First of all, let me start by thanking all of the amazing people who donated to the Aubrey Fund on behalf of my first triathlon effort. I could not be more thankful, and believe me when I say that I could not have done it without you. Literally.
That being said, onwards.
I have to tell you, I'm actually afraid to write this. The whole triathlon experience has freaked me out in a way that I have never been freaked out before, and not in a good way. Unlike the marathon, I am having trouble looking at pictures, watching video, or even thinking about it. In fact, my stomach is as clenched up writing this as it was in the days following the event.
This is going to have to be a multi-parter, because I sense the long-ness of the post.
Coming into the event, I was more nervous than I was for any of my marathons, although I would venture to say that I was about as prepared as I could have been. What was freaking me out in the days leading up to the tri was not my prep, but the weather. All forecasts predicted rain and thunderstorms. Great. While I have plenty of experience running in the rain, I've never biked in a heavy rain, nor swam in it. So I was sweating it big time.
For once in their lives, the weather people had it right -- thunderstorms all Saturday night, and a steady rain at 3:30 am, when I set out to catch the shuttle bus to the start line. Talked to a couple of people from the CNN team who were also doing their first tri on the way over.
Arrive at transition, where my bike was, a little after 4:00. I was in the yellow, or first transition area. That's for pros and the first wave of amateurs. I guess the idea is get the slowpokes going first, so that the faster folks later catch up to them, and we all finish more or less together. Otherwise, they'll be waiting for me forever. I've never set out a transition area. Find my bike, where I left it the night before. Lucky for me, the person next to me did not show, and I'm on the end, so I have about a foot more room. I split it with the gal next to me. Since it's still raining, I don't want to lay everything out. I had packed everything into a "bike" bag and a "run" bag. I just left everything in the bags, put my helmet on top, covered it with a plastic bag, and headed out to the start, taking breakfast with me.
It's a one-mile walk to the start. I walked with a 70-year-old gentleman (our ages are written on our legs) who had done all the NYC tri's since they started, and about 50-something marathons all over the country. Damn. He was talking about how this was his last one.
Arrived at the start line, and saw one of my Fred's Teammates, Dr. Mark. He's been my running buddy for a number of events, as we ran at the same pace for a while. He's one of the top thorascic and lung cancer doctors in the US. He runs with Fred's Team, and his donation $ goes back to his department to fund research studies. Amazing. It's his first tri, too. His daughter and son-in-law are there with him. We sit together and attempt to put our wetsuits on.
Still raining, and I'm still freaking, and then they announce that there's been an accident on the Henry Hudson (the bike route) and the race will be delayed until the roadway is clear. Great. Delay my pain. Fortunately, the rain lets up somewhat, and by the time the accident is cleared and they call us into the corralls, it's let up to a light drizzle.
Mark and I part company, and as I move to my corrall, I see Teammates Abby and Matt. Matt actually works for Fred's Team, but he'll be running NYC. Abby and I joined the Team together, and ran at the same pace for the first couple of years, so we became good buddies. Abby actually did the Tri her third year with the Team, and hurt her hip shortly thereafter, knocking her out of the marathon, which she hasn't done since. Amazing person that she is, she still comes to all the practices and races, volunteering as bag watcher and cheerleader. She's an excellent swimmer, and was giving me tips beforehand. I was glad to see her, as she kept me reasonably calm and together up until, 45 minutes late, the race actually began.
THE SWIM:
I have been told by everyone who has done this swim that the swim is the easiest portion of the race. You are with the current. The current is strong. A bag of chips can make it point to point in 20 minutes.
Well, let me tell you, the Hudson River, right after a series of thunderstorms, is not the easiest portion of the race. And I am no bag of chips.
Unlike years past, they changed the swim start so instead of 100 people jumping in at once, it's 20 people every 30 seconds. It spreads out the field a little and makes the whole swim safer. But what it means is, you get on the dock, sit down (no diving) and whoosh, you're off, with no time to adjust. Maybe that's good. Maybe not. All I know is, I jumped in, came up, got smacked with a faceful of water, and instantly realized that I was not doing the crawl.
The water was rough. People I spoke to who had done the race in past years said that on a scale of 1 to 10, the water was a 7. Usually, it's a 1. Why do I get the 7 year?
If you did not already hear this, two people died during the swim this year -- a 60-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman. There have been studies done that show that 90 percent of deaths during triathlons happen during the swim. There are many theories and factual reasons for this that I won't get into right now, but let me say right now that it is not the fault of the race organizers. As horrifying as the swim was for me personally, the race organizers made the course as safe as it could possibly be. There were kayaks every couple of hundred of feet along both sides of the swim, plus fire boats, medical boats, other boats -- there was help that could get to you in less than two minutes, and I watched them do just that in a couple of instances. So when you hear about a tragedy during an event, don't be so quick to blame the event.
Anyways, rough, rough water. Yes, we were with the current, but the waves were coming at us, so it was making me very seasick, and made moving forward exhausting -- two-steps-forward-one-step-back. After a couple of aborted attempts to try the crawl, I switched to sidestroke, but again, fighting the waves grew exhausting.
Here's the thing -- as terrified as I was, I never thought I was in danger of drowning. I don't know what the terror was. But I was clearly terrified, and had to roll over on my back a number of times and just float for a minute or two to rest and get my heart rate down. I thought a lot about Liam, and this amazing picture of him in a wetsuit. Liam loved the water. I prayed to Liam to help me through.
I was soon getting passed by wave after wave of swimmers, and I tried not to care, but it was starting to upset me. At one point, a woman from my wave who was similarly struggling looked over at me and said, "You're doing fine." Thank God for her, because I thought I'd be out there by myself forever. Someone in my boat, so to speak. I thanked her. I did find it weird how easy it was for people to speak with each other in the water, as there was a lot of "Sorry," "Coming through," and "Fuck, that's my goggles."
Just when I thought I couldn't swim another stroke, I finally made it to the dock. A volunteer grabbed my hand and pulled me up the ramp. I was wearing my VFF Flows, and my feet felt like lead. They instantly propel you towards land -- no waiting around. You walk off the dock and to your right is a series of showers to go through to wash some of the Hudson muck off you.
Through the showers, and now it's a half mile to the transition area (which is why I wore the Flows.) I tried running, but I was exhausted. Some of the Fred's Team cheering section was right there, and I think I gave them a little wave, but that's all I had energy for. So I walked/jogged down the path to get to the bike.
One of the few advantages of being in the yellow transition is that there are benches along the path to the transition area, and it's much easier to sit on a bench, remove your wetsuit, and take it with you than it is to try to sit in the mudfield that is now the yellow transition and do it in eight inches of space. So I did that, and that break helped me rest up a little.
Got into my bike gear, lubed up, and headed out of transition. I was glad I kept my stuff in bags. Everything was still dry. Some of the people were there talking about how hard the swim was, which made me feel a little better about it.
Out of the gate and past the yellow "mount" line, I mounted my bike and headed out.
The top of the bike leg is the hardest, because it involves a sharp left turn in which you head up a two-part hill to 79th Street. I had practiced this. At all the briefings, you are told over and over again to leave your bike in an easy gear because of this hill. I was prepared for this hill. Alas, not so the woman next to me, who turned and instantly wiped out. Fortunately, I was able to avoid her, but as I'm halfway up the second hill, the idiot in front of me stops and gets off her bike. Now I'm stuck. I have to stop and unclip, and three people around me do, too. Now I have no momentum and can't get up the rest of the hill. The volunteer is screaming, "Walk it! Walk it!" but I can't unclip my right foot. So I half pedal, half push myself up the rest of the hill, hop onto the seat, and head, literally, for the hills.
More anon.
Showing posts with label swimming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label swimming. Show all posts
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
What's the Difference Between Eating 63 Hot Dogs and Running a Marathon?
Not much. Baffling as to why one would want to do either, but running a marathon is only slightly less disgusting.
Good Lord, girl, where have you been?
Training, training, training!
Didn't I tell you, there's a triathlon and a marathon to get ready for!!
I'm sure I've said this before, but blogging is sometimes like going to the dentist -- you know you have to do it, but you put it off and put it off, and then there's jsut too much work to do when you finally go.
I'm sure I've also said this, but I will try to post shorter, more frequent posts. But not this one. This one may turn out to be super-long.
First and foremost, the most important reason we're all here -- I would like to announce that as of today, I have raised approximately
$8,500
of my
$10,000
goal for both the marathon and the triathlon.
Due to unpopular demand -- folks not wanting me to put their names out on the interwebs -- I am suspending the listing of the Fred's Team Honor Roll, although believe me, I've got it here with me.
Please help me honor the memory and fight of Prince Liam the Brave by helping to ensure that no child ever again has to suffer from neuroblastoma and other deadly childhood cancers. It couldn't be easier -- all you have to do is click here to go to my triathlon page, or here to go to my marathon page. The money that you donate goes to the Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research.
And let me tell you, I am earning every penny of your donations this year.
Before I get into the nitty-gritty of each discipline, since I don't have the Buckeye Outdoors link on my site anymore -- and I think I should get it back, because the Training Peaks software that Fred's Team now uses, though a good program, does not have the linking capability to the blog that I was hoping for -- a brief overview of the schedule:
Monday -- swim
Tuesday -- run
Wednesday -- bike
Thursday -- run
Friday -- off
Saturday -- long run + swim
Sunday -- long bike
Can you believe I used to be a pack-a-day smoker?
First off, I am swimming. And by swimming, I mean not drowning for half an hour at a time. Which admittedly is hard to do in a pool that's only 17 yards long and 4 feet deep (NYSC pool in the Crowne Plaza, or whatever hotel that is). I have been working hard with the drills and the endurance, but until yesterday, I wasn't able to go more than 4 laps at a time without feeling like my heart was going to burst. It doesn't matter how long or how fast you can run, swimming uses a set of muscles -- and apparently a set of lungs -- that you don't normally use anywhere else. I have discovered that as long as I sidestroke, I can go for at least half an hour, which is what I was expecting the swim portion to be for me. So I had planned to do that.
However, I have been told by many people who've done this particular tri that the water in the Hudson River is at least 2 knots, and you are swimming with the current. If you put your arms in front of you, you will go point to point in 28 minutes. Additionally, I took my first open-water swim class, and after learning which is the correct way to put one's wetsuit on -- zipper in the back, and yes, I AM the only person in the world not to know that! -- and realizing just how bouyant and fast you become while wearing one, I think I might have to do more crawling and less sidestroke. That, plus the instructor kept saying to beware of the frog-kickers, and that would be me. I am feeling better about that, and also yesterday in the pool, I managed to do multiple sets of six consecutive laps, which I've never been able to do before. Okay, so it's only 100 yards at a time, and I'm going to need to do 15 times that to get through the swim portion, but I'm just looking to get through the swim portion.
Some other things I learned during the open-water swim class -- the wetsuit does not keep you dry. Water definitely gets in there, especially since I have a sleeveless one that I think is maybe a half-size too big for me. On the other hand, water also gets out, if you know what I mean, and I think you do. Also, the ocean is very, very salty. I drank enough of it not to need extra sodium -- including electrolytes for my run -- for the next three days following. Something tells me the Hudson is not going to be nearly so "tasty."
Biking, one would think, would be much easier to take. Alas, not so. After spending nearly $900 on my bike, a Cannondale Synapse Women's Alloy 7 Sora, and learning to understand all those gears and how they shift, I discovered the one place Cannondale really skimps, and that's the seat. I was under the impression that, seeing as this is a woman's bike, that they would provide a woman-specific seat. Apparently they do, but it must be for a woman with no genitalia. I was wearing bike shorts on my rides -- which for the uninitiated is a pair of shorts with basically a Depends sewn in the crotch -- and was still getting such pains in the female parts that after my first 18-miler, I bled for two days (TMI, part of the process).
So back to Toga for a better bike seat, and an introduction to Chamois Cream, which is a cooling cream for one's, um, chamois. Apply directly to affected areas -- apparently things feel better if you wear the shorts without underwear. And amazingly, they do! Although why there is menthol in the cream, I don't know. Some parts of the body don't need to be mentholated.
I've been having palpitations about what to wear under the wetsuit for the bike and run legs. I was super-worried about tri shorts, given that I can barely stand riding in the bike shorts, and tri shorts have only a little bit of padding in the crotch, because you're also supposed to do the run in them. My friend and Teammate Abby suggested I do what she did, which was wear running shorts, and pull the bike shorts over the top for the bike leg. That was the plan.
Then yesterday, I discovered that I indeed had a pair of tri shorts that I unwittingly bought in last year's Jackrabbit post-Thanksgiving sales frenzy (where I also picked up the wetsuit for under $100, btw). So yesterday's experiment -- 18+ miles in tri shorts, no undies, to simulate the bike leg. And believe it or not, I did 23 miles in those shorts and it didn't feel too terrible! Of course, when I got off the bike my back seized up and my left arm had gone numb, but I can't attribute that to the shorts. So it looks like we might have a winner!
The other thing I have taken the plunge with is to buy and use clip bike shoes. They have a clip on the ball of the shoe that clip into the bike pedals. The idea is that you are helping to move the bike both by pulling up and pushing down on the pedals, which makes you go faster, and also helps with the hills. I was initially scared to use them, as I had visions of not being able to take my foot off the pedals and falling over. Turns out, it is extremely easy to unclip one's foot from the pedal -- as long as one remembers that one's foot is clipped onto the pedal. My first foray out with the shoes was a jaunt up to the GW Bridge and back, a nice, long and fairly flat ride up the West Side of Manhattan. The only problem is there is one section where you have to leave the path along the river and head into the city streets for two blocks. There is a stop sign where you cross from the street back onto the bike path. I got to the stop sign, stopped, and tried to pick my foot off the pedal. Why can't I lift -- wait a minute -- and then plop, over I went. Scraped knee and banged wrist -- that freaked me out, because as a stenographer, I can't afford to mess up my hands -- but otherwise, I'm no longer scared of falling over on the bike. And now I remember that my feet are clipped to the pedals. Duh.
Here's an observation I have as a runner-who-bikes: as a runner, you have to be aware of your surroundings, but as long as you're not running a race, it's okay to sort of "check out" every once in a while, you know, let your mind wander. You cannot do that on a bike. You have to be 100 percent aware 100 percent of the time, and it's so scary sometimes to be in Central Park and have to ride amongst the hundreds of bike-renting tourists and others who do not ascribe to that edict. Here in NYC, there's a huge business -- legit and otherwise -- in renting bicycles to folks to cruise Central Park and also Riverside Park. Why is it that people who clearly do not ride bicycles in whatever city or country they live in decide that a great way to see Central Park is to do so on a barely-working rental bike? They ride in packs of 10 abreast, oftentimes the wrong way (you are only supposed to go counter-clockwise on a bike in Central Park, just as with cars), usually without helmets, and doing things that people who would have enough common sense to fill a thimble wouldn't do, like stop at the bottom of the Great Hill when other cyclists are barrelling down that hill at 30+ miles per hour -- or even better, make a sharp turn across the roadway in that exact same spot. Or just stop randomly in the middle of the road. And my favorite of all -- TEXTING while on a bicycle. Apparently this woman must be a doctor informing her colleagues of an important medical decision that must be made immediately and could not possibly wait long enough for her to even pull off to the side of the road. Or maybe she's just an idiot. Either one.
The lower loop of the Park, below 72nd Street, is where the biggest number of tourist clogs and difficulties lie. As I was setting off on loop #4 of the Park yesterday -- and I was originally planning to do 3 full loops and then one or two lower loops -- I was riding around packs of tourists and others. I have found that "Coming through, coming through" as I ride works, because "on your right" and "on your left" doesn't work when the people don't speak English. At least the sound of my voice alerts them that I am passing by. So I'm trying to pass one woman who keeps drifting to the right as I am passing her there, and I'm saying "Coming through, coming through," and she's not paying attention and about to crash into me, so I go "Coming through, COMING THROUGH!!!" which wakes her up. She stops drifting and says to me, "Shut up." !! So as I pass her, I yell, "Watch where you're going and I'll shut up!" My righteous fervor led me to do a five-mile loop, since I was not about to ride on the lower loop any more than I had to, now that I had a mortal enemy. So thanks, biking idiot, for giving me my longest and fastest ride to date.
Running -- ah, running. Well, at least I sort of know how to do this. I'm a little concerned about the run portion of the tri, even if it's only a 10K, because it's mostly uphill, and goes the hard (clockwise) way around the Park. I know I'll make it. The question is merely, in what shape will that be? Upright, I hope.
My new not-so-secret weapon on the run are salt packets. Just little salt packets from the deli. I sweat like a moose when I run, regardless of the weather, so it's important that I maintain my electrolytes. Before every run I drink water with a Nuun electrolyte tablet dissolved in it -- love them! --- and for a long, hot run, I'll also take an S-Cap, which is another form of electrolytes. But along with gels and Gatorade, I'll also chew on a salt packet -- just like a stick of gum -- once or twice during the course of a run. As icky as it sounds, it works for me. For 10K or less, if I feel I need it, I'll have some salt about halfway through. For 10K or more, I use about the same formula as gels -- every 45 minutes to an hour -- unless I'm using gels that have extra sodium. Then I'll just take the gel, and hold the salt unless I feel I really need it.
And yes, I am still running in Vibrams, even though my many attempts to get Vibrams to sponsor even a fraction of my events were for naught. For naught, I say! I still love those damn shoes, and will wear them for the run portion of the tri and also the marathon, but you know, not even a "thanks but no thanks" from them. Does that cheese you off, too? Write them, at sponsorme@vibramusa.com and let them know. Which is another reason why I switched to bike shoes -- and why I'm eying those Saucony Kinvaras...
In addition to the tri training, the Team began marathon training a few weeks ago. Our long runs are up to 11 miles. It's been over a year since I've gone over 8 miles, and it's both joyful and painful to get back up to the double digits. I had to take an ice bath after our first nine-miler. How far we have fallen! We start our Tuesday-Thursday sessions soon, but work will prevent me from doing most of the Thursday dates because of work. If there's one thing I hate to do without the Team, it's the Thursday workout, because those are stair workouts and they can be brutal. I don't think I will slack -- Liam doesn't deserve a slacker-- but without the Team there, I am afraid of not working as hard or as long as I should be. But we will make do.
Okay, nearly long enough. One small observation before we go -- I did my volunteer race during a rainstorm. When you do that, NYRR gives you one of those orange and white rain ponchos that you see the folks at the water stations wear during the marathon. While initially excited about receiving the coat, I was soon disillusioned. A decently constructed raincoat wouldn't have stood a chance in this rain, and this one didn't keep me even remotely dry, but it didn't even keep me warm, which is an unusual thing for a coat constructed of non-breathable plastic. And here's why -- it's glued together with what must be Elmer's School Glue, because by the time I got home, the hood had ripped off and the sleeves had mostly disconnected from the body. So not such a great giveaway after all, but I still have it, for some unknown reason.
Okay! Done for now. Donate, donate, donate!! And off for a run!
Good Lord, girl, where have you been?
Training, training, training!
Didn't I tell you, there's a triathlon and a marathon to get ready for!!
I'm sure I've said this before, but blogging is sometimes like going to the dentist -- you know you have to do it, but you put it off and put it off, and then there's jsut too much work to do when you finally go.
I'm sure I've also said this, but I will try to post shorter, more frequent posts. But not this one. This one may turn out to be super-long.
First and foremost, the most important reason we're all here -- I would like to announce that as of today, I have raised approximately
$8,500
of my
$10,000
goal for both the marathon and the triathlon.
Due to unpopular demand -- folks not wanting me to put their names out on the interwebs -- I am suspending the listing of the Fred's Team Honor Roll, although believe me, I've got it here with me.
Please help me honor the memory and fight of Prince Liam the Brave by helping to ensure that no child ever again has to suffer from neuroblastoma and other deadly childhood cancers. It couldn't be easier -- all you have to do is click here to go to my triathlon page, or here to go to my marathon page. The money that you donate goes to the Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research.
And let me tell you, I am earning every penny of your donations this year.
Before I get into the nitty-gritty of each discipline, since I don't have the Buckeye Outdoors link on my site anymore -- and I think I should get it back, because the Training Peaks software that Fred's Team now uses, though a good program, does not have the linking capability to the blog that I was hoping for -- a brief overview of the schedule:
Monday -- swim
Tuesday -- run
Wednesday -- bike
Thursday -- run
Friday -- off
Saturday -- long run + swim
Sunday -- long bike
Can you believe I used to be a pack-a-day smoker?
First off, I am swimming. And by swimming, I mean not drowning for half an hour at a time. Which admittedly is hard to do in a pool that's only 17 yards long and 4 feet deep (NYSC pool in the Crowne Plaza, or whatever hotel that is). I have been working hard with the drills and the endurance, but until yesterday, I wasn't able to go more than 4 laps at a time without feeling like my heart was going to burst. It doesn't matter how long or how fast you can run, swimming uses a set of muscles -- and apparently a set of lungs -- that you don't normally use anywhere else. I have discovered that as long as I sidestroke, I can go for at least half an hour, which is what I was expecting the swim portion to be for me. So I had planned to do that.
However, I have been told by many people who've done this particular tri that the water in the Hudson River is at least 2 knots, and you are swimming with the current. If you put your arms in front of you, you will go point to point in 28 minutes. Additionally, I took my first open-water swim class, and after learning which is the correct way to put one's wetsuit on -- zipper in the back, and yes, I AM the only person in the world not to know that! -- and realizing just how bouyant and fast you become while wearing one, I think I might have to do more crawling and less sidestroke. That, plus the instructor kept saying to beware of the frog-kickers, and that would be me. I am feeling better about that, and also yesterday in the pool, I managed to do multiple sets of six consecutive laps, which I've never been able to do before. Okay, so it's only 100 yards at a time, and I'm going to need to do 15 times that to get through the swim portion, but I'm just looking to get through the swim portion.
Some other things I learned during the open-water swim class -- the wetsuit does not keep you dry. Water definitely gets in there, especially since I have a sleeveless one that I think is maybe a half-size too big for me. On the other hand, water also gets out, if you know what I mean, and I think you do. Also, the ocean is very, very salty. I drank enough of it not to need extra sodium -- including electrolytes for my run -- for the next three days following. Something tells me the Hudson is not going to be nearly so "tasty."
Biking, one would think, would be much easier to take. Alas, not so. After spending nearly $900 on my bike, a Cannondale Synapse Women's Alloy 7 Sora, and learning to understand all those gears and how they shift, I discovered the one place Cannondale really skimps, and that's the seat. I was under the impression that, seeing as this is a woman's bike, that they would provide a woman-specific seat. Apparently they do, but it must be for a woman with no genitalia. I was wearing bike shorts on my rides -- which for the uninitiated is a pair of shorts with basically a Depends sewn in the crotch -- and was still getting such pains in the female parts that after my first 18-miler, I bled for two days (TMI, part of the process).
So back to Toga for a better bike seat, and an introduction to Chamois Cream, which is a cooling cream for one's, um, chamois. Apply directly to affected areas -- apparently things feel better if you wear the shorts without underwear. And amazingly, they do! Although why there is menthol in the cream, I don't know. Some parts of the body don't need to be mentholated.
I've been having palpitations about what to wear under the wetsuit for the bike and run legs. I was super-worried about tri shorts, given that I can barely stand riding in the bike shorts, and tri shorts have only a little bit of padding in the crotch, because you're also supposed to do the run in them. My friend and Teammate Abby suggested I do what she did, which was wear running shorts, and pull the bike shorts over the top for the bike leg. That was the plan.
Then yesterday, I discovered that I indeed had a pair of tri shorts that I unwittingly bought in last year's Jackrabbit post-Thanksgiving sales frenzy (where I also picked up the wetsuit for under $100, btw). So yesterday's experiment -- 18+ miles in tri shorts, no undies, to simulate the bike leg. And believe it or not, I did 23 miles in those shorts and it didn't feel too terrible! Of course, when I got off the bike my back seized up and my left arm had gone numb, but I can't attribute that to the shorts. So it looks like we might have a winner!
The other thing I have taken the plunge with is to buy and use clip bike shoes. They have a clip on the ball of the shoe that clip into the bike pedals. The idea is that you are helping to move the bike both by pulling up and pushing down on the pedals, which makes you go faster, and also helps with the hills. I was initially scared to use them, as I had visions of not being able to take my foot off the pedals and falling over. Turns out, it is extremely easy to unclip one's foot from the pedal -- as long as one remembers that one's foot is clipped onto the pedal. My first foray out with the shoes was a jaunt up to the GW Bridge and back, a nice, long and fairly flat ride up the West Side of Manhattan. The only problem is there is one section where you have to leave the path along the river and head into the city streets for two blocks. There is a stop sign where you cross from the street back onto the bike path. I got to the stop sign, stopped, and tried to pick my foot off the pedal. Why can't I lift -- wait a minute -- and then plop, over I went. Scraped knee and banged wrist -- that freaked me out, because as a stenographer, I can't afford to mess up my hands -- but otherwise, I'm no longer scared of falling over on the bike. And now I remember that my feet are clipped to the pedals. Duh.
Here's an observation I have as a runner-who-bikes: as a runner, you have to be aware of your surroundings, but as long as you're not running a race, it's okay to sort of "check out" every once in a while, you know, let your mind wander. You cannot do that on a bike. You have to be 100 percent aware 100 percent of the time, and it's so scary sometimes to be in Central Park and have to ride amongst the hundreds of bike-renting tourists and others who do not ascribe to that edict. Here in NYC, there's a huge business -- legit and otherwise -- in renting bicycles to folks to cruise Central Park and also Riverside Park. Why is it that people who clearly do not ride bicycles in whatever city or country they live in decide that a great way to see Central Park is to do so on a barely-working rental bike? They ride in packs of 10 abreast, oftentimes the wrong way (you are only supposed to go counter-clockwise on a bike in Central Park, just as with cars), usually without helmets, and doing things that people who would have enough common sense to fill a thimble wouldn't do, like stop at the bottom of the Great Hill when other cyclists are barrelling down that hill at 30+ miles per hour -- or even better, make a sharp turn across the roadway in that exact same spot. Or just stop randomly in the middle of the road. And my favorite of all -- TEXTING while on a bicycle. Apparently this woman must be a doctor informing her colleagues of an important medical decision that must be made immediately and could not possibly wait long enough for her to even pull off to the side of the road. Or maybe she's just an idiot. Either one.
The lower loop of the Park, below 72nd Street, is where the biggest number of tourist clogs and difficulties lie. As I was setting off on loop #4 of the Park yesterday -- and I was originally planning to do 3 full loops and then one or two lower loops -- I was riding around packs of tourists and others. I have found that "Coming through, coming through" as I ride works, because "on your right" and "on your left" doesn't work when the people don't speak English. At least the sound of my voice alerts them that I am passing by. So I'm trying to pass one woman who keeps drifting to the right as I am passing her there, and I'm saying "Coming through, coming through," and she's not paying attention and about to crash into me, so I go "Coming through, COMING THROUGH!!!" which wakes her up. She stops drifting and says to me, "Shut up." !! So as I pass her, I yell, "Watch where you're going and I'll shut up!" My righteous fervor led me to do a five-mile loop, since I was not about to ride on the lower loop any more than I had to, now that I had a mortal enemy. So thanks, biking idiot, for giving me my longest and fastest ride to date.
Running -- ah, running. Well, at least I sort of know how to do this. I'm a little concerned about the run portion of the tri, even if it's only a 10K, because it's mostly uphill, and goes the hard (clockwise) way around the Park. I know I'll make it. The question is merely, in what shape will that be? Upright, I hope.
My new not-so-secret weapon on the run are salt packets. Just little salt packets from the deli. I sweat like a moose when I run, regardless of the weather, so it's important that I maintain my electrolytes. Before every run I drink water with a Nuun electrolyte tablet dissolved in it -- love them! --- and for a long, hot run, I'll also take an S-Cap, which is another form of electrolytes. But along with gels and Gatorade, I'll also chew on a salt packet -- just like a stick of gum -- once or twice during the course of a run. As icky as it sounds, it works for me. For 10K or less, if I feel I need it, I'll have some salt about halfway through. For 10K or more, I use about the same formula as gels -- every 45 minutes to an hour -- unless I'm using gels that have extra sodium. Then I'll just take the gel, and hold the salt unless I feel I really need it.
And yes, I am still running in Vibrams, even though my many attempts to get Vibrams to sponsor even a fraction of my events were for naught. For naught, I say! I still love those damn shoes, and will wear them for the run portion of the tri and also the marathon, but you know, not even a "thanks but no thanks" from them. Does that cheese you off, too? Write them, at sponsorme@vibramusa.com and let them know. Which is another reason why I switched to bike shoes -- and why I'm eying those Saucony Kinvaras...
In addition to the tri training, the Team began marathon training a few weeks ago. Our long runs are up to 11 miles. It's been over a year since I've gone over 8 miles, and it's both joyful and painful to get back up to the double digits. I had to take an ice bath after our first nine-miler. How far we have fallen! We start our Tuesday-Thursday sessions soon, but work will prevent me from doing most of the Thursday dates because of work. If there's one thing I hate to do without the Team, it's the Thursday workout, because those are stair workouts and they can be brutal. I don't think I will slack -- Liam doesn't deserve a slacker-- but without the Team there, I am afraid of not working as hard or as long as I should be. But we will make do.
Okay, nearly long enough. One small observation before we go -- I did my volunteer race during a rainstorm. When you do that, NYRR gives you one of those orange and white rain ponchos that you see the folks at the water stations wear during the marathon. While initially excited about receiving the coat, I was soon disillusioned. A decently constructed raincoat wouldn't have stood a chance in this rain, and this one didn't keep me even remotely dry, but it didn't even keep me warm, which is an unusual thing for a coat constructed of non-breathable plastic. And here's why -- it's glued together with what must be Elmer's School Glue, because by the time I got home, the hood had ripped off and the sleeves had mostly disconnected from the body. So not such a great giveaway after all, but I still have it, for some unknown reason.
Okay! Done for now. Donate, donate, donate!! And off for a run!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Progress? You Be the Judge.
Trying to be good about sticking to a workout plan. I'll give myself a C plus. Here's why:
Monday I sort of overdid it. Went to the gym (for the first time in months, I may add), ran on the treadmill, which I loathe, for 23 whopping minutes at a 9:50 pace. I don't loathe running, I loathe it on the treadmill. I feel like a hamster. It doesn't matter what I have there to distract me, I get insta-bored. I can run the same trail in Central Park 900 times -- and I have -- and while it's mind-numbing, it's not nearly as boring as a treadmill. Anyways, I was proud of my 23 minutes.
But the real reason I was there was to get my arse back in the pool, and after a few stretches, it was my turn in the water, and I had the whole lane to myself for nearly 45 minutes. I was pretty happy at how much I remembered as far as stroke technique goes, and was able to go two laps at a time. Granted, the pool is maybe five feet long (it's a hotel pool, after all. NYSC has a club in the Courtyard by Marriott on 49th Street.) but after a few months away, it was a good start.
Well, it was good that it was overdid, because I had no time the rest of the week to get back to the gym -- or to put it another way, I didn't, until Friday. Teammate and assistant coach David made me promise to go to the gym, and said he'd go with me. So on Friday morning, we went to a gym semi-close to where he works, and close to where I'd be working that day, and he led me through a pretty intense leg workout. As much as I hate getting up early, I know that if I don't work out early, chances are good I won't go later. So I'm glad we went, and I enjoyed the company. Ex-roomie Bill and I used to work out together once a week when he was doing a small group training session and needed an extra gym session. I miss those. As much as I enjoy running solo, I prefer being in a gym with a partner.
Did I say ex-roomie? Yes, Bill moved out in the fall, having found love, and they moved in together in a gorgeous house up in Westchester. So I am solo again, and debating looking for a new roomie. On one hand, I enjoy the company. On the other, I like walking around the house nekkid sometimes. What's a girl to do?
Saturday was supposed to be the Fred Lebow 5-Miler in the Park, but because of the impending snowstorm that ultimately didn't really amount to anything, they postponed it to Sunday AM. Bad news for me, because Saturday night was a dear friend's birthday, and I was not about to not celebrate. Fortunately, NYRR decreed that the race counted towards the 9+1, regardless of whether they ran it, so two down, 7+1 to go. I wonder if it's possible to get the nine races without ever running a single race? Let me test this theory a little more...
So yes, I did indeed oversleep, but did very much want to get a five-miler in anyway. And I tried. But there was just no having it today. I could not get my breathing right at all. I got up Cat Hill and had to stop. Ditto at the Fred statue. At that point, I realized it best to turn it into a three miler and just head back from whence I came. I think that at below a certain temperature, I just am not able to take in enough oxygen or something. That's my hypothesis, at least, because during the Midnight Run, it was 40 degrees and I had no issues. Today's run was 30 degrees, and I had plenty of issues. I am a mouth breather, which I know isn't great in cold weather, and I tried keeping my mouth closed more during the run back, which did help, but it was still a byatch. And the four glasses of wine and champagne last night probably didn't help much with my efforts today, either.
On the non-running front, I bit the bullet and will be going on my first JDate date this week, although after receiving one of the lamest opening lines from JDaters this week -- "You're pretty. I want to take you to dinner" -- I am really ready to get off that site for good. I have had friends tell me that there are other sites that are much less of a meat market for women and aren't hostile to members of the Tribe (and I ain't talking about Cleveland Indians fans). Yes, it is flattering to be told I'm pretty, but coming from someone 20 years older than me -- it just makes me feel, for lack of a better term, icky.
And now, off to continue working on a transcript for the deposition of what I can only describe as the world's most uncooperative witness. Enjoy the following testimony, in which the lawyer handed the witness a financial document:
LAWYER: I am handing you Plaintiff's Exhibit 7. Do you recognize it?
WITNESS: Yes.
LAWYER: What do you recognize it to be?
WITNESS: A piece of paper.
Such brilliance goes on for nearly eight hours. Ah, the legal profession. Who said it wasn't entertaining?
Monday I sort of overdid it. Went to the gym (for the first time in months, I may add), ran on the treadmill, which I loathe, for 23 whopping minutes at a 9:50 pace. I don't loathe running, I loathe it on the treadmill. I feel like a hamster. It doesn't matter what I have there to distract me, I get insta-bored. I can run the same trail in Central Park 900 times -- and I have -- and while it's mind-numbing, it's not nearly as boring as a treadmill. Anyways, I was proud of my 23 minutes.
But the real reason I was there was to get my arse back in the pool, and after a few stretches, it was my turn in the water, and I had the whole lane to myself for nearly 45 minutes. I was pretty happy at how much I remembered as far as stroke technique goes, and was able to go two laps at a time. Granted, the pool is maybe five feet long (it's a hotel pool, after all. NYSC has a club in the Courtyard by Marriott on 49th Street.) but after a few months away, it was a good start.
Well, it was good that it was overdid, because I had no time the rest of the week to get back to the gym -- or to put it another way, I didn't, until Friday. Teammate and assistant coach David made me promise to go to the gym, and said he'd go with me. So on Friday morning, we went to a gym semi-close to where he works, and close to where I'd be working that day, and he led me through a pretty intense leg workout. As much as I hate getting up early, I know that if I don't work out early, chances are good I won't go later. So I'm glad we went, and I enjoyed the company. Ex-roomie Bill and I used to work out together once a week when he was doing a small group training session and needed an extra gym session. I miss those. As much as I enjoy running solo, I prefer being in a gym with a partner.
Did I say ex-roomie? Yes, Bill moved out in the fall, having found love, and they moved in together in a gorgeous house up in Westchester. So I am solo again, and debating looking for a new roomie. On one hand, I enjoy the company. On the other, I like walking around the house nekkid sometimes. What's a girl to do?
Saturday was supposed to be the Fred Lebow 5-Miler in the Park, but because of the impending snowstorm that ultimately didn't really amount to anything, they postponed it to Sunday AM. Bad news for me, because Saturday night was a dear friend's birthday, and I was not about to not celebrate. Fortunately, NYRR decreed that the race counted towards the 9+1, regardless of whether they ran it, so two down, 7+1 to go. I wonder if it's possible to get the nine races without ever running a single race? Let me test this theory a little more...
So yes, I did indeed oversleep, but did very much want to get a five-miler in anyway. And I tried. But there was just no having it today. I could not get my breathing right at all. I got up Cat Hill and had to stop. Ditto at the Fred statue. At that point, I realized it best to turn it into a three miler and just head back from whence I came. I think that at below a certain temperature, I just am not able to take in enough oxygen or something. That's my hypothesis, at least, because during the Midnight Run, it was 40 degrees and I had no issues. Today's run was 30 degrees, and I had plenty of issues. I am a mouth breather, which I know isn't great in cold weather, and I tried keeping my mouth closed more during the run back, which did help, but it was still a byatch. And the four glasses of wine and champagne last night probably didn't help much with my efforts today, either.
On the non-running front, I bit the bullet and will be going on my first JDate date this week, although after receiving one of the lamest opening lines from JDaters this week -- "You're pretty. I want to take you to dinner" -- I am really ready to get off that site for good. I have had friends tell me that there are other sites that are much less of a meat market for women and aren't hostile to members of the Tribe (and I ain't talking about Cleveland Indians fans). Yes, it is flattering to be told I'm pretty, but coming from someone 20 years older than me -- it just makes me feel, for lack of a better term, icky.
And now, off to continue working on a transcript for the deposition of what I can only describe as the world's most uncooperative witness. Enjoy the following testimony, in which the lawyer handed the witness a financial document:
LAWYER: I am handing you Plaintiff's Exhibit 7. Do you recognize it?
WITNESS: Yes.
LAWYER: What do you recognize it to be?
WITNESS: A piece of paper.
Such brilliance goes on for nearly eight hours. Ah, the legal profession. Who said it wasn't entertaining?
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
New Year, New Me
Like the post says...
It's the New Year, y'all. Time for some resolutions.
First, duh, blog more. To do that, I think I need to write less, but more frequently. One of the reasons I haven't written is because I sit here for hours to write a five paragraph post.
Second, do more, so there's stuff to blog about. So I'm probably not going to stick solely to running, not that I ever really did, but I may end up telling you about some other ... well, let's jump in. I joined JDate. And I hate it. I joined in a fit of desperation/loneliness/stupidity, as my dating life has been really spotty. I figured, what harm could it do? Well, not fifteen minutes after posting my profile, it was like I was chum for sharks. 60-year-old Jewish sharks. Why is it that I seem to attract men 20 years my senior? There is nothing wrong with 60-year-old men, but I don't want to date them. I'm not looking for a 17-year-old, but I want someone closer to my age than my dad's.
Also, every time I would get on the site to look around, I'd get IMed be someone. I hate IM. I won't use it on FB or any of the other social sites. But you can't turn it off on JDate. And I'd get so many e-mail notifications of people who are "flirting" with me, which I find vomitocious, that I stopped checking my e-mail.
That all being said, I did manage to connect with two people from the site, one of whom wrote me to give me his real e-mail because he was as disgusted with JDate as I was. And I will listen to my friend, who told me to stick with it for a month. Two more weeks to go...
There was a third thing I resolved to do this year, and I guess it goes along with No. 2, and that is to find more balance in my life. When I was doing theater, I did it 24/7, which sounds like fun, and a lot of it was, but it was almost all work. I got out of theater because I wanted to actually have a social life and do other things I was interested in. So I switched careers to become a court reporter, and as a newbie, I was still working 24/7 on it. Any time I wasn't taking a depo, I was working on it. Well, I'm two years into it, and have two (!) people who work for me to take some of the time pressure off, and I'm ready to actually enjoy some leisure time.
One of the ways I'd like to spend that extra time is, as the title of the blog says, to run the marathon again. Not running 2010 was dreadful, although volunteering for Fred's Team on the big day was amazing, and completely fulfilling. This year, on the docket is definitely NYC, and definitely the Nautica Tri in August. Possibly the Flying Pig, too. The ever-amazing Coach Ann -- she of the innocent exterior and the heart of a beastmaster -- suggested we train as if we're going to run the Pig, and decide a little later if we're going to do it or not. She's also going to lead coaching sessions for the NYC Half, which neither I nor any NYC runners got into, but which will motivate me to train. With running, as with weight loss, I need a goal. So Ann is brilliant in giving me goals.
I, like everyone else in this world, hit the gym again. I have been running, but outside. Haven't actually lifted or swam or anything in months. So I am going to try to establish a regular schedule of gym stuff as well as getting my mileage back up. I got a 40 minute swim in on Monday, or to put it another way, I spent 40 minutes in the pool. I still remember how to swim from my lessons last year, but need to get the endurance back.
What stinks the most about this is knowing where I was fitness-wise, and not being there, and wanting to be there again. But the only way I'll be able to get there, or even come close, is to get my arse in gear, and suffer through it all over again. Is it the journey, or the destination? Not sure yet. But I promise to let you know.
It's the New Year, y'all. Time for some resolutions.
First, duh, blog more. To do that, I think I need to write less, but more frequently. One of the reasons I haven't written is because I sit here for hours to write a five paragraph post.
Second, do more, so there's stuff to blog about. So I'm probably not going to stick solely to running, not that I ever really did, but I may end up telling you about some other ... well, let's jump in. I joined JDate. And I hate it. I joined in a fit of desperation/loneliness/stupidity, as my dating life has been really spotty. I figured, what harm could it do? Well, not fifteen minutes after posting my profile, it was like I was chum for sharks. 60-year-old Jewish sharks. Why is it that I seem to attract men 20 years my senior? There is nothing wrong with 60-year-old men, but I don't want to date them. I'm not looking for a 17-year-old, but I want someone closer to my age than my dad's.
Also, every time I would get on the site to look around, I'd get IMed be someone. I hate IM. I won't use it on FB or any of the other social sites. But you can't turn it off on JDate. And I'd get so many e-mail notifications of people who are "flirting" with me, which I find vomitocious, that I stopped checking my e-mail.
That all being said, I did manage to connect with two people from the site, one of whom wrote me to give me his real e-mail because he was as disgusted with JDate as I was. And I will listen to my friend, who told me to stick with it for a month. Two more weeks to go...
There was a third thing I resolved to do this year, and I guess it goes along with No. 2, and that is to find more balance in my life. When I was doing theater, I did it 24/7, which sounds like fun, and a lot of it was, but it was almost all work. I got out of theater because I wanted to actually have a social life and do other things I was interested in. So I switched careers to become a court reporter, and as a newbie, I was still working 24/7 on it. Any time I wasn't taking a depo, I was working on it. Well, I'm two years into it, and have two (!) people who work for me to take some of the time pressure off, and I'm ready to actually enjoy some leisure time.
One of the ways I'd like to spend that extra time is, as the title of the blog says, to run the marathon again. Not running 2010 was dreadful, although volunteering for Fred's Team on the big day was amazing, and completely fulfilling. This year, on the docket is definitely NYC, and definitely the Nautica Tri in August. Possibly the Flying Pig, too. The ever-amazing Coach Ann -- she of the innocent exterior and the heart of a beastmaster -- suggested we train as if we're going to run the Pig, and decide a little later if we're going to do it or not. She's also going to lead coaching sessions for the NYC Half, which neither I nor any NYC runners got into, but which will motivate me to train. With running, as with weight loss, I need a goal. So Ann is brilliant in giving me goals.
I, like everyone else in this world, hit the gym again. I have been running, but outside. Haven't actually lifted or swam or anything in months. So I am going to try to establish a regular schedule of gym stuff as well as getting my mileage back up. I got a 40 minute swim in on Monday, or to put it another way, I spent 40 minutes in the pool. I still remember how to swim from my lessons last year, but need to get the endurance back.
What stinks the most about this is knowing where I was fitness-wise, and not being there, and wanting to be there again. But the only way I'll be able to get there, or even come close, is to get my arse in gear, and suffer through it all over again. Is it the journey, or the destination? Not sure yet. But I promise to let you know.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
New Years Resolutions
Well, since I haven't been doing much of anything except working these days, I've been a bad blogger. BAD blogger!!
So here's a quick holiday update, along with a few small resolutions.
Firstly, I always knew runners were amazing, but here's another reason why: we had a Fred's Team holiday party at the P&G, and our exceedingly generous hosts, Holiday and Steve, pledged to donate a dollar for each drink sold to the Aubrey Fund. We also had a toy drive AND a bake sale. And if that weren't enough, our good friends at Coke donated a lovely gift basket full of Coke tchotckes for us to raffle off. Well, we got about ten toys, sold a lot of raffle tickets, brownies and, thanks to my friend Sharon, who is not a runner but equally amazing, devastating chocolate-bacon cupcakes. Yes, you read right. Our livers also took one for the team, and at the end of the night, we raised $313 more for the Aubrey Fund!!
Running is strange. I've been trying to get out every other day, and will also be participating in the Midnight Run. For those non-NYers, it's a 4-miler in Central Park that starts at the stroke of midnight. There's dancing and a costume contest before and after, and champagne -- well, maybe more like "champagne" -- at mile 2. The Team runs as a group, as fast as its slowest member. Which is me. So be prepared for turtle mode, folks, because that's where we're at these days!!
It's been getting pretty cold in NYC, and I love running in the cold! I am having a little trouble getting used to it, though. I went out for a run a couple of days ago -- just a 3-miler -- and I had to stop three times, not because my legs were tired, but because I couldn't breathe properly. So strange.
Why is my body rejecting running?????
(and why don't I listen?)
I haven't biked outside in a couple of weeks, it being snowy and slushy. I had a feeling that I wasn't going to, but I can see from my forays out that snow and slush doesn't deter some folks. So maybe I will get some winter riding in.
Swimming, I've been a little lazy. I need to get back into the pool. But my legs are really dry, and shaving them is so irritating...bad excuse. I've just been both lazy AND pressed for time. Excellent combo!
Pressed for time because, unlike last year, I am supremely busy as a court reporter. Who knew that people would be so litigious during the holidays? I've been working every day for the past two weeks, and some jobs are expedites, meaning due in three days, which pushes other jobs back, which creates a backlog that I'm trying to get rid of over this holiday weekend. Hey, I'm not complaining. I'm grateful for the work, I really enjoy it, and feel lucky to be finally making some $$ for the first time in 14 years. I just need to get a little better with the steno practice to get my speed up so that my transcripts aren't so sloppy that it takes me a long time to fix them up at the end of the day.
Which leads to the resolutions.
1) more steno practice. I want to pass at least one leg of the RPR (national certification) this year.
2) more consistent running in the off-season. Do I think I'll get faster this year? Doubtful. But can I make an easier time of it? Definitely.
3) get my arse back in the pool. A must if I want to finish the Nautica Tri.
4) more blogging. And start the f-ing podcast already, like I've threatened for years.
4) send out my THANK-YOU NOTES from the marathon!!!!!!
I hope you all have the happiest of holidays, and best wishes for the New Year!
So here's a quick holiday update, along with a few small resolutions.
Firstly, I always knew runners were amazing, but here's another reason why: we had a Fred's Team holiday party at the P&G, and our exceedingly generous hosts, Holiday and Steve, pledged to donate a dollar for each drink sold to the Aubrey Fund. We also had a toy drive AND a bake sale. And if that weren't enough, our good friends at Coke donated a lovely gift basket full of Coke tchotckes for us to raffle off. Well, we got about ten toys, sold a lot of raffle tickets, brownies and, thanks to my friend Sharon, who is not a runner but equally amazing, devastating chocolate-bacon cupcakes. Yes, you read right. Our livers also took one for the team, and at the end of the night, we raised $313 more for the Aubrey Fund!!
Running is strange. I've been trying to get out every other day, and will also be participating in the Midnight Run. For those non-NYers, it's a 4-miler in Central Park that starts at the stroke of midnight. There's dancing and a costume contest before and after, and champagne -- well, maybe more like "champagne" -- at mile 2. The Team runs as a group, as fast as its slowest member. Which is me. So be prepared for turtle mode, folks, because that's where we're at these days!!
It's been getting pretty cold in NYC, and I love running in the cold! I am having a little trouble getting used to it, though. I went out for a run a couple of days ago -- just a 3-miler -- and I had to stop three times, not because my legs were tired, but because I couldn't breathe properly. So strange.
Why is my body rejecting running?????
(and why don't I listen?)
I haven't biked outside in a couple of weeks, it being snowy and slushy. I had a feeling that I wasn't going to, but I can see from my forays out that snow and slush doesn't deter some folks. So maybe I will get some winter riding in.
Swimming, I've been a little lazy. I need to get back into the pool. But my legs are really dry, and shaving them is so irritating...bad excuse. I've just been both lazy AND pressed for time. Excellent combo!
Pressed for time because, unlike last year, I am supremely busy as a court reporter. Who knew that people would be so litigious during the holidays? I've been working every day for the past two weeks, and some jobs are expedites, meaning due in three days, which pushes other jobs back, which creates a backlog that I'm trying to get rid of over this holiday weekend. Hey, I'm not complaining. I'm grateful for the work, I really enjoy it, and feel lucky to be finally making some $$ for the first time in 14 years. I just need to get a little better with the steno practice to get my speed up so that my transcripts aren't so sloppy that it takes me a long time to fix them up at the end of the day.
Which leads to the resolutions.
1) more steno practice. I want to pass at least one leg of the RPR (national certification) this year.
2) more consistent running in the off-season. Do I think I'll get faster this year? Doubtful. But can I make an easier time of it? Definitely.
3) get my arse back in the pool. A must if I want to finish the Nautica Tri.
4) more blogging. And start the f-ing podcast already, like I've threatened for years.
4) send out my THANK-YOU NOTES from the marathon!!!!!!
I hope you all have the happiest of holidays, and best wishes for the New Year!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The Lazy Days Post-Marathon...
Hello,
It's been about one month out from the marathon. I have yet to send out the thank-you letters, which fill me with dread, only because there are SO MANY AMAZING PEOPLE who donated to Fred's Team after I asked them to -- and some who donated without asking.
And quite frankly, I'm a bit lazy these days.
I ran the Race to Deliver two weeks ago -- a four-miler in Central Park that's a benefit for God's Love We Deliver, a charity that I'm close to -- I've delivered for them, my old roomie, Laura, was a volunteer there for ten years and then worked for them, and my new roomie, Bill, works there now. How could I not run this race? Did it with an average pace of 9:30/mile, which for the stats-conscious is about a minute per mile slower than last time I ran it. I hate being slower.
And after that, I haven't run until yesterday. Two weeks off. In some ways, it's good. In years past, after the marathon, I typically have no desire to run, but got right back into it because I didn't really have any other forms of physical activity to occupy me. Now I have swimming and biking, my new athletic toys. So I've been doing those instead. Not that I'm any great shakes in either of those two departments, but I'm enjoying them a lot, and at this point, given the choice between them and running, I'll take them.
The swimming has been going well. I took classes with Jackrabbit Sports here in NY. The good thing is, having never really learned to swim, that I had no bad habits to break or unlearn. The teacher, John, broke down the stroke into its various components and gave us drills and exercises to reinforce them. It takes much less effort to stroke now than it did before, and I really believe that, if I continue to practice, I will develop enough endurance to actually conquer the Nautica tri. I've got until July, and right now 100 yards is about my limit. Just 700 more to go!!
The biking is also coming along. Like I said before, I bought a bike, a 2001 Cannondale R400. I found it on Craigslist, and I know you shouldn't buy a bike that you're serious about that way, you want to buy it new from a bike store, to get the service guarantees and such. I lucked out, though -- it fit me, and it was in great condition. Plus, it's bright yellow. Color is crucial. I had it professionally fit, changed the seat to a woman's seat, and we're off. Riding a racing bike is different from a regular bike. You're up higher off the ground, seated in a bent-over position, and for optimum efficiency, your feet are clipped into the pedals. My bike has a basket pedal -- your feet fit in a little plastic cage -- which is slightly less scary, but still, I'm afraid when I stop, I won't be able to put my foot down on the ground quickly. I'm getting over it. My longest ride to date has been 11 miles. I feel that the 25 miles of the bike portion of the tri is definitely doable, but the training isn't going to be for the legs as much as it will be for the back. Wow, is that a painful position to hold.
The unfortunate thing with the biking is that it's the same as the running. I don't know who gets it in their head that for running, all you need is a pair of shoes. No. You need the shoes, and the special running socks, and the special running shorts, and the technical running shirt, and the water bottle, and the Gu, and the watch, etc. etc. Same for biking. It's not enough to have a bike and a helmet. You need the special biking shoes that fit into the clip pedals, and the special biking shorts, and the special biking shirt, and the special biking gloves, and the special --
I did discover the joy, and necessity, of padded bike shorts. I picked up a pair that look like there's a Depends pad sewn in the rear. Too bad you can't run in them -- I can barely walk in them without looking like I've just gotten off a very large horse.
As for running, this vacation from it has actually started making me want to run a little bit. And by that, I mean, a little bit. I went out yesterday -- in perfect running weather, 35 degrees and sunny -- for a two-miler. And sadly, it was kind of hard. I can't believe how quickly my endurance has vanished. It's my own fault, I guess. Back to square one, which may be a good thing. I can really base-build, and work on my form.
I had the whole morning off, and spent it here, writing this. Lazy, or recovering? You decide.
It's been about one month out from the marathon. I have yet to send out the thank-you letters, which fill me with dread, only because there are SO MANY AMAZING PEOPLE who donated to Fred's Team after I asked them to -- and some who donated without asking.
And quite frankly, I'm a bit lazy these days.
I ran the Race to Deliver two weeks ago -- a four-miler in Central Park that's a benefit for God's Love We Deliver, a charity that I'm close to -- I've delivered for them, my old roomie, Laura, was a volunteer there for ten years and then worked for them, and my new roomie, Bill, works there now. How could I not run this race? Did it with an average pace of 9:30/mile, which for the stats-conscious is about a minute per mile slower than last time I ran it. I hate being slower.
And after that, I haven't run until yesterday. Two weeks off. In some ways, it's good. In years past, after the marathon, I typically have no desire to run, but got right back into it because I didn't really have any other forms of physical activity to occupy me. Now I have swimming and biking, my new athletic toys. So I've been doing those instead. Not that I'm any great shakes in either of those two departments, but I'm enjoying them a lot, and at this point, given the choice between them and running, I'll take them.
The swimming has been going well. I took classes with Jackrabbit Sports here in NY. The good thing is, having never really learned to swim, that I had no bad habits to break or unlearn. The teacher, John, broke down the stroke into its various components and gave us drills and exercises to reinforce them. It takes much less effort to stroke now than it did before, and I really believe that, if I continue to practice, I will develop enough endurance to actually conquer the Nautica tri. I've got until July, and right now 100 yards is about my limit. Just 700 more to go!!
The biking is also coming along. Like I said before, I bought a bike, a 2001 Cannondale R400. I found it on Craigslist, and I know you shouldn't buy a bike that you're serious about that way, you want to buy it new from a bike store, to get the service guarantees and such. I lucked out, though -- it fit me, and it was in great condition. Plus, it's bright yellow. Color is crucial. I had it professionally fit, changed the seat to a woman's seat, and we're off. Riding a racing bike is different from a regular bike. You're up higher off the ground, seated in a bent-over position, and for optimum efficiency, your feet are clipped into the pedals. My bike has a basket pedal -- your feet fit in a little plastic cage -- which is slightly less scary, but still, I'm afraid when I stop, I won't be able to put my foot down on the ground quickly. I'm getting over it. My longest ride to date has been 11 miles. I feel that the 25 miles of the bike portion of the tri is definitely doable, but the training isn't going to be for the legs as much as it will be for the back. Wow, is that a painful position to hold.
The unfortunate thing with the biking is that it's the same as the running. I don't know who gets it in their head that for running, all you need is a pair of shoes. No. You need the shoes, and the special running socks, and the special running shorts, and the technical running shirt, and the water bottle, and the Gu, and the watch, etc. etc. Same for biking. It's not enough to have a bike and a helmet. You need the special biking shoes that fit into the clip pedals, and the special biking shorts, and the special biking shirt, and the special biking gloves, and the special --
I did discover the joy, and necessity, of padded bike shorts. I picked up a pair that look like there's a Depends pad sewn in the rear. Too bad you can't run in them -- I can barely walk in them without looking like I've just gotten off a very large horse.
As for running, this vacation from it has actually started making me want to run a little bit. And by that, I mean, a little bit. I went out yesterday -- in perfect running weather, 35 degrees and sunny -- for a two-miler. And sadly, it was kind of hard. I can't believe how quickly my endurance has vanished. It's my own fault, I guess. Back to square one, which may be a good thing. I can really base-build, and work on my form.
I had the whole morning off, and spent it here, writing this. Lazy, or recovering? You decide.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Returning to Running
Ola, folks!
As you can see from the Buckeye Outdoors widget, I'm starting to move again. It's not easy -- I went for a run today and it's like I'm starting over. Well, I guess I am starting over. But boy, there was no running mojo there at all. Going to make next weekends Race to Deliver tough. Oh, well.
And as you can also see, I have added swimming to the regimen. I started swimming in September, in the hopes that if I were to get into the Nautica Tri, I would have at least that part in progress. Well, I did indeed get into the Nautica Tri, so I have until July to be able to swim a mile. Considering how long it takes me to improve in sports-related activities, I think starting now is a good idea.
Speaking of which, I am also now the proud owner of a Cannondale R400 bicycle. It's a road bike, which means it's also good for a beginner triathlete, like moi. All the websites say for your first tri, just use whatever bike is available to you, but I feel that I need a little more than a $20 Schwinn in order to train and get through the bike portion of the tri in one piece. If you've never ridden a road or tri bike, it's different enough from that $20 Schwinn to make me really glad I got the bike when I did. It's going to take some practice for me to feel comfortable with my feet in the basket pedals, and sitting so high up. Also, I've never had a bike with gears before, so that's going to be an adventure. But best of all -- it's yellow!! It's pretty!!
Lastly today -- keeping it short, as I've got much to do, and no desire to do it, which makes everything take three times as long -- I ended up somehow as one of only two guests on the Runner's Round Table's most recent podcast, number 56 (you can get it on iTunes.) It was hosted by Joe Garland, host of the RunWestchester blog that is now listed on the right of the page. Let me tell you, them Westchester runners are serious about running. I know Joe through the erstwhile "Runners Who Blog Also Drink" group of runners who meet occassionally for a beverage or two. Since there was no real topic for the show, Joe and I talked mostly about the NYC marathon. Well, turns out, Joe's had a topic on his blog recently about guaranteeing spots for charity runners in marathons, and for some reason, he asked me to comment. I guess it's pretty obvious that I have some experience with charity runners (!) So I leave you with my response.
And as you can see, I did.
More anon!
As you can see from the Buckeye Outdoors widget, I'm starting to move again. It's not easy -- I went for a run today and it's like I'm starting over. Well, I guess I am starting over. But boy, there was no running mojo there at all. Going to make next weekends Race to Deliver tough. Oh, well.
And as you can also see, I have added swimming to the regimen. I started swimming in September, in the hopes that if I were to get into the Nautica Tri, I would have at least that part in progress. Well, I did indeed get into the Nautica Tri, so I have until July to be able to swim a mile. Considering how long it takes me to improve in sports-related activities, I think starting now is a good idea.
Speaking of which, I am also now the proud owner of a Cannondale R400 bicycle. It's a road bike, which means it's also good for a beginner triathlete, like moi. All the websites say for your first tri, just use whatever bike is available to you, but I feel that I need a little more than a $20 Schwinn in order to train and get through the bike portion of the tri in one piece. If you've never ridden a road or tri bike, it's different enough from that $20 Schwinn to make me really glad I got the bike when I did. It's going to take some practice for me to feel comfortable with my feet in the basket pedals, and sitting so high up. Also, I've never had a bike with gears before, so that's going to be an adventure. But best of all -- it's yellow!! It's pretty!!
Lastly today -- keeping it short, as I've got much to do, and no desire to do it, which makes everything take three times as long -- I ended up somehow as one of only two guests on the Runner's Round Table's most recent podcast, number 56 (you can get it on iTunes.) It was hosted by Joe Garland, host of the RunWestchester blog that is now listed on the right of the page. Let me tell you, them Westchester runners are serious about running. I know Joe through the erstwhile "Runners Who Blog Also Drink" group of runners who meet occassionally for a beverage or two. Since there was no real topic for the show, Joe and I talked mostly about the NYC marathon. Well, turns out, Joe's had a topic on his blog recently about guaranteeing spots for charity runners in marathons, and for some reason, he asked me to comment. I guess it's pretty obvious that I have some experience with charity runners (!) So I leave you with my response.
Admittedly, my take is biased.
The way I see it, there are two
kinds of charity marathoners. Those who can and do run marathons who
didn't get in for whatever reason, so go the charity route just for the entry,
and those who are committed to the cause they run for, and regardless of their
ability as a runner, take the training very seriously because, as Jake said,
there's a lot riding on them. A casual runner isn't going to spend $3000
just to say, "I ran a marathon." For that $$, there's a
commitment.
I think that when you talk about the wisdom of
having charity entries, the conversation veers close to "Should we let people
who can't run a four-hour marathon into the marathon?" I consider myself a
runner, even though I'll never make it to the elite stages. And while
there are some amazing runners out there who run for charities -- Fred's Team
has a number of sub 3:00 runners -- most of us don't come close. But these
people put in the training and run the race to the best of their ability, and
that should really be the standard for admission to just about
any marathon.
There's always been a certain number of
guaranteed charity entries. As NYRR allows entries for more and more
charity teams -- especially their own -- they're not necessarily increasing the
amount of guaranteed entries. For the most part, the amount of guaranteed
entries allowed per team have decreased over the past few years, and the amount
of charity entries overall has not changed dramatically. It's just been
spread around more.
On the other hand, NY may be unique in
that over half the race entries go to those come in with one of
the international tours. While many of them are serious runners, just
as many are in it for the experience of visiting the five boroughs, and clearly
haven't put in the training. I oughta know -- I get stuck behind them all
the time!! And those entries aren't going to be limited in any major
way, because the marathon is, after all, a for-profit venture, and those
tourists bring a lot of money into NYC.
I don't think limiting or
eliminating charity runners is the answer. I think what should be limited
are the people who don't respect the distance. How one does that is beyond
me.
However, as far as Boston is concerned, I believe a BQ trumps
a charity runner. If they indeed have to shut BQers out, I think they need
to revisit the amount of bibs they reserve for charities. or raise the race
cap enough that year to accomodate those that qualify by time and those who
qualify by money. The main reason races are capped, by the way, besides
overcrowding the race itself, is because of the legal capacity of the
race course itself (believe it or not, Central Park has a legal
capacity.)
My two cents, and feel free to publish this to your
blog, as I may just do to mine!
And as you can see, I did.
More anon!
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