Sunday's medium long run of 16 miles was cut short to 9. I ran 4 miles on the streets which was almost impossible due to the snow, puddles, slush, mini-mountains on every corner, and diabolical black mouse who chased me down a sidewalk. I did the remainder in the gym where I was pretty sure I would not encounter the aforementioned obstacles. By mile 9 and bathroom break #3, I decided to call it quits for no other reason than I was tired (and 3 bathroom breaks is kind of unusual for just a 45 minute run). As I was leaving, a random man in the weight area asked, "Leaving already?" Great. Now I really felt guilty! However, I didn't let it stop me...from stopping.
I substituted yesterday's run for skiing. We took a couple of days to ski in the Berkshires with the kids. It was great. It was the first time I skied with the children and I was so impressed with how well they did. My little guy zoomed down the slopes fearlessly (maybe a little recklessly, too), I could barely keep up. The highlight of the little trip was "running into" Mr. Big in the parking lot. Yep, Chris Noth (or Detective Logan to those of you who prefer crime dramas over comedies about sex and the city). I made Pete talk to him because I know I would have said something stupid. Pete said hello and Mr. Big walked right over to our car with a big smile. We chatted briefly and then he let me take a photograph. He really was very friendly. Oh, and what a smile! The next morning we "ran into" him again outside of the café where we had breakfast. Pete again spoke to him. At first, Mr. Big kept walking, but then Pete mentioned how we had just seen him the day before at the ski area. Mr. Big looked over at the car and I waved like a little kid waving at Santa Claus during the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. His wonderful smile spread across his face again, but I think this time because I'm sure I looked ridiculous. He got in his car which was parked in front of us and we both drove off. It got a bit embarrassing because we were following him for a couple of miles. There's only one main road in the little town and we both happened to be driving on it. In the same direction. At this point, I was waiting for the police to show up with an Order of Protection warning us to stay more than 500 feet away from Mr. Big. Thankfully, that didn't happen. The celebrity sighting was a fun end to our little getaway.
hi.
Today I ran one and a half miles to the gym. I did 5 miles on the treadmill with 5x800s at 5k pace. For a half mile I set the speed to 6.4 (which I think is a 9:22pace) and then I sped it up to 8.5 (6:58 pace) for the next half mile. I repeated this 5 times and then ran back home. By the end, I was spent. I knew this was because I wasn't getting in my miles. So starting today, I'm turning over a new leaf. I only have eight and half weeks left until the big day. I need to use this time wisely.
Feet, don't fail me now.
Have you ever had a celebrity sighting? What's your best one?
I treated Bing Crosby's wife Catherine for a couple of weeks. Jackie the Jokeman Martling was in the office for a while..and I met John Barry (the musician who wrote the James Bond music) and treated his wife and mother-in-law. The boss kept Billy Joel for himself. - They are just regular, everyday people. I can't sign my name now for obvious reasons..
ReplyDeleteVery mysterious...
DeleteThat 5x800 workout on the treadmill sounds difficult and I would expect that anyone would find it tough. I think pace is less relevant on the treadmill than on pavement because the treadmill restricts your stride length, requiring a higher cadence at any given speed.
ReplyDeleteThe skiing trip sounds like great fun. I'm always amazed by the fearlessness of kids on the slopes. You could have named today's post She Is Out Skiing (or We are Out Skiing).
Your encounter with Mr. Big amuses me greatly, mostly because I can't imagine you tongue tied. I can imagine Pete reluctantly engaging the guy in conversation saying, "My wife would say hello if she could."
I worked for Time Inc. for 20 years so it was rare to go a week without running into a celebrity or politician in or around the building. But it was always exciting. My favorite encounters in the past couple of years:
1. Watching Ben Stiller filming "Secret Life of Walter Mitty" outside my office.
2. Seeing a scene from 30 Rock being filmed while I was out at lunch.
3. Sharing a table with John Lithgow and his wife at Bouchon Bakery at TW Center. My friend was so tongue tied that I couldn't get her to respond to simple questions.
Ah yes, I remember you mentioning the Lithgow sighting before. You had no idea who he was, either, right?
DeleteBelieve it or not, I knew who he was.
DeleteI forgot to mention that I recently saw Stanley Tucci when I was having lunch at Republic. He ordered the same dish as me, probably because he thought I was famous.
I loooove Republic!!!
DeleteUnion Square rocks. Republic, Basta Pasta, Paragon & JackRabbit.
DeleteI love Mr Big!!!! I think one of my favorite celeb sightings was handing gatorade to Bill Ransic while volunteering at the NYC Marathon this year...so dreamy!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I had to Google Bill Rancic because I had no idea who he was. Yes, he is dreamy. I would have liked to have hydrated Patrick Wilson at this past year's NYC Marathon. He ran pretty fast, too!
DeleteI work in the chelsea area and walk a lot, and I see celebrities on the streets quite frequently. Off the top of my head, I've seen Dustin Hoffman window shopping at a used records store on my block, Robert DiNiro, Sam Champion, Christopher from the Sopranos and Jon Stewart (in a Mets hat, which I liked). I also got yelled at one time for walking out of my building for a late afternoon snack while Jody Foster was being filmed for a movie just feet away. Sorry, I don't give a shit about your movie, its 4:00 PM, and I need a chocolate chip cookie to get me through the rest of the day. They actually had the temerity to yell at me to stay in my building while they filmed on the street.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to try some 800s. What's your cool down in between?
Living and working in NYC, it's pretty hard NOT to run into a celebrity at some point. I feel for you. Nothing comes between me and a chocolate chip cookie either!
DeleteI jogged the same distance at a 9:22 pace in between running 800m at 5k pace (6:58).
Thank you. There seems to be very little guidance on cool downs when you peruse workout plans.
DeleteWhat a funny experience! ha ha
ReplyDeleteThank you! I always feel compelled to engage a celebrity when I see one. It makes for a better story, I think :)
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