thankfully, NYRR put up signs from the train stations to the expo, which was held in DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), a neighborhood situated right in between the Brooklyn & Manhattan bridges on the Brooklyn side. I got my number and tech shirt pretty quickly, and hung around a little to say hi to a friend. The pre-party did look fun, but I didn't hang out long since I had work the next day. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to get back to the nearest train station, but I managed to figure it out with some help and my IPhone. 

The funny thing is that because of the increasing race size across the years, my race bib number kept getting bigger, not smaller as I got faster. 

Race Day

A day and a half later, I woke up bright and early at 4am so that I had plenty of time to get dressed, eat breakfast and pack my clear plastic bag in time to get a 5am train to Prospect Park. Last year, the 4 train wasn't running to Brooklyn, but this year, it did, so I didn't have to transfer. By 6am, I had arrived, and got through baggage check pretty quickly. 

The corrals were jam packed, even though only half of the field was actually starting at 7am - wave 2 would start 35 minutes later. I wasn't happy about the lack of corral enforcement, but I lined up accurately, hoping that it wouldn't make too much of a difference. I had agreed to start the race with my friend Barbara, but I couldn't find her. I ended up chatting with some former co-workers before the race began, and before I knew it, we all were heading towards the start line. 

After a very beautiful, operatic rendition of the National Anthem, the gun went off. However, I waited 5-6 minutes before actually crossing the start, but once I began running, I didn't experience any crowding problems. I started off by trying to do what I thought felt like HM pace. I was a little surprised to see that my pace was below an 8mm - but I just assumed that my Garmin was being a little wonky. The first 5K was on the streets of Brooklyn, and it was very enjoyable. I got to see both the leaders and the very back of the first wave. The first 5K was done in 25:49 @ 8:18 pace. I didn't see any timing devices, but there must have been something there as all of my 5K splits showed up on the tracking website.

Shortly after that, I entered Prospect Park just as the leaders were exiting. I knew that there would be a major hill, but since I rarely run there, I didn't know exactly where it would be, so I spent most of my time in the park anticipating the hill. Not long after I entered the park, I looked ahead of me and spotted someone familiar. When I caught up to her, I realized that it was Barbara, and we chatted for a moment before she told me to go catch up to Kathy. I kept my eye out for a red singlet and a streak of pink hair, and a couple of miles later, there she was! I caught up to her as we were going up the biggest hill in the park (I think) and we ended up sticking together for the next few miles. I was flattered when she told me that she was using me as a pacer. I had taken two shot bloks and was feeling pretty good at this point. 

At the 10K mark, I was going at a 8:21mm pace, and it occurred to me that even if I didn't PR, perhaps a sub-1:50 finish was a possibility if I didn't slow down. It was a risk, but at that point, I decided to go for it, with the understanding that I would back off if my body signalled that I couldn't do it. 

After leaving the park, we went straight onto Ocean Parkway, which was just as boring as I remembered it. Many people cut into the middle of the course in order to get across the highway, and despite my best efforts, I managed to run face first into someone who was on their way to temple. Sigh. 

At this point, I was stopping for water every mile, but felt pretty good up to the 15K mark. I had slowed down, but was still close to the 8:23mm pace required to make a sub-1:50 time. I did my best to keep the pace, and ate one more shot blok, but shortly after the mile 10 marker, I knew that I was not in sub-1:50 shape. After walking through the water station at mile 11, I slowed down, but remained determined not to go above a 9mm despite the pain in my left rib. The last mile seemed to stretch on forever, but eventually I got up onto the boardwalk and was thrilled when I saw the finish line up ahead. My 5K splits from the race are below:

Kathy crossed shortly afterwards, and we saw Barbara again in luggage. After waiting on a long line, we got our bags and went to party on the beach with her running club, the awesome Prospect Park Track Club. If I lived in Brooklyn, I would definitely be a member. Wallis was also there, and I got to meet a couple of Facebook running friends for the first time. 

Post-Race Analysis

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with my result. Looking back, I realized that this race was similar to my first Brooklyn Half - the wheels started falling off around the 15K point and I missed sub-1:50 by the same amount that I missed sub-2 in 2011. Despite this, I was thrilled to only be about 3 minutes off my PR despite barely running the last few months. 

Despite poor communication regarding the race logistics, I thought that NYRR did an amazing job on race day, and I enjoyed the overall experience. However, I think that this will be my last Brooklyn half for a while. These large races are getting too big for my taste, and I just don't feel like the target audience for these events, or for NYRR anymore for that matter. I would go into detail about this, but this race is already War and Peace length long enough. 

In the end, this race gave me a much needed confidence booster. I had lost faith in my running abilities, and didn't think that I would be able to do sub-2, much less get within 3 minutes of my PR. Now, I feel that I have a shot an an amazing fall season, and look forward to seeing what I am capable at the Yonkers HM and at NYCM. 

Pictures

.... will be posted on Facebook eventually. I look forward to seeing whether I look good in any of them. Spoiler alert: I'll probably look as awkward as always :-)

Thanks for reading!

2013 Urban Environmental Challenge: XC 10K

I had no intentions of signing up for anything else between Coogan's 5K and the Brooklyn HM, especially not for a difficult trail run, but when running buddy Leiba told me that she was doing the 10K up at Van Cortlandt, I reluctantly signed up. Even as we were choosing our orange, color coordinated outfits, I was a bit nervous, but figured that it would be nice to have a change of scenery. We even managed to match the race shirt, albeit by accident. 

Getting to the race was pretty easy. I didn't have to wait too long for either the bus or the 1 train, and I got there in plenty of time to pick up my bib, check my bag, and stretch. It was a bit chilly waiting for the start, and I could have sworn that I felt a couple of rain drops, but thankfully it didn't actually rain (even though my Garmin thinks it did).

Leiba & I walked to the start, which was across a field from where the finish/baggage check was. We had planned on running together, but with the understanding that if she wanted to race it, she could take off. My only goals were not aggravating my hamstring and not further injuring myself, although with my road PR of just under 51 minutes, I was hoping that finishing under an hour would be possible. 

There was no electronic timing for this race, and the start was indicated by a line drawn in the dirt. We lined up towards the middle, and after a couple of speeches about how great the park was, we were off. Leiba took off soon after we started, and within the first mile, I had completely lost sight of her. 

At the sight of the first hill, I immediately realized how woefully unprepared I was for this race, even more so than when I had ran Van Cortlandt Park almost two years ago. My mileage was lower, plus I was out of practice running on the Central Park hills, let alone on these trails. After the first mile, I knew that finishing under an hour wasn't likely to happen, and things just got slower from there (as per my awful splits on the left).

 The uphills weren't the only reason I was going slower than I wanted to. As hard as they were, I was terrified of running fast on the downhills since I was really afraid of injuring myself further, so I probably took those a little slower than I could have. I also ended up walking one of the tougher hills later on because my legs were pretty close to going on strike at that point. 

This was my first time using the Garmin in a long time, and although the trail itself was fun, it was hard and I felt discouraged. I spent most of the next couple of miles wondering why I signed up for this. It didn't help that I fell down twice and got a big bruise on my leg from banging it into a rock as I fell. By the time I hit the 5K marker just under 33 minutes in, I regretted signing up, and was horrified about the idea of running yet another 5K. I also realized after passing the one water table I saw when I wasn't thirsty that it was probably the only water station, and that I would be doing the entire distance without drinking once. Great.


However, slowly but surely in the second half, I started to enjoy myself a little more, and appreciate the beauty of the trails. The course marshals were good at lifting everyone's spirts, and saying how great everyone looked, even if they were lying through their teeth. One of the course marshals was a friend of mine, and she got a picture of me from the later part of the race, looking as awkward happy as always despite being a little miserable. 

There was a girl in purple who I chatted with for some of the time, and towards the end, I made it my secret goal to beat her to the finish line. She was ahead of me in the last couple of miles because I had to tie my shoe, but I caught up with her towards the end. After we stopped talking, we were on the final part of the race, which was a flat track, and I took the opportunity to speed up and have something resembling a finishing kick. I thought I had a shot at finishing in under 1:05 in the end, but alas that wasn't meant to be. 

I was more annoyed with myself than anything else, but I was happy for Leiba as she finished in 57 minutes and change. The race was scored old school style in that our tabs were taken off our bibs as we crossed the finish line. Leiba was told that she was 7th place female, so she had a good chance of getting an AG award. So we went over to the results table to check whether AG awards were being given out. After looking at the yellow tags indicating the female entrants, a strange, unheard of thought occured to me.....could I have possibly won an AG award??????

After some initial confusion where Leiba was placed in the wrong age bracket, and after realizing that the AG awards started after the first place female and male, the impossible happened - I was officially 3rd place in the 20-29 year old age category on what was possibly my worst 10K performance to date. Leiba ended up with 2nd place in our AG, and to my surprise, there was no female our age who finished in the 8 minute gap between us.  It was a bittersweet moment because although I wasn't proud of my performance, it had been a goal of mine to win an AG award and that moment had finally come. Being honored in an awards ceremony was a nice experience. 

Leiba and I showing off our orange pride.
I even re-laced my sneakers for this. 

We both won mini carrot cakes, but I ended up giving mine away to my coworkers because I can't stand raisins. Getting home should have been as easy as getting there, but to our horror, we got to the train station just to be told that the 1 train wasn't running at all. Since I didn't know anything about the bus lines in the Bronx, the two of us walked a mile and a half to get to the Woodlawn train station, which was the first stop on the 4 train line, using my IPhone map to make sure that we were going in the right direction. That was an interesting adventure. 

So although things didn't go as well as I hoped they would, I ended up being grateful to Leiba for convincing me to go up there. I hope that when I'm back in peak shape, I'll be able to eventually finish a trail 10K up there in under an hour. Perhaps next year? Only time will tell. 

Hill Training 101: The Coogan's 5K RR

Short Version

Distance: 5K

5K PR: 23:55 @ 7:55mm average pace

Time: 28:52 @ 9:19 average pace 

AG Rating: 51.28%

AG Placement: 266 / 573

Gender Placement:1054 / 2890 

Overall Placement: 3057 / 5825

Long Version

Special Note

For those of you who don't already know, I did this race not only as a stepping stone in my recovery process, but to honor Jen G., a running friend of mine who has battled cancer courageously over the years, and who has been an inspiration to me while I've been recovering from my hamstring issues. She's also the reason I was wearing as much orange as possible. 

Behold, the power of orange!

Pre-Race

Packet Pickup: I picked up my number and cotton t-shirt two days before the race, and although I am not a fan of the cotton t-shirt, this one didn't look as if it would substitute as a nightgown. I was surprised that I was placed in the third corral since that usually doesn't happen, but since I was starting with one of my running friends, Nicole, it didn't really make a difference this time around, especially since there was no way I was running at my bib pace. 

Another cotton t-shirt. Hooray.

Race Gear: Last time I did this race, I dressed too warmly for it. This time, it would feel like 21 degrees at the start, and I knew that I wasn't really racing it. I also wanted my top layer to be orange in honor of my friend Jenny. I ended up wearing a grey tech shirt under my orange shirt, my orange socks and headband, and my comfy Sugoi tech pants, and it ended up working quite nicely. I forgot to charge my Garmin, so I didn't end up taking a watch to the race. Luckily, Nicole graciously sent me her splits.

Transportation: The crosstown bus took forever to come. In addition, both train lines I could take to Washington Heights were either not running far enough, or going express, so I had to take two trains to get up there, and barely made it in time for a group photo.

NYPH Running Club: I found out a couple of days before that my work had a running club, and that they were doing a pre-race group photo at Columbia Medical Center, which was near the race start. I met a lot of nice people there, and my colleague gave me a nice red team tech shirt. 

I look awkward in 99.9% of my photos. This one is no exception. 

Baggage Check: For the first time in memory, there was a line to get into the baggage check area. Nicole speculated that it was because it got set up late. We got lucky that we went when we did, because as we walked towards the corrals, the line had already become much larger. 

Waiting for the Start: I started in the fifth corral with Nicole, and eventually, it got pretty crowded. I was surprised to see young kids with bibs that would place them in the faster corrals. It just seemed like that was a disaster just waiting to happen. After a very poorly sung national anthem, the horn went off, but it took me at least a couple of minutes to even get moving, much less to get to the start line. Waiting around in the cold wasn't fun. 

The Race

The course was an out and back that looped around at Fort Tryon park, so we got to see both the front and the back of the pack at different points of the races. The front of the pack zoomed by us before the end of mile one partially due to their head start, and they made their extremely fast pace look so easy. 

The first mile started off fairly easy. I felt like I was going extremely slowly, but at the same time, it felt a little difficult because I wasn't completely warmed up. I got very nervous as Nicole and I approached the first hill, but it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. While I initially wanted to be ignorant of my pace, not knowing was slowly driving me insane. At some point, I asked Nicole how fast we were going and she said 9:45, but ultimately, we finished the first mile in 9:35. 

The second mile had both the prettiest views and the toughest hills. It was nice running into the park, and the views of the river were also very nice. However, the hill at the turnaround point was very steep, and very long. However, I got through it, and even managed to spot a couple of friends after passing the turn-around point. Although it didn't feel that way, we must have sped up since we finished the second mile in 9:25. 

At that point, I knew that we were both capable of a sub-30 finish, which was a relief. While I didn't intend on speeding up too much, it happened naturally since most of the third mile was downhill. I got ahead of Nicole mid-way through the third mile, but she didn't end up finishing far behind me. While I was tempted to sprint to the finish after the third mile marker, I knew that it wouldn't save me much time overall, so I managed to overcome that temptation. 

Midway through the third mile.
Nicole is the green runner at the back left of the photo
Photo credit: NYC Running Source

I crossed the finish line, and didn't end up waiting for Nicole too long. After the official results came out, I did the math and figured that my average pace over the last 1.1 miles was 8:59. My official time was 28:52, which was a 9:19 average pace. 


Although Nicole and I ran together in the past, it was the first time we did a race together, and since I was really nervous going into it, I was really grateful that we did this one together. We ended up going to Starbucks afterwards to celebrate my return to running. 

Post-Race Analysis

My Performance: I am both happy and extremely irritated with my results. On the positive side, this was the first time I ran over two miles since mid-January, and I did one of the hilliest courses I could come across in NYC. I also was able to average what had previously been my easy pace, so that was an indication that I hadn't lost as much fitness as I feared I would. In addition, I had a negative split, which is very rare for me. 

Nicole's Garmin Splits. My third mile is different but
the overall trend is still the same.

However, a part of me is annoyed that this race will be on my NYRR record since it doesn't reflect what I am capable of as a runner. While objectively it's a decent time, the pace per mile is almost ten seconds slower than I ran an eighteen miler at last year. While I know that my fitness will come back, it's still frustrating to feel that I have lost some of what I worked really hard for over the past two years. 

Race Organization: Overall, I think that NYRR did a good job putting this race on. However, I just think that all of their races have gotten too crowded, and it ultimately detracts from the overall running experience. 

What's Next: I am starting a very conservative training plan for the Brooklyn Half this coming week. A low mileage plan with no speedwork may not get me a PR, but it will ensure that I will be building back my endurance safely. I also hope that I will be able to register for my first marathon (attempt #3) soon, as it's already March and there is still no information out there. Stay tuned for the next update!

Look Who's (Finally) Running Again!

Confession Time: I technically wasn't cleared to run when I first got onto the treadmill this past Saturday.....

However, I had a good reason for trying it out again. As I finished my 30 minute workout on the eliptical, I realized that I was scheduled to run a 5K the next weekend. Although my PT was tentatively on board with this, I didn't want to run for the very first time at a race. 

Therefore, I designed an experiment-of-one for myself. If I wasn't able to run a mile without pain, then the 5K would be completely out of the question. I set the treadmill to a much slower pace than I normally ran, then proceeded to nervously run on it. Before I knew it, I was done with my mile, and felt like I could have kept going, but instead, I exercised restraint and stopped. 

Two days later, I hit the two mile mark on the treadmill and felt just as good. Remember when I said that I was too young to fly by myself? Apparently, I look suspiciously young to be at a gym at seven in the morning. When I was doing my hamstring stretches, one of the trainers felt like he had to ask me how old I was, and when I asked him to guess, he said 15/16. A small part of me was offended, but I was more amused than anything else. 

When I went to my PT on Tuesday, I explained what happened, and why I decided to try running again. I expected him to be annoyed with me, but to my pleasant surprise, he wasn't, and even stated that my hamstring was still getting better. He even agreed to watch me run for a few minutes to see whether there's an underlying mechanical issue that could have caused the hamstring problem. 

I ran another two miles this morning, and if I am able to get through one more run pain free, I think I'll be as ready as I possibly can be for the 5K this weekend. Finally, here is a sneak peek at what spectators will see when I'm running this weekend. 

Injury Update & Taking a Chance

It's been one month and one day since my last run - not that I'm keeping track or anything - but thankfully, things have been looking up. 

Although I miss running a lot, not training for a marathon has given me time to focus more on other things that matter to me, such as my music. I signed up for a chamber music program through work, and I recently sent in an audition tape to play in an orchestra through the same music initiative. The orchestra is probably a long shot considering that the flute is probably the most popular instrument out there, but never say never. 

Meanwhile, I've been going to physical therapy twice a week, and according to my PT, I am almost at the point of being able to do agility exercises. I'm not exactly sure what this entails but I do know that once I can do these, I can get into a run-walk program. While I hope to start running again in time to do a 5K I signed up for at the beginning of March, it wouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't. After all, I have a new goal to work towards. 

Two years ago, I did my first half marathon in Brooklyn. After two years in a row of doing this race, I did not think that I would want to do it again. However, once I found out that registration was approaching, I reconsidered my options. Wouldn't it be amazing if my first half marathon would also be my redemption race? 

I was a little worried about signing up since I hadn't started running again yet, but after consulting a few running friends that I trusted, I decided to go for it. I would have loved to wait until next month to decide, but considering the race sold out in seven hours, that wasn't exactly an option. 

If I'm running by mid-March, I will have about two months to get some training in. While I know that I will definitely not PR, just finishing a half marathon will be a huge turning point both physically and mentally for me. Perhaps maybe I will be able to get to the starting line of a marathon after all. 

Adjusting Goals for February & Beyond

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who has been supportive of me over the last couple of weeks, whether it was through giving advice, or through being nice enough to listen to my whining ramblings. 

Clearly, January was not the month I had hoped for in terms of running. Had I been able to follow my marathon plan the entire month, I would have ran approximately 200 miles. Instead, I ran only 95 miles or so. 

Yesterday, on the two week anniversary of my last run, I decided to see an orthopedist before beginning physical therapy to make sure that I was being diagnosed correctly. The good news is that the hamstring is not torn. The bad news is that it's still strained, and that it still hurts almost all of the time. According to the doctor, the average person takes about 3-4 weeks to recover once PT starts. 

So what does this mean for the DC Marathon? 

Well, it's already been 2 weeks since I ran, and since I won't even start Physical Therapy until about 3 weeks in, and once recovery time is factored in, it could be 6-8 weeks total without running. The worst case scenario is that by the time I could start running, I would already have to start tapering for DC, and in the best case scenario, I would have maybe a week or two to put any quality work in. 

My ability to finish a marathon is not in question at this point. I'm sure if I went out there in March, and was able to run without pain, I'm sure that I would get it done. The real issues are whether I would be able to safely build up to the distance & whether I would be able to perform to the best of my ability. 

For me, unfortunately, the answer to both questions is no. I don't want to do too much too soon and risk injuring myself even further. I also want my first marathon effort to be something that I'll be proud of, and in order to do that, I need to get to the start line feeling confident in my training, something which won't happen if I only complete 3.5/12 weeks of my training cycle. 

My goal for February 2013 has changed - it is simply to recover from this injury. I now have a physical therapy prescription for 2 times per week for 8 weeks with the caveat that if things don't start getting better by the end of week 4, I should contact my orthopedist again for a follow up visit.  

While I am heartbroken & angry at this turn of events, I am now more determined than ever to do an amazing job at the marathon when I am finally able to make the start line in November 2013.