Training Thoughts, Paging Dr. Rock, and Photos!!

The Fred's Team honor role is extended to include the following amazing people:

Dr. Gregg Rock

Callie Kramer

Kimberly Tate Brown

Raymond Tsao

and my Team total to date:

$3,026

Words of gratitude are not adequate.

Rest assured I am working hard to earn all of the trust that you have placed in me by contributing to Fred's Team on my behalf. For example, look at the time I made today (July 4) on a 6-miler. 51 minutes. As I say on my training log (it's on the sidebar to the right of the posts) I actually mapped my route on Google maps to check the mileage. The only thing I don't time on the runs are water stops. I do stop the clock for that. But it's not like I'm napping between water stops. I'm only there for 30 seconds, a minute max.

I did a couple of further breakdowns, just for grins and giggles: From my house, to the reservoir, around the bridle path and to the fountain on the south end -- 25 minutes (3 miles) One loop around the reservoir (just over a mile and a half) --13:50. And from there home (just under a mile and half) -- 12:11. Granted that this last mile and a half is mostly downhill. There were some points, like the stretch from 79th to 75th where I realized that I was (for me) going really, really fast. But still, that taps out to an average pace of 8:30 per mile, which is my race pace, not my "pace" pace. I was pushing it, but not to the point of being too uncomfortable.

I guess I'm so skeptical about my improvement because I feel like it happened overnight. Yes, I know, I've been training for a while and do indeed expect improvement, but I expected to see it more incrementally, you know? Like every week shaving about ten seconds off my time, as opposed to all of a sudden I'm a minute per mile faster. Look, I ain't complaining. I love that I'm getting faster and able to maintain a faster pace over longer distances -- which is what this training is all about -- it's just odd that it happened so all of a sudden, is all I'm saying. I suppose I could equate it to dieting, another topic I'm well-versed on. You can weigh yourself every day for 4 days and not see the scale budge, and then on the 5th day BOOM you're 5 pounds lighter. Instead of dropping a pound a day as you would expect.

I need to take a moment to thank a special donor, Dr. Gregg Rock. He's my podiatrist, and did the bunion surgery that is enabling me to run this year's marathon. If you've got foot needs, he's your man. Plus he's a runner himself, I got his name off the NYRRC website, so he's great with athletes and athletic people who want to get back on the road ASAP. Pre-surgery, my right foot would start to ache at 3 miles, and by 10 miles it burned with the fire of a thousand suns. Let me tell you how much fun marathon training was with that. Five weeks after surgery I was cleared to begin running again. Five weeks! I have been putting this foot through its paces, no pun intended, and there is no more pain. It's thanks to him that I'm able to run again, so I shamelessly asked him to donate to my Team effort, and he graciously did so. And though he didn't ask me to do this, I will happily shill for him. Dr. Rock is the best, and I heartily recommend him. He's located in midtown Manhattan, and his office number is 212-397-3111.

We've hilled twice now, and we've done our first step workout. Man, I hate step workouts. Or to be more specific, it's the hopping and the jumping I don't like. I was never a good hopper and jumper as a child, and I'm no better now. I brought my camera to the last step workout, which I was wary of because a) it was raining, and b) I didn't want it to get stolen, which seems silly because we're leaving our bags at the bottom of the steps, and yet someone tried to walk away with my raincoat even though I was standing right there. We'll finish up today's post with some pictures I took at the last step workout. They're not too great, but YOU try taking pictures while running up and down the stairs!

Overcast, cloudy, storms threatening -- must be time for a Fred's Team workout!!




These are our coaches, Jeff (in the Fred's Team shirt) and Annie (in the blue pants,) along with Lynn and I believe that's Emily in the yellow. If not, let me know and I'll correct the caption. They're smiling because we haven't started yet!


My nemesis awaits...

My attempt at an action shot as I'm running down the steps, I held the camera in front of me and just snapped the picture.

About halfway through the workout. Nobody seems to be smiling now...hee hee!

I know I bitch and moan about the step workouts, but I do take a perverse pleasure in them. I will bring a camera to a Cat Hill workout and get some action shots there, too.

More anon!