"Favorite Thing" Fridays - Cozy Socks & Warm Gloves

No one likes to have cold toes or fingers! So it's important to keep those metacarpals and metatarsals warm and cozy for the ride and not to mention protect them from the elements of the harsh winter weather. If last night's run taught me anything, it was having the proper socks and gloves can make MAJOR differences in your run.

I was ever so fortunate to forget a pair of socks last night so I decided to run in my work-trouser socks. Not the best decision of my life, but sometimes you just have to do what you have to do! So, half way through the run my left (stocking thin) sock slips under my heel and instantly it begins to chafe. I tried to stop and fix it but no amount of yanking could keep it from slipping right under my heel again. Sweet! So, this led to thoughts of what pair of socks I has wished were on me feet. At least it helped to distract me from the inevitably forming blister for about 5mins! My favorite pair of socks are my Nike Elite Running - No Show Sock. I'm typically not a thin sock wearer, but these socks have great cushioning in the parts that you need it most. They're extremely comfortable, stylish and not at all bulky. LOVE them! My other favorite socks are the Ladies Under Amour cushion- no show. They're very comfortable and durable.
If anyone was out running last night, all the power to ya! The weather was a BEAST! I believe that at 6pm it was reported to feel like 12degrees. But as planned, I braved the West Side Highway (a.k.a. Hudson River Park rec path) after work (check my "fun stats" posted below). The wind was so fierce that it actually felt best when I had to stop for traffic lights on the way to/from the path. I was soooo.. VERY happy to have remembered my "good" gloves which kept my hands toasty, so thankfully that was the least of my concern. If you don't have a good pair of gloves (and you live in a cold climate), I suggest you invest in a pair. Once you try them, you'll never want to go back to that old ratty pair that you got for free at a race 10+ years ago that are three sizes too big for your hands. .. or at least I never went back to mine! My favorite are the women's lightweight running gloves. My hands heat up quick so anything heavier than a "lightweight" glove is a bit uncomfortable (at least, for me).

Stats from Yesterday's Run - 6miles (out and back) - WSH
# of times I thought about going back inside: 1
# of times I thought to myself "I'm crazy!": 1 million
# of times I had to stop to (try to) fix my sock: 5
# of runners spotted out on the WSH: 8 (brave souls)
# of bikers " ": 12
# of pedestrians " ": 4
# of times I wished I brought my metro card: 0 (I'm not that lame!)
# of times I wished I had put on an extra top layer: I can't count that high!

Today's training:
AM: Yoga, PM: 55min Cardio Kickbox, and 2 miles

Nike Structure Triax Update - Day 2
Today I used the RW Shoe Finder to see the comparison between what I was running in, the ASICS 1120's and the NIKE Structure Triax 11. I tried to link directly to the comparison between the two, but it didn't seem to work. So here's the skinny, they are both a stability shoe but the major differences were that the ASICS 1120's are slightly heavier (by 1oz) and the Triax was more of a neutral shoe where as the ASICS 112o is better suited for the overpronator.

So, last night went well sans the sock debacle!! I do wish the laces were a bit longer so I could do my "crazy laces" knot for more ankle support, but I suppose I could purchase new laces myself. As for the overall ride of the shoe, it was still just okay in my opinion.

Treading in My New Nike Triax - Day 1

As promised, here's an update on my new trainers. I was a bit skeptical at first considering my new pair of Triax are a size 8.5 and I typically run in 9's, but I trust my favorite EKIN and decided to not focus too much on the very snug fit of the shoe.

For several reasons, I couldn't head outside to the WSH rec path last night as originally planned and I had to try my new trainers out on the treadmill. But as it turns out, I was better off staying inside since after .5miles I had to stop and take my shoes off because my feet cramped up BIG time. I had completely forgotten how sensitive the outsides of my feet could be to new shoes. It was pretty painful! However after removing my shoes, I realized that I had put my heel inserts in the wrong shoes. Whoopsie! What a dope! My heel inserts were given to me by a podiatrist at a local (fabulous!!) foot comfort shoe store called Eneslow and they are actually to take pressure off my sesamoid bones (we can talk more about how lovely sesamoiditis is later!).

So, I fixed the mix up and quickly strapped my new trainers back on and hopped back on to it. For the most part, things were fine after the switch and I finished out a solid 5 miles!

My left hamstring and calf have been really tight lately and my left knee was a bit sore last night also, but I'm not blaming the shoes. I'm going to head outside tonight and give them another try.

Baby, it's a cold one out there today!

Mourning Myron (1929 - 2008)

This is not my usual tone, but I would like to take a second and remember Myron Cope who passed away yesterday. Myron was the broadcaster for the Pittsburgh Steelers and his tenure with the Steelers Network was the longest in NFL history for a broadcaster with any one single team. He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2005, making him the first and only (to date) American Football commentator to receive this honor.

Myron is most remembered for his screechy voice, unique broadcasting style and of course, the Terrible Towel. Myron possessed a level of passion and dedication that I think we all can learn quite a bit from. He left an indelible mark on the Steelers Football program and he will be surely missed.

Mama's Got a New Pair of Trainers!

Fresh off the plane from Portland, OR and just out of the cradle, the pictures below are of my lovely new Nike Structure Triax 11 - trainers, waiting patiently last night (behind the yellow line, of course) for the "F" train back to Brooklyn, their new home.

These shoes are so FIERCE, yet so structurally cautious! :)

I can't wait to take them out for a spin on the West Side Highway after work tonight. I'm happy with my decision not to break 'em out last night since they would have been in the same sorry condition that my ASICS are in today (... still drying out in my apt hallway). I'm out for 5-6 miles tonight. Stay tuned!

They're just do darn beautiful, I could cry. :)

And I'll run in the rain 'til I'm breathless...

...when I'm breathless I run 'til I drop. Hey!

Things got a little wet and wild on the Central Park loop tonight. I love running in the rain!! As my highschool track coach would say on miserable rainy days, "It never rains on a runner". I say this line frequently and people always tend to look at me like I'm crazy.

So, I ran the five mile lower loop clockwise with RUNNYC run club tonight (on map - light and dark blue combined loop). I came through in 37mins, which wasn't too bad considering I wasn't feeling 100%. The run started out great until Worku's group dropped my slow draggin' self. Just wasn't my night and they were pretty much cookin'! After the 5-er, me and my fellow (drenched) running chica, dropped the boys (lame) and added on an extra 1.7 lower loop for good measure (on map - light blue lower loop). We also threw in a few striders after the run on our way back to Niketown, because we're just that bad-ass! :)

The total run was a bit over 7miles (with the back/forth from Niketown), but we'll log it as 7mi!

(Once again, you can click the pic (on left) to see a larger map of the CP loops.)

And after I got back to Niketown and changed out of my sopping wet clothes, I got to spend the next 45mins on the train back to Brooklyn gazing lovingly at my BEAUTIFUL Blue Nike Structure Triax 11 trainers. If they feel half as good as they look, I'll be kickin ass and taking names all spring. Booyah! :) Phil, you're the best Ekin in the world! Thank you!! :)

I'm breaking these babies out tomorrow and I'll post the pictures then too. So, for now,
happy running to all and to all a good night!!

Modified Fasting & NutritonData.com

Did anyone see the article on the Runner's World Daily blog about how to lose weight by "pigging out"? Does this idea sound ridiculous to anyone else?





If you chose to read more of the RW blog post it re-directs you to the site, NutritionData.com. It's there that you can read on to discover that this idea of intermittent fasting DOES seem to work for some people (best results were from obese individuals). But even after reading the rest of the article and information on the small studies conducted to test this idea, I still don't think it's necessary for the average active and (generally) healthy eating individual. As athletes we need well balanced nutrition to become "well oiled and properly fueled machines". I'm not an expert in this field, but I'm also not sure that the "stop and go" signals of modified fasting will send the best message to your body. I have always received the best results (mentally and physically) when I have been able to get myself on a regular structured and well regulated nutritional schedule. Not that sticking to the one day "20% few calorie-fast" & one day "pig out" isn't establishing a routine that your body will eventually become accustomed to, but it just doesn't seem like the most optimal way to lose weight while maintaining the proper energy and fuel stores your body needs to train, perform and recover. Distance runner, "steve" posted an interesting comment on this topic. If you have a second, give it a look and let me know what you think.

So, while I was on NutritionData.com, I decided to take a look around. This site was actually recommended to me by a coworker a little over a year ago. I had checked it out at the time, but I knew I didn't posses the patience it would take to register and update my pantry to use the more in depth nutrition analysis tools it offers. No way, Jose! But the site does contain some fantastic resources and a few tools I can see myself using more regularly such as the needs calculator.

So, despite the fact that I'm not diving into the world of calorie counting and I'm also not planning to start a modified fasting regimine anytime soon, I must climb up on my soap box to say how important it is that we all give our due diligence to the topic of proper nutrition. When it comes to learning about how we can better fuel ourselves, our resources are seemly endless. It's more about finding what works best for you and sticking to it. Good luck!

Training Schedule Week#2 -(Feb 25-March 2):
Monday: Rest... fighting off a cold!
Tuesday: AM: YOGA PM: RUNNYC - 6miles - 4 X 20 sec striders
Wednesday: AM: 5miles
Thursday: PM: I heart NYC run 6-7miles
Friday: AM: YOGA, PM: Women's self defense/cardio kickbox class-55mins
followed by 2mile run
Saturday: 5 miles, 4 X 20 sec striders
Sunday: 8miles
Total: 32 miles + YOGA + 55min kickboxing

My New Life as a Cyclist

Clearly, I have a lot to learn! But I left City Coach studio feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and spent (in a great way!). I'm in a little bit of pain today (in the seat) :) , but it was well worth it. I loved it!

Yesterday's indoor cycling "intro" session was lead by City Coach - Assistant Coach, Shane Neil who had us start off with a quick 4.5mile interval set where we worked on hills and regulating our cadence, which is the number of revolutions of the crankset per minute. It was definitely challenging since learning to keep proper form on the bike while also maintaining speed took more focus than I thought it would. After the 4.5, they put the class on a 15mile course over rolling hills, but we only had another 40mins left of class so I conquered 11.5miles is that time. The rest of my overall mileage (20) was in my warm up and cool down.

The way the simulator works is you can see on the scene in front of you all of your stats and where you are exactly on the course as well as where everyone else in the class is in comparison. I have to admit, my favorite part was kicking it into high gear on the down hills. So much fun!!! It's the best how you can see it coming so you put your finger on the gear trigger as the anticipation builds. As soon as the resistance changes, BOOM! you kick it up and rock it out. It's fantastic.

I'm so green when it comes to this sport, so I hope the more experienced cyclist-readers aren't too turned off my my naivety. I had an excellent time cycling yesterday and can't wait to get my own bike and hit the open road! :)

Today's Training: 8miles, 4 X 20 sec striders

Evaluation of this past week (week#1):
Monday: 5miles, core routine
Tuesday: PM: 6.5miles, 4 X 20 sec striders
Wednesday: Cross train - post work - pool running workout
Thursday: PM: Tempo run - 5miles
Friday: AM: YOGA, PM: Women's self defense/cardio kickbox class-55mins (long story) followed by 2mile run
Saturday: 20miles indoor to cycling class,
Sunday: 8miles, 4 X 20 sec striders
Total: 25 miles + YOGA + 30min pool run + 20mile cycling + 55min kickboxing

Thoughts: I need to get my mileage up and take out some of the other junk. I'll post week#2 of training (for the upcoming week) shortly.

The Runner Chick's Movie Review - Spirit of a Marathon

Last night's visit to NYC's -AMC Theater Empire 25 in the chaotic, sensory overload - cluster shmuck called, Time's Square, was overall well worth the trip (and I suppose worth missing a new episode of Lost as well).

I arrived at the theater on time (shockingly!!) to collect my tickets from my new RUNNYC facebook friend. And my movie date arrived shortly afterwards. After a long queue for 12 stale pretzel bits (don't get me started on the pretzel thing again!) and a joyous trek up 6 flights of escalators, we arrived at our theater a few minutes after the film started. The theater was packed and the only remaining seats in the back row. Good enough and much better than the alternative, sitting under the screen!

The movie started and at first had a dark, slow moving, low budget documentary feel to it. The movie, as promised, visited (or bounce around) upon the lives of six "unique" marathoners as they prepared for the 2005 Chicago Marathon. These runners included 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, Deena Kastor, Kenya-born marathoner Daniel Njenga, four average Chicago natives, first time marathoner and grad student, Lori O'Connor, injured Boston Marathon hopeful Ryan Bradley, first time marathoner and single mom Leah Caille and a comically resilient Jerry Meyers who is in his 70's.

The individual stories were amusing, but I found the historical interludes used to segue into each story to be far more interesting. These scenes touched on topics such as the development of the marathon as a race, the history of women's distance running (very interesting!) and they historical/cultural background of running in Kenya. One of these segments showed pictures and gave an account of Katherine "K.V." Switzer as she fought off race officials to be the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon in 1967.

The movie also featured commentary by such phenomenal mararthoners as Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Paula Radcliffe and Jean Benoit-Samuelson. It was great to listen to the perspectives of such respected distance runners and also get a more indepth look the mental process of elite athletes and to see how relentlessly they train. Seriously, watching Deena Kastor pound out a few tempo runs as part of her 140mile/week training regiment was unreal. It's absolutely amazing!

As in all marathons and marathon preparation, there were triumphs and tragedies, but the true "spirit" of each individual's journey was enough inspiration to make you want to set your personal goals just a bit higher and get back out there to pound the concrete.

I had decided to take this upcoming marathon season off and focus on shorter races while experimenting with triathlons. But after seeing this movie, I'm seriously considering Chicago 2008. Watching all six runners as they prepared, visited the expo, obsessed over whether they have every thing in order the night before the race, wonder if they ate enough carbs and if they have their timing chips tightly fastened gave me that nervous-anxious feeling that we all get leading up to the big moment. Watching each runner get up the day of the race in the dark, make the trek in to the start and line up with the masses, justified, yet again, why I am so passionate about this sport.

So, a bit slow at times (I did see a few people dozing off in the audience, but we'll cut them slack since it was the end of a workday), but overall a great documentary that does capture a wide range of what it means (and takes) to commit to the life of a mararthoner.

Today's training:
AM: Yoga - 1hour -
PM: Cardio Kickbox - 55mins, Run - 15mins

Spirit of the Marathon- Special Encore 2.21.08

Released originally as a "one night engagement" back in January, Spirit of the Marathon scheduled to show tonight as a "special encore"! ....And it just so happens that I am the LUCKY is winner of two free tickets courtesy of the RUNNYC facebook group and "Marathon movie ticket trivia" :-) Let me tell ya, the trivia was EXTREMELY challenging! I actually had to cut and paste the answer into a the group discussion from the same site. lol!

Either way, WINNER, WINNER, Chicken Dinner!!! :)

So a little bit about this flick: Spirit of the Marathon took four years to make and was created by a collaborative effort which included two producers who are also marathoners themselves, Jon Dunham and Gwendolen Twist. The movie tracks six "unique" runners as they prepare for the Chicago Marathon. And as the advertisement claims, "More than a sports movie, Spirit of the Marathon is an inspirational journey of perseverance and personal triumph; a spectacle that will be embraced by runners and non-runners alike." How's that for a little motivation?!?! :)

I'm excited to view this film tonight and you will certainly get a review tomorrow. But I must admit that winning these tickets is bitter sweet considering I won't get to watch LOST tonight. ugh!! I'm also somewhat bummed about having to squeeze my tempo run into a much smaller time frame, but no worries, I'll get it done!

Tonight's Tempo Run: Tempo for time (given the chilly weather and the time crunch, this tempo will be done on the treadmill. word!)
UPDATED (how it really went down):
9min -warm up (8min pace)
6min - (7.30)
3min - (7.20)+ .5 incline
2min - (7.10) + 1 incline
2min - (sub 7) no incline
2min - (7.10)+ 1 incline
3min - (7.20) +.5 incline
6min - (7.30)
Cool down: 7min(7:40)
Total: 40mins

Some Runner Support

Ironically, after I blogged about stress yesterday and was on a mad dash out the door (to head up to Niketown for runclub), I was confronted by a total stress case. A burnt out, teary eyed, "end of my rope", ugly ball of thick, sludgy, uncontrolable stress!

So, having just had my daily boost of blogger self esteem (a.k.a. vent session), I felt it was my duty to help shed some light on this poor child's perpetual rain cloud. She was the perfect example of a runner who could no longer bare the burden of the training stress compiled with the stress dumped on her by other "stress-heads" of the world. I do think she left our chat feeling better about her currrent predicament. But she took off leaving me still dressed to run, too late for runclub and feeling like my life energy tank was on empty. I called friends for some runner support, but everyone was busy or already out on the road. Finally, a few colleagues showed up and I convinced them to hit the west side highway with me for a nice out and back 6miler. Problemo Solved! Phew!

So the moral of the story is, we're all in this together and if anyone knows this, it's the running blog network that continues to share and support on another through thick and thin and even slow internet connections :)

It's been a LONG day... and this is quite a weak wednesday post, but that's all you'll get from me for now. Peace out!

SOS!!! How do I Run Through Stress?

Whether it's stress from a recent or lingering injury, stress from not understanding why you're not physically where you want to be (training wise), stress from work, family life or a recent tragic incident; we ALL experience stress in our normal lives. Some seem to handle it better than others (yes, those slightly annoying people that just don't seem to skip a beat), however we're obviously not machines and dealing with the stress of everyday life is a challenge to athletes of all levels.

An article from the Running Journal titled, Developing a Psychology of Success, challenges us all to keep an open and positive mind. To become a confident runner and to get out of our heads and focus on what we CAN do (instead of the "can'ts"). This article has a few really great suggestions on how to train your perception for your benefit. We all need to be constantly reminded to have a positive outlook, especially at times it seems like everyone and everything around us seems to want to break our spirit.

The article offers this recommendation, "Learn to be your own biggest fan even in the most difficult of times Treat yourself with the encouragement you would give your best friend if they were in the same, challenging situation that you are in."
We can often be our own worst enemies or biggest critics. Appreciate your accomplishments and take positive lessons from your mistakes.


My absolute favorite quote from this article is, "Reality is what you make it be". I like to keep it simple (kis), so I'll leave you with that. :)

Off to RUNNYC! :)

Día de los Presidentes!

HAPPY PRESIDENT'S DAY! I love Mondays off!!

Wouldn't everyone just be more productive if we had three day weekends EVERY week (my apologies to those of you who had to still work today). Seriously though, starting a work week on Tuesday is just lovely!

So, in honor of Presidents Washington & Lincoln .....and thoughts of a world where we never have to work on Monday again, here's my training plan for:

training week#1 (Febuary 18th - 24th):

Monday: 5miles, core routine - Enjoy the 60-degree weather and a Monday mid-morning run through Brooklyn. Spring Fever?... hells yeah!
Tuesday: AM: YOGA, PM: RUNNYC in the evening (6miles?), 4 X 20 sec striders
Wednesday: Cross train - two options currently: 1. 6:30am cycling session at City Coach OR 2. post work - pool running workout
Thursday: PM: Tempo run - 5miles (details on next Thursday's blog), 4 X 20 sec striders, core routine
Friday: AM: YOGA, PM: Women's self defense/cardio kickbox class-55mins (long story)
Saturday: 6miles, 4 X 20 sec striders
Sunday: 8miles
Total: 30miles + weds cross train + kickboxing

Threshold Training...Easy Peasy

Here's an interesting article on Threshold Training, proving yet again that often, LESS IS MORE!

Sunday is such a great day to map out or tweak a training plan for the week to come. To write down (and commit to) not only what I'll be doing but to also when/how I'm going to fit it in each day. So, I thought the article above was fitting since it's not only Sunday, but this coming week I plan to kick things up a notch and start seriously training for my upcoming events. I've laid down a solid mileage base over the last month or so and now I'm ready to start mapping out my training and incorporating at least 2 threshold efforts a week (ex: tempo runs or intervals) and a longer effort on the weekend.

I'll post what I've come up with after I'm finished mapping it out. :)

WANDERLUST!!!

As fellow Blogger, Bob commented a few weeks back on my February 4th post, "ahhh so much info online, so little time".... Well, Bob I honestly couldn't agree with you more. But if anything, pointing each other in the direction of a few valuable resources does save some time (at least I think... or hope!).

I was stumbling around the web yesterday when I happened upon this site, http://www.runtheplanet.com/It's pretty flippin' cool! Especially for someone like me who loves to travel and also stay fairly active on my trips.

A few things that really caught my interest on this site was the World Wide Running Club - finder (awesome!) and the World Wide Race Calendar (because you KNOW i love race calendars.. ha!). The site is definetly a temporary fix for my sometimes overwhelming wanderlust. As destination racing is becoming "all the rage", I'm sure we'll be seeing an increase in sites such as this one which will include international races and running groups.

Anyone want to do a training run with the Berowra Bushrunners in Sydney, Austrailia or run the a marathon at night in Cavaliino, Italy (the heal of the boot!)?

Oh well, at least this RuNNeR ChIcK can dream!

"Favorite Thing" Fridays - Clif Bars

Call it a favorite thing, call it an addiction..... Really!!

If this these where a controlled substance, would I try to get my hands on them anyway? Questionable!

What are they? ........Clif bars!

Here is another company with a fantastic philosophy and history.

Here are just a few of my favorites:

1. The Luna Bar! My favorite flavors being the Chai Late, the Iced Oatmeal Raisin and the newest flavor of the bunch, Berry Almond (YUM!)

2. The Z bar!!! I completely understand that I'm way closer to 30 than I am to 13, but I can't help it, these snacks are so tasty! They're a great way to satisfy that sweet fix you have after dinner or during the day. LOVE 'em! Especially the Chocolate Chip & the Peanut Butter flavors.

3. The Original. An oldie but goodie! If I do have one of these, I pretty much stick to my favorite, Cranberry, Apple, Cherry. It's lower in fat and I just love how it tastes.

4. My boyfriends Favorite, Clif Builder. He will only eat the Cholate Mint (which he raves about every time) and Peanut Butter. I have tried both and they are quite good. I'm personally not into the HIGH protein bars, but I had to mentioned them since they were so highly recommended.

Some of my fellow marathoners are also big fans of the clif shots. I've tried them but they're just not for me. I think it's a consistancy thing. I prefer my gels during the race.

If you have any favorite bars or comments about clif bars, please share! Sharing is caring! :)

Feel the LOVE!

Some people get so bent out of shape over this little holiday we call Valentine's Day. A day that's supposed to be filled with cards, flowers, candy, hugs, kisses, chocolate and well, LOVE people!

Anyway, I realize this holiday is not as welcomed (and pretty much seen as "obnoxious") by people that may not currently have a significant other (been there). But really, there's no reason to get all bitter today. There's so many things out there to LOVE...


ok, so..... if you're still not convinced, let me give you my top five recommendations on how to "Feel the LOVE" today (with NO significant other required):


1. LOVE yourself!
Yes, be selfish, send a valentine to yourself and for one day stop being so hard on yourself for all your "shortcomings". Send yourself some flowers, treat yourself to a I LOVE ME massage, or allow yourself to indulge in one of your vices and let loose for the day. Just have fun and enjoy& appreciate just being YOU.


2. LOVE your running/training buddy
Do something nice for that person (or pet) who gets you through your tough workouts, who gets you off the couch, or who motivates you to work harder. Let them know how much you care and apprecaite them. Share the LOVE!


3. LOVE your workout today
Run somewhere different, throw in a twist, take in the scenery, just really be present in what you are doing and don't go through the motions. No matter what level you are on, just appreciate and love the fact that you are able to run, swim, bike or simply just go at your training hard and DREAM BIG. There are millions of people in this world that can't even get that far. Just LOVE it out today!


4. LOVE racing season
For us Northeasterners, the fun stuff starts in the Spring. But even if you live in 365 days of sunshine take today to look at the months ahead and give love to your upcoming race calendar. Sign up for a few new races and just commit! We're all in a relationship, a committed relationship with racing and staying fit!


5. LOVE your feet
Seriously, show your feet you care! At the end of the day.... ladies, go get a pedi and throw in that extra $$ for a massage. Guys, well, you might want to purchase one of these. They're totally worth it! Your little buddies take such a beating everyday, so treat 'em nice!


Tonight, I will be "Feeling the LOVE" with RUNNYC and lovin' on my running buddies and central park. ....All in time to rush home for my date with the other love of my life, LOST!!!!

Wishing you all a fantabulous Valentine's Day! :)

Pretzel City Sports & Philly Love

As some of you know, I'm a Philadelphia native. I frequently return to the Philly area and therefore do quite a bit of running in Philly and the surrounding areas. The last road race I completed in Philly was Fighting Irish 5k in one of my old stomping grounds, Chestnut Hill, PA. The race, originally held the weekend prior to St. Patrick's Day (fittingly), was postponed last year to the end of September, which is when it will now be held each year indefintely. Smart choice by race directors since now they do not have to compete with the other 50+ local road races held around that time. Great race if you're in Philly late September. VERY hilly, but fun!


So, the point of mentioning the this race is actually because it was at The Fighting Irish 5k where I discovered Pretzel City Sports, "Events with a Twist" (how cute!). Pretzel City Sports is a great local database for Philadephia (and Southeastern PA) road races. They have some excellent road and trail races posted for the coming year. It looks as though they recently updated their site so there's still a few things missing.


I recommend using this site as a great resource for Philly local races, however be sure to heed my warning and DO NOT sign up for the newsletter. The "newsletter" which arrives in your inbox and is a ridiculously lengthy and somewhat spastic plain text e-mail riddled with poor and sometimes distasteful jokes, is way too confusing. You're best off just visiting the site and viewing the race calendar. It seems that Pretzel City Sports President, Ron Horn means well, but he has an off the wall sense of humor and I don't get the relevance of half his jokes. Who knows, maybe it's just me. But hopefully they'll set up a blog soon!

And why we're on the subject of Philadelphia pretzels (ok, somewhat random), I want to take a second to school a few of you on what a REAL philly pretzel looks like (see below). Mmmmmm! The crispy, soft, doughy goodness! Nothing like one of these after a 5 or 10k! ;)

Central Park in the Snow

My run tonight was excellent!! I didn't care much for the route the group did tonight (on map to the left: three counter clockwise lower loops -the light blue loop crossing at 72nd St ) but the scenery was enough to keep me going happily in circles. The snow was a bit hard on my hamstring injury since it didn't provide for much traction and on the east side the snow was blowing furiously (and somewhat painfully) into my face, but it was all worth it. From every angle, the view looked like it belonged in a picture frame. There was hardly any one out and the city hadn't started to even plow the roads, so it was quiet and peaceful.

It's extremely difficult to map out loops on www,mapmyrun.com, so I'm just posting a map of CP and you'll have to take my word for it that it ended up being close to 6mi with the run back/forth to Niketown (home base).

** Click on the map for a clearer view. The lower loop is about 1.7 and the run to/from Niketown is about a .5 mile.

Let it Snow.... Finally!

Just when I thought it wasn't EVER going to snow in NYC again, all this wet flaky white stuff started to fall from the sky.

Well, it's RUNNYC night and I'm not going to let a few flakes and a slippery surface stop me from my weekly date with Central Park. I'll post my run later tonight. Wish me luck!

A Runner's Log!

You've heard it time and time again just how important it is to keep a training log. You know the deal. For the more obvious reasons, a runner's log is an important tracking tool needed to provide a visual evidence of your base, your build up, your progress. To show you were you might need to improve or where you should give yourself a mighty ol' pat on the back.

You're log is your best friend and your worst enemy. Either way, your log is with you through thick and thin. Your log doesn't lie (that is unless, you do!).

I'm not so great at using my log while I'm not specifically training for anything, but as I get ready to face what's sure to be an exciting Spring season, I know I'll be dusting off the cover and setting up my framework for the training to come.

My log is an old generic day/week planner that I found at CVS four years ago. A small spiral notebook with a bright blue plastic cover that I adoringly covered with RUNNYC and BridgeRunner's stickers. When I'm in training, wherever I go my log goes with me. I look forward to writing in my training each day, tallying in my weekly totals each Sunday night and adding those weekly totals to my overall training mileage and of course, training shoe mileage. Just as I love writing down the mileage I've rocked out for the day, I completely dread writing when I've fallen short of a daily plan or weekly goal (as I appropriately cover those spaces with frown faces or curse words ;) ).

My log is simple in that I don't go into tons of detail re: my daily routine, but I put enough down that it provides a great reference for later review. It also helps boost my confidence the nights leading up to a big race, when I can lay in bed and look at all the "money in the bank" and feel completely invested in what I'm about to take on.

So no matter how big or small your current goals are, log your progress. It's so gratifying to watch your dreams become a reality right before your eyes.

I prefer the old fashion way, but there are so many great resources online for logging your mileage/training. Here are just a few suggestions:

Map My Run
Running Ahead
Runner's World Online Training Log
..And this is a new one (for me), ProgressLog

If you have any other suggestions or would like to share how you map your training, please let me know! I'd love to hear it!

City Coach - It's Almost Time to TRI

So, as I mentioned I headed off to meet with Coach Jonathan Cane at his City Coach Studio in Brooklyn. Shockingly it took me about 10mins to walk over to the studio from my apartment. How I didn't realize that the City Coach studio was so close to my hood, I don't really know.

When I got there the 12pm indoor cycling session was just wrapping up. It was great to see a training group in action working on what looked like on heck of a 24mile ride! I watched for awhile and then went to the back to find Coach Cane. We started to chat about my goals as far as running this winter/spring and how that works in with getting started with biathlons and triathlons. This whole experience is exciting and nerve racking since I'm not quite sure what I'm getting into. I know that I'll be able to do this, but the "how well?" is yet to be determined.

So here's the meat of it....

Goals for Winter/Spring:

Feb '08
Start cycling (rental) - work on getting a bike
Work on swimming form - get feedback

March '08
Coogans Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5k - March 2nd
Observe the March Madness Biathlon in Central Park - March 30th

April '08
Brooklyn Biathlon - April 13th

May '08
Broad Street Run - May 5th
Queens Biathlon - May 18th

And that's all I have for now. It's a good start, I think!

As for the gear I have to purchase for this new sport... Well, let's just say it' s going to be a lot different than simply strapping on my shoes and heading out the door. Here's the basics I'll need to purchase in the next few weeks/month (some things sooner than others):
Helmet
Gloves
Shoes
Shorts (padded)
Jersey
Tool kit
Arobars
...and of course, a new bike

Coach Cane helped break things down into what I'd need immediately and on what items we can spend some time looking around for deals. I greatly appreciate him taking the time to go through the specifics with me and help me break down what I need to do in the next few months. I'm definitely less intimidated by the whole endeavor having talked things through with Coach Cane. This has been a goal of mine for some time and I'm excited that things actually seem to be getting off the ground. It's going to surely be an investment of time, money and commitment, but I'm really excited for this new adventure.

Crazy Laces

The other night one of my girlfriends asked me why my laces were tied funny. To be honest, I've been tying my laces the same way for so many years that I completely forgot I was doing anything apart from the norm. The reason I started lacing up this way was because my college coach had recommended it after I started having issues with my ankles. So, today I noticed that Runner's World had a video posted which give instructions on tying your laces in this particular way and I wanted to share. Why? Well, because sharing is caring. Happy Saturday!



And btw, I just want to say how happy I am to be home here in NY this weekend. It was so nice to get out and do one of my local weekend runs... and then just relax the rest of the day. I got to sleep in for once and just chill out! A bit on the lazy side, but I think I needed it. Tomorrow I'm heading over to talk to Coach Cane at City Coach about my potential life as a triathlete. :) stay tuned!

Today's Training: 5.6miles

"Favorite Thing" Fridays - Nike Track Shorts

I'm am so incredibly happy that it's Friday! How about you? Geesh, what a week. So, I'm revisiting favorite thing Friday's since thinking about all the things I LoVe is certainly helpful to get through these last few hours of work.

Now this particular post may appeal more to us runner chicas, but it's a good piece of advice nonetheless. I was thinking earlier this morning about some of my favorite pieces of running gear from running apparel to watches to all sort of winter weather layer pieces etc... but my mind kept going back to the basics. Back to those nice weather days where all you have to do is throw on a pair a shortsm a t-shirt and your shoes and skip out the door. Ahh.... those long awaited days of spring and summer can't come quick enough.

So, why wait until summer to discuss one of my favorite summer pieces of apparel, the Women's Tempo Track Short by Nike. My girlfriends and I all have multiple pairs and if you don't well the time is now. If you notice from the link above, NIKE is having a sale on these shorts (only $19!!). Not to mention that I was in NikeTown this past Tuesday night and they have their new colors out. They have this great new "dodger" blue color this season and the dodger blue track shorts (not online just yet) are pretty flippin' sweet.

If you're anything like me, you typically always miss the "out of season" sales, so jump on this deal while you can!

I Heart "I LOVE NY" runs!

So, I wasn't going to bring this up, but I just can't help myself. I had a SERIOUS pity party yesterday. It was really unnecessary, so I'm not going to dwell on it for long. It's just been particularly busy at work this week and by the end of the day all I wanted to do was go home and pour myself a generous glass of wine and play online while watching mindless TV! And.. I didn't want to write about it yesterday, because I pretty much was still in denial. And I couldn't have my wine because I gave it up (which made me even more pissy). I hadn't planned to take off from training yesterday, but I couldn't help it. I let the man get me down! Damn the man!

So, tonight I'm meeting up with a dear friend for the revitalization of our "I LOVE NY" runs. It's just what I need to help myself climb out of this self loathing pit I've fallen into.

These runs started just this past fall during my training for the NYC marathon. My friend, who has boundless energy and enthusiasm (i love it!), wasn't even training for the marathon but decided to jump in every Thursday for my longer-mid week effort. Basically, the I love NY runs would be 8-10 miles with some sort of effort either in the middle or at the end. We would throw in a run ladder or some 1,2 or 3min intervals in the last few miles of the run. They were some tough a*s workouts, but we had great conversation at one heck of a beautiful landscape to keep us rollin'.

Tonight's run: From Greenwich village down to city hall, over the brooklyn bridge through Brooklyn Heights and then through downtown Brooklyn, back to Manahattan over the Manhattan Bridge, through Chinatown and back to base. Total: 6.5 miles. Can't wait! :)

Merrells, Treats for your Feets!

I know everyone is jumping on the "specialty running market" bandwagon, but Merrell is one company I'm happy to hear is now manufacturing running shoes. As you probably know, they've been doing trail shoes for quite sometime, but I'm so excited about this latest development. They seem to be a great company with a philosophy I can buy into.

As you may know from earlier posts, I'm an "ASICS girl" who most recently was persuaded by her EKIN friend to trail a pair of NIKEs. Last update I received was that my new NIKE kicks are in the mail (stay tuned). But considering my recent purchase of a pair of Merrell zodiacs which I love Love LOVE for kickin' around and for the to/from work, I'm interested to see how Merrell does in this first attempt at a training shoe.

Kids!!, just watch the video below, this shoe has memory foam and is partially made of recyclable material. That's pretty flippin' cool!!

Here's a glimpse of the Merrell CT Converge (and the Brooks Defy ance):

RUNNYC - RUN CLUB

Since Tuesday nights are typically my RUNNYC - RUN CLUB night, I thought I'd send a reminder that for all of February Run Club is giving away a free gift too all new runners (and not just those in NYC).

I've made so many fabulous friends through RUNNYC and the fantastic part about it is that we are all at different levels of running. Some might (and do) call my group of friends "the clique" but it just because we've banched off into so many other areas of interest (ex: wet-n-wild wednesdays, game nights, happy hours in the city, dinner and dance parties, etc...).

I'm not even someone who typically likes "group running", but the benefits of the support of fellow runners and experienced coaches are immeasurable. I got hooked early on after moving to the city since RUNNYC hosts phenomenial runs/parties around the city. It was an excellent way for me to run parts of the city that I would have never even thought to visit.

Overall the group attracts such a wide range of runners but there is always someone at/around your level to run with... and you just can't beat the bag check and post run-free food!

Check out locations in your area or hit up a group run even if/when you're in town for a visit.
It's always free!

So, what are you waiting for? Come Run With Us!

Active Warm Up with Olympic Marathoner: Mark Coogan

Finally! Here is the "Active Warm Up" video with Olympic Marathoner Mark Coogan that I was trying to post over weekend.

I'm a big fan of active warm ups prior to a workout as opposed to static stretching which has been proven to stiffen muscles and actually increase the risk of injury. Like grams on the left, yeah, I don't recommend doing that!

An active warm up will help you "ready" the muscles you are going to use on your run and get you up and moving into a quality training run (or effort) sooner and more effectively.

And even though the Patriots experienced a ROYAL upset yesterday, I hope you will at least appreciate Mark Coogan's fantastic Boston accent (in the video) and the fact that there are still quite a few quality athletes in New England. :)

So, if you're interested in how I found this video (and even if your not), I'll tell you. I recently saw an advert for excercisetv.tv and decided to check it out. Now, I'm not a fan of actual "excercise tv" stations. I'm actually the type who will stop on the "excercise" station while flipping through stations, but instead of joining in on the routine I'll watch it for 15-20 minutes while laying on the couch, munching on snacks! :) But something about getting short workouts online and on-demand was interesting to me. So, I checked it out and was pleasently surprised.

There are all sorts of short clips for nutrition, wait training, ab workouts, you name it. And they are all brief enough to meet the demands of my short attention span (for this type of stuff at least!)

I think they have something here that is a bit more appealing to us control freaks that like to do things on our own schedule! :)

ASICS 100 miles in a month Challenge

I decided to sign up for the ASICS 100 miles a month challenge, which in truth really doesn't intimidate me since I'm pretty much a "killer woman!". Just kidding! But I signed up with a friend of mine as a way to start getting back on track towards some serious training. I started my ASICS challenge on Thursday January 17th and I have 13 days left. I also wanted to start getting used to loggin' in to MapMyRun since it really is a quality tool for tracking your training. There are definitely functions that I could do without, but it's fairly easy to skip over those parts and only log what you think is important. This is a great way for me to log some mileage and help get things started.

I typically use MapMyRun when I am training for something since that's when I get increasingly more anal about my actual mileage (as opposed to my general guestimations and/or use of "regular" or "familiar" training routes). So some of my routes are pretty old, since I currently do not use this on a regular basis, but feel free to peruse my "public" routes. I have to clean up my route list and then I'll probably make more viewable or "public".

Btw, I'm e-mailing Phil today with my shoe size to see if/when he can get me those trial NIKEs I was talking about a few days ago. Stay tuned.

Yesterday, I didn't get in a run, but I did get in 4 solid hours of quality skiing. It was probably the only day this season that I'll get to "shred it up". The conditions were good considering the lack of winter weather this season.

Today's training: 7miles - steady and then Superbowl or I mean "BIG GAME" madness! Sorry Giants fans, but "GO PATS!!". Interestingly enough, I'm watching the "BIG game" in Philly and I'm a steelers fan (thanks to my boyfriend). Honestly, I want to see the Pats stomp NY but I might just be more excited for Tom Petty's half-time show!

Thoughts?

I originally planned to post a video I had found on a quick and easy pre-run active stretching routine, but the site I was pulling the video from was having technical difficulties. I'll try again tomorrow.

So instead, I'm posting this video about 13 year old Mackenzie Riford who recently finished a 50mile ultra marathon. I had some strong reactions to this video, but I'm interested to know what you think.

Little Makenzie is so cute and seems like she has such a bright spirit, but how will this strain effect her body at such a young age? I have strong feelings about young kids not running marathons until a certain age, so this story of a 13 year old completing an ultramarathon really struck a cord? I'm not surprised at all that she could finish it, but what does allowing her to do this at such a young age really doing for her psyche and physical development? Everyone seems so excited in this video, but isn't the major role of being a parent to keep your child from harmful situations. It is a major accomplishment but I do believe there is something to be said for building yourself up to a certain level and taking your time. She has her entire life ahead of her and plenty of time to do marathons and ultras. That's just my 2cents. What's yours?