Slow Down

Posted on June 15, 2012 by scoopsontherun

Last year, while training for the marathon and struggling through my first two long runs, I wasn’t convinced I was going to have a good marathon and even considered deferring or not running any more marathons altogether. Something told me to give it another try. Half way through that run I was beginning to struggle. I was frustrated and feeling defeated. This is not how you want to kick off your marathon training!

While standing at a water fountain I saw two people who were running by and they looked so relaxed and so not struggling. I wanted them to die or at least have some rare and severe running injury that would prevent them form ever looking that good while running again. Really, I am a kind and generous person but they needed to be punished.

When I started up again and caught up with them I realized something rather significant — they were running at the pace I was supposed to be doing my long run at. In case you are not aware or just ignore the running rules of marathon training you should be running your long runs at about one to two minutes slower than marathon pace. When you typically reside in the back of the pack that time between your marathon pace and a two minute slower gets a little blurry. Can we really run any slower than we already do?

But back to that lovely, relaxed running couple that I wanted to get boils all over their bodies or something like that. I started running at their pace, which was supposed to be my pace, and I felt good. I was no longer struggling and I relaxed a bit and maybe stopped wishing ill will on super relaxed we enjoy running long together couple. I got through that long run.

Next week I forced myself to slow down and stick to that pace. I got through 14 miles without struggling. It was still a challenge, which it sort of should be, but I was happy. I did it again the next week and then I got excited about the marathon. I was going to do it and I was going to improve over my previous year’s time and I did.

One of the things I’m trying to do with down time before my marathon training begins is to get that feel for my long run pace. Most of my runs have been shorter distances and targeted for a specific work out. I figure this is the time to get used to running a little slower so that I don’t start of discouraged about my training. Let’s save that for the end of August when it’s really disgustingly hot and humid and it’s miserable out no matter how early you get up to run. That’s what August is for.

But  when things clicked for me last year, and thankfully it was still early in my training, I was happy and satisfied with my training. I was able to objectively see the improvements I made from the year before. That really helped with my confidence in going into the longer runs and the marathon itself.

I want to carry that over into this year. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am feeling pretty good about where my running is right now and that is an awesome way to start my training. I wasn’t any where near this level last year and I can’t wait to get started!

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NYRR Mini 10k Recap

Posted on June 14, 2012 by scoopsontherun

Ugh, this recap is horribly late.

The NYRR Mini 10k happens to be one of my favorite races. It is a race that has great history in regards to the women’s movement and running. This was the first road race exclusively for female runners and took place a few weeks before Title IX was passed. You can get the complete history of this race at the NYRR site.

The first mile of the race takes place on Central Park West which means we get to avoid some of those rolling hills on the west side of Central Park but we enter just in time to make sure we don;t miss the Harlem hills.

And of course, my most favorite part is that it is all women, all the time. The only race that is better for this is the More Fitness Magazine race in September when more of the women are running in sports bras and itty bitty shorts.

Anyway…I like this race and this year I may have been better prepared for it than the past two years. This was not a goal race but it was my ninth race for guaranteed entry into the 2013 NYC Marathon and well I always want to run well.

The past couple of years I have been beginning my Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon training and I had used the Mini has my first long run. Since I’m not running Napa to Sonoma this year I have been using this has a rest/easy runs only period before I begin my NYC Marathon training. So far this has been working very well. My legs feel good and I feel pretty strong going into the training that officially starts on July 3.

I also felt pretty good going into this race without any real plan. I felt pretty good at the start and tried to not to go out too fast on Central Park West which has done me in every year. I thought I did a pretty good job of that for the most part and wasn’t done in before I hit the hills and that is where I believe I hit my stride. I continued to run fairly well and started picking people off, more importantly people I wanted to pick off. I even had one negative split!

I finished stronger than I have in most races this year, with the exception of the Wall Street Run but that is a tiny three mile race so it does’t count that much. I was even happy  while running the race. How did that happen?

Overall, I ended up finishing a minute off my 10k PR. Since this wasn’t a goal race I am very happy with that. I like how I ran this and how I am feeling. I have this weekend off from racing and then have the Front Runners Pride Run. Again, it’s not a goal race but it is my last race before I start marathon training so I definitely want to keep feeling strong going into that training.

I’m already planning some new running routes that will take me to some different areas to help make sure that my marathon training stays fresh and exciting. I think when you can do that it will help with some of the other training stuff like actually having to run those miles in crazy hot and humid weather.

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I Run…

Posted on June 6, 2012 by scoopsontherun

Because I love how it makes me feel.

Today is National Running Day, something that was not lost on all my running buddies. Chances are we would have been out running anyway but it was really nice to see a lot of Facebook status updates and Tweets mentioning National Running Day.

So, why do you run? If you are like any of my running pals you would have said things like, “It makes me happy” or “Because I can” or “It makes me feel alive.”

We all know that running is cheapest drug out there and way much better than therapy. I’ve certainly written about this before and so have many others. It doesn’t matter how fast or slow you run, it makes you feel better. We’ll just ignore the days that it hurts.

Even on days when it feels as though I’m running through a pool of molasses I always feel better for having ran. There’s nothing like the feeling of a good hard workout and the sweat and heavy breathing that follows.

Yes, we are a little crazy for running in extreme weather. We are not wimps. If you haven’t run outside when it is 15 degrees and snowing you are the wimp. The same goes for logging 18 mile long runs in August.

While growing up playing soccer, basketball, volleyball, and tennis our punishment whenever we did something wrong was running. I hated it. Now I laugh whenever I see that t-shirt that says, “My sport is your sport’s punishment.”

Runners are hard core and we have our own day to prove it.

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27 Seconds

Posted on June 2, 2012 by scoopsontherun

The American Heart Association Wall Street Run is my anniversary race. It was the very first race I participated in as a runner. It’s always crowded, the streets are narrow, and it can be hit or miss with Wall Street commuters trying to cross the street to get home.

Those are reasons to love it and to hate it. Sometimes I run this race pretty well and others not so well. I never really set a goal for this race because of all the above. This year, it seemed more crowded at the start and surprisingly at the finish. There were several times in the first mile and a half when it came to almost a stand still.

Overall I was happy with race. I wasn’t convinced that I was going to have a great race during the first mile. As much as I try not to waste too much energy weaving around people at the start of a race it almost a necessity for this one. During the second mile things opened up a bit as the streets got a bit wider and I was able to settle into a consistent pace. It was this point that I looked at my Garmin and noticed that I would be close to a PR if I kept at my current pace.

I always hate thinking that in the middle of a race. I usually end up miscalculating how many miles I left or do the math wrong. I’m dyslexic so give me a break. Since this was only a three mile race I couldn’t screw things up too much right? Well I did forget about one portion of the course that we had to run but I did manage to get the math right for the last mile — whew. It was going to be close and I knew I would probably have to get a decent sprint to the finish to get it.

Well, I wasn’t able to get that sprint going due to the crowded finish. It ended up being a spurt with two yards left. But, you would have been impressed with how I found the little whole to accomplish that. When I crossed the finish line I wasn’t even sure if I got that PR. Later when I checked my phone (thank you Dropbox) I saw that according to my Garmin I had a 23 second PR. Too close to call.

NYRR finally posted the results this morning and I ended up with a 27 second PR. I’m happy with that. Could I have pushed myself a little harder in places? Perhaps, but given the type of race this was, I’ll take it. I’m hoping this can continue to for the Mini 10k on June 9. That’s another favorite race of mine and I’ve some nice PRs there. I’d like to have another!

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82GO

Posted on May 28, 2012 by scoopsontherun

The 82GO portable water. This was more annoying than anything. (c) Stacey Cooper

When I was in Miami at the end of January for the half marathon we were given these little pouches of water and a lesson in how to use them as they were going to be used along the course. After posting this on Facebook at the time my Audra put it best as a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.

The idea behind these water pouches is that they’re supposed to be an easy way to carry hydration while on the run and they’re recyclable. I never got a chance to use it during the race because they ran out so I was stuck using the old water in a paper cup. I did, however, get to experience how they were more dangerous to me than the paper cups. The paper cups pretty much start to degrade as soon as they hit the ground unlike the plastic pouches which I almost slipped on twice during the race. This defeats the 82GO theory about them being more recyclable.

I brought one of these babies back from Miami and took it out on the road this morning for my four mile run. They are easy to carry in your hand but you do have to open them a certain way or the water just pours all over you. Also, you have to drink the whole thing at once because there isn’t a way to reseal the bag after it’s opened. Not a good thing when you only need a few sips of water.

Yes, it was easy to put the empty bag in my pocket when I was done and then just put it in my recycling bin when I got home but I don’t see the practicality of using these for long runs. For those I’ll just stick with my Fuel Belt or Amphipod bottle.

Instead of being a solution these only created more problems for me. For more information about how these things work you can visit their websiteand watch the instructional video.

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Sweat

Posted on May 27, 2012 by scoopsontherun

I grew up in the desert and have a creation fondness for warm (or hot) weather. Growing up I remember playing in soccer tournaments in the middle of summer in the afternoon when the temps were in the low 100s. It was only when the temperature hit 110 that our parents thought about getting spray bottles to mist us occasionally. And yes, it was dry heat.

Now doing all that in humidity is a different story but I’ll take it any day over cold weather. My entire outlook on live is so much better during the summer. Maybe I have a mild case of seasonal depression that brings down during the winter months and early spring when it just never seems to stop with that annoying cold rain.

I also run better in warm weather. Gone are the layers of warmer running clothes. No long pants, multiple layers of shirts, beanies, and gloves. Just a shirt, pair of shorts, socks, and light weight hat. Pure heaven!

I love thinking about which of my most light weight shirts will be perfect for my summer long runs and stocking up on the Stop & Shop 10 for 10 deals on Gatorade. Even better, is going for that morning run and coming home completely drenched in sweat. You just feel as though you have really accomplished something. In fact one of the things I enjoy about this is checking how much I really did sweat when I take off my running shirt. Yes, it is a little odd but it my way of making sure I really did get a good run in. The more sweat on the shirt the better.

This of course means that my laundry mostly consists of running clothes and I am perfectly fine with that.

 

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This Morning Thing

Posted on May 24, 2012 by scoopsontherun

Now that the Brooklyn Half Marathon is done with I have about a month and half off before my marathon training begins. I’ve got a few races in between but they’re not goal races so I’m looking forward  to just running for fun if you will.

One of the biggest challenges I had while training for the half was getting up at 5:00 am for my weekday runs. This new schedule, because of my mother’s hospitalization, made the training harder than it should have been. 5:00 am won the battle to get up more often than not. But slowly, I am beginning to adjust to this new early morning running thing. Of course it helps that it’s now light out and warmer.

But what the hell is up those damn birds!?! Do they really have to chirping all happily before 5:00 am? Do they not need to sleep? And don’t give me that early bird gets the worm crap. There is no need to be up before 5:00 am and I’m looking at birdies.

Birds aside, I’m very impressed with the amount of other runners I see in my neighborhood at that time. Even though there are two of them I really want to punch in the face because they just flat out annoy me, especially that woman who runs with Flashdance styled cut-off shirt and flails her arms out like she has broken wings (see the connection to the birds there? Like how I did that?) Any way she pisses me off.

Then there is the guy who pisses me off because he runs recklessly in the street even when it was dark out. I also don’t like how he dresses so he gets put into my annoying people bucket.

Neither one of these people can say hello as they pass by, although Ms. Flashdance will look at me as she swings one of her broken wings around. She deserves another punch for that.

Aside from these two people I really do like my fellow early morning insane runners I encounter. My goal is to see them more often which means that 5:00 am and I will have some future battles to endure.

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Brooklyn Half Marathon Recap

Posted on May 20, 2012 by scoopsontherun

Getting up at 4:00 am is not a fun time to get up in the morning, even if you are excited about the race you’re running later that morning. I would like to thank NYRR for that 7:00 am start for the Brooklyn Half Marathon.

On the way there my driver was telling me about the old New Rochelle Marathon and how his family’s lumber company would drive the lead truck for the press. One year Fred Lebow was in the back and kept banging on the roof of the truck yelling things like “slow down” and “go faster.” At one point my driver’s brother who was behind the wheel that day stopped the truck and yelled at Fred that he wasn’t going to move the truck if Fred kept banging on it.  Oddly enough that got me in the mood for the race and I could’t wait to get there.

I always find it a little exciting, whether I’m taking the train or a car to a race, and see all my fellow runners making their way to the start. There’s a kind of peacefulness as we all walk towards baggage check and then start doing our pre-race routines. We are indeed an odd bunch.

I liked this start area much better than when I ran this race with the start in Prospect Park. In 2009, I felt the park was too small for the race. Not enough porta potties, long lines and starting corrals that just wound around and never seemed to end. This new start by the Brooklyn Museum had plenty of port potties, efficient baggage collection and better organized starting corrals.

We got a medal! That was a nice surprise at the end. Not that I run for the medals, but it was a nice touch. (c) Stacey Cooper

I also enjoyed the new course that only had one loop in Prospect Park. Yes, the portion of the race prior to entering the park was a bit twisty with several turns but it was really nice to be on the roads and I think gave people a better chance to cheer the runners on. I remember in 2009 feeling defeated in Prospect Park and not really knowing how much longer I had to run before we hit Ocean Parkway. I never felt that way this year.

My legs felt great the whole way, no IT Band issues (thank you warm weather) and no tendon issues on the top of my foot. I ran well and never felt worn out. Of course this means I probably could have pushed myself harder and that maybe I played this a little safe. I still find it a little amazing that 13.1 miles doesn’t seem like a daunting distance any more.

This ended up being my second best half marathon and I was four minutes off of my PR from Philadelphia in 2009. This was the race I was hoping to have in Miami but I’m glad I got to have this yesterday as well. The weather was great, the course was fun, and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said he wants to look like NYRR CEO Mary Wittenberg.

I’ve got a few more races coming up but nothing that I have to set out a real training plan for. So it will be nice to have the next couple of months off from training. I’ll sit down and plot my NYC Marathon training which will start in mid-July.

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Brooklyn, Brooklyn Take Me In

Posted on May 18, 2012 by scoopsontherun

A nice tech tee for the half. Be nice to me Brooklyn. (c) Stacey Cooper

I just got back from picking up my bib for tomorrow’s Brooklyn Half Marathon. It’s sort of hard to believe it’s here already but here we go. Tomorrow I will be getting up at the ass crack of dawn (before really) to make my way to Brooklyn to make my way from the museum all the way down to Coney Island with a possible dip in the ocean at the end.

I had a nice easy three mile run this morning and everything feels good so I’m optimistic about how I’ll do tomorrow. With the warmer weather my IT band pain in my right leg has gone away and thankfully the pain I usually get in the tendon on the top of my left hasn’t been bothering me.

If you read the blog somewhat regularly you may know that the Brooklyn Half in 2009 was my first half marathon. I had no idea what I was getting myself into at the time. I didn’t have a real training plan, just that I vaguely knew I needed to increase my weekly mileage a bit at a time. Now I feel like an old pro and that I’m going back to where it all began for my long distance running.

I can’t wait to hear Marty Markowitz to tell me how great Brooklyn is over and over again for 20 minutes and then make my way through Brooklyn with 15,000 of my closest running buddies.

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Healthy Kidney 10k

Posted on May 12, 2012 by scoopsontherun
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Hello Mr. Kidney, you may not be a giant colon I can walk through but you are a very good mascot.

Today was my last race/long run before the Brooklyn Half Marathon. I didn’t have a specific goal mind given that I’m supposed to be cutting down on the miles a bit this week. I mainly just wanted to keep my momentum going.

With over 8,000 people registered for the race it was very crowded at the start and there was a lot of bumping going on. At some time during the first quarter mile someone hit my arm and inadvertently hit the stop button on my Garmin. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this until about a mile and a half into the race. I’ve I had a specific time goal in mind I would have been pissed but just took this in stride and who knows maybe that helped me run a bit more free.

Both of the Harlem Hills felt almost effortless and I was really impressed with myself for how I kept my pace steady while running up the hills. I passed a few people I had my eye on and left them in my dust for the finish, always an excellent way to finish a race.

At the end I got to see Meb Keflezighi and Ryan Hall. They both ran the race as a tune up for the London Games.

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I ended up wi my best 10k time since 2010 so I am very happy that and can turn my full attention to Brooklyn now. I didn’t really go into the training with a specific time goal for this one either so I’m hoping my string of good running continues.

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