Dear ING NYC Marathon

Posted on November 1, 2011 by scoopsontherun

This is me crossing the finish line at the 2010 NYC Marathon. I am so happy that you can't see that I was crying when I crossed the finish line.

Hi NYC Marathon!

I’m back! Remember when I wrote you last year and asked you to take care of me? I am happy to say that you did indeed do everything I asked of you. So, for this year can you please do it again?

To be honest, there was a time when I didn’t think you and I would see each other again this year. I had a hard time getting excited to run, let along running for you. My thoughts shifted from deferring you for another year and just running you to get it over with and be done with marathons for a long time, if not forever. But something happened along the way, you gave me what I needed, exactly when I needed it. How do you do that?

During one of my long runs, it may have been 13 or 14 miles, I’m not sure but I wasn’t even at the half way point yet and struggling. While questioning my commitment to you, you showed me two runners going along at the pace I was supposed to be running. That was my turning point.

After that I had two more really good long runs and I got excited about you, there was no more talk of deferring. Thank you.

Once again, you showed me hidden treasures of this city that I had long forgotten about. You reminded about why I love this city. Thank you.

You let me figure out solutions to problems, come up with new ideas, listen to a song on repeat over and over again, and let me think and remember people I had lost who motivate me at my toughest moments. Thank you.

I learned some new things about those water fountains along the Hudson River. Who knew there was a delay so that the water doesn’t freeze. Still not sure about the water fountains near W. 13th and their over eagerness to spew water. I’m not complaining, that felt really great on hot August days.

I found my running mojo again and ran these long runs better than last year and now I look forward to running my marathon better than last year.

Pink Tutu Ladies

You can barely see these women, but they are wearing tutus and other pink things all over their bodies. I beat them and I hope to beat more pink tutu wearing ladies again this year.

Last year, I told you that I would finish you even if I was crying, crawling, or being dragged. I cried, the crawling happened later that night when I got into my bed. This year, I am going to finish you again and maybe I’ll cry or maybe I won’t. But I will cross your finish line again, hopefully in less time that it took me last year.

But can I ask you one favor? Please keep the people dressed as Yankee/Mets players, Rocky and Bullwinkle (and their third friend that I know was there, because I was NOT hallucinating), and any ladies wearing pink tutus away from me.

Love,

Stacey

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Snow!

Posted on October 31, 2011 by scoopsontherun
Snow Day!

The scene in my backyard on Saturday. I got another two inches of snow after this picture was taken.

This post was originally supposed to be my Poland Spring Marathon Tuneup race re-cap but mother nature had some other ideas like dumping a shit load of snow — on October!

My marathon training plan called for an eight mile long run but if we were doing the Poland Spring 5 mile race that was to be our mileage.

When stories of Metro North Railroad started to report problems on the rails I had a feeling I would not being making it into the city even if the race did not get canceled. So I headed out and ran my eight miles in wind, rain, and snow. That makes me sound like a hardcore crazy runner.

I’m happy I did that because it allowed me to play happy homemaker for the rest of Saturday and play Occupy My Sofa on Sunday. Before I left for the run I put all the ingredients in the crock pot for my turkey chili and then made a dinner of artichoke and leek soup. On Sunday I made the cornbread for the chili and eventually got out of my PJs and changed into sweats.

I think I needed to have that kind of lazy day going into marathon week. I’m trying not to make this week crazy so that I can just ease into the marathon fully rested and ready to go. I got my “throw away” sweats last week, already had enough Gu, and have my pumpkin ravioli for my pasta meal the night before. I took today off from work and plan on keeping things stress free all week.

I’m good to go for this little race on Sunday.

Random lesbian name to generate page views – Sarah Paulson.

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The Backpack

Posted on October 23, 2011 by scoopsontherun

After my nice race in Sleepy Hollow yesterday, it occurred to me that I needed to clean out my backpack. This was prompted by me pulling out a sticky, soggy thing that resembled a Halls cough drop. Ew.

I’m sure most of what I found in that bag is stuff that most runners would have but some just made me wonder, “huh?”

This is the list of items that I’m sure most runners would have in their bags.

  • Safety pins – I think I could supply a small local race with the amount that I had stuck in various pouches.
  • D-tag remnants – These items varied in the paper tab to cover the adhesive bit, the extra length of orange strip that has the D-tag instructions on, and the D-tag itself.
  • One empty Gu packet – I don’t like to litter so that Gu must have been from along run and it must have fallen out form something else. This also explains all the D-tag trash.
  • Band-aids – You never know when you’ll need one.
  • One almost used stick of Body Glide – For emergencies.
  • One Master Combination Lock – For trips to NYRR where I sometimes stash my bag.

Now for the non-running related items.

  • Chicklets Gum – I never chew gum so I have no idea how I got these or how they ended up in my bag.
  • One cube-shaped eraser – I would like to think this ended up in my bag because I was feeling creative and wanted to do some writing.
  • Napkins – You never know when you’re going to need a napkin. But really this is just about me taking extra napkins and not wanting to throw them out because I didn’t use them.
  • One rubber band from a bunch of leeks – Huh? I’m going to blame the cat for that.

The bag is now in the washing machine and I hope it survives getting cleaned. I would like to say that I promise to keep it neat and tidy but I know better.

Non-related mention of lesbian superstar to generate more page views – Martina Navratilova.

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Sleepy Hollow 10k

Posted on October 22, 2011 by scoopsontherun
Headless Horseman

You cannot have a race in Sleepy Hollow and not have the Headless Horseman make an appearance. (c) Stacey Cooper

Today I made my way to the not so sleepy town of Sleepy Hollow, NY for the Sleepy Hollow 10k put on by the Rivertown Runners.

We had a lovely start time of 9:30 am and perfect weather. The course has promised was challenging but a lot of fun. If anyone was worried about me not getting enough hill work in prior to the marathon, worry no more.

I think there were somewhere between 600-800 runners which made this the perfect race for the course and all of the volunteers were really nice. After hearing about the debacles that the Rock-n-Roll 10k in Prospect Park had I am so glad that I stayed local and supported a great local running club.

If you have never gone running in this part of Westchester County, NY I highly recommend that you make your way up here and go for a run. It’s a short ride on Metro-North and with the fall foliage nearing it’s peak you’ll have some great views.

But back to the race itself. Since this was part of my overall 12 mile long run today, I wasn’t going to push myself too much. Plus I forgot my Garmin which made figuring out the correct distance a little tricky with my MapMyRun App. Thankfully, I have a pretty good sense of what my normal pace is so I was able to get through the course without too much of a problem and no feeling exhausted at the end.

This is Sleepy Hollow, so expect hills — lots of them. But with an uphill there is a downhill. Yay! We also got to see some skeletons along the course and a not so funny graveyard for us slower runners.

Slow Runner Graveyard

Duuuuude (c) Stacey Cooper

Did I mention the scenic course? Well, there is the awesome section where you are running near the Hudson River and what a lovely treat that is!

Hudson River

After going up one of the many hills you get to run downhill towards this. (c) Stacey Cooper

This really was an amazing race, that gave me a great workout and an enjoyable time. This will definitely be on my calendar for next year!

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Taper Time!

Posted on October 20, 2011 by scoopsontherun

So yeah, I did that 20 mile long run on Sunday and when I finished that it signaled the official start of my taper. This will be my second marathon taper so I’m kinda like whatever.

I remember last year being really antsy and having mysterious leg pains. I’m still not sure if the leg pains were real or psychosomatic. This year is till too early to tell since I’m just in the first week and the drop in mileage hasn’t been dramatic. Next week may be a different story.

I started my taper this year with a Snickers bar because I couldn’t find a cupcake. Then I went home showered and ate a burrito. Then I napped.

Chely Wright signed my bib last year.

Also, during last year’s taper I went and did a whole bunch of cultural things that involved Cherry Jones, Rosanne Cash, and Chely Wright (not all together). So far this year I have Audra McDonald on tap at Carnegie Hall on Saturday night. There may a trip to the opera and other events that don’t tire me out.

I also plan to eat a lot of chicken pot pies and macaroni and cheese. I have determined that these will make me run well. Plus it’s great weather for these enjoyable comfort foods.

What do you do during your taper?

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Things That Make Me happy

Posted on October 19, 2011 by scoopsontherun

The NYRR NYC Marathon website has this nice little countdown clock letting all of us know not only how many days there are until the marathon but how many hours, minutes, and seconds.

See, I'm counting down.

In 17 days I’ll be running in the NYC Marathon.

See, it's raining -- a lot.

It is raining today, that does not make me happy. What did make me happy was celebrating National Chocolate Cupcake Day yesterday. Now I have to run five miles in the rain today because I celebrated a little too hard with the cupcakes. But it was so worth it. The only thing about running in the rain that can make me happy is knowing that only crazy runners will be out on the streets this evening.

Free food also makes me happy. Someone ordered way too much breakfast for their meeting in the office today and I scored some nice eggs, bacon, sausage, and potatoes for breakfast. I’m hoping they over ordered for lunch, if not at least for dessert.

What is making you happy today?

 

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20/20

Posted on October 17, 2011 by scoopsontherun

Yesterday I ran 20 miles 20 minutes faster than I did last year. I’m pretty excited about that, although it was hard to show it after I completed it yesterday. Overall, the run went well in regards with sticking to my planned pace and nutrition. While the last two miles hurt, although I think some of this had to do with the sidewalks around the park and the starting and stopping due to tourists, I was able to finish strong up that final hill to the finish.

One of the banners that will line the entire NYC Marathon course.

It’s hard not to get excited about the marathon when you have a good run like that. When you throw in the strangers along the way who wish you luck and the marathon banners lining the course it’s hard not to have good feelings as you start your taper.

Speaking of good feelings about the marathon, I’ve signed up to do my +1 volunteer gig with New York Road Runners as a just in case I decide to do this marathon thing again. For those not familiar with NYRR, they have a guaranteed entry program for members that in short is if you run in nine qualifying races and volunteer at another race you can get guaranteed entry into the next year’s marathon.

I have a feeling I’ll be going back and forth on whether or not do another marathon right up until the registration deadline. But for now, I need to keep the focus on this year’s marathon to make sure it is as good as I want to be.

I have a 12 mile long run scheduled for this weekend and I’m planning to do part of it as a 10k race in Sleepy Hollow, NY. I’m looking forward to what should be a smallish race with some great scenery. Sleepy Hollow does Halloween well.

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Contagion

Posted on October 13, 2011 by scoopsontherun

This is kind of how I feel all the time but now I'm a little more weird about germs. But I would make an exception for Kate Winslet. I would like to touch her -- a lot.

There are 23 days until the NYC Marathon and it is about that time when I start getting a little paranoid about germs. I rarely get colds but when I do it takes me a long time to recover and that would not be good for my marathon.

Around this time last year I actually told someone in Duane Reade that if there was even the slightest hint that they had a contagion they should leave my air space immediately. The person actually walked away, most likely because they thought I was crazy.

I’m making sure I take my daily multi-vitamin, eating well, and that I’m getting enough sleep. I am now carrying around my hand sanitizer and don’t touch things that are contagion carriers.

This reminds me of a story from my college years. (Don’t worry it fits in and will be wrapped up all neat and tidy). I was with a small group of friends on the subway one afternoon and we noticed a homeless guy sleeping on the train. In the seat next to him was a puddle of water from the open window on the subway car. When the guy woke up his leg was asleep and he started yelling to people, “Don’t go near that, it’s paralysis water!” Funny at the time but I’m not taking any chances. Really, I’m not that paranoid — yet. (See how I tied that into the overall blog post?)

That comment sums up all the biohazards out there and my state of mind.

But seriously people, if you have cooties stay home and far away from any marathoners. We have been working way too hard to have you ruin our big day. There is also a chance I may turn into a contagion carrying zombie and you wouldn’t want that to happen.

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The Half (Bloody) Mary-thons

Posted on October 11, 2011 by scoopsontherun

I have this sheet of paper on my desk that has a list of half marathons that I would like to do in 2012 — if I decide not to train for another full marathon.

What?

I know. Earlier in the summer I wrote that this would be my last marathon for a while. I guess that’s why one shouldn’t write things like that in August, when marathon training is just horrendous. If you read this blog regularly you know that I have been having some really great training runs even when they’re not so great. So, as of today I’m thinking I might train for another marathon.

Half Mary List

This is my half mary list. Yes, it's on a piece of paper shaped like a foot.

But…I’ve still got this list.

On the list are Miami, NYC, Hartford, Napa, Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto, and San Francisco. Right now Miami is the only definite on the list. I’m registered and am starting to look at hotels. Most of the others are all question marks even though only three cities have actual question marks on the list.

I want to do the NYC Half Marathon on March again but chances are I’ll have to do that as a charity runner again since I didn’t participate in the NYRR guaranteed entry races and most likely won’t get in through the lottery since I am a NYRR member and live in New York. If I’m going to be a charity runner it has to be for a cause I really, really believe in. So, if The Trevor Project is putting together a team again, I’m in. Last year’s NYC Half was my worst running-wise but the most fulfilling because Team Trevor raised over 15k to keep help lines and other services open for lgbt teens.

My dear sweet Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon is a big question mark. I love this race a lot but I sort of don’t want to wear out my welcome but it has a pull because of the location, great people, and I think I could get a nice PR there if I trained better or didn’t get sick while training. Oh and the wine, can’t forget the wine!

If I don’t do Napa that means San Francisco gets bumped up. It’s a couple of weeks after Napa and I haven’t been to San Francisco itself in quite a few years. Plus I want to run over the Golden Gate Bridge. Oh and this will force me to some time off from work and visit some of my buddies there.

There’s Hartford, CT. The location is close to home and in the fall. Good PR weather and nice scenery. This is big question mark because it is close to the NYC Marathon. If I decided to do the full marathon, no Hartford half.

I’ve got Chicago on the list because it’s generally a nice city and running along Lake Shore Drive is nice. But it’s in early September, a busy time at work.

Then there’s Philly. Ah, how I love this race if only because that is where I got my current half marathon PR. That was on of the smartest races I have ever run. It’s a nice flat course, except for that one giant hill smack dab in the middle of the course. Again, location to NYC is cool. It is two weeks after the NYC Marathon, so that’s not good if I run that. It’s also the weekend I get back from a big annual business trip. Next year I’ll be flying back from Houston only to go home for a day and then go to Philly. That’s not fun for me or my furry critters.

Then I put Toronto on the list. I’m not sure why. It’s not as pretty as Montreal or Vancouver but I think it’s on the list because it would be a destination race that’s not too far away but in another country. Oh, Canada, you are good for that. I can also scope potential homes if the 2012 election doesn’t go well.

I’ve got some decisions to make after this marathon.

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Bury Me on the Battery

Posted on October 10, 2011 by scoopsontherun

After two weekends of long runs in Central Park I rewarded my legs with a long run on a semi-flat course along the Hudson River.

Many, many years ago when I first started making regular visits to Christopher Street hanging out along the piers of the Hudson River was not one of the wisest things to do. Thankfully the City decided to rebuild this area and turn them into nice green spaces with some awesome running and cycling paths. These areas just happen to be my favorite routes to do any long run over 10 miles. Some days I’ll head uptown going towards the George Washington Bridge and others I’ll head downtown towards Battery Park. This year I’ve headed mostly downtown for reasons I think I’ve finally figured out.

During the past year I sort of lost my running mojo. I was running races but I was barely putting the work in to race them. I just simply wasn’t finding the peace that running gave me. Right before the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon I decided to that things had to change and this refocusing of efforts took place in a hotel room in Napa. But as I kept training I kept doubting whether or not this year’s NYC Marathon was a good idea.

But then I did a long run along the Hudson and everything clicked and fell into place. I haven’t had a bad run since even when I did have a bad run. OK, that requires some explanation. This weekend, this OCTOBER weekend, had temperatures in the 70s and 80s. My legs were a little tight from my nine mile run on Wednesday, I forgot to put on sun block and Body Glide, and got off to a later start. It was a painful run and rarely did I feel comfortable. I couldn’t finish this 16 miles soon enough. When I checked my Garmin and compared it to my other long runs my pace was right on target. So while this run hurt and things were out of sync and by all accounts a bad run, it was still pretty good.

Here I am with Pearl on a company boat cruise around lower Manhattan. The woman standing behind us also died this past summer -- it's not right.

One of my theories for this is my friend Pearl, who died unexpectedly two summers ago. I still miss her terribly and think about her often. Pearl lived in Battery Park City and whenever I head downtown on a run I always think about her. I see her smile, hear her laugh, and feel her warmth.

Interestingly, it has been when I approach Battery Park City, in particular South Cove Park, that I have been having some pretty great runner’s highs. I know Pearl is still helping me.

South Cove Park is one of the hidden gems of this city. It is one of the most peaceful and beautiful parks in the city. It has also become the place where I say my little prayer to Pearl on these runs. It doesn’t make sad but makes me happy and when I exit the park and look out the water I smile and know that Pearl is helping me along.

I’m hoping she’ll keep giving me the little extra push for that really big 26.2 long run in November.

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