Holiday or not, still have to run

• Sat, Dec 26: 8 miles, about 1 hr 36 minutes on the treadmill

Well, Miami runners got to fall back (again) this week, since our race is furthest away. We had a choice of doing 6-8 miles, or (for me) 15-17 miles if I was feeling good to go. However, since I was all about the holiday rest, I squeezed in my 8 miles on the treadmill. Now that's commitment! :)

Tempo Run #2

• Wed, Dec 23: About 3.5 tempo runs, about an 11 minute mile pace.

Just as before, we were supposed to run comfortably hard for a mile, then have a recovery run for 1 minute out and 1 minute back, then tempo run again for a mile. I really wondered whether this would be a safe practice, given that it had snowed heavily earlier in the week and it was a bit slippery just walking on the sidewalk. However, it turned out that the road itself in Prospect Park was really dry (while the fields still had inches of snow, haha), so it was safer running in the park than walking outside it! For this reason, I'm glad I didn't miss practice (what with it being so close to Christmas and all). And I was also pleased with my effort again. Never mind that this old guy cruised by me with little effort but much greater speed. :p I managed to impress Coach Lisa and Captain Robyn with my effort, so go me! :)

Ted Corbitt 15k

• Sat, Dec 19: NYRR Ted Corbitt 15k, 1 hr 48 m 26 s. Pace: 11:39min!!!
  

My 2nd real race! For this one, we were falling back in terms of mileage, so we were supposed to try to push our pace. Based on my (slow) 5K time, I was supposed to run at about a 12 minute mile for the race, +/- 15 seconds, so I wanted to try to do at least that. Plus, since I didn't know Central Park, I wanted to treat it like a real race and see what I could do. After all, the one I'm training for is 26.2 miles, not the 9.3 I was doing this day!!!

So, here are my results! :) Yes, I'm slow. But I'm pretty pleased with my effort and time. Just so you know, there were about 3500 people running, so I was in the back (just as with the Nike Human Race 10K). Still, I think I'm running better, which is something to be proud about.

Last Name	First Name	Sex/ Age	Bib	Team	City	State	Overall Place
MARTYR	JANINE	F30	7350		BROOKLYN	NY	3248

Gender Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile	AG Time	AG Gender Place	AG %
1594	382	1:48:26	11:39	1:48:24	1640	42.6 %

Starting a tempo

• Wed, Dec 16: Tempo runs. Got in about four 1-mile runs, at maybe an 11.5 minute mile each one.

So, now we're starting to do tempo runs. Funny, (or not so funny), I thought race pace was just what we had been doing so far. Or at least, I had planned to do just what I had been doing. Apparently not.

For this practice, we needed to run as fast as was comfortably hard for a mile, with only a 2 minute slow run for rest before we did it all again. I didn't know if I could do it, as I'm always afraid that I won't be able to last. But, I remembered Captain Robyn's comment about me being able to run faster than I thought. So I pushed, and instead of getting worried when I started and continued to breathe really hard, I thought: real pain, or perceived pain. And funny enough, I wasn't really in pain. It was effort, but I could keep it up. And yeah, I was still slower than everyone else and I wish I didn't have to breathe so hard to do it, but I kept up the pace for a mile. I was quite pleased with my effort this practice. So, go me! :)

Round and round and round and round

• Sat, Dec 12: 15 miles, more than 3 hours and a lot of drama

So we were definitely not thrilled to be in Prospect Park for this run. After all, it was 3 full loops of the park as well as 3 intermittent half-loops to get us up to 15 miles. (One full straight loop is 3.35 miles, so there's a double-back of about 1.7 that gets us to a 5 mile loop). This was a boring run. However, that was the point, as it was designed to help build our mental toughness. Heck, this whole running thing was a struggle from the start, so I didn't know if I needed a mental toughness test. But more importantly to me, it was a very COLD run. My fingers were hurting from the start, and after 1/4 mile, I didn't know if I was going to get to 2 miles, far less 15.

Anyhow, miserable as I was, I kinda did 10 miles. And for the first time, I walked too. Bad, bad, bad. I just stopped when I felt like it, and walked the last half mile before 10 miles because I had decided to go home. I had visions of my warm bed in my head. I wasn't interested in running for another hour, even if Nassar, Yasi and I were going to eat together after.

However, I didn't count on Robyn. Suffice to say, Captain Robyn was the boss of me this day, and I don't make that kind of statement lightly. She kinda forced me to get back out there, since I wasn't injured and, as I am training for a full marathon, really needed to get in the miles. She gave me her mittens, and told me to just run the 3 mile loop. But since I heard her saying to Coach Luis that she would try to convince me to do the last 2 miles when I came back, and I REALLY didn't want to hear anything, I just sucked it up and did the last 5 miles.

The reward? Strangely, the hills on this time around felt like nothing (for the first time ever). It was an odd feeling, but I endeavor to remember it every time I meet a hill. Plus, I got to hang out with Nassar and Yasi after all. So, good times in the end. :)

5K - Take Two.

• Wed, Dec 9: 5K again. 34 m 40 s.

After all of our hills training, we were supposed be stronger and maybe faster. The point was to compare this 5K to the one we ran 5-6 weeks ago. We were to run a smarter race, and have a good even pace.

Well, I was slower, which was disappointing. But, I ran a more even, less strenuous race. I paced at about 11.5mins per mile, which isn't terrible. Just not as good as the 10.5mins per mile I did previously. The hills were definitely easier to climb, though. :)

Coney Island and the BEST RUN EVER!!!!!

• Sat, Dec 5: 14 miles, more than 3 hours I'm sure. Running in the rain, lol.

This run really starts the day before, at the Chip Shop in Brooklyn. I met up with running buddy Yosi to go, and just expected lots of fried food - although I knew there was macaroni. Boy, was I in for a surprise. I was like a kid in a candy store, I was so excited about the menu. I ended up having macaroni, fried macaroni, veggie shepherd's pie, chips, ribena and lemonade. (Ok, some of this was ordered by Yosi, but I shared.) I was happy, happy, HAPPY, and this carb-and-shepherd's-pie-and-macaroni-induced happiness I am sure lasted all the way til Sunday morning.

Which meant that I had the best run ever this Saturday!!! I just chattered away for most of the run. Instead of obsessing that I was only at 4 miles, I thought, oh good, only 10 more to go. We got soaking wet, as it was supposed to start raining at 1pm, but instead started around 9am - *after* I'd run off without my rain jacket on. But it was so great. I enjoyed running TO Coney Island and the ocean, even knowing that I wasn't half done til I got there. It was lovely and flat, I must admit. And different from running in the Park, which is a bit boring now. And I enjoyed running back for the most part, although I did get tired and wasn't looking forward to the last bit in Prospect (hills, albeit small ones. I really have to work on them). It was just such a relief to have a "good" run, as 12 miles and 13.1 miles kinda sucked. If you read the last Saturday blog, you'll know how I've been feeling. Now I know what to do from now on. :)

The Hills Grand Finale

• Wed, Dec 2: Hills #5, and a single moment of some triumph!

This evening, I was in a very bad mood. I wasn't sure I should even go, my mood was so off. I kept asking myself "To go, or to go home?" lol. I got to practice late, so late in fact that I met up with the group at 7:30pm (and we have to be back for our bags at 8:00pm). We were doing our last set of hill repeats, and I managed to get in 3. But what a 3!!!

First time up - not bad, but nothing to shout home about. Second time up - this deserves it's own bullet points.

• Captain Robyn insisted I run faster and ran the last half up with me.
• I was so surprised that I was a) going faster, and b) keeping up with Robyn, that I asked her whether she was "running slow".
• When she said she wasn't, I ran faster. And faster!

Now, I was gasping for breath and nearly died at the top, but what a run! Captain Robyn was proud, I was proud, there was just a whole bunch of pride! lol

My third and last time up was also nothing to shout home about - I was tired already. But the endorphins were great, because I was now in a good mood. I actually felt sorry I hadn't gotten there earlier. What a turnaround. I still have a little pleased smile when I think about it. Go, me!

The Lone Runner

• Sat, Nov 28: 7 miles, about 1hr 20 mins on ye olde treadmill.

So at the end of Wednesday's pre-Thanksgiving and macaroni and cheese practice, we found out that, contrary to our training calendar, we only had to run 6-8 miles instead of 12 this Saturday. OMG. Can you imagine it? I wanted to throw a party right there and then. 4-6 miles less? Thank you, thank you, thank you! lol

True to form, I didn't do much for the day and then carted myself to the gym for around 6pm so I could have 2 hours to run before closing time at 8pm. It was me, the treadmill, and whatever was showing on MTV. As it was "only" 8 miles to do I tried to run it quicker, since I have really been struggling with my speed and getting tired way before the end. When the treadmill auto-ended after 1 hr, I was almost at 6miles, so I felt pretty good about that. But, boy, was it a struggle. I got off for a couple minutes and then went back and did 1 more mile so I could stretch a bit before I had to leave. It wasn't 8, but it was more than 6. And I had a chance to figure out what to do if I have to stop for a bit, because the poor legs and knees really seize up and I had to ease back into it. The lesson here: don't stop for long.

One more thing: I think I hate running. I know I don't love it, but perhaps it's progressing to a not-love/hate relationship. I don't know. I'm just putting that out there into the universe so I can see how I feel about it. Probably I'm just frustrated because I feel like it's not getting easier. Or rather, that it should be easier than it is since the truth is, I'm doing it! I don't know. I'm going to see how it goes. I want to think positively about this, but not the fake-positive "it's going to be alright somehow" stuff. More the critical-look-and-reason-that-it-will-be-alright-and-have-a-plan-to-make-that-so stuff. :) Because I firmly believe that I will do this. I just want to do it *well*. (And not so painfully). :)

Back to my (now) beloved hill

• Wed, Nov 25: Hills #4!

At least this time I was back at a hill I knew. And I wasn't late. :) Can I say how I kinda love this hill now? I feel like I know its curves like my own. ;)

For this practice, we ran 2/3 up the hill "easy", and then kicked it into high gear so we ran hard the rest of the way. The changeover marker was a little cone otherwise known as "Coach Luis", and the end point was another little cone going by the name of "Captain Robyn" lol. I think I did a decent job. Took it really easy on recovery, and managed to impress Coach Lisa a bit. She said we've never looked so good, in fact. I'm a bit worried that it still won't translate into better running, but I'll take it! :)

One thing I'd like to note. Can you believe, we actually volunteered to have this practice? lol We could have NOT had a GTS the day before Thanksgiving, and we RSVP'd that we wanted it! lol I dunno, it's weird how I miss my training buddies. I prefer to have them there sweating it out with me than not, while at the same time, I feel like I'm running along in my head even with people around me. Anyway, more room for the macaroni and cheese!!!