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Leaping into March

I know February is the shortest month and all that jazz, but wow, I blinked and missed it.

it’s not too late to save! LEAP50 for half off including new styles
Lotta Breeze, Lotta Pink Lotta Miles

I actually LEAPED into the sale as soon as they announced it. Spring should be for skirt shopping, but I couldn’t pass up the Lotta Breeze Capri in fuschia/black. How can I resist pink? More on the run and the outfit below. Did you buy anything with the sale? Today is the last chance. I won’t lie, I wish I was still in Bermuda. Too many layers.

Who else got sucked into the Trials on Saturday afternoon? Once I turned them on, I was glued to the couch throughout. So many great stories but my personal favorites were Abdirahman at 43! and Molly Seidel (Go Irish!) in her first ever marathon. I won’t lie, I want one of Tuliamuk’s beanies. And it was awesome to track Lauren Floris aka The Foodie Runner. So cool to “know” someone running the trials.

In other news, I had a kind of anticlimactic graduation from PT. I found out over the weekend that my insurance didn’t approve any more visits, so my PT asked if I was OK going DIY or whether I wanted to self pay. As I mentioned before Bermuda, I think I’m ready. He’s given me the tools & the app is invaluable for reminding me how to do the exercises. When I was first injured & diagnosed I noted that I wasn’t worried-I have a great orthopedist and insurance and if I need to go back to PT, I will, but I’d love for my IT Band to be quiet for a while.

 

not a new exhibit, but an old favorite adjacent to the new British Galleries at the Met

In work news, it was a week full of museum field trips aka an active Instagram. I can’t remember the last time I was local and posted 3x/week. This week involved: the Met, MoMA, Cooper Hewitt and New-York Historical Society. Amazing rush of exhibits opening ahead of Armory Week.

Stunning Oscar de la Renta piece for Cooper Hewitt’s Contemporary Muslim Fashions
Women’s March at New-York Historical Society

Oh right, this is a running blog not a museum blog. *Giggle* on to the weekly run down with Kim and Deborah, which I realized is celebrating it’s one year anniversary! Happy birthday “new” LinkUp:

not at all a Manic Monday
playing with my new watch face

 

  • never miss a Monday: I’d actually missed a few of late with travel, PT and other schedule issues, but it’s great to start the week off moving. Elizabeth and I met at 7:30 for a reservoir loop on the last nice day of the week. With running to and from, it’s about four miles. I’ve never done a watch face before because I only wear my Garmin for running, but I couldn’t resist this one.
  • Tuesday: Donald Judd and Dorothea Lange at MoMA. Had plans to go to the gym after work, but ended up with a meeting near my apartment, and we know how that always ends. Was nice to be home at a reasonable hour.
  • Wednesday: one of those late nights at work.
  • Thursday: museums before work and the gym after. In whichever order, that makes for a good day. I had layers and could have run outside, but the wind was atrocious and physically uncomfortable. After a half mile warm up, I did a mile of 300m repeats and 100m recovery. I love that workout, but the knee wasn’t having it, so I called it after a mile. Post cooldown, I did the full set of PT exercises.
  • Friday: gym was a possibility. Getting home at a reasonable hour was a better one.
hi my old friend Pulaski
life isn’t complete without an outtake
destination run!
  • Saturday: I didn’t have plans for this run. At one point I was seriously contemplating moving the long run to Sunday and just doing the mile and a half I needed for 60 miles on the month. But then I remembered it was Leap Day and life’s too short to be boring. The last twenty mile run took us past Wegmans the week before it opened and I planned to run there as a marathon recovery/Ted Corbitt training run. Well life, injury and everything else happened and I hadn’t done it – suddenly I knew my long run for the day. When I do this again I’d leave earlier in the day as the road by the Navy Yard is seriously rutted and wasn’t fun without good light. The headwind on Kent was just ferocious, although the views made it worth it. Wegmans? The end of a run is the wrong time to want to explore. I could have had dinner there but wasn’t yet hungry, and had my heart set on sushi. I need to go back — maybe I’ll train there and run home. I love Wegmans, but to me it’s a Rochester thing. I’ve only been to the one near-ish mom’s once since it opened. Maybe if I was more of a grocery shopper. But I still love that there’s one here. Nice to know too I live 7.96 miles as the shoes run from the nearest Wegmans. The walk to the subway after? Brutal in the cold wind. Tried to run to get it over with, but they were cold/sore. Speaking of cold, sore. Dressing for a wind chill in the 20s is *hard* LBC, two shirts was fine. I knew the New Balance jacket wasn’t great for running as it traps sweat, but I thought it would be OK since it was so cold. It probably was until I “warmed up” in Wegmans. It was a clammy ride home. I sized down in the LBCs (yay!), and was pleased that they fit perfectly.
  • Sunday: gym for PT when I get off the couch. Saturday night I was super sore, but I think that was because I sat on the train coming back and then at the sushi bar. Today seems less bad.

Plan for the Week:

  • Monday: morning run?
  • Tuesday: off?
  • Wednesday: run
  • Thursday: off
  • Friday: off?
  • Saturday/Sunday: 9 miles? There’s a NYRR group run Sunday for 5m, so may run to and from it.

GoTheDist February

  • 457,115 steps
  • 203 miles run/walked (my first ever round number total!?)
  • 66.47 miles run

The decision to stop obsessing about steps and heal has been great. This is by far the most I’ve run since marathon month and I’d be happy with 60-70 mile months as a base. It was also a huge increase on February 2019, and not just because it was Leap Year. Although I’ve graduated from PT, I’m going to continue not focusing on steps and just go by feel. I want to fully heal. I’m still thinking on my goal, but have set a soft one. I’m actually surprised I’ve run twelve miles more than last year YTD, with one fewer half marathon.

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2020 PT Week 3/4: Return to Racing

Previous post topics when I thought I’d get this posted sooner:

  • I’m taking my talents to South Florida

Yep, that made the rounds after the NFC/AFC Conference Championship Games with the Super Bowl in Miami. I can’t believe Lebron’s decision was ten years ago this summer. Where did the last ten years go?

While it wasn’t Miami, the cold snap had me looking very much forward to a long weekend in Florida. To be honest, deferring the Half didn’t bother me at all. It’s not a dream or bucket list race, and I’ll be back stronger in 2021.

and

  • Shakira’s Hips Don’t Lie

was on Wednesday 1/22 at PT and can’t say how true that was. So many of the exercises focus on the hip. I swear I need glue to hold mine in alignment.

The PT is really helping to the extent I was able to run back to back days twice. That’s something I typically don’t to and probably shouldn’t generally, but I was able to. The PT student I was working with just graduated & finished her internship, and I will miss her. The one she was working under is the same one I saw this time last year, so I know he’s wonderful, I’ll just miss the one on one focus on how bad my coordination is.

This year’s candidate for dead bug‘s I Can In No Way, Shape or Form Do This status is this shift into running stance from Stork. Nope, one too many steps.

and finally

Hamming with Palm Trees, for reasons you’ll see later.

Don’t ask. I Ham therefore I am

Pleased to learn that I was selected again as a Skirt Sports ambassador this year. Among the many things I learned from this wonderful run/blog group is how running clothes need pockets as much as dresses do. As I said to Elizabeth when we ran, it was nice to have on my windbreaker for all the pockets, but Skirt spoils me. I was home a few weeks ago and the random leggings that live at mom’s don’t have pockets. I can run without my phone (and honestly usually do) – but I didn’t have where to put a key.

In the odd event you don’t already have a Skirt Sports ambassador you shop with and/or aren’t one yourself, use SS15Car75 to shop with me.

Skirts for Florida and NYC running. Pleased to return in 2020 as a #SkirtAmbassador. use SS15Car75 to shop with me Click To Tweet

Linking up with Deborah and Kim for an abbreviated two week Weekly Run Down:

  • never miss a Monday: office closed due to MLK, but the day started off with PT. One of the many ways running has changed me. In the past I’d have rescheduled this and slept in. Instead I was there at 8a for a fun session of single leg squats and other oh so fun things. Hurts so good! I opted out of running there due to a frigid wind chill and after coffee with a friend who’d recently moved back, I headed to the gym. I saw a really awesome speed workout that Birchwood Pie did and knew I needed to try it. I warmed up for a mile at 5.5 and then alternated 5.2, 5.8 for 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 with two minutes easy between. The end was a little crunched as I a ) lost track and b) had the start of a blister. Still it was a good nearly 5 miles. I think those sneakers are getting binned though – they’re also the ones I’m blaming for the IT Band issues.
  • Tuesday: worked late. Nothing else to speak of.
  • Wednesday: PT. Lots of work trying to keep my hips in alignment. Run commute home as I worked from home before my flight. I love the backpack, although it’s going to force some minimalism in what I haul around. My shoulder thinks that’s a good thing.
Windy much?
I <3 Palm Trees
  • Thursday: one of those back to back runs. Couldn’t resist a beach visit before we went to Manatee Lagoon.
  • Friday: no running, but a wonderful visit to the Morikami Museum & Gardens.
Timer fail, but I kind of love it
  • Saturday: wanted to try six, and I got six running along A1A to Atlantic and back. I like Delray, but one reason I prefer Lauderdale is the beach side isn’t built up and there’s a better breeze. Run felt good. We followed it with a visit to Flamingo Gardens, which was amazing.
Beach!
  • Sunday: it was “chilly” which is actually perfect beach weather for me because I don’t get too warm. Perfect Florida farewell. I didn’t run because I wanted to run to PT Monday and knew running three days in a row would be Bad.

Week of 1/27:

  • Monday: spoiler, I didn’t run to PT. I didn’t even get to the gym because of two end of day meetings. PT means I didn’t miss a Monday though.
  • Tuesday: some fun Lunar New Year art to and from a meeting. Gym after work for PT, yoga.
  • Wednesday: I don’t remember. Oops. Probably worked late.
  • Thursday: return of the office run group. We’ve done this route seventeen times. This was probably our slowest as we’re both in PT for various injuries. It was a cold but manageable evening.
hey. Ball. Sit. Stay!
Cute!
  • Friday: yoga ball taming! AKA, PT and yoga and bib pickup for Saturday’s Frozen Penguin
Running the River
  • Saturday: my fourth Frozen Penguin, and first with Elizabeth. It was so (relatively) warm & foggy it was nuts. More on this Tuesday. It was great.
tree limbs trying to brush my hair
drunk Garmin
  • Sunday: Super Bowl Runday! My Garmin had a bit too much beer, but it was a lovely day to be in Central Park. More on both of these races Tuesday.

Plan for the week:

  • Monday, Thursday: PT
  • Run when I can, rest & PT when I can’t
  • Sunday: Manhattan 7 Miler. Nervous about Harlem Hills, although I had no issue with Cat Hill this week.

GoTheDist

I meant what I said. No goals for January or even 2020 as I focused on healing.But I did track my numbers because it has just become habit:

  • 400,508 steps
  • 175.31 miles run/walked
  • 43.78 miles run

I didn’t even think about daily step goal other than Friday, January 31 as my spreadsheet told me that if I hit goal that day I’d get 400K for the month. Not chasing pointless steps was a smart move.

12 gym visits; 49 for September – February cycle. Whee. On track.

No goals for February. Just continuing PT/prehab/yoga and running when I can. Bermuda is going to be amazing whether I run or walk the Half, or some combo thereof.

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Tuesday Topics: 2019 in Review and 2020 Plans

Yeah. This has been marinating for a bit. Between the injury that spanned 2019-2020 (some things never change) and the uncertainty around it, I wanted to wait until a place when I was more settled. Yep, running/training is a head game.

Joining up with Kim and Zenaida to talk 2019/2020 in running. And in my delay, I’m accidentally on topic.

—

so I don’t have 2020 running goals-yet- but I am thinking about what I want from the year. I also haven’t done a proper 2019 in running because it could be summed up as HOLY SHIT, I RAN A MARATHON!!! Given that I successfully completed the NYC Marathon, I was happy with 2019 but wanted to take this chance to look back on my 2019 goals.

But first I had to actually go back and put my 2019 steps since injury in my log. Yep, major ostriching there because not hitting goals, even with a legit reason, really bothers me.

I kind of ran a lot last year!

Running: B

  • Mark two years running in some fun way: January 6 ☑
  • Run 800 miles.☑
  • Run the NYC Marathon ☑
  • Don’t get injured
  • PR in the Half Marathon: 2:34:35 (Brooklyn)
  • PR in a 10K: 1:10:11 (Women’s Mini 2018)

I’ll be honest, once June and marathon training started, I didn’t care about anything but 3/4. Three of my four Halfs were while I was walking wounded and fourth was in the leadup to the marathon, so wasn’t risking anything. I didn’t PR in the Mini, but the 2019 race was so much better than 2018’s struggle bus. And the injury well, better now than during marathon training. More on the PRs below in 2020.

Walking: A

  • 5.75m steps on the year ☑
  • Run/Walk 2,600 miles ☑
  • Do the Great Saunter?

Had both of these well in land before the IT band issue rendered me somewhat less mobile. I opted not to do Saunter as it seemed risky coming off the Achilles, so calling that choice a smart one. It’s not something I missed out on as it was always TBD.

December Totals

  • 351,623 steps
  • 154.66 miles run/walked
  • 38.73 miles run

9 gym visits/37 September – February cycle

2019 Totals

  • 5,898,830 steps
  • 2640.71 miles run/walked
  • 862.97 miles run

December steps were were my lowest since I started running, but hard to be disappointed in the year. Although yeah. That .03 miles. LOL.

While I’m not officially doing #RunTheYear this year, I’m continuing on with GoTheDist. Re-thinking the challenge and my goals has been  a fun hard as it has always been a version of Beat Yesterday with yesterday being the prior month, or that month the prior year, but that’s not going to work so well without another year of marathon training. More on that below in 2020 goals.

Weight: A

  • I can’t count the number of times I’ve said that the coming year was the last I was going to start overweight. I’ve failed each time. But I’m happy with what I did this year even if it wasn’t perfect. I can do way more than I ever thought my body could and the scale is headed in the right direction. So keep it up, and buckle down a little.

I’m down year on year and lost weight during marathon training. Calling that a victory.

Other: B

  • New states. None new in 2019 but 50 before 50 still a possibility. Maybe my old southern road trip that hasn’t happened for three years running. ☑
  • Read 100 books again. Probably not doable as I don’t have two beach vacations in the plans, but it’s something to shoot for. Mid 80s would be acceptable. I’ll finish 2018 with 105, probably.
  • Upgrade my wardrobe. I have some pieces I love, but also many I don’t and some that don’t love me. Bless Poshmark for this. ☑

Marathon training killed my reading. Got 70 read. Got four new states though, and that trip was amazing. Wardrobe is a work in progress, but I’m getting there.

2020 Plans

Goal v. Wish

I need to get away from the numbers, since missing number goals just frustrates me. Usually unnecessarily, but why ramp up the anxiety? Similar to ceasing to live and die by the scale, I want to look at my 2020 goals differently this year.

  • Run Smart. I learned in 2019’s physical therapy that dem bones isn’t just a childhood song. Our bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments and beyond are connected in so many ways. I’m using 2020’s physical therapy to fix my running forms (my hips are never aligned!)
  • Heal.  Part of the reason I sat on this until mid January was I didn’t want to rush it. I have no step/distance or other goals for January/February other than follow PT and (hopefully) be able to run without pain. I don’t want to rush anything and risk the balance of the year..
  • After the marathon, my goal was to PR in the Half in 2020. I’m putting a pin in that right now. Not for good, but for the first half of the year. While I have started running since being cleared by my PT, it’s just jogging and no workouts, and I don’t want to put pressure on the knee. I also don’t really want to do treadmill speedwork coming off this, which is the best winter solution. So I’m going to enjoy Bermuda (which, to be honest, was always the plan for that one) and maybe think about a fall half. Any suggestions (besides Mohawk Hudson, Darlene/Judy, that’s on the list) and Staten Island?
  • Summer or Fall racecation? this was on here before I decided to do Cherry Blossom in lieu of the deferred Fort Lauderdale. I might find the budget and PTO to do another. Any favorite US races? With Spain and Bermuda on the calendar, an international racecation will have to wait.
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Weekly (Not Much) Run Down: Recovery Edition

In case you missed it, my marathon length race recap. I’m still walking on air and part of me can’t believe the marathon is over.

all the NYC Marathon gear

No, I’m not jumping into another one. I’m looking forward to properly training for Fort Lauderdale and Bermuda (and maybe Lebow, since I just can’t quit Fred).  I’m starting to think about the rest of 2020 and what that might look like racing wise. For 2019, I have God’s Love We Deliver on November 24 thanks to some last minute bibs,  my beloved Ted Corbitt on December 7 and maybe a Florida race if stars align.

Along with the post-marathon euphoria, some of the shopping has continued. I knew I needed some gear for running in the dark and NoxGear’s Daylight Savings sale meant I wasn’t going to wait for Black Friday to finally get the vest I’ve lusted over as I’ve seen runners with it in Central Park. It looks so Batteries Not Included. More fun after dark tips from Angela here.

 

Weekly run down with Deborah and Kim:

  • never miss a Monday: there was no running, of course.  Lots of recovery walking, two Normatec sessions and some foam rolling and light yoga. Finally got the long overdue cut & color
  • Tuesday: back to work. Long foam rolling session on my knotty calves and some light yoga. Iced the achilles when I got home.
Rogue One meeting to celebrate
  • Wednesday: post-marathon celebration with Rogue One, as Chris from Rogue dubbed us. What an amazing night to celebrate Berlin, Marine Corps and NYC runners. I really, really love this group.
Runrise at the NYC Ferry dock
taking Watch Me Go and the new NYC Marathon gloves for a spin
  • Thursday: I felt like running. Nothing fancy or fast, just an overcast runrise on the East River. So easy to just step out my door and go. 2.62 miles. All felt good after, with minor chirping from my right Achilles. Was a great chance to wear Watch Me Go for a run. It’s definitely warmer than Cool It, but is perfect for these weird temperatures. I am obviously a fan of the Dunkin’ NYC Marathon hat.
  • Friday: rarely ran two days in a row during training, definitely not about to now. Headed upstate after work to celebrate mom’s birthday.
  • Saturday: ahh, not needing to pop out of bed like a toaster at 5:30. Especially when it’s 32F.
  • Sunday: sunny, beautiful & still chilly day. Trail running perfection. Took me a while to get loose but once I did I could have run forever. Had chance to run in hat & windbreaker at top, perfect for the temperatures.

Total for the week:

  • 35.39, Sunday to Sunday and obviously including the marathon

Plan for the Week:

still playing it by ear, or feel really.

  • Monday: run?
  • Tuesday: cross/yoga/PT
  • Wednesday: I’m paid up for Rogue through 11/23 so may run with them although I won’t do a workout
  • Thursday: off?
  • Friday: off/cross
  • Saturday: run?

GoTheDist October

  • 530,647 steps
  • 243.02 miles run/walked
  • 97.3 miles run

Marathon training: when a 500K step goal became normal. I need to get back in the habit of hitting my step goal on non running days later this month. Winter is always hard. Gym visits: 9. 20 for September – February cycle.

GoTheDist Year to Date:

  • 5,079, 285 steps
  • 2,272.98 miles run/walked
  • 748.35 miles run.

Officially surpassed 2018’s running mileage.

 

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500 miles!

I would run five hundred miles and I would run five hundred more. Well, maybe not.

Sometime this week I hit 500 miles run on the year according to the Run the Year tracker. Manual miles never quite make it there, so I actually hit it last week but didn’t notice. Why didn’t I notice such a major milestone? I was focused on another: my first ever hundred mile month!

I finished August with 105.95 miles run. Two years ago I stopped chasing a 30 minute running time goal focusing on quality over quantity. This month I averaged 1:33:06 run time. That’s insane, and wonderful. In my 800 miles on the year tracker this is the first time I’ve been ahead of pace since January 1’s ten miles. Nutty. Awesome. I remain in awe of what my body can do when I ask and help it to.

so 19.4K steps/day is a down week?

Oh Fitbit, I love/hate you. Running has meant less chasing of garbage steps and being OK with missing step goal more than I would have been in the past. But the idea of this being a down week just makes me laugh. Tuesday wasn’t really a rest day, I just fell short of 12K steps on my walk to dinner – Sunday was a blissful beach day.

I ended August with nearly 600K steps. 596,413 to be precise. I actually realized that Friday and still decided in favor of preserving a much needed rest day. Wow. That’s 60K more than my previous high, last August. Run/walk total was 270.98. Even though my long walks home have been a casualty of marathon training, I’m still walking plenty, apparently.

On to this week’s running with the weekly Run Down with Deborah and Kim:

yep, we thought we were getting rained on again
caught stretching
  • never miss a Monday: ~4 sunset miles with Darlene. After almost always getting rained on for the last year, we’ve had some great sunsets. Monday was The Best. I also was trying out a new sports bra desperate for one that wouldn’t chew me up. So far so good on a short run.
a colorful tree!
  • Tuesday: cross turned yoga. I was really, really tight and I’ve been feeling the niggles. Not pain and not injury, just the aches and pains of a hundred mile month so I took advantage of a training down week to focus on the yoga, PT and prehab.
  • Wednesday: shocker, shocker, it rained the day of Group training. The planned workout:
The workout: 300m repeats
What? Runners will do 8-12 laps of the track with 300m at 5K pace and then 100m recovery jog and repeat. Half marathoners will do 8-10 laps, and marathoners will do 10-12 laps.
The recovery jog should be super, super easy, a pitter patter shuffle jog in order to be ready for the next 300.
Why? 300 meter repeats are a speed workout focused on 5K pace with very little recovery. We want runners to practice patience here and avoid running faster than 5K pace. This workout is sneaky and might look easy on paper. However, it becomes more challenging as the workout goes on due to the short recovery jog, especially if runners go out too fast or run faster than 5K pace. Our purpose is to feel a fast rhythm, stay in control of our speed, improving form and leg turnover. It’s a shorter workout due to the down week as usual. By the end, runners will feel that but should leave the workout feeling like they could do 1-2 more reps. If they don’t – they ran too fast or didn’t take the recoveries slow enough. Either way, please make sure the runners don’t force this one. Be conservative with it and let the speed come to them.
I learned to lap my garmin
and got a popsicle!
and then we decided to pose
  • the reality, pretty close. It was humid, and I’m consistently inconsistent but was proud of these efforts. I probably could have gone harder on a drier day. The host of Rogue Running was in town so we & Om Running toasted him with popsicles. Apparently dessert runs are a tradition for him. We had to improvise as the store has no cooler, but Whole Foods downstairs came to our rescue. And if they’re Whole Foods they’re healthy, right? 🙂 And no, I didn’t re-wear Monday’s shirt, I just bought two since they’re $5. I found out why, kind of see through but oh well.
  • Thursday: work field trip to New York Botanical Garden’s Roberto Burle Marx exhibit. It’s a stunning look at the flowers of his native Brazil mixed with elements of his landscape design. Lots of steps there, and then a trip to the gym for some strength training, PT and yoga. That felt good.
  • Friday: Fridays are prescribed off days in my training plan, but I usually end up with a solid walk by virtue of my commute. This week? Only reason I made even 2K steps was because I forced myself out the door to go get dinner. Was feeling a little under the weather and just tired. I saw my monthly step totals and knew what I’d need to get 600K and just punted. This was my first complete rest day in a long time and it was needed.
Lord Queen of the post-run coffee
  • Saturday: down week! Gorgeous weather and we decided to stay in Central Park. From Columbus Circle we went up and around through the Harlem Hills, across the 72nd and back up across the 102nd Transverse before heading back to Columbus Circle for ten-ish. We ran exactly together save for a dash to a trash can, but our trackers were .3 miles off. This felt good. The West Side rollers x 2 were a non-issue as we talked through them and even Cat Hill didn’t make me too stabby. I’m still concerned about the upcoming three loops of CP and my achilles, but worse comes to worse I walk the hills on the last lap. There was a conversation in the Skirt Sports Facebook group about what someone should wear for a distance run. I found myself saying Cascade, because it’s always Cascade for me. But then someone suggested Gym Girl, which I didn’t think I’d worn for more than eight, and since it was a down week I was willing to try it. In short order I remembered I did it for the last down week too. No chafing at all and the new sports bra also held up. I still am not sure I’d wear GGU for longer, but it’s good to know it’s an option. While I’m not team Summer, I’ll miss the long days. Saturdays feel crushed with trying to pack in a long run, charge my phone, yoga/foam rolling, sushi and a sunset read. One of those things is going to go next weekend when the run is eighteen miles. It won’t be the coffee.
  • Sunday: TBD. Maybe shakeout run

Week’s mileage: 19.03

Training cycle and money raised for JHF: 207.35

Plan for the Week:

  • Monday: run
  • Tuesday: off/gym/movies with Darlene
  • Wednesday: run group
  • Thursday: run/cross
  • Friday: off
  • Saturday: 18!
  • Sunday: spectate friends in Fifth Avenue Mile, street fair.

 

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Vermont and other mischief

July finished with 84.79 miles. 84! That is, by far, a personal best. And yes, that missing .21 miles bothers me just a little because round numbers. But only a little because I’m really proud of this mileage increase that, touch wood, has been without injury.

On nutrition:

as I mentioned on twitter, I finally got to try the Science in Sport gels at a group workout and I’m a fan. Not as thick or overly sweet as some of the others and, touch wood, good on my stomach even in the heat. Know a number of you have these already via BibPro, but if anyone wants to try, this code should get you 20% off.

Instant lemonade slush

I also tried the powder mix on the 8/10 long run and at half strength and frozen it was a perfect lemonade slushy for the first mile or so.

Oh right, grape Nuun isn’t purple!

As soon as I dropped in the tablet I remembered someone’s post — grape Nuun looks so weird. Even though grapes are green and wine can be white, I so expected it to be purple. Judy was that one of yours I’m thinking of? Used it for cross training, but definitely a fan.

One thing I still need to find/buy is an insulated water bottle as even freezing them isn’t keeping them cold on summer long runs. I saw one reviewed when I was catching up on the last of my print Runners World, but I want to look around some more. I tried this Nathan one, but it splashes and I don’t like having a wet hand. Do you have a favorite?  After that I am done spending. Feel like money is running out of my wallet these days even if it’s (mostly) necessities. I am not going to buy a Sarah Marie Design Studio NYC shirt. No, I am not. Not at all. And the 11th commandment, thou shalt avoid the Gap Factory sale.

Two week Weekly Run Down with Kim and Deborah:

Week of 7.29

  • Monday: it was too hot to breathe outside. I tried the treadmill but was having a wardrobe malfunction and instead landed on the rower. Had been a while since I rowed 5K. Felt good, as it subsequent PT exercises.
  • Tuesday: another aborted run turned cross train. Decided to listen to what my body was telling me.
  • Wednesday: Rogue training. The prescribed workout:

The workout: Lumberjack Twist

What? Runners will do a combination of short hill sprints of 60-80 meters in distance, combining with 20 minutes of steady effort work, followed by more hills.

Runners will start on the hills with marathoners doing 5-6 hill sprints. Then, runners will take a 1 minute break before rolling into 20 minutes continuous at steady effort. Then, runners will take another 1 minute rest followed by another 5-6 hill sprints to finish up their work. The hill sprints should be at a hard effort, short and fast, with easy running back down. The steady section is intended to be comfortably hard and should fall somewhere between half marathon and marathon effort, likely erring more on the marathon side of that given the summer conditions.

Why? This workout is all about working to improve aerobic threshold on tired legs. The early hills are designed to introduce fatigue so that runners have to work a little bit harder in the middle section, sustaining a comfortably hard rhythm after working those sprints.

  • the reality: not exactly. But not because of weather or fitness. The hill repeats were on the ramp above Pier I and my Achilles just wasn’t having it. I did five of the six in the first set and then managed two in the second. I called that a smart decision. Yes, the NYC course is hilly, but not hill repeats hilly and not breaking is my priority.
  • Thursday: off due to moved long run.
  • Friday: Fourteen solo morning miles. Well really, 14.35 and 3h10m running. Whoa. No more “longest training run” and more “longest run ever” territory. I had a couple of route plans but ended up with the simplest due to time, an out and back down to the Seaport area. It was gorgeous and not too hot. My knees were really sore the rest of the day, but otherwise felt OK.
  • Saturday: 3m shakeout before my road trip. It was humid and I was so sore from Friday but it meant negative splits as I did ten! laps of a .3 mile trail segment near mom to get in three miles. I wanted the cushion of a trail, but the longer segment is still closed due to construction, so a crazy back and forth it was. Luckily there was a work crew with a water jug in their truck as the water fountain was shut due to construction.

 

 

row row row your view!
  • Sunday: cross train with a gorgeous view.

Weekly mileage: 21.83

Week of 8.5

mom and I have A Thing for covered bridges. This has also become a running Thing
  • Never miss a Monday: and a beautiful one at that running past corn and cows in Stowe. I love this Stowe tradition of running into town for breakfast. We followed this up with a hike to the Von Trapp chapel, which was stunning.
perfection
  • Tuesday: cross train with a view because I didn’t want to run three days in a row. Trip up the Stowe gondola with a short hike before heading to the airport for three hour delays (on a 45m flight)
  • Wednesday: grumbling about Tuesday as it turned into an unplanned off day with run group rained out & postponed to Thursday. In truth, the off day was much needed as I could work late to catch up after a few days off.
another runner’s photo of the pre-storm sunset
  • Thursday: the planned workout:
The workout: 600s @5k pace/effort
 
What? All runners will do 4-8 x 600m at 5K pace (or effort) with 200m easy jog in between each. Add warm-up and cool down to get the necessary mileage in for the day. The pace should feel hard but controlled. Runners will want to find a strong rhythm and start conservative, progressing as they go through each repeat.
Why? This is a down week, and as you know we like to work on speed during most down weeks.
These 600s at 5K pace are a VO2 Max workout. The workout’s aim is to improve the amount of oxygen the body can deliver to the muscle cells (used to produce energy) by stressing the maximum of the heart, lungs and circulatory system (your VO2 Max).
  • The Reality: pretty close. The benefit of doing this on the Great Lawn was that it equated to essentially 3/4 of a lap for the 600 element and the final 1/4 for the recovery. I went out too quickly and as a result, my pace suffered toward the end, but I was happy overall. Still had enough in the tank for coach to pace me the last lap. When a wind gust spun up, we had a feeling we were in for an unexpected storm. We were just taking a cooldown when we saw lightning and the cooldown turned into a fast “sprint”. I learned what running at a pace I couldn’t talk meant! I was OK, save for the side stitch which passed when we took a breather to cross the street. I have to say, this was definitely the most fun workout of the training cycle. I still love rain runs.
Mismatched tree

Friday: I was tight as a rubber band so after work I went to the gym for some PT and yoga. This was probably due to a lot of sitting around at the airport on Tuesday and not properly stretching after the rain. I can always count on Romance and my first NYRR Retro shirt to keep me from matching.

it’s too damn early face
a rarely-seen view of Mr. Vanderbilt. Thanks SummerStreets!
I’m strong to the finish cause I eat my spinach err sushi!
you can pry my treat food from my cold, dead hands

 

  • Saturday: what did I say about not matching? Daybreak is another wonderful one in that effort. Aggressive non-matching is my favorite sport. The weather was gorgeous and this down-week run was perfection. I missed last week’s Summer Streets run and didn’t realize how much water was available on the course so I over packed water. Oh well. We ran across 59th St. and down Park Avenue to the Brooklyn Bridge and back up, with a little smidgen of Central Park to get to ten miles. I ran the whole thing with someone else from the run group! I’ve never done that over a long run (full disclosure, she stuck with me- I did not keep up with her). Considering we stopped at two Nuun stations (strawberry lemonade, lemon lime), took a couple of photos and got stuck behind people walking four abreast in the last mile, our pace was pretty good. Slightly faster than the Cherry Blossom 10m (all the photos!) and slower than the Bronx. Much better than recent long runs, thanks to the weather. Run buddy called for the “wonder woman/popeye” shot, but it also felt fitting after a conversation Renee and I were having on twitter. People, and by people I mostly mean women, are the worst sometimes. Went to the gym after for a solid foam roll and some more yoga before treating myself to sushi and a sunset read.
  • Sunday: probably off. I had some vague plans of a morning shakeout or beach trip, but after sleeping in (9!) I woke with a sinus headache and with a busy week/weekend coming up I decided to chill with coffee and catch up on email, blogs and what not. I will go out as it’s a gorgeous day, but will be a low key one.

Weekly mileage: 19.79 Yeah, not really an overall down week for me since I am not reaching the plan’s mileage (deliberate choice)

Overall this cycle: 153.1 I’m really, really proud of that.

Plan for the week:

  • Monday: run
  • Tuesday: walk with Darlene?
  • Wednesday: Rogue training
  • Thursday: run with Darlene?
  • Friday: off, Giants game
  • Saturday: 16!!
  • Sunday: TBD/Yankee game

Go The Dist August:

I touched on the run mileage to start the post, but it was an overall strong month:

  • 537, 348 steps
  • 84.79 miles run
  • 240.91 miles run/walked.

WOW. I beat my best ever month by 4K without even walking all around London. Marathon training does a step goal good.

Gym visits: 12; March-August total: 44. A nice rebound over last month. I’ll be good for the reimbursement.

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Recovery week

Mostly recovery from Pride, the 18+ miles really were fine. My feet were oh so sore on Monday from the March though.

Before I get into the wrap, who else lost their Sunday morning/early afternoon to the World Cup? I love this team!

Random notes:

  • A nice find: although I didn’t spot myself in CheerEverywhere’s PRIDE album, it was a relief to see how many were walking. It was a brutal race.
  • A not so nice find: I lost my first toenail. I don’t actually think it was running so much a stubbing my toe in flip flops, but I’m declaring myself a real runner as a result. LOL. It actually didn’t hurt and I didn’t notice until I looked down and saw the missing polish.

I was mentally and physically glad to have a four day weekend with a bonus day off on Tuesday.

nice words of advice inside Jack Rabbit

 

Experimenting with fueling:

With Rogue training we get 15% off Jack Rabbit purchases and the store’s only ask is that we consider them when making purchases. Considering they have a staff person at the store 2+ hours before opening to let us in to use lockers, I think that request is more than fair. When I arrived for Wednesday’s “quality workout” I realized I’d probably do better with chews. I went with the margarita cliff bloks as they had sodium and I didn’t have Propel or anything. They were perfect. I started taking them after about four or five laps (see below for workout) and I felt strong and not as wilted as I have in the past in summer. Splitting them with another runner was perfect as I’ve found they don’t keep well.

I opted to do the same for Saturday’s hot, humid long run taking one every mile or mile and a half, usually coinciding with a refill of my water bottles. I think sodium will be my go-to in summer when I’m just running with water. One day I’ll get organized when it comes to gels, Nuun or other on the go. This is usually an issue when coming from work so I clearly should stash some there.

What are your favorite summer fuels?

Weekly Run Down with Kim and Deborah:

  • never miss a Monday: running wasn’t exactly in the plans, but since I never got to run Sunday and I woke to a beautiful 65 degree morning, how could I not? Three easy miles along the East River.
toes in the water, ass in the sand
  • Tuesday: a sort of run. I’d hopped down the shore for the night and a friend was staying two towns up. The best way to meet up? Run down the boardwalk. He’s much faster so he made it to Belmar before I even left. We had a nice catchup and then I had a short run back. Good to stretch the legs. Spent the afternoon on the beach with my niece & nephew before heading home.
gnats. all the gnats!
happy, sweaty runners
  • Wednesday: Rogue Training. The prescribed workout
The workout: 400m relays
What?
 
Runners will find a partner of similar pace and do 400m relays alternating between on and off between partners. One partner will run a hard but controlled 400 and then tag their partner to run a hard/controlled lap while partner #1 waits and rests. Partners will proceed this way, alternating laps through 8 laps each for half marathoners and 8-12 laps each for marathoners. To be clear, each pair is doing 16-24 laps while each individual is doing 8-12 laps. There is no specific assigned pace here, but running a hard and controlled effort, starting conservatively and ideally getting a little faster as progressing through the laps.
There can be a group of 3 where 2 are running the laps at the same time.
  • the reality: yep. That. We were a trio and did 12 laps each. I tried to keep them below 10 minute miles, but I kept starting off too quickly and by the end I was just gassed. So yeah, didn’t really meet the goal, but I did my best. We’re really starting to get to know one another and have some silly fun. I’m almost matching in that photo and that makes me kind of sad.  There were so many gnats around conservatory water that they just stuck to us. We learned not to chat on the run lest we eat a gnat. In funny timing, it was right when Wendy and I were chatting about my dislike of getting dirty. My Strava is pretty funny for it as I don’t quite know what to do with my Garmin when there are rests, so it showed some super slow miles. Oh well.
  • Thursday: way too hot and needed a lazy day so I went to the gym for PT and strength training before heading to a friend’s place to watch the fireworks.
icky dirty
  • Friday: long month of work catching up on me, so I just had a short run to the gym to break in my new shoes since the filthiness of the April ones is getting disgusting and because I’ve put a fair number of miles on them since they’re my go to. I capped the day reading by the river to finish Rise of the Ultra Runners. Mental off days are the best.
A bit of motivation on a long run
I hate you Cat! Especially when I see you twice on one run
  • Saturday: another brutally humid day. The program called for seven miles and while I followed what the coach described before we left Jack Rabbit, I ended up with 8.5. I actually realized early that there was no way her route was 7, but I thought it would be closer to 7.5 and decided to follow it. I was not sad when the route did not include the Harlem Hills. Although it was 80%+ humidity, I felt reasonably strong. I was grateful for the shaded portions. I walked to eat the chews and paused during a sightseeing tour of many of the Park’s water fountains, but otherwise ran it in its entirety. Definitely my first summer long run – and I survived. As was the case last week, I went home and crashed in the AC to recover. I rallied later to go for a pedicure, buy a drying rack, and take myself out for sushi.
forgiving a Skirt on second wearing
  • A wardrobe note: I wore Long Haul earlier this spring and did not like it at all. It got buried in my drawer because it slipped to the point of causing chafing and the water bottles didn’t stay put. Saturday morning was so warm and I realized I really didn’t want the extra layer of a belt so I decided to give it another go with the new bottles that came with the belt. Love it! It slipped a little early, but like many said in the Skirt Ambassadors Facebook group, it’s fine once you start to sweat. And sweat I did!. I had the teeniest bit of chafing but that was my own missing a spot lube wise. Not only did the bottles stay put, but having them at the back of my hip vs on the stomach with the belt, they stayed frozen longer. The left one was super easy to reach so I kept going for that one, but right was accessible too.  I don’t know that this will be in regular rotation, I love Cascade, but it’s super helpful to have the water bottle pockets. And to my surprise, I’m learning to drink from plastic, reusable water bottles. The taste is not as bad as I remember from my soccer and softball days.
  • Sunday: I had plans to meet a friend for a shakeout run, but when I woke my knee and lower left calf were super sore and I decided to play it smart and not run three days in a row. I will likely head to the gym later to do some PT exercises.

Total for the week: 19.01

Training total: 50.09 and the same in donation to Joyful Heart for their important work.

Plan for the Week:

  • Monday: run
  • Tuesday: off/cross
  • Wednesday: Jack Rabbit
  • Thursday: shakeout
  • Friday: off
  • Saturday: 9 miles
  • Sunday: off or shakeout

GoTheDist 

June:

  • 535,992 steps
  • 72.69 miles run
  • 235.64 miles run/walked

2019 Halfway:

  • 2,771,601 steps
  • 339.94 miles run
  • 1223.91 miles run/walked

Oh June, you were insane. I think it’s my second highest steps month to go along with my highest running mileage month. I’m below where I was at the halfway point last year, but I don’t care as I stopped pointlessly chasing steps. Garbage mileage, garbage steps. Both bad.

Gym visits, March – August: 32. Eek. Slipping. But can get in these 18 in the next two months

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Running technology

Running is cheap. You just need to get out the door and go. Hahahaha.

It’s a cliché we see everywhere. But before I get there, nod to why & how much I love the various link ups & the community here. Quickest ever crowd sourcing and I’m going back to modified Higdon. Thank you!

As I renewed my Runkeeper subscription thanks to the periodic discount on Runkeeper Go, I began to think about the sheer amount of technology running “requires”.

  • a running watch
  • apps for the watch to sync to. I have personally cycled through so many of these: MapMyRun, Runkeeper, Strava, Tom Tom, Garmin Connect… Not to mention the calorie tracking ones. I’ve happily been on MyFitnessPal for sometime though
  • Excel to “journal” progress and look at data at a glance
  • websites to register for races
  • Phone to take photos or listen to music, or map your run without a watch

Of course none of it is actually required, save for the websites, we can just lace up and go. But it’s a funny digital version of scope creep.

I don’t actually love Runkeeper. The distance traveled is way off from Garmin & Strava, though sometimes in my favor. But it’s worth the $19.99/year for the custom training plans since I know I’m going to have to modify Higdon/Hanson for my NYC training. In fact, inputting that was literally the first thing I did Monday when I upgraded the account.

You know when technology would come in really handy? If I’d scroll down my spreadsheet earlier than April 30 to realize what mileage I needed. Tuesday was a surprise six miles so it might not have actually mattered otherwise, but finishing the month with 59.16 miles. No issue with 59, it’s the most on the year but oh so close to sixty which just sounds like so much more.

On the non-technology front, I love this hat. I’ve worn it a fair bit lately including Saturday’s afternoon race with my “not quite long enough for a ponytail” hair.

On a pseudo technology front, since I’m reading it on my Kindle, loving Tommy Tomlinson’s The Elephant in the Room. So different to see a weight loss memoir from a man’s point of view.

Weekly Run Down with Deborah and Kim: 18 miles. My most in a while. Operation building back up is good. Light on photos as I didn’t run with my phone or iPod on either Tuesday or Thursday.

  • Monday: while I was fairly sore from Saturday’s miles on Sunday, I wasn’t too sore from the weekend double. Still decided to play it smart and not run or cross. Did the whole slate of PT exercises and a few of the machines. The last time I touched the hip adductor/abductor 5? years ago I think I was at 30 lbs. This time it was 60. I guess running builds muscles.
  • Tuesday: a glorious surprise outdoor run. I almost always have my gym bag with me and a colleague asked at 3 if I wanted to run outside since it was a spectacular 65 after the rain had cleared out for a minute. I was able to make it work schedule wise and he mentioned he wanted to do the full loop. I said I’d decide as we approached the 102nd St. Transverse. When we hit the two mile mark I said I’d be fine if he didn’t want to slow up on the Harlem Hills and I could meet him at the far side of the 102nd, but he said he wasn’t going for speed. My Achilles felt good and he paced me up the Harlem Hills. Why was this glorious? I have been hill avoidant, this was my first time doing Harlem Hills since Lebow and it wasn’t awful. I was huffing and puffing, but I did not walk and it was slightly faster, somehow, than Cat Hill. The best part? Iced it, but my Achilles didn’t hurt Wednesday morning and my knees were just the standard sore going down stairs. This run left me feeling really, really good and confident.
  • Wednesday: stretch and roll at the gym. I was tired, sore and not feeling much else. It meant no steps goal either and I was AOK with that.
  • Thursday: office run group: tired legs edition. I’m also calling that “As drawn by a toddler” edition. The plan was two laps of our standard three-ish mile loop, but on the return we decided to reverse & do the bridle path. I think we played etch a sketch. It was warm and humid to cool and humid as we progressed, and we were both tired.
  • Friday: off, dinner with friends and legs needed a break.
have you hugged a unicorn today?
cloudy with a chance of maybe?
  • Saturday: April showers bring May flowers and what does hugging a unicorn bring? A maybe PR. More on this Tuesday, but I’m really happy regardless of whether the above is actually true.
  • Sunday: maybe shakeout, maybe off. Lortel Awards in the evening and I have a whole ton of errands that need to happen including getting my haircut and roots done.

Plan for the Week:

  • Monday: run if I don’t on Sunday, cross train if I do
  • Tuesday: off, Jill Biden book launch
  • Wednesday: cross or run
  • Thursday: office run group
  • Friday: cross or off
  • Saturday: long run
  • Sunday: off?

GoTheDist:

April

  • 448,367 steps
  • 198.7 miles run/walked
  • aforementioned 59.16 miles run

2019 YTD:

  • 1,752,420 steps
  • 775.88 miles run/walked
  • 214.11 miles run

So close to so many round numbers it’s almost comical. Happy with that month. Good balance of true rest days and some solid ones.

 

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Running and Reading

If you follow me on twitter, you already know I was a happy little clam at Linda Fairstein’s book signing. I’d say meeting, but this is at least the fifth year I’ve gone, according to her inscription on Terminal City. They’re usually summer releases so this was a nice treat.

ooh! A shiny squirrel

As I was browsing the shelves, I stumbled on Susan Lacke’s new book, Running Outside the Comfort Zone. Like Dean K’s, I have zero desire to do any of these crazy runs, but the book piqued my curiosity, I had a coupon and… well you know how that goes.

Currently Reading: Matt Fitzgerald’s Life is a Marathon (thanks, NetGalley). Review TK as I’m quite enjoying it.

It feels weird to take the PT and training tags off this post. It’s nice to be running for the sake of running these next two weeks and not constrained by an Achilles or needing to follow a chart, such as I actually did that this cycle. Injury kept me from burnout, but I’m still enjoying this moment of reconnecting with why I liked running.

Spring! Sprung!

I’m also slowly building back up. Yes, I just ran three Halfs but my legs are not ready to call that my base.

Weekly Run Down with Kim and Deborah:

  • Monday: ooph. Grant cycle. Was at work way too late, but I got to the gym for some PT. The plan was to get up and walk to work, the reality was the snooze button. Allergies are kicking my ass
Hobbit lunch!
  • Tuesday: planned off, Linda Fairstein signing. At least got in a good walk. And mead. How often do you get mead for a work lunch?!?
runrise! I was out a little later this week
  • Wednesday: another runrise. Surprisingly cold, but oh so gorgeous. I just ran without a plan and got in some of my PT stretches along the river. Life is good.
  • Thursday: office run group. Slightly out of sync in that I forgot to start my watch and then I got a really weird side stitch in mile 2.5 ish. I think it was because I’d had a quick bite less than an hour before, but it wasn’t a lot. Bodies are weird.
  • Friday: off.
all of Central Park’s crocuses!
Ridiculous, but I kind of love it. I was yelling at my phone for being on 3s v 10s delay
  • Saturday: gorgeous day to do loops around the reservoir. Here we go loop de loop! Slowly increasing the long run each week. I picked up the rest of the mileage post-blossom stop to get five but today was a meet and greet as everyone came out of hibernation.
East River run
  • Sunday: amazing what you can get done when you don’t sit down with coffee and your laptop. It was supposed to rain and temperatures subsequently drop, but I woke to no rain and decided it was way too nice to run indoors so I ran to the gym where I did my PT exercises. Nice short shakeout and first time of two decent runs back to back and achilles felt good. Second mile was a run/walk as my Achilles is definitely not up to the big hill.

Plan for Week: kind of unknown with friends in town. What I do know:

  • Monday: off, not running three days in a row
  • Sunday: Boomer Esiason’s #RunToBreathe, 4M which was my first at that distance two years ago. Memories.

GoTheDist:

Mostly TK when I finish today’s steps, but:

March:

  • Steps Walked: 470,694
  • Miles Run: 56.41
  • Miles Run / Walked: 207.11

Q1:

  • Steps Walked: 1,304,053
  • Miles Run: 154.95
  • Miles Run / Walked: 577.28

I’m off pace but AOK with this plan as I healed the Achilles.

13 gym visits toward March -August cycle.

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from Fred Lebow to Penguins and Football

oh my!

I runfess that I have not figured out how to blog from my phone, so this is a two-week Wrap since I spent the interim weekend driving with mom down to Florida. I had the best laid plans of crashing a post quickly on Monday, but I got home late and yeah, not going to happen

I don’t have email on my phone, so trying hard to play catch up on what I missed in Runfessions, Tuesday Topics, Coffee Date and Weekly Wrap. But disconnecting can be wonderful. I didn’t post too much while we drove, but it was great to finally see Richmond even though the museum we wanted to visit was closed.

Not having email on my personal phone was a decision I made when I got the new phone in March and I don’t regret it at all. Really what personal email isn’t spam these days? Does anyone still use email as a primary means of communication outside of work? That’s crazy to think of, but we’ve swung back from give me your number to give me your email to give me your number to text. I just finished Isabel Gillies’ A Year and Six Seconds (loved it!) and one point she made when a friend offered to set her up on a date post-divorce was that there was no email when she dated her first husband. Crazy!

Back on topic…

NYRR Five Boroughs Patch

I had no idea there was a Five Boroughs series patch. So cool. Used to love collecting these when I was backpacking. Want to think of somewhere more exciting to put this than my corkboard. It’s tempting me to do 4/6 again, but I really don’t think it’s on tap for this year since I’m out of town for Brooklyn and not sure I want to do Queens again. We’ll see.

I actually eased way off on running after the Half as I said I would to try and get Achilles/calf resolved. I really don’t want it to linger. Luckily this seems to be helping although I was worried about my back to back races which I scheduled before this flared. All the cross training this last month reminded me that I miss rowing, and do like the Lateral, which were both pleasant surprises.

what was that old Doublemint ad? Double the fun? Weekly wrap with Wendy and Holly Amy:

Week of January 21

  • Monday: stairs were OK and Achilles wasn’t terrible, although swollen, so I went to the gym for a good stretch,roll and short cross train. Never miss a Monday is hard post-Half! Epsom salt bath when home.
  • Tuesday: feeling better. 5K row, long stretch, roll, epsom salt bath and ice.
  • Wednesday: off. Late night at the office and legs needed a day off.
  • Thursday: no office run group due to schedules and I wanted a short test of my leg so I did the lower loop of Central Park. Slightly annoying, but not so I’d call it pain. Iced well after.
  • Friday: leg one of the aforementioned drive to Florida. Overnight in Florence, SC and we didn’t get in until nearly 11PM so although I scoped out the fitness center, I did not do anything but fall into bed.
  • Saturday: leg two. Hotel treadmill was weird so after a half mile, I switched to the elliptical for 20m before the drive from Florence to Delray. I would be AOK never seeing I-95 again.
  • Sunday: I wanted to run to the beach. Mother Nature brought the beach to land with heavy rains so managed just a short run between thunder storms

Week of January 28

  • Monday: ran to the beach and back. Just a shakeout and longest test of my leg. It definitely stiffened up on the flight home, and iced it well that evening. This never miss a Monday was beautiful!
  • Tuesday: was feeling three days in a row on the achilles so went for long stretch and roll and some kettlebell work.
  • Wednesday: ankle was feeling good, and we closed early for the snow squalls/Polar Vortex so I made time for a 5K LateralX. That is hard. And long. It’s almost 20m longer than a 5K run. As I said, the last thing I wanted to do was ice my ankle when I got home, but knew it was the smart thing. I’d also argue I was continually icing it by walking around in this weather.
  • Thursday: ankle felt pretty good after the long LateralX. I wanted an off day Friday ahead of two days running so I biked 45m. Also, I wanted to finish a book. #Priorities
  • Friday: off, sneaker shopping. While I’m pretty confident the issue was my prior pair of Vongo 2s running out of miles early, I still needed an actual solution as New Balance no longer makes the Vongo 2s and the 3s are just too wide. I went to JackRabbit and let them play. We had some trial and error, and amusingly I came home with the 860s which I’m pretty sure ETA: (YEP!) are the ones the clerk had me try too when I first landed on the Vongo 2s. Apparently the new model of these retained the good of the V2. Going to try them next week when I hopefully get back to some treadmill runs.
which hemisphere is this race in?
  • Saturday: Frozen Penguin 10K. My beloved first race moved to February and offered a 10K this year.  It was frozen, as was my phone so no photos of the iced path and icebergs in the Hudson. I treated it as a fun run to see how my ankle was two weeks post Half, and I had a blast. I’ll recap this Tuesday.  My only goal was not finishing last, and I didn’t. Small races are nice, but harder to get lost in a huge pack.
all smiles (and no hat!) after 4M
  • Sunday: speaking of a huge pack, 5,107 of my closest personal friends and I ran Central Park this morning. What a gorgeous day. Finishing without achilles crying was the goal. Done, and I even ran Cat HIll. More on Tuesday.

Plan for the Week:

  • Monday: I might miss this one. Depends, I have 8p theater tix so might get to gym before for a stretch.
  • Tuesday: run or cross
  • Wednesday: cross or short run
  • Thursday: office run group
  • Friday: off or cross
  • Saturday/Sunday: running one of the two, not sure which yet.

GoTheDist January:

  • 423,595 steps
  • 189.47 miles run/walked
  • 51.09 miles run

Behind, but smartly letting ankle heal vs. pushing. I’m OK with this

Gym visits: 14 in January (so much stretching, cross training), 52 for September-February cycle. Wow, I don’t miss having to sweat out 50. Time to file for reimbursement.