I Have Skis for Feet

Posted on June 19, 2013 by scoopsontherun

The tendonitis on the top of my left foot made it’s return this morning. It is not welcome.

I was hoping it wouldn’t come back but I knew it would and then I just hoped that it wouldn’t happen this early in the summer. Thankfully, it’s not the type of injury that will sideline me so the Runner’s World Run Streak lives on! In fact, it doesn’t ever hurt when I run only when I stop.

With this new flare up early in the season I have to make sure that I take all the precautionary measures so that it doesn’t get worse. Step one involved the application of the good ole KT Tape and it really does help most of the time. Step two involves keeping the foot elevated when I can and then I need to make sure I ice it after every run for step three.

Before and after of the shoe lace method that i supposed to take pressure off the top of my foot.

Before and after of the shoe lace method that is supposed to take pressure off the top of my foot.

This go around, I’m going to try a new method for lacing my shoes. Instead of the traditional way we have been lacing our shoes I am now skipping the cross over part over the middle of my foot where I have the tendonitis.

I think there may be some sound logic here, aside from the fact that my old sports doctor recommended it. But what does he know with his fancy medical degree? Anyway, over the past year I have noticed pressure marks on the top of my foot from my sock, which is usually a sign that shoe is tied too tight. So tomorrow morning I’ll see if I notice a difference.

I’m almost just about due for a new pair of shoes. I don’t feel them breaking down yet but I am almost at 350 miles on them and that’s usually when it’s time to start looking for a new pair. When I get new shoes I always go to the same store for the simple fact that I have skis for feet. I wear a size 11 shoe and my width is somewhere between normal and narrow. There is only one store in all of NYC that always has my shoes size in stock, in several colors, and different brands. For this I will always love JackRabbit Sports, the bonus is that I always get 10 percent off of all my purchases and their customer service is out of this world. Most importantly, they never seem shocked about my shoe size or make me feel like a freak for having such big feet.

They also do, what I think, is the best gait analysis that I have ever done. They get you on the treadmill in a pair of neutral type shoes and video tape you as you run. They can then tell if you pronate, supinate, or if you are a perfect neutral runner. Depending on how you run they’ll pick out all these shoes that can help your form. They will do this until you find the shoe that you like best.

The last time I did this was about five years ago and that was before I started running marathons. I know I still pronate ever so slightly on my right foot and who knows with all the miles I am now running on a regular basis I may need a different brand of shoe or model.

Right now, my little skis and I will try the new lacing configuration and see if that can last me some additional miles on these shoes.

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The Mini 10k and Some Streaking

Posted on June 11, 2013 by scoopsontherun

The NYRR Mini 10k is the oldest women’s race in the United States and that alone makes this one of my all-time favorite races. Whenever I talk about this race to non-New York runners there is some explaining to do. The most common question I get is, “What’s a mini 10k?” The race is a full 10k but was named after the mini skirt because some guy in marketing thought this would attract women. You can get a brief history of the race here.

Another reason this is a fun race is because the first couple of miles of the course is on Central Park West. As much as I love running in the park it is nice to run outside of it from time to time, and yeah, getting to avoid some of the rolling hills on the westside of the park is a bonus.

I’m in a phase of my summer race season where I’m not specifically training for anything. After starting the year off with three half marathons three weeks apart and then hoping for that elusive half marathon PR at the Brooklyn Half my brain and body need a break. While I’ll be running in a lot of races, I am not racing them and am just focused on trying to keep an even pace on all of my splits. So far that seems to be working out well.

As for the race itself, I started out a little too fast but I was able to get things under control and keep things steady the whole way. I was able to focus on my form up the Harlem Hills and push the pace a bit near the end. When you include the great crowd support for this race, it was a perfect day. Oh and there were women running in sports bras — always a huge plus.

I often forget what day I'm on during this streak. Thank goodness it ends on July 4th. That is a day I can remember.

I often forget what day I’m on during this streak. Thank goodness it ends on July 4th. That is a day I can remember.

Now to change topics to my Runner’s World Run Streak that the Mini 10k became a part of. As I have mentioned in a previous post, runners are supposed to run at least one mile every day from Memorial Day to July 4th, 39 days total.

I think today was day 15 and for the most part my legs have been holding up well, until this week. Both yesterday and today they have felt very tired.

Part of my problem is that I don’t know how to run just one mile. When I go out running I go out to run multiple miles, nothing ever below three miles. It feels very odd to just try and run one. I always think I can do more. So far during the streak I have been able to incorporate one day of a one mile run but I think I need to add one more.

With the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge tomorrow I forced myself to run just 1.4 miles this morning. See, I couldn’t just get it in at one mile and even during this run I thought I could keep going and had to force myself to stop. I will need to figure this out if I want to make it to the end of this streak.

But the one good thing about these tired legs is that it forced me to slow down to my marathon training long run pace. One of the challenges I have always had when I start my marathon training is getting a feel for what that pace should be. Yes, I know the actual number is supposed to be one to two minutes slower than my marathon race pace. My problem has been staying in this range. I’ve always found it easier to be able to know what that pace feels like so that I can take my eyes off my Garmin and focus on other things. If you can feel your pace, you will run with less stress and that’s always a good thing.

So two days of tired legs have given me that feel for my marathon training long run pace and I am trying to commit this in my memory bank for July when that training actually starts. I’ll need that more than ever with the new training plan I am using.

This streak is helping me in so many ways but then again running always has.

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Slightly Neurotic Runner Seeks Personal Trainer

Posted on June 4, 2013 by scoopsontherun

You would think that being in New York City, this incredibly giant city I might add, that it would be a piece of cake to find a personal trainer that meets my very specific needs. Guess again.

This has mainly been my view at the gym -- the treadmill when I haven't been able to run outside. Th weights and stuff are on the other side of the gym. I don't venture over there.

This has mainly been my view at the gym — the treadmill when I haven’t been able to run outside. The weights and other stuff are on the other side of the gym. I don’t venture over there.

OK, admittedly my initial search has been somewhat limited. In particular to my gym. My gym is across the street from my office. It’s open 24 hours and I can go there during lunch and after work, my preferable hours. I have met with three different personal trainers from there — all of them have biceps bigger than my thighs and I don’t have scrawny thighs.

So far, all three have had a problem grasping my needs as a runner who needs to add strength training to help prevent recurring overuse injuries. I’ll give them a bit of a break here. I don’t think they often get people coming in with the knowledge of what specific areas that need work and a limit on the number of days and when during the day those workouts can take place (strength training cannot take place before a run only after).

There was one guy who shares a last name with me (no relation). I had hopes that we would be able to bond over that and somehow he would just get me. But alas (that’s a word we do not use often enough), after I went through my list he stood there in silence and just blinked. Our last name deserves so much better than that.

So now I am leaving the confines of my gym and seeking a personal trainer who gets me and my quirky recurring overuse running issues. I’ve got one IT band issue that only happens when it is below 50 degrees outside. See, that’s a bit quirky.

My new personal trainer should first and foremost not cancel an appointment just because it’s raining. Yup, that happened yesterday. I’m a runner. I run in all weather including snow, hurricanes (Irene not Sandy), and tornado warnings (I did not know about the warning while I was running). I think you can show up to an initial meeting that is going to be indoors on a rainy day.

I want you to challenge and push me. I have been playing sports since I was six years old. I know how to take direction and I never whine or complain. I may curse you under my breath from time to time but I look at that as a way of knowing we’re on the right track. But I don’t really want you to yell at me. I was bullied as a kid, I’ve got some issues about the yelling. If you’re good you can challenge me without the yelling.

I want this to be a partnership, after all it is my body and I’ll be putting in the hard work. Just as much as I want you to listen to me and my initial needs I want you to explain why we’re doing what we’re doing. I have a basic idea of why we work on certain areas but I want details. I’m a nerd, humor me.

I need you to be invested in my progress and not just another source of income. You will become a part of my little world and I want you to be excited about my accomplishments. If I get a new PR in race you will be a part of that (see the partnership thing above).

While I don’t always let my slightly neurotic side show, it does make an appearance from time to time. Right now it’s mainly about switching marathon training plans, the main reason why I know I need to focus on my strength training.  So yeah, you’ll hear a lot about that. Just reassure me that I’m not going to die and I’ll be good for the next 48 hours or so.

Now, who’s up for that challenge?

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Chasing That PR

Posted on June 3, 2013 by scoopsontherun

I admit that I am on the verge of becoming a crazed lunatic and obsessing over four digits that will bring me a new PR (personal record for my non-running readers) for the half marathon.

If you are a regular reader of my blog you know this is something I have been wanting to accomplish for a while. You also know that this goal of mine has not happened and unless I can find a half marathon on the September 21 or 22 I most likely won’t have another shot at it this year. Yes, I’m a little bummed out over that.

I was hoping I could get this new PR in Miami. My training had been going well and then my Achilles started to hurt and that forced me into some rest days. When I was finally ready to run again it got drastically cold here in NYC. I’m talking 16 degrees drastically cold and I admit that I was afraid to try and push things. No PR in Miami.

Then I ran a half marathon in Central Park in February and then the NYC Half in March. I didn’t make these goal races but in the back of mind I was hoping that maybe just maybe I could find the speed I would need. The PR did not magically appear.

This left Brooklyn. It would be perfect, right? The start of the course is slightly downhill, with the challenge of Prospect Park, and then the flat straight away down Ocean Parkway. It was also going to be my 15th half marathon. The running gods were going to smile on me. They had to. But my body decided I needed rest and I just couldn’t get myself out the door during the week even though I somehow managed to do my long runs on the weekend. So yeah, no PR in Brooklyn.

I was hoping I would have one more legitimate shot in Staten Island but that race date falls on the same day I need to do my last 20 mile long run for the NYC Marathon. I will not be dumb and try and race that half marathon and think I can easily had on the additional seven miles.

I’m trying to let it go, really I am, but that average pace I need to hit is just hanging out in my brain. And that was before I may have added that number to some of my passwords. Like I said, I’m not really obsessing about this too much.

But in all seriousness, if you know of a half marathon in the northeast on September 21 or 22, I will buy you a llama.

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Hello Summer!

Posted on June 1, 2013 by scoopsontherun

It figures that I decide to participate in the Runners World Run Streak Challenge and the weather here in NYC decides to act like it is July and August instead of early June.

The streak is a 39 day challenge that started on Memorial Day and ends on July 4. All you have to do is run one mile, any pace, every day. This is exactly what I needed at this time before I start my marathon training.

One of the problems I have had recently has been my consistency. As I’ve explained in previous posts, I just haven’t had the oomph to get out the door and run. Because I might be just a tiny bit competitive (meaning really competitive) this streak will get my out the door every morning.

Challenges are good. As runners we know this. Things getting a little blah, change your route, your distance, your pace, or add a running streak challenge. It’s amazing how these simple little things work.

My other not so easy challenge of late has been finding a personal trainer who fully grasps what I need to accomplish strength training wise. One of the things I wanted to have in place before marathon training started was a personal trainer and a solid strength training program so I could avoid getting troublesome areas that always act up during marathon training. I know I need to strengthen those areas and as well as others to avoid this. I also know that I in order to step up my goals of doing two marathons a year instead of just one I need this.

But at the same time, and we as runners know this, we don’t want to add bulk we want to tone and strengthen and should really only do so twice and at most three times a week. So far I have met with three personal trainers who insist that I can do more and just don’t understand the running aspect of my overall training.

My weak areas are tendonitis on the top of my left foot, my popliteal muscle behind my right knee, and then the upper Achilles/lower calf area on my left leg. The first two I can get by with some KT Tape and ice after a run. The Achilles/calf thing has actually forced me to take extra rest days.

So right now I am using basic strength training tips from a few running websites but I really want something that’s geared for my specific needs.

Until then I’m taking it easy on any speed work and am just focusing on getting my total miles in and staying pain free.

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The Negative Stuff

Posted on May 27, 2013 by scoopsontherun

I am the Queen of the Positive Split and am actually a little proud of that. After all it takes a special mentality to be able to handle that no matter how slow you start out you are only going to get slower as you go along.

There are plenty of people who embrace that negative split and easily do so every single race. You folks go ahead and enjoy your ability to run fast at the end of the race.

But hold on.

A few weeks ago something very strange happened during my early morning run, a little three miles before dawn. I got a negative split — each mile was faster than the one before that. The only witness was Brooke 2.0, my Garmin. Brooke deals in numbers so what she says is always true.

That had to have been an anomaly, right? I mean how can I, the Queen of the Positive Split possibly make this a regular occurrence?

There were races that followed and no dice. Life had returned to normal, the positive splits returned and I felt ok being back in what I knew to be comfort zone.

Then I had to run the NYCRUNS Ice Cream Social 10k on Roosevelt Island. The weather was perfect. I was feeling good and no expectations for this race. I’m not training for anything right now and the goal was to just run. I did.

I was happy with my pace and felt it was fairly consistent throughout the whole race. I felt as though I was slowing down during miles four and five as they seemed to be more of a struggle but I kept up that pace for the last 1.2 miles.

It wasn’t until I checked out Brooke and notice that the last half of the race felt harder was because I was running harder.

I don’t know what to do with myself now.

Well, of course I do. That negative split thing has given me the positive boost I need to feel good about my marathon training that will start in the beginning of July.

So I may need to let abdicate my throne and embrace this new concept of achieving a negative split.

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Oh Brooklyn

Posted on May 21, 2013 by scoopsontherun

There was so much I wanted this half marathon to be. It was, after all, my 15th half marathon and that’s a pretty big milestone.

After not coming any where near a PR in Miami I had set my sights on Brooklyn. I had such optimistic thoughts but then my body just decided it was not going to happen. I knew this about a month ago but I still had hopes for a miracle on race day.

The weather cooperated but the miracle I was hoping for just was not going to materialize. For the most part, I am ok with that.

The race was fun and I’m glad that Brooklyn was my 15th half marathon considering that it was also my first. That seems just about right in my book.

I also have a good idea of what happened to cause my training to be so off. In one word — exhaustion. I had just a great year last year but I was also dealing with my mother’s illness and going to the hospital or PT rehab facility for nine months with only a few days off for myself. Running is what kept me going since that was the only time I was able to carve out for myself. I was running on pent up energy and anxiety.

Now that my mother’s health is in check and everything has settled down my body started to give me those signals that I needed the rest. But I ignored them and ran three half marathons in three months, normally that would have been ok but I took an aggressive approach to that training with little rest days in between.

Now that I know that I have to make some changes in the training. I don’t start training for the NYC Marathon until July 1. I’ll still be running races but I won’t be racing them. There will be no time goals and I’ll just be running for fun and making sure I take my proper rest days.

But when training does start up again I know I have to make some changes in order to improve. With NY in November I have also decided to run the London Marathon in April 2014 and upgrade my training plan from novice to intermediate. It’s time to run like a big grown up runner.

The new plan has two 20 mile long runs and I’ll be running more weekly miles than ever before. I know I can no longer pretend that XT/Rest means extra rest but cross training. I intend to do that. I’ve also gotten back onto a proper nutrition plan, something I lost track of during the past year.

So Brooklyn may not have been the big goal race but the training process for it has gotten me back in the right frame of mind for my new goals.

Thank you, Brooklyn.

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What a Week

Posted on April 24, 2013 by scoopsontherun

I have been wanting and needing to write a blog post since the 15th. I’ve started writing it in my head several times but just couldn’t get the words out for the blog. Forgive me in advance if this goes a bit all over the place.

In remembrance at the starting area of the NYRR Run for the Parks 4 mile race. (c) Stacey Cooper

In remembrance at the starting area of the NYRR Run for the Parks 4 mile race. (c) Stacey Cooper

Here’s a quick recap of my connection to the Boston Marathon. I know several people who have run it in the past and I knew about 12 people who ran it this year and several more who were cheering and even volunteering at the event. Some missed the events (that’s all I can call it right now is an event) by minutes and others by an hour. Thankfully, everyone I know is safe and sound.

I am not fast enough to run Boston but I respect it from having run the NYC Marathon. The marathon is sacred in the running community and Boston is our Holy Grail if you will. While all of us were attacked on that day, it was personal for runners.

We may not know each other by name but if you run a lot of races in New York City you recognize the faces. We are a community. A community that supports one another. Seriously, I have never seen such a supportive group of people whether it’s cheering each other on during a race or standing in a very long line at NYRR headquarters to buy a “I run for Boston” shirt. I recently read that approximately 50 percent of the funds raised for the One Fund Boston have come from the running community.

It was no surprise then that the NYRR Run for the Parks four mile race on Sunday Central Park was going to be big. Yes, it was going to be the first major running event with new security measures (more on that later) but it was really our chance to get out and run to show people how strong our community is.

I’ve said before on this blog that running helps me maintain the status quo on the normal days, celebrate the great days, and heal on the bad days. I don’t know a runner who didn’t feel that this past week and running in this race certainly helped us on our path to healing.

It was great to see everyone wearing the “I run for Boston” bibs on the back of their shirts and to see the sea of BAA blue and yellow along the course. Our community has united, like it did by volunteering in Staten Island after the NYC Marathon was canceled, in tremendous ways and I believe we will always continue to do that — hopefully for less tragic events.

It was a little strange to see such an extensive increase in security for our little four mile race. The procedures put in place were somewhat similar to the larger NYRR events like the marathon, NYC Half Marathon, and Brooklyn Half Marathon. Everyone received a clear plastic to put items in to check and no one was allowed in to certain areas without their bib. I have never seen a more secure porta potty section at a race in my life! On one hand, you are grateful that NYRR and the NYPD have extensive history on providing this type of security but saddened that we have to do it at all.

But even with all that, as NYPD Police Commissioner, Ray Kelly mentioned, it is almost impossible to completely protect open road races. One such incident did occur on Sunday when someone tried to ride their bike through a secure area of the park. The person did not stop when told and was eventually tacked. As I was running by at about the 3.5 mile mark we were moved off the road but told to keep running along. As I looked toward the policy activity I saw a police officer testing the cardboard box inside the guys back back for explosives. THAT IS NOT COMFORTING AT ALL! Thankfully it was just a timing gadget for kayaks. But nonetheless, I could have done without that.

Nothing is going to stop me from running because I need to run and I have more faith in humanity than I do in deranged evil people. In fact, I was reminded of a line that Hugh Grant’s character says in the movie Love Actually.

Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge – they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is all around.

Yes, that is an underrated movie but applies in so many ways. After the event at the Boston Marathon I saw more love, kindness, and compassion than anything else. And to tie this all back into running, that is what I have always felt when I have run the NYC Marathon. All those amazing people cheering us on, wishing us well, and providing the occasional cookie or orange.

Later today I will register for the NYC Marathon and next week for the 2014 London Marathon. I will keep running, perhaps with a slightly heavier heart, but I do know that the running will make it light again.

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Pride and Joy

Posted on April 14, 2013 by scoopsontherun

On Saturday I had the wonderful opportunity to run with some of the women in my running club’s beginners running clinic. All of the women had their reasons for wanting to run but there was one who struck a chord with me. Her reason wasn’t to lose weight or get in shape, it was to find discipline.

She had talked about how many of the people she admired for their discipline also happened to be runners. She has a point and if you are a runner you know this. Just think about all the work we have to put in to train for a race. All that time we spend plotting out a training plan, taking the time out of our schedules to log those miles, and then completing the race.

Heart, Commitment, Gut, Strength, Discipline, and Pride. I need one that says Joy. I'll be wearing these until the Brooklyn Half as a reminder of what it will take to run well. (c) Stacey Cooper

Heart, Commitment, Gut, Strength, Discipline, and Pride. I need one that says Joy. I’ll be wearing these until the Brooklyn Half as a reminder of what it will take to run well. (c) Stacey Cooper

But as we all know maintaining the discipline every day can be hard and our discipline can leave a lot to be desired. That is exactly what has been happening with me these past couple of weeks. I have been slacking and letting the flimsiest of excuses get the best of me. I am not proud of this.

Thankfully, this past week has been a step down week in my training plan for the Brooklyn Half Marathon so this downturn won’t hurt my training too much. But now we are getting into the meat of my training. The weekly mileage will start building up and there won’t be a single digit long run in my future.

It is time to recommit myself to this training plan and in order to do it I’ll need to dig deep and get out of this rut. But there is one other thing I’ll need to remember to get through this rough patch.

That same woman who spoke about becoming more disciplined also displayed pure joy when she finished our run. We ran two loops of the Central Park lower 1.7 mile loop giving us a total mileage of about 3.46 miles — the farthest this woman ever ran. She was elated and high-fived us and kept thanking us for running with her.

As I’m training for my 15th marathon and start thinking about training for my third marathon it’s easy to forget that joy of completing a new distance for the first time. Her joy reminded me about how excited I was when I completed my first 3.5 mile race without walking and that for the first time I felt like a runner.

Brooklyn is just about a month away and these reminders couldn’t have happened at a better time. I’m going to take them to heart and try to never forget them again.

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The RunChat Hunt

Posted on March 31, 2013 by scoopsontherun

On Friday I learned about the #RunChat Scavenger Hunt that they were holding and this seemed like a fun thing to do to help me make this week’s long run a little more fun.

Welcome back to NY. (c) Stacey Cooper

Welcome back to NY. (c) Stacey Cooper

When I get into the nine and above mileage distance I usually head into New York City and run along the Hudson but while scanning the list of things I needed to look for I knew I could do this where I live here in Westchester.

The rules were pretty simple; take a picture of the item on the list and post it to twitter. Each post is one entry for a bunch of cool prizes. The bonus round involves a blog post. So here it is that blog post.

Ugh, not a fun hill to run up. (c) Stacey Cooper

Ugh, not a fun hill to run up. (c) Stacey Cooper

I’m glad I did this because last night a bunch of fun women to see Patricia Racette’s cabaret performance at 54 Below. It was a incredibly great evening, including the three glasses of wine. That alone usually makes for a difficult long run but I think I hydrated enough because I didn’t feel too many ill effects from it. Yeah, wine! You should also get a copy of Diva on Detour. You will not regret it!

The water tower at Water Baptist Cemetery. (c) Stacey Cooper

The water tower at Water Baptist Cemetery. (c) Stacey Cooper

This RunChatHunt also gave me the opportunity to look around more and really take notice of things on my usual route and even change it up a bit.

One such detour took me to Comly Avenue in search of water, in particular the Byram River. There is a lovely downhill and it goes by Ward’s Castle, the former home of the Museum of

Ward's Castle (c) Stacey Cooper

Ward’s Castle (c) Stacey Cooper

Cartoon Art where I spent many days during my summers watching cartoons in their viewing room. At the bottom of the hills I hit Byram River and remembered that we have a waterfall there. The unfortunate part about this is that I had to go back uphill to finish my photo gathering.

I of course went by Water Baptist Cemetery dating back to 1800’s with graves for the Merritt (think Merritt Parkway) and the Lyon family (think Lyon Park in Port Chester). Near the end of my run I went by the Bush Homestead,

It's a bridge, a river, and a waterfall! (c) Stacey Cooper

It’s a bridge, a river, and a waterfall! (c) Stacey Cooper

a pre-revolutionary home, located right down the block from my home.

I’m so happy I did this RunChatHunt today if only because it made the run more fun and distracted me from staying in a target pace range or from thinking about what all that wine from last night did to me. It served as the reminder that we need these types of runs to keep from getting bored and in a rut. This may have cured my last bit motivational blahs I’ve had the past month.

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