A 48 Mile Week, But More Importantly, AN AWESOME BURGER

So my blog post titles are not all that creative, but at least they are to the point!

I am fairly pleased with myself for having run 48 miles last week, after not running very much at all since NYCM.  My paces were not fast, but I got the miles done.  However, I feel kind of “meh” about running these days.  Yesterday was a day when I was running just because it’s what I do…

I’ve always thought it’s very easy to get caught up in the running madness in the summer and fall when everyone is training for a fall marathon.  The blogs are a-buzz with pre-marathon excitement and training details.  The park is crawling with individual runners and different running groups at all hours of the day and night.  You can’t escape the excitement and the energy.

But post NYCM… it slows down a LOT.  So not only am I worn out from having run those 2 marathons, but it’s tough to get motivated when the buzz just isn’t buzzing like it was. (Very poetic.)

So, although I have this sunny li’l race to look forward to, I’ve been dealing with some serious motivation issues.  And other than enlisting some buddies to join me (Thank you, Erica!  Thank you, Jane!) I just tell myself, “You’re going to do this, ’cause running is what you do.  You’re a runner.”

It usually works.  As I’ve stated previously, I like my job and am lucky to have it, but in no way do I identify myself by it. I tend to identify myself first and foremost as A Runner.  So if I don’t do that, (run) then who/what am I?

OK, I really don’t intend to get too philosophical here, so here’s the breakdown from last week:

Mon:  nada

Tues: skipped running class; nada

Weds:  6 miles, including Q’boro Bridge @ 8:30ish pace

Thurs: 13.5 miles w/ Erica @ 9:00ish pace

Fri:  6.5 miles w/ Jane @ 9:30ish pace (stomach ache slowed me up)

Sat: 6 miles in park (w/ some pathetic strides) @ 8:40ish pace

Sun:  16 miles partially w/ Jane @ 8:55ish pace

Total: 48 miles

This week Pfitzinger calls for 43 miles, which seems do-able.  I should probably start doing some speedwork again. (Blah.)  I should also probably attend class for the first time in 3 weeks tomorrow.

As for the weekend, I had some delicious food with some nice friends.  Fri. night, T and I went to Edo Sushi with Ben (my best guy friend from HS.)  It was really delicious!  Not to mention beautiful!

this is just *some* of the sushi we ate

Then, we went out for a few brews and called it an early-ish night.  Saturday, we basically slept all day, which was shameful, ’cause it was a beautiful day.  I think my body was still pissed at me from the 4:30 AM wakeup call on Thurs.  I did manage to squeeze in 6 miles in the park.  But more importantly, we caught this on television.  I think it’s safe to say we resembled this by the time the program was over:

So I looked at him and said what we were both thinking:  “We are totally going there tonight.”

Which is exactly what we did.

I have to say that I freaking LOVE the fact that I live in a city where I can see a restaurant on TV and then I can go to said restaurant.  And let it be said here and now that the burger at the Brindle Room is just magical.  Though I should also say that I don’t believe it is on the regular menu; only the brunch menu.  But since we asked nicely, (and our waitress was super sweet and awesome) they made us the burger anyway.  IT IS GOOD AND YOU SHOULD GO THERE NOW.

And finally, I just put my name in for the NYC Half.  I’ve never run this race before, or even applied.  But I figured why not!?

Cold. Lazy.

So, apparently I am incapable of getting out of bed and running anything more than 4.5 miles at a time any more.  Coming from someone who once got out of bed at 4:30 AM in order to run 18 miles before work… let’s just say this is a bit of a disappointment.

Last week I ran three 4-milers and decided to be content with that.  It was, after all, the first week in FOREVER that I didn’t have Pfitz dictating what my mileage should be.  And I thought maybe I should take, oh, a tiny break after running 2 marathons in 3 weeks.

This week, I told myself I’d up the mileage again.  But… wah, it’s dark and cold in the mornings and my bed feels soooo coooozzyyyyy…

I ran about 4.5 miles at class on Tues night, 4 miles on Weds morning, 4.5 miles yesterday, and 4 this morning.  Not really “upping” the mileage here…

I’m signed up for yet another marathon in 11 weeks and I told myself I would take a little break and then would jump back into a Pfitzinger plan and nail a 3:30 at Surf City  so I can run Boston, damn it…

(photo credit: Surf City Marathon site) This is the cool medal I will get at Surf City, even if my time sucks (which is entirely possible.)

But I keep looking at those lofty MsPW and wondering how on earth I was able to nail them over the summer.  Then I realize “Oh yeah, it was SUMMER.  It was warm and bright and it felt like everyone in NYC was out running and training for a marathon.”  Now, the park feels cold and lonely and dark and WAHHHHHHHH.

(This is my not-so-subtle plea for someone to  run with me and motivate me to stop being a big baby.)

Anyhow, the jury is out on my Surf City goals as of now, but I may just do it for fun and aim to BQ in the fall when I always run better marathons anyway.  Also, if when I run Surf City,  it will be the first winter marathon I’ve signed up for and actually run.  (Not interesting) FACT:  the past 2 years, I’ve signed up for a February marathon that I have not run for various reasons.

I plan to run a few miles tomorrow (distance and pace undetermined) and then Sunday I am volunteering at the Race to Deliver, where I look forward to seeing Ali and Lori.  I’m a “Post Race Food and Fluid Attendant.”  Last year when I volunteered for a race, it was also in the winter.  It was in Prospect Park and I decided to run home after my volunteering was done, so I was dressed to run and NOT to stand around in the cold forevahhhhh.  Lesson learned, and will wear many layers on Sunday!  I do plan to run after this volunteering gig, too, though again– distance and pace undetermined.

Sorry this is boring.  I’ll do better next time.  Good luck to Celia and Kristy and anyone else running Philly this weekend!

Mother Nature Vomited All Over My Birthday

Lovely imagery, isn’t it?  I won’t be surprised when some big shot at American Greetings catches sight of the title of this post and frantically calls me with a job offer.

Anyhow, my good friend Molly B actually had much more charming commentary on the weather on my birthday when she texted me, “Mother Nature is throwing confetti down in honor of you. 🙂  Even SHE is a fan of KtB!”  Love it.

Anyhow, since you asked, here is what I woke up to on Saturday morning:

Thew view out of T's window. Typically, you can see the Chrysler Building...

It’s kind of surreal, looking at this picture now, since the snow is (mostly) gone and now it’s a sunny and beautiful (albeit, crisp) day outside.

Anyhow… the weekend went as follows:  Fri. night, T and I hit up the Spotted Pig.  Yes, there was a lengthy wait for a table (roughly 2 hours?  Maybe a bit less?) but that food is the freaking BOMB.  I dream about the burger there, which yes, was what my birthday dinner entree was comprised of.  I ordered it RARE (b*llsy, I know!) and it was DELICIOUS.  Also, I want to personally shake the hand of whomever decided that Roquefort cheese would be just the right touch on top of this burger, because (s)he is my hero.  Obvs, this is not all I ate — I also had the shoestring fries that come along with the burger, and T and I split an appetizer of gnudi stuffed with ricotta (OMG) and mackerel with creme fraiche and mint sauce (sounds weird, but trust me, IT’S AWESOME.)  We may or may not have gotten dessert, too– popcorn-flavored ice cream with caramel corn on top.  Not my favorite dessert, but there really is nothing that can top that burger.  Then, we tossed around the idea of going out for drinks after dinner, but since I am now old, all I could think and talk about was “jammies.”

On my bday, I had to run to the city for a few things (I would have MUCH preferred to hole up in Astoria all day with T) and since the train into Manhattan takes me RIGHT to 59th and Lex (aka, Bloomies-land) I thought the weather and it being my birthday was a sign I should finally buy the rain/snow boots I’ve wanted for quite some time…

And since Bloomies was having a huge shoe sale, I thought I should probably get a few other pairs of shoes, too…

Before you go judging me, I want to mention that I used a gift card that I’d been hoarding since last Christmas for these bad boys.  I am a HORRIBLE (hoardible, hahaha… no?) gift card hoarder.  So the boots were essentially FREEEE!  Happy birthday to MEEEEE!

I was supposed to run 8 miles on Saturday, but due to the weather, I chose not to.  I actually feel fine about this, since I’ve also felt really exhausted and lethargic lately and this was one of those times I thought I should “listen to my body” (and also listen to the Armageddon-style weather that was going on outside.)

Sunday, I was lazy all day until late afternoon when I finally headed out for my 12 miler.  It was a really nice one– I ran from T’s over the Queensboro Bridge and into the park.  That’s where I saw the crazy-a$$ remains from the storm.  I had no idea!

I also snapped some pics of the bleachers, all set up for the marathon!  Yippee!  Sooo exciting!

bleachers + snow = bizarre

Let’s hope that Mother Nature got this little bug out of her system and next Sunday is a nice, NORMAL fall day.  Anyhow, I had a wonderful 12-miler and came home to home made Senegalese peanut-chicken soup, thanks to my amazing bf.

Look at ALL THAT CILANTRO. G-d love cilantro!!!!!!

Annnnd… thus kicks off Marathon Week (#2)!!!!!  Excited!

Taper-ish Limbo and Oktoberfest

I’ve started referring to my current running state as a “taper-ish limbo,” since I’ve already tapered for one marathon and now I guess I’m “maintaining” until NYCM.  Anyhow, Pfitzinger only offers a “4 weeks between marathons” training program and says something like, “if you’re planning to do less than 4 weeks between, I’d say you need to recover from your lobotomy first.”  (I’m paraphrasing, as I do not have my copy of Advanced Marathoning here at work.)

ANYHOW… so I guess I’m doing a modified version of Pfitzinger’s 4 weeks between program.  Last week looked like this:

Mon– rest day

Tues– class (6 miles, including speedwork)

Weds– rest day

Thurs– rest day

Fri– 5 miles

Sat– 4.5ish miles (Garmin was being wonky)

Sun– 8 miles

Total: 23.5 miles

So, not a huge amount of running last week, which was an interesting change from what I’ve been doing for the past many months.  Thurs night, T and I went to Osteria Morini for his birthday.  It was AMAZING.  We started with Prosciutto, Salami, and Bresaola with bread, then we split 2 little pasta dishes– the Creste (seafood pasta) and the Mezzaluna (squash- filled pasta.)  Then, we split the Branzino entree and some relatively forgettable desserts.  Oh, and we had 2 bottles of wine, which could possibly have been a contribution to the fact that the desserts were forgettable. 😉

Then, we went to Whiskey Tavern and met up with a few of our friends and played Jenga.  Turns out, I am GREAT at Jenga, even when a bit tipsy. 😉

For some reason, I ALWAYS wear the coozies as gloves when at Whiskey Tavern...

Saturday, I went for a quick run and then met my NYC besties for brunch at the Tipsy Parson.  Afterwards, we hung out on the Highline and then we ventured over to 11th Avenue where Cookie’s boyfriend was allegedly going to a haunted house and we were going to say hi… but it turns out, it was a cover for a birthday surprise they had had in the works for me for MONTHS!  An Oktoberfest!  T met us there and we all had a blast.  It was the perfect birthday surprise– 200 beers for this beer-lovin’ gal!

If you do not know what T's cookie stands for, please do not ask and just assume you are better off...

the lovely ladies responsible for this awesome surprise... and T, lurking in the background. Haha.

This week is a busy one, but should be fun… as it culminates in a dinner at my favorite NYC restaurant, The Spotted Pig, for my birthday!  Last year when I went there for my birthday, we sat next to GOB Bluth, er, Will Arnett, so that was cool.  Also, the food is DELICIOUS.  Running-wise, my week will include a 6-miler, an 8-miler, another 8-miler, a 5-miler, and an 11-miler.  Bring it!

Less Stress, Yes?

I know, poetic.  You’re impressed.

So… as I’ve mentioned a few times, my 10th marathon is in a mere 4 days.  But in a way, it feels like my first marathon.  I’ve never really trained intelligently for one or put much thought into my pace or goal time.  This year is different.  I have a goal finish time in mind, and while I’m not going to say it explicitly, let’s just say that I was disappointed yesterday when I noticed that the Columbus Marathon has a 3:35 pace group and a 3:45 pace group… nothing in between.

Anyhoo, is this causing me a tiny bit of stress?  Mmmm, yes.  It’s a weird feeling.  I can think back on weeks before marathons where I nearly forgot I was running one, or I kind of had it at the back of my mind as “this long run I’m doing this weekend.”  This time’s different.

So, there’s that little race.  Then there’s the fact that a certain someone is coming home to Ohio with me for the first time.  Is he awesome?  Hell, yes.  Is Ohio awesome?  Hell, yes.  Are my family and friends there awesome?  Say it with me now… hell yes.  But do I want EVERY SINGLE FREAKING DETAIL TO GO PERFECTLY so that he has a great visit?  One final time… hell yes.

I don't own this shirt. In fact, I didn't even know it existed 'til I Googled "I love Dayton." But the sentiment is true.

THEN there’s the fact that there is SO MUCH TO DO while we’re there for less than 4 days.  We fly into Dayton tomorrow morning.  While there, I want and need to see quite a few of my girlfriends who still live there — 3 of whom have just had babies that I want to meet.  One of those girls’ husbands is running the Indy marathon on Saturday, so they will only be in town for a limited time (just to complicate matters!)

I ❤ these girls.

I also need to visit my beloved grandparents and spend time with my mom, (who we are staying with in Dayton, thank goodness) my brother and his wife and my niece and nephew — the loves of my life (who will also all be at the race, thank goodness– my bro is running the half!) and my father (who would have been at the race, but had a nasty fall and may not be able to make it now. :()

My folks are the bomb

So are my bro, his wife, and THE BABIES OMG I CAN'T WAIT TO SQUEEZE THE BABIES I LOVE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then Friday evening or Saturday morning, (still not sure, ahhhhhhhh!!!) we are driving to Columbus where I will hit up the Expo.  At some point on Saturday, I need to run 4 miles, ’cause Pfitz is a b*tch tough dude.  And we are staying with my bestie Jen, so I hope to get to spend at least some QT with her and not just use her as a hotel.

Jen and I have a lengthy, storied, and occasionally shameful history of acting the fool... Check out those fantastic "formal" dresses, too. Yowza.

Then there’s the fact that T’s parents are coming to Columbus at some point on Saturday.  This is going to sound vaguely familiar, but are they awesome?  Hell, yes.  But do I want them to think of me as The Perfect Girlfriend for their son?  Hell… motha… effing… YES.  So being around them is always very pleasant, but just a touch stressful.  Also, I gotta get my sh*tty nails done before I see them.  They’re disgusting.

So, in conclusion, I have a DISGUSTING ZIT li’l breakout on my forehead, thanks to all this stess.  (Well, OK… the multiple Crumbs cupcakes I’ve eaten this week and the multiple times I’ve been too sleepy lately to wash my makeup off before bed lately have probably not helped.)

Now that I’ve gotten all of THAT out of the way… let’s talk more running, shall we?

I had class last night.  We were doing loops of the Harlem Hill.  I did 2 loops with the slowest pace group and while I promised myself I would take it easy, the psycho competitive runner in me took over and I couldn’t bear to not be in front.  Thus, I only did 2 loops and then bowed out for the third so that I could jog at a leisurely pace home.  This morning, I met up with my buddy Cheryl at 6 at the Engineer’s Gate, and we cranked out a 6-mile loop of the park.  It was great catching up with her (I hadn’t seen her since June) and she was even game to run 2 of the miles at my marathon pace (thanks, Pfitz.)  This is the most cockamamie taper I have ever experienced.  I still have to run 5 miles with 6 x 100 m strides on Fri, and a recovery 4 miler on Saturday.

But tomorrow, I will sleep in (a tad) and then get on a plane with my beloved to my beloved home state.  I’m happy.  Stressed… but happy.

Taper, my a$$

Dude, seriously?  A 12 miler one week from race day?  You’re killing me, Pfitz.

*Warning, I’ve found myself cranky as hell this morning.

To quote the Wall Street protesters:

Hehe, just kidding.  I am obviously just fine, just feeling a little peevish and I find this sign hilarious.

My weekend was great, though.  Fri night I had the bday dinner with my besties.  We went to Vesta and I ate my face off.  Since I was so drunk tired, I neglected to take pictures of my food, but please picture this:  penne pasta, cooked al dente.  Butter, and lots of it.  Sage.  Chopped up butternut squash.  OH.  YES.  It was the BOMB.

However, Vesta pulled some lame shiz when we arrived around 8 PM and were told they couldn’t seat us ’til 9 if we didn’t have a reservation.  When Cookie politely informed them she had called and had been told they didn’t take reservations for less than 5 people, she was interrogated as though she were lying, which was not the coolest.  We then went to some sketchy bar around the corner where I had this and it was delicious.  I had to take a picture, because I knew there was no way in hell I would remember what it was called:

My phone does not take the best pics. It's called Weihenstaphan

Anyhow, that was a biga$$ glass, which rendered me a bit tipsy before I had even eaten a bite.   Back at Vesta an hour later, not only did I inhale my pasta, but I also made love to the bread + olive oil (delicious) and some of the delicious flat bread pizzas we ordered.  Vesta redeemed themselves of their shade-ster reservation shenanigans with their amazing food.

Saturday I ran 5 miles and did some other stuff, then T and I met our buddies at Grand Central and took the Metro North to Tarrytown, where we hopped in a cab that took us to Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

This, my friends, was the best eating experience I have ever had in my LIFE.  I cannot begin to tell you how amazing it was.  We got there late, so it was dark, but I need to go back when it is light out because I could just TELL the grounds were breathtakingly beautiful.  The ambiance inside the restaurant itself is incredibly romantic and amazing.  The food, OMG the food.  So, they don’t really allow flash photography in the dining room so my photos do not do it justice.  (Confession:  I was RELIEVED they didn’t allow flash photography and I could claim that here, ’cause I do not have a good camera and the pics would have wound up crappy anyway.  Just use your imagination here.  And squint a little bit.)

delicious, farm-fresh veggies, served on skewers in a block

little mini tomato burgers on the most delicious buns I have EVER tasted

sesame-crusted zucchinis served in same fashion as other veggies

butternut squash pasta with Brussels sprouts

pork medallions, pork belly, blood sausage, dandelion greens, and hen of the woods mushrooms

Oh man, OK these pics basically suck, but please take my word for it that the food was f-bomb FANTASTIC and plated so nicely.  Also, the servers had this amazing choreography with bringing out each and every dish at the same time.  Seriously.  This is dining at its VERY BEST.  Also, that does not cover all of the food we ate.  We also had some farm fresh eggs, some incredible bread with butter, tempura-battered wax beans, amuse bouche shots of V9, (NINE veggies!)  and some amazing desserts– hazelnut and chocolate goodness (no idea what the hell it was actually called) and Concord grapes on top of some cakey thingy.  I’m sure I’m forgetting something.

I should also mention that I’m MUCH more of a beer person than a wine person (um, yeah, that’s pretty obvious) but for some reason I chose to order a glass of Reisling at the bar while we waited to be seated.  The wine (Gunther Steinmetz) was SO DELICIOUS that the whole table wound up getting multiple bottles of it.  It was a hit with everyone.  I think I could swim in a river of this stuff and be happy.

Sunday I managed to put off my 12 miler (OK, confession.  I had to make a trek to Queens and get a Brooklyn bagel with pumpkin cream cheese.  There I said it.  I feel better.)  I also got a late start to the day ’cause we were at Blue Hill so late and didn’t get to bed ’til nearly 3 AM!  Anyhow, then I went to Emily and Shawn’s engagement party around 4 where this spread greeted me:

Emily is an INCREDIBLE cook.  That is ratatouille, flat bread pizzas with cheese, zucchini and tomatoes, zucchini stuffed with garlicky goat cheese and topped with tomatoes, and a lotta booze.  Not pictured are the delicious bacon-wrapped dates,  the stuffed zucchini, and Emily’s home made raspberry cheesecake.  Everything was AWESOME.

Ummm… I just realized my entire weekend centered around food.  It’s a good thing I like running…

My plan was to do the 12 miles after the party, so I abstained from drinking (shocking, I know!) and left the party after a little over 2 hours.  However, when I got home, it was dark and I just didn’t wanna do the run.  So instead I went to bed.  I did NOT sleep well and when I did, I dreamt about running.  When did I get so nuts?  I woke up around 5 and did the 12 miles.  I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a teensy bit freaked out that I did the 12 miler one day closer to race day, but in the grand scheme of things, will this matter that much?  No, it will not (she tells herself with great trepidation and uncertainty…)  Anyhow, whatever.  What’s done is done.  Also, WTF kind of taper has a 12 miler one week before the race?  I know I said this before and I’m saying it again.  Pfitz, go pfuck yourself.  Kidding!  Anyhow, 6 days ’til the big race and I’m ready!  Bring it awn!!!!  I’m even wearing my 26.2 necklace today that my girl Jill gave me for my bday last year. 🙂

26.2 necklace, courtesy of Jill + pink necklace, which was a bridesmaid gift from Andi + other necklace, which was a bridesmaid gift from Jen. I have been a bridesmaid 12 times. I have a lot of nice necklaces and nice friends. 🙂

East Coast/West Coast

Just a quick one today.  I had running class last night, where  I was lazy and ran in the 8:30-9 min/mile pace group ’cause  I just wasn’t feeling it.  It was a nice change, though, to be leading the group for once instead of trailing behind!  We racked up about 5 miles worth of 600 meter sprints and jogging in between, then I headed on over to the reservoir for a quick lap, then ran home  for a total of 8 miles.

This morning, I woke up at 4:30 to head out to run.  T actually called shortly thereafter.  He was just getting IN from being out with colleagues (he is in CA this week on business.)  Kinda funny– we were both surprised to find the other awake.  I managed to make it through a pretty boring 16 miles in the park.  I did a full loop (6 miles) and then cut off the top for a 5-mile loop, then cut off the top AND bottom for a 4-mile loop.  Add to that the half mile to the park and the half mile back and that was my 16.  I was cranky for the vast majority of the run, just ’cause I was bored and it was so humid that my clothes were soaked and gross.  Plus, it was misting, too.  I really hate the combination of rain and sweat.  Gripe, gripe, gripe. 😉  The good news is that I did it, (around a 9-min mile, give or take– THANKS, GARMIN) and now that’s one less run I need to fit in this week.  I’m leaving tomorrow after work for my first trip EVER to CA.  I can’t wait!  But first I need to do an 11-mile “tune-up” before work.  Where in the name of G-d I am going to find the energy to run at a “tune-up” pace (which I still am not sure of, but know it is pretty darn fast) I do not know.  I guess I’ll consult my copy of Advanced Marathoning tonight to determine what pace I should aim for.  I canceled my plans tonight with Ben and Cookie, just cause I’m not feeling so hot and need to run some errands and pack for CA.  I’m bummed, ’cause I wanted to see them, but I just need a night to get stuff done.

Sorry this post was boring, but stay tuned for a guest post from Lori about her first half marathon!!!!!!  We’re holding out for the race photos.  Come on, Brightroom!

Lots of pumpkin, as per usual (+ some running, too)

Ho-hum, nothing too exciting to post here (I’ve really reeled you with that lead, haven’t I???)  Since last I wrote, I went out Monday night to my neighborhood bar, Wicker Park, and got pretty a little krunk.  Totally not my fault– they had Post Road pumpkin ale and I was taking Tuesday morning off of running, since I have class on Tuesday nights.  (This rationale makes perfect sense, does it not?)  Anyhow, I met up with my buddy Jane (who I sometimes run with) and we enjoyed a non-sweaty time, marveling at the fact that we so very rarely see one another looking clean and normal.  Haha.  T came by, too.  Good stuff.

I had a little more than a few of these

Yesterday was grey and murky all day — not that I was outside, but I could see from my office.  All I wanted to do was go home and lie on the couch like a lazy sack of poo.  But I had class, so that was not an option.  On my way home from work, I passed the new Magnolia Bakery in Bloomingdales.  I obviously had to stop, since fall is the one time of year I pretty much eat baked goodies with reckless abandon.  I have two reasons for this:  (1) PUMPKIN STUFF ABOUNDS!  Gotta get it while it’s in season!  and (2) I’m in peak training for marathon and burning tons of calories… right?

Anyhow, Magnolia had a pumpkin brownie that I bought and decided to use as a post-class treat.  Fast forward to post-class:  this brownie sucked.  Totally dry and a waste of calories.  Did I eat the whole thing?  Well, obviously.  But did I *really* enjoy it?  No, I did not.  Harumpf, f*ck you, Magnolia.

This is a pic that came up when I Googled "pumpkin brownie." The difference is that this one looks moist and delicious. Magnolia's was the opposite.

Anyhow, I went to class and it was pretty meh.  We only had 3 coaches, which really annoys the crap out of me.  Typically there are at LEAST 4, and sometimes more.  I mean, it’s not like this class is breaking my bank or anything (It’s 10 sessons for $110– easy math) but still!  I go here every week because it’s a speed workout I wouldn’t do on my own, and because there are pacers.  However, when my pace group is, like, 25 people, it’s no bueno.  They lumped the 8:00-9:00 min milers all in one group  (typically, I run with the 8-8:30 group) and this was just annoying.  The coach was running slower than I’d like, there were way too many people… and I basically gave up on getting any sort of speed work in whatsoever.  Blah.  (Good Lord, I sound like a jerk and a curmudgeon.  Sorry.)  Anyhow, I got 7 miles in, not fast, and called it a night.

This morning, I had 10 miles with some speedwork — “4 x 1200 m @ 5K race pace; jog 50 to 90% interval time between.”  Once again, I opted to do 3/4 miles at sub 7:50 pace and then jog the final 1/4 of each mile very slowly.  This morning’s speedwork was a bit tougher than it was on Sunday– I dipped above 8:00 a few times– but it’s done.

Left this week:  an 11 miler, which I plan to do tomorrow morning, and then a 20 miler.  The NYRR is doing an 18-mile tune-up race on Sunday, so I’m doing that +2 miles.  I’m planning to do the 20 at a 9:00 pace, so it shouldn’t be too hateful.

Tonight:  posse family dinner!  Peace!

1 weekend, 2 good runs

Yay!  I had 2 decent runs this weekend!  And an all-around great weekend.

Friday night, I met up with Cookie (one of my best friends– yes, she goes by Cookie) and some of her colleagues at a Belgian beer bar near our offices– BXL.  I drank this.  It was OK; not my favorite

Then, I grabbed a cab and dashed downtown to meet up with my buddies Dana (in town from London) and Erica at John’s Pizza in the West Village.  I very rarely let myself splurge on pizza, but an 18-miler looming in the future made the already delicious pizza taste even more amazing.

I got to bed early and woke up the next morning feeling happy, refreshed… and a bit nervous(?)  I have never in my life been nervous for a solo training run and actually not even really that much for a marathon!  But now that I actually care about my time in the upcoming race, and have had so many bad long runs lately, it felt like I needed to make this a good one, or else give up my hope for having a time in Columbus I could feel good about.

My good buddy Lori is training for her first race– the Hamptons Half– with Team in Training (TIT, hehe) and she generously shared with me the routes they had recommended for the weekend.  I grabbed a 16 miler I was excited about.  It involved running down the west side path, over the Brooklyn Bridge, back over the Manhattan Bridge, and back up the west side.  I was excited to do a run somewhere NOT in Central Park (no offense, CP.  I love you longtime, but I need a break) and one that involved bridges.  I love running bridges.  I figured starting and finishing at my apartment rather than in the middle of the park would tack on the extra 2 miles I needed.

To cut to the chase (har-har, chase) I felt OK, good even, but not great, about this run.  My Pfitzinger plan said to run 18 miles with 14 at MP.  I’m still not sure what MP is gonna be, but I’d like to keep it under 8:30 and under 8:25 would be amazing.  I ran the first 2 miles at a leisurely pace, allowing myself to warm up.  Then, I picked it up.  I was in an absolute reverie running in the beautiful fall weather along the west side — so many runners!  I had to control myself to keep the pace above 8 because I just wanted to gun it.  I felt so awesome.  The weather, like I said, was picture-perfect — sunny and cool.  I will take this weather on marathon day.  Maybe a few degrees cooler, but this was definitely a step in the right direction, Mother Nature.  Here are some shots I took while running down the west side– of the view of Jersey from the path and also the view of downtown.

Check out that beautiful, blue sky!

I ran down the path to Chambers, where I was instructed to take a left and then “the bridge would be on my right.”  Errrr… I got a little worried I would miss it, took a few turns and then had to ask a cop how to get to the bridge.  I always get confused and a bit panicked finding bridge entrances!  Luckily, I found it, struggled a bit going up the incline, and then sailed down the other side.

beautiful, beautiful, BK bridge

When I got to Tillary, I took a left (as directed) and then a left again on Jay.  Then the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge was supposed to be on the right… but I literally came to a stand-still looking for it.  I am pretty sure I looked a lot like this:

I finally saw a little opening in this iron fence, thank goodness, but hello– it was NOT very visible!  Ran back across into the city and up Bowery to Houston, where I cut across.  This portion of the run was slightly frustrating and not great, because the streets were so crowded and I also was starting to feel a little drained.  I don’t usually eat in the mornings before runs, so I was getting pretty hungry, and I also hadn’t drank much other than a few quick sips at fountains while going down the west side.  I planned to eat my Gu and take a water break when I was back on the path, as soon as I saw a fountain, but the time started to stretch a bit here…

Finally made it to the path and found a fountain where I could get a nice, long drink and gulp down a Gu.  And by “gulp,” I actually mean “choke-cough-cough-cough-snot pours out of nose-desperately wipe at snot-try to breathe-choke-choke-finally stop coughing-breathe-finish Gu-choke some more-gulp down more water.”  Put more succinctly, not pleasant!  After this, I have to admit I never really felt that I got my groove back.  I couldn’t seem to get back to a pace I was happy with, but it was worlds better than any of my long runs in the past month or so, so… all-in-all, I was happy!  My splits went as follows:

1- 8:55

2-10:28

3-8:17

4-8:12

5-8:06

6-8:36

7-8:17

8-8:39

9-8:16

10-8:36

11-8:14

12-8:45

13-8:39

14-9:56 (due to cough-sputter-etc!)

15-8:16

16-8:50

17-8:29

18-8:46

Average pace-8:40

I would have preferred it be a bit faster, but I’ll take it!

The rest of the day was really nice.  I met up with the awesome Lori at Starbucks where she bought me a salted caramel latte.  I had never had one before, but YUM!  We also split a pumpkin loaf.  Then, we went to Jackrabbit where she kindly shared her TIT 15% discount and I got a few things.  Then, I did some more shopping, cooked myself dinner (pumpkin ravioli!  Do you see a trend?) and then ventured out to Brooklyn.  I met up with Melina and we went to The Vanderbilt.  We shared smoked potato and cheddar croquettes and had a few beers.

Sunday, I met up with my friend Nina and her fiancee Ilan, who I was just meeting for the first time.  They are in town from Israel.  It was great seeing them!  We went to My Most Favorite Food on the Upper West Side.  Then I did a bit of shopping.  I found some black riding boots that actually zip over my calves and were a bit cheaper than the Tory Burches, so the Tories are going back!  I’m actually thrilled about the new boots.

The rest of the day I was actually very productive, but I managed to put off my 9 miler (including speed work) until nearly 8 PM.  No biggie, though.  I got it done and felt great about it.  Pfitzinger said to do “9 miles with 5 x 1,000 m @ 5K race pace; jog 50 to 90% interval time between.”  So… I have to say one of my biggest complaints about Pfitz’s plan (besides the freaking killer mileage) is that it involves a lot of math and a lot of meters and way too much thinking-while-running.  Mmmmkay, I do not know what 1,000 meters feels like, really.  I don’t feel like figuring out how long it takes me to run 1,000 meters and then figuring out what 50-90% of that time is.  And I don’t know what my 5K race pace is, ’cause I can’t remember the last time I ran a 5K, much less raced it.

What I decided to do was do 3/4 of a mile at a sub 7:50 pace, then jog the final 1/4 of the mile very slowly… and repeat 4 times.  I arrived at this because I know that 800 meters equals around half a mile and so I decided to make 1,000 meters equal 3/4 of a mile.  (I just looked this up and 1,000 meters is  actually .625 miles, but whatever– that is tougher to keep track of on my watch.)  And I decided that jogging the final 1/4 mile would make it easier to round it all up.  Also, my10K PR was at a 7:52 pace, so I decided to just keep the 3/4 miles under that.  Anyhow, this all made the 9 miles go by really fast, and that was awesome.

This morning I went for a quick 4 mile jaunt around the reservoir.  It was an absolutely beautiful fall morning.  The only disturbance was actually, er, a BIG disturbance.  On my second lap around the reservoir, suddenly there were cops all over the place, emergency vehicles, and even a helicopter hovering.  I told T I felt like Henry Hill from Goodfellas!  This is all I could find out about it thus far:

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/man-pulled-from-central-park-reservoir-20110919-KC

Anyhow… kind of a wacky start to the day!  But it’s beautiful outside and I’m having drinks with Jane tonight AND I get to see T again after he was gone all weekend!  Good stuff. 🙂

Oh!  And my friend Emily, mentioned in a previous post, got engaged to her sweet bf Shawn over the weekend!  So yay for that!

Here they are, lookin’ studly after completing the 2009 Nashville Country Music Marathon.  Aren’t they cute?

Morning runner but not a morning person…

It’s Thursday, or what I like to call Friday-eve!  It’s “Always Sunny” day!  YAYYY.

I can’t wait to see what antics these a**holes get into tonight.

You're terrible people. And I love you all.

Last night, I met my 2 best guy friends for what I’m calling Posse Family Night.  Oh G-d, here is the part where I confess that my high school group of friends was uber tight (and a lot of us still are) and we did, in fact, call ourselves The Posse.  I think T almost broke up with me when I told him that.  But regardless, these dudes are cool as hell and we now all live in the same city, since Ben just moved here from San Fran to be a lawyer.  Yay!

The Posse was a lot like the Bayside High gang. I was obviously Kelly. (Except I wasn't a cheerleader, and I wasn't particularly pretty either. Harumpf.)

Anyhow, this is me with Ben and Robbie last summer.  We’ve been friends for, like, 15 years!  We’re old.

Oh hey, NYC in the background! Looking fly!

Here we are at some Halloween party at our high school. I'm the angel in front, Ben is second from the right in back, and Robbie is 4th from right. We look like bebes

Anyhow, the 3 of us met up for what we are going to attempt to make a weekly dinner last night.  Robbie’s super awesome girlfriend Sara made an appearance, as well.  Dinner happened at Coffee Shop in Union Square, a perennial favorite of all of ours.  I chowed on a turkey burger and exercised great restraint when I ordered a salad in lieu of fries.  Then I stopped at Starbucks to get a rice krispie treat before getting on the subway .  These are my new treat of choice, ’cause they are delicious, carb-y, and have the lowest calories of all of Starbucks’ heavenly baked good offerings.  (Did I put the apostrophe in the right place there?  This is really bugging me.)

My alarm went off bright and early at 5:00 this morning.  I managed to drag my butt out of bed at 5:30, (and so was late to work AGAIN– more on that later) and dashed off to the park!  I made myself stick to a GA pace, (general aerobic= standard, moderate effort) which I’ve deemed to be 9:00 min miles, or slightly faster.  I did a loop of the reservoir, a 4 mile outer loop, another reservoir, and another 4 mile loop.  My average pace was 8:56.  At times, I felt the pull to push the pace, but I forced myself to keep it at GA because I *really* want to have a quality 18 miler on Saturday and I’m wondering if part of my problem with the previous long runs has been running my weekday medium-long runs too fast.  Anyhow, all-in-all a pleasant, albeit muggy run (WTF, September?)  And I got to see this during one of my reservoir loops.

During my run, I started thinking about how I really love being a morning runner.  It’s a wonderful way to start the day and I always feel slightly smug coming into work and thinking, “How many of all ya’all just busted out 8 miles?  YEAH.”  Actually, the smug-ness is a perk, but it’s definitely not the biggest one.  It’s just such a blessed feeling to have a run under your belt when you go about your day, and to have the freedom to do whatever you want after work.  In my opinion.  I do have my running class once a week on Tuesday nights and that has shown me that I really just do NOT like running in the evenings at all any more.  It’s only been a little over a year that I’ve been doing the morning running thing, but I think it would take a lot for me to be an after-work runner ever again.

That said, I am NOT a morning person.  It’s sooo difficult for me to get out of bed and thus, I’ve been getting up later and later and getting into work later and later.  Not good.  I am spending WAY too much money on cabs to work, which is just ludicrous, considering I live ON THE 4/5/6 line and it’s really pathetic that I can’t get myself on the damn train.  Also, my colleagues are awesome, but do I feel guilty strolling in and seeing them all hard at work at their computers and kind of knowing they’ve been there for at least 20 minutes already?  You bet I do.  NOT COOL, Katie.

So in addition to attempting to get more sleep, (just under 7 hours last night= not great, but not awful) I also need to make myself get out of bed earlier in the morning.  But tomorrow I get to sleep in, ’cause it’s a day off in prep for the long run on Saturday!  Yay. 🙂