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I didn't realize how long of a "hiatus" I took since my last post until my freighbor (that would be "friend" and "neighbor" melted together) mentioned it to me.  I highly recommend subscribing to my blog so you don't have to manually and daily check in on me.  Just point your little arrow to the right hand side of the screen and you will see a "Subscribe!" option appear.  Type in your email address and voilå (Pardon the "å".  I was looking for the accent a grave, but this Scandinavian looking circle took it's place.  I'm not sure what it is, but there you have it.)    You will now receive automatic email updates!

Yesterday we had some serious rain all freakin' day.  I guess I could have gone out to do my scheduled 55 minute tempo, but I really think I would have looked like a Crazy Person instead of the Dedicated Runner.  Today I did a 7 mile run at my projected half marathon pace.  It took me 56:22, an 8:03 pace.  Tomorrow I'm due for a two hour run.  If I get up early enough, I will either go up to the north shore (Manhasset/Port Washington) or try the Massapequa/Bethpage trail.  If I don't get up early, I will do a boring, flat run around the neighborhood (Shoot me).

Tune in tomorrow for my two hour run recap (or a review of the Swedish version of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" film trilogy that I TiVo'd last night).  

Happy National Running Day!

In honor of National Running Day I ate homemade macaroni salad and chocolate cake!  Mmm...starchy carbs!  I also ran 5 miles in the morning, like yesterday and like I will do again tomorrow.  Today was a 4 X 1600 day again.  One mile run at half marathon pace 4 times with a 2:30 jog in between each.  My Higdon half marathon plan ends on Sunday.  I start the Pfitzinger Advanced Marathon training program on Monday, which happens to be a rest day. There are actually more rest days on the Pfitz schedule than Higdon.  The daily miles are longer, but there are many weeks with two days off and a couple with possibly three!  Whoo hoo!  I'm soooo tired of my boring routes.  I'm looking forward to switching it up.

I can't wait for National Lie In Bed Watching Uninterrupted Lifetime Movies All Day Day!  Unfortunately, I think it falls on the same day as Never Gonna Happen or My 65th Birthday (sigh).

Massapequa/Bethpage Trail

Yesterday afternoon I took the two little ones out in the double jogger stroller for a five mile run in 82 degrees.  They both fell asleep after the first mile (Score!).  It's nice to be out running with them once in a while, but the strollers are cumbersome, especially ones that are garbage picked by Hoarder Husband.  Both the double and single joggers that we have veer to the right, so it can be annoying when I'm already hugging the curbs.  I usually take the least trafficked roads when I have the kids, so it's not that big of an issue, but not one that I would enjoy dealing with daily.

Today was my 1:45 run.  I decided to finally explore the Massapequa/Bethpage bike trail.  The Emerging Runner, a fellow local blogger, posts regularly about this park.  It seemed like the perfect venue for a long run.  I parked right off of Merrick Road at the foot of the Massapequa Preserve.  I got on the paved bike path and headed north for six miles.  I t was a little after 2pm and most of the path was shaded.  There were a lot of people out, either walking or on their bikes.  Only a handful of runners.  

I had to cross five roads (both ways), the busiest being Sunrise Highway at Mile 1.  The last three were exit ramps from Bethpage State Parkway, but I didn't even have to stop since it's a pretty quiet roadway.  Thankfully, these roads barely interrupted the run.  The path isn't as hilly as I expected.  I think if I ran farther north, I would have hit the hillier terrain.   The highlights of the outing were the goose and swan families waddling and swimming around.  I can't get enough of those fuzzy babies.  Overall, it is a scenic, peaceful route that I'm looking forward to running again very soon.

Swan family in the distance.  

Are You There God? It's Me, Sweathead

A 5 mile run at 8:45 in the morning.  I thought I would beat the heat.  Uh-uh.  The entire run I was praying to myself, "Please God, let it be 35 degrees on June 23.  Amen."  Let's see if He comes through.  If my prayer is not answered, well, I don't think I need to explain what that means (But if I did,  June 23 + heat = Atheism).

So now that I have blasphemed, not only will it be 137 degrees on June 23, but I will probably get struck by heat lightning...after being hunted by wolves...because I had to go to the bathroom in the woods...  These kinds of things happen to blasphemous Catholic school alumnae.  Who run.

It's Getting Hot In Here

Monday after the 10.112 Mile (That .112 is very important, don't ya know?), I did a 5 mile recovery run with the baby in the jogger stroller.  It was perfect running weather, cool and overcast.  Yesterday, it poured so I took the day off.

Today was speed work.  My schedule had me doing 3X1600s.  No track was available this morning, so I did some guess work on the streets.  I started off running for 2:30 at a slow, comfortable pace, then picked it up to a 10k/5k pace for 8 minutes and repeated three times.  My pickup pace was really supposed to be a half marathon pace, which I figured to be around 8:00-8:05.  I wound up doing the whole run at a 7:45 average.  Too fast?  Dunno.  This run seemed more like a tempo run than anything else.  Whatever.

So when I set out on my run this morning, the temperature was in the low 60s.  Not bad.  By the end, I felt overheated.  The warm weather has arrived.  It's supposed to be 90 either tomorrow or Friday.  What the fruck?  I'm kind of nervous about the forecast for our half marathon at the end of June.  I would welcome rain, if it's going to be Hell Hot.  This is the only instance where rain is a welcome relief.  My sister-in-law's brother just ran the Vermont City Marathon this past Sunday in the cold, pouring rain on ski mountains  (Remember it felt like March in metro NY?  It probably felt like January in northern New England!).  It was his first marathon.  If this was my first marathon experience, it very well may be my last.  I give him a lot of credit for persevering.

On a happy note, New Running Friend, Leah said there may be a spot for me in the Ocean to Sound 50 Mile Relay in September!  I'm psyched!

Long Beach Mayor's 10.118 Mile Trophy Run Review, aka Long Beach City Manager's 10 Mile Trophy Run*

I woke up at 6:30am and before you knew it the Nun arrived.  We drove to the Long Beach Recreation Center on Magnolia Drive.  We picked up our numbers and t-shirts (Mediocre cotton).  I asked the volunteer if any of the course was on the boardwalk.  She asked, "What boardwalk?"  I was disappointed to find out it was still unfinished for beach season (Although judging by this weekend's weather, you'd think it was March), but honestly a little relieved we wouldn't be subject to the direct wind from the ocean.  There was just enough time to drop off the shirts in my car and use the bathroom.  I looked for Tova (my new running friend whom I met on Thursday), but did not see her in the crowd.  The Nun and I walked to the start on Park Avenue.  It was a chilly 52 degrees and windy.

A lovely woman dressed in a military uniform sang the National Anthem with veterans at her side holding flags.  Always a moving moment.  Alicia and I said goodbye until the finish line.  The one wheelchair participant started first, and then everyone else 30 seconds behind.  I hit mile 1 at 7:37 even though I was trying to start out at an 8 minute pace.  I didn't freak and just went with it.  Mile 2 was 16:22.  I tried to hang behind a chatty group of about 8 or 9 older men.  I didn't have my music so I figured I could be mildly entertained, if not distracted by their conversation.  I started to get pretty warm in my sports bra, Uniqlo tank top, turtle neck, and Lucky T-shirt.  I slipped my turtle neck off while keeping the t-shirt over it still on, not an easy feat while running.  After this little stunt, I lost contact with the group of chatty men.  We were running the first of many long stretches east on Broadway, one block north of the ocean.  I could see the topless pylons which used to support the boardwalk.  A sad sight.

I hit Mile 3 at 23:46 (I kind of wanted to stop running at this point and sit on the side of the road for a little while.  This feeling stayed with me throughout the rest of the race).  We turned around and ran another long stretch on West Olive heading back west.  Every time we headed west, the wind was against us.  I got to the 4 mile marker at 31:xx.  I think the 5 mile marker was MIA.  I got to 6 miles at 47:xx.  This was a nice surprise, faster than my fastest 10k.  I waited to hit 7 miles between 54 and 55 minutes.  I didn't see it until almost 57 minutes.  Odd.  We headed north and then east again on the same street where I parked my car.  At this point we could see the front runners running in the opposite direction on the other side of the road.  I hit Mile 9 at 1:12.  I knew if I wanted to beat my time of 1:20:02 I needed to hustle.  No fade (which is exactly what happened last year at this point).  The last quarter mile I was neck and neck with an older gentleman.  A man on the sidewalk shouted to me, "You can beat him!!!"  This was the little push that I needed.  I saw the clock in the distance read 1:19:xx.  I wanted to come in under 1:20 more than beat the guy next me.  I broke away and hit the mat at 1:19:57...or so I thought.

I grabbed the juiciest red delicious apple and orange Gatorade and headed back to my car to grab my phone.  I saw Tova had texted me what she was wearing.  I found her and Leah, whom she met racing to the finish.  Leah is also a marathoner.  She's hoping to run the Marine Corps Marathon this year.  I think Tova has an eye for really nice, cool, fellow runners.  Not surprising since she seems to be one of the friendliest, most outgoing people I have met (another one would be my neighbor, the one who introduced us).

Tova and Leah had some interesting news.  Apparently, the race was misdirected and wound up being longer than 10 miles.  It was 10.118 miles to be exact.  I think Tova told me to go grab my ticket over by the FLRRT van with the results.  I have never seen an individual ticket given out at a race, so I'm not quite sure what she was talking about.  I went to the van and saw they posted the results on the side.  They had me down as finishing at 1:20:00 exactly.  Um, I really thought I finished at 1:19:57.  I mean, a 5 second PR sounds so much faster than a 2 second PR, at least in my head.  They adjusted the pace to the true distance.  My pace was 7:55.  If the race had actually been 10 miles, my finish time would have been 1:19:10.  A 52 second PR is even better!  I finished 4th out of 32 in my age group, 16th out of 159 women, and 86th out of 384 total.

The Nun crossed the finish line a lot faster than I expected.  She looked great.  I was so proud of her since this was the farthest she had ever run.  We are ready for Stratton-Faxon, baby!

Tova, Me, Leah

The Nun and I

*Active.com changed the name of  the race to reflect the new distance.

Good Vibrations

I have been having my usual pre-race doubts about tomorrow's 10 miler.  I had a very low mileage week and didn't run today or yesterday (Cold rain at the end of May is a perfectly legitimate excuse).

As we were leaving our house to go get some family friendly pasta at Olive Garden (I had the capellini pomodoro with shrimp, which was yummy), Pete noticed a package addressed to me at the front door.  It was from the Wampanoag Running Club.  Why it was my race shirt (Size small, no less) from the February Old Fashioned Ten Miler that was cancelled due to a snow storm!  Right after the race was cancelled the organizers sent out an email to everyone who registered explaining that not only will the race not be rescheduled, but we will not be refunded the entrance fee, nor will we get the race shirt we paid for.  And fuck you very much, too.  I was extremely annoyed at the time, but eventually new annoyances took its place and I moved on.  What a nice surprise (Three months later...)!  Better late than never, right?  And receiving it the day before another ten mile race?  I'm suddenly picking up good vibrations about tomorrow.

The Nun is going to come to the house at 7 in the morning and then we will head over to Long Beach for the 8am start.  Wish us luck.  I may not need it since I will be wearing my new lucky t-shirt.

Pterodactyl checking out my new lucky shirt.

Pre-race dinner

The No. 1 Ladies' Running Group

My friend invited me to join her and some other running ladies, whom I had never met before,  for some sushi at a local restaurant.  I happily tagged along.  If there's one thing I love more than sushi, it's talking about running.  I have a few friends who run, but most do not.  They are always sweet and ask me about my training and races, but honestly I feel like I am probably boring them to death because I could go on and on about the topic (Proof: this blog).  It was so nice to spend the evening with some ladies who share this special bond.  They welcomed me into their group and treated me as one of their own (Like what a pack of wolves* might do with a lost runner in the woods, hopefully) .  One woman (you know who you are) and I are practically the same runner.   We ran in a lot of the same races at almost the same paces.  We are the same age, so either she'll place one spot ahead of me or vice versa.  It turns out she will be doing the Long Beach Ten Miler on Sunday too!  Running is such a solitary sport at times, I am really so glad to have made this connection with such a lovely group.  I look forward to seeing them again, either pounding the pavement or pounding the beers...

So I finally got my 6.4 mile loop in for the week yesterday.  After eating late and having a few drinks last night, I decided to put today's run off until the afternoon.  Lucky Unlucky for me, it started raining and didn't stop.  No need for me to get cold (High temperature of 55 today!  What the?!?) and wet on the first day of a holiday weekend.  I'll make it up tomorrow.

* (First Blog footnote ever) After rereading this, I realized this might seem like I am comparing these women to a pack of wolves.  They are more like lambs, only lupine on the race course.  The original comparison was made out of my totally justified fears of getting lost, getting lost alone in the woods, and wolves rejecting me as one of their own.

Seriously, who wouldn't be freaked out by these adolescent, topless, acting challenged, poorly scripted wolves?  (Besides 'tween girls everywhere)

Memory Lane

I was due for some speed work so I went to Senator Michael J. Tully Park.  This used to be North Hempstead Town Park.  There is an indoor pool where my friend's mother used to take us swimming when we were little.  She would also use the track while my friends and I went off doing whatever nine year olds did in a park at night.

I ran CYO track as a child in elementary school and one year in high school.  I was pretty fast as a young kid, even though it would not be unusual for me to stop and wait for friends to catch up during races (What?!?).  I retired in fifth grade after a "mishap" during a meet when I dropped the baton.  I joined cross-country track my freshman year of high school.  I guess that one season was enough for me.  I also thought the coach was kind of a jerk.  Back then, I could think of a million other things I would have preferred to do after school rather than run (Top of the to-do list: Smoke cigarettes).

Fast forward to the summer before junior year of college.  I was dating a Naval Academy grad who was pretty fit coming back from the Persian Gulf (Apparently, there was a lot of down time on a ship in the middle of the Persian Gulf...).  I figured I should start doing some sort of exercise myself.  I guess bar hopping didn't count (whatever...).  I'll try running.  Didn't Madonna lose a ton of weight running with her bodyguards in Central Park in the late 80s?  Why yes, she did!  I remembered the track at North Hempstead where my friend's mother would take us.  I decided to start there.  I was too insecure to start running on the streets in my neighborhood.  The track would usually be empty, maybe two or three other runners.  It is surrounded by an industrial area.  No witnesses.  I dragged whomever was around (Usually my "sisters" and the boys I used to babysit) to accompany me.  If they weren't available, I'd go on my own.  I started out running 4 laps, cigarette break, run another 4, smoke, etc. (Yep, I know.  I was so cool back then...not)  I discovered the runner's high and was hooked.

Fast forward to today.  I am cigarette free; Naval Academy grad free (Thankfully...); I could care less who sees me out on the streets; I'm now a mother of four and still running!  Being at the park was like running down Memory Lane, literally.  The construction companies  are still surrounding the field.  The track itself has been resurfaced, nice and bouncy.  My bones were jumping with joy.  There was one other person there, a female walker (Who, by the way, was taking pictures of the nearby construction companies with her phone.  Odd.).  It was an overcast, humid afternoon.  I did my 4 X 800s (Two laps at a 5-10k pace four times with an easy lap in between each).  I left feeling twenty years younger (Or maybe that was the endorphin blitz).

Starbucks Is The Enemy

I did five miles yesterday afternoon around 3.  It was pretty warm.

Pete has had crazy work hours this past week.  He went in early this morning.  I took the two little ones out to do errands and then rewarded them (and me) with a visit to Barnes & Noble.  We love hanging out in the children's section almost as much as we love the café.  I got my usual grande decaf skinny mocha.  I also got a triple chocolate chunk cookie (I know, the chocolate thing is a sickness with me.  I may have the discipline to get my arse out on the road to run twelve miles on 3 hours sleep and bird food, but not have a taste of chocolate for a day?  Impossible.  I am pretty sure I have had chocolate every day of my life).  We headed back home around the baby's nap time.  It turned out Pete was headed home too for a couple of hours.  Oh goody!  I can get my run in!

I set out to do my 6.4 mile route around 12:30.  A couple of minutes in, I realized I was wearing my "walking around sneakers" - (gasp) Nikes!  This surely was a sign of what was to come.  I didn't feel like going back home to change shoes and be delayed even more.   One run won't kill me - or will it? (Imagine dramatic music playing)  So I keep going.   I pass the local college (Hi bathroom I've used many times in the past, but will inexplicably pass up today) at around 1.5 miles and a church (Hello secondary bathroom I've also used on many occasions in the past, which is also quite clean.  Bye-bye secondary bathroom.) right before the two mile marker.  Then nothing but houses for two long, long miles.  Did I mention I had a mocha latte and a chocolate chip cookie bonanza?  My stomach at this point was mocking me.  Did I really think I could get away with a run after a coffee/chocolate free-for-all?  Poor, poor planning.  I had to call Pete at 3 miles and have him pick me up.  End of run.

TMI, you say?  I'm thinking we have all experienced this or something similar, as runners.  Now you are all relieved to read that it's not just you.  We have all been there, done that.  Right?  ...anyone?  I'm hearing crickets, but I'm typing this at night...