2019 planning, and a new Garmin

By | October 14, 2018

My new Garmin came on Wednesday! I didn’t get to take it home and play with it until Thursday night. All the notifications! I turned them off nearly immediately, so pardon my continued lack of response to texts while running. 🙂 I haven’t figured out friends yet or anything, but happy to add anyone.

what, you don’t pose in the bathroom mirror for a leggings & Garmin selfie? 😉

***

NYRR 2019 calendar through April is up as is early bird member pricing. Decisions!

I was slightly disappointed to hear on Friday that the Lebow Half is not going to be part of 4/6 next year. Instead, it will be replaced by the Manhattan 7 Miler. This fits with the general drop in the 4/6 series’ distances. Queens is a 10K and the Bronx is 10 Miles with Brooklyn and Staten Island still half marathons. It’s not a huge issue for me, personally, as I wasn’t planning to go the guaranteed entry route for the 2020 NYC Half, but I wonder what it’s going to do for the non Brooklyn races’ appeal. (That one always sells out in a heartbeat). I think it’s probably going to be fewer guaranteed entries for the Half, which might make it easier for Road Runners to accommodate their other runners.

speaking of guaranteed entry, this is nice to see officially

NYRR Races I’m thinking of for the moment:

  • Joe Kleinerman 10K – January 5
  • Lebow Half – January 20. I’m honestly torn. It was my first, and it’s Fred Lebow! and I’d like to do it again but I’m not sure I’ll be ready for a Half with those hills in just over three months given what my schedule is like due to work. I don’t want to be undertrained like last year, but I know I’m coming in with a better base. Is that the sound of someone waffling toward yes? Probably.
  • Gridiron 4M – February 3. Dad’s birthday. I’ll almost definitely do this as it was a favorite.
  • NYC Half – March 17. I’m doing this for sure.
  • SHAPE Women’s Half – April 14 – I was excited for this and have been talking on and off about doing it instead of Lebow for a Spring Half, but it’s just so much more expensive. I don’t think I’m going to do this, or at least I won’t decide until much closer to as there’s no early registration deadline.

I did sign up for Run the Year for my third year. Looking forward to the motivation there.

[bctt tweet=”Planning for #RunTheYear 2019 and exploring @NYRR race options” username=”travellingcari”]

Are you running any of these?

***

Back to 2018, I was still trying to wrap (no pun intended) my head around whether Grete’s Great Gallop was a PR. I didn’t realize how few Central Park races I do that are more than 5 miles. I knew I couldn’t compare it to the Manhattan 7M as that was a literal hot mess run/walk. It wasn’t fair to compare it to my first 10K as that was almost a year and a half ago (but hey, PR!) and the two Minis run the opposite direction. So I decided to look at the splits for the Lebow Half.

NYRR Manhattan Half Details

My 10K split was 1:12:22 and I think that’s representative as I didn’t walk until after the Harlem Hills. Grete’s time? 1:11:28. So a nearly one minute PR after avoiding hills? Yep, I’m happy with that.

No formal race recap, as I don’t have that much to say. It’s nice to be able to roll out of bed and run to the start. I didn’t struggle as much on the Harlem Hills as I feared I might, and overall I felt strong. I know what I need to do to get stronger on the hills ahead of either of the Central Park Half Marathons, and I need to do it. Sometimes not overthinking is just perfect.

***

Weekly Wrap, Week of 10.9. Linking up with Holly and Wendy:

  • Monday: semi-holiday Monday. Wasn’t in the office but did have to work. After breakfast with friends at The Coffee Shop one last time, I headed to the Run Center because I wanted to run Central Park. The weather wasn’t ideal – it was 65 and 92% humidity, but I didn’t have it in me to hit the treadmill. I was glad I stopped at the Run Center because while I had a well packed gym bag, I forgot socks. New Balance aren’t cheap, but they’re cheaper than Blink and I like the socks better.  The original plan was to go long because I could, but the humidity wasn’t going to let that happen. After my watch finally (sort of) got a signal, I ran until a potty break. Did someone say five cups of coffee? That pace was so laughably off I almost just turned off the watch and ran, but when it seemed to finally keep a signal, I went hard for a mile and a half until I just hit a humidity wall. After recovery I decided to close out the loop with a burst of as fast/far as I could. Nice to do some pseudo speed work outdoors, but I really want to get to the track. One day. Followed this up with a good stretch and strengthen session at the gym.
  • Tuesday: off. Tickets to see Gloria Steinem play. This was well-timed as my quads are quite sore from Monday’s kettlebell circuit. Phenomenal production and for anyone who might be in New York through January, I definitely recommend it. Christine Lahti is a fabulous Gloria.
  • Wednesday: Ended up being a cross train day after guest speaking in a class. Why did I go bike over row or walk home? I won’t lie: I wanted to finish Chamber of Secrets. Consequence of seeing Harry Potter: A History of Magic at New-York Historical Society last week and a desire to escape current events and my usual non-fiction habits is a Harry Potter rereading binge.
  • Thursday: exciting announcement about the Manhattan Greenway. I love walking and running along the rivers and I’m really hopeful it will one day be a complete path around Manhattan’s perimeter. Riverside walk > city streets any day. Run group got rained out. The gym was super crowded as I was there early and it took too long to get a treadmill. When I finally got one, I had nothing. Gutting out a mile was all I could do. Having a sore foot from bad shoes didn’t help (one foot only, I think I lost weight in it causing rubbing?) nor did some bad food choices.  Chalked it up to better than nothing and went home to watch my beloved Giants lose spectacularly. Can we get a do over on Thursday?

I love this app display!

and a watch display I can read at dusk!

  • Friday: Can you tell I enjoyed my Garmin’s first adventure? I wanted to get out and play all day as it was a beautiful, crisp fall day. A lunch walk while usually restorative did nothing for my desire to go back to the office and plow through my to do list. Short weeks seem the longest and luckily shortly after 5 there was a mass exodus and I booked it to the Run Center to stash my bags and hit the Park. Could not believe how quickly the Garmin found a signal! I opted for the office run group loop of the last two weeks and was partially curious whether I could maintain that pace solo. YEP! I actually found it easier because I wasn’t trying to talk and because it was a perfect low humidity 57 degrees. I was curious whether the Garmin would hit the mental mile markers that I’m used to with the TomTom and was pleased to see they were roughly the same spots. Makes me confident that the below is a legit comparison. 13 seconds off my July 30 outdoor and August 1 treadmill PRs and this included Cat Hill where those did not. WOW. Can’t wait to run some more this weekend. No music was non issue. As I’ve just learned you can listen to podcasts offline, I have some options if I go that route.

Garmin, but also almost reality

  • Saturday: after early rains the day was a beautiful, crisp fall day. How did I mark it? Being a lazy slug until about 3. I needed it, and don’t regret it one bit. I made a deal with myself though, if I wasn’t going to leave enough time for a long run, I was going hard. After a slightly chilly walk to Central Park, I did a ~ one mile warmup and then completed two loops! of Harlem Hills before repeating the warmup as a cool down. I rarely do that loop of my own volition, and never twice. I think it came from a place of thinking about Lebow. If I’m doing it, I want to be strong going into it. I’m less worried about the distance, but the hills were an issue. I think I can do this. Two laps without walking was huge and gives me confidence I have a solid base to build off. I won’t PR on this course, but I can beat 2018.

OK, I can see why these shots appeal

Closet switch, and purge. #SparkJoy

  • Sunday: another beautiful day. After a late start due to sleeping in as fall also good for sleeping! I needed to drop off the results of my switching season closet purge. Goodwill is a couple of blocks north and as I knew I didn’t want to do any hills so I explored the East River Esplanade with a goal of running to the Wards Island Bridge and back for ~2-3 miles. When I turned south at 96th St. to do that short loop I realized the esplanade was open to the Ferry! Whee. I’m so tired of running up York. So I just continued south to Starbucks for a 1.75 mile shakeout. The stairs by the Ferry aren’t fun, and I won’t touch them when wet as they’re metal, but manageable.  This is the first time I’ve run four days in a row ever/in a very long time and I feel good. Had a good foam roll and will do the same tomorrow at the gym. Rolling my feet while watching football. Lazy Sunday needed.

Week Plan?

  • Monday: Cross train
  • Tuesday: Run?
  • Wednesday: Off. Book group
  • Thursday: Office run group
  • Friday: run before work?
  • Weekend: Rochester

31 thoughts on “2019 planning, and a new Garmin

  1. Coco

    Ah, the joys of a new Garmin! I think whatever is set to make a notification on your phone will buzz on your Garmin, which is why I turned off most notifications! Yay for fall weather. I need to fill out the rest of my 2018 calendar. I have no plans for 2019.

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      Yep I turned off the notifications in about two seconds. It’s part of why the Apple Watch never appealed, even though I’m all Apple ecosystem otherwise. I don’t need to be that connected.

      Reply
  2. Wendy

    Busy week! So funny how we are all looking ahead to 2019 and still have races to run this year. Glad to hear running 4 days in a row didn’t bother you. Have a great week!

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      Thank you!
      Yeah it’s weird how it’s a little fast forward
      I have 3, maybe 4 depending on if I do the New Years one. Two in one week because of course I do

      Reply
  3. Kimberly Hatting

    My 2019 calendar is wide open (at the moment), but I have LOTS of possibilities…..BUT, this week will be all about 26.2 recovery (before my 13.1 next Sunday) 😉

    Reply
  4. Deborah Brooks

    wow you already have some fun races on your schedule for next year. I am not done figuring out this year yet! I have yet to run a race in NYC and I’d love to sometime. Have a great week

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      Oddly the only one I’m actually registered for is out of town (Fort Lauderdale).
      I just want to jump on (some of) these for the early bird pricing
      You’ll enjoy if you do. NYRR and NYCRuns both put the schedules out early so should be doable for planning purposes

      Reply
  5. kookyrunner

    Whew…what a busy week for you! I saw that NYRR released a bunch of races earlier this week. I might go through and see if I want to run any. I really haven’t done an NYRR races this year only because it’s such a pain the ass for me to get into the city super early for some of their races!

    Thanks for linking to my podcasts post – I appreciate the blog love!

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      I was pathetically excited to realize I could listen to podcasts offline. That might be my go to rather than getting an MP3 player if I find I can’t run without music on longer distances. Right now Central Park in the fall is a solid enough distraction in its own.
      I jump on these NYRR ones not because they sell out-but I like that it essentially means one race free with the early bird deadline. I have a couch you’re welcome to sleep on if there’s a race that really calls to you. Warning though, I’m in a walkup

      Reply
  6. Lisa

    Glad you are liking the new Garmin! Its always so fun to look ahead at races. I have no idea what 2019 will bring for my running, but I’m hoping to do at least once race towards the end of the year!

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      I’m sure you’ll be able to with as much as you’ve maintained running so far. When are you due?

      Reply
    1. cari Post author

      Yes, I think it’s a wonderful way for NYRR to recognize people who spend more with them year round. Let me know if you do

      Reply
  7. Chocolaterunsjudy

    You are so busy! Geez, I’m tired just reading all this. And the humidity (until the weekend) was such a bear last week.

    I’m curious — was the Harry Potter thing a 2 night thing? Cause my brother was in the weekend before (that’s why I went to my parents, he lives on the west coast so we don’t see him a lot) & he took his daughter to some 2 night Harry Potter thing.

    I wish I knew what I was doing in 2019! Things are on hold at the moment. I’m such a planner it kills me!

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      Yeah fall is insane. A good insane but still

      There is a Harry Potter p lay on Broadway that is in two parts so he could have done it in two nights vs. a really long day. I’m not that much of a Potter person. What I saw was an exhibit at the New York Historical Society that ties the Potter stories into a broader history of magic. Lots of fun if you’re down this way again before January.

      Reply
  8. Marcia

    Looks like you’re enjoying your new Garmin! Wow lots of exciting races coming up for you. Closet switch and purge? I so need to do that!

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      It’s an easy thing for me to do as I physically move the clothes from my actual closet (where the short sleeves are in the above pic) to the freestanding one in my bedroom. I need space so weeding happens, although I did catch myself asking a few clothes if they sparked joy!

      Reply
  9. Lesley

    New Garmins are always fun! I still haven’t figured out a lot on mine, and that’s OK with me. I wanted one that could do better intervals than my last one, and was bigger so I could see on my run. I haven’t downloaded the app or anything.

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      Intervals and visibility are exactly what I wanted. Haven’t figured out intervals yet though as neither run called for them. Grownups never outgrow toys

      Reply
  10. HoHo Runs

    I find it very hard to compare runs or races since there are so many variables at play. I just accept those fun little messages when they come along. And, congrats on your first Garmin message! The thing that drew me to my current Garmin was that I could see the numbers on its large display screen. The light is also helpful in the dark. I’d love to run in Central Park again one day. But for now, I’ll have to live vicariously through you. It sounds like you have so many great races to choose from. Thanks for linking!

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      Yeah, I take the Harlem Hills and Lower Loop as baseline-ish. I figure there’s always going to be variation
      Completely agree re: legibility, it’s so helpful
      One day you will

      Reply
  11. therightfits

    Love the new Garmin! Lots of fancy new bells and whistles on that one. But yes, all the notifications can be a bit much.

    Awesome week for you!

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      Seriously. No need to be notified on all the things
      THank you!

      Reply
  12. Liz Dexter

    What a great week! That’s the Garmin half my friends have got and they all love it. I think you can and will do the January half. Just saying.

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      Can is iffy.
      Will is … yeah pretty much talked myself into it by the time I realized I wasn’t doing April. Need to do at least one CP Half and I can’t do the February one as it’s just a week after Florida. #FirstWorldRunningProblems
      I love the Garmin so far

      Reply
  13. Debbie @ Deb Runs

    I’m glad you’re loving your new Garmin! I turned most of the notifications off right away, but then it changed how to do it and I can’t figure out how to turn the last couple off… Oh well, I guess I need to know how my sports teams are doing, right ESPN?

    Wow, four straight days of running and no ill effects. That’s great to hear! I used to be able to do that, but no more.

    Hope you have a great week!

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      Love my new toy!
      Save for Notre Dame, my sports teams stink. Sadly.
      I definitely can’t do four or even three days regularly, but I couldn’t not take advantage of the weather. Luckily a pure off day and maybe two this week will counter it.

      Reply
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