NYC Marathon Training Update XII

Yet, another struggle of a training week. 😦

For some reason, I am still in a workout funk regarding my weekday runs. I cannot seem to get up early enough to do my runs in the morning. When I do wake up early, I BS around the apt until it’s time for me to shower and go to work. When I plan to run after work, I’m far too tired (or I just do not care) to run. 

Also, this week, I was hit with some very bad news. I learned that one of my students who completed the postbac program that I direct was murdered in Chicago. He moved to Chicago on Friday to begin his Ph.D. program at Northwestern and was hit by a stray bullet on Sunday. You always hear about how dangerous Chicago is, but you never realize it until it hits close to home. It’s such a shame because this clearly was a case of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was going to purchase hangers and other things for his home. It’s not like he was involved in any nefarious activities. Ugh so sad and tragic. 

During the week, I did not do a single run. However, I did fit in a long run on Saturday. I was supposed to run 19 miles but I ran only 16 (I had a D’oh moment for this long run). What did I say for last week’s update? It’s fine as long as you get the long run in . . . Or something to that effect. 

The plan:

This was my 19 miles proposed route, which would have taken me through Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and back to Manhattan. 

This is what had happened:

I must have messed up somewhere, because I clocked “only” 16 miles. Yes, I could have run three more miles, but I had a mental block. When I mapped out my route, the plan was to hit 19 miles right at Crunch Fitness on 59th street. I was planning on stretching, foam rolling, and steam rooming at the gym after the run. Once I crossed the 59th Street Bridge and saw the gym, I did not care to run a single meter further. I think that I lost the three extra miles somewhere in Brooklyn. 

Anyway. 

Training wise, I thought the run was productive because I incorporated a few bridges in the run – two of which, the Pulaski Bridge and 59th Street Bridge, are on the NYC Marathon course. Well, the Pulaski Bridge is not much of a bridge in terms of elevation. 

One other cool thing about this run is that the 59th Street Bridge, which is crossed around mile 15, is a killer for me during the marathon. I tried to mimic the NYC marathon by having this bridge towards the end of the run. I was kind of proud to say that I did not have to walk while crossing this bridge (or the Williamsburg Bridge). I even did a few fartleks on the 59th Street Bridge. In the past, I usually had to walk most if not all of the 59th Street Bridge during the marathon. You know, my “I’m over this bullshit” phase of the marathon. 

Ok, I like I may have slowed down a couple of times to take a couple of pictures of Roosevelt Island (my former home for 5 years) and the tram. 

Random: Shouldn’t this restaurant be called Next to the Bridge, rather than Under the Bridge. 

Actually, I take it back. Maybe they mean under the bridge in terms of geography. Since it’s on 58th Street and the bridge is on 59th Street.

During this run, I ran through one of my favorite neighborhoods in Manhattan, the Lower East Side/Alphabet City. 

It’s called Alphabet City because the avenues are letters of the alphabet. New Yorkers are soooo inventive.  

A portion of Alphabet City is known as “Loisaida”, Splanglish for Lower East Side. 

One of my favorite bars/clus/lounges, Baraza, used to be near this block. Why do all the good places have to close? Baraza had great Latin music, stiff ass mojitos (they pretty much were all rum), and random sketchiness. All in all, a good combination for boisterous and disastrous fun. 

Oh, my D’oh Moment: 

During this long run, I was thinking why the fuck would my training plan have me do an 18-mile long run, then a 19-mile long run the following weekend. I was like C’mon Hal!!

When I got home and looked at my calendar, I saw that I was supposed to run 13, not 19, miles. Technically, I ran three more miles than I was supposed to. We’ll ignore how many weekly miles I was supposed to run. 

Random Thoughts: 

Ok, the BF is going to Spain at the end of October/early November for his father’s 70th birthday. I probably will sleep well because I will not have to hear his snoring (he’s actually snoring as I type this entry). But, shit. I wanna go too. Here’s the thing, the trip is from Oct. 28th to Nov. 4th. Just in case you did not know, the NYC Marathon is Nov. 4th. If I was training for a half-marathon, I totally would blow of the half and go to Spain for the week. If I were to fly out the evening of the 28th (a Sunday) and return to NYC on the 2nd, would that give me enough time to recover from jet lag and get back on eastern standard time for the marathon? You know what, I just looked it up and daylight saving time is Nov. 4th, so I would gain an hour. Any thoughts from my jet-setting marathoners. 

I still have not purchased a new pair of running shoes. 

Raggedy shoes, but decent arm definition.

 

For these last two long runs, I have been playing around with my food (i.e. solid vs liquid food). Going forward, I will rely more on solid food rather than gels. Mentally, my body needs to go through the process of chewing/digesting food. 

Real talk, I have got to cut down on smoking cigarettes. Normally, I do not feel the effects (or rather I ignore) that smoking has on my runs. However, I definitely felt some burning in my lungs during my ascent on the Williamsburg and 59th Street Bridges, ~miles 9.5 and 15. 

 

 

 

For some reason, I like the design of this shoe store, Kicks USA. 

Goal for the week:

• Simple, get my damn act together.