Central Park Half Marathon, Jude Law and some more miles...

Hey there, ether-webs, Penny here. I just got done watching the Talented Mr. Ripley with the Talented And Handsome Jude Law. Sometimes I wish the Hey Runner Girl meme had been about him. They are so funny, but I just don't get the draw with Ryan Gosling. Did I miss a sparkle in his eye? Does he have some kind of crazy 12-pack set of abs that I don't know about? Is that even physiologically possible?

Anyway, moving on. Last week I ran the NYC Runs Central Park half marathon.  Originally I signed up for this race thinking I would run it as a marathon tempo. Then weather forecasted rain, snow and 25mph winds on an already very hilly course through Central Park. Seeing as I still have a bit of PTSD (read, I'm a massive wimp) from Vegas, AND I didn't want to have trashed legs for a week, I decided to run it as an easy long run.

The weeks runs, thus, went per normal: (Feb 17-23, 2013)
Sunday: 10 miles easy
Monday: rest
Tuesday: 8 miles easy
Wednesday: 8 miles, with 8x600s at 6:22 pace (9.4mph) with 400m jog recoveries
Thursday: rest
Friday: tempo: 2 miles easy, 2miles @ 7:19, 2 miles @ 7:13, 1 mile @ 7:08, 1 mile easy.
Saturday: 9 miles easy
Total: 42 miles

Well, low and behold, the weather (as I should have known, if I paid any attention to Murphy) was perfect running weather. Overcast, cool in the 40s, barely any wind! Ah well, it was really nice doing a race with zero expectations other than to have fun running with a speedy friend of mine.  Overall a  1:44-ish for a average pace of 7:53 min/mile (with a bathroom break - first time in a race ever!) All miles felt pleasantly aerobic with a bit of effort going up those Harlem hills.

Twinsies in Lulu blue! Unplanned matchy awesomeness.

The course takes you on one big loop of the park (with Harlem hills), then a second loop, crossing at the 102nd st traverse, then a third loop of the lower end of the park. Marathoners did FIVE laps of the second loop. Holy monotony!

The hubs made a surprise visit down to see us finish the race. Dragged along the camera and took pics without me even asking. True love!

NYC Runs did a great job on the race, with the only exception of packet-pick up. You could pick up the packet at a running shop on the East side, which had a really long line on the Friday night and they went so. slow. handing. crap. out. However, they did apologize for this at the race, and the good news is that all was forgiven when this arrived in the mail from the Hot Chocolate 10K I ran in December:

Bad news is that I cant center a damn photo.

Home Sweet Home

two little runners ~ Kristen

I’ve completed the progression from SoCalifornian to New Yorker. I’ve screamed at people on the sidewalk before 8 a.m. I’m not afraid to throw an elbow on the subway. And I ran a 10 miler outside when it was 25 degrees! Just in time to go home. Today is my last day in New York!

Goodbye New York! 

I’ll miss your bagels.

Pumpernickel with tofu veggie cream cheese.
That's my bagel.

I’ll miss your desserts and pastry.

New York cheesecake - the original. 

I’ll miss your macchiato.

Approximately 1/25 of the coffees Penny and I
drank to fuel us through 40 days of trial. 

But most of all, I’ll miss 24/7 with Penny.

And hhheeellllllooo life!

It's San Diego. 70 and gorgeous again!

On the running front, this week I continued to build aerobic base for my forthcoming marathon training. I ran 38 easy miles with some strides, progressions, and fartleks thrown in. I’m feeling more positive about my fitness this week. It’s amazing what a week without a sick day will do for the confidence barometer.

But I still have a lot to work on when I get home. My legs are bound up and tight from sitting in court all day and in front of a computer all night. I did not keep up with my daily yoga practice. I can feel tightness in my hip flexors when I run. I recall the same sensation before I started with yoga, so I anticipate the tightness going away in a few weeks of regular stretching.

I also want to spend some time in the gym building back all around strength, especially leg and core strength. My legs don’t feel as strong when I am running these days, and I feel instability in my core when I am running at fast paces – in strides, fartleks, and towards the end of progressions.

But first, some R&R in Santa Barbara for the weekend! 

two little runners ~ Kristen

Trail and Trial

By Two Little Runners ~ Kristen

I too ventured outdoors this week and did my first (and, so far, only) outdoor run of 2013. With temperatures downright balmy in the 40s, I ran a 10 miler along the Hudson River path over the weekend. 

My hotel is in TriBeCa, so I ran the south part of the path. The Hudson River path runs way up north to upper upper upper west side heights, as Penny calls her neighborhood, and beyond. (Penny and I ran the northern portion of this path when I was last in NYC for work during the fall, so I’ve run almost the entire Hudson River path in two runs!)

I ran from the World Trade Center up to 54th St. and back. The most scenic part of the route was through Chelsea. The path is nicely landscaped and built with tourists in mind - so they can wonder around after checking out Chelsea piers.

The most impressive sites along these parts are architectural. Not pictured is the Statue of Liberty. You can see it from the Canal St. pier, if you squint. 

WTC 1 - AKA Freedom Tower
Built near the site where the Twin Towers once stood, this tower
dominates the skyline of lower Manhattan.

The US Intrepid, now a museum.

The off beat Frank Geary building in Chelsea.

This week, I continued my marathon training with 30 easy, aerobic base-building miles. All easy paces (for all the treadmillers out there, 7.1/8:27) with a sprinkling of strides, fartleks, and short progressions. 

I'm struggling with consistency and volume at the moment. I've been sick almost constantly (along with most of the trial team), and again this week, prompting a renaming of our trial conference room from "The War Room" to "The Infirmary." Three doctor's visits since arriving on 12/27. I never see the doctor three times in a year - let alone in one month!

So in January, I took 12 days completely off of exercise due to illness. While I am doing the best I can to stay fit, I don't know how effective my training has been this month.

My current thinking is that I need to extend my base building period by a few weeks after I get back to San Diego (someday?) to allow time to build on my aerobic base while healthy and when I'm back to regular hours like a normal person. And to give myself time to gain back some strength (because haven't lifted weights since December) before engaging in more intense training. I can't even handle the thought of a tempo run at the moment!

~ Kristen

Help, I am on the wrong coast!

I’ve been a temporary New Yorker for 23 days. And I am adjusting, slowly, sort of!

I learned from Penny that a Kindle is a must for the subway. I read Advanced Marathoning entirely while underground.

Another major subway discovery:  I discerned that the subway stops are named after cross town streets, for the most part. This has been a revelation in my navigation skills. When I pop up out of a subway station, I have a good sense of which direction to walk. No more roaming around until I can read a street sign, check Google maps, possibly still walk the wrong way, and be 15 minutes late to everything as a result.

I learned that it is not that cold here. But first, in an extreme overreaction to mid 30s temperatures my first days in New York, I purchased snow boots, which I still have not had the occasion to wear (thankfully).  

I have not yet run outside in 2013. All treadmill. All the time. So still working on that temperature acclimation. 

On the day I arrived, the city greeted me with a sleet/rain/snow mixture for two days. Then the temps warmed up to mid 40s and even the 50s, but I simultaneously caught a cold, which turned into a sinus infection. Only after a solid week of no exercise, I managed to do some very light yoga. Between being sick and working early to late every day on the trial, I was completely wiped out and went 10 days without running.

But I am back on track now with the base building phase for my undetermined spring marathon (leaning toward San Diego RnR, especially because I learned today that the finish is at Petco Park rather than Sea World). I'm continuing to run all easy miles with a sprinkling of strides, fartleks, and short progressions here and there. 

Last week of December - 54 miles. Highest mileage week ever! These were all easy pace miles, but  I felt the pounding in my bones. So I don't think I can manage much more than 55 miles for my peak mileage week in marathon training.

January week 1 - 0 miles. 

January week 2 - 6.5 miles. 

January week 3 - 30 miles.

two little runners ~ Kristen

Tacos make me nostalgic; therefore, I'll write about mountain lions (again).

For those who have been following along, I'm officially a temporary New Yorker. Penny and I are preparing for a trial that begins in New York on January 7. It's scheduled to run for approximately 4 weeks. So I've taken residence in TriBeCa for 42 days. In the middle of winter.

200 square feet of bliss.

It's been a difficult adjustment. It's cold all the time - every day I have to wear shoes WITH SOCKS, layers of clothing, and a HEAVY jacket. Luckily, this is not my first cold winter . . . I still have my winter coat from when I lived in St. Louis, circa 2002.

You know you are getting old when your
clothes reach the double digits in age. 

And after being in New York for a week, I am still half way on Pacific time. Being anywhere by 9 a.m. ET is a huge burden at the moment.

Then there is the mountain of work and extra long hours. And I caught a cold. Sniff, sniff.

But my attitude about New York improved approximately 30% today when I discovered an excellent Mexican restaurant mere footsteps from my hotel: Papatzul in SoHo.

I reluctantly parked myself at the bar, ordered a Negro Modela figuring the beer would be the only part of the meal I would enjoy. New York has a poor reputation for Mexican food, and I was certain there was no way SoHo Mexican food could live up to the Mexican at my beloved restaurants in San Diego (En Fuego, Las Olas, Rubios, Bull Taco, El Callejon to name a few).

To my utter shock and delight, Papatzul was awesome. These are skirt steak tacos with chorizo and fried pork skin. New Year's resolution to eat every thing on the menu?

So, with that long introduction, I'm feeling nostalgic and thought I would recap another trail run I did in the days just before leaving home.

Lake Poway Loop

On Christmas Eve day, I ran the trail around Lake Poway (trail map here). There is information about parking on the Lake Poway Recreation Area website. Basically, there is a huge parking lot at the trail head.

I recommend running the loop counter clockwise (turn right onto the trial from the trail head) because this part of the trail is very easy to follow, as the lake is in view at all times. On the back side of the loop (the first part you would get to if you took the trail clockwise), you leave the lake shore and do a bunch of switchbacks. It would be a confusing start.

The loop around the lake is about 3 miles. And there are a lot of hills! You can tell from the map that the Lake Poway loop connects to some other trails within the Blue Sky Ecological Reserve, if you are up for excursions.

This was a run that almost didn't happen because I saw THIS at the trail head:

THIS is a sculpture of a MOUNTAIN LION!

Also available at the trail head - pamphlets about coyotes, rattle snakes, and, of course, our friend the mountain lion! To summarize: Coyotes are no big deal to full grown humans. Rattle snakes probably won't kill you, even if they bite you. But best to go back the other way if you see one on a trail. Don't jump over them. Mountain lions . . . if you see one, you are f*cked. Cold comfort? They are around but are rarely seen. And "REMEMBER: MOUNTAIN LION ATTACKS ON HUMANS ARE RARE!" (emphasis in original)

Because it took me nearly 30 minutes to drive there, I summoned my courage and headed out on the trail.

In the first mile, the trail stays close to the lake, and there are some steep hills. Nothing too long though.

Round about mile 2, there is a picnic table that would be fun to hike to with a group of friends. It is near an interesting rock pile formation.

Mile 3 descends below the lake (there is a dam). And there are a bunch of switch backs and some hills again to take you back up lakeside.

For a mostly road runner like me, this is a good route for an easy run, provided you take it easy on the hills. The trail is soft and footing just difficult enough to keep you in your easy pace zone. There were a lot of people on the trail, and since the trail stays close to the shore of the lake, I never felt like I was being stalked by a mountain lion. I would run this route alone again for sure. (Don't tell the mountain lions.)

two little runners
Kristen

The real step back and Hurricane Sandy

Two weeks ago (yeah, totally behind in blogging here) I took a step-back week. I asked a childhood runner friend of mine what is meant by a step back week. His response:  "my running mentor guy is hugely strong on every 3rd week being a step back when increasing your mileage, and every 4th week when training normally. Based on his advice I would suggest cutting about 20% from your program by reducing your long run, removing one effort session, and replacing another effort session with something shorter and sharper like 10 x 500m off 3:00 run at about 10kRP so you still get your speed fix without fatiguing your legs like longer reps do."

He also shared his training plan with me. Aaaaand then I spent 20 minutes with a headache trying to calculate what "krp" is in miles. 

Unfortunately I got his advice after I had finished my step back week. I decided I wanted to cut back on easy miles and just exert myself on the "key" workouts. It ended up looking like this:

October 22-28, 2012
Monday: rest
Tuesday: 60 mins elliptical intervals, core
Wednesday: Speed (8x800s at 6:27 on treadmill with 1% incline) - 7 miles total
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 60 mins elliptical intervals 
Saturday: 13 miles with last mile moderate (my Garmin died but I guess it was between 7:15-7:30) 
Sunday: 60 mins elliptical intervals + plyometrics

Total: 20 miles 

This week marked the beginning of cold weather in NYC, but not quite so cold as to warrant full winter gear. A tough (albeit very first world) apparel problem. I sat around whining one morning about how I had nothing to weeeeeeear.... until I remembered a jacket that I had bought for precisely this season. Lulu for the win:

Worked brilliantly. Kept me warm in the first few miles, but was sufficiently breathable that I didn't overheat later on. 

October 29-Nov 4, 2012
 Monday: 10 miles easy
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Speed (10x800s at 6:27 on treadmill with 1% incline) - 9 miles total (ran to and from the gym as subway was down)
Thursday: Elliptical - easy 45 mins + core
Friday: Tempo: 1 mile easy, 2x3 miles at 6:48 pace on treadmill with 1% incline, 1 mile easy
Saturday: Elliptical 60 mins + plyometrics
Sunday: 16 miles easy   

Total: 43 miles

Last week I tried to work my miles around Hurricane Sandy; I live in an elevated part of Manhattan in a pretty solid apartment building so we didn't expect to sustain much damage. Thankfully we did not, but my heart goes out to people who are STILL without power.  My husband was able to help out at some of the shelters and I have been buying up bread, peanut butter and jelly for our local soup kitchen. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do to actually get people back into their homes and living their lives again. But with the intensity of the storm, I am at least thankful that more lives were not lost to it.  And it has been wonderful to see efforts of individuals to clean up the city and take care of each other. Only a few days ago, Riverside Park was still completely trashed (and closed to the public). On my long run Sunday, I was blown away by the number of people out in the park with garbage bags and rakes, cleaning it all up:

  
It doesn't even look like a storm came through! As much as I bag this city sometimes, I am completely astounded by its resilience and toughness. 

NYC Runs Labor Day 10K Recap

So I decided to do a 10K race on Labor Day as a tempo/tune-up for my goal 1/2 marathon race next week. It was out on Roosevelt Island which runs parallel to Manhattan on the East Side. Have no idea where it is? Join the 5.998 billion or so others who similarly thought that between Manhattan and Long Island there lay...well...just water. Possibly some would-be landfill.

A google maps review of the island captured the spirit of the place: it has a "random lighthouse. Its there if you want to go see it". 

At first we thought it would be a fun place to check out. Um, not so much. The island used to be a prison, and now is dominated by two hospitals. Always fun running really fast and dodging poor people in wheelchairs who probably love being reminded that they are not well enough to even walk.

Anyway, the race was put on by NYC Runs which I gather is a newish company that organizes and times races as well as putting them on themselves. It was smallish, with about 250 people running the 10K and probably a similar amount running the 5K.

Working hard not to heel strike for the camera

Result: 44:07 with about a 7:07 min/mile pace. Second place female and first in age-group.

Mile splits went something like: 6:45, 6:48, 7:02, 7:18 (the wind of bastardry), 7:05, 6:58. I ran hard so I was a little bit disappointed to see my pace drop. Buuuuuut I was untapered (for me) and had run about 34 miles that week. It was pretty warmish and there was a gutsy wind. I know, we love our excuses. Pretty stoked to get a place though  - and a free race entry to another NYC Runs event. Most importantly though, a sweet post-race brekky of fruit and bagels with cream cheese or peanut butter. Naturally I had both.

I also managed to drag the hubs out to watch me race. Hes such a doll.

His response to this photo was "Nothing says love like carrying her bags and following her around the course, taking 100 race photos like a creeper"

Me with my fancy-pants trophy.... husband and race-prize. Har har.
 

All in all, a good race by NYC Runs. They were efficient and organized and put on a good post-race brekky. No goody-bags (which are usually mostly junk anyway) and the "small" race t-shirt is my husband's new undershirt. But definitely will be trying out a few more of their races.

--Penny

36 miles and how about them blisters

I have two effen blisters. Seriously, blisters. I haven't had blisters since I was, like, 15, running in my $15 shoes, listening to the mixed-tape of Pulp I had blaring from my brick-like walkman that I hand-carried on my runs.

Its not my new shoes. They're the same ones I've been wearing since April, and my latest pair already have 100 miles on them. 

Else is weird? I have one blister on each foot; on my little toes.  They're big too. If anyone can tell me what could've caused these to come from nowhere, Id be grateful.

And as much as I could keep discussing the ins and outs of my blistery feet for yonks (we swears that we dont have foot fetishes on this blog) let me get to the runnings which are much more fun.

Last week I hit 36 miles. Not that much by a lot of peoples' standards, but its taken me sooooo long to build up this mileage again while avoiding injury.

My runs took me through a lot more of Riverside Park, which runs all down the west side, parallel to that long bike/running path that runs around the island.

Pause to reflect on the fact that I have only recently learned how to take a screen shot. Its changed my life. 

August 19-25, 2012

Monday: 45 mins easy elliptical + upper body strength

Tuesday: 8 miles easy with progression to 7:30 in the last two miles - Riverside Park

Wednesday: 6 miles with 4x45 second hill sprints in Central Park + light leg strength

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 8 miles easy

Saturday: 60 mins elliptical intervals + core strength

Sunday: 14 miles easy (8:30 pace)

Riverside Park was lovely and cool to run through.

It sports a TWO-lane pedestrian highway, and runners still make a path for themselves in the dirt

It even has some pristine dirt trails, making you forget all about the tall buildings, bright lights and bags of smelly garbage lining the streets, just metres away...

And views of the Hudson throughout...

The end.

Tree-Lined Paths and My Groin Says Hi

So the week before last, I had a great week running. I pushed it up to 34 miles and had my first really good 14 miler.

August 5-11

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 6 miles easy + 4 x 8 second hill sprints

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 6 miles progression (last mile around 7:30)

Friday: 8 miles: 2 easy, 2x2miles at 7min/mile, 2 easy (this was a tough run and I barely made it through the 2 mile intervals)

Saturday: 60mins elliptical intervals + core and upperbody strength

Sunday: Dundadaduuuuun: 14 miles at about 8:45, progressing to about 7:45 in the last couple of miles.

Total: 34 miles

I was a little disappointed to find that my favorite route in NY so far only goes for about 4.5 miles. My apartment is a block from the west side of Manhattan, and Riverside Park runs north to south on the banks of the Hudson river. Bike and running trails run all the way up and down. Further south, the path along the Hudson goes for a long time, and Im pretty stoked to see whether it goes all the way around the bottom of the island. Both directions are great, but I just love the north route. Theres something so peaceful about it and it soothes my soul; but unfortunately thats the part that only goes 4.5 miles. Promised Kristen I'd take some photos - cant wait to run this with you KA!

The route begins here - this faces north

Tree-lined paths sooth my soul

And of course the Parthenon always adds a little culture to the area...

Wait what...??? Yes, this structure is randomly posited on the side of the highway, in between trees and the running path. I just dont even know what is going on here.

Lower Manhattan in the distance

Makes me happy that I didnt have to say goodbye to waterside running...

Unfortunately last week I went a bit too hard on a tempo run, and nixed my groin again. 

August 12-18

Monday: Elliptical 45 mins + light leg workout

 Tuesday: Tempo - 8 miles with 2 miles easy, 4 miles @ 6:58, 2 miles easy on the treadmill

Wednesday: Owwww, hello groin. Rest.

Thursday: 60 mins elliptical intervals + upper body and arms workout 

Friday: 60 mins elliptical intervals + light leg and plyo workout

Saturday: 8 miles easy

Sunday: 10 miles easy

Total: 26 miles

It was totally ok to ease up this week, as I was due for a recovery week. I think I finally have my groin/inner quad thing figured out, so I just need to keep on stretching and rolling and strengthening. It is about a 2 on the pain scale, so Im being cautious, but I know it will be fine.... I know I know, I will miss hearing the word GROIN all the time too. Its just one of those sacrifices we runners make.

First week running in NYC

Folks, I just had the best run I've had in NYC so far.... motivating me to write up the less-than-awesome week I had last week. 

First off, its hot. Damn hot. Real hot. Post-run evidence of my very sexy sweaty-sweaty-sweatyness is below.

Hold onto your boyfriends, ladies.

Second, I was a little discombobulated last week because of the red-eye on Monday night, jet lag, adjusting to new work ours (my new office has hours running from 9:30-7pm, rather than the 8am-5:30pm that I am used to. It also took me a while to navigate the good running spots, and find a gym where I could cross-train and do strength.

The one redeeming feature of last week was that I hit 30 miles for the first time since I began gradually increasing mileage and quit being stupid. Just barely, but I did it. Another 14 miler kicked my a$$ but this time I was plenty hydrated; I just am not used to the humidity here. Southern California has rendered this damsel absolutely weak.

Workouts: July 29-August 4

Monday: 6 miles with 4 hill sprints (last run in Oceanside :(

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: 6 miles ladder intervals:  2 miles easy, 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 2 min, 1 min @ 5 K-1500m pace, w 400m jog recoveries, 2 miles easy. I struggled with this workout, reaching the 6:30s only in my last 2min and 1min intervals. Though I did hit the 5s.... for a few seconds.

Thursday: Plyo + strength workout (20 mins)

Friday: 5 miles easy

Saturday: 60 mins elliptical intervals (not hard - I was on a new weird machine at the gym and without my heart rate monitor) + core strength

Sunday: 13 miles very, very slow (between 9-10 min/miles with walk breaks through the second half) + 1 mile walk home. Central Park = awesome! 100% humidity = not so much! More on running through the Park when I dont feel quite so like death throughout.

Total: 30 miles

Running Central Park

I get lost very easily, so when I am running in a new spot, I try to keep it simple (and carry my iPhone). The first time I ran Central Park, I stuck to the loop road that runs all the way from the south end of the park at 59th Street to 110th Street to the north. (Stay on the loop road by following the bike path. Bikes are not allowed on any other path in the park.) This long loop is 6 miles.

As I became more adventurous, I started adding loops to my loop road route. I discovered that there are a series of “cross town trails” (my term) that connect with the loop road, each of which makes a smaller loop. There are 7 smaller loops within the big loop. Plus there is a bridle trail that roughly parallels the loop road, most of the way. 

Map adapted from Central Park app for iPhone. This is a simplified map; there are many more side trails.

The southern-most cross town trail goes by the Carousel (1). 

The next loop goes around Sheep Meadow (2).

The Sheep Meadow on a gorgeous spring Sunday afternoon.

Then the next by Belvedere Castle and The Lake (3).

The Lake

Then around the Great Lawn (4).

Then the Reservoir (5). The Reservoir itself is loop of 1.58 miles. This is my favorite place to run in the park and is probably the most iconic run in NYC. From the northern edge of the Reservoir, there is an epic view of the NYC skyline.

Skyline from the Reservoir.

Then the North Meadow loop (6).

And finally the North Woods loop (7).

Wander freely, add loops, and you won't get lost!

Getting there: I usually find the main loop road by entering the park at 59th St. and 8th Ave. But you can find it from every single point of entrance in to the park.

LR#2
Kristen