FINALLY!!

Last night I managed to get in a 10/3 brick, which is probably a good thing becuase I am doing the NYRR Sprint Triathlon this weekend. Unfortunately I had to do it on River Road so there was a lot of slow going and stopping. I almost got killed by a bus that was going way to fast, but other than that the ride went well. The tire held up, which to tell you the truth I was a little nervous about. Now the run is the interesting part. I had an AWESOME run, my first sub 30 5K in AGES. I used to pump them out all the time but since my platnars fascia issues I haven't seen one in a while. The irony of it all is I have been training by run/walking, not running, as a means to allow my body to recoup from the knee ordeal. Well yesterday I just felt good so I ran the whole thing and I guess the run/walk is REALLY helping becuase i dropped a minute and thirty seconds off my recent average time.

Now we just need to add that swim for Sunday. :)

Bike tubes, pumps and bricks!

So my plan for Wednesday was to do a 10 mile/3 mile brick but when I got home I realized that there was something wrong with my tire. The top of my presta valve just fell off. On Sunday I was able to fill the tire with a Co2 cartridge and get the cover on fast enough to ride, but little did I know I was supposed to deflate the Co2 the day after, so maybe that is what happened. Anywyay, I have had plenty of flate tires but I have always had chivilrous men around me to help change them. Wendesday I did it myself and what a trip it was. About a half an hour and the need for a shower later (mostly becuase it was the back tire and I had some issues getting the gears back on the rear derailer, but all went well! So proud of myself! But, didn't get my ride in because it got dark and I was planning to meet some people for drinks :(.

Cat Hill, I own you tonight!

Tonight's workout was Hill repeats on the infamous Cat Hill in the Park. Why is it called Cat Hill you ask? Well, there is a cat statue on a rock next to the hill...come on guys New York isn't THAT creative. The hill runs from the boathouse on the East Side to just before Cleopatra's Needle. We did four repeats of the hill and for the first time I wasn't terribly tired afterwards, which is amazing considering I did quite a glutes/leg/abs workout last night and was sore going into tonight's run.

Now here is the interesting query? Does the fact that I wasn't that worn out mean I didn't push myself hard enough or that I didn't do enough mileage or a combination of both?

My knee was bothering me (not hurting just noticeably different) during the downhills. I'll have to keep any eye on that in upcoming weeks. The good news is that the random IT band pain that surfaced this weekend didn't come back. YAY!!!

This past weekend: Queens Half and the Deer!

I just got scolded for not posing my weekend activities. On Friday afternoon I decided I was going to run the Queens Half Marathon. It was 88 degrees and 65% humidity when I left my apartment at 4:45 in the morning. I drove into Manhattan, picked up Kat and Jon and we headed over. Jon was awesome, he followed Kat around on his bike all day. Based on the heat and my training schedule I planned to treat the half like a 9 mile easy training run with a four mile stroll at the end. The plan worked out perfectly, no overheating issues and and I felt great at the end. It was nice to have the water stops set up, I must have gone through four refills of my water bottle during those nine miles. I heard a lot of people had trouble during our regular training runs.

The next day is the more interesting part of my training. I went out for what was supposed to be a 10/3 brick around my parent's house in CT. I was almost done with the bike ride portion and was turning down Evelyn Street (for those of you from Trumbull), was on my way down the hill and all of a sudden a deer came out of the trees. I had no chance of stopping because of the hill so I started trying to steer around him. When I went left, he went left and so on. I ended up literally grazing him as I went by and then he turned and started running with me. Needless to say I was COMPLETELY freaked out. I've seen what those guys do to cars and I am much smaller than a car. I went home and couldn't run I was so shaken up!

So that was my weekend. :)

Signed up for Boot Camp

So everyone has been raving about Jazmine's Boot Camp. The problem. . . it starts at 6:15 am...in the city. I am NOT a morning person during the week. Well, I just broke down and signed up, so for four weeks I will be getting up at the crack of dawn on Mondays and Wednesdays to work on my core and legs to make me a stronger runner.

Yes people, to train for a marathon (and a few triathlons) you need have some core strength. Tonight I did all my core work out at home. Lunges, squats, planks, side planks, 100's...the works. I expect to be in pain tomorrow but I guess i should be doing those every day in preparation for Bootcamp so I don't DIE the first day.

Tomorrow night we are doing our first hill workout...Cat hill, so not too terrible...five hill repeats. Fortunately the heat won't be as bad as it had been :) I need to squeeze some swimming in too because I have a sprint tri this weekend. Plus I need to get to the bike shop to figure out what is going on with my tire.

Well, here it goes!

So I meant to do this while I was training for the San Diego Marathon, but I started and forgot....so here is another go at it.

On June 6, 2010 I ran my first marathon, The San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon. It was one of the most overwhelming experiences of my life for many reasons. First and foremost, I did the race with Team in Training, the endurance/fundraising arm of The Luekemia and Lymphoma Society. Together my friends and family raised over $4200 for the cause!!! I have a young cousin and several family friends who are suffering from different forms of Luekemia so it made the experience even more personal. Second, I ran a FREAKING MARATHONG! I had some serious knee issues prior to the race and ran extremely injured. My younger brother stepped up and helped me through the last 7 miles, my coaches were incredible from getting me through the training to race day to being there after I finished. I made some great friends and proved to myself I could achieve almost anything.

When I was a kid I had an extremely athletic father and brother. The only sport I really excelled at was Tae Kwon Do. In fact, my parents let me stop playing soccer because I "didn't like to run!" In high school I couldn't even run the mile in less than 12 minutes. In college things changed a little. I played rugby (which started becuase of a randon act of boredom sitting in the forms) and I fell in love with running. My Rugby coach had us run three miles a day and I just got hooked, even after I stopped rugby becuase of an occipital nerve injury.

I took about four years off (2003-2007) and started again in 2007. And last month I finished my first marathon. I say first because it is definitely the first in a line of many. :)