NYC Marathon (???) Training 2020 Week #2

Well, the word is out, and we know that the TCS NYC Marathon is not going to happen in Nov.

Courtesy of The New York Times

Although many folks are upset, I agree with the New York Road Runner’s (NYRR) decision not to hold this international, multi-day, 50,000+ runner event. Also, I’m glad NYRR let us know in June (and at the beginning of most folks’ training plans) rather than waiting until Sept or Oct to cancel. I will say that NYRR has provided some very fair deferment offers. One can claim a guaranteed entry for ’21, ’22, ’23. Also, one can receive a full refund of his/her entry fees or donate the fees to NYRR’s outreach programs. 

Even though I kind of knew that the marathon was going to be canceled, I had planned to train for it and to run the second half the marathon’s course on Nov. 1st. I think that I’m going to modify this plan because I am not in any kind of shape to train for a marathon. I gotta face facts. 

The main reason for changing this plan: I’ve gained a good 10 pounds since March, which has made me super slow . . . not that I was a super-fast runner. This is really sad because I was LOSING weight while training for Madrid’s Marathon, which was supposed to be held in April. Stupid pandemic. Overall, my cardio “strength/power” has significantly gone down over the past few months in quarantine. At this point, I can hardly get through 3 miles without taking a walk break. So I do not see myself doing any type of long run (10+ miles) anytime soon. Rather than training for a full marathon, I think that I’ll focus on training for a half marathon with emphasis on improving my cardio stamina.

Monday:

Planned: Rest day

Completed: Shaun T’s Insanity (22 min) and Hip Hop Abs (31 min)

I tried Shaun T’s Insanity back in the day and had decent results until screwing up my lower back. This time around, I am being a bit more cautious and modifying moves to the “backbreaker” exercises. I honestly thought that Shaun T’s Hip Hop Abs would be a bit more intense, but I think I’ll just do this as a form of a cool down from Insanity. 

Tuesday:

Planned: 4 mi

Completed: 1 mi 

It was just one of those days. NYC recently moved into Phase 2 of reopening the city. I started out on my usual route in Central Park, but I just was not feeling it because the outer Central Park loop was just way too congested with adults, kids, and dogs. Also, I started the run around 4 pm and just was not super motivated. Hey, something is better than nothing . . . I guess. 

Wednesday:

Planned: 5 mi

Completed: 4.25 mi

I did some easy, “fast” loops on the makeshift track in Central Park’s Great Hill. I did not finish this workout because my phone and Apple watch keep buzzing with 80 million people telling me that NYC’s Marathon was canceled.  

Oh, I had a pre-birthday party with some neighbors from our apartment building. We went a little nutty with the bday cake. 

Thursday:

Planned: 3 mi

Completed: Shaun T’s Insanity and Hip Hop Abs

I woke up a bit late . . . Hey, it was my birthday, and I figured that it was ok to sleep in. Although I did not do a run, I did a couple of my Shaun T workouts. Since it was my bday, the hubby and I headed to Jacob Riis Beach for a few hours in the sand and surf.

The “No Swimming” sign in the middle scared the crap out of me. I was trying to be bougie and rented a Zipcar rather than taking public transportation to this beach. It takes about 45 min to drive to this beach versus ~ 2 hours to take public transportation. I would have been pissed if I spent money on a car rental to just sit on the beach. I’m one of those people who must go into the water when visiting a beach. I know that some folks are content with sitting and chillin’ on the sand. Fortunately, a few minutes after setting up shop on the sand, we saw some folks swimming. OMG. The water was soo refreshing because it was the perfect temperature . . . just a couple of degree above ice cold. 

This year, some friends and family threw me a surprise Zoom bday party. As most folks know I’m not a huge fan of Zoom parties, but it was nice to kind of hang out.

A yummy three-layer red velvet birthday cake. So much for losing a few pounds. 

Friday:

Planned: Rest

Completed: Rest, I was quite hungover from my bday celebration. 

Saturday:

Planned: 9 mi

Completed: 3.58

The plan seemed simple enough. Run south along the Hudson River, make my way to Central Park, and run back to Harlem through the Park. 

It was this run that made me kind of decide that I need to stop wasting my time and pretending that I’m in decent enough shape to train for a full marathon. I was weak, tired, and uninterested in running to Harlem once I hit Central Park. Hell, I was all sweated out BEFORE starting the damn run. Once I reached Central Park and knew that I was not planning to run a single inch, I texted the hubby to meet somewhere in Harlem for brunch. 

Brunch at Settepani, Harlem, NYC

As you can see, the champagne brunch really lifted my spirits.

Sunday:

Planned: Rest

Completed: Insanity and Hip Hop Abs

I think that I figured out ONE of the many reasons why I have been such a struggle running lately. My hip flexors are extremely weak, which I noticed while doing Hip Hop Abs. 

Well, that was my week, which was filled with struggling runs, some HIIT, a pandemic bday celebration, and brunch. 

Random question:

In your neck of the woods, have folks been going crazy with fireworks for the last two weeks? By crazy, I mean shooting fireworks from 8 pm till about 3/4 am EVERY-FREAKING-NIGHT?

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