Running – Page 13 – East Coast Appetite

Bronx 10 Mile Race Recap

October 1, 2015October 23, 2015Posted in Fuel, NYC, Race RecapsTagged Bronx, Races, RunningLeave a comment

On Sunday the 27th, I was fairly ready for my morning when the alarm went off at 5:21am (so I can snooze until 5:30). I had signed up for this race back in June and it’s my 4th of the NYRR Borough series (ran the NYC Half, Brooklyn Half, and Queens 10K earlier this year). This race was my first ten-mile race ever and my first race in the Bronx. I had originally wanted to keep at 9:35 pace throughout, but as my heels started giving me trouble in mid August and continued throughout September, I slowed my goal down to 9:45/mile and then to anything under 10/mile. I want to stay healthy for the Nike Women’s Half in SF October 18th, so I decided to treat this as a training run more than anything.

And that’s what happened. Before the 8am gun, I sipped some Gatorade (only available up near the start because of the Bronx 5K that was occurring) and stopped to talk to a speedier teammate on my way back to my corral. By the time I was done drinking and about to line up, the corrals were all moving up closer to the start. I slipped in somewhere near my “I’ letter but ran into teammates who were in G and H, then a friend who was in J found me. She and I went over our goals for the race (1. finish 2. steadyish pace 3. feel “ready” for our upcoming half marathons) and agreed to at least start together.

We carried on a conversational pace hovering around 10 minutes for the first 5 miles, clocking in a 9:45 third mile, then a slower 4th mile when we slowed for some water. We got to see the winners and sub-elites after the turnaround when we were done with 3 miles and they were done with 7, which was amazing. We applauded for a lot of them and Jaime was able to let out a fair amount of wooos for the women. I then got to see some fast PPTC teammates and cheer for them (and vice versa), which was a huge boost. I was smiling a lot through the 10K mark and enjoying the upbeat tunes around the park turnaround. Our legs were definitely feeling heavier right around the 5 mile mark, so I popped 2 pink lemonade Honey Stinger chews and washed them down with some Gatorade. The mild downhills gave us a lot to look forward to. Our chitchat grew more intermittent and we tried to count down the hills remaining. I took 2 more Honey Stingers at Mile 7 with some water.

Finally, with only 1.5 miles to go, I was feeling ready to “finish strong”. I picked up the pace to a 9:30 then sped up the last mile to a 9:00, and a sprint finish. The finish line really snuck up on me after a small uphill/downhill. I was hoping for some finish line photos, but MarathonFoto only has the cheesy ones I took with Jaime, including where the photog told us to bite our medals. Better than sorority arm, I guess?

I can’t wait to wear the shirt for this race because it is neon green and will hopefully help with visibility at night. I’m so glad I got to do this race for my 4/6 (guaranteed entry to the 2016 NYC Half!), see some more of the Bronx than my usual work-related Fordham Rd. jaunts, and feel more race-ready for SF.

Waving hello to the final water station teammate

Strava Pacing and Elevation Profile

After the finish, clutching Gatorade cup

Training Recap 9/21 – 9/27

September 29, 2015September 29, 2015Posted in ClassPass, Desserts, Running, TrainingTagged ClassPass, Running, Training1 Comment

This recap is going up a day late and is very short on running. Seriously, stop here if you want to read about all the miles I logged. Read on if you want some ClassPass recommendations or talk about J-shaped ice cream.

Monday: Rest day.

Tuesday: Missed a run in the morning. Showed up to the gym expecting to have time to run, but didn’t. However, I knocked out some serious weight training. My shoulders and chest were sore for days after with DOMS.

Wednesday: 5 mile group run to a beer garden. I did all 5 miles very conversationally. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever talked quite so much during a run. I as worried about getting tired legs after the big hill or around mile 3, so we kept it slow. But it was fun! We ran to a beer garden, Greenwood Park, where I happily wolfed down a (fried) chicken sandwich and fries and slowly sipped on a beer. I jogged half a mile to the subway on the way back and was experiencing some heel pain, so I made sure to foam roll and stretch after I got home.

Thursday: “Ratchet Zooba”, a class put on by Banana Skirt Productions with my friend who is a regular. IT WAS SO FUN. They’re part of ClassPass and I definitely think I’m going to max out the 3x/month allotment with them. It’s really nice to take a class with friends so you can let loose and be silly. Will, the instructor was really helpful for us first-timers. There was lots of jumping around, but it felt pretty easy on the joints overall. There was also twerking. I am sad to say that our photo is not on their Instagram. I tried to really strike a pose (a crucial component of the class is voguing, so I felt briefly like I was on an episode of America’s Next Top Model when Miss J directed them on that. I never know what to do with my arms when posing in general.

I got pretty sweaty, then we met with friends for BonChon. Nothing says post-workout meal like Korean fried chicken and tteukbokki covered with mozzarella. Then I went to a nearby bar to watch football, where I slowly sipped on an Oktoberfest beer while yelling at the projector. Which made my morning pretty rough.

Friday: Another early wake up call for 6:30am spin class at BYKlyn. I might max out on this studio’s 3x/month allotment on ClassPass. Shoes are $3, however. This makes me wonder if I should get my own cycling/spin shoes (I do currently have access to a bike that requires them) or just keep coughing it up (I rarely have cash on me) or only go to spin studios where shoe rental is included. I survived on my <5 hours of sleep, but was going a little easy on the resistance. I finally cranked it way up on the last few songs, then had a fairly springy walk back to my apartment. At work, I made it through a Board meeting, wolfed down a Chipotle barbacoa burrito, then got to unexpectedly head home early because of Pope Francis’s visit in midtown. Needless to say, there was lots of cold brew and a nap and I STILL went to sleep at 10:30pm. My running pal Carla always says “it’s the night before the night before” so I felt good about how well-rested I was going to be.

Saturday: Rested those legs, aside from some walking around Manhattan. During said stroll. I received 2 boxes of free Pocky from a truck, which I am currently munching on. The promo lady asked which flavor was my favorite (they were just handing out chocolate) and I had to say green tea but also the one with the panda on it, which is cookies & cream. I’d better start drafting my posts on snacks. While shopping with friends in SoHo, I finally got to try Play J ice cream on its final weekend. So nice I had to get it twice (went Sunday as well). I got the combo vanilla/chocolate and it was great. The cone sort of tastes and has a similar texture to Kix cereal. I’m bummed they won’t be parked in SoHo for the fall.

I had a brief evening excursion to Queens but was again in bed at 10:30pm, ready enough for that 5:30am wakeup call.

Sunday: Bronx 10 Mile day of reckoning. Recap to come, but I’m pretty much all smiles despite my slowness.

Fifth Avenue Mile Race Recap

September 24, 2015October 23, 2015Posted in NYC, Race RecapsTagged Manhattan, Mile, NYC, Races, RunningLeave a comment

After boldly declaring back in June that I was taking the rest of the summer off from racing, I actually did. I ran one final 5K at the Al Goldstein Speed Series on July 1, then went on vacation back down South, where I managed to crank out just a few sweaty miles in both Richmond and Durham, choking with humidity. I went on a mid-July “runcation” in the Berkshires with my running club and managed 7 miles on a towpath in the rain along with some Appalachian Trail hiking. During the group run, I actually had to remove my glasses for the last 3.5 miles because they were so streaked with a blend of sweat, rain, and oils that my vision was more impaired with them on. Aside from a few solo park loops, I cheered on my teammates at NYRR Team Championships, lounged by a few pools, took a free SoulCycle class in Montauk, and took an entire 7 days off from running in mid-August by accident. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I joined ClassPass in late August as well, in hopes of finding acceptable cardio alternatives, semi-regularly attending yoga to really stretch out my tight legs, and trying new-to-me stuff like barre and SurfSet. Needless to say, my return to the gym and the 3 or 4 days a week running schedule was not a smooth one. The weekend before the 9/13 5th avenue Mile race, I had to adjust my goals a bit. My A-goal was still sub-7 minutes but this seemed highly unlikely. I negligently was in the Hamptons during Labor Day weekend, when I had otherwise planned on a track time trial, so I chose to push it on a treadmill instead on the Tuesday before. I huffed and puffed my way through a half mile at 8 MPH (7:30 minute mile), slowed down for a half mile, then squeezed in another half mile at 8.1 MPH (wow, really upping the ante) during the Serena vs. Venus Williams U.S. Open game. This let me know that I could at least go under 8, where an 8:10 was my fastest 5K split this year so far. I really wanted to hit under 7:19 because this is the best mile time of mine that I can remember from High School. I was a sprinter and hurdler from 8th grade – 11th grade, so the mile always seemed and felt like an impossibly long distance to me. The longest I ever ran at a meet was 800m, so it’s good to know I’ve had the same mental pacing issues for the last 1.5 decades. Would it feel really cool to beat 16-year-old me? Yes. I am the same height but have an extra 30 pounds on my frame.

I rolled up to the Met Steps (so Gossip Girl!) at 8:20am or so Sunday morning, collected my # and T-Shirt (I’m not normally a fan of non-tech shirts but oooh this one is soft) and dropped off my bag after packing some Honey Stinger chews into my zipper pocket for the extra miles after the race. I wanted to cheer on the 15-29 Women (Group A) but was still in the bathroom line when they began. Good thing I’m new to Group C. I grabbed a few water cups after and sipped them slowly and slipped into the middle of my corral after the 15-29 Men started. I saw some much faster teammates of mine squeezing along the left side to get near the front, where they belonged. I happily stayed in the middle-back of the corral. At 5’9, I felt like one of the taller ladies, but I’m sure some of that was just the uneven ground.

And we were off! I hadn’t reset my Garmin Forerunner 220 to beep every .25 miles because I planned to run the first half sub-8 then see how I felt. Of course, how does one feel after a quick but not sprinting half mile? Like they can pick up the pace. I went out a little fast (whoops, 6:50, didn’t mean to see you there!), slowed for the uphill, then figured that since my heavy breathing wasn’t super audible, I could really speed up in the last 200m. I chose one other tall lady to catch up to and picked her off in the final 50. I couldn’t choose between quicker turnover and longer strides, so briefly resembled a fawn learning how to run. A friend tried to get a picture but I was just too fast for an iPhone on the final 100m. My watch said I’d cracked 7:24, which is exactly what NYRR agreed on. My stated B-Goal was sub-7:30, so that felt pretty good. Do I think I have a sub-7 in me? Yes, sure. Could I inch it down to 6:45? No, probably not at my current fitness and injury level. But those are goals for next year, when I hope to join my teammates at some local track meets after winter speed training classes. I’m coming for you, track mile. It’s been over a decade, but I’m coming for you.

I watched the D, E, and F groups run before squeezing in a conversational 4 miles around the reservoir with 2 of my teammates. My Achilles were hurting something fierce; I had worn my Ravennas instead of my Pure Cadences in anticipation of the extra miles, but I think all that time sprinting would have been painful either way. We then got some crepes and iced coffee before checking out the local speedsters and the pros. Sadly, I missed most of the Masters and Malcolm Gladwell’s heat, among others. I definitely plan on racing this again next year

MarathonFoto got some terrible pictures of me during the race and a few after both solo and with teammates. The solo shots have me convinced that I need to learn some poses other than “sorority arm”, “peace sign” and “congratulatory arms up”. Will double-thumbs-up make a comeback? Stay tuned.

Training Recap 9/13/15 – 9/20/15

September 21, 2015September 21, 2015Posted in ClassPass, Running, TrainingTagged ClassPass, Running, Training3 Comments

I’m now in the homestretch for training for the Bronx 10 Mile(r), but it doesn’t feel like it. I’ve been having Achilles pain since late August and it’s vacillated a lot this month, seemingly independent from my attempts at stretching, foam rolling, and cross training. I had hobbled through a slow solo 6-miler on the Saturday of Labor Day before hopping a train to Amagansett and distinctly remember wincing with pain as I climbed or hobbled down the house’s stairs that weekend. Then I was back to normal for a few days.

Monday: Running club meeting, where I gave a recap of the Fifth Avenue Mile, ate some pizza, then got some foam rolling advice from a friend. Another member is also not currently marathon training and is also using ClassPass, so we like to compare our mileage and favorite studios..

Tuesday: I wanted to run a morning loop of Prospect Park, but it didn’t happen despite going to bed at 10:30pm. I managed to run after work (dropping my stuff off at the gym) along the West Side Highway with a .5 mile warmup, 3 miles, and .5 mile cooldown back to the gym. My final mile was the fastest but my 2nd was the slowest. I originally had hoped for a tempo pace (Tempo Tuesdays are definitely a thing). at the gym, I had wanted to hit the weights but was starving and decided foam rolling and stretching was the best use of my time. Then convinced myself that lugging 30 pounds of home supplies and groceries home from Target counted as lifting.

Wednesday: PureBarre in Greenpoint with a friend after work. I took the 7 train from the new Hudson Yards stop then walked across the Pulaski Bridge. It’s kind of exciting to know that in 58 weeks or so, I’ll be running across that bridge as part of the NYC Marathon. This was only my 2nd barre class ever and it felt a lot easier than the first. Maybe that’s because a 6:40pm start time is just naturally my preference compared to a 7:30am start time, but I think that knowing some of the moves (still not sure about the difference between a hold and a freeze between tucking means) helped quite a bit. I got to the point of quivery exhaustion a few times.

Thursday: Another failed morning running day, which means I had to get in a few miles at the gym along with strength work. Managed 2 miles of the hill workout on the treadmill at a pretty fast pace before feeling the time crunch. Foam rolled and stretched along with getting in triceps curls, the assisted dip machine, and lat pull-downs. I’m getting slowly closer to being able to do a pull-up (and a chin-up).

Friday: 6:30am 45-minute spin class at BYKlyn. They don’t have any metrics (as opposed to the spin studios where I’ve been more frequently, Peloton and Swerve) but we did an Empire-themed ride, ensuring that I would have “Drip Drop” stuck in my head the rest of the day. I wasn’t dripping with sweat near the last 15 minutes so I decided to really crank up the resistance all the way and feel those hills. It got me thinking about the hills I’ll face in San Francisco. Brutal, but a great way to start the day.

Saturday: 8am Group run day. I found someone else who wanted in the 6-8 mile range at a 10-minuteish pace. I had run one to the park meeting spot, so hoped to get another 7 in. For whatever reasons, I really struggled through the last 3 miles and the climb up the Brooklyn Bridge both ways. We made some water stops but was still feeling dehydrated on the waterless way back. I’m in the market for a running backpack with bladder capabilities. I brought a Gu gel along to practice fueling but didn’t ingest it, so I think I’ll stick to solids during next week’s race. I tried my new foam rollers out at home after while drinking a smoothie.

Sunday: Afternoon restorative yoga. I think I’m going to make a habit out of this to really stretch out on a weekly basis.

Totals: 14 running miles, ?? miles on a spin bike. 2 gym visits, 3 ClassPass classes, endless foam rolling.

Fall Racing Schedule

September 18, 2015September 19, 2015Posted in NYC, Running, San Francisco, VirginiaTagged Races, Running, San Francisco, Staten Island, TrainingLeave a comment

I’m already many weeks into my latest Half training cycle but feeling fairly unprepared. I’ve cut a few long runs short (did I learn nothing from Brooklyn this May?) and tended toward cross-training in lieu of some of those mid-week 3-milers. After battling and beating plantar fasciitis this spring in my left foot, I’ve had some Achilles pain the last few weeks. But I am feeling way better this week after increased mileage and cross-training. My next 2 races are:

The Bronx 10 Mile

The Nike Women’s San Francisco Half

I registered for the Bronx 10 Mile back in June along with the Mile, knowing it would sell out. I then entered the late-June lottery for Nike SF and got in early July. The timing is great other than a busy wedding weekend in between the two, leaving me wondering when to squeeze in another 10+ mile long run. But I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it, either before I depart DC, the day before the wedding, or after I come back.

I’m considering adding on the Staten Island 5K plus some extra miles SI around that day (October 11), which is exactly one week before Nike. I’m not even trying to hit a personal record in SF, due to those killer hills, shown in red above. Instead, I just want to enjoy my time and consume all that race swag. Assuming I’m relatively injury free after the Bronx, I plan to sign up for the following races:

NYC Runs Haunted Island Halloween 10K. I ran the 5K version last year and while I got a 5K PR earlier this year on a similar Roosevelt Island course, I am overdue for a 10K PR. I hated life and the humidity during both the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K and the Queens 10K and walked through the water stops. I think late October weather might be perfect to best myself on either of those runs. I’ll be cheering on many of my friends in the NYC Marathon the day after, so hopefully a race the day before will get rid of my marathon FOMO. Plus I’ll be going out for Halloween that night before waking up Sunday to cheer on my marathon running friends. I live right along the course then will probably take the subway to the finish.
The Staten Island 5K on 10/11 OR the Race to Deliver 4M on 11/22. Either one will be my 9th NYRR race this year and thus my final race in the 9+1 series. I could of course do both and hope to improve on my NYRR best mile pace. I’m also considering the Jingle Bell Jog for this reason because it’s near me in Brooklyn. I did my volunteer time back in April at the Japan Run and had a great time but am also glad to have it out of the way now that everyone is trying to squeeze in their races and volunteer credit.
Richmond Half Marathon on 11/14. Why yes, I would love a hometown race with the option of getting both Dixie Donuts and Sugar Shack Donuts after. This would be the Half I want to PR on this year. There are hills, but I’m pretty sure they’re more gentle than those in San Francisco. A friend who ran it last year told me there’s great crowd support, plus my family is pretty much obligated to attend and cheer me on. It would have been even more reasonably priced earlier in the summer, but I’m glad I’ve waited to register so I can watch for injuries.

So, after a fairly slow summer, it looks like fall will be pretty busy. Let’s hope I stay injury-free and that the weather cooperates.