Training – Page 10 – East Coast Appetite

Week 3 of NYC Marathon Training

August 9, 2016August 9, 2016Posted in nycm, Race Recaps, Running, TrainingTagged nycm, Running, Training2 Comments

After being just 0.2 miles shy of my training goal on week 2, I entered Week 3 ready to get closer. Then I stumbled.

Monday: Rest day. Went to my current preferred rock climbing gym after work, took the test, and got belay certified! I used the auto-belay to try some new-to-me routes. Then I went out and sabotaged myself for the next day.

Tuesday: Snooze button overload and was double-booked for dinner at night. Yes, I had 2 dinners and desserts (and 3 drinks).

Wednesday: Al Goldstein Summer Speed Series 5K. I had Shake Shack for lunch (Shackburger, fries, and a concrete) and was still feeling kind of gross at 6:30pm. I jogged a warmup mile and asked people their different pacing plans in the “corral”. I quickly figured out who I should not bother trying to keep up with and who I could try to use as a rabbit. But it didn’t quite work out that way because most everyone went even faster than they planned to. I was hoping for steady 8:30s across the board to test my fitness.

One thing of note with these races is that there’s no chip time mat differential, so your time starts when the gun (horn?) goes off. I tried to get up closer to the front but didn’t want to be run over, so I guess my time includes an extra 20 seconds or so. I bucked the 5K trend of having a fast 1st mile, slow 2nd mile, and struggling speedy final mile. Instead, I had a slowish 1st mile up the hill, then sped up with the 2nd mile’s downhill, then kind of had trouble pushing in the 3rd. Gabby came back around for me and we kept the last half mile pretty fast (I made her tell me stories to keep my mind occupied) then really sprinted in the final 100m. Final average pace was 8:45 for a finish of 27:07 but that’s less than a minute off my PR, so I think I’ll be fine.

Between the run there, the race, and my cooldown, I hit 5.3 miles.

Thursday: I did a run-commute home with the more scenic route which also had fewer lights. I ran into a couple coworkers walking or cycling home, which was cool. The weather was great overall and I made it home in time to shower before seeing Hari Kondabolu live. 6.3 miles total.

Friday: Rest day.

Saturday: I thought about a quick 3-5 miler in the morning but am glad I saved my energy because I went hiking at Breakneck Ridge in the afternoon with some coworkers. When I heard there would be some rock scrambling, I imagined less steep angles than what actually appeared. It was seriously much harder than I thought it would be. But it was awesome! I think our hike (white trail to red to yellow) was 2.8 miles total.

Sunday: Long run day. My NYRR plan called for 9, so I jogged a mile to the usual meeting spot then did 2 park loops with half of the group. Some of the miles were faster than my plan called for (those downhills!) and some were right on target. I could feel some foot tiredness in the final mile home but nothing to worry about. I foam rolled after then headed out to the beach for some swimming, lounging, fish tacos, and frisbee. Total of 9.0 miles.

Total mileage: 20.7 miles out of 25 (not counting the hiking). This is 17% less than prescribed by NYRR Virtual Trainer, so I’m hoping to not miss that crucial Tuesday run again.

Week 2 of NYC Marathon Training

August 2, 2016August 2, 2016Posted in nycm, TrainingTagged marathon, NYC, nycm, nyrr, Races, Running, Training6 Comments

Monday 7/25: Rest day.

Tuesday: 7/26 Ugh, overslept/hit snooze for 6am marathon training again. After work, I did 3 x 800s on a treadmill at the rock climbing gym with a half mile warmup and recovery jogs in between. I was pressed for time because of my 6:30pm belay class but glad I got in some speedwork. Less than 3 miles overall, though.

Wednesday 7/27: 5.2 miles of a park loop in the morning. I only had 2 ShotBlocks for breakfast instead of my usual frozen waffle with almond butter (ok, cookie butter) so I was struggling a little. I did 5.2 to compensate for Tuesday’s 2.8 miles.

At night, I went to the rock climbing gym and climbed with friends for a couple hours. I tried a 5.6 and 5.6+ route and was pretty sore the next day.

Thursday 7/28: I planned to run commute to work, but ended up run commuting home from work. I took Google’s recommended route home from a bar in Long Island City (after drinking just water and eating only cake). It went along the BQE for a while as well as the Orthodox South Williamsburg area and there were a lot of long lights, so I will try a more pedestrian-friendly route next time. I did get a feel for the Pulaski Bridge, which is part of the NYC Marathon route. 6.3 miles total and I ended it at Bklyn Larder to buy fondue provisions for a work lunch the next day.
Friday 7/29: Rest day. Ate a ton of delicious foods at work because we had an international food potluck. Went out at night with coworkers and ‘carb loaded’ with ddukboki and budae jigae at Pocha 32 (along with some watermelon soju). Then wisely drank lots of water at the bar.

Saturday 7/30: NYRR Teamp Champs Race! Virtual Trainer suggested 7 total miles, so a mile each of warmup and cooldown before and after the 5-mile race, but I didn’t have time for even a half mile warmup. The womens’ race began at 7:30am this year (moved up an hour because of heat), so I knew I would have to do 2 miles after.

I originally had loftier time goals for this race (sub-9 or close for every mile) but my current conditioning plus the humidity led me to believe I should adjust my goals toward something more reasonable. I asked a few pals what their pacing plan was and latched onto a teammate’s who was trying for 9:15ish then dropping for the last 2 miles. We ran 4.8 miles of the race together and her positivity was so helpful during it. Well, we took the first mile a little too quick and the hills on the next 3 were not great.

I got confused by the last 200-400 meters of the race and accidentally hit stop too early on my Garmin, then restarted. But my official race time was 46:51, so that part is right.

Team Champs Strava Splits — Strava Splits and the GAP tell the story of some rough hills and pacing

I ended up with 2.3 after because I got confused on the bridal path and around the reservoir. I expect to hit up Central Park for my long runs more soon, including the dreaded 18-mile tune-up in mid-September.

So glad to be done and cheering on the men

Sunday: Quick 1.2 mile shakeout run to Bagel Pub, where I got an everything bagel (toasted) with bacon scallion cream cheese and a peanut banana smoothie.

Total: 22.8 miles out of a recommended (by NYRR Virtual Trainer) 23 miles. So close! This was my highest mileage week ever, but they will of course continue to increase.

Week 1 of NYC Marathon Training

July 26, 2016September 2, 2016Posted in nycm, TrainingTagged nycm, Running, Training5 Comments

I took the plunge and bought NYRR’s Virtual Trainer. I was already planning to use Hal Higdon’s Novice 2 as well as my running club’s marathon training schedule and weekly speedwork, but I really like having something so customizable. After inputting my recent race times from this spring and my current amount of running AND the fact that I’ve had a soft tissue injury in the last year (sigh), the trainer spit out a time goal for NYCM of 4:37-4:45. I’m not going to lie, my original time goal was sub-4:30, but I think this makes a lot of sense given all of those confounding factors. I’d only been running 3 days a week (plus spin and barre) this spring and am still very cautious of getting injured again. The great thing is that I update my paces and distances and times into the virtual trainer and it will update my goal.

Monday 7/18: Off day and I mean really off. I drove to DC (well, Northern Virginia) and popped by. Pacers Running to peruse hand-held water bottles. I ended up buying a new Camelback water bottle for my gym/class workouts (my favorite one from the Nike Womens Half has some mildew) and a Virginia is for Runners shirt. (Our old tourism state motto was Virginia is for Lovers). Then I took a long bus ride back to NYC and had most of a slice of Artichoke’s pepperoni pizza for dinner. Off day, y’all.

Tuesday 7/19: I skipped the 6am speed workout with the team but did 3 miles total with some soccer field laps for speed solo. Easy and breezy and way less hot and humid than my Sunday run. As the first official workout of training, I was very pleased, though I should have made it closer to 4 or 5.

Wednesday 7/20: 4.4 miles with part of a park loop. Not too hot at all despite it being closer to 9am (weird work schedule some days).

Thursday 7/21: Accidental off day. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Friday 7/22: HIIT workout with Gabby at the Propel Lab. For almost an hour, we cycled through different bodyweight exercises and cardio plus some 250m repeats on the Erg. Fortunately, they supplied us all Propel electrolyte water and a sweat towel. After collapsing on our mats, we headed downstairs for a nice breakfast, complete with smoothies and a braid bar. I’m so glad the nice folks at Propel let the bloggers bring a friend! I had glute and ab DOMS the rest of the weekend. The swag bag is the perfect gym bag, too.

28190063710_abfaee2470_o — At the smoothie bar, grabbing the chocolate/banana option with more protein

Saturday 7/23: 8 mile long run solo. It was hot, so I took it very slow and steady. I stopped a lot at water fountains and didn’t pause my watch so most of the miles were around 11:00 min mile. I did take a stretch break (ahh, the DOMS!) by the lake for a hot second.

Sunday 7/24: 4.5 mile run for food. We were on city streets and it was pretty sunny, so I reached new levels of face sweat with my visor on. Had a watermelon slushie, jian bing, a couple crab soup dumplings, and a mango smoothie after.

13725000_10154328173441870_4115745446042039350_o — The final 100 meters to deliciousness. Rocking my Lululemon Run From Work backpack with a 2L Platypus bladder and Run Times shorts

13775391_10209942613270880_8283184064712154253_n — Slushie #2 from Mango Empress for the road

Total miles: 20 (out of 22 recommended by virtual trainer).

The final weeks before marathon training

July 8, 2016Posted in ClassPass, Running, TrainingTagged ClassPass, Running, Training1 Comment

I haven’t run a race since the Mini 10K, but I’ve been trying to build my base mileage before I start marathon training for NYCM (November 6th). I’m also still a ClassPass member and am now part of the Core pan, where I can take up to 10 classes per month. Plus I still have a gym membership at Blink, but I think the last time I stopped in was to stretch before taking a Mile High Run Club class back in May. I know, I know. What happened to my pull-up goals? I guess they’re on hold for now. I feel like I’ve been doing enough bodyweight during all my barre classes that I’m still pretty strong overall. Just not pull-up strong yet.

I am somewhere between a Robin Scherbatsky and an Elaine Benes at the gym. Less grunting than Robin, less preening than Elaine.

But back to running and ClassPass. In June, I took 5 barre classes and 2 spin classes and logged 40something miles. Not bad, but I will eventually be running 40+ miles in a week. I’m trying not to add too much of any one thing in my running (whether that be miles, hills, or speed) in fear of tweaking my bursitis. I’m optimistic but still nervous about marathon training overall. I’m hoping to find a half marathon within a couple weeks of Labor Day to fit into my training plan (Hal Higdon Novice 2 but also buying into NYRR’s Virtual Trainer) and am taking suggestions.

I also played some tennis the other week at the West Side Tennis Club. Remember when I took tennis lessons on a clay court in summer 2011? Yeah, my backhand and racket haven’t seen much time on the courts since. I’m hoping to take some tennis clinics through ClassPass in the upcoming weeks to improve a smidge.

I’m going to hit publish on this post even though I feel like I have so many more words possible, (both on marathon training but mainly this week’s news events, but I feel like I’ve largely said my piece on Twitter and Facebook and now need to work on being a more active ally IRL.

Training and General Update Post and brief Japan Day Run race recap

May 13, 2016May 13, 2016Posted in ClassPass, Race Recaps, Running, TrainingTagged 4 Miler, ClassPass, Races, Running, Training2 Comments

Now that I’m in better physical health and running semi-regularly again and racing, I feel very energized about the next few months of running. Jazzed, even. But I’m trying not to get ahead of myself, knowing that I need to prioritize preventing re-injury and trying to make it to the start of mid-July marathon training for NYCM, much less that November 6th actual date. I ran (haha) an analysis via my data on Strava and MapMyRun (which I used for a few years before getting my Garmin 220 in June 2015) to see what my highest weekly and monthly mileage is historically. I knew that my mileage never got as high as it should have been for any of my half marathons in 2015 due to both injury and falling off my training plans. I have a tendency to cut long runs short and skip that 3rd or 4th run of the week, even when uninjured. I also don’t document my cross-training particularly well digitally, but all those ClassPass spin sessions and strength at Blink lives on in my paper planners, Google Calendar, and vaguely in my memory. All of the apps are interconnected in that Garmin uploads to Strava and Strava uploads to MapMyRun and MyFitnessPal. I’m going to try to increase the inputting of my spin sessions going forward since FlyWheel tells you how many miles you biked.

For my paper planner, I bought a couple sets of these running and barbell stickers from FayeCreates’ Etsy. This is the only decoration my planner (a $15 one from Sugar Paper’s Target collection, I might add) receives. But it’s so satisfying to see an array of pastel running stick figures and weights fill up my calendar, especially now that I’m running more frequently. This is also where I let you all know that I’m fascinated by planner communities, having once been part of (but never posting to) the LiveJournal community for organizers and sometimes browsing the YouTube planner gurus.

The general update is that I DNS the Run As One 4 Miler.I was coming off a very busy week and hadn’t slept well that Friday night (the night before the night before the race is a crucial sleep night, right?) and was dogsitting Elle’s pup Bandit and just wasn’t feeling it. Had much more fun sleeping in and doing a brief run on my way to Smorgasburg with some runner friends in Prospect Park. I got to eat my beloved Outer Borough again, try some fries with duck confit on top, and sample a few flavors of Ooey Gooey Butter Cake. Still on my must-try list are Big Mozz’s mozzerella sticks, Jianbing, and Wowfulls. I think I can skip the rainbow cake, but let me know if it’s any good.

I did, however, end up completing the Japan Run on Sunday, May 8th. The skies opened up and poured down rain as I was picking up my bib at 7:15AM. A bunch of us hung out under the Bethesda Terrace and I ran into a PPTC Teammate then checked my bag and hid in the Meet Hello Kitty tent. Sadly, Hello Kitty didn’t appear until after the race and I wasn’t feeling very photogenic.

They let up for the first couple miles of the race, then began pouring again during the final mile. My third mile had been slower than I planned and I knew I was no longer in the running for a PR (had been feeling hopeful after the first 2 miles but my fitness just isn’t there yet). I had to remove my glasses and put them in my jacket pocket because they became too foggy and streaky for me to see. I managed not to run into any fellow racers since my vision isn’t too bad, and had a great sprint finish. NYRR and MarathonFoto did not capture any pictures of me (probably for the best). There was a guy running with his long hair down and in only a leopard-print Speedo who passed me on the third mile. I had hoped to be in some of his pictures but didn’t make it.

My next race is the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K. I had originally wanted this to be a PR attempt, but I think I’m going to instead shoot for the Mini 10K on June 11th instead. That’ll give me enough time to increase my long, slow runs and also try some of the mile repeat 10K workouts from McMillan. I’ll be gambling with the weather but am hoping to be out there more often in heat and humidity in the next month anyway. I feel like my barre and strength classes and spin are helping me get stronger (I kind of love forearm plank pushups now?), so we will see.

Training Recap 10/12-10/18 and 10/19-10/25

October 27, 2015Posted in ClassPass, TrainingTagged TrainingLeave a comment

Current activity levels post-half pictured above.

I tapered pretty hard before Nike Women’s SF Half, then got back to NYC and had a 3-day doctor’s order moratorium on intense exercise. I’m taking this time to deal with my Achilles tendon pain and try more cross-training (like hopping on a real bike). I’ve decided not sign up for the Richmond Half Marathon this year (11/14), but did choose to do the NYC Runs Haunted Island 10K on 10/31. I’d like to hit a 10K PR, weather and body permitting, but it’s ok if it turns into a fun run. I don’t want to not run any more races this winter, but am going to follow medical advice until my tendons and right hamstring/glute feel better. So I have my eye on some early December local 10Ks and Halfs just in case.

The week before SF, I just did a quick 2-mile run on the West Side Highway Tuesday morning and a “Ripped Ride” at Crunch on 38th. Those bikes have cages so you don’t have to wear cycling shoes, but I definitely prefer the clip-ins. I felt like my feet kept slipping into weird angles. The music and blacklight effects were good, but I was distracted, trying not to rub my heel against the bike. I wisely stretched and foam rolled before the class after a warm-up but had to rush off to join friends for Umami Burger. I had signed up for a dance class Thursday night but canceled it so I could pack.

In SF, I had signed up for 2 of the optional race weekend events; a tune-up/training session Friday at 5pm, then a 7:30am shakeout run. The 5pm workout was a lot of fun and got my heart rate up with side planks and HIIT work, but didn’t test my body too hard. I decided to cancel my shakeout run since I had walked about 5 miles Friday and developed a blister on my left heel. I walked around 5 miles on Saturday as well, but use Lyft Line to get to dinner and back and get off my feet for the last 12 hours before the race.

I signed up for a post-race yoga class early on Monday morning, but canceled that as well. Sleeping in was a great idea since I had hung out with friends after the race, watching the Mets game and eating a few meals. I got a Thai massage with a friend the day after, which was a good call. I hadn’t had this type of massage before and it was really cool to feel the masseuse walking on me. We felt noodley after and took a walk to see the Painted Ladies, which involved some hills, but I was fine. My flight was a redeye and I think the massage really helped me sleep (I’m a terrible airplane sleeper) and not wake up feeling too sore.

After my 3-day exercise break, I did my semi-regular spin class at BYKlyn. I pushed myself harder than usual, which felt really good. And that’s it for 2 weeks. My Achilles are feeling pretty good most days, but my hamstring pain persists. Over the weekend, I went to the Village Halloween Dog Parade, attended a grants committee meeting for my running club, and went on a wine tasting tour of the North Fork. I was hoping to squeeze in 3 miles before the dog parade, but it didn’t happen. But I met a lot of dogs, tried a lot of wine, and obtained half a dozen apple cider donuts.

Not my winery bike.

Training Recap 10/5 – 10/11

October 13, 2015Posted in ClassPass, Running, TrainingTagged ClassPass, Running, San Francisco, Staten Island, TrainingLeave a comment

After last week’s tumbleweed gif, I’m tempted to post one of EVEN MORE tumbleweeds representing my nonexistent miles, but will refrain because then I’m just pushing this metaphor too far.

Monday: Running club meeting, where we focused on upcoming marathons. I had 2 slices of pizza but made the mistake of watching MNF after and drinking.

Tuesday: 1 mile warmup and cool down for my 3-mile tempo run after work on the West Side Highway, with plenty of foam rolling before and after at the gym. I grabbed a peanut butter protein smoothie from Gregory’s Coffee then headed to a book launch party and reading for Slaughterhouse 90210 at my beloved .Housing Works Bookstore Cafe. There were free drinks but I wisely did not partake.

Wednesday: After a very intense and lengthy dentist appointed, I tried a Boxing Burnout class at Overthrow. Their description on ClassPass: “Overthrow New York is to boxing what soul cycle is to cycling, creating a training experience and filling a need for a functional, efficient, and group oriented boxing workout in the fitness world!” Needless to say, there were no candles or encouragements to ride as a team. I got there early but they were out of wraps, so the front desk guy advised me not to punch too hard. OK, can do. We learned the basic punches and had a cardio warmup in fighting stance, then got to hit the bags (3 to a bag). I’m left-handed but it just made more sense to do everything right-handed with lots of left crosses. We did this in HIIT circuits, which was pretty cool because I knew that by the 5th set, I could really wail on the bag. We then formed two lines facing each other and did a mix of planks, push-ups, mountain climbers, and crunches. It was pretty brutal on the knees and the floor was both wet (from sweat and/or spilled water?) and managed to chip off in small pieces onto my back when laying down. I would definitely try this class again but wear a t-shirt to encounter fewer floor mysteries. I was so glad that I filled my water bottle up in the sink before class because it was pretty warm and musty and everyone without water looked like they were dying. Also, there were about 20 people in the class and 19 were female. I could tell some were regulars, but the instructor was pretty good at helping us newbies acclimate.

I stupidly stopped by Juice Press after and should have gotten a smoothie with more protein, but instead grabbed a $10 bottle of Fountain of Youth. I really need to re-join people for Saturday morning long runs so I can #willrunforjuice.

Thursday: Normal gym time, with a rowing warmup (2000 meters), then lots of back, chest and arms strength. Grabbed Korean fried chicken and beer after at WA Bar & Kitchen with my lifting partner. Their wings are on the saucy side, so I might just stick with BonChon which has more combo options.

Friday: My favorite 6:30am ride with Nikole at BYKlyn. Easy on the knees and Achilles with the added bonus of hills and a great soundtrack. I was exhausted after and might have taken a little nap before work and after my much-needed shower.

Saturday: I walked around Prospect Park and the Greenmarket, which were both overflowing with participants of the Brooklyn Rock and Roll Half Marathon. I met up with some friends who had run it for brunch and felt both inspired and terrified for my upcoming San Francisco Nike Women’s half.

Sunday: Staten Island 5K. I wanted to PR and go for sub:26 (a logical next step, my current PR is 26:16 from NYCRuns Memorial Day 5K), but I went out too fast (like 20 seconds per mile too fast on the first 2 miles) then crashed on the third during a slight incline for a bridge. The finish was spectacular, but I knew I had missed my PR. I ended up getting an extra 4 miles in while waiting for the Staten Island Half finishers to come in, then was rendered pretty much immobile because I had stupidly raced in my Brooks Pure Cadence instead of my Brooks Ravennas. I really feel the difference after more than 4 miles, mainly due to the heel-toe drop difference. Race report to come later this week before I leave for SF.

Training Recap 9/28-10/4

October 6, 2015October 6, 2015Posted in ClassPass, TrainingTagged ClassPass, Running, Training1 Comment

Mileage? What mileage? I’m not tapering quite yet, so this week was painfully short on runs but high on wedding-related fun. And sleep. I went to bed before 11pm every night (wedding night excluded) but somehow just didn’t wake up early to run. Gif below is of “nth week of training # of runs”. Nothing to see here, folks. It is also the longest tumbleweed .gif I’ve ever found.

I managed 2 miles of speedwork on the treadmill Wednesday, then an Open Align class at Bend and Bloom Yoga after a light dinner. I had tried out Gentle Flow and Restorative the previous week and found it very relaxing and gentle on the Achilles. This one promised to be “a great class for those recovering from injuries”, but more active overall. The instructor was a substitute but I liked her blend of being both soothing and spunky. We finished with working on shoulder stands, which I haven’t tried in months. I had a few awkward collapses, but ended up getting into it and eventually into plow pose. I’m planning on trying their Sweet Relief class next, which has an hour of vinyasa flow, then 30 minutes of yin and stretches. Too bad it’s on Friday nights.

I’m excited to announce that this workweek will include a belated long run, tempo run, strength training, and my first crack at a boxing class. Oh, and the Staten Island 5K on Sunday.

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.

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.