Weekly Workout Recap 11/12/12-11/25/12

I owe you some posts. I haven’t blogged in a little while. Lots of things happened since the last “NYCM Training Workout Recap” I posted. You know, like the marathon being canceled.

11/12/12 – 11/18/12 – Not much at all. It was a relatively low-key week and my post-Richmond Marathon relaxation time! I also spectated the shit out of the Philly Marathon!

Tuesday 11/13: Erin and I (and Erica, wooop!) went to a hurricane relief fitness fundraiser. It was hosted by Mahri of Body Conceptions and Brook Marrone of Brooke Marrone Fitness. It was a perfect collaboration of both instructors. It was a cardio and strength workout through dance and movement and a strength and core workout that incorporated many pilates moves . Both instructors were beyond helpful and the class was very challenging. I love trying new things and I also want to look like them so I need to practice my moves.

Wednesday 11/14: I ran 2 very slow miles at NYSC because my bus at Port Authority had about a 3 hour wait.

Thursday 11/15: Christy and I went to Refine Method and got our asses kicked. Great class as usual. Note to self (and everyone reading): DO NOT eating Mexican food before Refine. You will feel like shit.

Total Weekly Mileage: 2

Total Weekly Workout Time: 2 hours

11/19/12 – 11/25/12

Monday 11/19: Very early run on the West Side Highway with Fiona. I bundled up because I was nervous, and as usual, I was sweating within 5 seconds of running and was upset about the layers I had on. I will never learn my lesson. We chatted and ran and talked about work and marathons and dogs. It felt good to be out there! My legs were definitely still tired from the marathon!

Total: 7 mi, 1:01, 8:42 pace

Tuesday 11/20: Another early morning run! I met Jess in Central Park and we struggled a bit to get into a rhythm during the loop around the park. Tired legs and wine will do that to you! It ended up being a great run (even though it did not feel like it)! Great company, great weather!

Total 5.4 miles, 48 min, 8:51 pace

Wednesday 11/21: Rest

Thursday 11/22: Morris Township Thanksgiving Day 5K – The weather was a perfectly chilly. Kara was running the race with her boyfriend and roommates and I also convinced my friend Stephanie to run with me (because she is REALLY fast) and I wanted to PR. I had no idea if I could.

Steph and I started out strong but a 90 degree wall around the halfway point basically stopped us in our tracks and our pace dropped drastically. I forced my body up the hill and picked up the pace and tried to keep breathing. I finished strong and someone threw up next to me. At least I felt better than that guy.

Official Results: 23:04

Place: 242/2284

Age Place 8/178

I didn’t have my Garmin because I (shockingly) had to sprint to the start line and forgot it so the splits from my phone are: (1) 7:28, (2) 7:43, (3) 6:57 (.1) same pace who knows

Friday 11/23: Refine Method with Dori. This was the first time I took the class with Brynn (the owner of the studio) as the instructor. Don’t get me wrong, all of the instructors are amazing but holy hell she kicked our asses. I was panting like a dog and was so tired. She held the back of my pants while I did push ups and made sure I didn’t wimp out on anything. She was like a hawk, but in a good way. We are there to work right? I’m still sore.

Saturday 11/24: Rest, so sore.

Sunday 11/25: Work it Out, 90 minute Turkey Burn with Dori!

Total Weekly Mileage: 16

Total Weekly Workout Time: 2 hours 30 min

Weekly Workout Recap 10/29/12-11/11/12

I owe you some posts. I haven’t blogged in a little while. Lots of things happened since the last “NYCM Training Workout Recap” I posted. You know, like the marathon being canceled.

10/29/12 – 11/04/12

Monday 10/29-Wednesday 10/31: Hurricane Madness. Lots of tears. Lots of drinks.  Zero workouts.

Thursday 11/01: I went to an awesome Mizuno event at City Sports where we learned about their new shoes and clothing. Bart Yasso also spoke to the group about Mizuno as well as his running history, how he became the Chief Running Officer at Runners World and his all-time favorite races (Comrades Marathon, South Africa). He gave us advice about the NYCM course (in order to run a successful race, you must negative split, you want to be the person passing others at 23, not getting passed, it will bring a wave of energy to others who need it). He told us he has never seen such a negative attitude towards runners in regard to the NYCM/Sandy issue. He told us to run the race we trained for and to finish proud. We got an AWESOME Mizuno gift bag that included Bart’s new book (which he so kindly autographed). Abby and I snagged a pic with him before we left!

Best friends.

After the event, Abby and I went for a run on the west side. Due to the lack of power, so many  blocks were pitch black and vacant. Result: We ran faster.

Total: 5 mi, 42 min, 8:24 pace

Friday 11/02: This was fun. Volunteer at NYCM expo. Spend $300. Meet awesome Mizuno people. Find out NYCM is canceled, first via text from Dori, second by complete and utter silence of the Javits Center. Instinctively try to return everything I bought. Get denied by vendors. Leave with Beth and meet up with other displaced NYCM runners (Katie, Leticia, and Ashley). Also joined by Theodora (thanks a million for the Tequila shot), Laura and Abby. Frantically pound 10 margaritas. Sign up for Richmond Marathon. #TeamRichmond was established.

Ashley fact: I am an impulsive alcoholic. Also, It was my younger (almost the same age) sister’s birthday. Happy 26th Shelley 🙂

Saturday 11/03: Hungover, obviously. I had 10 margaritas. I gathered myself together and went down to the Jersey Shore again (this time to Fizz’s parents) to help clean up some hurricane damage.

Sunday 11/04: Met Laura in Central Park to run some miles. The atmosphere was unbelievable. I’m guessing tens of thousands of runners were out, all in great spirits. People were cheering, passing out snacks and water to the runners. Mostly everyone was in their NYCM orange long-sleeved shirt. or some sort of ING NYCM gear picked up at the expo.

Closest we’ll get to the NYCM finish in 2012.

Total: 8.11mi, 1:11, 8:45 pace

Total Weekly Mileage: 13.11

Total Weekly Drinks: A million

11/05/12 – 11/11/12 – Marathon week

Monday 11/05: Rest

Tuesday 11/06: Rest

Wednesday 11/07: Sad attempt at running on the treadmill at my house. I ran 1 mile and went upstairs and had wine.

Thursday 11/08: Another sad treadmill attempt. I went to NYSC at lunch to get 5ish miles in at a speedier pace. I forced Beth to meet me there. I ran 2 quick miles and was 100% over it. I spent the rest of the time taking pictures of myself foam rolling. Beth caught me doing this and offered to help.

Miss America

Friday 11/09: 8.5 hour drive to Richmond.

Saturday 11/10: Richmond Marathon (click for recap)! New PR by 1 minute. Official Results: 26.2 mi, 3:57:40, 9:04 pace

Sunday 11/11: 6 hour drive back to NJ

Total Weekly Mileage: 29.2

 

Post-Sandy and NYC Marathon Cancel: Things I Learned, Always Knew and am Clueless About

Things I learned this past week:

• I have NEVER in my life been more proud to be from the Jersey Shore. We all know what Hurricane Sandy devastated many areas, especially the Jersey Shore, my hometown of Point Pleasant included. I have always cherished where I grew up. A majority of my memories from childhood through high school involved the beach and the boardwalk. I went home on Wednesday this week and walked along the beach and took in the sights. Sandy destroyed everything. It will be rebuilt but it will never be the same. Although an understatement, I am grateful that my family and friends are safe. Everyone who escaped with minimal or no damage is coming together to help friends and family and perfect strangers that are in need. #JerseyStrong
• I have NEVER in my life been more upset that I do not live closer to home. I feel completely helpless right now. I have donated to the Red Cross and other fundraisers that friends have created and I have gone home a couple of times and helped out where I can. Fizz and I went out tonight and bought supplies to donate (cleaning supplies, blankets, baby formula, diapers, OTC medicine, plastic utensils and paper plates, and fleece blankets)! I feel guilty about sitting on my couch right now with internet and cable and lights and hot water when others have absolutely nothing. I already know I am going to feel guilty about sitting at my desk at work all week when I could be helping a family somewhere.
• I never thought I would care less about running the NYC Marathon. I was so emotionally invested in what was happening in my hometown and surrounding towns (as well as the NYC boroughs hit) that running the race was nowhere near the front of my mind at any point. The 2012 NYCM was a race I have been working toward since January 2011. I spent a lot of money running NYRR races to qualify and I spent a lot of time away from family and friends to train. It was supposed to be a runner’s dream come true, my dream come true. Now, it means nothing in comparison to how I feel about Sandy relief.
• I need to (a) stop posting when I am drunk or (b) start proofreading if I plan on posting while I am drunk. I wrote this post on Tuesday night. When I went to read some comments, I noticed that I wrote the same word in a row about 281 times and my sentences did not make sense. It was edited (while still drunk), so it probably still doesn’t make sense. Sorry.
• Besides being a kick-ass runner, Molly Pritz is hysterical. Becki (from The Middle Miles) interviewed Molly and asked some awesome questions. She honestly made me laugh out loud. You can read the interview here!

Things I always knew:

• I can always trust in Bruce Springsteen. On Friday, a New York and New Jersey born line-up (Christina Aguilera, Billy Joel, Mary J. Blige, Jon Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Brian Williams, Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, Matt Lauer and of course, Bruce Springsteen), performed for the Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together telethon which raised funds for the Red Cross. Bruce concluded with “God Bless New York, God Bless the Jersey Shore.”
• I love Mizuno Running. Beth and I spent a majority of our time at the Mizuno booth at the expo yesterday. We bought shoes and learned and laughed a lot. We were there when we found out about the marathon being canceled and the reps working were the absolute best.
• I make interesting decisions when I drink tequila. Post zero-reaction/blank stare for an hour NYCM cancelation, I went out and had 24 margaritas and now I am running the Richmond Marathon on Saturday November 10. I’ve been tapering for 4 weeks now. I do not even know if my legs can carry me 26 miles anymore. Good thing about Richmond: It is America’s Friendliest Marathon and I will not be anywhere near alone. The “No-NYCM” has left a lot of runners hungry for a race. So far, #TeamRichmond includes Katie, Meggie, Leticia, Fiona, Jess, Gia, Katie, my friends Laura and Sky and Dori, always. Dorothy is also running so I hope to meet her! I believe there are more too, I just do not know them (yet) but I am positive we will be friends after America’s Friendliest Marathon.

• I love tequila.

Things I am not sure about yet (I’ll get back to you):

• Can I really run two marathons in one week? I am running the Richmond Marathon on November 10 and the Philly Marathon with Melissa on November 18. Laura, please help.
• Can I lose the 10+ pounds I have gained while tapering? This is not a joke. I drank (way) too much /everyday and stopped eating healthy. Shit needs to change.
• Will the NYCM ever be the same? The controversy makes me think it may lose some of its appeal in the future.

OK enough about me. Take a minute and donate to something, somewhere for Sandy relief.

If you want to help a specific family, please consider donating to Jen’s. She is a fellow healthy living blogger and marathoner who lost everything (her house, car and almost her husband) in Staten Island when Sandy came through like a raging bitch. You can donate to her family by clicking here.

If you live near Point Pleasant, go to the Masonic Lodge in Point Pleasant Beach next to Jersey Mike’s Subs on Route 35 South/New Jersey Avenue beginning at 8AM. They will be sending volunteers to homes that need help cleaning up the damage and destruction. It would be helpful if you brought gloves and masks (if you have them).

If you live near any other hard hit area (Breezy Point, Rockaway, Coney Island, Staten Island, Hoboken, cities on Long Island and any others), donate food. Be sure to look up the needs of shelters in the areas before dropping off material donations!

If you want to set up your own fundraising for someone or for a certain charity for Sandy relief, it is simple to create on Crowdrise. (i.e. Lora created a page to support the Mayors Fund and Lora created a page for a virtual run to raise funds for relief efforts).

If you are not local and cannot donate supplies or hard labor (seriously, its messy), make a monetary donation the Red Cross. Text REDCROSS to 90999 and you will have donated $10. It is that simple.

If you love animals: (1) Text HUMANE to 80888 and you will have donated $10 to the Humane Society of the US (or click here for an online donation). (2) Click here to donate to the ASPCA! A lot of animals were displaced because of this storm, please consider this option as well.

Sending thoughts and love to everyone in need ❤

The NYC Marathon (Might Be) Six Days Away – Here Are My Thoughts

This post was going to start off with 100% PURE EXCITEMENT FOR THE FUCKING NYC MARATHON. OBVIOUSLY. Until Hurricane Sandy came.

I currently live in Bergen County NJ (very North Eastern NJ, 17 miles to NYC, to be exact). I grew up in Point Pleasant, NJ (Ocean County, NJ, and still wish I lived there). However, there are these shitty fucking things that happen, like hurricanes that travel all the way up to the tri-state area and wreak havoc on us. I will ALWAYS support the Jersey Shore (no matter what those fucks did to taint it).

Prior to Sandy, to me, the respectable Jersey Shore was Point Pleasant, Manasquan, Belmar and (all of) LBI (I have family there). After Sandy, the Jersey Shore includes every town from Long Branch down to fucking Cape May. We are one in the same. After all of the preparations and fear, Hurricane Sandy made landfall in NJ, somewhere just south of Atlantic City. It is hard to write this post without crying. To be honest, it is hard to sit up in North Jersey and watch your hometown be destroyed by the minute. I drank a lot (and ate more than acceptable) to get through it.

THANKFULLY, my parents and sisters (and aunt/uncle/cousin) live more than a mile and a half from the ocean.  My family is ok. That is my first priority. I am happy to report that to you. The damage is minimal, I am happy to report that to you as well.

SO – on to the next depressing topic – What do I know about the NYC Marathon? I have no idea. I read a few articles. Is it legit? I have no idea to be honest!!! (I’m sure there will be updated articles after I post this)!

Now. The content of this post: Why I am excited to run the NYC Marathon: (I wrote these down on the post-its at work on throughout the week last week, actually) 🙂

• I am finally running the race – I have been denied by the lottery for two years (as have many others). For those doing the NYRR 9+1 qualification – you know it takes a long time. I have been working since January 2011 for this race (and luckily for me, the cost went up in 2012).
• I am running with Sky again. I could have never finished the NJ Marathon sub-4 without her. END OF STORY.
• I am excited for all of my friends who trained their fucking asses off for this race. They deserve a PR.
• The support and encouragment  – It is constant and it is endearing! I could not ask for more from my family and my friends! My friends planned on following me throughout the course – through Brooklyn (x2) and Manhattan (x3). Post hurricane and MTA shutdown, may not possible! However, the support is still there 🙂
• I am running (mostly) new streets in NYC!
• My training was unconventional! Prior to my dumb ass injury I was KILLING it in training. I was running fast and hard. Afterwards, I ran whenever and at whatever speed.
• The chills – I get the chills when I think about the marathon in general! I spent the last few years as a spectator. In 2009, I made my way to mile 18 (hungover as shit) to mile 18 to see a friend, and saw many runners visit their family members. I cried, over and again. In 2010, my friend ran. When I saw him I screamed as loud as I could as the same mile marker!!! He looked so strong! At the end of the race, we iced him. I still feel bad, because I know he will eventually pay me back. The sidelines are AMAZING!!!

• Before last week I was convinced that the Central Park hills would be no problem for me. Anyone who has run the marathon before knows better (I am a rookie). The 5th Ave hill (climb) back into the park is no joke. However, I know the crowd will pull me through the god awful MILE LONG CLIMB!
• The NYC Marathon signs. They have been up for weeks now (and hopefully still up now). I ignored them in the years passed. Now I embrace them like a mother fucker. They are MY SIGNS and I love them.

• The finish line!

Although not the REAL finish, and you’ve seen this picture. This shit is LEGIT.

There are probably more reasons. When I think of them, I will create another post 🙂 For now, lets just think of everyone who has been misplaced from the hurricane. She was an asshole. Let’s hope everyone is safe.

As for the NYCM – should it go on? Can it go on? Who the hell knows? Either way, I would love to run it. The city was built on resilience, obviously. But if NYC cannot be cleaned up in time, I get that too. Hurricanes like this are no joke. Me? My legs want to run. My heart wants to help everyone that needs help. It definitely puts things in perspective!

For some reason my B (-) blood is the second most rare blood type and I am going to give it back. I plan going home and donating blood to the American Red Cross (YOU SHOULD TOO)!!!! Even if you do no have a weirdly rare blood type.

ORANGE-UP for the NYC Marathon with ING Runners Nation!

It is Marathon week. Officially 7 more days until I toe (or gradually cross) the start line of the ING New York City Marathon.  I’ve been working toward getting to this start line for over 3 years! I’ve dealt with lottery rejection, injury, a year of qualifying and another year of training!

My family and friends (and millions of strangers) will be out there in full support of me. I will be running along side of 45,000+ others all working towards the same goal. It brings me an overwhelming feeling of joy.

Many of the runners will be running for a charity (in 2011, over 210 charities raised over $34 million, source, holy shit), either because they have an AMAZING heart or because of the difficulty it is to guarantee an entry into the race, hopefully a little of both.

I consider myself a healthy living blogger. I’m assuming if you read my blog you are interested in living a healthy life of you and your loved ones (or my mom paid you to increase my site hits). The ING Community Fund is tackling childhood obesity through ING Run For Something Better. They are helping children become fit through free, school-based running fitness programs. Through donations and grants, the programs introduce children to the benefit of running, physical fitness and healthy lifestyle choices. With ING-sponsored races and ING KiDS ROCK (a partnership between ING Run For Something Better and the KiDS ROCK running series operated by Competitor Group, Inc.), the kids get to experience a “final-mile run” which simulates a race day atmosphere! They will receive medals, t-shirts and orange laces! Although I do not have children, I would absolutely LOVE to volunteer at an event like this!

For those of you running, walking, spectating, watching on TV, dreaming of or even thinking about the ING NYC Marathon on November 4, I think a fun way to celebrate is to ORANGE-UP your fitness routine this week! If you donate $10 (or more) here, you will be sent a pair of orange shoelaces like these:

By participating, you’ll be supporting the 45,000+ runners in the ING NYC Marathon, as well as the ING Run for Something Better campaign that creates running programs for kids. Plus, who doesn’t want Neon orange laces in return for doing something good for kids, especially the week of Halloween?

ORANGE-UP WEEK – Monday, October. 29 – Sunday, November 4

Do you want to win something?

How about an ORANGE prize pack from ING? It will include those neon ORANGE laces as well as these ridiculously fun ORANGE glasses (no guarantee on looking as cool as me though):

It’s easy to participate (and it’s free)! SO wear something ORANGE, and tell your best friend and your mom and your dog to do the same and get ACTIVE!

How to Enter!

1. Take a picture of yourself (or your best friend, or mom or dog, all the whole gang) wearing ORANGE (and having fun).
2. Submit your photo:
• Facebook – Post your picture on the ING Runners Nation page (and like it since you already do and are already there). Please include this caption with your picture: “I am wearing ORANGE with RunningBun.com because I support the ING Runners Nation #orange_up.”
• Twitter – Tweet your photo to @INGRunnerNation with the following: “I am wearing ORANGE with @runningbun because I support the ING Runners Nation and #INGCLassof2012 #orange_up.”

3. Comment on this post (one for each entry) and let me know you submitted the pictures (I want to see them too, and it’s the only way I can pick a winner via Random.org!

Your picture must include the bolded caption above. You can enter a maximum of two times (one on Facebook and one on Twitter). There is no prior registration necessary, just submit your picture when you’re done exercising (or during, if you can multi-task)!  A random winner will be selected from all of the comments I receiver on this post (so don’t upload and not let me know) on November 5, 2012 (if I have enough energy to lift my hands).

Have fun with this!

Best of luck to all of the ING Class of 2012 runners!!

Please note: I will not stop stay ORANGE until after the marathon Sorry!