Run, Robbin Bird

Race Report: Al Gordon Classic 4 Miler

2012-02-26T17:01:00.002-08:00

Results
Chip Time: 31:19
Overall Place: 1059
Gender Place: 195
Age Group Place: 27

The New York Road Runners organized a race this weekend in Prospect Park. Over 4,000 people participated, including me and my visiting Boone friend. NYRR's website invited people to courageously step outside of Manhattan and enjoy the countryside of Brooklyn, where I'm sure they were surprised they didn't have to step around cow patties upon stepping out of the subway station. I kid. But their race description that was geared toward people living in Manhattan, as though the most populous borough of Brooklyn isn't filled with runners who support NYRR races, was really silly.

But I digress. The point is that I PR'd with a 7:50 pace. I am familiar with Prospect Park and I think it gives me some advantage when I've been training well. Despite my familiarity I still steered my Boone friend wrong and told her that "the hill" should appear around mile three (I thought we would be starting out differently). "The hill" actually happened right away, so she was taking it easy (and also thinking that it wasn't really a hill since she lives on the side of a mountain and knows real hills) with the expectation that she'd have a hill to conquer later on. That never happened. And she was one second slower than her goal 10 minute mile. Oh no!

In more exciting news, I got the Forerunner 210 Garmin watch! And heart monitor. (The Garmin is a GPS watch that records all kinds of highly classified information.) And if I knew how to use it I am sure that it would be really awesome. Right now I can honestly say that it tells very good time. Very good. Like if NASA were to design the most precise clock in the world, my watch and that clock would say it was the same exact time, but my watch would be better because it would be on my wrist. All weekend long I've looked at it to see what time it is and I'm really glad I have it. The woman who sold it to me at JackRabbit Sports invited me to a monthly long-Sunday-run, and I showed up this morning hoping she would be there so I could ask her how to use the watch. Alas, she wasn't there, but I still really enjoyed myself. We ran 10.5 or 11 miles (depending on whose watch you believe), winding through Brooklyn along the water front and even passing my apartment at one point.

The best part of the whole run was that we ran past a row of firemen in a very industrial part of Redhook. They were standing in the street beside each other, maybe six or seven of them, and each of them was smiling and holding part of a long hose.

Friday Picture Wrap-Up

2012-02-24T13:48:00.000-08:00

The people on the street have spoken and here is what they have to say in Brooklyn:

Plus, a cat paw on a dog snout, while he is sleeping.

Fetch Me My Smelling Salts

2012-02-22T14:11:00.000-08:00

I'm so fragile. Apparently a little yellow fever and typhoid causes me to faint. Yesterday, I went to get my travel vaccinations for Africa at a clinic in the financial district, Wall Street Medical Associates. The yellow fever vaccine is required to visit South Africa and Zambia so you actually get a little certificate to put in your passport to prove you aren't carrying the cooties. I think I found the cheapest place in NYC to go and for this kind of thing I guess they are good enough. But my body was super surprised to receive the vaccines. One thing led to another and I ended up on my back with my feet propped up on a shoulder of a very nice lady who told me soothing stories about earthquakes and 9/11 in a very thick Brooklyn accent while the blood drained back into my face.

My plans to run yesterday were completely derailed. I'm going to try to get 11 miles in tonight and a long one in tomorrow. I took the day off tomorrow because one of my best friends from North Carolina is visiting! We're running a 4 mile race together on Saturday in Prospect Park.

It's really hard to make any plans past April right now, but I know what I will be doing on June 24th. Modest Mouse and Built to Spill are playing on Randall's Island on the same day and I am going to pee my pants* in excitement. Summer concerts in NYC!

This song gets me so amped. It's perfect to run to.

And of course...

* I'm not really going to pee my pants.

Race Report: Cherry Tree 10 Miler

2012-02-19T14:43:00.000-08:00

Results
Chip time: 1:22:46
Overall place: 360
Gender place: 101
Division place: 12

I've been looking forward to the Cherry Tree 10 Miler, organized by Prospect Park Track Club. I had some rough races at the end of 2011, including PPTC's Turkey Trot which was only 5 miles but ended up being very aptly named for me. Before the Cherry Tree I was curious to see how much stronger I've become from Two Oceans training.

I don't want to say anything bad about the PPTC or Jack Rabbit (the local running shop) races because I am so happy they are organizing Brooklyn races, walking distance from my apartment. These races are smaller than the ones by New York Road Runners, and getting 12th place in your age group sounds a lot better than getting 3012th. But if I had one complaint it would be not having bagels right there at the finish area, handed to me like a delicious gluten-filled trophy by a smiling volunteer who says, "Congratulations!" They did have some refreshments but they were at a high school a mile from the finish area, in the opposite direction of where I needed to go to put my pajamas on. That's all. Done complaining.

The 10 mile races in Prospect Park are three loops around the park. It's not an easy run because there is "the hill" in the park that is long and challenging, and this means it has to be run up three times. But the park is really beautiful and if you're lucky you'll get to see ducks and horses along the route. If you're unlucky you'll get cussed out by a biker with road rage.

I got a ride to the race from a friend and arrived nice and early. I started out kinda slow today with what felt like a million people passing me, but at the 7th mile I started to feel high and unstoppable (maybe this is one of the reasons I'm a long distance runner and not a sprinter). The finish line was after a downward slope that curved left into a side road and I felt like my legs were moving on their own and I was flying. I could see the clock at the finish line reading 1:22: 50, so I kicked it up a notch to get under 23 minutes. My chip time (the chip runners wear to record their official results) was 1:22:46 (8:17 pace). I came in 360th place out of 867 finishers. Or 12th place in my division.

Also, I had on new pants because yesterday my cat ate almost an entire sock (if he was a human being he'd be a pack a day smoker) and then threw up on my running pants. When he gets really sick like this (or hungover) I have to force feed him water through a baby syringe. Fun times.

Friday Picture Wrap-Up

2012-02-17T10:32:00.000-08:00

This has been a great week! I'm on track to get 45 miles in, even completing 7.5 last night in the rain. Also, I talked to someone who ran Two Oceans last year and she said it was the most beautiful ultra marathon she has ever done and she even had tears when she saw the ocean. I like how she qualifies the marathon with "ultra". This woman has run a lot!

In addition to the running preparation I finalized some of my trip to southern Africa. I had it in mind that I would get a safari outfit with a 40 per cent off coupon I had for the Gap. So, a couple of days ago I walked the 5 blocks from the office to the Gap store, picturing the awesome khaki pants I was going to get, along with a khaki vest with lots of pockets to put binoculars and sunscreen in. I could see myself in the safari truck; everyone would mistake me for a biologist or some kind of lion expert.

But I left the store with tight turquoise pants and a polka-dotted tank top. Doh!

This Friday Picture Wrap-Up has really gone down the toilet.

View of the sunset and rising moon from the East River Park

An orphan left at the entrance to Fort Greene Park

Foam rolling at the office

He loves to sit in the bathroom while I shower after a run home from work (pervy cat)

Heart Beets

2012-02-14T09:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

I had big plans for a Valentine's Day post and of course I procrastinated for too long. I was going to interview my coworker (and after work running partner) and her husband because they are both avid runners and they recently started blogging together! I love how supportive they are of each other even though Paul is "a mad runner" going for distance and time and Shamala is going for opportunities to photograph the change of seasons. I'll get it together and ask them some questions, but for now you can visit Live Boulder Run Bolder and read about their running adventures together.

Last night at the end of my run home from work I stopped at the grocery store. After wandering around for way too long in a daze, this is what I came up with: a red, creamy, tangy dinner that is perfect for a romantic evening with your dog and cat.

Heart Beets with Brussels Sprouts and Pumpkin Seeds
My bff in college used to make a delicious dish with toasted sesame seed oil, pumpkin seeds, and kale.We'd eat it while getting drunk on Chardonnay in her kitchen, deciding before the end of the evening that we were the most awesome people ever. So this is Valentine's Day for me: Red and pink veggies flavored with some of my favorite memories.

Chop your (heart) beets and halve your sprouts and lay on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seed oil and a liberal amount of pumpkin seeds. Salt and pepper and bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or so, stirring every 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on these guys because you don't want to burn them. For softer veggies you can cover with aluminum foil for the first 20 minutes and then uncover for the rest of the time.

Creamy Coconut Rice with Lemony Leeks and Fish
Cook a cup of basmati rice in one cup of water and one cup of coconut milk. (Or one part rice, one part water, one part coconut milk for the amount you want to make.)

Building the flavors (this is for one serving but can be adjusted accordingly):

Slowly melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in a skillet.
Cut one leek in half (to wash out the leaves carefully) and dice the light green parts, and then add it to the butter. Add salt and sweat it on low heat, stirring frequently.
Add four chopped cloves of garlic and stir.
Add the juice of half a lemon and half a cup of water and continue to stir.
Add half a cup of chopped basil.

You should have a nice buttery and lemony broth. You can add a little more water if there isn't enough juice. Because at this point you want to add a fillet of tilapia and spoon the leeks and broth over the top and cook. Flip once.

Serve the fish and leeks mixture over the rice!

And of course this Valentine's Day meal is not complete without some red wine and Jose Gonzalez.

Friday Picture Wrap-Up

2012-02-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

I see some interesting things when I'm running around Brooklyn.

Birds in Prospect Park

I think it's safe to assume that Lou Reed signed this telephone pole on Atlantic Ave.

Too many bran muffins before a long run and this could be a picture of you in someone's yard.

Post long training run beverage (and drunk cat).

58 Days, 14 Hours, 59 Minutes and some Flaming Lips

2012-02-08T12:29:00.000-08:00

I'm getting strong, y'all. Last night I crossed the Williamsburg Bridge on my way home from work, took a left to head up to Greenpoint in order to add a few more miles to my run home to Fort Greene, and as I ran back south on Kent Ave. I could feel all the muscles in my legs really working it. Working it like they really needed the money. And I was moving through Brooklyn's hipster district like this and smiling even though you're not supposed to smile when you're all by yourself because it makes you look like a sociopath, when this song began to play and in my runner's high state of mind I became...a....superhero....

It's an Uphill Battle

2012-02-05T09:43:00.000-08:00

It's not quite two months before race day and I completed my first long training run. It was roughly 21 miles long. I ran a 10.9 mile loop twice (but walked a few of the last blocks on the 2nd loop). My good friend and fellow runner (we've run three marathons and many other races together, although with different finishing times) joined me for the 2nd loop. After making a pit stop at my apartment where I tried out some boiled baby potatoes with butter and salt and some flat coke (both are offered at the refreshment stations on the Two Oceans Marathon course), we headed back out. I think the potatoes were a success! However, I definitely felt as though I'd already run 11 miles. My friend, the gazelle, was springy and fresh while I felt every hill, big and small.

Speaking of hills, the TOM has two really challenging hills that arrive after already completing 26.2 miles or the distance of a regular marathon: Chapmans Peak (rising 180m or 590ft) and then the big doozy, Constantia Nek (rising 215m or 705ft). Both of them cover about 4 km each of the course. I expect there to be a lot of cursing at this point in the race.

Race Profile. Gnarly.

I found this video that is sort of like a self help video for how to survive Constantia Nek. This dude is so calm. I'm a big believer in being mentally prepared for races. Unfortunately, I haven't always been consistent with this, instead taking it for granted that I know I'll finish. But for this race I'm trying to visualize myself reaching the finish line frequently. I've actually already finished this race half a dozen times in my head. I've also accepted a gold medal and given a victory speech with the American flag draped around my shoulders.

I'd like to increase my mileage over the rest of the month. The general rule is to increase no more than 10 percent a week. This seems like a good idea for me since I have never put in this many miles a month before. Finding the time is going to be the biggest challenge.

You Say Potato Part II

2012-01-31T19:42:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I was curious about how the potatoes served at the refreshment stands, on the Two Oceans Marathon course, would be prepared. So I wrote to Two Oceans via their facebook wall and asked them. They responded! It turns out they are (drum roll please...) baby potatoes boiled with a little salt and butter.

This weekend I am planning on doing a 21 mile (or so) long training run, otherwise known as two loops of the run I did Saturday. It will be the perfect opportunity to see how the potatoes are for running and munching because I can stop at my apartment and grab some before I start the 2nd loop.

Tonight I boiled some potatoes and jazzed them up a bit. I also baked some wild Salmon. Here are the recipes:

Slightly Jazzed-Up Boiled Potatoes

This is a variation of something my friend (and ex boyfriend) made for me recently. He's so nice that even though we aren't dating anymore he will do my taxes and make me dinner while I raid his whiskey stash and watch tv.

Boil baby potatoes until soft and drain the water
Add a little salt and butter. (Set aside half of your potatoes for a long training run. )
To the other half, add a bunch of kale and simmer with a little more salt, vinegar and Sriracha sauce (a hot sauce)
Continue to simmer and add chopped garlic.

Salmon Baked with Brown Sugar and Herbs

This is a dish that my mom made at Christmas from a Katie Lee cookbook (a food critic that was married to Billy Joel when she was like 12). It is AMAZING. I don't have the original recipe so this is a variation.

1 serving of Salmon

Mix together these three ingredients and smear all over the salmon:
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Stone Ground Mustard
dash of Olive Oil

Finely chop and mix together these next ingredients and pile onto the salmon:
2 Tbsp each- Parsley, Thyme, Chives, Mint
Salt
Dash of Olive Oil

Lastly, place Lemon Slices on the Salmon

Loosely wrap in foil and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minute. Uncover and bake for 5-10 more minutes.

Before

After

I like to put fresh herbs in little cups of water because it looks pretty and keeps them fresh. But they still need to be used soon!

DOMSday

2012-01-30T12:35:00.000-08:00

I got a little adventurous this past weekend and made up a new 11 mile (10.92 miles to be exact) loop to do in Brooklyn. I mapped out the course beforehand using runningmap. (I've used mapmyrun before, but I got really annoyed with its ads that block the view of the map and the extra sensitive pointer that draws a line when you're just trying to scroll down. One of these days my toolbox will include a fancy Garmin watch.)

It was a beautiful tour of Brooklyn. The course took me through the cobblestone streets of DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). This was followed by Brooklyn Heights with a breathtaking view of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. I trotted along through Cobble Hill, crossed the Gowanus Canal (a Superfund site, not to be confused with "Super fun"), passed through Park Slope and then ran south of Prospect Park toward Flatbush. Flatbush Ave. turned into Washington Ave, which took me home.

Eleven-ish miles isn't that long of a run compared to the 35 that I'm training for, but my legs are incredibly sore! This route turned out to be very hilly. There is one hill in DUMBO/Brooklyn Heights that is reminiscent of San Francisco (northern Californians can roll their eyes now).

I ran for a couple of miles yesterday, but it didn't loosen up my quads. Stairs are challenging, as is getting out of my office chair. The word for this is DOMS or delayed onset muscle soreness. This type of pain always takes me back to the days after the first practice of every soccer season, when I was a kid. I would be so sore from trying to prove myself on the field and it always made me feel tough and proud.

Here are some things I saw on my run:

The tip of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty (which appears small in this picture)

An old fashioned retractable wooden bridge, built in 1889, over the Gowanus

This bridge is the oldest of four of its kind in the country.

A market with outdoor speakers playing Caribbean music

Lively stores on Flatbush Ave.

You Say Potato

2012-01-27T18:47:00.000-08:00

This evening, running home from work, I sweated my way through gaggles of good looking people who were probably heading somewhere to hang out with other good looking (and non-sweaty) people. Meanwhile, I was thinking about potatoes. My train of thought began with how weird I felt because I ate too much sugar today. I felt similar while running in the most recent NYC marathon, at least during the last half of the race. And I attribute it to eating too many caffeinated energy gels. That led me to thinking about the "refreshment stations" that are going to be along the course of the Two Oceans Marathon. On its website the race organizers say that potatoes will be provided as one of the refreshments. But it doesn't say anything else about it. Will these potatoes be baked? Fried? Will there be a potato bar with butter and sour cream? Will they be mashed potatoes? Potatoes au gratin?

I follow the Two Oceans Marathon on Facebook and decided I would take my question there. I noticed that the person running the page is very responsive to questions and suggestions on the page. There are lots of interesting conversations on there (and not so interesting posts pleading for bibs to the sold out Half Marathon). Earlier today Two Oceans said, "70 days to go to race day - that's 10 weeks...hope you have some great training runs planned for the weekend or maybe you're doing a race. Let us know what you're up to." See, so friendly! There are 22 comments so far, including one from a koala bear (judging from the profile picture). It just says, "Knee injury :-("

Recently I followed on their facebook page a controversy over the price of the Trail Run that is happening the same weekend as the marathon (there are several other races that weekend, including a Trail Run and a Half Marathon, which are both sold out). It seems that the Trail Run was posted as being a certain price and then suddenly the registration price was raised on the website without an explanation, but it included a free t-shirt. Subsequent complaints on their facebook page included stuff like, "I don't want to buy the t-shirt. Why are you forcing us to buy a t-shirt. This race is too expensive. You're never going to get locals to run in this race. This is highway robbery and we really want an explanation for why you are ruining this race." Then someone would respond with, "Stop complaining." The 22 km Trail Race (and free t-shirt) costs 550 Rand. I'm not sure how much that is in regular money, but it sounds expensive.

So I posted this question on their wall:

Greetings from Brooklyn, NY! I am running in the 56 km marathon and I would like to be prepared for the food provided at your refreshment stations before race day. I want to try eating potatoes on my long training runs. Is it possible to learn what kind of potatoes they are and how they are cooked? Looking forward to seeing you all on April 7th.

It will be fun to see what kind of response(s) I get.

72 Days, 13 Hours, 48 Minutes (and a book review)

2012-01-25T13:52:00.000-08:00

What's been going on in Two Oceans Marathon training land! I'm still feeling confident. My goals still include: running at least 40 miles a week; eating less processed foods and more raw foods; drinking less of the alcohol; and getting enough sleep (which means kicking the animals out of the bed). The first two weeks of January I was successful in getting 40 miles in. It wasn't easy, but I felt stronger than I have in a really long time. I even had a couple of runs up the Williamsburg Bridge (the bridges in NYC are our urban mountains) where I totally zoned out and didn't even realize I'd run uphill until I was heading down the other side. Brilliant!

I wasn't as successful in the third week. I felt kind of cranky and tired. It happens. On Saturday it snowed and I fell on the ice while fighting with Oscar over some delicious-looking garbage he found (because I wanted to keep him from eating it, not because I wanted to eat it). On Sunday I was so sore from falling down that I felt as though I'd been in a car accident. I even had what felt like whip lash. (Someone call whine-one-one, I need a whaaambulance.) Monday, I took ibuprofen and iced my back all day. Now I know what people are talking about when they talk about icing stuff. It really helped! I ended up taking three days off in a row, which meant I lost my Saturday long run and now I'm behind this week

In the meantime, I finished reading Ultramarathonman: Confessions of an All-Night Runner by Dean Karnazes. I will probably write more about this book. But for now let's just say that I really thought I would not like the guy. Maybe it was the title. Or maybe it was the whole "sexiest man in sports" award by Sports Illustrated (don't they know this award belongs to Johnny Depp?). Obviously he's not Scott Jurek, my favorite "ultramarathonman". But despite all these reasons to be put off by him, I found his story really interesting. This book is definitely not a book that you would read for insights into how to be a great runner; there are no details about what he wears, eats (other than the stories about stopping at gas stations or ordering pizzas mid run) or even how he trains. He jumps right to the big events that have shaped his now-running career. Also, there are no stories about other runners. While I'm writing this I'm starting to feel like he is an asshole. But wait! What I found interesting about him was his brief insights into why he runs. Even though he is obsessive compulsive about it, I could relate to his use of running as therapy (I even used to say, when I lived in the mountains, that running on the trails was my version of going to church). I could relate to the thought that the "runner doesn't need much" as I am a really low maintenance runner when it comes to gear (often I don't even wear socks). And mostly, I related to the feeling that if you can complete a long distance race you can do anything. After surviving the "meltdown/euphoria" cycle that comes with participating in a marathon, there is a period of time when I feel pretty much invincible, and when I feel I could also get the "sexiest man in sports" award (but only if I wanted it).

'twixt the fennel-field

2012-01-17T17:55:00.000-08:00

I have a new obsession with fennel, which I've consumed just about every day so far this month. I never bought it before this time and didn't even notice it in stores. But the crazy thing is that while reading about fennel just now in order to write a post about a delicious fennel salad I just made, I learned that "marathon" is the Greek word for "fennel". I kid you not. Here I thought I was going to write a post that didn't have anything to do with running, to freshen things up a bit, and low and behold, I'm eating a bowl full of marathon. Historians believe that the town of Marathon is named after the fennel fields that are found there. Marathon is also the site of a great battle (cue the battle drum and flute music) that famously led Pheidippides to run very far to Sparta in order to get help, followed by a 25 mile run to Athens to announce Greek victory over Persia (after running a total of about 175 miles during all this drama, it is said that poor Pheidippides collapsed and died). I also read in one place that he ran with a sprig of fennel in his hand, which probably looked really stupid.

From an 1879 Robert Browning poem (found on wikipedia):

So, when Persia was dust, all cried, "To Acropolis!
Run, Pheidippides, one race more! the meed is thy due!
Athens is saved, thank Pan, go shout!" He flung down his shield
Ran like fire once more: and the space 'twixt the fennel-field
And Athens was stubble again, a field which a fire runs through,
Till in he broke: "Rejoice, we conquer!" Like wine through clay,
Joy in his blood bursting his heart, - the bliss!

So obviously, fennel is amazing. It has a lot of vitamin C in it and it's supposed to be good for digestion. The entire plant is edible so nothing gets wasted, and it's not expensive (at least not at Mr. Coco's in Fort Green/Clinton Hill).

Here is the yummy salad that I prepared after a run home from work. The proportions are up to the eater. I slice the fennel by quartering the bulb and then slicing it thinly. Tonight I also threw in some chick peas that were already open (in a can) in my fridge.

Fennel and Gorgonzola Salad
Baby Arugula
Fennel Bulb sliced
Fennel Leaves chopped
Crumbled Gorgonzola
Dried Cranberries

Placed in a bowl.

Dressing
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
A small squirt of Stone Ground Mustard
Sea salt (did you know that all salt is sea salt?)

Placed in a jar and shaken.

Mix together and serve with a little black pepper.

I've taken this salad to two potlucks this month, and both times I used the plastic container from the "Organic Girl" brand baby arugula", $3.99 to transport the salad, which made everything ridiculously easy.

Eating on the Run

2012-01-14T18:48:00.000-08:00

I have decided that part of my training for the Two Oceans Marathon needs to involve experimenting with eating while running. I usually ingest the powerade gels (chocolate or vanilla flavored) during races longer than 90 minutes, but I felt so nauseous during the last marathon I ran that I'm a bit scared of them now. The gels are amazing; the first time I had one I wondered why I didn't use them recreationally. But they are full of caffeine and who knows what else. You can overdo it with them for sure. And by "overdo it" I mean poop your pants.

I went on a 2 1/2 hour run today, so it seemed like a good time to take along some food. I chose a peanut butter Cliff bar. I was so excited about it that I was having a hard time not eating it 20 minutes in. While I fantasized about the snack weighing down my pocket, I wondered what else I could eat while running. A burrito? A veggie dog? In Ultramarathonman Dean Karnazes talks about ordering a large pizza and en entire cheesecake to be delivered to him mid run. Would I be able to handle a cheesecake-pizza sandwich? Probably not, but it is always fun to fantasize about eating. Mmmmm...pizza and cheesecake.

About 90 minutes into my run, I was heading down the West Side Highway toward Battery Park and I decided I'd try the Cliff Bar. My face was numb and my throat was dry from the cold so the first couple of bites tasted exactly like plastic. But by bite three it started to taste delicious! There is something that feels very primitive, thus liberating, about eating while running. And I would say that it was a success. No stomach cramps. And I didn't get hungry or feel low energy by the end of the run. Most importantly I did not poop my pants. Next, I'll practice with salt intake while I run. Pretzels!

Two Oceans will have "refreshment stations" along the course which the race organizers say will have bar-one chocolates, bananas, potatoes, and ice cream. I'm not sure about any of these things. But I know of the perfect ice cream shop to help me "practice eating" while running. I'll do it, but only for the love of the sport.

Some things I saw on my run today:

Christmas lights still hanging in someone's yard and a cow that hangs out on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn

85 Days 13 Hours 27 Minutes

2012-01-12T14:19:00.000-08:00

Websites for marathons love to include the countdown to their race. I suspect it's supposed to invoke panic. The internal monologue goes something like this: "Eighty-five days, 13 hours, and 27 minutes! Wait, what? WHAT?? What am I doing? There isn't enough time. I'm going to make a total ass of myself! I am an ass. I am, in fact, an ass of myself."

This may seem like a long time if you, say, know you will have to return a library book. Or if this is the countdown to your roommate's birthday. (If you are counting down 85 days until your roommate's birthday, you're probably psycho. I've seen Single White Female.) However, in terms of training, 85 days can easily be broken up into not-too-many-sounding weeks. And each of these weeks is important.

This week it's hard getting my planned 40 miles a week in. I'm an evening runner and since I have plans after work tonight and tomorrow night I'm going to have to cram a bunch of miles in on Saturday. Either that or I run slightly tipsy tonight when I get home or wake up early in the morning? And try to run then? Morning? Huh?

The excellent news is that there is always time to eat. Here is my lunch from Tiffin Wallah yesterday. One of the great things about living in New York City is the food. The food and the Jay Z song, "Empire State of Mind" are actually the two great things about living in NYC.

South Indian buffet, $7.95. Near the corner of 28th and Lexington Ave.

And just for the hell of it:

Something To Listen To

2012-01-07T07:10:00.000-08:00

Modest Mouse is my favorite band. Like a good friend, they have withstood the test of time; I first started listening to them back in college and first saw them live in 1999, I think. At that show I was so mesmerized by Isaac Brock that I didn't even notice that two guys were standing behind me and had stripped below their shirts and were "sword fighting." Um, yeah. Modest Mouse has never inspired me to do that, but they do inspire me to keep on keepin' on.

Most often when I run, I need something to listen to. I've listened to the Wolf Parade and Modest Mouse Pandora radio stations while running so much now, they feel like my own personal compilations. I only listened to music once during a race, and decided that it's best that I reserve the music for training. I think Modest Mouse is going to get me through a 10-12 miler on this spectacular winter day. That will put me at 40 miles this week. Yee-haw! Thank you Isaac.

Introducing Oscar

2012-01-05T16:16:00.000-08:00

Thirty degree temperatures are my favorite temperatures to run in. This evening it was 38, so I took my dog Oscar out on a quick half hour jaunt around Fort Greene Park. With its hills and Rocky Balboa-style stairs you can still get a pretty good, short run in as you pretend the world is a giant obstacle course (and it is, isn't it?).

Oscar and I have very different running styles. He tends to go out feeling really strong and energetic. His first 10 minutes into a run are solid. He runs with his tail and head up, looking straight ahead like he's a show dog and not an orphaned mutt found on Rebel Dr. in western North Carolina. I, on the other hand, usually take 10 minutes to warm up before my creaky bones feel lubricated and my muscles feel relaxed. I'm not sure what those first 10 minutes look like to the outsider, but I imagine that I start out looking like a character in a zombie apocalypse.

Unfortunately, it was at this stage in my run that Oscar and I passed a cute guy jogging in the opposite direction. "He's a great runner! Good looking dog!" he called out to me as I lurched forward. I tried to answer him, "Thanks, he is a great running part....." but I couldn't finish because he kept going and I realized he wasn't interested in a convo. *Sigh* Oscar is a good looking dog. It's true. He has even kissed my neighbor Rosie Perez on the mouth. On New Years Day an old lady stopped us on the sidewalk and proceeded to kiss Oscar on the lips and said, "Oh thank you. That's the best New Years kiss that I got." (And I didn't doubt it.) And you know what? It's okay if he gives it his all during the first 10 minutes of a run and then tries to stop and smell things and roll in grass and jump on girls the rest of the run, because sometimes picking up my running shoes and seeing his eager face and wagging body is the thing that gets me out the door when I'm otherwise feeling defeated. And I'm pretty sure we make each other look good.

(top photo is of Oscar when he was a puppy, right after he was found in the woods in western North Carolina and bottom photo is him now, modeling my Turkey Trot medal)

Tonight's post run beverage is hot chocolate with nutella in it (because I was out of sugar). It's delicious and perfect for winter time!

Feels like Six

2012-01-03T17:57:00.000-08:00

I think I might have PR'd (personal record) running home from work tonight. There were several tricks involved in this feat. First, I had to race the cold feels-like-six-degree temperature outside, and by this I mean I had to run fast to keep my body temperature warm and I had to get through wind tunnels as fast as possible. Second, I had to beat that guy with the flashing light on his backpack. Who did he think he was? At some point on 2nd Ave, my chosen route home tonight because I don't like running along the East River in the dark (because someone might throw me in), I was standing still at a stoplight and this guy dressed all in black with a backpack and a flashing light on it, ran past me. Not only did his backpack have a flashing light, but it also had a reflective cover over it. I don't know why this last detail is important, but I'll admit it, his extreme caution irked me. "Where's your helmet?" I wanted to call out to him in my best circa 1985 bonehead accent. Instead, I did what any rational person would do and I sprinted halfway down the block to pass him. I was winded for the next few blocks but I was happy to be winning. But then, something surprising happened and suddenly the sidewalk seemed to split into two sections; one section continued being the dumb sidewalk and another section turned into an awesome asphalt-paved bike lane right along the road, and that joker with the backpack light took the awesome route. He breezed past me, rightfully on the road with his flashing light, which now seemed like his own custom automotive tail light.

I was reminded of a half marathon I ran in the Bronx nearly a year and a half ago. It was a terrible race to start with because it took forever to get there via train from Brooklyn. I got a late start and it kind of threw me off for the next 13 miles. But at some point I was competing with this dorky-looking guy with one of those hydration belts. These things also irk me even though they are eco friendly, and hey, ultra runners have to carry their own water! I think it has to do with looking like you take yourself too seriously. But I digress. This guy would pass me and then a little ways ahead I would pass him, and this went back and forth for the entire race. At the finishing area where I was noshing on a bagel and a banana I ran into Hydration Belt and he smiled at me and said, "Great race! I was trying to keep up with you the whole time!" It was such a great moment! And of course he suddenly seemed super fit. I would tell people later, "Oh man, I really killed it in the half today. I raced this guy with 2 percent body fat the whole time." Not!

Needless to say Automotive Tail Lights beat me down 2nd Ave. and we had to part ways when I turned down Delancey to cross the Williamsburg Bridge. At which point I had to go it alone. And alone I was! There weren't many people on the bridge tonight.

I ran 7 1/2 miles this evening, but according to the Two Oceans Marathon training program I was supposed to run 3.7 miles (or 6 km by their measurement standard). This seems weak. In fact, none of the running days look too demanding for January. I'm feeling confident.

35 at 35

2012-01-02T17:07:00.000-08:00

(picture of a t-shirt signed by Ryan Hall, which a friend from work picked up for me in Boulder, Co)

Around the same time that I was turning 35 I found a marathon in Cape Town, SA called Two Oceans, which also happens to be 35 miles long (56 km by their measurement). Perfect! The only trouble is that I haven't been running nearly as much as I should. Yes, I did the NYC marathon (for the second time) back in early November 2011, but it wasn't one of my finest races. The race-organizing folks are calling Two Oceans an ultramarathon, but I kind of think that should be reserved for 50 miles or longer. Instead, I'll just call it "a long f@$%*ing race."

I've completed seven marathons. Back in 2008 I had been living in Brooklyn for a year and I decided that I wanted to train for my first marathon, the NYC...because I'm crazy. It is difficult to get in this race through the lottery alone, so I raised money for a charity that primarily helped people in poverty living in NYC. It was my way of giving back to this city. Not that things had necessarily been easy living here. I was in a relationship with someone who was neglectful and dishonest, I'd gone through many temp jobs and craigslist gigs (no, not *that* kind of gig) before finally getting a job I liked and I'd had a series of unfortunate roommate situation after my first roommate (who was awesome!) had to leave town for a medical emergency. In the words of my girl Dolly Parton, "The Big Apple took a bite out of me." Training for the NYC marathon took my mind off of my troubles and gave me something positive to focus on. But I still had no idea the extent to which actually running the race would change my life forever. It was, in fact, the best day of my life. I'll never forget crossing the start line, running through Brooklyn and right past my then-apartment in Bed-Stuy with my neighbors sitting out on their stoops, hitting Williamsburg and seeing friends everywhere, running into Queens and getting a big bear hug from my cousin who was yelling his head off for me, and then crying the last couple of miles in Central Park because it hit me that I was actually going to finish. For someone who is plagued with constant self doubt, this was undeniably a great accomplishment. Once that medal was mine nobody could ever take it away from me.

Here's where I should post a picture of me running the NYC marathon, but eff-you Brightroom photography and your terrible race photos! All their photos of me make me look bloated and sluggish. But maybe that's just how I look when I run. Instead, here is the photo with my four-legged training partner that I used for my fundraising page:

Since November 2008 I have fought occasional depression and bad decisions to successfully complete six other 26.2s: Chicago (2009); Silver Spring, MD (2010); Paris (2010); Harrisburg, Pa (2010); Napa Valley (2011); and NYC (2011, again).

This being the first blog post I guess I should say that my goal right now is to write about what inspires me in order to get inspired. I also want to sell tons of adspace and become rich!! JK.

I have three months to train for the Two Oceans Marathon, "the most beautiful marathon in the world." Geeez. This morning, on this beautiful holiday day, I ran for 2 hours around Prospect Park, listening to my standard Wolf Parade pandora radio station. It felt like a decent start. I only need to be able to do that times three...and I'll be good to go April 7th.