go beck go

race day

2008-12-15T07:49:00.000-08:00

saturday was my first race of the training season. a nice little 4 miler. it was sunny and cold, and reeeaalllly hard to get out of bed at 7am on a saturday knowing i was gonna freeze my butt off. but, i dragged myself out to central park and had a great race.

i wasn't paying too much attention to the time clocks, i just tried to pace myself and follow ramon's race strategy. ramon's strategy was to take the first mile easy, let people pass you and just keep a steady pace. mile two is alot of downhill, so it would be a fast mile. mile 3 would suck because it involves cat hill.. a slow long incline. then mile 4 is pretty flat so i will be fast also. i pretty much followed this exactly, but i think mile 3 was faster than i expected because i ended up running one of my fastest races yet.

just a small step.

2008-12-09T18:01:00.000-08:00

Even though i posted earlier, this is my first blog you're probably reading. I'm training for the Rome marathon coming up in March and I'm looking for allll the support I can get!

Aside from running 26.2 miles, i hope to have raised $6000 for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. With your help I know I can do it. It's only $229 per mile. So look at it this way, you could sponsor me:

$229 buys you one OFFICIAL MILE!
$130 buys you 100 YARDS! (that's cheap for a football field!)
$50 buys you 100 FEET... that's like if 20 of me were laying end to end! (50 bucks = 20 of me.. awesome deal!)
$6.50 buys you a 50 YARD DASH!

So, see there is something for everyone. The Leukemia Society means so much to so many people you'd be amazed. And every foot you buy makes a big difference from someone fighting a difficult disease.

CIAO!!

2008-11-11T14:02:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a loooong summer. and spring and fall for that matter.

When I last left you, i had just completed my first marathon (yup, all 26.2 miles) in Paris. I was nursing some sore muscles, but now after a bit of rest (8 months to be exact) i'm ready to train for marathon number 2 (yup, another 26.2)!

This time my training and your gracious donations will take me to Rome.. that's Rome ITALY, not Rome, New York! I will once again be training with Team In Training and fundraising for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, and the Marathon is March 22 so it will be a long hard winter.

For all my new readers, Team In Training is a program provided by the Leukemia Lymphoma Society which, in exchange for fundraising, trains people for endurance events like marathons or triathalons. It's a great program, and last year with the help of many friends and family members I managed to raise over 6,000 dollars. The Leukemia Lymphoma Society uses the money raised to further research as well as help improve the quality of life for those battling blood cancers.

Last year I ran in memory of my grandfather, and this year I will also be running in memory of Kim Patterson who passed away in 2000 of Leukemia. I will also be keeping a couple people in my thoughts who are currently fighting the good fight against blood cancer as well. If they can find the strength to keep fighting, i can surly find the strength to get up at 8am to run!

So, stay tuned.. the training stories (both good and bad) will be posted.

And if you want to donate and post some words of encouragement you can do so here:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/rome09/bhickey

miles run: 0
miles to go: 26.2

Etes vous fatigues?!

2008-04-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

now for the race..

believe it or not, i was not really that nervous for the marathon. i think that the fact that my brain really couldn't comprehend running 26.2 miles in a row helped. i tried to just think of it as another race in the park. except this park was paris and this was THE race.

i had been battling a cold for about a week, so i took some nyquil and fell asleep pretty quickly. i consider myself lucky for this because many of my teammates were tossing and turning all night.

race day was a bit more hectic. the race was set to start at 8:45am, so we had to be up at 6 in order to eat.. rules are to eat 90 minutes before and hydrate a bit. i still wasn't too nervous, had my clothes all laid out and was ready. once i got to the lobby and felt everyone elses nerves, and heard all the second-guessing of the clothing etc it got in my head a little. suddenly i wasn't satisfied with what i was wearing.. not sure if i had everyhting i needed.. UGH.

there were about 30,000 runners with only 18% of them women. pretty unusual. it also made for a crazy crowded start and i felt very very small in the crowd. i started the race with roxy, she's an old pro when it comes to marathons so having her there helped alot with the nerves.

i was hoping to run somewhere close to a 4:15 race.. kind of funny since i really had no idea how my leg would feel, how running 26 miles would feel etc. but i know my general pace is somewhere around 9:30/mile. this race (being europe and all) was counted in kilometers so i figured if i could run each 5k in 30ish minutes i'd end up close to 4:15 and more likely 4:30. the route took us from the arch d'triamphe down the champs elysees past the louvre, past tuileries, around the bastille and out through a beautiful park. lots to look at, and many distractions.

from the start i knew my leg was not going to be a problem. it felt great actually. i was running strong and pretty close to my goal pace. the crowd of spectators were not thick, but their cheers of "ALLEZ, ALLEZ!" were more than encouraging! it was an overcast morning and a bit chilly, so i had a jacket over my oh so lovely purple TNT tanktop. (it is hard to look cute when running 26 miles, but this tanktop made it IMPOSSIBLE). at about the 10k mark i started to warm up, and took off my jacket.. at that moment i heard 'GO BECK, YOU LOOK GREAT!' my coach ramon was there at that moment with all the support i could possibly need. as you read further, he will appear a few times.. not quiet sure how he managed to always be there when i needed him most!

the run through the park was a bit harder because the crowd all but disappeared, and there was not much to look at. i fell in behind a pacer (they had arranged for pacing runners to be scattered throughout helping us reach our goals) which was running a 4:15, and this gave me a good bit of momentum. i quickly realized though that i was being pulled along faster than i should be running at this point. if i kept up this pace i'd surly be in trouble later. it's hard to break that momentum, so when i passed a row of port'o potties i decided to make a pitstop and then it would be easier to resume my normal pace.

due to the large percentage of men in this race, there were not very many port'o potties.. and honestly i was amazed by how the men would just stop anywhere and everywhere and pee!

we came through the park and re-entered the city.. this portion of the race took us along the river.. the sun came in and out of the clouds keeping us warm. i still felt strong. not focusing too much on my watch, i was still not too far off my goal. i was looking forward to seeing the coaches though.. they told us they would be spread out from 20k- the end of the race.

somewhere around 1/2 way, i stopped for some water.. i passed 2 other TNT'ers walking and enjoying their water when i heard that oh so familiar spanish voice cutting through the crowd.. 'ARE YOU FREAKING WALKING?!' ramon.. i found him and ran over for a high-five. he ran along with me with encouraging words of how great i looked and gave me a run down of what i could expect in the upcoming miles.. 'a few rolling hills, small incline.. just let these middle miles fall away.. distract yourself.. play a game with yourself.. just keep running, you look amazing!'

as i ran on i thought 'play a game.. hmm.. a game.. i don't know any games.. damnit ramon, i don't KNOW ANY GAMES!' laughing at myself i decided to just read the signs on the stores, the signs on the street.. just keep reading the signs..

i felt good until about mile 20 which i guess is pretty normal. this is when the wheels usually come off. and when i say 'good' it is very relative.. at this point i had been running for over 3 hours.. RUNNING for OVER 3 HOURS.. i started passing the coaches which helped alot. a little distraction, a little chit chat and then off again.

things were getting more difficult with only 10k to go.. at one point i was taking a walking/water break and told myself 'when i get to that orange balloon i will start running again' only to realize that the orange balloon was running also. so i picked a new landmark. just as i was approaching my running mark (and about to pick a new landmark and walk a bit further) i heard a voice from behind me 'way to go New York!' our tanktops had i *heart* NY on them, and i guess there was a fellow new yorker running up behind me. she was not with our team, but it was jsut what i needed to get going again. i thanked her for kicking my ass at the right moment. we chatted for a bit and she was quite encouraging 'we're almost done!' and i ran ahead.

at around the 5K (to go) mark i was really tired and taking another walking break. NY ran up again and said 'ok new york, lets finish this!' forcing me once again to run! GOD LOVE THIS GIRL! i saw a water table and ran over to grab what i thought was a cup of powerade. took a big gulp and WAHGHAHA!!! it was NOT powerade.. it tasted like sparkling vinegar.. or what i later accounted as 'sparkling ass water!' it was exactly what i didn't want at that moment (or any other moment for that matter) i had run away from the water table, so i was now stuck with this in my mouth and burning my stomach. i looked around desperately for water.. there were half drunk bottles littering the ground and i struggled with the idea of picking one up! then i finally saw a fellow TNT member (thank god also for the distinctive purple tanktops that i cursed so much)

i ran over and begged for a sip of their water which they gladly shared. then i saw a smiling friendly face.. Eissa! she is one of our coaches this season, and was handing out bottles of water!!! seeing her also meant that ramon was not far behind.. and that meant the end!

about 250 yards from the finish ramon came cruising up behind me. i love this man. he knows all of us runners and everything we have gone through to get to this moment. he has worked so hard to get us here and genuinely feels the power we are feeling at this moment. it sounds corney, but if you haven't run a marathon you can't understand how accomplished you feel at the end. he points you to the finish and reminds you to relish the feeling cause there is only one 'first' time. i turned the last corner to the finish.. when i thought it couldn't get any better i heard peter shouting from the sidelines.. "GO BECK!!! NUMBER 3!!" and i sprinted (as much as i could muster) to the finish.

here are a few of my favorite parts.. i forgot to mention and now can't remember where they fit in!

** along the route they had tables with buckets of water and sponges so you could squeeze water on your head. i stopped at one to dip my hands in which were sticky from a goo. there were no other people at the table.. (our names are printed on our numbers) and all the french guys working the table started chanting my name "BECK! BECK! BECK! BECK!...." amazing.

** there was a chant happening during the race. i am not really sure what they were saying, but i think it roughly translates to "are you tired?" with a return of "NO!" then "something, something .. GET UP" so in french it goes like this:
"Etes vous FATIGUES?"
"NON!"
"something something RELEVES!"
if anyone can clear this up for me i'll give you a prize.. it's been driving me crazy!

** constant chants of "ALLEZ! ALLEZ!"

** the general love and support of the TNT team and coaches. i am not sure i could run a marathon on my own after this!

bienvenue

2008-04-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

this is going to be a loooong one, so i may break it down into some more digestible installments. first, the trip to paris.

roxy and i were traveling together on a redeye to paris on wednesday night. our budget was tight so we booked our flights on air india. i have just recently seen the wes anderson movie 'darjeeling express', so i had visions of what i might be walking into at the end of that jetway. i was not far off.. the plane was a 747 from 1979.. there were stairs leading upstairs to what i imagined to be a bollywood disco lounge! the seats were orange and red, the flight attendants dressed in traditional sari. jokes of curry dishes as inflight food soon came true, and there was an offering of both hollywood and bollywood movies for our viewing pleasure. the good thing was the flight was empty, so i had my own row to stretch out in.

we arrived in paris and headed to our hotel. it was just off the champs elysees near l'arc de triamphe... which is WAY bigger than the one in washington square park. roxy has never studied french, so she quickly put me in charge of communicating with the locals. i was nervous but plenty of HS french came rushing back to me, and we got by just fine.

we were exhausted from the flight, so we decided to head over to the expo and pick up our numbers and race information. i couldn't believe i was actually there, in paris, picking up my offical marathon RACE number!! then we chilled out for a while, grabbed dinner and crashed.

friday we set out to see the town. it was a gorgeous sunny spring day. we took the metro across town because we were instructed to keep the walking to a minimum.. saving our legs for sunday. on the suggestion of a co-worker, we visited saint chapel which is on the same island as notre dame. saint chapel was one of the first buildings when the figured out how to support cielings without breaking up the room with interior walls. it is so beautiful. the walls are completely made of stained glass, and we were there on a sunny day so the entire room was like being inside a jewel. really awe inspiring.

notre dame is like walking into the pages of my art history books. so surreal that i was standing in front of this building i had seen so many times before. after vising this we walked across the bridge to isle st. louis, and had some lunch at an outdoor cafe (paris is overrun with charming outdoor cafes!) the island is a great place to wander. narrow streets with old buildings and shops. on the recommendation of roxy's friend, we found a shop that sells delicious ice cream and got some for our walk. we are running a marathon, so luckily carbs are high on our list of 'must haves'!!!

afer all this walking, we took a nap and then headed over to see the tour eiffel (eiffel tower) all lit up at night. it's a bit of a scene there.. tons of tourists, and then people in your face trying to sell you mini-eiffel towers that light up, and key chains and other assorted crap. we wandered back and grabbed some late night dinner before going to bed.

saturday there was a morning run which i skipped.. saving my legs for sunday.. and truthfully, i didn't want to know before the actual race if it was going to hurt. so i skipped it and slept in while roxy met up with the group for a quick 20 minute run to the siene.

our plan was to head down to monparnasse and visit the catacombs. it's a macabre place. old mines where the had stored bones when overcrowded graves had to be dug up. it was a confusing trip.. we were walking in circles trying to find the right streets and really looking like lost tourists! when we finally found it, it turns out the catacombs are closed due to renovations!!

roxy was tired, and i really wanted to visit the picasso museum, so we parted ways. at the museum i ran into some of the runners from TNT, and our head coach so we walked the museum together. it is a great collection of picasso's work, and all exhibited in an old mansion in the marais neighborhood of paris. after this we walked over to the pompadu center which is a big modern art museum. we didn't have time to go inside, but the outside of the building is a sight in itself. it was raining and the impending race was starting to set in..

saturday night we had a group pasta dinner. to kick off the dinner, people told their stories of why they got involved in team in training, who they are running for.. how leukemia has touched their lives. it's a moving night.

M is for MRI

2008-04-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

so i'm back from France now, but i am going to catch you up a bit since i last posted...

after a few trips to the PT i decided to take a complete break and just rest my leg and see what happened.. after some rest it was slowly getting better, but i figured i'd be the responsible girl my parents always hoped i'd be, and have dr. metzl check it out before i ran on it. he examined me, and said that considering my history of bone injury i should have an MRI to rule out another stress fracture.

after a few nerve wracking days, i went back to the good doctor and we checked out the MRI. (which is very cool by the way) it turns out i had some swelling in my left fibia (the fracture was in the same leg, but in the tibia last time) but no cracks. this was a very good sign. dr. metzl said that considering everything i went through in the past, and how hard i've worked to get here.. that if he were me he would just rest until the race and then go for it! which is exactly what i wanted to hear!!

so april 2 i'm off to paris!!! vive la france!

UPDATE

2008-03-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

quickly. i saw michael the PT guru yesterday, he knows how badly i want to complete this marathon, so he was worried when he saw me at his office. he worked on my calf.. it turns out the muscle that basically makes your toes bend is sore. it runs under your foot and up the outside of your calf, and it's bothering me in the center of my calf the most. he also did a crazy japanese taping technique that is supposed to help relax the muscle by guiding the energy... voodo if you wanna know the honest truth....

we also set a plan.. i am to be very conservative with my running this week (meaning, skip the long run on saturday) focus on crosstraining instead and then next week do a long 18-20 mile run. then taper off for the following 2 weeks as scheduled. sounds like a good plan. so this weekend i plan on going to hot yoga both saturday and sunday and also fitting in some cardio. bike or eliptical. lots of advil, and lots of ice.

lots of catchin up to do

2008-03-06T06:51:00.001-08:00

ok, i owe you guys lots of posts so i will try to make this the reader's digest version..

saturday we had a normal group run scheduled for the park, and as you remember, it snowed on friday night. the weather man was making a big deal about how it was going to snow all night and into the morning. this would make a long saturday run very difficult, and sunday i was going to be out on long island (which also makes a long run more difficult) so i was crossing my fingers for rain. of course the snow quickly turned to rain and saturday i woke to wet streets and a comfortable 40° weather.

the goal was to run 16, and that either means i run 3 boring loops of the park or i get creative. so i opted to run from home to the park (4.5 miles) and then run 2 loops+ in the park then subway home. this also tricks the brain into thinking the run is shorter since it feels like the run to the park doesn't really count. my legs were a little tight so i took it slow and did a good stretch once i got to the park. i gave myself permission to take a bathroom break after my first loop, and even stretched a little again. the sun came out and things were good. by the end of the 16 i was feeling a little beat down but good. i got home, cleaned up and headed out for my sisters graduation party.

sunday i woke up with a really tight calf so i've taken it easy for a few days in hope that it would ease up. the pain is still nagging me, so yesterday i broke down and made an appointment to see michael (PT guru). last night i was feeling a little better so i went for a 3 mile run.. i also figured it would help me explain to michael exactly where it hurt. the run wasn't so bad, but it brings back memories of long, painful, limping runs of the past. after the run, i rolled out my calf and stretched good followed by 3 advil. as i chilled out on the couch the pain increased, and i was getting quite sad about it.. i can't have come this far to be knocked out again. i just can't.

at the height of my pity party, cash needed to go out for a walk... turns out that in the rush to get him outside, i forgot to grab the key. no key, no cellphone, not even a quarter in my pocket.. and i was in my pajamas! i was forced to call my dad collect from a payphone and he had to drive in from LI with the key.... an hour and a half cash and i sat on the stoop. aggrevating to say the least, but it did manage to get my mind off my leg.

So, today i'm off to see michael and i am going to devise a plan for making it through this training and getting to that marathon! DAMMIT!

miles run: 16.5 + 3.5
hours spent on the stoop: 1.5

a quick 3

2008-02-27T13:39:00.000-08:00

in order to keep my promise to myself i was forced to run last night in the rain.

i can't believe i actually found the motivation to get changed and get out there to run when the couch was calling to me so damn loudly. but, i pulled out my new running clothes, set the ipod to the Garden State soundtrack and headed out for my usual 3 mile run from my house to the top of amsterdam ave.. up the big hill and back again. i am not sure what was up last night, but i was running FAST. a couple times i tried to pull my pace back a bit but it just wasn't happening tonight. my feet had a mind of their own. it wasn't the rain, because once outside it actually felt good.. 42° and a light rain was refreshing. it wasn't the music driving me along because the soundtrack is pretty mellow. i just had speedy feet!

as i was coming up audubon ave i started thinking that i could probably continue the run down to 155th street and back which would add another 2 miles onto the run. but due to the speed which i took the first three my legs were feeling a bit beat up and i decided that if i kept up this pace for 2 more i'd be really really sorry today. i was right, as it is my knees and calfs are tight today.

the run in the rain with the perfect music was enough to wash away the shit from last week. and the speed worked off alot of the aggrevation i have been feeling. so a week of feeling sad is kind of like a week of rain.. it sucks when it's happening but damn does the sun feel that much brighter when it comes out.

miles run: 3
soung of the day: "let go" by frou frou

confessions and definitions

2008-02-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

ok, i admit it. i was a lazy ass this week. i didn't run at all.
this is not smart considering how close to the end i am, and skipping the short runs during the week only makes the long runs on saturday harder and more apt to end in injury. here are my excuses.. lots of work at the day job causing me to get home at 8pm every night combined with a bout of depression = lack of motivation to do anything more than sit on the couch. final excuse was the weather at the end of the week. i was scheduled to run the 4M race in central park on saturday so the plan was to run from my house to the park.. run the race.. and home again which would equal a 15 mile run. solid. saturday was cold and damp. roads slushy and icy. lack of sleep kept me in bed. so today with the sun shining i FINALLY set out for my run. the plan was to run the same route i would have run yesterday. 8 miles into the 15 mile run my ipod battery went dead. crap. i managed to squeeze out 2 more miles getting me back up to 125th street before i hopped on the subway and headed home. 10 is solid. i can make this my 'low' week and come back strong for the next 3 clocking 16 next week, 18 the following and 20 on march 15th before we start to cut back in preparation for the race on April 6th.

so i don't usually do this, but here's the backstory to all the blues this week. work exhausting me is a minor part of it.. most of it came from some setbacks with the bag business. i've been trying to launch a new line for fall 08. the plan was to finish up the samples this week when i got the news that i owe back taxes and all the money i had for the bags was now going to the government. this was the major force keeping me down this week.

the second is the slow realization that a (dare i say) *relationship* that i've been in for 2 and a half years must end. it was in no way a committed relationship, but the dictionary defines relationship as 'the state of being connected' so i feel confident in saying that after this much time we were 'connected'. a relationship built on the hope that it might turn into something else, but the realization that it never will is what finally hit me. so i had to put an end to it.. not because it is bad, but really because it is not good. he's great. someday maybe he will be even greater, but i don't have the time to wait around for that day anymore. it wasn't a perfect relationship, but still i am more than sad to see it end. as my friends will say 'on to bigger and better things' ... not much solace in that right now but 10 miles helped a bit.

miles run: 10
soundtrack for sunday: wilco
antidote for depression: a vow to run 3 weekday runs/week for the final weeks of training

Whoa, was that Yonkers??

2008-02-16T12:26:00.000-08:00

looooong run today. we met as a group at the bottom of the George Washington Bridge. I was really excited about this run for a few reasons.. first off it's great for me because i live do damn close. i got to sleep til 7, and the only reason i had to be up that early was so i had time to eat breakfast. the other reason was because i've missed this run twice in the past seasons due to injury, so this was a real milestone for me.

the run takes us across the bridge into jersey where we run in the Palisades Park north along the Hudson river. we were running according to time since there is really no way to track our mileage. our coach told us to start our watches when we enter the park at which point we should plan on running the same time as our longest run. since we weren't counting the distance across the bridge and back it would essentially make this 2-3 miles longer than our longest run. last week's half marathon was my longest run this season, and that was 2 hours.. i figured i'd be running at a slower pace this week so i decided to run 1:10 out, which would give me about 2:20 run plus the bridge. but according to how i felt i'd cut this short if needed.

as i mentioned in my last blog we were told NO HEADPHONES. i brought mine but started the run without it. once the entire group was running across the bridge i realized why we had this rule. it was a large group, and narrow walkways with bikes and other runners trying to get by.. it was actually a bit annoying. we were going at such a slow pace that at one point i stopped and walked. once into the park the group spread out and the run was pretty amazing. palisades park is wooded and hilly, with views of the river, waterfalls etc. there was no car traffic, so it was really pretty quiet. a beautiful sunny crisp (which is a nice way of saying COLD) morning. even the voices in my head were quiet this morning. i thought about putting my headphones on, but decided against it because i was really enjoying the quiet. jsut the sound of my breath and footsteps.

i was feeling good, so i pushed the run to 1:15 before i turned around. at this point i decided i really needed some music to bring me home. i had the ipod loaded up with a live Pearl Jam show from Madison Square Garden.. so it felt like i had a whole crowd cheering me on!

The run took us so far north that i really think i saw yonkers across the river.. i have to check the map, but i think yonkers is just north of the bronx. crazy to think i ran that far!!!

now to top off the experience, when i began my run back i realized i had to pee. i debated just holding it, but looked around and decided what the heck... so i peed in the woods! you gotta do what you gotta do to get through the run! i did feel better and set back to running with a sly grin on my face.

i finished the run strong and proud of myself once again. my body feels like it got run over by a honda civic.. not enough damage to put me out, just enough to be annoying. i think next week will be a bit of an easy week then the following week will most likely put me up to 20 miles.. eeek!

time run: 2:55
miles run: 17ish
song that got me up that big ass hill: given to fly

listen up

2008-02-15T07:21:00.000-08:00

i'm taking a break for a little rant.

the other day i was on a marathon website and saw an article about how many marathon organizers are banning the use of headphones. i have heard that this is because it deminishes the 'competative nature of the event'.. crap.. 90% of the runners in marathons are not seriously competing to win the damn thing, so if officials want to keep it competative then they should only allow qualified runners enter.

now, i just read another website where people were commenting on how this is a good rule because runners with headphones on are oblivious to their surroundings and can get hit by cars, and constantly cut other runners off resulting collisions and potential injury. give me a break! i've been in plenty of races where people without headphones cut me off.. or are slow runners and line up in the front of the pack oblivious to the fact that there are faster runners trying to get by. this oblivion has nothing to do with headphones, it has to do with inconsiderate people!

our group training session this weekend is to run over the george washington bridge and into new jersey. our coach has banned headphones for this practice (and all future practices). i completely understand his decision for this saturday's run.. he is responsible for a big group running in unfamiliar territory on a bridge full of other idiots in cars.. safety first. but, to ban headphones for all future practices which mainly take place in the safe haven of central park seems unfair. i know he is promoting socialization and fun.. but i'm anti-social when i run.. i freely admit it. i go knowing i've got business to do.. and 15+ miles is alllllll business!

so, this saturday i will set aside the ipod, but as for the future i just can't do it without my music!

... thanks for listening... now back to happier running blogs :)

the clash in the bronx!

2008-02-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

this morning i ran the half marathon in the bronx.. my first half marathon race. the ipod was loaded with The Clash, and man what a good choice that was.

although i've run longer distances than 13.1 miles (last season my longest run was 15 miles before getting injured) this race seemed more significant. and definitely more nerve wracking. last night i was exhausted from a brutal week at work, but when it came time to go to bed i just could not sleep.

the race started at 8, so i had to get up at 6 so i had time to walk cash, eat, go to the bathroom, load the ipod and get myself to the bx on time... well all this was on slo-mo so it was a scramble to get a cab (which he had no idea where bronx science hs was so there was a panic call to my mom to google it at 7am! bless you mom.) weather started out great.. 40, mild, sunny. got a little colder at the start but that was ok cause i was overdressed. i hate things hanging off of me, so if i'm gonna take off a layer it's gonna get thrown away. i am not ready to part with any of my running clothes, so they were staying on.

i have been trying no to get too hung up on my race times because i can get caught up in setting goals, pushing too hard which could lead to another injury. i just want to run a smart, strong race. at the start i missed the time so i wasn't really sure what my time was.. i just tried to take note of my pacing and not push too hard. after a few miles i realized that i was pretty much hitting a 9minute mile and it felt like a pace i could run all day.. coach ramon would say i was doing good. the plan was to keep this pace going til mile 7 or 8 and if i still felt good i could push harder.

right around mile 7 the race went up the grand concourse in a steady incline.. suddenly the wind picked up and blasted us right in the face. i focused on my breathing and not letting the gusts disrupt my breath cause i could get a side-ache and that would be the end of me.. got through this and hit the turnaround point which put the wind at my back. so at mile 8 i picked it up til mile 11ish.

at mile 11 i started getting a bit tired, so i set my ipod on van halen and got into a pace i knew i could hold for 2 miles. seriously, 'runnin with the devil' saved me. seeing the coaches and TNT runners a bit before the finish gave me my 4th wind and inspired me to finish strong.

I just checked my time.. i finished the race in 1:59:39!!!! That breaks down to 9:08 average mile pace.. and that, my friends, is the fastest pace I've ever raced at!!! amazing considering that this was such a long run. I am very very happy with my success today, and with everything i've been through I'm proud that i've come back to running and come back this strong!

miles run: 13.1
song of the day: runnin with the devil
favorite fan quote: "Yeah baby, i like the way you're doin it" (read that in a bronx accent)

couple quick things..

2008-02-07T20:12:00.000-08:00

i got my race registration today!! IT'S IN FRENCH :)
i don't know why, but that makes it so much more exciting. Never been to paris so this trip will be double the fun.

next.. i am running the bronx half marathon on sunday. i am going to have to put together a special ipod mix for that one. not sure what it's gonna be, but if anyone has any songs that might be appropriate for running through the bx feel free to share!

dreams of springtime in paris

2008-02-03T07:35:00.000-08:00

yesterday at practice we got a little surprise. the focus was on pacing and keeping it slow for at least the first third of our long runs now so that we have some juice left to make it to the finish. we were going to run as a group with the coaches leading the way and controling the pace for the first 5 miles. then ramon broke the paris runners off from the group because we were going to be running the perimeter of the park today on the outside.. meaning on the sidewalks which happen to be cobblestone. seems part of the marathon in paris is on cobblestone streets.

i was a bit nervous cause i was thinking of 'bond street' cobble stones... 4 inch stones with 3 inch gaps that my perfect size 6s can barely cover! i sensed an injury in my future... but it was not the case, the sidewalks are pavers which for the most part are pretty even. the bigger risk was the dog shit!

running a new route with the group always makes the run easier.. new scenery and many distractions to make the miles pass quickly. we got about halfway around the park and one girl, who will remain nameless (since i don't know any names!) started telling her friend about a new guy she's dating. i am not big on talking while i run, but i loooooooooove listening, so this was like striking gold! the story lasted for the entire rest of the run, and she was talking nice and clear so we could all enjoy the details! the upsetting part of the story was that they kept talking about how 'old' this guy was.. his nickname is even 'silverfox'.. turns out he's *GASP* 39!! only 2 years older than me! god i hope there are no guys out there calling me 'silverfox' yet. i figured i had at least 30 years before that!

the coach told us our perimeter run was roughly 7 miles, so once the group entered the park i ran an additional 5 mile loop and finished strong. the funny thing is that at one point a group (two women and a guy- not at all related to my earlier evesdropping) passed me.. the guy was talking about dating from a guys perspective, and said that 'there are very few details about a date that are actually important to a guy'... i suddenly flashed back to the earlier story and every minute detail that she recounted and how we hung on every one. i had to laugh at this most basic difference between men and women!

this nice morning was followd by a day of doing my taxes. i really think it was more painful that running 11.5 miles!

miles run: 11.5
dates she's gone on with the silverfox: 3 (the 4th is tonight)
predicted superbowl winner: GIANTS

holy lazy!

2008-01-30T18:26:00.000-08:00

ok, so due to a head cold and a busy schedule i slid into a bit of a lazy spell. I have to be honest and say that I haven't run since my 10 mile run last weekend.. eeek!

i am determined to get back on track so today i ran a quick 3.5 miles and will run 4.5 tomorrow. friday i will hit yoga after work and rest up for a 12 mile run on saturday. i am so used to being in major pain at this point in my training that i'm a little scared of these long runs. as i head out i always think 'i hope this isn't the run where the injury comes back' but so far so good.

tonight I'm sending out my final fundraising email.. most of my friends and family have generously donated, and i am overwhelmed at the support i've gotten.. but it's my duty to raise as much for the leukemia society as i can so i'll give everyone one more reminder. it's a new tax year, so i might even get some repeat donations :)

i bought my plane ticket to paris this week! roxy and i are planning on flying out on wednesday night so that we have thursday and friday to adjust to the time zone and sight see before the group comes in. then we'll hang out til tuesday which gives us a full day of recovery and french wine to ease the pain!

miles run: 3.5
weeks til paris: 9
best part of today's run: NO SIDE-ACHE!!!

perfect 10

2008-01-19T14:45:00.001-08:00

well not really perfect, but i can't really think of another title. i was super lazy this morning and missed the group training session, but i fought through the urge to stay in bed all day and headed to the park at 10am. I saw some of the TNT members which is always nice.. good to know you've got partners in the torture. Later in the run I ran into a woman I used to work with and stopped for a few minutes to catch up. This was a very welcome break because i had been running for a mile with a side-ache. Been getting them on every run.. about 3 miles in. It's insanely frustrating.. i don't know what i'm doing wrong, but i have to fix this or i'm never gonna make it through these long runs!

Had a few things on my mind today.. one being that i just found out that pro-skater danny renaud fell from a 9 story building in florida.. miraculously he survived. he severly broke both his legs, ruptured his kidney and they had to remove part of his spleen and gallbladder (i think.. i know it was 2 organs). I can't even begin to imagine how you fall from a 9 story building, and then to survive.. seems almost impossible. I kept thinking about how it must have felt like slow motion. you know when you're in a car accident and it feels like it's happening forever. I don't know danny personally, but he skates for stereo skateboards and i'm friends with a few people over there so it felt close to home.

hope he's ok. i know he's got a lot of friends around him to help him fight through the brutal recovery that i'm sure he's facing.

miles run: 10
song of the day: severed hand

to be continued...

2008-01-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

snow and rain somehow always make my runs better. i think it's because it's quiet in the street, and i'm not thinking about the run so much.

tonight i tried to figure out why he's such an idiot.. and then, why i still care. this is proving to be more difficult a question than can be solved in a 3 mile run.. so i will continue with this topic on saturday when i will have 10 miles to work it out!

snow + ipod + radiohead = lovely

it's a new dawn. it's a new day.

2008-01-15T20:10:00.000-08:00

tonight on my run i thought about how bored you must be with this blog by now.. i mean how many times can you read about how sucky my runs were, or which foods were not good pre-run choices or which bathrooms are open in central park in the winter (the boat house and the tavern on the green). i spend my runs actually thinking about all kinds of other things.. so i decided that from now on i'll share with you the things that kept me occupied during my mileage. some days it will be politics, some days it will be boys, some days it will be bags, and unfortunately some days it will still be about the bathrooms in central park.

miles run: 4.5
question: how come side aches go away when you push on them, and cant someone invent something to push on it so you have both hands free while running?

wheeeeeeeeeeee!

2008-01-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

ok, it's not often i can say that i had a good time running. But today i had a good time dammit!

this morning instead of our normal training run we ran the Fred Lebow 5 mile race in central park. it was a beautiful morning for a run. high 40s, sunny, not much wind. perfect! i haven't run a race since the cow harbor 10k back in sept., and if you remember that was pretty brutal. i was feeling good when i got to the park, but once i was lined up for the start i started to freak a bit. i am so used to feeling shitty when i run that it's almost like i am bracing myself for the pain before i take that first stride.

roxy came to the park with her friend demps who i have read about but never met before. it was nice to finally meet the man behind the legend. roxy is battling a sprained quad, so she told us upfront she would be slow and if we needed to take off we were allowed. i ran the first mile with them, but then needed to break away. i've been really curious about what kind of times i am running and this was the day to work out my pacing. seems like i am running slower and more cautious than before the injuries. speed is not a major concern this time around, i really am more focused on completing the mileage that will get me to the finishline in paris!

this was my strongest race yet! my first mile was a slow one, and i tried not to over compensate in the next 4.. just picked up the pace and listened to my ipod. it was a little tricky because i was now running among a slower pace so there was alot of maneuvering. once i got going i pretty much was hitting someplace in the 9+ minute range which is back on my old pace :)

cat hill shows up in mile 4 which kind of sucks, but seriously i took it fast. had a slight side-ache at the top which sucked but i knew i deserved it cause i should have taken the hill a bit slower. but i was feeling too good to slow down. the last mile was probably my strongest. and by the end of the race i was running so fast i felt like my legs were on autopilot.... so much fun!

remember, i'm the girl who hates running!

tonight i checked my time, and my average was 9:41 minute miles which is great to see! i'm going to stick to my training, try to hit yoga to keep my legs loose and hopefully i'll be strong come april.

it's good to be back. thanks fred lebow!

miles run: 5
album of the day: pearl jam 'pearl jam'

watch out obama, beck is running!

2008-01-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

i was waiting to make my announcement until i had a better idea of how strong i was this time around. but after completing a very strong 8 mile run last weekend I feel it's safe to say I'm training for a marathon again!

after my last bout of tendonitis, and my second drop out of the marathon, i wasn't sure i'd give it another shot. and i might not have had it not been for the promise of wine and cheese at the finishline. this time i am training for the PARIS marathon. yes, you read that right.. P. A. R. I. S. in april no less! since i've already raised over 6,000 dollars for the leukemia society i have met my minimum donation requirement and now just have to concentrate on the running.

this does not let you great friends of mine off the hook.. it's still a good cause.. and it still helps thousands of people battle a difficult disease.. and i still need you to donate if you haven't already.. and if you have donated, it's a new year and a new tax deduction so lets get that check book out again! your accountant will thank you!

so as usual I will update you on my progress here each week (sometimes more often) and you can cheer me on when the mood strikes.

tomorrow i run my first race of the new season.. the fred labow 5 mile race in central park. i'm not gonna try to win, i just want to finish strong and treat myself to a waffle!

marathons trained for: 2.3
marathons completed: 0
longest run this season: 8 miles

who you callin a cow?!

2007-09-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

I'm from Northport.. a small town on long island. every summer they hold the 'great cow harbor 10k'. i grew up hearing abou this race.. 'ooh, it's so hard' 'runners come from everywhere to run the cow harbor race'.. whatever.. i never had any interest because i hated running and figured that watching people run was even less exciting than actually running!

well, now that i'm a runner of sorts i figured it was only right that i run this particular 10k. i wasn't really worried about it, i've run 10k before. heck i've run 20k. this was just another training run. until my mom called me early in the week from florida to ask if i plan on running the course before the actual race. she offered the name and number of a friend who has run it in case i wanted to get the ins and outs of the race.. what the heck?! i lived in northport for the majority of my life.. i know the roads. i know the hills. i know that james street seems like the hardest part, but that the long slow incline of waterside ave. is actually the part that kicks everyone's ass. no, i don't need to call someone.

friday night i headed out to my parents' house to spend the night there. i thiink my mom asked me 3 times 'are you nervous?' then all her friends at dinner asked 'are you nervous?' no, i'm not nervous.. or i wasn't. this is just another training run!

i woke up at 6am to the sound of rain outside. sucks because i did not bring any warm clothes. i figured that the race itself wouldn't be a problem but the waiting to start would be cold. as i applied heat to my calfs i watched the early morning weather report and they said the rain would be moving through within the hour. i had 2.5 hours before the start of the race so i should be good.

this is a hilly run, and the first mile is almost all downhill which explains why the next 5 seem to all be uphill! everyone seemed to sprint off the start, and i knew that if i kept up this pace i'd be bummin by the end. my legs were really bothering me and i was trying not to limp down the hill on scudder ave. i just kept praying that my legs would loosen up soon!

my family was waiting for me at the bottom of the hill on james street which was a nice boost going into the hill. i was trying to smile and not limp, but apparently the limp was pretty obvious. my dad said he had doubts that i'd be able to finish, and to tell you the truth so did i.

my goal was to get to the top of the hill.

then my goal was to get to the end of ocean avenue.. a long flat stretch before a big downhill. the bottom of the downhill was waterside. waterside was supposed to be the killer, but it also meant i was on my way to the finish. i made it to waterside, but it was not pretty. i tried to drink a cup of water but managed to snort it up my nose instead. passed a girl puking. passed some people walking. i got to waterside, and instead of killing me, my legs loosened up finally and i started to feel good. right as i neared the end of waterside i had a surprise fan call out my name and wave which gave me the boost i needed to make it up the hill at the start of main street.

the top of this hill meant literally 'all down hill from here!' and the final stretch to the finish!

the music pushed me on, and then i heard a guy come up behind a small group of us and shout 'ok guys and gals, lets finish this thing!!!' GOD BLESS THAT GUY!!!! i was rockin now!

i dont really remember much about the finish other than i wanted to be running strong to the final step, and i started crying as soon as i hit that marker.

i am really not sure how i am going to finish 26 miles. i'm saying it out loud now. i'm not sure i can do it.
this is not me backing out yet, but it's me starting to face the fact that my legs just might not let me. we'll see.. cross your fingers.

miles run: 6.2
finish time: 1:01:15
song that saved me: 'feelin good' by muse (and that guy!)

it's official

2007-09-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

i booked my flight to San Francisco for the marathon!

Last night I went out to run a new route in my neighborhood.. it was time I extended my short run so now I run south to 155th. I can run along Edgewater which has a park running along the east side. This way I don't hit any lights for my entire run. I've also realized that I can even extend it down to 145th, turn around and run to the top of amsterdam, around the school (up that steeeeep hill) and home for a nice 6.25 miles.

The weather in NYC has been amazing the past couple days and I've been off work, so I'm trying to work out and walk my dog as much as possible!

carry on!

miles run: 4.3
new songs added to the play list : 6

what i learned by mile 14

2007-09-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

so i now know that i need to rig some kind of pouch for the marathon to hold my gel packs and ID etc.. the fanny pack i was wearing started out a little annoying.. this soon turned into chaffing on my waist. i will probably cut the belt off the fannypack and velcro it right to my shorts.

i also know that i will NOT be wearing thong underwear when running 26.2 miles... enough said.

sorry, i lied..

2007-09-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

well, i haven't lied to most of you, just not been completely honest.

This training has been WAY more difficult than i've let on. I was afraid that if I said it out loud i'd give in to the defeat I was feeling. My legs have been killing me. the stress fracture leg (left) has been surprisingly strong.. it's the right leg now. The 'hamstring tendonitis' didn't seem to be getting any better even with 2 weeks of rest and regular PT. The fact that it hurt just to walk around town was killing my motivation to even try to run.

Last thursday I went to see Michael for a PT session. We discussed the training schedule and I told him I was planning on running 12 miles on friday before i left for vegas. This was indeed the plan... i set out to run after work (and pre party) on friday and only managed to complete 3 miles. It was hot, my leg was sore and my mind was on the party taking place at my apartement in 4 hours. I was more than dissappointed with myself.

Vegas is a difficult place to run in.. late nights and tripple digit temps are all anti-motivators!

Thursday I woke up early and got a 3 mile run in on the treadmill plus 15 minutes on the eliptical machine before heading to the airport. Better than nothing i guess, but it was definitely not going to get me close to 26.2 miles. I was really seriously considering giving up on this marathon thing all together. I didn't voice this to anyone for fear of making it real, and people agreeing with me.

I decided I would give it one last shot on saturday morning. If i couldn't manage a good solid long run (10+) then i'd give up. I booked a last minute appointment to see michael on friday to get myself in good shape for saturday. He asked me how vegas was.. how the run on friday was.. how far i'd run.. my answers were 'great, good, and 12 miles!' two out of 3 were lies!!!

the group was planning a short run on saturday of only 6 miles. the said that if we were behind schedule we could run longer, but we'd mostly be on our own. I got to the park at 7:15am. I figured i'd start running alone and then finish up with the group. The plan was to run a full loop (6 miles) first, the second loop i'd cut across the 102nd trarnsverse (5 miles), then the final loop I'd cut across both transverses (4 miles) for a grand total of 15.

15 miles breaks every rule the coaches have been telling us.. only increase your long runs by 1-2 miles.. don't push yourself too hard.. etc.. but, if i was going to stay on this mission i had to prove to myself that i could do it.

the first 6 were a little tough. it took most of that time to loosen up my hamstring. but, i was not running too fast just wanted to get it done. outfitted with a new nike watch, i checked my time at the end of the first loop. i was running under 9 minute miles!! It didn't even feel fast! This gave me the boost i needed to get into the second loop. the park started filling up, and i started seeing some TNT'ers. Cap and Flash passed me twice, a little frustrating but i just used their smiles to push me along into the final loop.

BRUTAL!! my calfs were starting to burn and my fuel belt was chaffing my stomach ( have i mentioned i HATE fuel belts.. i'm trying to invent a new system before the marathon) and now my right quad was cramping or something.

After 2.5 hours I finally made it to the drink cart on the corner of the 72nd street transverse!!! an orange gatorade was my prize :) I was hoping the coaches would be around to share in my non-defeat, but they were all gone already. my big surprise was that roxy was on bag watch duty, and was being delayed by some other runners needing fundraising advice! She was excited to hear about my run, and of course asked 'did michael say you could run that far??!' ha, if michael had known, the answer most def would have been 'are you crazy?'

Yes, i am crazy.. and in desperate need of a massage.

miles run: 15
hours run: 2h 29m
money won in vegas: $136

eeek!

2007-08-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

I just looked at the training calendar and this marathon is creeping up fast! I have taken the last 2 weeks off because my right leg is suffering from a touch of hamstring tendonitis I am told. My last long run was a strong 10 miles, so i am trying to get myself a gameplan that will get me to SF!

Talked it over with coach mike (also my PT) and he's assured me that I don't need to run a 20 mile training run, that if i am up to 16-18 with 3 weeks of rest I will be fine for the marathon. This made me feel much better.. I can add a mile a week for the next 7 weeks and be more than ok. Mentally I'm not worried, i can push myself to endure just about anything. Cardio wise it's not a problem. So, if i can get these damn legs to cooperate I should be all set!! GRRRRRRRRRR!

I am headed to Vegas for a 4 day tradeshow, so running will be limited there.. i tell myself that i could run at like 6am, but the reality of the heat there (even at 6am) might ruin that plan. so tonight I am going to get a nice long run in before I go, then I can do shorter treadmill runs while in vegas.

I still have to fill out my playlist, been slacking on that front as well.. if anyone has any suggestions please send them along!! I have a fan who requested my current playlist (i had posted this before) so here it is:

1. icky thump - the whitestripes
2. invincible - ok go
3. baby fratelli - the fratellis
4. hang me up to dry - cold war kids
5. postal blowfish - albert hammond jr
6. keep the car running - the arcade fire
7. think i'm in love - beck (not me, the singer)
8. sitting in the park - quixotic
9. hard to live in the city - albert hammond jr
10 you know i'm no good - amy winehouse
11. baby blue sedan - modest mouse
12. tango - lady sovereign
13. level - the raconteurs
14. get over it - ok go
15. what ever happened - the strokes
16. the truth - la rocca
17. gone - pearl jam

everyone keep your fingers crossed that i finish this run tonight, and that my lucky #12 is good to me in vegas!!

i can't believe i am about to say this

2007-08-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

yoga just might have magic healing abilities.

i have been in alot of pain the last 2 weeks after my runs. i didn't want to say anything because 1. i thought everyone was probably bored with my injury talk. and 2. i thought if i said it out loud it would make the injury more real. It didn't feel like a stress fracture again, and it was in the 'healthy' leg so i wasn't sooo concerned. but i was afraid that if i kept running when my legs felt this sore I might risk a more serious injury. so, last week i broke down and went to see dr. metzl.

the minute he walked into the room he greeted me with a smile and said 'i am not supposed to be seeing you here!' I explained my pain, he checked my legs and happily informed me that the pain was not bone pain, just muscular. My leg muscles are pretty developed and dense so it's more difficult to properly stretch them. I have to start using the roller stick religiously and I told myself to get back to yoga.

With the summer being so hot i have not been very excited to go work out in an even hotter room for 90 minutes. BUT, today I woke up early and went. My right knee was still killing me when i went down a flight of stairs, and this was a full week after my last run. The class wass brutal, especially since i haven't been there in about 6 weeks. But I must say that now my knee feels almost good!!

I have vowed to get back on the yoga train and go 3x a week until this marathon!! The heat and stretching are just what my dense legs need!

Tomorrow (if i'm not too hungover since it's my birthday weekend) i am hoping to get a nice 6 mile run in before hitting the beach.... cross your fingers.

miles run: 0
minutes spent sweating: 90

Count 'em!

2007-08-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

This week I ran my mid-week run across the GW bridge. It was hot hot hot so i had to wait until 9pm so it was a bit cooler. I ran from my apartment up to 178th, across to the bridge. I had never run across a bridge so I was pretty excited. The walkway is narrow and I was kind of stupid and wore all black. Twice I almost go run over by people on bikes.

I hit the Jersey side of the bridge and headed back. On my way back to NYC I passed 3 kids (about 19) running back to Jersey. One stopped and tried to hit on me.. 9pm, in the middle of the hudson, only in NY. :)

This worked out to be a 4.75 mile run, and was really enjoyable. It made me want to run every bridge in Manhattan before October.. we'll see.

Saturday I went for my normal group training session in the park. We had a little clinic on how to approach the rest of our training leading up to the marathon. Then there was a touching speach by a woman who's son is a cancer survivor and one of our fellow trainees.. she herself has survived cancer, and she lost her father when she was young to cancer. She is a strong woman and we were all in tears by the end! Coach Ramon used this to inspire this to run an extra 2 miles!

I was already planning on going for 10 (last long run I had was 8) so this was it. It was hotter than hell and it was only 8am, and the humidity was off the charts. They stressed the need to hydrate along the way and said to just go easy. My legs have been feeling battered, so i took it at a nice slow pace. By mile 7 I was still feeling good and actually thinking i could probably push it to 11 or 12.. but I thought about how mad i'd be at myself if i ended up injured and stuck to my original 10.

Feels good to be in the double digits! And now I'm realizing that as long as I can keep myself healthy until October I can really finish a marathon!

I also found out this week that a teacher from my HS was just diagnosed with lymphoma. There is a high sucess rate with the treatment of his specific kind of cancer, so I am confident he'll be ok.. but i've added him to my list of honorees and keep him in my thoughts during training!

miles run monday: 3
miles run wednesday: 4.5
miles run saturday: 10

night time is the right time

2007-07-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

I ran last night in the hood for the first time in a while. since the injury i started running in the morning but last night wasn't too hot, so i headed out at 8:45. i forgot how nice it was running at night in the city! In the winter at night it's really quiet, but in the summer it's still pretty crazy. the bball courts were full last night, and there was a little league baseball game going on.. car doors open with music pumping. there is not the stench of garbage baking in the sun like there is in the morning, and the homeless guy i see sleeping on audubon and 181st was actually awake this time.

The craziest thing was that I ran the entire 3.5 miles without having to stop for one traffic light! I am not sure how that happened, but it was fun!

miles run: 3.5
red lights: 0

river run

2007-07-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

saturday to change it up a bit we ran on the west side of manhattan along the river. We gathered in Riverside Park at 72nd street, and then depending on how long we were scheduled to run they gave us our turn around point. I was set to run 8 miles. So, they said to run down to Houston Street and back. 4 miles each way.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day. not too hot, very sunny with a little breeze. I set out with a 10 minute pace group which turned out to be a bit too slow and after a mile i broke out on my own. The run was great, i got back to 72nd street feeling strong and that it actually went by a bit too quick.. made me wonder...

there were a few mentors at the meeting spot so i asked, 'is houston street at 4 miles?' they informed me that it was more like 3.5 and then told me excitedly 'you ran 7!' I was sooo disappointed because i felt great thinking i had run 8. 7 is still respectible. another girl turned up a minute later and asked the same thing. upon hearing that she had only run 7 she had the same reaction i did 'damn! i was supposed to run 8!'

i've since checked it on google maps and it is infact 7.85 miles from 72nd street to houston st and back again. YIPPEE. 7.85 definitely rounds up to 8!

my other good news is that this past week i got a new puppy. he's completely amazing. a french bulldog, 8 weeks, named Cash. I've attached a picture so you can all be jealous.

miles run: 7.85
times i heard my entire playlist: 2
new songs i must add to playlist before next weeks run: 10

the workout i love to hate

2007-07-18T13:19:00.001-07:00

whoa, i forgot how much i hated the mid-week training sessions!

tuesday nights are spent concentrating on technique to build us into stronger, better runners. this week that meant hill repeats.. or should i say HELL repeats. explaining this in detail will not even help you to understand how not fun this is. i'll just say that we ran out to 102nd street in central park, and then ran back and forth (UP and DOWN) the hill for about 45 minutes.

my legs were still kind of tired from saturday's run, but that wasn't even the worst part of it.. it was monotonous, and i had no music to distract me.. instead i just watched the people ahead of me and hoped it didn't get to the point where they lapped me all together! luckily that never happend.. i made it to the end, did my quick stretch and headed home to get some work done and go to bed early!

today i'm trying to remind myself why exactly i thought running a marathon would be fun...

i'm sure i'll remember by october.

miles run: 4.5ish

6.2 = 10

2007-07-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

saturday i ran the naples run in central park.. it was a 6.2 mile race which i later found out is a 10k!!

i'm new to this race thing so i am slow to make the mile to kilometer conversions, but when i found out it sounded much more exciting! This is the furthest i've ever raced.. i think it's the furthest i've ever run.

wednesday we had a group training run in the park which i was very excited for. coach ramon was taking us onto the side paths for a more leisurly scenic run through central park. i knew that it would fly by, and we'd end up running further than we realized. to top it off it was pouring rain. that great summer rain where the air is warm and the drops are huge. the park was all ours and i had alot of fun. we ran at an easy pace for an hour and 15 minutes taking a few 'breaks' to do squats and lunges. this part was not so fun, but it allowed the back of the pack to catch up to the front and in the end is only better for my bootie. turns out we ran just over 5 miles.

the run on saturday started out great. my goal was to average 9 minute miles. i followed the coaches race strategy.. take the first 2 miles easy (slightly off your goal time) then hit your goal time for miles 3-4 and speed up on 5-6.. this plan was working perfectly until the end of mile 3... hmmm, maybe i shouldn't have had the coffee, i kinda have to go to the bathroom... pops into my head. but as my friends know, when it comes to bathroom trips i'm a master at mind-over-matter. i was fine for mile 4, still sticking to my strategy and then at mile 5 things really got uncomfortable (the water stations were not helping either). i told myself i could make it to the finish, it was only about 15 minutes longer anyway.

so mile 5 and 6 seemed like an eternity, and i had no ipod to distract myself. mile 5 is also filled with the long incline of cat hill so these 2 obsticles caused me to slow down. i decided not to worry about my finish time, just worry about finishing. period.

i made it. i looked at the clock which said "59:00:00" at that point i couldn't remember what the time was when i crossed the starting line, so i was just going to have to wait to check my results online.

turns out, i reached a new personal record.. averaging 9:10 miles! and considering everything i was dealing with i'm quite happy. if i had my ipod, and if i didn't have to go to the bathroom i think i could have broken the 9 minute mark... so now i have a new personal goal!

miles run this week: 14
times i swore never to drink coffee before a race again: 8

the comeback kid!

2007-07-10T06:48:00.000-07:00

i am finally back to where i left off.. running up to 6 miles!

saturday i ran the full loop in central park. i concentrated on pacing myself.. coach ramon explained to us that the long runs on saturday are about endurance and we should be running a bit slower than our racing pace. now, i have no idea what the heck my racing pace might be but i'm figuring it will be about 9 minute miles (like to hope for 8:30, but i'm going conservative for now). the theory is that if you practice at a slower pace your body will be used to running for a longer ammount of time. then on the day of your race you will finish before your body knows it's done.. in theory. in reality i have a feeling my body will know it's done long before the 26th mile!

it was a great day, the park was full and i was happy to have a goal of 6 miles again. during this run though i was really fighting myself. this time around i am finding the urge to just stop and walk is much stronger. i am conscious of every pounding step i take, every ache, every pain. always worried that i will step on uneven ground and end up injured again or that i will just push myself too far, too fast. there is no way to tell why i got injured last time, so i don't really know what to do differntly this time. just keep trying to follow the rules, take calcium and as coach ramon says 'behave'!

after practice i stoped to say hi to ramon.. i reminded him that i was a 'san diego reject' and that i was finally back to training with the group. i of course didn't need to remind ramon of anything, he knew just who i was and quickly asked how the recovery was coming along. he told me that the biggest hurdle would be getting my confidence back and not to worry. every ache is not an injury. sooooo right. i was having much stronger runs last time and have been frustrated that it is more work this time around. but he also reminded me that i WILL make it to the race in october, and when i DO cross that finishline it will be that much sweeter.

i've started a new list on this blog.. nutrition is an important part of running distance. the right foods can power you through the race, but the WRONG ones can wreck you! sooo, this list is based on research that i am conducting. foods that are not good choices the day before a run. you can thank me later.

miles run this week: 15
song that got me up harlem hill: 'tango' by lady soverign

high five!

2007-06-30T12:02:00.000-07:00

i re-joined the group training sessions today.. and ran 5 miles!

each saturday all the team in training members get together in Central Park at 830 am for our 'long run' of the week. i have been dreading this because i am behind schedule as far as mileage goes, so i am not even running as far as the beginners. today i planned on running 4.5 miles. a respectible jump from the 3 i've been running. the middle loop in the park is 4 miles, so i was having a hard time figuring out how to tack on an additional half mile. i could have just run 4 easy, but it felt a bit wimpy. then i remembered that if i throw in the lower loop i have a 5 mile run! 5 miles is only .5 more than the 4.5 i was planning on.. michael (my PT) seemed ok with 4.5 so surly he wouldn't be too mad at me for pushing it to 5. AND this would put me in striking distance of the beginners who were running 6-7.. watch it newbies, i'm hot on your tail!

i had my ipod and took it easy. legs were feeling pretty good. lungs kickin ass.. as i rounded the bottom of the park i started slowing down, but just in the nick of time i fell in behind a bald dude who was running just a tad faster than i had been. it energized me, gave me something to focus on and pulled me up the hill and through that last 3/4 mile. thanks bald dude!

now, i want to take a minute to talk about a more serious topic.. on tuesday i had an appointment to see a breast specialist at columbia presbyterian. a few months ago my doctor had felt a lump and ordered some tests. the tests came back clear, but i was having some pain in that area so she felt we should just get a second opinion. it's a stressful thing, but i kept telling myself that i'm too healthy to have cancer.

i know full well that this is not how cancer works, and after hearing so many speaches at TNT events i knew that these survivors were blindsided as well. so that made me a little nervous, but i had keep reciting my little mantra anyway. as i waited for the doctor there were passing nurses talking of masectomy patients, breast removal and reconstruction. this was no joke. mantra, mantra, mantra.. the doctor decided a needle biopsy would give us a difinitive answer and was almost sure it would come back benign.

* can we discuss the fact that even though benign is a positive it's not a very happy sounding word. i have to always check with myself "which one is benign and which is malignant? mal = bad so benign must be good" i really think they could have picked a better word. something that sounds happy rollling off the doctor's toungue.

the flip side to my tnt experience teaching me that no one is 100% safe from cancer is that you can get served up this devistating piece of news and handle it. the world would not swallow me up, i would not instantly break into a million pieces. i would cry, and probably, knowing me, kick something but i would deal with it. i would fight with everything i have and hopefully win.

needles suck. needle biopsys suck more. needle biopsys in your boob when you're hungover SUCK THE MOST!!

the doctor told me i'd have the results in 4-5 days and she'd call me either way. luckily things moved fast and on thursday i got the call.. benign... and remember, benign = good.

so, to everyone who has shared their story at a tnt event, thank you. you were definitely with me this week.

miles run: 5
favorite song of the day: 'you know i'm no good' by amy winehouse

strong and 60

2007-06-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

man, there is somthing to be said for getting up early. i peeled myself out of bed today.. so tired, but determined to run both days this weekend. i'm going out tonight making tomorrow more difficult, so today was a must.

i got dressed and got outside to find an amazing day. it's 60, sunny and slightly breezy. this was my first strong run since early march. my ankles were strong and painless. the limp was gone, and i felt like i was even running at a quicker than normal pace. even in my first few runs back i've been maintaining a respectible 10 minute mile so by quicker i'm thinking i was pushing towards a 9.

now kids i have decided to share the key to my running/recovery success.. it could be the physical therapy 2x a week, it could be the 1200mg of calcium i've been taking every day, it could be the strength training.. it could even be the yoga with all it's stabelizer-strengthening poses. but NO, i really think it's the killer mix i've put on my ipod. it contains just the right ammount of rockin songs to get you up the hills, and some slower beats to keep your pace in line.

so here is the secret recipe (this works when played in order, or on shuffle. and that is the beauty of a perfect mix)

1. icky thump - the whitestripes
2. invincible - ok go
3. baby fratelli - the fratellis
4. hang me up to dry - cold war kids
5. postal blowfish - albert hammond jr
6. keep the car running - the arcade fire
7. think i'm in love - beck (not me, the singer)
8. sitting in the park - quixotic
9. hard to live in the city - albert hammond jr
10 you know i'm no good - amy winehouse
11. baby blue sedan - modest mouse
12. tango - lady sovereign
13. level - the raconteurs
14. get over it - ok go
15. what ever happened - the strokes
16. the truth - la rocca
17. gone - pearl jam

that's it, 17 steps to a better life.

miles run: 3
song that got me up the hill: #2

lesson learned

2007-06-21T21:39:00.000-07:00

so here's an addendum to the previous yoga post..

the classes i take are focused on your body and movements and not so much (directly spiritual) but they sneak it in every now and then. last night the instructor was getting us to relax between poses. you have to lie down on your back with your arms at your side. eyes open staring at a spot on the cieling.. letting all the stress go and bringing your heart rate down, focusing on breathing. as she was directing us to do this she said something that stuck with me.

'just lay there and be still. let everything go and don't move. if you have the urge to wipe the sweat or fix your hair, , just resist it. see what happens if you just rest. just take a minute and wait it out.'

seems like this could apply to many things. i am very reactive and want to take charge and, if need be, fix things. what happens if i just stay still and wait....

2007-06-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

man, for someone who hates to work out i sure spend alot of time torturing myself.

last week i started running outside again, and i'm keeping up with crosstraining in between. Saturday i was installing a roofdeck which required carrying 50lb boxes of wood tiles to my roof. i'm too proud to ask for help, so saturday i managed to get 14 of the 20 up. that's 700 pounds of tile up 3 flights of stairs. i already knew this would be my workout for the day so i didn't feel too guilty not running. i took the stairs slow and told myself i was strengthening my legs with each step. (and apparently my arms and back and almost every other muscle in my body that was screaming at me on sunday morning!)

last night i headed back to yoga to try and stretch out all the knots in my body that are still hurting from the manual labor. evening classes are rough.. the room is extra hot from all day classes.. i'm extra hot from dealing with work and the subway... and the class is jam packed. it's 'hot' yoga, so every gets REALLY sweaty. now you pack us all in together and it's not a pretty sight. i picked my spot near the window (which the instructor sometimes opens giving us a breath of cooler NYC air) and was quite happy until this dude moved in right next to me.. he peels his shirt off to reveal his full hairy back. and chest. and arms. (these are moments i feel like my life turns into a sitcom) i had visions of hairy back sweat somehow getting on me. not to mention the fact that just looking at all that hair was making me even hotter (temperature wise, people!!) it seemed like the equivalent of playing tennis on a 103 degree day in august with a wool sweater on!

it wasn't the greatest performance, i struggled through the class.. but struggling through it is better than not going at all. and i'm happy to report that no back sweat go on me, and i survived the heat.

this morning i woke up early and went for a 3 mile run before work. each time gets a little easier. and today i signed up for the Cow Harbor Race (10K) in september. it will be nice to run in my hometown.

temp at 7am: 75
new on the ipod: 'icky thump' by the white stripes

what do you want first, the good news or the bad?

2007-06-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

the bad news is that i didn't get into the NYC marathon. they get so many applicants that they hold a lottery to decide who runs. roxi, the rookie and i all got shut out.

the good news is that i am guaranteed entry into the Nike Marathon in San Francisco on Oct 21st. so to all my friends in SF, i'll be there!

the better news is that i ran 3 more miles today, outside! it's a struggle, my cardio has gone to shit over the past few months and my steps are a bit unsteady.. i'm afraid of all cracks in the sidewalk and curbs and dead rats... but, i'm gonna keep at it and i'll be ready for late october!

3 long miles

2007-06-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

i am not sure i was supposed to, but yesterday i went out for a run in my neighborhood. it was cloudy and cool all and looked on the verge of rain all day. the impending rain meant that the normal weekend washington heights crowds would not be out. the sidewalks would be pretty clear.

i was thinking of going to the gym for a run on the treadmill (treadmill is easier on your bones than the pavement) but it is a long trip for a 15 minute workout. so, i mapped out a 2 mile run which would equal about 20 minutes. of course, my leg was feeling good and once i got going i decided to run my old 3 mile loop to the top of amsterdam ave and back. if it really started to hurt i could always walk.

by the end of 3 miles i was definitley feeling it, and thinking that it might not have been a smart idea.. but i was sick of taking baby steps. if i was going to get back into training i was just gonna have to do it. and to be honest i had also read roxie's blog from the marathon.. i was feeling jealous and frustrated.

ice and tylenol followed the run, and today i'm feeling pretty good. i'm going to attempt this 1-2 more times this week, and if that goes ok I will be back at the group training run on saturday!!

miles run: 3
tylenol: 3
outbursts during soprano's finale: 33

like, WHOA!

2007-06-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

First i must say, Thanks to my friends at Beautiful Decay magazine!!

OK, i just got home from hot yoga (bikram) for the second time. i will reiterate that i am not a yoga type person but this class is intense. it was in a new yoga center on the upper west side and they were still getting a handle on the heating system and how hot is too hot... let me tell you, it was too damn hot!

The class is an hour and a half and it felt more like 3 hours. its great for strengthening my legs so i stuck it out even when i wanted to puke. ** side note.. roxie and i were talking about how i've been down lately with my runnig progress, and at times think it would just be easier to give up. but for some reason that is not an option for me. she tried to boost my spirits by reminding me that i'm strong and determined and i'll be back in no time. i told her how sometimes i think that i'm not really as strong as i think i am. meaning, that my body is not that strong it's just that my mind is stronger. i could easily be one of those mothers who lift an entire car to free their trapped child *** ok, back to the hotter than hell yoga. i finished the class, showered and headed to the subway home.

Right around 96th street i realized i forgot my shoes in the locker room. (relax, i was wearing flip flops) i figured i'd call and have them hang onto them until tomorrow. then at around 145th street i remembered i forgot my skateboard on top of the lockers. THEN as the train pulled into 168th street i realized that I ALSO forgot my sweaty workout clothes on the bench. So essentially i walked out of there almost emptyhanded. I was lucky to have pants on.

the quick ride home turned into a there and back and there again 2 hour commute!

towells sweat through: 3
dollars raised to save lives: 5040.00

Congrats to my pinch runners!

2007-06-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the marathon in San Diego that I should have been running.. Roxie and I were texting all weekend so I got a play-by-play on the pre-race festivities. Sunday she called me after the race to report that she decided to go ahead and run the full marathon. She's been battling shin splints for the past few weeks and had resigned herself to only running a half-marathon for self preservation. I KNEW she would end up running the full... she is like me. When she sets her mind on a goal there is no stopping her! No only did she push herself to finish the full 26.2 miles, but she beat her time from the phoenix marathon!! Roxie is indeed a rockstar! The rookie had also been having problems with injuries, but he also manned-up and ran the race! He didn't suceed in breaking the 4 hour mark, but he came damn close... and we all know that sometimes the rookie pushes himself a bit to far.

I was happy for roxie when she called from the race on sunday, but i was really sad to have missed it! I've been trying to stay focued on my progress and not get discouraged.

Yesterday I upped my run to 15 minutes on the treadmill.. and i have to say that treadmill running is tedious enough, but when you are literally counting each painful step it gets a bit unbearable! I wanted to just say fuck it and quit.. but that is not how i am wired. So, i finished the full 15 and hopped onto the eliptical for another 15 minutes of cardio before doing some strength exercises.

Today I'm headed to yoga for the seccond time.. i am hoping to make this part of my regular training routine. The rumor is that the NYC marathon announces it's lottery picks any day now so cross your fingers that i get in!!!

my minutes run: 15
friends' miles run: 52.4

ten is the magic number

2007-05-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

I DID IT! I RAN FOR 10 MINUTES TODAY!!

yes, i am a long way from a marathon, but i am also a long way from the limping fool that i was a few weeks ago.

minutes run: 10
small steps for mankind: 1247
giant leap for beck: 1!

HOT fun in the summertime!

2007-05-29T19:58:00.000-07:00

oh man, this summer started just in time!

for some reason i am more than ready for summer to start this year. not quite sure why. I kicked off memorial day weekend with a trip to jones beach on saturday. it was my first time out there and i was a bit overwhelmed.. there was an airshow going on as well as the normal holiday crowd, so it was PACKED! for those who have never been to jones beach, it's a nightmare. endless parking lot, then you have to walk through a tunnel to get to the beach and the beach is so wide you can almost not even see the water!

schlepping coolers and chairs and beach accoutrements makes the trip feel tortorous! but, we finally made it to our chosen spot near the water and it quickly turned into an excellent day! fighter jets and all!

sunday i had a photoshoot with the NY times (pick up the sunday paper next weekend!) and then sunday night it was back out to LI to hang with my friends for a low key night. i stayed at my friends joann's place and in the morning she woke andrea and I up early to go to a hot bikram yoga class. it was my first time at bikram yoga and i was a bit apprehensive. i am in NO way new age-y, and it puts me off a little to say the least. but, i was keeping an open mind and even thinking that the balancing poses would be good for my legs. strengthing the stablizers in my ankles ;)

it was an hour and a half class, and actually much easier than i expected. easy in that totally taxing, totally difficult kind of way! and at one point the instructor said 'only 2 more poses' and i thought i was going to scream out "IT'S TOO DAMN HOT!!!" my body was keeping up with the 105 degree temperature in the room, but my mind was having a harder time! we finished the class and headed directly to 'sand city' a small beach on the north shore of LI and where you can find me most saturdays in the summer... kickin back with the girls!

i woke up today sore from the yoga and excited to find a bikram studio in the city.. definitley ging to make it part of my routine!

days at the beach: 2
chakras aligned: not sure yet

i love you, i hate you

2007-05-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

i have started easing myself back into running on the treadmill.. still hurts, but working it helps the bone grow stronger. or so they say. in the meantime i need to get my cardio workout back on track so that when i am able to really run i won't be sucking wind!

for years i have been anti-eliptical. i think they look weird, the people on them look weirder and to be honest i hate trying to learn a new work-out machine. but now i have no choice.. i need a non-impact way to get my heart racing and this is the best way. so monday night after spending 10 minutes on the treadmill i moved to the eliptical and tried not to think about what i looked like to all the people running on the treadmills behind me. lucky bastards. (lucky for the running part, not the watching my sorry ass part!)

everyone i was training with is getting ready for the SD marathon in just over a week. i am in awe of them, wish them well and wish i was with them for the trip!

on a fundraising note, i am dangerously close to the $5000 mark!!! thanks to everyone who donated this week, and thanks to my buddys at beautiful decay magazine for a very generous donation!! i'll be rockin their logo come race time!

to those who have yet to donate i know you're just making me work for it, and i plan on making you proud!

minutes on the treadmill: 10
calories burned on the eliptical: 200
songs on my new, most-excellent work out mix: 13!

small accomplishments in the big city!

2007-05-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

today for the first time in 2 months i RAN for the subway! this might not seem like much until you spend 8 weeks limping around the city dreading curbs and having to just resign to being late when the tain doors are closing on you.

that's all for now, tomorrow I'm going to attempt 10 minutes on the treadmill.

70 and sunny in NYC!

2007-05-15T07:09:00.000-07:00

Summer is on the way finally. I have the windows open in my apartment so I am enjoying (if prematurely) the sounds of summer.. which in my neighborhood means the ice cream trucks, kids on the street playing ball, their parents sitting in deck chairs on the sidewalk and the stereo of a neighboring parked car blasting the latest dominican hits!

It is getting really hard to keep from running. I know I'm not ready yet, and I'm actually very afraid of hurting myself again (i can usually deal with pain, but this leg fracture thing was serious business!) but i also know how good it would feel to just get out there and run a nice mind-cleansing 4 miles!

Soon enough.. for now i will have to try out the eliptical trainer..

New running season, new color

2007-05-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

Ok folks, it's official! The fall running season has officially started and I am IN!

I had my first full workout at the gym since my injury. And by full workout I mean I did cardio (30 minutes on the bike = 6 miles) upperbody weight training, squats, lunges (a little sore on those still but nothin i can't handle) and abs!! Man it felt good. I was scheduled to work out with my trainer, but he slept in so I was on my own. A perfect opportunity for me to get lazy and wimpy but I pushed it without overdoing it.

I also faxed in my paperwork to the Team in Training office, so I am officially signed up to run the half-marathon in San Francisco this October, and then (lottery permitting) the NYC marathon in November. If I do not get through the lottery selection, I will just run the full marathon in San Francisco.

Last week when I saw Dr. Metzl for my follow up visit he recommended I see a physical therapist to help build up the strength in my leg.. so, on monday i had my first visit with Michael, who it turns out is going to be one of my TNT running coaches! PERFECT! He knows my training schedule inside and out and will be able to get me ready, and if i have any problems once the running starts I will be able to go right to him. I couldn't feel more comfortable now. One of my biggest fears is another injury.. i am going to be obsessive about training properly this time, and eating a healthy diet. I WILL GET TO THE FINISH LINE!!!

Now that I have a firm plan I will be sending out updates and more fundrasing emails, so be on the look out and spread the word!

whoa, check out that naked girl..

2007-05-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

PR is the darndest thing.

I have been exhibiting at the pool tradeshow in las vegas twice a year for 4 years now. it's a great time, and it's run by some awesome people.. i have made many friends from my seasonal trips to sin city. anyway, today i got a newsletter from the people at pool. they send these out from time to time to get everyone excited for the upcoming show, to introduce new brands and to hype news from existing brands. today i was skimming it as i worked. i scrolled down and saw a picture that was all too familiar. I had to do a double take, and actually checked to see what the heck i was reading.. it was my 'your logo here' picture from my fundraising ad. such a surprise to see that the kind people at pool are helping spread the word about my fundraising campaign!!
without me begging or even asking. the newsletter goes out to buyers, exhibitors and friends so I can't thank them enough.

makes me look forward to august in the desert even more!

thanks pool!

before you can run..

2007-04-30T19:38:00.000-07:00

ok, i think i am finally FINALLY getting better!

The limp is pretty much gone and Friday I made it to the gym for the first time since March 24th. (yes, i know the exact day of my last workout.. that's how much i've missed it people) When I got to the gym the girl at the desk who checked me in cheerfully asked 'are you training with Lamont today?!' Before my injury I had been to this gym maybe a dozen times so i was surprised that she not even remembered me, but remembered who my trainer was... but, it was nice to be welcomed. I figured I would try and ride the bike for 10 minutes and see how that went. Riding a stationary bike is probably the most boring exercise you can do so I was dreading it. I brought my ipod and a 'learn spanish' book to keep me occupied. If i have to be sitting there I might as well learn un poco del espanol. Well, the distraction tactics worked and I managed to stay on the treadmill for 30 minutes! Once that was over I did some upperbody weight training and then headed downstairs to stretch.

I was wrapping up my stretching routine when a trainer came downstairs with his client. He asked 'you work out with lamont right??' I said yes.. again shocked that so many people know me and my training schedule. He then went on to tell me how i always look so serious when I'm working out and that I should enjoy it more. Normally when I'm training with Lamont we're kickboxing so serious kind of comes with the territory.. if i'm not paying attention he will kick my ass!! Aparently I've made some kind of impression on the people of Crunch - Lafayette

So, what is my point?? Well I've been sitting here for a month feeling awful.. exercising is my stress release and believe me when i tell you that the past 2 months have been more than trying. Losing my job along with some other personal losses it was like the 'perfect storm' of stress that was begging for a good sweat to ease the pain. But almost the same week that everything seemed to be falling apart my leg breaks. So it seemed all i could do was sit around and think about how crappy things were. I could almost feel my muscles getting lazier by the minute. But, it seems that what felt like an eternity to me was actually not long at all.

Now I'm back to work, it's a sunny 70 degrees out, i wore heels today, had a salad for lunch and am going back to train with Lamont as soon as I can get on his damn schedule! (it seems to have filled up fast when i wasn't looking). On top of it all my friends and family have chipped in to help me raise $4000.

To everyone who has donated so far thank you.. to everyone who has yet to donate, i'm coming for you. And to my friends who have put up with my whining and complaining over the past 2 months I love you.. i'm back and ready to enjoy the summer! Come over on saturday and have a drink!

Weekend miles biked: 3
Weekend bags made: 200
Weekend tears shed over leg pain: 0

two more tattoos!

2007-04-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

You can never have too many (temporary) tattoos!
Thanks to FreshJive and Volcom for donating to the cause.

HALF FULL!

2007-04-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who has donated so far, I just mailed in a bunch of checks and I've offically crossed the half-way-to-my-goal mark! We've raised over $3000!!! The infomation meeting and sign up for the fall season is on May 2nd. If there is anyone who is interested in running the San Francisco marathon or any other Team In Training event let me know and I can get you all the information! It's gonna be a fun training season, so join me :)

I appreciate the support even more now that I've had to take a break from training. My leg is still pretty sore but I'm following all the doctors rules and am sure I'll be ready to go in a couple more weeks. Feel free to mock me and my limp when you see me!

i'm broke... so you better donate!

2007-04-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

hey friends. here's the official word. i have a stress fracture in my tibia (large shin bone).

i met with dr. metzl today.. this guy is a sports medicine master. he's run over 28 marathons, tri-athalons and he has competed in the ironman. he confirmed the stress fracture that showed up on my bone scan and told me I will have to lay off for a few weeks while the leg heals. he stressed that i need to keep crosstraining to keep my fitness up, so i will be biking like a mad woman!

the doc and i are on a plan now to get me back on track in time for the NYC marathon in the fall. SO that means the fundraising effort is still on! I have already raised over $3000 thanks to all of you! Since I have more time now I've increased my goal to $6000. I have learned alot about the Leukemia & Lymphoma society over the past 2 months and heard from some people who have survived cancer, and it's quite amazing how much the money we are raising does. From things like funding research to paying for someone's cab ride home after a chemo treatment.. it all adds up to better survival rates and increased quality of life for paitents and their families.

I got an email yesterday that the group i have been training with for the San Diego Marathon has raised over $189,000 already this season! If you think that we are only about half way to our goal and we are only one group from one marathon you can see how much a small donation does in the end.

Enough, enough... you know the deal and you know what you gotta do. No donation is too small.

Miles: 0
Legs broken: 1
Days until the NYC marathon: 213

newton's first

2007-04-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

newton said that objects at rest tend to stay at rest....

damn him! i am feeling quite inert and it's killing me! tomorrow is my bone scan so let's all cross our fingers and hope for the best. i am not sure what this bone scan business is, but apparently the schedule is to arrive at the hospital at 8. deal with paperwork.. at 830 i will get an injection (injections and ankles don't sit well with me) and then i have to kill 2 hours before i get 'scanned' which can take from 20-50 minutes. i will be sure to fill you in on the results as soon as i hear!

in the meantime, here is a quick anecdote from the sidelines.. friday afternoon i locked myself out of my apartment (the second of 3 lock outs this month.. more on that later) i was going downtown for a business meeting so i planned to meet my friend carlos and pick up a spare key afterwards. we decided that it was so nice out we'd meet his girlfriend and grab a friday-happyhour cocktail. we ended up at rosa mexicana after hobbling around union square a few times. the weather was great, the margaritas were flowing and the bar was full of cute 'after-work' guys. at one point i got up to go to the bathroom and carlos replays the story like this

'we had the hottest seats in the joint. we are sitting in a lounge area in front where everyone who comes in can see us. beck gets up to go to the bathroom. she's lookin all cute, fluffs her hair, fixes her shirt and (this is where i inject the sound of the needle scratching off a record) she starts to walk but it's all limpy... like her walk actually seems to say 'limpy, limpy' each time she takes a step!'

god love carlos and pointing out the painfully obvious.

i've fallen and i can't get up...

2007-03-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

ok, i haven't fallen. just wanted to give you all an update on my situation..

i went to see Dr. King at the Hospital for Special Surgery.. they've got some sports medicine gurus over there!

it was a funny scene because there are many people there getting hips and knees replaced.. old people. i was in the radiology waiting area sitting in a group of seniors that appeared to have all come in on the same bus. they were all talking about
colon cancer and tumors and -oscopys of all kinds. i felt like somehow my aging process was increasing at lightning
speed. when i thought i was going to scream they called me in for my xrays. the technician seemed as happy to see a young person as i was!

he took xrays of my ankle and foot which all came back clean. no major breaks for fractures. the next step is to get an MRI which is more likely to show a stress fracture (i'm still convinced it is not a fracture, but better safe than sorry). so we're waiting to see if oxford is going to pay for it or not. apparently they don't know that there are 26.2 miles on the line here!

in the meantime i am resting, icing and trying to lay off the girlscout cookies!

a little R 'n R

2007-03-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

i can neither confirm nor deny their identities!

there were some great pics of the training session on saturday that i missed. this one clearly says 'we hate running without beck!'

i miss you too kids!

i am down but definitely not out!

2007-03-25T07:53:00.000-07:00

i don't care what they say, brooklyn is FAR!

yesterday we were scheduled to workout in prospect park in brooklyn. i live in washington heights (no, it's not the bronx but close) so i was thinking my commute could take close to 1.5 hours depending on how the trains were running. this means i have to leave my house at 7 to insure an 830 start. figures the A train arrives quickly and is (surprise, surprise) running express today so i get to brooklyn in under an hour! now what?! i'm a half hour early! i walked around a bit looking for a coffee shop where i could sit for a few minutes, but found nothing so i set off for the park. that area of brooklyn is so beautiful. old brownstones, wide treelined streets. you could picture the cosby's living there for sure!

i haven't been able to run since last weekend's injury. It's been bumming me out. I'm feeling lazy and sluggish... running has really taken a hold on me I'm now realizing. I've taken a few hits lately, and was really looking forward to getting out there and working some of that stress out. i was a bit anxious because i was still feeling twinges in my leg, but ramon and i both felt that once it warmed up it would relax and i'd be ok.

not the case. i started out with roxie and the rookie and all of me was feeling great except my damn left leg which was screaming at me to stop. when i realized that i was literally limp-running i decided to stop. i sent r 'n r on their way and turned back. i ran into lisa my mentor who talked it through with me.. next comes ramon. he is my running guru.. we consulted and decided i need to see a sports medicine doctor to rule out stress fracures and figure out what the real problem is. he assured me that it is early enough in the season that i will be able to catch up and be fine for the marathon. lisa is an great mentor. she's always up, always got a smile and a hug and today she had both for me when i needed 'em!

i am trying to keep these words in mind as i sit here with frozen peas encasing my ankle. i see the rest of the group upping their mileage and gearing up for the brooklyn half marathon in a few weeks. i want to be there with them workin hard for all the money i have gotten as donations! and personally i've lost a few things that were important to me and am not willing to give this one up!!

so that the day was not a complete loss, i went to crunch and worked out with lamont on my upper body strength. told him to punish me from the waist up.. he's good at punishment that hurts so good. i rode the bike for a few minutes and have decided that spinning will be my recovery training. keep the cardio up and the spirits up.

please keep the donations coming and i will make you proud!

oh woe is the champ...

2007-03-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

i am benched due to injury.. sunday and monday i was having trouble walking. dr. anselmi worked his magic on me yesterday and my leg is feeling much better, but it will still be a few days before i can run again. those of you who know me know that i am not very patient..but if i want to see this through i need to take the rest now.

here is the pic of my grandfather and me that aunt jane sent.. love.

UGH!

2007-03-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

seems this has been the word of the day for 3 straight days now!

the snowstorm on saturday made running really unappealing, so roxie the rookie and i made a promise to do a nice long run today. last night when we were knee deep in guiness the rookie starts shit talkin.. 'we can do 10 tomorrow. easy!' i was like 'no way dude, the last long run i did was 6. i don't think i'm ready to make the jump to 10' roxie backed me up on this and added that there was really no need to push the schedule. we were really only supposed to be running 5-7 this week anyway. the rookie takes another sip from his guiness and announces 'we can definitley do 10... we're doing 12!'

it was a very slow start to the day and it would have been really easy to skip the run. at 2:30 I rallied and headed down to the park. i headed out alone since the rookie and roxie were both under the weather still. i planned to start my run at 102nd street and do a full loop. this would be 6 miles and that would be totally respectible. it started out a bit rough, but it was a BEAUTIFUL day out. 40° sunny and snow on the ground. i warmed up quickly and felt like it was all gonna be ok. the focus was not on running to fast, just doing the miles. at a mile and a half my left leg started bothering me, and at the 2 mile mark i couldn't take the pain anymore.

not sure what the problem is, it's pain that runs from the outside of my ankle up the side of my calf to my knee. unhappy i hopped on the subway at 59th street and headed home. completely discouraged i tried to tell myself that 2 miles is still better than no miles.

the good news is that last night when i picked up my mail i had a letter from my aunt jane.. along with her donation check she sent me a few old pics.. one of my cousin jess and i when we were about 2ish, a couple of my sister and i, and then one of my grandfather and i. i was about 2 and sitting on the arm of his chair and he's sitting there looking down at me. he had this big red armchair that he always watched tv in. i can still remember how this chair always smelled like his aftershave. it was like his throne. the pic is great and i can't wait to scan it and add it to the blog! tune in tomorrow!

miles run: 2
curses mumbled under my breath: 7

i heart ny

2007-03-17T23:01:00.000-07:00

this has nothing to do with running.

tonight i was out ... it was st. patrick's day.. i am not usually up for drinking on st. patricks day (or halloween) which has something to do with my fear of dudes from jersey and being thrown up on. but, roxie sent me a text message and said the girls were meeting out at 5 at sketchers to seek out some cute irish boys and i was to come wearing my shamrock wristband (which i quickly pulled from the trash!). who was i to say no.

so, we made it through the night with relatively no drama (fainting sister turned out to be ok) and definitley no vomiting. so i leave at a respectible 1am... so now i'm competing for cabs with every drunk person in the city it seems.. i am not that drunk so i decide to walk a bit uptown. this turns into a 20 block walk. freezing in my boots. at 22nd st i decide to just stake claim to the corner and wait. finally a cab stops but it's only dropping off part of the group. i am determined so i hop in and say 'drive them wherever and then take me up to 171!'

i'm in the front seat which is weird in a cab because I'm on the other side of the glass! weird. at some point i realize we've dropped off all the other people so now i'm alone in the cab STILL on the wrong side of the glass! i don't know why this is awkward, but it is.. and especially since i'm going way way uptown.

we quietly listened to luther vandross on the radio. and when he dropped me off i tipped him nicely.

i scurried to my door and realized that the cab driver was waiting for me to enter the building. as i opened the front door, i turned and he was watchign through the open window and said 'you ok?'

thanks cab man!! thanks for the ride and the peace of mind!

miles run: still 0
blocks walked : 23
cute irish boys met: 0
farts inhaled in the bar: 48

obey!

2007-03-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

6 inches of snow and ice delayed the saturday morning run, we'll be taking care of business tomorrow!
and my friends at obey just donated to the cause! shepard is an amazing artist, so it will make for some great tattoos i am sure!

miles run: 0
hours overslept: 2.5

happy st. patrick's day kids!

spring!

2007-03-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

whoa! running last night in the park was great! the weather was beautiful, if dare i say, a tad warm. since all my running gear is winter gear i was not really prepared, but know better for next time.

last week when we were out drinking paco spotted my shoes and explained that they were way to heavy for someone my size. if i lightened them up i'd be faster, my legs wouldn't tire so quickly and i'd have a lower risk of injury. he assured me he doesn't get commission so i believe him. last night i went ahead and let him sell me a new pair of the GAYEST sneakers i've ever paid money for. they are white and silver with teal stripes.. really bad. the rookie took one look at them and said 'man, those are girly'... followed quickly by 'you look like you should be running the miami marathon in those things' followed later by 'damn, i think i saw some dolphins chasing you out there on that run'.

looks aside, they did feel good and the price wasn't too high so i'm happy. he threw in a free pair of socks to sweeten the deal. thanks paco!

the drill for the night had us focusing on breathing and effort levels.. the rookie decided that we should run with the intermediates which i hesitantly agreed to.. since i am still kind of sick i wasn't sure i'd be able to keep up. roxie and i ended up running the whole drill together which was a nice way to catch up on boy talk, running pitfalls, and the perils of keeping up with running gear laundry! the rookie's got some long ass legs so he left us for a faster pace.

when all was said and done we ran about 5.2 miles which was not too painful, and i'm ready to run some distance on saturday.

OH, more good news.. Jane Magazine has decided to sponsor my sticker campaign, so i have now passed the $2000 mark on fundraising! THANKS JANE! Donations are still coming in, and the list of donors keeps growing, but the more the merrier so please don't feel like your money isn't needed. giving feels gooood!

miles run: 5.2
temp: 66!
dollars spent on ugly shoes that look like eva longoria would love them: 82

super kawaii (that's super-cute in japanese)

2007-03-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

i couldn't sit still any longer!

i got home and was feeling down.. i could sit here and watch idol or i could go out and attempt a run. so run it was. i've been coughing for days so i wasn't sure how far i'd get before hacking up a lung, but one mile is better than zero! i made it through the complete hood run and was fine at the end. felt really really good and i'm excited to run with the gang tomorrow.. even though ramone's drills sound hellish.

Got my first sticker donation! Cheers to 5boro.. steve gave me his board to make my first bag so it's fitting that he gives me my first sticker and donation! beck(y) hearts 5boro! as a special bonus he included this little article from a japanese fashion newspaper featuring a beck(y) bag.. most of you can't read japanese, but trust me it reads 'CRAZY RIOTS ARE BREAKING OUT IN THE STREETS OF JAPAN AS GIRLS FIGHT OVER THE SUPER CUTE BECK(Y) BAGS!!!!' .... trust me.

miles: 3.5
starting lung count: 2
finishing lung count: 2
number of times i listened to the same song on repeat: 7

stick it!

2007-03-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

i finally finished my fundraising ads.. i couldn't decide between the 2 photos, so i've decided to use both!
letters have been sent out to over 25 companies in the action sports community, and a couple cool magazines too.
for each $100 they donate they can add a sticker/logo to my body for the marathon.

I'm only 5'1" so space is limited!!

to get more information or to sponsor me, email me at beck@beckycity.com

the health update is this.. i am still sick. hacking cough and a runny nose. i refuse to succumb to this, so i'm taking my cough syrup like a champ and am going to try to run tomorrow if it kills me! if it does start to kill me i'll find a nice warm seat somewhere with a nice cold beer.

sippin' on the 'tussin

2007-03-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

just because i ain't runnin doesn't mean i ain't workin.

i have been fighting a cold and when i woke up saturday at 6:30am i was having a hard time breathing. since that was before i even picked my head up off the pillow i knew running was not really an option. i was bummed. seriously. i can't stand being sick, and i felt like this run was going to be a big one for me. as it turns out, the rookie ran 8 miles with roxie yesterday, i will have lots of making up to do for next saturday. can't be left in the dust!

all was not lost. i scheduled a photoshoot to get some shots to incorporate into the ad i'm creating to generate donations from the action sports industry. i work with lots of people in the skate and surf industry and as a way to bring in more donations i am offering to wear the stickers of any companies who donate to the cause. if all goes as planned i will be covered with stickers (that i will turn into temporary tattoos.. this will cut down on sweating and general irritation. i do not want to be irritated in any way while running 26 miles. seems that will be irritating enough!) just like all those skateboards i cut up everyday!

the photographer i worked with was berman fenelus http://aa.carbonmade.com his work is beautiful, and he happens to be working on a 'body culture' series which captures real women of all shapes and sizes who are strong and confident. so, we killed 2 birds with one stone.. he shot my ad and then will use additional photos for his series. cassandra came over and did my make up.. and boy oh boy did she work some magic on me!!! we had a great time, chillin and listening to music and taking pictures. they were here for a total of 6 hours which just seemed to fly. **i need to stop for a second and explain that i HATE getting my photo taken and am usually nervous as hell. maybe it was the cold medicine or maybe knowing that i was doing this for a good cause, but i was not as nervous as i normally am.

today it's a beautiful warm day so hopefully later i can get in a quick run around the hood between making bags.

miles run: 0
photos taken: 168
song of the day: price 'you've got the look'

count 'em!

2007-03-09T11:38:00.000-08:00

yeah! i hit my first grand in fundraising!! it feels good to watch it all add up. i've gotten some amazing stories of people who have fought against Leukemia and other cancers. their stories are inspiring, and they will definitlely help me get out of bed on saturday mornings. And to all my friends who have donated, you now have license to call me out when i'm getting lazy!

today i am fighting off a cold, and i'm really hoping it does not cause me to miss my run tomorrow. i feel like i am at a crucial point in training where things are starting to feel more like a routine. if i break the cycle now it could be hard to catch up. my original plan was to go to the gym tonight but i think i will skip that and go to bed early. in the meantime i am loading up on airborne, tylenol cold medicine, cough drops and lots of tea and water.

tomorrow i have a photoshoot for my corporate donation campaign.. more details on that to come later, but just know that i am insanely shy infront of the camera. this is going to test the last of my nerves.. coming off a good strong run will give me more confidence i'm sure!

so thanks again to everyone who's donated.. you have found a place in the hall of fame to the right -->

sarcasm wednesday

2007-03-08T08:24:00.000-08:00

wednesday night workouts are the best!

our runs on wednesdays are dedicated to practicing form and technique. last night was all about running with short quick strides. or as ramon described it 'tiki tiki tiki' strides. so we had to run for about 7 minutes tiki tiki style and then 2 minutes our normal stride.. now my question is, what is a girl to do if her 'normal' stride IS tiki-tiki?!

we ran back and forth between 87th and 97th on the east side of central park for about 40 minutes. it was cold, and after the heat wave last saturday it seemed even more torturous. i had a taste of spring, and i loved it. the upside to the night was that i ran with the rookie and so we got some quality catching up time in. i felt like i was holding him back, but he assures me that was not the case.

after the workout we had our first official team social at a bar on the UES. i headed over with the rookie and roxie had a pitcher waiting for us! it was a fun night, played some pool, made some new friends and found out that my running shoes are way to heavy for me. i kind of knew i needed new ones, but it's official now. luckily one of my new friends works at urban athletics so i am sure he will steer me in the right direction!

miles: 4ish
beers: 4ish

ice ice baby

2007-03-04T07:04:00.000-08:00

knee hurts! i am sitting here now with a bag of frozen peas on it hoping it helps.

This weekend is full of running and bag making. yesterday i headed to central park at 8:00 for our group run. i was feeling really down and had only 4 hours of sleep behind me. the challenge for the beginners this week was 4-6 miles. we were given the flexibiltiy to choose our mileage and our route through the park. i was completely undecided... i wanted to run at least 5, mentally i NEEDED to run 6 to really work out all my stress, but wasn't sure my body would allow for anymore than 4. I set out alone and decided to try for the full 6 mile loop. if i got too tired i could always cut over 102nd street and make it 5.

Once I started running I felt pretty good. Concentrating on pacing myself and breathing. As I approached the 102nd street transverse I was struggeling with what to do.. 5 or 6? 5 or 6? I have never been above 102nd in the park and for some reason it scared me up there.. silly i know. i imagined it to be dark and very woodsy.. like some creepy haunted forest. i dedided I was going to go for the 6 mile loop but allowed myself to put my ipod on to carry me through the last half of the run. HOT DAMN! 6 MILES! now someone get me a seat..

The 6 miles did the trick, the anxiety level was back down and the feeling of accomplishment was great. once again exercise saves me from imploding! :)

I met Davey for lunch after the run, and due to some scheduling mix ups I got stuck downtown until 5pm.. in my running gear all day! Fashion faux-pas for sure! Davey was extremely amused and as usual was not shy about expressing his joy in my pain. i think all my running talk is rubbing off on him.. he's running again, and i expect some runs in our future. he gave me the good idea of getting my legs massaged regularly before the big saturday runs. since i don't need much convincing when it comes to getting massages, i'm calling to set up my friday appointment now!

today there was a quick 5k race in the HOOD! yay, i can roll out of bed and the start is literally 4 blocks away. I was planning on running my 3 mile hood route today anyway, so i signed up and made it official. it was a great run.. not so sure about my time. i felt like i was running fast, and making good time on the downhills but for some reason i think i came in over 30 minutes. can't wait to check the official times later.

oh, on a side note... guitar hero is my new favorite thing! a video game where you play guitar along with killer rock songs. i KNEW i was gonna grow up to be a rock star!!!! might have to get myself a playstation....

saturday miles: 6
sunday miles: 3 race time: 28:37
total hours spent in spandex: 12
total sk8bags made: 38

phew!

2007-03-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

So the other day I sent out fundraising email letters to 50 of my closest friends to get this thing started. I waited and waited for some kind of response from someone.. anyone! Nothing. THEN, finally I got a donation from Jen! YAY jen! But I was feeling like 'man, no one cares that I'm doing this! and more importantly, no one cares that it's for cancer!!!'

Yesterday I found out that no one got the email!! I was so excited. I am not a loser, and my friends don't suck! Tonight it is movie night (too much wine last night, and an early run tomorrow) so I will re-send the email letters.. so all you non-sucky friends out there, get your credit cards warmed up!!

album of the day: nirvana unplugged (a little kurt in the morning does a body good)

day of rest...

2007-03-01T19:41:00.000-08:00

miles: 0 album of the day: ok computer by radiohead (ahhhhhhhh)

could it be?

2007-02-28T20:08:00.000-08:00

it might be working.. this running business that everyone is so fond of.. today instead of running i went to the gym for a little crosstraining. did all my favorite exercises and listened to my new ipod shuffle. but still, i miss the run today. maybe it was because yesterdays was so good, but maybe it's bigger than that... Crap! I'm gonna become one of those running freaks!!

tomorrow it's kickboxing with lamont at 8am and if i'm feeling good i'll run at night. stay tuned

miles today: 1 song of the day: fergilicous (yeah, you heard me right.. D to the E to the L-I-C-I-O-U-S!)

help me help you help me

2007-02-27T16:49:00.000-08:00

ran the 3 mile hood run today. it was great actually. no side ache. the hills weren't even that bad, and running in the dark is fun. dodging dog poop is harder, but it's an adventure. i will find a way to expand the loop to 4 miles next time.

tonight was a mental run more than anything.. exercise and loud music in my ears always helps a bad day, and today was a doosie. so, today by running i was on the road to helping others, and helping myself at the same time. feels good.

distance: 3.25 miles song of the day: 'get over it' by Ok Go!

speed dating

2007-02-26T20:24:00.000-08:00

When I say I'm training for the marathon, a few people have said 'that could be a great way to meet guys'. Well, yes, it COULD. But I will explain to you why it is not. When I work out (and Lamont at the gym can attest to this) I AM NOT LOOKIN CUTE!! I go to the gym to work my butt off and get out.. i get all red and sweaty and don't look anyone in the eye cause i know exactly how i look ;) I am not one of those girls who goes to the gym and has a high ponytail and a glisten to her skin.

When I run it's pretty much the same story. Right now, because of the weather, I am wearing like 4 layers (invest in adidas cause i'm keeping them in the black!) a knit hat over my matted ponytail, mismatched gloves and no make up. i have yet to meet a guy who thinks THAT is a hot look. i guess if i were to meet prince charming in central park at 8am on a saturday he'd be a keeper for kissin this lil frog ;)

day of rest. back at it tomorrow.

last call

2007-02-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

Last night i went with roxie to see 'now that you've seen me naked', a sketch comedy that my new friend evan is directing. We met up with evan after the show and had a drink before he had to jet uptown to meet friends. roxie and i stayed and had another round while we geeked out about running and TNT. we realize that non-runners grow tired of this talk quickly, so we try not to inflict it on you too much. please feel free to remind us if we forget! it was lots of laughs as usual when hangin with her. at one point she went to the ladies room and came back with some great souvenirs she found in the ladies room.. 2 terry wrist bands with shamrocks on them, a package of heart shaped pasties, and some ballpoint pens! I was happy to have a new sweat band, and we had some fun imagining what was going through that girls mind while she was walking the aisles of ricky's on a saturday night. hmmm....

On my way uptown I stopped off on 107th to meet up with evan and his friends which turned into a looooooong night of drinking. Haven't made it to last call in a long time! This morning i remembered why. Woke up with a pounding headach and no one single pain relieving tablet in the house. i managed to sleep til noon before i decided if i didn't get advil and diet coke i might die.

By 3pm I was feeling like maybe i should shower and get this day started.. but i should run.. there are 4-6 inches of snow coming tonight and that would wipe all motivation to run in the morning out. So i did it. i pulled my stinky, dirty, yet unwashed running clothes out of the washer and put them on. i have had a neighborhood 3 mile route mapped out for a while, but haven't tried it yet. it's a good run, but man it felt like the entire run was uphill.. this is impossible you are thinking, and science might agree but i could SWEAR it was all uphill. both ways!

I ran down to 168th, east to amsterdam and if you run along the east side there are not many lights to worry about. i followed this all the way north (uphill) to where it wraps around the back of George Washington HS (and goes downhill FINALLY) i was liking it at this point until i turned the corner and realized that i had a steep uphill in front of the school. damn. now i run straight down audubon until i'm back at 171... this is a bit more challenging becauce i have to navigate more people, traffic, potholes and general city crap. the homestretch is a steady incline.. again, dammit!

i ran with my new ipod shuffle which helped block out the people on the street talking about the crazy blankita running with a hangover.

miles ran: 3 guilty pleasure song of the day: kelly clarkson 'since u been gone'

one small step!

2007-02-24T14:11:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this is a little late so i will quickly catch you up. I have decided to start training for the San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon! The marathon is in June (nice right? San Diego in June!) but, the training is NY in February.. you can see where this is going...

I decided to do this for a few reasons, first off I've always been facinated by people who feel the desire to run for over 4 hours straight. I'm hard pressed to run 20 minutes on the treadmill without saying "f*#k this, i'm outta here!" But, my friend Roxie was of the same mindset and she successuflly completed the Phoenix Marathon and was so inspired she signed up for San Diego. I followed her lead and said 'ok, i'll give it a shot'. If you're reading this you probably know me. And if you know me, you know that I am not one to turn away from something that seems impossible!

The second reason I decided to run was that the training was provided by the Leukemia Lymphoma Society (team in training). They set you up with training schedules and coaches and parties to forget the pain. In return you help raise money for the cause. My grandfather died of Leukemia when I was 11, so the cause hits home for me in this case. My family has a lifetime of great memories and funny stories of my grandfather, but I often wonder what it would be like if he were around today. What would he be like? (my grandmother is one tough cookie and pretty damn funny, so I'm guessing it would be more of the same!) What would he think of me? (He always liked spunky, and I'm not short on spunk.. he'd probably approve). So Jim, this one's for you!

Finally, at 36, it's hard to keep the bootie in shape. This will definitley help!

I will be contacting alot of you to help me reach my fundraising goal of $5000.00. Every bit helps, and there are many many sick people who appreciate your donation. If it makes you feel better, donate on a saturday morning at 8am when you're cozy under your covers knowing I am freezing that 36 year old bootie off in the park!

SOOOOOO, why did I start this blog today? Today I did the unthinkable. I woke up at 7am on a saturday to run my first race. A 4 miler in Central Park. Not too bad. Cold for sure, but the crowd helps carry you along. Who am I kidding, it SUCKED! But crossing the finish line felt great!

Temp: 22° Running time: 38:54