Yep, I had to start yet one more post about my gripe with the wind (I don’t beat dead horses and I don’t beat living horses because I’m humane).

OK so a little recap about how today went.

IT WAS WINDY!

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And now I’ll delve a little deeper…

At 4:30am the alarm went off. I got up but this guy didn’t budge.

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I got dressed, took a selfie in my messy kitchen and was on the road by 5:30am.

when your number is 20725 you know it's gonna be a big race (over 20,000 runners big!)

when your number is 20725 you know it’s gonna be a big race (over 20,000 runners big!)

I parked the car midway between the start and the finish of the NYC Half and was up and running by 6:25am. Caught this shot of the Empire State Building decked out in Green for St. Patricks Day.

Empire State Building as seen from 22nd and 7th

Empire State Building as seen from 22nd and 7th

The plan was to run 2.5 miles before meeting my friends near the start. Well, the Garmin lost satelite because of some scaffolding so I wasn’t sure until I got home how far I actually went. I mapped it out on Runkeeper and it turns out I covered exactly 2.5! I’m guessing my pace was around 10:30-11 minute miles).

JD, Lisa, Gary and Roger

Joined my peeps (although we missed Cindy!) at 58th and 6th…JD, Lisa, Gary and Roger

Once the group met up we entered Central Park and headed to our corals. It was actually a full 1/2 mile (10 city blocks) to get to the corals! It was really crowded and we had to go through some metal detectors which I have to say was not my favorite part of the day. But it’s just part of the new normal.

Roger had his customary Sausage McMuffin and a Mountain Dew for his pre-race fuel! Gotta love it!

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One last photo op before we all parted ways.

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My goal for the race was to stay as close to 10:40 min miles as possible. Somehow I managed to finish in 2:15:25 which meant I ran 10:20 miles. Sweet!

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But it was rough. I was cold the entire time, Central Park hills never get any easier and the wind was insane! (I think I might have touched on that already) I almost lost my hat on 3 occasions.

The race gave me a good feel though for how I want to attack my marathon next month. I walked through water stops (I think I hit 5 or 6 stops) and still maintained that 10:20 pace. My entire left side is a mess. I’m sure it’s all connected so i really nead to focus on my form and stretching and foam rolling. I felt tighness in my left glute, hamstring, and ankle. Oh, and my neck started to spasm a bit. It was definitely a combination of being cold and tense. Also, the visor on my baseball cap came down so low that I think I tilted my head back a little just to see.

I really wanted to zone out, listen to my music and just enjoy the miles but that just didn’t happen. There were glimmers here and there when I got in a groove and had a smile on my face. But even as I ran through Times Square I was just not feeling it.

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Some fun sights:

  • Back of a guy’s shirt that simply said “Always look on the bright side of life”. I needed to see that. Our lives are not one sided. We might have one side that isn’t so bright at the moment but we should focus on the brighter side.
  • Seeing separate spectators dressed as a gorilla and a banana. I wanted to tell the gorilla that the banana was only 3 blocks away. I wish I took pictures! I also spotted Waldo (with a sign that said “you found me”)

When I crossed the finish line I knew I had only covered 15.5 miles and needed to continue running to 18.

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yay done! Sort of….

But they made us walk for a long time out of the finisher’s area and by the time I got my medal and my “recovery bag” with apple, pretzels, water etc I was cranky and sore and not in the mood to run. I thought I’d start walking back uptown to my car and if I felt better i’d run. Well, I never did run. I walked for 2.5 miles, stopped at Starbucks for breakfast (I was SO hungry. Only ate one bag of sport beans and had a few sips of gatorade during the race) and to defrost.

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I waited forever for this caramel macchiatto. The barista said “thank you for your patience”. I was not patient in my inside voices but i held it together

It was so cold and windy and my heat sheet wasn’t staying put:( After breakfast I continued to walk one additional mile until I FINALLY reached my car. So I did cover close to 20 miles but I only ran 15 1/2 ish….Frankly I’m ok with that. I had a great 16 miler 2 weeks ago and I still have a 20 miler to bang out in 2 weeks.

Lesson learned: ALWAYS do extra mileage BEFORE the race.

My splurge for the day. BBQ.

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ribs and garlic bread! yes please!

It looks like I’ll actually be able to keep my midweek training on schedule with a 5 mile hill workout on Tuesday. Next race is the Love Run (1/2 marathon) in Philadelphia 2 weeks from today.

Question: Do you prefer big races or small? Or are you equal opportunity? I like both but I think smaller races are just easier logistically. Bigger races build excitement more though.

A second Saturday post because I wanted to throw Mother Nature under the bus. She is apparently having some sort of emotional turmoil (or that could be me) and decided today it should be 60 degrees and sunny but STILL super windy. 22mph sustained with gusts up to 31. I’ve officially decided wind is my least favorite running condition. I’ll take snow and rain first. And how will I remember to dress for temps in the 20s tomorrow? I guess this is Spring and fluctuating temps is to be expected. But it feels good to be a bit melodramatic about the weather =)

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i’ve got one unruly purple hair…oh wait that’s the wire from my ear bud.

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no ankle pain for the win at least

I could have stayed on the couch watching yoga on the TV all day, so I should be proud that I ran despite the wind making me feel like I couldn’t keep a decent pace at all. Not sure if I’ve clearly explained how I despise the wind.

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watching it isn’t so bad. maybe, eventually i’ll try it and maybe i’ll even like it?

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and here is what my downward dog was doing while I was watching yoga

So what’s your least favorite weather condition?

Happy Saturday!

Aside from some residual head cold stuff I felt even better yesterday. I’m finally moving at the usual “I’m a native New Yorker” speed. I was weaving in and out of slow walkers on the sidewalk on my lunch break as I headed downtown to the NYC Half Expo to pick up my number.

photo 3There was this great big wall and they left sharpie markers for runners to write with. So many reasons people run. So many inspirational messages. I put my own little mark on the wall. (I run to sweat out the small stuff…genius!).

The expo itself was fairly small with the usual suspect exhibitors. But I was excited to see there was a booth from the company Gone for a Run. They have such great stuff. It’s where my run like a girl medal holders come from.

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And I almost bought this bibfolio but with all my car repairs as of late I figure I better hold off. I just love this saying.

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So yesterday was Pi day (as in the math symbol π that is 3.14). I got this pear tart at Trader Joe’s on my way back from the Expo to celebrate. (Ok tart is like a pie right? C’mon think six degrees of Kevin Bacon.

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Oh and how exciting is this? On Thursday I went to the grocery store and saw my favorite pre race fuel was on sale 2 boxes for $5! Woo hoo!!

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SuperPretzels = PRs!!!!

I stocked up! I also hit up Panera Bread Thursday after that windy morning run that turned into a walk because tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches always make me feel better.

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And then Thursday evening I took the doodle with me into Manhattan for a top secret mission. He hasn’t been in the city for a bit. Suburb doodle was a bit overwhelmed by the bright lights of the big city and he forgot what it’s like to ride in an elevator.

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Today I’m laying low. I’ve got an appointment with my accountant and then I’ll take some time to prepare for tomorrow’s race. The weather will be in the 20s and I’ll have a lot of time to kill in the corrals before the NYC Half starts (and I’ll already be sweaty from my pre-race miles) so I want to strategically plan my layers and race number placement =) Always the hardest part of distance running right? That, and carrying fuel, phone and other essentials in minimal space. I can’t wait to see so many of my running peeps tomorrow!

Have a great weekend! It’s the Ides of March (Yup, middle school English teacher drilled that one in my brain for life.).

Question: Anyone running a race this weekend? Where? What will the weather be like? Favorite comfort meal?

It’s 18 degrees and the winds are sustained at 20mph with gusts up to 45. But I woke up this morning and felt 80 percent better! Fever broke, only used 20 tissues instead of 40 and ankle felt perfect! So I decided to try and run just 4 miles. (I missed a 5 mile interval run on Tuesday thanks to sickness and ankle discomfort and today was supposed to be 6). Well I bundled up like Nanook of the North…

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…and set out. Felt really just fine for the first 2 1/2 miles. I was keeping a decent pace and nothing hurt. Lungs were fine ironically even with the cold air. Nose was running a little but hey that’s what sleeves are for right? Then I started to feel the slightest bit of something where my ankle had been compromised over the weekend. It wasn’t pain, but it was just a little something to make me realize it’s not 100 percent healed. I got a text message from a friend at the same moment and started walking to reply. It was a sign. Just walk it in…and so i did. I actually stopped my watch at the 5k mark and then re-set it for the last mile which I walked entirely. The ankle didn’t hurt at all walking so that’s a plus!

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I’m glad I made the attempt. And I’ll do another shortie run on Saturday. And I’m pretty sure I’ll wear my ankle brace on Sunday just to be safe. 18 miles is a long way to go so if it can have a little extra support I think it makes sense. My goal for the NYC Half is to run it at marathon pace and finish in about 2:20. I’ll have done just 2 1/2 warm up miles before hand and I’ll be doing another 2 1/2 cool down miles after so this is the perfect place to benchmark where I’m at (contingent on ankle being good of course).

Off to foam roll the calves and get some new pillows at Bed Bath and Beyond (I know, riveting!)…

Question: What do you call it when it’s not an injury but it’s not nothing? I’ve heard the term “niggle” and “tweak” used before.