Black & Pink Friday With A Weekly Recap On Top

Sunday - 8 miles, 1:05:26, 8:11 pace

Tuesday - 4.73 miles, 35:54, 7:35 pace.  Tempo run: jog first ten minutes, next ten minutes at 5k pace, jog the next ten.  I was going to do another ten minutes at 5k pace, but I had to end the run for a bathroom break.  Yeah, I know.

Thursday - 3.91 miles, not timed

Friday - 4.04 miles, 30:23, 7:31 pace.  I ran a mile to the middle school track where I did 4 x 400m laps at 5k pace with jogging laps in between.  I ran home at an easy pace with one more 400m sprint.

Saturday - 8 miles, 1:05:08, 8:08 pace

Total miles: 28.7   This was the first week I ran five days since mid-August!

I didn't see a ton of Black Friday deals in the running category.  I was hoping to get a Garmin Forerunner 220 for a song, but there were no sales that I was aware of.  Instead, I got myself a Nike winter hat at full price ($30) from Dick's, a nice black Adidas cap for $11 and...the Supernova Glide 6 for $89, both from the Adidas site.  I'm very psyched.  The sneakers are pretty awesome.

And they match! (Unplanned)

This is a men's hat, 

but I really don't care.

Going Back to Cali...No, I Don't Think So

This was a big slacker week for me.  Here's my recap:

Monday: 5 miles

Weekly Mileage:  5 miles

We drove down to Arlington, Virginia last Sunday for a funeral.  We stayed through Wednesday so I thought I would get some runs in around the nation's capital, one of my all time favorite venues, but there was too much going on...and it was cold.  When we returned home, I planned on getting some long runs in to keep my weekly mileage up, but I didn't.  I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year and the house needed some serious cleaning and decluttering (Excuses are like assholes, apparently I've got more than one...).

Along comes Saturday night.  My friend, The Petite Pacer was signed up to run the Long Beach Turkey Trot today.  Even though I had a slacker week, I wanted to sign up.  I still felt like I could run a good race, the weather was going to be perfect and the course is flatter than flat.  I googled Long Beach Turkey Trot, clicked on the first entry, whipped out the ol' credit card and signed my arse up.  Awesome!  I went back to the race home page to double check that packet pickup would be at the usual place, the Long Beach Rec Center.  Imagine my surprise when I read it would be at 1 Granada Avenue, 90803.  Yep, 90803 would be the zip code...as in California.  Really?!  Lucky for me, I can clear my application without being charged within the first fifteen minutes...or could I?  Nope.  I frantically emailed the race director, Justin Rudd, who immediately emailed me back and reimbursed me the $40.40 registration fee.  Thanks, guy!  Yes, in hindsight, I see how I should have realized that the field of 5,000+ runners and 3 different start times was unusual.  Yes, I should have seen the California race date was completely different from the New York one.  And maybe the tanned bikini clad runners in the race photos should have tipped me off...  Honest, totally embarrassing mistake.  One I hope not to repeat, and if I do, I will not be blogging about it.  Fool me once, shame on me.  Fool me twice...and I'm keeping it to myself...

I resorted to an 8 mile run on my regular loop in 1:05:26, a. 8:10 pace.  TPP placed first in her age group.

Ten the Fun Way

I only ran three days during the week but none of the runs dipped below five miles.  I happily thought I would be up to at least twenty-five miles by the weekend.

Tuesday - 6.4 miles, 50:57, 7:58 pace
Wednesday - 5.35 miles, 43:13, 8:05 pace
Friday - 8.69 miles, 1:12:03, 8:17 pace

Saturday was my group run with my buddies, The Emerging Runner (ER) and The Petite Pacer (TPP).  ER's friend, Kin and TPP's boyfriend, JC joined us.  Kin is an accomplished triathlete who just completed his first marathon, New York City with a very respectable debut time.  I met him previously at the Brooklyn Half Marathon.  JC is a fast, yet humble triathlete who often earns awards in his events.  He has the right mix of experience from being a lifelong athlete and the positive attitude of the masculine version of a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader.

We decided ahead of time to do our run on the campus of the State University of New York, Old Westbury.  This venue is well known among Long Island runners who want to get in some hill work.   We met in the parking lot of St. Paul's Church on Cedar Swamp Road in Brookville which is right across the street from the school's entrance.  It was 32 degrees and sunny.  I wore two long sleeve layers on top, my awesome Mizuno tights, a wool hat, and my fleece running gloves.  ER wore...well...his signature baggy shorts over tights to protect us from possible post-traumatic stress disorder.

JC, a natural leader, immediately took us on the one way road running with traffic which concerned me at first.  It also concerned ER and Kin who decided to run on the other side.   JC reassured Celia and me that the one way road only lasts a half mile and then we could cross over.  He was right.  However, regardless of what side we were on, the cars seemed to be going double the 30mph speed limit.  As we neared the end of our first loop, we decided to veer off onto the extension that would lead us to Empire State College.  This is a beautiful treelined road surrounded by horse farms.  I had run this route a couple of times previously, but thought it was only a mile out of the way.  It turned out it was two miles, one out and one back to the main road.  We met up with ER and Kin again on our way back to the campus entrance.

After some JC persuasion, Celia and I agreed to do one more loop without the detour.  This would put us at ten miles, total.  Yesterday I was patting myself on the back for doing 8.69 miles.  I thought all I had to do was a nice, little 5 mile loop today and my weekly mileage would be in the mid-twenties again after many weeks of slacking.   I was not mentally prepared to run ten this morning, and I wasn't sure I was physically prepared either.  I didn't eat much the day before and that morning I was literally running on empty.  All that said, I certainly wasn't going to be the one to say no to the challenge!  ER wanted to run a couple of more miles on his own, but Kin joined us for the second lap.   I thought about taking some pictures during the run, but didn't want to get left behind by the others.  I wouldn't have the energy to catch up to them.  The second loop was easier than expected mainly because of the cheers from our coach, JC.  We finished the hilly 10.12 miles in 1:34, a 9:19 pace.  I was grateful to have completed it, despite a bit of woe-is-me-ing on my part along the way.

We met back up with ER in the church parking lot which we are no longer allowed to use as per the warnings left on our windshields.  So much for the All Are Welcome attitude (Just kidding, God...ha...).  We went for our traditional coffee at Starbucks sharing a lot of stories and laughs.  Mostly about ER's "style sense" (Just kidding, ER...ha...).  I'm already looking forward to our next outing.  Thanks, guys.

ER, JC, TPP, Run DMC, & Kin

30.5 miles for the week.

Mystery Achievement

November 2013:

     Total cholesterol - 251
     HDL - 69
     LDL - 160
     Triglycerides - 110

November 2014:

     Total cholesterol - 196
     HDL - 56
     LDL - 126
     Triglycerides - 66

I'm psyched, however I am not really sure I did anything differently this year, except maybe pass on the large, sugary Dunkin' Donuts coffee right before the blood work...;)

My cholesterol level has been over 200 pretty much most of my adult life, except one random year maybe 10 years ago.  I have always been in pretty good shape, but more so these past few years due to quitting smoking, running more consistently, and eating healthy.  Despite those positive changes, my cholesterol level remained unusually high.  I just chalk it up to genes.  I am not a fan of taking a lot of medication (in most cases, but not all.  I believe in vaccinations and treating serious illnesses that have no viable alternative treatments).  My doctor told me that because everything else was great (low blood pressure, regular exercise, etc.), she would hold off on trying to convince me to pill up (My plan to refuse would still stand when the time came).  We were both pleasantly surprised when these recent numbers came back.  However, this is not necessarily a cause to celebrate because I'm not really sure why the numbers went down in the first place which means I'm not sure if I can repeat the process again next year?  

I thought perhaps this year's results were the accumulated effect of a diet change from over the past three years.  I stopped eating piggies the summer of 2011 after going to a state fair in Massachusetts and seeing the most adorable piglet race in the history of the world.  From that moment on I said goodbye to my beloved bacon omelets forever.  A few months later I stopped eating red meat, as well.  Once in a blue moon, I might eat a steak or hamburger if it is grass fed.    Two years ago I also stopped eating ice cream on a daily basis. I did this not for the cows, but my own convenience.  If you are a regular reader, you know that I have bathroom "issues" when I run.  Ice cream sundaes were not helping.  My cholesterol levels in 2011, 2012, and 2013 were still pretty high.  Did it take a few years to set in?

Or maybe I just didn't fast properly before most of my physicals which is a good possibility if my appointments weren't first thing in the morning?  

I just don't know, but I'll take it.

My test gets the same refrigerator

treatment as the kids!

5.35 miles in 43:13, an 8:04 pace.  This was an interrupted 8 miler due to...a bathroom emergency!

Things I Don't Do, But My 8 Year Old Son Does Whilst Running

Things I Don't Do, But My 8 Year Old Son Does Whilst Running:

1.    Experiment running with his hands behind his back.

2.    Pick up random Halloween candy he finds on the ground.

3.    Eat found Halloween candy.

4.    Earn $1 for each mile run.

5.    Alternate running from the sidewalk to the grass.

6.    Speed up when I say slow down.

7.    Take breaks (Oh who am I kidding?  I take breaks, too).

8.    Skip.

9.    Drag feet in slow motion to demonstrate fatigue.

10.  Have enough energy to play basketball, street hockey, running bases, and tag for hours afterwards.

We did the first 5k together on a sunny 60 degree Election Day.  After dropping him off, I ran another 3.7 miles on my own.  The first half of the run was so much more enjoyable.  Love my running partner.

Look Ma, no hands!

Who needs a fuel belt when you

find what other people dropped?

Running Scared

I woke up startled even though the alarm never went off.  It was still dark outside.  Was it morning or night?  I went to the bathroom and then crawled back into the warm bed.  I checked my phone for the time, 6:45am.  Great, Sanibel won't be late for school.  I got dressed and went downstairs to make the kids their lunches.  I remembered today is mini-waffle day at the elementary school so I only had to make a lunch for Sanibel.  This is considered a small victory in my book.  Sad, I know.  I checked the clock.  It was now 7:20 and I still hadn't heard any footsteps or doors slamming from upstairs.  I called my daughter's name.  No answer.  I went up to her room.  The bed was slept in so she didn't fall asleep watching TV in the basement.  Who am I kidding?  She hasn't made the bed in weeks.  I went to wake up Pete, but he wasn't in bed either.  I guess he took her to school early.  I just hope he made her lunch.

I still had forty minutes before I had to wake the little ones.  Perfect time for a catnap.  I had the king size bed to myself which was a rare luxury in a family of six.  Usually by morning I have one child laying on my head, another one across my neck, and a third entangled in my legs.   By the time I actually dozed off, I really only slept for about ten minutes.  I did, however, have some creepy dreams.  I can't remember the specifics but I know I was being chased by some creature (or creatures) down a dark alley lined with overloaded dumpsters.  Sometimes rats would dart out causing me to almost fall over.  Yuck.

I got out of bed again and went to wake the three little ones.  They were not in their rooms.  Now this was getting strange.    I stood still and only realized then how silent everything was.  Not just the house.  It was silent outside, too.  Was the clock on my phone wrong?  No, it couldn't be because now the sun was up.  It was definitely morning.  Did I confuse the days?  Was it the weekend and Pete took the kids to church or something?  I haven't been going to mass lately.  Maybe he finally gave up asking me (Thank God!  ...uh oh, now I'm really going to hell).

I went back downstairs to check the computer.  I couldn't get online.  Ugh.  So annoying.  The radio was staticky too.  Well, I'll check the date on the newspaper.  Jeez, am I that far gone where I'm forgetting what day it is already?  Early Alzheimer's?   There was no paper on the front walk.  Of course not, Pete always takes the papers.  I decided to go for a run.   I'm due for a longish (over 8 miles) one so by the time I return, Pete and or the kids should be home.  Nothing clears the mind like a good long run.

I put on my sneakers and grabbed my sunglasses and watch from the hutch in the dining room.  There was a note under my watch that read, "Went to DC."  What the fartlek?!  That's so bizarre on so many levels, the least of which was the handwriting barely looked like Pete's.  The letters were more like Sanibel's chicken scrawl or like they had been written in haste.  I should call his cell phone which would be easy if I could find a house phone.  This is not unusual.  We have five cordless house phones, none of which can ever be found when necessary.  And I don't get cell service in the house.  Of course.

Fartlek it.  I'll just go for my run and worry about this weird shit when I get back.  I headed out.  It was a perfect fall morning.  The sun was out and the sky was blue.  The temperature was about 55F.  As I headed down Village Avenue I realized I hadn't seen one car on the road.  Oh well, better for me.  I don't have to worry about getting hit by an inattentive douche texting.  I checked my watch when I hit my first mile marker, 7:54.  Cool.  For almost seven months, I had been running this first mile between 8:05 and 8:20.  I decided to do some 100 meter strides to get some speed work in.  At the 3.5 mile mark I decided to go ahead on my longer route rather than make a turn to cut it short to an even eight.  I turned right on Grand Avenue.  This is a very busy commercial street filled with shopping centers, restaurants, offices, etc.  And still no cars driving up and down, just the ones parked and empty on the side of the road.  They almost looked abandoned.  There weren't even people walking.  I checked the time on my phone.  It was 11:40am.  What is going on?  As soon as I get home I need to check the radio or CNN.   This is getting ridiculous.  I circled back toward the house.  I made a turn onto North Forest so I could run past the baby's pre-school just to see whether or not there were classes going on.  The baby might even be there on the playground.  Maybe that DC note wasn't even for me.  Maybe...

I saw  some sort of commotion ahead of me.  A group of people.  Some moaning (ew).  Is this where everyone is?  As I got closer, I realized it was more than a commotion.  And I'm not even sure it's a group of people.  It's more like a herd of... something behind a gate being stabbed by what looks like a police officer, a little boy, and another guy.

I introduced myself in between stabs.  The father's name

is Rick and his son is Carl.  

Their friend is Daryl.  He has very stylish hair.

Not so home alone.

Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore...

To make a long story short (Walking Dead writers take note), I decided to join Rick, Carl, and Daryl and head to DC (Coincidentally, they're headed there as well from Atlanta... via New York which is totally out of the way, but... it's The Walking Dead after all) to look for the kids.  Rick is a hot former sheriff and his wife was eaten by some fat, bald zombie shuffler (or whatever it is they call them) so it works out for me since dummy Pete took off with the kids during a zombie saunterer apocalypse and "forgot" to wake me up.  Carl looks like a dweeb with his shaggy hairdo and his dad's sheriff hat, but he's a good shot and that I guess is more important.  And speaking of hair, Daryl's One Direction cut is pretty avant-garde for a hillbilly bad boy.  He seems pretty good with the cross-bow and has some interesting squirrel recipes (who knew squirrel tasted like chicken, except gamier...and nuttier).  And what do I bring to this motley crew?  Well, apparently I can run fast.  I did 8.42 miles in 1:07:11, a 7:59 pace.  I hadn't run that kind of pace in a training run longer than 4 miles since pre-Boston.  Running from zombies (because that's what they are dammit!)  apparently is a good speed workout.  

Two Weeks Notice

Week of October 5
   
     Sunday - 8 miles, 1:05:51, an 8:14 pace on my regular loop
     Wednesday - 8.77 miles, 1:12:07, an 8:13 pace.  I extended my 8 mile loop along Grand Avenue and Sunrise Highway.    A lot of sidewalk running because both roads are pretty busy, but it was a much needed change of scenery.  Also, plenty of bathrooms along the way, if when necessary.
     Thursday - 7.1 miles, not timed with jogger stroller.    This was the day I didn't lose my house key.
     Saturday - 6.87 miles, 55:41, an 8:07 pace.  Must not have been that exciting because I can't remember it.

     Total Miles - 30.7

Week of October 12

     Sunday - 6.6 miles at Bethpage State Park with my buddies, The Emerging Runner, The Petite Pacer, and our new member, D'Artagnan, aka Joe.  Our new friend is a triathlete and a pretty damned good one, at that.  It was a gorgeous morning and I couldn't ask for better company.  It had been a long time since we all ran together.  
     Wednesday - 6.94 miles, 56:57, an 8:13 pace at 5:15pm.  It began to rain at the end.  It felt great and the timing couldn't have been better.
     Thursday - 5.79 miles, 51:20, an 8:52 pace.  I never time myself with my stopwatch when I run with the jogger because I already know I'm much slower and who wants to be reminded of that anyway?  I did glance at the start and finish time (not exact) and my pace was around 8:50ish.

     Total Miles - 19.3  A low mileage week.  I will make it up this coming week.

This Week

     Today (Sunday) - 3.67 miles, 29:23, an 8:00 pace.  My plan was to run 7 or 8 miles with strides.  At the 3 mile mark, I had to go to the bathroom and that was the end of that...
     Stay Tuned...

Here we are with D'Artagnan.

Key

I ran 7 miles with the baby in the jogger stroller yesterday at 12:30pm.  The stroller is a black Baby Trend Expedition LX which is kind of funny because the car I drive is a black Expedition.  I got it (the stroller) in 2001 when my oldest was born.  It is awkward to push (I think most strollers are) and it veers to the right so I constantly have to adjust.  However, I should point out that we have acquired other jogger stroller brands, both double and single, since then, and the Expedition still outperforms all the others.

One of these is my car

and the other is

the jogger...

Each of my children has been pushed and bounced around in this stroller, whether they liked it or not.  Usually, they like it.  First, they will see me getting ready to leave for my run and beg to come along.  They like it for the first two miles, at some point they get bored and want to go home, then they eventually fall asleep.  It ends up being a win/win situation for everyone.

Yesterday was sunny and windy at 60 degrees.  I wore shorts and a long sleeve tech shirt and I wrapped the baby in a blanket (The baby is 3 years old, by the way.  I will always refer to her as the baby, even in 30 years.  That's just how it is).  I brought along the purple coiled key chain.  The coil was too stretched out to fit on my wrist so I placed it in the tray at the top of the stroller.  I chose a route where I could run safely in the streets for most of the run.  There was about a mile of sidewalk running.  The baby complained of the bumps at the beginning, but by mile 4 she was well on her way to Dreamland.

I got home and opened the front storm door only to discover that my key was no longer in the tray.  FUUUCK!  I checked to see if it slipped  behind the baby, but it was nowhere to be found.  Two of my neighbors have copies of the house keys for emergencies (This would be an emergency in my book).  One neighbor was at work so we walked down to the other's house.  Her car was in the driveway!  Yay!  No answer at the door.  Boo.  I started retracing my steps while trying to remember the last time I glanced and saw the key in the tray.  As I was heading down Hempstead Avenue, I rationalized that retracing 7 miles again was not only unrealistic but also the last thing I wanted to do at that moment.  I'll just run the same route tomorrow and hopefully find the key along the way.  No one's going to take a random key they find in the middle of the street, right?  I wondered if I could now break into the house?  Of course, I locked the first floor windows the night before because Pete's away (And of course, Pete's away so he won't be any help).  Did I skip a window?  Could I climb up to a window easily?  Will someone call the police when they see me breaking into my house?  Are there going to be spiderwebs in the bushes?  Ugh!  As I walked back onto my block, I saw a new car in my neighbor's driveway that wasn't there before I left!  Hooray!  She was home and gave me the key.  I made it back into the house!  I dragged the stroller inside and let the baby continued to sleep for another half hour.

The baby woke up and we went about our business for the rest of the day.  In the evening, as I was picking up toys in the living room, what did I happen to find?  Yep, you guessed it.  The key was on the floor.  It must have been in the stroller and fallen out when I took the baby out.  Welcome to my world.

At least I didn't break any windows, right?

Help Wanted

Dear Technology Geek Wizard,

I am writing you for some advice for my "friend" friend who is too embarrassed to write herself himself.  I have (oops) He has been running for decades, starting as a child on the CYO track team to multiple marathons and shorter distance races as an adult.  As experienced as he is in running, he is completely inexperienced with most of the gadgets and accessories out there.  He is what you would call cheap a purist.  He does not have any kind of GPS device to track his routes, mileage, and paces.  This is kind of odd for someone who is always tracking his routes, mileage, and paces.  Instead of a Garmin, he times his runs with his Casio wristwatch, then maps them out on the computer when he gets home.  Although this method may have a couple of advantages (ex., ability to estimate miles just from the clock; pause timing easily for bathroom breaks -- this advantage should never be underestimated; not being mentally influenced by the constant reminder of the GPS), it also has its disadvantages (the extra time on the computer after each run; some routes are not possible to track online; my his psychic odometer is not foolproof; and maybe he just wants a cool, new gadget dammit!).

So...this person is now ready to catch up with the rest of the 21st century runners and invest in a Garmin or a Garmin-like device.  What do you suggest for a technologically inept, deficient, simple unadulterated newbie?  Nothing too complicated.  Just the basics to help with mileage, pace, and heart rate.

Thank you for any kind of input.

Yours truly,

"A Concerned Friend"
Mata Hari

The

"purist runner".

(courtesy of dreamstime.com)

Weekly Recap 9/29/14 - 10/5/14

Monday:  6 miles at 5:30pm just before the rain storm.

Wednesday:  8 glorious miles on my regular loop in 1:07:10, an 8:24 pace.

Friday: 6.6 miles, two loops around the reservoir at Hempstead Lake Park in 55:10, an 8:22 pace

Sunday: 8 mile loop in 1:05:51, an 8:14 pace

TOTAL:  28.6 miles

It's marathon season and I love reading everybody's race reports.  Great motivation and inspiration!  I can't wait to start planning my next one!