NYC Marathon Training Update

Well I’m back . . . not really.

A week later, and my hip feels a bit better. This hiccup in my marathon training plan made me a bit depressed. I think my hateration has converted into marathon training FOMO/depression. I am a member of a couple NYC Marathon FB groups, and I was getting annoyed with folks’ weekend long run posts. What was I doing yesterday? Eating pizza and watching old episodes of “Married with Children”. Random: I love the episodes where the Bundys and the D’Arcys visited England. Over the past couple of weeks, I have not done much of any physical activity. Yes, I’m having a hip issue, but it really does not prevent me from doing other physical activities such as biking, stair climbing, or weight lifting. I think it’s just a case of me being lazy and unable to adapt to not training for NYC Marathon. Also, I have been overeating (and drinking) quite a bit over the two weeks. I’m sure gaining more weight will not make life easier when my injury heals.

That’s gonna change TODAY.

I’m going to try my hardest to start 16:8 fasting again and hitting the gym at least 4 times a week. Although the NYC Marathon may be out of the question, I am going to Hawaii next month. I really do not want to be swimming or hot-tubbing with a shirt on (even with my tinea versicolor spots).

Keep hope alive

I am still on the fence about NYC Marathon. According today’s email, NYRR has informed me that I have the Grete’s Great Gallop 10K this Saturday. I guess that I can use this race/gallop to see where I am with this hip thing. Since we are about a month away from NYC’s marathon, I’m hoping that I can run at least half of it, and run/jog/walk/crawl/uber the rest of it. I wonder if NYRR will let me smoke during the marathon if I decide to walk the second half. It feels a bit of a waste to “defer” until next year and pay the registration fees again. Y’all know that I’m cheap as hell. Ok, time will tell.

Trying not to cry over the spilled milk – Madrid 2020

If the hubby wants to visit his family in Spain during the spring; perhaps, I can tack on the Rock n Roll Madrid Marathon to the trip. It would be nice to run an international marathon; I’ve only run a half marathon in Montreal. Well, I was supposed to do the full marathon, but I was injured (of course). Eh, we’ll see. Madrid’s marathon looks like it will take you all over the damn place. 

Since I am not really running, what the hell do I write about in a running blog?!!!

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Race Report: TCS New York City Marathon Training Series 12M

Date: August 11; 7:00 am 

Distance: 12mi/19.2km

Place: Central Park, NY, NY

Weather: 71 F

Finishers: 4,536 (2,396 Men/2,140 Women) 

Offical time / pace: 2:07:33 / 10:37min/mi

With my slow ass. Anyway.

This is the second of three training runs that NYRR sponsors in preparation for the TCS NYC Marathon. Technically, we are 12 weeks away from NYC’s marathon. Umm, yea! I guess?

This training run allows one to run two full loops around Central Park, starting off with the tough Harlem Hills.

I find the run challenging in a good way because you do not have much time/distance to recover in between hills.

Although this “race” was 12 miles, my training plan called for 14 miles for this week’s long run so I ran two miles before the race. For the most part, I felt pretty strong until about mile 8 of the run (or 10 total miles).

Once again, I was BSing in the apt before the race so I ended up starting with the last corral, which was not too much of a biggie because I was not trying to get a PR. Living close the a race’s start is a blessing and a curse. However, I got off to a really slow start because I had to move around A LOT of people during the first three miles. Actually, I found it quite frustrating to weave around people, so I kind of gave up. But, it was my own fault getting to Central Park late and having to start with last corral. Perhaps, it would have been better to run my extra two miles after the twelve miles.

Once I hit Mile 8, I really started to lose steam. I do not think that I ate enough before or during the run. Come to think of it, the Gatorade at all of the fluid stations was really watered down for this race. Going forward, I really have to start noting how early I need to wake and how much I need to eat. I believe that my body’s digestive abilities have changed a bit since last year. This may be a little TMI, but I find that I have to take TWO poops, typically 30 – 45 minutes apart every morning. Depending on what I have eaten, I usually have to poop again before starting the run. Pretty much three poops within a 1.5 hr time span. Because of my double, sometimes triple, poops, I have to wake up even earlier to prepare breakfast and make sure I clear out my system so to speak.

Eh, I don’t feel like typing anymore.

Liquid carbs for a post 14-mile run

Upcoming races: 

• Oct. 5th; NYRR Grete’s Great Gallop (10K)
• Nov. 3rd: 2019 TCS New York City Marathon

I  probably should register for one more race so the NYC Marathon will not count as one of my 9+1 races.

Random Thoughts Thursday

-Ok, today is the big day! The hubby and I going to quit smoking . . . I have until 11:59 to finish all of my smokes and throw away the ashtrays and lighters in the apt. Actually, it’s his “fault” that I picked up the habit again. I was cigarette-free for about three years before dating him. One thing that I was pondering, so I spend anywhere from $1296-$2160 a year on smokes, but the thing is you don’t really “see” the savings. I was thinking that three times a week, I’m going to put $9-$15 bucks into my Stash account so I can see it get bigger every week or so, which will hopefully prevent me from going back. Then, on Aug 2, 2020, I can splurge on something fun . . . like crack 😉  

-Speaking of this idea, why not do this for running? Maybe I can put $2 in a jar for every run that I complete for marathon training. 

-I really hope nothing is going on with me, because I have been so tired lately. 

-Maybe because it was something different, but I really enjoyed doing last week’s long run bright and early on Friday morning. I think that I’m going to try it again tomorrow. 

-I have to get back to running with my running groups again. 

-Speaking of running groups, I joined a couple of NYC Marathon Facebook groups. Do we live in an age where people are too lazy to read? This is coming from my hypocritical, non-proofreading ass. Many of the questions that are being asked can be found on the damn NYRR’s website. 

-Since I missed last week’s race, I need to sign up for yet another run for 2019. 

-Nerd Alert: The other day I was thinking that I would like to figure out how can read more scientific papers since transitioning into higher education administration. Now, I would like to read more scientific papers about marathon (long-distance) running. I think I want to read at least one article a week. 

First up: Gordon et al., 2017. Physicological and training characteristics of recreational marathon runners. Journal of Sports Medicine. 8:231-41. 

Ugh, I just looked at the abstract:

Training frequency was shown to be significantly greater for the 2.5–3 h group compared to the 3.5–4 h runners (P < 0.001) and >4.5 h group (P = 0.004) . . . 

What’s going to be the follow-up data? Water is wet? 😉 

-Shit, this reminds me that I have SEVERAL overdue library books out. The annoying thing is the libraries that are closest to home and work lock their fucking book dropboxes before/after hours. What’s the point of the box drop when the library is closed? Maybe people were putting feces in the dropboxes.

What random thoughts are in your head?

NYC Marathon Training Update (Week 1)

General housekeeping: 

-I think training week 0 really did a number on me because I was quite tired most of this week.

-Man, the heat was no joke this week.

I’m all sweated out after walking 6 blocks (~12 minutes).

Monday: Planned, 5mi easy; Actual, 4mi

With temps in the 90s, there was no way that I was going to run with my running group so I did a treadmill run at the gym. Ain’t nobody got time for all of this heat.

Tuesday: Planned, 6mi hill repeats; Actual, yeah right

I woke up all prepared to run in Central Park, but I was super groggy. I just could not get it together for this run and decided to go back to sleep.

Wednesday: Planned, X-train; Actual, X-train, lap swim

I finally made it to an NYC’s adult open swim program. Many of the outdoor pools have FREE open swim either from 7 am to 8:30 am or from 7 pm to 8:30 pm. I opted to swim from  7 – 8:30 am in a pool that is about one mile away from my apt. Knowing NYC’s planning for these types of programs, I was expecting a complete sh*t show, but the program was managed very well . . . at least on my first visit.

Kids cannot do ANYTHING nowadays.

Breath-holding contests back in the day were one of the things that made swimming fun as a kid. What are they going to get rid of next, Marco Polo?

You know what? Swimming laps can definitely show a runner how out of shape he/she really is. I was pooped after continuously swimming for 45 minutes . . . well, maybe it was closer to 30 minutes. Also, my flip turns are now quite atrocious.

Thursday: Planned, 5mi easy; Actual, Rest

I think Wednesday’s swim took it out of me because I was quite exhausted. Although I planned to run after work, I received some bad financial news and did not care about running. Instead, I was all mopey and went to McDonald’s for my comfort food of a Quarter pounder with cheese combo meal. Ugh, is it me but are most McDonald’s in NYC riff-raff as hell? Some of these folks act like you are bothering them when you ask them to do something that is part of their job. 

Friday: Planned, Rest; Actual, Rest 

Eh, nothing to report.

Saturday: Planned 10mi race; Actual Rest

Due to the extreme heat conditions, NYRR decided to cancel the 10mi Marathon Training Run. Good, because I did not want to run outside in 100-degree weather.  Although the run was canceled, I had planned to run my 10 miles at the gym. That did not happen because I kept putting it off. “I’ll go to the gym at 8am” became I’ll go to the gym at 10 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, and so forth. Long story short, I did not make it to the gym. However, I did get a lot of housework and professional work completed.

Sunday: Planned, Rest; Actual, 10.5mi easy 

Although this week literally has been HELL in NYC, I knew that I could not let at week go by without doing a long run especially this early in my training plan. I think other folks had the idea of running indoors because I had to wait about 30 minutes for a treadmill. I was a bit selective with my treadmills because I wanted a treadmill that was near a fan. The run was just eh. I typically get really bored with treadmill running after 7/8 miles, but I powered through.

Because of the weather, this week was a bit tough for running. I thought I read somewhere that your body needs 2-3 weeks to acclimate to summer running. I guess my body needs two acclimation periods – one for 80-degree weather and the other for 90-degree weather.

Plan for this week

Shoot, I just realized that I the title for next week’s training should be #2, not #3.  

Were your outdoor running plans screwed up by the heat this week?

Random Thursday

-For some reason, I’m actually excited for this upcoming marathon training season. We’ll see how long that lasts.

-I need to buy new running shoes, ASAP.

-The other day, I had a funny/ignorant exchange with my Uber driver in Philly.

Driver: You know we have good pussy in Philly.

Me: I’m gay.

Driver: We have good boy pussy too.

-Speaking of Philly. I was to be on a “what you can be with a PhD” type panel. Some of the students’ questions really made me think about my career/life plans. 

-Although I told myself that I would never get another tattoo (I have only two), I think that I may want to get an NYC Marathon-themed tattoo if I finish this year’s marathon. I’m thinking something like the route or the NYC skyline.

-I hate early morning meetings. 

-Using a combination of marathon running and applied physics (***).

Researchers filmed and analyzed the people-packed corrals at the start of marathons to understand the physics of human crowd movement. The results could help predict how crowds will move during emergencies and improve computer-generated crowd scenes in movies.

-I’m sleepy.

-I need to find a local (and cheap) pool so I can incorporate swimming into this training plan. Word on the street is the pool at the college where I work does not have many open swim hours slots. 

Sweet, I just found a pool that is about 1.3 miles from my apt that has lap swim from 7am to 8:30 am. And, there a Citibike dock near the pool. Score!

Sweet II, there is a pool that has an open swim from 7 pm to 8:30 pm until August 30th. What’s the best part? This park is a three-minute walk from my apt!!!!

-Thanks to runeatralph for providing a link to an online pace calculator from Runner’s Connect ( *** ) that adjusts your goal pace based on temperature and the dew point.  

For example, on a day where the temperature is 88 F and the dew point is 63 F. My adjusted pace for a 5K at 9:30 min/mi pace would be 9:47 min/mi.

-In order to improve my Spanish comprehension, the hubby has me watching “Rica, Famosa Latina”. All five seasons are on Hulu. OMG, these chicas get so physical and bleed on this show. It’s pretty much a Latin version of Real Housewives mixed with Jerry Springer and an intense telenovela. Actually, it’s too damn intense for me. I’m all for a good read. However, hitting someone in the head with a wine glass and trying to stab her with the broken glass in the chest is . . . a bit much. I think that I’ll stick to my RHoA women . . . at least no blood is drawn on that show. 

One question: why does it take production so long to break up the damn fights?

What random thoughts do you have?

Training Report

I’m a little late with this update because I have been celebrating my birthday for the past week.

I finally did a group run!!!

Over the past few months (well years), I have been saying that I wanted to get involved with a running group or club. Well, technically, I am a member of two running groups – the Front Runners of NY and Harlem Run, but I’ve never run with either. The funny thing is that Harlem Run meets in a park that is literally a 3-min walk from my apartment. Actually, it’s a 2-min walk, if the light is green. I did enjoy running with the group. However, I did not hang out for the post-run meet and greet because the hubby made dinner. It’s kind of funny because the post-run meet and greet is held at Harlem Shake – a burger/shake joint. Actually, I used to do group runs with a group that finished their runs at local bars so I cannot really judge.

Since I would like to drop 20ish pounds by October, I have been hitting the gym and watching what I eat.

Here’s goes my week of “training”

Monday (morning):

X-train

Monday (evening):

Ran 4 miles with Harlem Run. Since I was new to the group and was a little tired, I ran in the 10min/mi group, but it felt like we were running way faster than that pace. One issue I may have running with this group is that I’m not a huge fan of running after work; the group meets at 7 pm. I think going forward that I will have to change into my running clothes at work around 5:30/6 pm so I will be mentally prepared to run at 7 pm. It was kind of tough having the mental strength/desire to go home to drop off my work stuff, change, then meet the group. Technically, there is a drop off at Harlem Shake but I really do not want to leave my work stuff in an unlocked/unsupervised area.

Interestingly, our run literally took us to my office’s building. Talk about deja vu.

I was thinking that it was going to be a nice, easy run but our route had a tough hill one mile into the run.

After that hill, no one was really chatting that much. However, I did manage to talk to a few people during the beginning and end of the run. Most were nice, but there were a couple of non-social folks. Eh, can’t win them all.

Tuesday:

X-training and a shit ton of stretching

Wednesday:

A “fast” two-miler on the treadmill and 30 min of the stair climber.

I also did a Zumba class with one of my favorite instructors. I guess that it has been a few weeks since my last Zumba class. I dunno. I just was not feeling Zumba for a while. This class was kind of awesome because I liked ALL of the songs from the instructor’s playlist. I know that these types of classes are not about perfecting your dance skills. That said, why do I ALWAYS end up next to or behind the most uncoordinated person in the class?

Thursday:

I was supposed to do a loop around Central Park after picking up my contact lenses, but I went draaaankin’ instead. Speaking of contact lenses, I am so glad that I’m wearing them again for my physical activities. Although I liked wearing my glasses for the past month, I definitely prefer contacts . . . No question about it. 

I’m all about my drink coupons. You cannot beat Rise’s 2-4-1 happy hour from 3 to 9 pm.

Unfortunately, my post-drinking, bad eating habit reared its head because I ended up getting fried chicken and fries for dinner. In my weak defense, I did have a small breakfast (a Diet Coke) and I skipped lunch.

Friday

Was the first day of my staycation. The plan was to go to the beach in the morning, but the rainy weather said otherwise. I did want to hit the gym and go for a run, but I ordered Ramen and became too full to run. A few hours later, I was going to do a loop in Central Park, but I saw that my phone’s battery was at 19%. Y’all know that I cannot run without music. Maybe I should start incorporating “silent” runs when I start training for the NYC marathon.

Random Thoughts Thursday

I just love bottomless brunch specials.

Ack! I still need to register for (and run) three more races for guaranteed entry into 2020 TCS NYC Marathon.

Anyone got a good pre-marathon training plan? I think I would like to start training in July/August.

Has anyone used NYRR’s virtual marathon training plan?

:(, this time last year, I was boozing it up in Cancun.

I think that I wanna drop about 20 pounds by October. Word on the street is that I’m supposed to go to a conference that will be held in Honolulu so I would like to slim down a bit. But, I have been getting chubby . . . chubbier over the past couple of months.

Is a 20-week marathon training plan overdoing it? I think that I would become bored/annoyed training 5 months for a marathon. Hell, I can barely finish a 16-week training plan.

What are some cool summer jams?

I finally figured out why my pace times are always faster than my official times.

I’ve been telling folks this. I think these resorts are using crappy, half-assed distilled booze.