Monday (12/29) - 4 miles with Sanibel around the reservoir with an extra half mile on the streets.
Thursday (1/1) - 5 miles, 43:40, 8:44 pace. Hangover Run at Eisenhower Park with Sanibel, The Petite Pacer, and The Emerging Runner. Five loops of their one mile course. There was a nice crowd, unfortunately I forgot to take pictures. It was chilly, but nothing a nice cup of Starbucks couldn't cure afterwards.
Friday (1/2) - 3.65 miles, 30:11, 8:16 pace. Sanibel joined me again in the park. We added some strides.
Saturday (1/3) - 11.71 miles, 1:34:44, 8:05 pace at Bethpage State Park. I parked in the main lot. I ran 3 miles north and back, then just short of 3 miles south and back. Fluffy snowflakes began to come down during the last twenty minutes. It was quite beautiful. I kept up a good pace for the first ten miles, but faded quickly at the end.
Total Weekly Mileage - 24.4
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Recap and Some Soul Cycle
My running the past week and a half since the Jingle All the Way 5k was pretty sparse. In the days leading up to Christmas, life gets pretty stressful with four children. Making sure I attended the Christmas parties, the Frosty the Snowman field trip, completed the shopping, and wrapped the gifts took precedence over the running. I was even going to run another 5k this past Saturday, but overslept out of sheer exhaustion. When I checked the results of the race online, I was bummed because I could have totally beaten the overall female winner. I would have won my first race! Okay, the field of women wasn't particularly fast, but I'll take what I can get!
Here's the recap:
12/16 Tuesday - 8.4 miles which was supposed to be 9. I was surprised I fell short.
12/17 Wednesday - 6.06 miles, 47:11, 7:47 pace
12/20 Saturday - 6 miles
WEEKLY TOTAL: 20.5 miles
12/22 Monday - 3.65 miles late int the afternoon. Pete and I ran around the reservoir in the local park. I kept my pace up for the duration of the run because I was feeling pretty good. I didn't have my watch, but Pete said I hit the 3 mile mark around 23 minutes. Later that evening a friend and I drove up to the north shore for a spin class at Soul Cycle. I heard and read about Soul Cycle in Manhattan. I was psyched to learn there were a couple of locations on the island. The facility is pretty slick, clean, and state-of-the-art. We were lucky to get into the sold out class. There is no membership, you pay per class which is $34 a pop. Newcomers pay $20 for their first session. There are 52 bicycles in the room and the class is 45 minutes long. They loan you special shoes that clip into the bike pedals. After we were locked in, Jo, the instructor turned out the lights and turned up the music. I felt like I was in a scary nightclub. I expected a hard core workout and that's exactly what I got. Not only do you ride to the max, but you also lift dumbbells while pedaling. The class was fun and I would definitely do it again, but it's definitely too expensive for me to be a regular in this particular life.
12/24 Wednesday - 9.8 miles that was supposed to be 10. Not timed. The temperature was a balmy 48 degrees at 9:30 in the morning. It was misting and drizzling for most of the run, but toward the end the rain started to come down hard. I wore shorts, a long sleeve tech with a short sleeve cotton t-shirt on top. I was soaked by the time I came home.
I hope to run through the weekend. We'll see what happens...
Here's the recap:
12/16 Tuesday - 8.4 miles which was supposed to be 9. I was surprised I fell short.
12/17 Wednesday - 6.06 miles, 47:11, 7:47 pace
12/20 Saturday - 6 miles
WEEKLY TOTAL: 20.5 miles
photo from Pinterest
12/22 Monday - 3.65 miles late int the afternoon. Pete and I ran around the reservoir in the local park. I kept my pace up for the duration of the run because I was feeling pretty good. I didn't have my watch, but Pete said I hit the 3 mile mark around 23 minutes. Later that evening a friend and I drove up to the north shore for a spin class at Soul Cycle. I heard and read about Soul Cycle in Manhattan. I was psyched to learn there were a couple of locations on the island. The facility is pretty slick, clean, and state-of-the-art. We were lucky to get into the sold out class. There is no membership, you pay per class which is $34 a pop. Newcomers pay $20 for their first session. There are 52 bicycles in the room and the class is 45 minutes long. They loan you special shoes that clip into the bike pedals. After we were locked in, Jo, the instructor turned out the lights and turned up the music. I felt like I was in a scary nightclub. I expected a hard core workout and that's exactly what I got. Not only do you ride to the max, but you also lift dumbbells while pedaling. The class was fun and I would definitely do it again, but it's definitely too expensive for me to be a regular in this particular life.
photo from
Tips From Town:
New Hyde Park
12/24 Wednesday - 9.8 miles that was supposed to be 10. Not timed. The temperature was a balmy 48 degrees at 9:30 in the morning. It was misting and drizzling for most of the run, but toward the end the rain started to come down hard. I wore shorts, a long sleeve tech with a short sleeve cotton t-shirt on top. I was soaked by the time I came home.
I hope to run through the weekend. We'll see what happens...
Monday, December 15, 2014
Jingle All the Way 5k Review
Race shirt giveaway
The Jingle All the Way 5k was held at Cedar Creek Park in Seaford, New York. Race Awesome, a local race organization, produced the event. They did a great job, from the constant email reminders to the wood burning grills (complete with marshamallows!) on race morning to the free available online photos! I emailed Corey, the Australian born Volunteer Happy Athlete Guide of the company, to get permission to use the photos on the blog. He readily obliged, explaining the photos are there for the taking. Race Awesome doesn't believe in charging athletes extras (ex., service fees). They want the experience to be positive pretty much in every aspect. Thanks, mates! (Yes, I'm fluent in Australian)
I had high hopes for this race because my recent training runs had been at pretty nice paces. I thought for sure I would finish under 22 minutes, but alas, this was not to be the case. And what would explain my failure to launch, you ask? I was not completely hung over like during my last 5k attempt at Robert Moses State Park. I was not undertrained like I was for the Brooklyn Half Marathon. I mean this was a 5k, for Pete's sake. I chalk up my sub-par effort to good old fashioned poor pacing and wind.
I met my buddies, The Emerging Runner and The Petite Pacer before the race. It was a chilly 34 degrees. We spent some time in the ER mobile and in front of the wood grills to keep warm. We lined up at the start before I could succumb to the smoke inhalation. I stood up front, while my friends hung back. Theirs was the wiser choice. JC, TPP's significant biker, showed up and greeted me from his nifty two-wheeler. He rode the course and showed up during the race in all the right places to give his support.
Before I could say "Pace yourself", we were off. Now from what I knew about 5ks, you pretty much could run them "all out". Meaning, run them as fast as you can. Well...I'm not so sure. We immediately scaled a small hill. I was running at a good clip, sucking in a lot of cold air. The course led us on the roads within the park. I guessed I was around the third overall woman at this point. I hit mile one at 6:54. Great! Until it turned not so great. Mile two took us down an out and back straightaway on a partially graveled surface. The lead runners annoyingly passed me on the left. Even more annoying were the women passing me on my side and ruining any chances of an overall award (Disclaimer: The word "annoying" in referring to faster runners should be interpreted as "I'm so incredibly jealous of their amazing athleticism"). I hit the two mile marker at 14:56. Oh well. I never really warmed up and the air still felt bitterly cold in my lungs and against my face. My chest felt tight and tingly. I convinced myself that I might have a heart attack if I pushed too hard, so I happily entertained my preposterous idea and ran the last mile at an easy pace. I saw the finish clock in the distance and accepted that a PR was out the window. My time was 23:29. I ended up 1st in my age group, top 6% of the women (9 out of 144), and top 10% overall (24 out of 222). So although I finished two minutes slower than I had hoped, my statistics were still good. Most important, I beat my 13 year old's 5k time that she ran in early November by one second! Just kidding. A little. Am I a bad mother? Don't answer that.
The first incline after the start.
Finish line chute
TPP, who seems to be on a wave of fantastic racing, PRd, despite partying the night before. ER also had a successful run, achieving his goal on very few miles of training.
I am having my own private party in my head,
as you can see by my extremely amused expression.
TPP was an engaged guest to my party.
ER declined his invitation.
Friday, December 12, 2014
We Bought A Zoo!!
We bought a zoo!! No, of course not. However, I joined a gym! I did a 6.23 mile run (50:06, 8:02 pace) around the neighborhood this past Sunday. I took Monday off. Tuesday rolled around and it was pretty miserable outside. Lots of rain, wind, and cold temperatures. If we are in for another winter like last year's, I wanted to have options. I prefer running outdoors, especially in warmer weather, but running on the snow and ice (mostly, the ice) is not that fun and something I wasn't too keen on repeating on a regular basis. Don't get me wrong! Running after a snowstorm can be quite beautiful and exhilarating. But in the days after the storm, when the snow turns to ice and then slush and then massive puddles on the side of the roads, it can be downright treacherous.
I didn't want to take Tuesday as another rest day so I moseyed (yep) over to Dolphin Fitness to see what kind of specials they had. I like Dolphin the best out of all the gyms in the area. It's one of the least expensive. Lucille Roberts is cheaper than Dolphin, but the equipment is limited. I always had to wait for a treadmill and then once I got on, they only allow you to run thirty minutes. Thanks, but no thanks. Bally's is pretty inexpensive, too, but they have valet parking. Enough said. Dolphin is no frills. You just go, work out, and leave. There's no bullshit.
Lucky for me, Kerry was working at the front desk that day. She watched the baby in the nursery at the gym last winter. The baby loved her. In fact, when she would get mad at me she would mutter under her breath, "Kerry hates you." Sweet, huh? Anyway, I told Kerry I wanted a temporary membership to hold me over through the winter. I got four months for $175, about $43 per month. I didn't waste any time and jumped on the treadmill. I ran 5.1 miles with 5 x 400m strides in 41:05, an 8:03 pace.
Wednesday wasn't looking too promising either. I went back to the gym and ran another 5 miles on the treadmill. This time I did a tempo run between a 7.2 and 8.4 speed. I finished in 37:06, a 7:25 pace. This was actually almost a minute faster than my 5 miler PR at the Garden City Turkey Trot last year. Interesting...
I took Thursday off and then ran 8.08 miles this morning through town. I ran without my watch because I wanted to take it nice and easy without any time pressures. I can't help but try to keep my pace up when I have the watch. This is fine a couple of times a week, but the rest of my runs should be easy. I'm too competitive even with myself, therefore I need to be completely in the dark about my progress. Pathetic, I know.
So tomorrow morning I have my first race since the Brooklyn Half Marathon. The Petite Pacer, the Emerging Runner, and I are running the Jingle All the Way 5k in Seaford. I'm curious to see what my time will be after taking it easy for the past eight months. Wish me luck! And if you're running this race, be sure to say hello!
I didn't want to take Tuesday as another rest day so I moseyed (yep) over to Dolphin Fitness to see what kind of specials they had. I like Dolphin the best out of all the gyms in the area. It's one of the least expensive. Lucille Roberts is cheaper than Dolphin, but the equipment is limited. I always had to wait for a treadmill and then once I got on, they only allow you to run thirty minutes. Thanks, but no thanks. Bally's is pretty inexpensive, too, but they have valet parking. Enough said. Dolphin is no frills. You just go, work out, and leave. There's no bullshit.
Lucky for me, Kerry was working at the front desk that day. She watched the baby in the nursery at the gym last winter. The baby loved her. In fact, when she would get mad at me she would mutter under her breath, "Kerry hates you." Sweet, huh? Anyway, I told Kerry I wanted a temporary membership to hold me over through the winter. I got four months for $175, about $43 per month. I didn't waste any time and jumped on the treadmill. I ran 5.1 miles with 5 x 400m strides in 41:05, an 8:03 pace.
Wednesday wasn't looking too promising either. I went back to the gym and ran another 5 miles on the treadmill. This time I did a tempo run between a 7.2 and 8.4 speed. I finished in 37:06, a 7:25 pace. This was actually almost a minute faster than my 5 miler PR at the Garden City Turkey Trot last year. Interesting...
I took Thursday off and then ran 8.08 miles this morning through town. I ran without my watch because I wanted to take it nice and easy without any time pressures. I can't help but try to keep my pace up when I have the watch. This is fine a couple of times a week, but the rest of my runs should be easy. I'm too competitive even with myself, therefore I need to be completely in the dark about my progress. Pathetic, I know.
So tomorrow morning I have my first race since the Brooklyn Half Marathon. The Petite Pacer, the Emerging Runner, and I are running the Jingle All the Way 5k in Seaford. I'm curious to see what my time will be after taking it easy for the past eight months. Wish me luck! And if you're running this race, be sure to say hello!
Friday, December 5, 2014
Running Nose
I have had this post-nasal drip and chest cold going on for almost two weeks now. Saturday through Tuesday was the worst. It's getting better, but it's lingering. The biggest hindrance to my running is the lack of sleep. I spend the nights tossing and turning because I can barely breathe. I am exhausted by morning. The general rule of running while sick is if it's above your neck, you can run. If it's below (like a chest cold...like what I have), you shouldn't. I ran.
Tuesday - 4.25 miles, 33:48, a 7:57 pace.
Thursday - 5.86 miles with 5 x 100m strides, 39:35, a 6:45 pace. I set out to do 8 miles, but I was too damn tired. As for my pace, I'm kind of surprised. I wonder if something wonky is going on with my watch.
Friday - 7.45 miles, 1:00:29, an 8:07 pace. It was 41 degrees when I went out at 9:45. I wore shorts because I'm hard core (actually, because I saw a guy wearing shorts yesterday and I thought he looked hard core). They did their job (you know, covering my bottom and such) and I was comfortable during all 7.45 miles. Had it been two degrees colder, I would have froze. My head was cold so I also wore my brand new hat. I felt good, no matter how crazy I looked.
Tuesday - 4.25 miles, 33:48, a 7:57 pace.
Thursday - 5.86 miles with 5 x 100m strides, 39:35, a 6:45 pace. I set out to do 8 miles, but I was too damn tired. As for my pace, I'm kind of surprised. I wonder if something wonky is going on with my watch.
Friday - 7.45 miles, 1:00:29, an 8:07 pace. It was 41 degrees when I went out at 9:45. I wore shorts because I'm hard core (actually, because I saw a guy wearing shorts yesterday and I thought he looked hard core). They did their job (you know, covering my bottom and such) and I was comfortable during all 7.45 miles. Had it been two degrees colder, I would have froze. My head was cold so I also wore my brand new hat. I felt good, no matter how crazy I looked.
Please ignore the polaroid of my daughter
and her friend being mauled by a
tyrannosaurus rex.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
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.
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.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
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.
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.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
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.
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.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Mystery Achievement
November 2013:
Total cholesterol - 251
HDL - 69
LDL - 160
Triglycerides - 110
HDL - 69
LDL - 160
Triglycerides - 110
November 2014:
Total cholesterol - 196
HDL - 56
LDL - 126
Triglycerides - 66
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?
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.
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!
Thursday, November 6, 2014
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.
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?
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