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Decision Time
I'm a week removed from the NYC Half Marathon and still feeling good about the outcome. I've been able to analyze the race in a healthy non-negative way. Damn that Reiki was good!
Now I need to ponder my fall races but in doing so I have come to realize that I have been training and running in races almost non-stop since early spring. There was one point in May where I ran in a race every weekend. I think I need to give my body some rest.
I have come to enjoy running in half marathons. I enjoy the distance and the challenge of them and that they often take you out of the normal running routes we become all too familiar with. I know I am not the only one, in fact I know people who have run in a half marathon for every month of this year. I was thinking I would not have any problems running Grete's Great Gallop in October and then the Philadelphia Half Marathon in November.
Then of course, I have some other, shorter distance, races on the schedule throughout the remainder of August through October. I have to be smart about how I manage all of this in making sure I get enough rest and enough training in. I also have to consider that I’m still in a busy time at work that will not end until the mid-November.
In going back and forth about this with my wellness coach, even though she technically is not longer my coach, I came to the decision that Grete's Great Gallop is out. I still don't know how I really feel about this. Mentally, I know this is the right decision. Emotionally, I really, really want to run in this race. Being who I am, the mental part of me will always win, now I just have to learn how to deal with it. I will apologize in advance to all of my friends who will have to live with me during this time.
The other big race dilemma I have is the weekend of October 24 and 25. On October 24 is the Nike Human Race in Prospect Park and on the 25th is the Poland Spring Marathon Kickoff in Central Park. Prior to this past week this was not an issue as the only race planned was the Marathon Kickoff but then Nike had to go and schedule their Human Race that same weekend.
Last year the Human Race was at the end of August and even with all of the problems the race had I still enjoyed it. It was my first 10k, the concept of millions of people running a 10k on the same day around the world for charity was inspiring and running the race with a good friend on his birthday was huge. I also ran in the Marathon Kickoff last year and really enjoyed that as well.
Can I do a 10k and a 5 mile race the same weekend? Yes, I can. Is it realistic? Probably not. While training for the NYC Half I ran a 4 mile race on a Saturday then did 12 miles the next day. That's the weekend I injured my hamstring. This is something that is stuck in the back of my mind as I consider my options. I do not want to get injured again!
Right now I'm leaning towards the Poland Spring Marathon Kickoff but my heart is still pulling me to do both. Decisions, decisions.
// posted by stacey on 7:31:00 PM // |
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Monday, August 17, 2009
NYC Half Thoughts
Wow, I honestly have to say that I had an awesome race yesterday. I did score another PR in crazy hot and humid weather but oddly enough that's not just what I'm proud of. What I am proud of is that not once did I let a negative thought take hold during the race.Think about what all the runners had to go through yesterday. At the start of the race the temperature was 71 degrees and the humidity was 74 percent, that is not a good combination. The fluid stations in Central Park were a nightmare and this I'm going to spend more time on because it seems to be developing into a problem for NYRR as we had similar problems in the Brooklyn Half. Runners literally had to come to a dead stop to get Gatorade or water at each station in Central Park. At first I thought this was just a problem for us back of pack runners but after talking to a few fellow fast Front Runner teammates I found out they had the same issues. When you have a race with over 10,000 runners and when you are aware of extreme heat conditions you need to be prepared and prepared they were not. Thankfully, the stations improved tremendously after we got out of the park and hit the streets of Manhattan.
Prior to the race my main concern was my sore hamstring. A few weeks ago I thought I had overcome the strain and would be pain free but if you recall from one of my recent posts, it flared up during my last long run before the NYC half. That was not something I wanted to be worried about going into the race, 13.1 miles is even longer when you are wondering when your hamstring will start hurting. I then reminded myself that I have this great health profession at my disposal and decided to use some of her services. On Friday we scheduled a Reiki session where J focused on three things; my hamstring, head (worries) and lungs. When we finished she said I would not have any problems with my leg, I would not worry about it and my lungs were great.
This would all come into play during the race. At about the 3k mark my ipod using the Nike+ system decided not to play the music. It was still recording my distance and giving me vocal feedback but no music. On long runs I count on the music distraction just so that I can get out of my head. I would have to run with this race on my own. I tried to focus on getting out of Central Park and not be annoyed with the discussions and noises of the other runners. I figured once I got out of the park, I would have more space and hopefully be distracted by the performers on the street. Yay, this is exactly what happened.
Running through Times Square was really neat and a lot of fun. Then the turn onto 42nd Street is where I hit my stride and my runner's high. Looking back at my time this is where I had some negative splits and made some time I lost in the park. Everything was feeling good. When I made the turn onto the West Side Highway I knew this was my place to shine. I am one of those runners that loves running in the summer. I grew up in the desert of El Paso, Texas and the heat and I belong together. Even with the humidity I seem to do better than in the winter.
My goal for the West Side Highway was just to make it mile by mile. There wouldn't be any shade, but there wouldn't be any hills either. This was my kind of race now. It was at mile 11 when I looked at my watch and wasn't sure if I would get a PR but I also realized that I hadn't thought about my leg. I smiled. When I hit the 12 mile mark I knew I had time to make that PR. I started thinking about my friend Pearl as I approached Battery Park City. I saw a fellow Front Runner cheering and I smiled again. I don't smile during races but this time I had no worries. I just kept running and smiling.
As the crowds along the race route started building near the finish I felt stronger and when I saw the finish I knew that I could sprint to it and cross the line strong. Crossing that finish line was incredible, I got the PR but more importantly I was happy with myself and glad that I got to share it with some really special people.
// posted by stacey on 10:20:00 AM // |
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Saturday, August 15, 2009
NYC Half Mary
In less than 24 hours I will be running in the NYC Half.
The training is done. All the physical stuff has been tended to and some of the mental stuff thanks to an awesome Reiki session yesterday. It's all about heart now and I am ready. I am going to own this race.
I would promise writing in great detail about the race on Monday but my previous promises about detailing everything that goes into a big race haven't been met. It's nothing personal, just that often I find that I usually just need to tell one or two people about it. It's a connection thing. Sometimes what goes through my head and heart during a race is so emotional and personal that I feel I have to be a bit protective about who gets to share in that. There is still only one person who has ben told the complete story of the Healthy Kidney 10k after my great quad crises. And no one has heard the complete details of the Brooklyn Half. It just happens that way sometime.
So this is the promise I will make. If I feel that I can share the story with all of my blog buddies, I will.
I will share with you my slightly revised Half (Bloody) Mary Mix for the race. It has a little bit of everything - inspirational lyrics here and there, something with a good beat to keep me going, and just some songs that I really like at the moment. One thing I will tell you about the Brooklyn Half is that I only recall hearing four or five of the songs, but I do know I got through the whole playlist by the time I crossed the finish line. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing.
Half (Bloody) Mary Mix
Lose Yourself - Eminem
Where the Streets Have No Name - U2
Machine Head - Bush
The Reeling - Passion Pit
Make It Mine - Jason Mraz
Welcome to the World - Kevin Rudolf & Rick Ross
Viva La Vida - Coldplay
Champion - Kanye West
Better Days - The Goo Goo Dolls
You're All I Have - Snow Patrol
Rehab - Amy Winehouse
Hip Hop Hooray - Naughty By Nature
Last to Die - Bruce Springsteen
I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) - Pitbull
Dance 2night - Madonna
Nervous Breakthrough - Luscious Jackson
Lullaby Of Clubland - Everything But The Girl
Wonderful - Gary Go
Funplex - The B-52's
Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Beat Goes On [Featuring Kanye West] - Madonna
Gone Daddy Gone - Gnarls Barkley
Ticket To Ride - The Beatles
LaLuna - Funky Nashville
Canned Heat - Jamiroquai
Eyes Wide Open - The B-52's
In God's Country - U2
It's the Same Old Song / Reach Out - Boyz II Men
Tears Dry On Their Own - Amy Winehouse
This Old Heart of Mine - The Isley Brothers
Revolution - The Beatles
I Run for Life - Melissa Etheridge
Touched - VAST
Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
All Of My Lovin' - Valley Lodge
Home - Collective Soul
Run (I'm a Natural Disaster) - Gnarls Barkley
Damn Girl - Justin Timberlake
Good Life - Kanye West
Extraordinary - Liz Phair
Keep This Party Going - The B-52's
Won't Back Down - Tom Petty
// posted by stacey on 10:22:00 AM // |
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Monday, August 10, 2009
Taper Week
This week is officially my taper week. The NYC Half-Marathon is on Sunday. All the training is done, now I must rest. This is always easier said than done.
My 10 mile run, what was supposed to be my last long run, did not go exactly as planned. The idea was to run the first 10 miles of the NYC Half and just familiarize myself with the rest of the course. I was able to do about the first seven miles when my sore hamstring kicked in. I finally did one of the smartest things of my life and called of the run for myself.
The first seven miles is basically a full loop in Central Park with a wee bit extra thrown in for good measure. It will be the most challenging of the Half. I'm not concerned about the because I run in Central Park all the time and am quite intimate with the hills, I can run them in my sleep.
I'm a little nervous about the hamstring and hope that it can get me through. I had run a good week and half pain free and thought I had put it behind me. I don't want to run with a wrap on it but I will put an ace bandage in my pocket in case I need to stop during the race and take care of it. This means I'll have to run smart in Central Park and take it easy. I can push it once I get out of the park and start hitting some of those negative splits.
What was annoying was the fact that the rest of my body, and for the hell of it my spirit, wanted to keep going. It needed that 10 miles to feel good and to get rid of the demons from the week. The extremely good sign about this is that 10 miles seems like nothing to me now. I guess this is the result of running 14 the week before.
Mentally, I am in a much better place that I was for the Brooklyn Half. Back in May I was worried about the loops in Prospect Park and I let it defeat me in that race. Not this time. I am ready and psyched for this race.
But this tapering thing, argh! I have to fight the urge to keep running. I'm planning one run on Wednesday evening and that will be mostly a run/walk thing. I'm making sure I get enough sleep, hydrating well and keeping up with my nutrition (now is so not the time to get off that).
As always my support group has been huge. My buddies in Front Runners have inspired and encouraged me and the other running folks I've met through Twitter have done the same.
This time around I've only invited a few folks to cheer me on at the finish, the people that matter most right now - J, Scott and Tom. Pearl was invited too, but she'll be running with me in my heart.
I'm ready for this half, now if I can just survive taper week.
// posted by stacey on 9:48:00 PM // |
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Friday, August 07, 2009
Running Through Loss
I am not a religious person. I was raised Catholic but just never got "it." I like to think that I have some sort of spirituality but I think it's best if I don't try to define it. It exists somewhere and that's all I need to know.I consider myself lucky in that I know so many people of various backgrounds who practice all sorts of religions, faiths, and beliefs. Some find their inner peace by using the Rosary, various prayer beads or just meditating. I'm sure if I were to ask each of them, they would say running would be considered my religion or belief because that is where I find my peace.
I would have to agree. Having a bad day, run to work it out. Having a good day, run to keep it going. Need to process something, run to do that. Need to forget, run. Need to clear the head, run again. You get the point.
There is just something about the process that heals my spirit. And I'm not just talking about the runner's high. Even when I don't experience it on certain runs, running just fits and makes things right.
On Wednesday, I was dealt a horrible blow with the news that a dear friend and co-worker had died. We lost Pearl due to a combination of events; recovering from foot surgery, pain killers, 9/11 induced asthma, fatigue, fire, and smoke.
We lost someone who passed her incredible good energy to everyone she met. Her smile and laughter is something I will never forget. I owe it to her to not forget and I believe that it is something that I must try and pass on to others. When you have an entire company, building security and Starbucks employees in tears at losing someone, you know that person was special.
I was offered the opportunity to go home if I felt it was too painful to be in the office. I stayed. I stayed to support my co-workers and friends, to be strong and remind them about what Pearl would want us to do. I also stayed because I had a running date planned for that evening.
Running with people I care deeply about is what I needed to do and what I still need to do. The run that afternoon was just an easy three miles around a track, but I ran. I breathed in the fresh air and felt alive. Comforted by friends who gave me the hugs, smiles and laughter I desperately needed. They were strong for me so that I didn't have to be.
Pearl lived in Battery Park City and interestingly enough the NYC Half Marathon will be finishing right in that vicinity. As the NYC Half is now just about a week away I have found a new purpose for this race - Pearl. The support she gave me as I started running over a year ago and continued doing was huge. During the race as I approach Battery Park City I will be thinking about Pearl. No matter how the race goes, I will smile and laugh as I cross the finish line because I know she would want me to and I know that will heal my spirit more than anything else.
// posted by stacey on 9:21:00 AM // |
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Sunday, August 02, 2009
Wow 14 Miles
Yesterday I ran 14 miles, my longest run ever. There are a some amazing things about this.
1. Running the 14 miles yesterday was easier than the 11 I ran last week.
2. The hamstring/leg thing didn't bother me during the run or after.
3. I lived to talk about it.
4. I ran 14 miles period.
This past week was one of the more challenging ones I have had in a long time. It started on Monday when I was hit with what felt like a sucker punch. Maybe one of these days I'll go into more detail about that, until then you'll just have to trust me. Then my leg pain was not going away at all. Unfortunately, the only way I know how to deal with problems now is to run them out, so I turned what is my usual rest day into a let's see how much I can punish my body day.
I wrapped the hamstring with an ace bandage and hit the road. This wasn't even an easy run. It was all about me pushing myself to my limits, about feeling pain and feeling totally spent afterwards. The leg was hurting but not as much as I thought it would and I did learn that I could run with the ace bandage even if it changed my gait. I was able to breathe a sigh of relief at this because at least now I knew that If I had to run with the bandage on during the NYC Half I could. It would be tough but I could do it.
Tuesday was the easy run, some running and some walking along the bridle path in Central Park. My amazing gay boyfriend listened to me process all my crap, provided the right amount of insight and agreed with me where I needed him to. The bandage thing didn't work out as well and I ended up taking it off about halfway through. The leg hurt with the bandage on and with it off. This could be a problem for the Half.
I took Wednesday as a rest day because it was CPR re-certification day and blood donation day. The CPR bit went great, the instructor, Meg, was one of the best instructors I've ever had and I'm pretty darn sure she is family. The blood donation thing did not pan out. For the second time my iron was not high enough to allow me to donate my precious O- blood. I'll have to look into this because I do eat the right balance of food and take a multi-vitamin. At least I got home earlier than planned.
Thursday was another run with the gay boyfriend and my stalker, this time the four mile loop in Central Park. They pushed my pace a bit more than I expected but I felt good. I ran up most of the hills, except for Cat Hill and wow, no pain in the leg during the run or immediately after. It did hurt that night but my amazing new purchase of the The Stick was waiting for me at home. I tried it out and I really liked how it worked my muscles. A little BioFreeze and I was all good.
The next day, Friday was my PTO day and my rest day. I did laundry and hydrated for Saturday's big run.
4:30 am, that is the time I had to get up to catch the first train from PC to get my ass into NYC. (Note to self: Finalize your plans for the NYC Half because this will not work for that!) I met TEAM SloHoMo for a 14 mile run through the park. This amounted to one six mile loop and two four mile loops. Even though it was crazy humid, we all felt good. Even better is that nothing hurt. I was able to run up all the hills very well, although I did walk up Cat Hill on the last loop more for precautionary reasons than anything else. We finished strong and recovered well. I was excited because when I complete a new distance, one of the things I like to feel is that I could run another mile if I had to. I actually felt like I could have run two more. It may have been a painful two, but I could have done it.
I am ready for the NYC Half!
Next week I'm going to do an easy, and I really do mean that this time, 10 mile run. If I think I can deal with tourists in Times Square I might even do the first 10 miles of the NYC Half.
But, wow, I ran 14 miles and still feel good about it.
// posted by stacey on 4:40:00 PM // |
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