My training has been spotty since I ran the NYC Marathon on November 4th. Initially I was in my off-season, which was extended due to a lingering virus I contracted that I just couldn't shake for several weeks. I slowly started to throw in a few workouts my coach had given me by mid-December, but again I got sidelined by end of year stuff for work, school, and all the crazy social engagements that pop up for the holidays with friends and family.
My coach and I discussed and solidified my 2008 season which looks like this if all goes according to plan:
May 4 - Broad Street Run (10 miler)
May 18 - Columbia Triathlon (Olympic distance)
June 8 - 1 Mile Chesapeake Bay Challenge Swim
June 22 - Philadelphia Triathlon (Olympic distance)
July 6 - Philadelphia Women's Triathlon (Sprint distance)
July 20 - New York City Triathlon (Olympic distance)
August 17 - Timberman 70.3 Triathlon (Aqua-Velo portion)
September 21 - Philadelphia Distance Run (Half-marathon)
September 27 - Chesapeake Man Swim (2.4 mile swim)
I anticipate scheduling one or two more events in October and November but will determine that later in the year.
Based on this schedule, my coach built my Annual Training Plan already which consists of 3 phases - base, build and peak training. Each of these phases are built in 3 or 4 week segments (to ensure proper recovery). I officially began base training this week and this phase will take me to mid-April. I didn't understand any of this last year and i'm slowly starting to understand it this year. I am so stoked for my 2008 season, especially when comparing where I am today to where I was this time last year:
Last Year
Heavy and Injured
Only one race planned (rest pieced together
as time went on)
Newbie to cycling (especially clipping in)
Newbie to technical swimming
Just knew a few classmates in Tris
Fit it into my crazy life
This Year
I've gained the weight back (but am determined to shed it for good) and i'm not injured!
I have my entire season laid out (much better to plan my annual training plan)
I have more confidence on the bike and my LT power jumped by 40 watts (last time I tested)
I LOVE swimming! I think it will prove to be the best out of the three sports for me - I feel I make the most progress with this every day I train!
I'm part of a wonderful triathlon team (and know many others in the community)
Triathlons are a focal point of my life
I try not to make resolutions for the New Year because it is so dissapointing when you don't succeed (which unfortunately is often the case). I've been stressed out and down trying to figure out my life, my career - what makes me happy. I tend to bite off more than I can chew - so i'm pearing down and focusing on the things that truly make me happy.
I have to work - I need a paycheck. I've already mentioned it doesn't fulfill me - it's not what I want to ultimately do - but it's what I do right now, so I have to make the best of it and just get my job done for the time that i'm there. When another opportunity is available that I believe will make me happier, then I will seize that opportunity. So for now, I just focus on getting through my career day by day.
Beyond that, my main focus is my active life - it's all encompassing of everything that I am and that I need. I'm very excited to tackle a new season with my triathlon team. I've volunteered to sit on the social committee of the Board for the team. I have more and more faith and confidence in my coach every day and I know he's going to help me find the athlete within myself. It's about my health (3 years with sign of cervical pre-cancerous cells!!!), it's about feeling accomplished, it's about this athletic community where personal records are set everyday and the comraderie among athletes who know what you've been through, or what you're going through and why. This is what makes me happy - and at this point in my life, where I am unattached, don't have any responsibility except to myself, that I can throw myself into this and make it my lifestyle.
You don't know what the future holds and even the future isn't guaranteed so all I can do is "resolve" to do what makes me happy!
Friday, December 28, 2007
Sunday, December 09, 2007
New Endurance Event
I attended the end of year party for my running club last night. One of the guys i've run with the past 2 years asked me if they've lost me from marathon training for good since I told them i'm focusing on triathlons next season. I wouldn't say for good - but you know i've already decided to take a break from marathons in 2008 at least. However, i'm finding myself gravitating towards a new endurance event (new for me anyway). Long distance open water swimming.
I'm hoping to do a 1 mile open water swim in the Chesapeake, which is the same day that organization is also holding a 4.4 mile swim. I might be interested in doing that the following year. There is a local ironman that also has an aquavelo option or just the swim fest portion - 2.4 mile swim. I think I might be able to handle that this season. I found another somewhat local race, a 7.5 mile river swim that intrigues me. Maybe something new to strive for.
I haven't been swimming for a year yet (technically and competitvely that is)and I have alot of anxiety in the water. Still, in the 4 triathlons i've completed already, despite only giving maybe a 50% effort(most of this is due my lack of mental preperation), my highest ranked sport is the swim. When I practice and it's not often, but on occassion, it just clicks. I get into that zone and glide easily through the water, almost effortlessly. I feel I could just keep going and going. It's peaceful.
So i'm thinking, maybe open water long distance swimming will replace running marathons for the time being. We'll see...something else to chat with the coach about.
I'm hoping to do a 1 mile open water swim in the Chesapeake, which is the same day that organization is also holding a 4.4 mile swim. I might be interested in doing that the following year. There is a local ironman that also has an aquavelo option or just the swim fest portion - 2.4 mile swim. I think I might be able to handle that this season. I found another somewhat local race, a 7.5 mile river swim that intrigues me. Maybe something new to strive for.
I haven't been swimming for a year yet (technically and competitvely that is)and I have alot of anxiety in the water. Still, in the 4 triathlons i've completed already, despite only giving maybe a 50% effort(most of this is due my lack of mental preperation), my highest ranked sport is the swim. When I practice and it's not often, but on occassion, it just clicks. I get into that zone and glide easily through the water, almost effortlessly. I feel I could just keep going and going. It's peaceful.
So i'm thinking, maybe open water long distance swimming will replace running marathons for the time being. We'll see...something else to chat with the coach about.
Friday, December 07, 2007
Valentine's Flashback
I have no idea why this popped into my head....I swear if you didn't know me you'd think I was on some serious drugs. I may be loopy right now because of having a stomach virus all week and not being able to injest any food of substance. But anyway, i'm going to share with you a flashback I had of some previous Valentine's Days (random - I know...just go with me on this).
A few days before Valentine's Day about 5 or 6 years ago, I was dancing on the bar at a Biker bar in downtown Manhattan with a few of the girls from my band at my bass player's bachelorette party. None of these facts are relevant....I just like remembering the details. This guy named Jeff, who was a Canadian transplant living in Manhattan for work, decided I was his favorite. I guess we exchanged email addresses because a few days later, I got a message from him. Turns out we only lived two blocks from each other on the Upper West Side. We decided to get together on a Wednesday or Thursday night that week. It wasn't until we were actually out that we realized it was Valentine's Day. I don't remember if we went out to eat. I do remember we went to Evelyn Lounge in our neighborhood for some drinks and we went back to his place for a "nightcap" of an illegal substance.....yeah, very different Nicole than the one those of you who've recently met me now know. I was a crazy (and i'll admit somewhat promiscuous) drummer/dancer chic living in New York. I didn't get home until the next morning (i'll leave it up to your imagination) but I do remember it was one of those mornings that I felt crappy about. This was the beginning of the end of my wild child mid-20s. Jeff and I kept in touch and did get together again a few months later before he moved back to Toronto. I haven't seen or spoken to him since that last time.
The following year, I actually planned a very last minute first date that I had met on the internet. I remember his name was Morgan. He was an attorney. I wasn't very attracted to him. He drank ALOT and I had cut back at that point. We went to eat at North West which was across the street from the Evelyn Lounge so we ended up there afterwards. Deja vu. This night would not end the same as the year before however - he wanted it to. He wanted me to invite him up. Just wasn't worth it for me. And it felt great saying no. Progress was being made.
About a month ago, I was catching up with one of my friends over lunch, and for the first time, I said it out loud. I really enjoy being single right now. And I truly meant it. Ok, i'll admit, there are moments when you just want some attention or would enjoy a night of cuddling. But overall, it's a good place to be in. I have my share of crushes - some of them forbidden which makes it even more fun. But i've embraced the positive aspect of being unattached.
If someone amazing comes by, I won't let him go. But in the meantime, my friends and my sport are my priorities and are all the fulfillment I need.
A few days before Valentine's Day about 5 or 6 years ago, I was dancing on the bar at a Biker bar in downtown Manhattan with a few of the girls from my band at my bass player's bachelorette party. None of these facts are relevant....I just like remembering the details. This guy named Jeff, who was a Canadian transplant living in Manhattan for work, decided I was his favorite. I guess we exchanged email addresses because a few days later, I got a message from him. Turns out we only lived two blocks from each other on the Upper West Side. We decided to get together on a Wednesday or Thursday night that week. It wasn't until we were actually out that we realized it was Valentine's Day. I don't remember if we went out to eat. I do remember we went to Evelyn Lounge in our neighborhood for some drinks and we went back to his place for a "nightcap" of an illegal substance.....yeah, very different Nicole than the one those of you who've recently met me now know. I was a crazy (and i'll admit somewhat promiscuous) drummer/dancer chic living in New York. I didn't get home until the next morning (i'll leave it up to your imagination) but I do remember it was one of those mornings that I felt crappy about. This was the beginning of the end of my wild child mid-20s. Jeff and I kept in touch and did get together again a few months later before he moved back to Toronto. I haven't seen or spoken to him since that last time.
The following year, I actually planned a very last minute first date that I had met on the internet. I remember his name was Morgan. He was an attorney. I wasn't very attracted to him. He drank ALOT and I had cut back at that point. We went to eat at North West which was across the street from the Evelyn Lounge so we ended up there afterwards. Deja vu. This night would not end the same as the year before however - he wanted it to. He wanted me to invite him up. Just wasn't worth it for me. And it felt great saying no. Progress was being made.
About a month ago, I was catching up with one of my friends over lunch, and for the first time, I said it out loud. I really enjoy being single right now. And I truly meant it. Ok, i'll admit, there are moments when you just want some attention or would enjoy a night of cuddling. But overall, it's a good place to be in. I have my share of crushes - some of them forbidden which makes it even more fun. But i've embraced the positive aspect of being unattached.
If someone amazing comes by, I won't let him go. But in the meantime, my friends and my sport are my priorities and are all the fulfillment I need.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Can't ..... Stop..... Crying
Jesus - i'm like a leaky faucet these days! It's one thing to be a sensitive, emotional person. But it's another to not be able to control the tears from flowing when in public.
Exhibit #1:
Today, at the nail salon, as i'm getting my pedicure and reading the January Runner's World, CNN was airing a special on the orphans in Africa who's parents died from AIDS. I tried not to pay attention, but I could hear those children's voices. That did it - the tears started flowing.
Exhibit #2:
I already mentioned this in an earlier post, once I hit mile 20 at the NYC Marathon, seeing the physically challenged athlete walking with his guide, followed by bagpipers, uncontrollable tears streamed down my face. I put my sunglasses on to try to hide it. But those tears kept creeping up during that last 10K.
Exhibit #3:
Yesterday, in my boss's office, when she called me in to say she felt I was "unhappy". I am unhappy there, but I can't fully tell her why because I need this job, I need this paycheck, I need this health insurance. I can't leave until I know I have secured some other form of income, especially since my mother has just been layed off from her job (after being their for 15 years - nice huh). I have to step up and help out. As I was telling her some of the frustrations I had with my job (choosing my words carefully so as to try not to jeopardize my employment there), the tears started flowing. It was embarrassing. I felt so unprofessional.
Exhibit #4:
Reading Jenna's blog about the Philadelphia marathon made me cry - but I guess that wasn't in public. So did watching the Ironman World Championship special on NBC today - again, that was in my home. But still...the tears!
On a side note about the meeting with my boss - one thing she said to me was that the only thing that she knows about me is that I love my sports. She wishes I was as excited about my job as I am about sports. I can't explain that to her. I'm a dancer - even though i'm retired, i'll always be a dancer. I've been physically training my body since I was three years old. It's a way of life. It's like breathing for me. I'm only an average runner/triathlete right now - but training and competing - learning how to use my body in a different way - it feels like home to me. It feels natural, comfortable. It makes me feel like all is right in my world. It is the only thing that makes me truly happy. I'm having a hard time finding the words to describe this - i'm not doing it any justice. I suppose what i'm saying is, it's essential to my being. I'm dancing in the water, through transitions, on the trails and roads.
But back to the crying - I feel like at some point, everyday, I don't know what's going to set it off, but something will. It's like I feel too much. Is this what happens when you turn 31? Too much estrogen flowing through me? When will it stop?!??! I'm not saying I haven't been an emotional person all my life - but now, this is ridiculous.
Exhibit #1:
Today, at the nail salon, as i'm getting my pedicure and reading the January Runner's World, CNN was airing a special on the orphans in Africa who's parents died from AIDS. I tried not to pay attention, but I could hear those children's voices. That did it - the tears started flowing.
Exhibit #2:
I already mentioned this in an earlier post, once I hit mile 20 at the NYC Marathon, seeing the physically challenged athlete walking with his guide, followed by bagpipers, uncontrollable tears streamed down my face. I put my sunglasses on to try to hide it. But those tears kept creeping up during that last 10K.
Exhibit #3:
Yesterday, in my boss's office, when she called me in to say she felt I was "unhappy". I am unhappy there, but I can't fully tell her why because I need this job, I need this paycheck, I need this health insurance. I can't leave until I know I have secured some other form of income, especially since my mother has just been layed off from her job (after being their for 15 years - nice huh). I have to step up and help out. As I was telling her some of the frustrations I had with my job (choosing my words carefully so as to try not to jeopardize my employment there), the tears started flowing. It was embarrassing. I felt so unprofessional.
Exhibit #4:
Reading Jenna's blog about the Philadelphia marathon made me cry - but I guess that wasn't in public. So did watching the Ironman World Championship special on NBC today - again, that was in my home. But still...the tears!
On a side note about the meeting with my boss - one thing she said to me was that the only thing that she knows about me is that I love my sports. She wishes I was as excited about my job as I am about sports. I can't explain that to her. I'm a dancer - even though i'm retired, i'll always be a dancer. I've been physically training my body since I was three years old. It's a way of life. It's like breathing for me. I'm only an average runner/triathlete right now - but training and competing - learning how to use my body in a different way - it feels like home to me. It feels natural, comfortable. It makes me feel like all is right in my world. It is the only thing that makes me truly happy. I'm having a hard time finding the words to describe this - i'm not doing it any justice. I suppose what i'm saying is, it's essential to my being. I'm dancing in the water, through transitions, on the trails and roads.
But back to the crying - I feel like at some point, everyday, I don't know what's going to set it off, but something will. It's like I feel too much. Is this what happens when you turn 31? Too much estrogen flowing through me? When will it stop?!??! I'm not saying I haven't been an emotional person all my life - but now, this is ridiculous.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
2008 Season
I've been quietly registering for races for the 2008 Season this fall. I say quietly because my coach didn't want me to focus on next season until I had completed the NYC Marathon a few weeks ago. But registrations for popular races I was interested in doing opened before then and I had to jump in before they were sold out.
So as of now, this is what my 2008 season looks like, subject to change of course. Those in bold are races i've already registered for. The others I haven't cleared with my coach yet.
April 6 - More Half-Marathon in New York
May 4 - Broad Street Run (10-miler) in Philadelphia
May 18 - Columbia Triathlon (Olympic) in Maryland
June 8 - Cheasapeake Bay 1-Mile Swim in Maryland
June 22 - Philadelphia Triathlon (Olympic)
July 6 - Philadelphia Women's Triathlon (Sprint)
July 20 - New York City Triathlon (Olympic)
August 3 - SheROX Triathlon (Sprint) in Philadelphia
August 17 - Timberman 70.3 Aqua-Bike in New Hampshire
September 7 - Diamondman Triathlon (Sprint) in Delaware
September 21 - Philadelphia Distance Run (Half-Marathon)
September 28 - Cape Henlopen Triathlon (Sprint) in Delaware
As you can see, i've already committed to the big ones, and they're all roughly a month apart. So we'll see what my coach says about the others. As of right now, i'm injury free - which is HUGE! I spent an entire year training and competing while trying to rehab and manage my injury. But as my coach reminds me, and I know deep down, i'm not in the clear. I could continue to develop overuse running injuries. Alot of it stems from how I used my body as a dancer and the ramifications of all the pounding and use my ankles went through those 20 or so years. The flip side is, my dance background is aiding in my ability to be a fairly decent swimmer. I've been swimming for less than a year but I make noticable improvements almost every time I get in the water now. Notice that I haven't added a marathon to this list. I'm taking a break from marathons in 2008.
I have many goals for the future in regards to my athletic endeavors. I do want to complete an ironman one day. I do want to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I do want to compete in the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim 4.4 mile challenge. But these things aren't happening in 2008.
What I do want to happen in 2008 is:
1. Drop 20 pounds and get back into top form (i've gotten quite heavy during this injury year - it's time to shed these pounds for good!)
2. Stay injury free and get stronger!
3. Drastically improve on my Olympic triathlon times (i've only done 2 so far and both were over 3 hours long. I should easily be able to break the 3 hour mark - the majority of doing this is mentally preparing myself for these races)
4. Prepare myself to tackle full half-ironmans in 2009 (hence starting with the Aqua-bike portion this year at Timberman)
I had a 2 week off-season (after the NYC Marathon) before my coach started putting more workouts on my schedule for base training for next season. That started last week. Unfortunately, this base training hasn't gottten off the ground just yet as i've been sick for well over a week now. It's very frustrating...so the off-season has actually been extended to a month now. I'm optimistic that i'll be able to get back to it next week.
I'm very excited to focus on next year. I've bumped of my level of training with my coach so I can participate in more structured group workouts each week and get a few personal workouts (in addition to other added benefits). I still feel so incredibly fortunate to have him. Even if other aspects of my life aren't exactly where i'd like them to be at this point, training and competing is something that truly makes me happy. And the people that i've met through the sport, whether it be the other athletes at my multi-sport center, my wonderful teammates, triathletes i'm getting to know in cyberland over myspace, or other competitors at the races themselves, makes this whole venture that much more fulfilling.
So as of now, this is what my 2008 season looks like, subject to change of course. Those in bold are races i've already registered for. The others I haven't cleared with my coach yet.
April 6 - More Half-Marathon in New York
May 4 - Broad Street Run (10-miler) in Philadelphia
May 18 - Columbia Triathlon (Olympic) in Maryland
June 8 - Cheasapeake Bay 1-Mile Swim in Maryland
June 22 - Philadelphia Triathlon (Olympic)
July 6 - Philadelphia Women's Triathlon (Sprint)
July 20 - New York City Triathlon (Olympic)
August 3 - SheROX Triathlon (Sprint) in Philadelphia
August 17 - Timberman 70.3 Aqua-Bike in New Hampshire
September 7 - Diamondman Triathlon (Sprint) in Delaware
September 21 - Philadelphia Distance Run (Half-Marathon)
September 28 - Cape Henlopen Triathlon (Sprint) in Delaware
As you can see, i've already committed to the big ones, and they're all roughly a month apart. So we'll see what my coach says about the others. As of right now, i'm injury free - which is HUGE! I spent an entire year training and competing while trying to rehab and manage my injury. But as my coach reminds me, and I know deep down, i'm not in the clear. I could continue to develop overuse running injuries. Alot of it stems from how I used my body as a dancer and the ramifications of all the pounding and use my ankles went through those 20 or so years. The flip side is, my dance background is aiding in my ability to be a fairly decent swimmer. I've been swimming for less than a year but I make noticable improvements almost every time I get in the water now. Notice that I haven't added a marathon to this list. I'm taking a break from marathons in 2008.
I have many goals for the future in regards to my athletic endeavors. I do want to complete an ironman one day. I do want to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I do want to compete in the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim 4.4 mile challenge. But these things aren't happening in 2008.
What I do want to happen in 2008 is:
1. Drop 20 pounds and get back into top form (i've gotten quite heavy during this injury year - it's time to shed these pounds for good!)
2. Stay injury free and get stronger!
3. Drastically improve on my Olympic triathlon times (i've only done 2 so far and both were over 3 hours long. I should easily be able to break the 3 hour mark - the majority of doing this is mentally preparing myself for these races)
4. Prepare myself to tackle full half-ironmans in 2009 (hence starting with the Aqua-bike portion this year at Timberman)
I had a 2 week off-season (after the NYC Marathon) before my coach started putting more workouts on my schedule for base training for next season. That started last week. Unfortunately, this base training hasn't gottten off the ground just yet as i've been sick for well over a week now. It's very frustrating...so the off-season has actually been extended to a month now. I'm optimistic that i'll be able to get back to it next week.
I'm very excited to focus on next year. I've bumped of my level of training with my coach so I can participate in more structured group workouts each week and get a few personal workouts (in addition to other added benefits). I still feel so incredibly fortunate to have him. Even if other aspects of my life aren't exactly where i'd like them to be at this point, training and competing is something that truly makes me happy. And the people that i've met through the sport, whether it be the other athletes at my multi-sport center, my wonderful teammates, triathletes i'm getting to know in cyberland over myspace, or other competitors at the races themselves, makes this whole venture that much more fulfilling.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Tell me your life story
Am I the only one who runs into these types of situations? I'll be sitting or standing quietly in a public place - like a subway car or an elevator or the locker room - and some random stranger will decide to share his or her life story with me. No, I didn't ask them for it. I didn't even make eye contact with them. I'm normally engrossed in some other activity, like reading a magazine or getting dressed. Yet, for some reason, these people think that I (and ONLY me - not the other people in our general vicinity) wants to know all about the surgery they're going to have, or the family problems their facing.
Perfect example - just this morning, I was sitting in the waiting room of my OB/GYN's office when an elderly woman came into the room having just finished her appointment. She looks at me and asks if it's still raining outside. My answer was simple - No. Clearly, that "No" really meant "Why don't you tell me your life story old lady?" So she proceeds to let me know how she chose the lighter jacket because it was getting warmer outside and she didn't want to have to carry all her rain gear to the appointment, it would have been a hassle, so she chanced it wearing this particular jacket. I just smiled and nodded - and was thinking that would be that.
Then she proceeded to tell me she only comes to this office once a year and gets everything done in that one appointment. I responded saying I wish I could only come once a year.....Big Mistake Nicole! That opened up a long-winded, one-sided discussion. The woman had 3 children in 33 months and wouldn't change it for the world. Her one son, who is 52, worked in sales, but because of nepotism in the workplace, he decided later in life he wanted to be a math teacher and coached football, baseball and soccer. Of course, had she been asked when her son graduated college what he should do with his life, she would have encouraged him to be a teacher. But he didn't ask so she wasn't going to say anything. She wished she had because he could have gotten a job in a suburban school instead of in the inner city.
Two of her children and their families came home from Thanksgiving, so she had 10 people for dinner. They all wanted to see grand-dad, who is suffering from Alzheimers. She's heartbroken - they've been married for 57 years and he took care of her through 4 surgeries so she wasn't about to put him in a home. At least at home he won't leave, and he always takes her hand when he leaves the house. And about that 57 years, her granddaughter from California can't understand why her father left her mother (it was unclear to me who her child was - the father or the mother - because she had 2 boys and 1 girl).
I'm sure there is more that i'm forgetting at this point...I just smiled and nodded. I literally did not say one word. And I was trapped. I was waiting for my appointment - there was nowhere to escape to. Fortunately, I only had to wait for about 5 minutes (yes, she told me all this in a short 5 minutes) and our one-sided conversation had to end. It's not that she's not a nice lady - she was quite pleasant, and obviously a bit on the lonely side and wanted someone to talk to (or have listen to her). But i'm not exaggerating when I say this happens to me almost on a weekly basis. Last week it was the Asian woman in the locker room at my gym who sang me a song about "Swimming After Thanksgiving" (she was very amused at her ability to rhyme) since she saw I had just come in from the pool. She was going to Brigantine, NJ to see her son for the Holiday.
Ok, I can certainly open up to people too - and I do, especially when getting to know someone. But that's the difference, it's someone i'm wanting to get to know - not some random stranger that i'll probably never see again. Hmmm...I supposse I can see the benefit in divulging personal information to a stranger like that now. It could be therapeutic in some ways I guess. Still, I don't know why i'm that stranger they choose. It's like I have "Tell my your life story" stamped across my forehead.
Perfect example - just this morning, I was sitting in the waiting room of my OB/GYN's office when an elderly woman came into the room having just finished her appointment. She looks at me and asks if it's still raining outside. My answer was simple - No. Clearly, that "No" really meant "Why don't you tell me your life story old lady?" So she proceeds to let me know how she chose the lighter jacket because it was getting warmer outside and she didn't want to have to carry all her rain gear to the appointment, it would have been a hassle, so she chanced it wearing this particular jacket. I just smiled and nodded - and was thinking that would be that.
Then she proceeded to tell me she only comes to this office once a year and gets everything done in that one appointment. I responded saying I wish I could only come once a year.....Big Mistake Nicole! That opened up a long-winded, one-sided discussion. The woman had 3 children in 33 months and wouldn't change it for the world. Her one son, who is 52, worked in sales, but because of nepotism in the workplace, he decided later in life he wanted to be a math teacher and coached football, baseball and soccer. Of course, had she been asked when her son graduated college what he should do with his life, she would have encouraged him to be a teacher. But he didn't ask so she wasn't going to say anything. She wished she had because he could have gotten a job in a suburban school instead of in the inner city.
Two of her children and their families came home from Thanksgiving, so she had 10 people for dinner. They all wanted to see grand-dad, who is suffering from Alzheimers. She's heartbroken - they've been married for 57 years and he took care of her through 4 surgeries so she wasn't about to put him in a home. At least at home he won't leave, and he always takes her hand when he leaves the house. And about that 57 years, her granddaughter from California can't understand why her father left her mother (it was unclear to me who her child was - the father or the mother - because she had 2 boys and 1 girl).
I'm sure there is more that i'm forgetting at this point...I just smiled and nodded. I literally did not say one word. And I was trapped. I was waiting for my appointment - there was nowhere to escape to. Fortunately, I only had to wait for about 5 minutes (yes, she told me all this in a short 5 minutes) and our one-sided conversation had to end. It's not that she's not a nice lady - she was quite pleasant, and obviously a bit on the lonely side and wanted someone to talk to (or have listen to her). But i'm not exaggerating when I say this happens to me almost on a weekly basis. Last week it was the Asian woman in the locker room at my gym who sang me a song about "Swimming After Thanksgiving" (she was very amused at her ability to rhyme) since she saw I had just come in from the pool. She was going to Brigantine, NJ to see her son for the Holiday.
Ok, I can certainly open up to people too - and I do, especially when getting to know someone. But that's the difference, it's someone i'm wanting to get to know - not some random stranger that i'll probably never see again. Hmmm...I supposse I can see the benefit in divulging personal information to a stranger like that now. It could be therapeutic in some ways I guess. Still, I don't know why i'm that stranger they choose. It's like I have "Tell my your life story" stamped across my forehead.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Philadelphia Marathon - one year later
We had an opening night at our theatre the night before the Philadelphia Marathon. So I didn't get to bed until 11:30 pm. I still could have gotten 5.5 hours of sleep - enough to get through the day on Sunday - but that didn't happen. It was one of those nights that I just kept staring at the clock. Midnight, 1 am, 2 am - I think I got about 2.5 hours of sleep Saturday night. But still, when my alarm went off at 5 am, I jumped right out of bed, feeling wide awake. I knew I eventually was going to crash - it was just a matter of when.
I washed up, grabbed my bag full of goodies and first aide for the runners, the signs I had made, bundled up and made my way to the train station. The train got into Market East train station at 7 am which was the time the marathon was scheduled to start. My first stop was going to be just past mile 5 on Chestnut St. and 6th St., right by Independence Hall. In that six block walk the winds picked up and swirled some of the drizzle around, making it feel even colder than the temperature actually was.
Center City - Mile 5:
I arrived at the corner to see two volunteers who looked like high school students with a clipboard and about 5 cones not set up yet. Traffic was still going down both Chestnut and 6th streets, No police cars in site to close down the roads. I was confused - did they change the course? Did I miss something? After all, it was after 7 am - the race should be underway and being just past mile 5, those Kenyans leading the race could have been there in 25 minutes. Then, I saw a bunch of cop cars with flashing lights coming down Sixth Street (the wrong way on a one way street with traffic still on it) in front of the lead wheelchair marathoner. The volunteers moved the cones to block off any more traffic from coming onto sixth street and the cops cleared the traffic from Chestnut.
Minutes after three wheelchair competitors rolled by was the lead pack of men - about 7 of them. Yes, they were all Kenyans as suspected with the excpetion of one guy - don't know where he was from but he was white. They all glided along the streets like gazelles - it's amazing how fast they were. At this point I had bumped into a guy on a bike who was waiting for the lead women. I was as well as a member of my triathlon team was a woman in contention for an Olympic trial spot. Turns out this guy was the owner of one of the sponsors of my triathlon team and we were both waiting for Abby to run by. So we chatted for a bit - then we saw Abby run by - looking strong - one of the first women on the course.
He went on his way and I waited. At this point, PJ had met up with me as well as Dina and Karen - both from my running group. Now there were throngs of runners turning the corner - there were so many people for me to look out for but it was impossible to pick people out in this crowd. Fortunately, one person I was waiting for, Mike, saw me and screamed my name. Then, a few minutes later, a group of Phillyfitters (my running group) we were waiting for came by. At this point, it was about 8:30 am and the four of us walked a few blocks to PJ's car to make our way to the 9 mile mark.
Fairmount Park: Miles 9 - 12
After navigating road closures and parking in the hood, we made it to mile 9 just in the nick of time to catch Jenna and the other phillyfitters. While the runners ran up a hill and did a big loop in fairmount park by Memorial Hall to come back down along West River Drive on the way to the halfway point, we only had to walk about 50 yards to the 12 mile mark along the river. Not many spectators were at this spot, so we decided it was time to step it up. All the signs came out, noise makers, my cup with twizzlers for the runners, and lots of shouting. At this point, my Tri teammate Mare met up with us to join in the spectating.
After Jenna and crew ran by us at mile 12, we split up - PJ, Dina and Karen went back to his car to move it again closer to the finish line. Mare and I decided to walk along the route - up the river to the art museum which was the half-way point as well as the finish. We got to the finish line just as the clock was nearing the 3 hour mark. It was great seeing these runners on top of their game, achieving their goal of finishing a sub 3 hour marathon - a fete I couldn't imagine. Then we continued on, going down Kelly Drive which was the out and back for miles 14 - 26 for the marathoners.
Kelly Drive: Miles 14-18 going out and Miles 22-26 coming back
Mare and I ran into one of our Triathlon teammates who ran the half-marathon and had set a PR. As we continued on she ran into another person from her running club and hung with her as I continued to walk down the course. I had promised Jenna I would run her in, just as she had run me in the previous year. At this point, I was catching runners who were in the last miles, trying to get a sub-4 hour time. Alot of them looked to be in pain. After passing mile 25, there were very little spectators on the course. So as I continued to walk, I started shouting to the runners again. It was odd to be outside on the drive, next to the river with hundreds of runners yet the only thing to be heard was my voice. I decided to pull out the "Say No to Chafing" sign I had created (which Jenna and crew made for last year's marathon) and I filled up my cup of twizzlers. I caught the eye of most runners with the sign, seeing lots of smiles and chuckles and was constantly refilling my twizzlers cup - it was a big hit with the runners. At mile 24.5, PJ and Beth (who had just come in from Atlantic City) met up with me and continued walking down with me for a bit.
At this point I had gotten a text from Jenna saying she was at mile 18 and was now running alone so as far down as I could meet her would be appreciated. PJ and Beth wanted to turn around and start walking back to the finish so they could be there when Jenna came in, so I gave them my coat, bag, and jeans and got ready to head further down along the course to find Jenna. Just as I started running down, a cop car came onto the course heading out, which signaled to me that the gentleman in front of the car was the last runner in the marathon. I decided I was going to try and run with him until I met up with Jenna.
So I met Ed. Ed was 61 years old. This was his first marathon. When he was 50, he wanted to run one but got very busy. When he turned 60, he decided it was time to put this thought into action. We talked about training, proper recovery time, proper nutrition. I gave him encouragement heading into Manayunk. He was a little concerned about the hills in Manayunk but I assured him the roughest climbs were behind him at that point. We ran together for about a mile or so when I ran into Jenna heading back. This was just past the 22 mile mark for her and just after the 17 mile mark for Ed. I gave Ed a big hug and told him he was doing great and he was going to finish his first marathon.
Jenna was running faster than Ed, obviously, so as I turned around, I had to pick up the pace a bit. I don't know how Jenna felt about it, but it seemed like these last 4 miles flew by. We just chatted the whole time. She was running a steady pace - passing quite a few people. If she was in pain she wasn't letting it show. Just before we got to mile 26, we ran into PJ and Beth. That put a big smile on Jenna's face. Another reason to smile was that she was going to reach one of her goals - to beat Katie Holmes time from the NYC marathon 2 weeks ago. So with only a few hundred meters to go, I pulled out to run behing the gates as Jenna quickly picked up her pace, sprinting to the finish in the chute. She looked good and strong and she nailed it! She set a PR by over 25 minutes! I was so proud of her. It was a smart race for her and she accomplished something huge. Abby, my triathlon teammate, also achieved her goal and qualified to run in the women's olympic qualifying marathon in Boston in April! She finished in 2:45 I believe (she needed a sub 2:47 performance). I think she did even better than Lance did in New York!
It was a cold day - remained in the low 40s with a nippy wind and rain. I ended up walking a total of 12 miles that day and ran about 5 miles. I had slept for 2.5 hours and had only eaten a slimfast bar. I may not have run the marathon, but I was wiped out by the time I got home at around 2 pm. I really enjoyed spectating, connecting with the runners, making them laugh, helping them get through it. I'm also glad that i'm taking a break from doing marathons in 2008 to focus more on triathlons. Not that triathlons can't be rough on your body - but the two marathons i've done were just too painful for my liking. I know i'll get back out there and finish another 26.2 - but that will have to wait until 2009.
If you ever have the opportunity to go and spectate at a race - do so, even if you don't know anybody running it. And when you go, don't be a passive spectator. The runners feel and can feed off your energy, and especially in those later miles, they need that. I know that is the only way I got through that awful climb at mile 23 up 5th Ave in New York - it was the spectators keeping me in it. The No Chafing sign and twizzlers are going to be a permanent fixture at the Philadelphia Marathon for now on along West River and Kelly Drive. So if you want to come out to Philly next year to run - look for the No Chafing girl on the sidelines!
I washed up, grabbed my bag full of goodies and first aide for the runners, the signs I had made, bundled up and made my way to the train station. The train got into Market East train station at 7 am which was the time the marathon was scheduled to start. My first stop was going to be just past mile 5 on Chestnut St. and 6th St., right by Independence Hall. In that six block walk the winds picked up and swirled some of the drizzle around, making it feel even colder than the temperature actually was.
Center City - Mile 5:
I arrived at the corner to see two volunteers who looked like high school students with a clipboard and about 5 cones not set up yet. Traffic was still going down both Chestnut and 6th streets, No police cars in site to close down the roads. I was confused - did they change the course? Did I miss something? After all, it was after 7 am - the race should be underway and being just past mile 5, those Kenyans leading the race could have been there in 25 minutes. Then, I saw a bunch of cop cars with flashing lights coming down Sixth Street (the wrong way on a one way street with traffic still on it) in front of the lead wheelchair marathoner. The volunteers moved the cones to block off any more traffic from coming onto sixth street and the cops cleared the traffic from Chestnut.
Minutes after three wheelchair competitors rolled by was the lead pack of men - about 7 of them. Yes, they were all Kenyans as suspected with the excpetion of one guy - don't know where he was from but he was white. They all glided along the streets like gazelles - it's amazing how fast they were. At this point I had bumped into a guy on a bike who was waiting for the lead women. I was as well as a member of my triathlon team was a woman in contention for an Olympic trial spot. Turns out this guy was the owner of one of the sponsors of my triathlon team and we were both waiting for Abby to run by. So we chatted for a bit - then we saw Abby run by - looking strong - one of the first women on the course.
He went on his way and I waited. At this point, PJ had met up with me as well as Dina and Karen - both from my running group. Now there were throngs of runners turning the corner - there were so many people for me to look out for but it was impossible to pick people out in this crowd. Fortunately, one person I was waiting for, Mike, saw me and screamed my name. Then, a few minutes later, a group of Phillyfitters (my running group) we were waiting for came by. At this point, it was about 8:30 am and the four of us walked a few blocks to PJ's car to make our way to the 9 mile mark.
Fairmount Park: Miles 9 - 12
After navigating road closures and parking in the hood, we made it to mile 9 just in the nick of time to catch Jenna and the other phillyfitters. While the runners ran up a hill and did a big loop in fairmount park by Memorial Hall to come back down along West River Drive on the way to the halfway point, we only had to walk about 50 yards to the 12 mile mark along the river. Not many spectators were at this spot, so we decided it was time to step it up. All the signs came out, noise makers, my cup with twizzlers for the runners, and lots of shouting. At this point, my Tri teammate Mare met up with us to join in the spectating.
After Jenna and crew ran by us at mile 12, we split up - PJ, Dina and Karen went back to his car to move it again closer to the finish line. Mare and I decided to walk along the route - up the river to the art museum which was the half-way point as well as the finish. We got to the finish line just as the clock was nearing the 3 hour mark. It was great seeing these runners on top of their game, achieving their goal of finishing a sub 3 hour marathon - a fete I couldn't imagine. Then we continued on, going down Kelly Drive which was the out and back for miles 14 - 26 for the marathoners.
Kelly Drive: Miles 14-18 going out and Miles 22-26 coming back
Mare and I ran into one of our Triathlon teammates who ran the half-marathon and had set a PR. As we continued on she ran into another person from her running club and hung with her as I continued to walk down the course. I had promised Jenna I would run her in, just as she had run me in the previous year. At this point, I was catching runners who were in the last miles, trying to get a sub-4 hour time. Alot of them looked to be in pain. After passing mile 25, there were very little spectators on the course. So as I continued to walk, I started shouting to the runners again. It was odd to be outside on the drive, next to the river with hundreds of runners yet the only thing to be heard was my voice. I decided to pull out the "Say No to Chafing" sign I had created (which Jenna and crew made for last year's marathon) and I filled up my cup of twizzlers. I caught the eye of most runners with the sign, seeing lots of smiles and chuckles and was constantly refilling my twizzlers cup - it was a big hit with the runners. At mile 24.5, PJ and Beth (who had just come in from Atlantic City) met up with me and continued walking down with me for a bit.
At this point I had gotten a text from Jenna saying she was at mile 18 and was now running alone so as far down as I could meet her would be appreciated. PJ and Beth wanted to turn around and start walking back to the finish so they could be there when Jenna came in, so I gave them my coat, bag, and jeans and got ready to head further down along the course to find Jenna. Just as I started running down, a cop car came onto the course heading out, which signaled to me that the gentleman in front of the car was the last runner in the marathon. I decided I was going to try and run with him until I met up with Jenna.
So I met Ed. Ed was 61 years old. This was his first marathon. When he was 50, he wanted to run one but got very busy. When he turned 60, he decided it was time to put this thought into action. We talked about training, proper recovery time, proper nutrition. I gave him encouragement heading into Manayunk. He was a little concerned about the hills in Manayunk but I assured him the roughest climbs were behind him at that point. We ran together for about a mile or so when I ran into Jenna heading back. This was just past the 22 mile mark for her and just after the 17 mile mark for Ed. I gave Ed a big hug and told him he was doing great and he was going to finish his first marathon.
Jenna was running faster than Ed, obviously, so as I turned around, I had to pick up the pace a bit. I don't know how Jenna felt about it, but it seemed like these last 4 miles flew by. We just chatted the whole time. She was running a steady pace - passing quite a few people. If she was in pain she wasn't letting it show. Just before we got to mile 26, we ran into PJ and Beth. That put a big smile on Jenna's face. Another reason to smile was that she was going to reach one of her goals - to beat Katie Holmes time from the NYC marathon 2 weeks ago. So with only a few hundred meters to go, I pulled out to run behing the gates as Jenna quickly picked up her pace, sprinting to the finish in the chute. She looked good and strong and she nailed it! She set a PR by over 25 minutes! I was so proud of her. It was a smart race for her and she accomplished something huge. Abby, my triathlon teammate, also achieved her goal and qualified to run in the women's olympic qualifying marathon in Boston in April! She finished in 2:45 I believe (she needed a sub 2:47 performance). I think she did even better than Lance did in New York!
It was a cold day - remained in the low 40s with a nippy wind and rain. I ended up walking a total of 12 miles that day and ran about 5 miles. I had slept for 2.5 hours and had only eaten a slimfast bar. I may not have run the marathon, but I was wiped out by the time I got home at around 2 pm. I really enjoyed spectating, connecting with the runners, making them laugh, helping them get through it. I'm also glad that i'm taking a break from doing marathons in 2008 to focus more on triathlons. Not that triathlons can't be rough on your body - but the two marathons i've done were just too painful for my liking. I know i'll get back out there and finish another 26.2 - but that will have to wait until 2009.
If you ever have the opportunity to go and spectate at a race - do so, even if you don't know anybody running it. And when you go, don't be a passive spectator. The runners feel and can feed off your energy, and especially in those later miles, they need that. I know that is the only way I got through that awful climb at mile 23 up 5th Ave in New York - it was the spectators keeping me in it. The No Chafing sign and twizzlers are going to be a permanent fixture at the Philadelphia Marathon for now on along West River and Kelly Drive. So if you want to come out to Philly next year to run - look for the No Chafing girl on the sidelines!
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Keep on Keeping on
Rudy is one of my all-time favorite movies. I suppose growing up as a Philadelphia Sports fan, i'm used to rooting for the underdog. More importantly, why I love this movie so much, it reminds me to keep on keeping on - never give up. When you have a dream - go for it, at all costs. You have to believe in it, even if no one else does. I have to remind myself of this, almost daily, when i'm faced with different obstacles to my dreams. We only live once, so why not make it be the life we want it to be, instead of letting society dictate to us what it should be. More so than society, I find it's myself that holds me back the most - it can be scary to pursue your dreams. Alot of times, it's easier to be comfortable or complacent, not take that risk. I guess you have to ask how important is this dream for you? For me, it's pretty damn important...so I have to take those risks. I just need to remind myself that it will be worth it to do so.
I have to admit, i've been somewhat in a funk since the marathon last weekend. I'm not happy with the outcome. I'm happy I showed up, i'm happy my coach got me there healthy, i'm happy i'm still healthy and that I finished. But I didn't leave it all out there. I don't feel I pushed or tried hard enough. One (of many) of my goals is to qualify and run the Boston Marathon. It seems like a tall order with my recent performance in NY. It may not happy next year or the year after that...but someday, it will happen. I just have to keep on keeping on until it does.
I have to admit, i've been somewhat in a funk since the marathon last weekend. I'm not happy with the outcome. I'm happy I showed up, i'm happy my coach got me there healthy, i'm happy i'm still healthy and that I finished. But I didn't leave it all out there. I don't feel I pushed or tried hard enough. One (of many) of my goals is to qualify and run the Boston Marathon. It seems like a tall order with my recent performance in NY. It may not happy next year or the year after that...but someday, it will happen. I just have to keep on keeping on until it does.
Monday, November 05, 2007
NYC Marathon
This is how I feel at this moment:
I wasn't nervous at all the day before the race. I was just really excited and thankful to be able to do this thing considering the long road i'd had to recovery after my injury last year.
Pre-Marathon
Joe woke me up at 5:55 am and by 6:30 we were off to the Staten Island Ferry. Joe was running this marathon as part of a charity group, Team For Kids, so I got to meet a few of them. Another runner, Matt, from the team was doing this is his first marathon - this was also Joe's first marathon. I was happy for them and almost jealous because you only get one first! We got off the Ferry and this is where Joe and I had to depart because he had a team bus to take him to another start wave than I was in. It was about a 15 minute drive to Fort Wadsworth park in Staten Island where the different corrals were set up. During this ride, I got a glimpse of the Verrazano Bridge, which was the start of the race, and this was the first time I had a shot of nerves go through my body.
It was just after 8 am at this point - the official start of the race was at 10:10 am so I had quite a bit of time to kill. They had different tents set up with food, drink, etc, but it was within that 2 hour window of the start when anything I would eat at that point would sit like a rock in my stomach and bother my run, so I just drank my water and sat down in a sunny spot in the field to watch all the other runners mill about. I met two women from Germany sitting next me. The Philly marathon is great, a decent size race. But this race is enormous - 37,000 runners with a truly diverse international field. All the race announcements were made in several languages over the loudspeaker at the start. It made me realize that I was part of something really big here.
Just after 9 am I decided to go find the UPS trucks where we'd be checking our bags. I walked into a mob scene. The trucks were parked in a gated parking lot with only about 10 feet of space for the 37,000 runners to walk in and out. As I got closer to the front of the entrance, I started to get nervous - alot of time was passing by, getting closer to when we needed to line up to head to the start. I also have a fear of getting crushed to death - when i'm a crowd with nowhere to go and people are pushing you every which way, I have a panic attack. Another runner took notice and offered to drop off my bag for me. I was so grateful to her but also felt a little guilty that she'd have problems getting to the start in time because she was dropping off my bag.
So I lined up within the F5000 - F5999 corral. The fastest 9000 women based on actual and predicted finish times got special F bibs and were staged at the front of the orange wave - it was stated that any men lining up in these corrals would be disqualified from the race but it wasn't really enforced. I was hoping I could finish the marathon in 4:30 - just over a 10 MM. It seemed achievable - I think I was overly ambitious and had put 4:15 down as my finish time a few months ago. My main goals this time around was to finish, uninjured, and to take it all in. I spoke with a woman from Irvine California while walking to the start - her telling me about the LA marathon and me sharing information about the Philadelphia Marathon. This was enough to distract me from getting too anxious and nervous about what we were about to do.
Marathon - The First Half
The starting cannon was shot and Frank Sinatra's New York, New York was played over the sound system. I couldn't help but smile and had a silly grin on my face for a quite some time. As we started to head over the Verrazano bridge into Brooklyn, the view of lower Manhattan was spectacular, so I couldn't resist stopping on the side of the road to take a picture. About 1.5 miles over the bridge we entered into Brooklyn and the crowds waiting to greet us.
All weekend long I had received so many amusing and encouraging text messages from my friends and they were still coming during this race, which was awesome. I knew the first of my friends spectating I would come across were in Park Slope, about 7 miles into the race. I really enjoyed these early miles - with the exception of a slow first mile (because of the crowd crossing the start, going slightly uphill on the bridge, and stopping to take pictures), I was running a comfortable sub-10MM pace, quick enough but what I believed would have been easy enough to sustain for the first half. The crowd was great - Lots of people shouting my name since I had written it on my shirt again. I ran all the way to the left side of the street so I could high 5 a bunch of the spectators.
When we got closer to Park Slope - the crowds started to grow and get louder. I knew the corner that Joe and Tina would be waiting at and I spotted them before they spotted me. So I stopped for hugs, pictures, and to refuel. It was awesome to see them. PJ had texted me to say he was around mile 8 so I continued on and found him in the crowd. I gave him a quick hug and ran by, knowing i'd see him later on in the course. Once we got into Williamsburg around mile 10, this was one of the quietest stretches on the course, the Hassidic Jewish neighborhood. The ones who were out there weren't much into cheering -they were more interested in trying to cross the street. A little further along getting more into downtown Williamsburg the crowds started to thicken again and I tried to find another friend I knew was cheering there, but couldn't find her.
When I got to the half-marathon mark, my splits had slowed a bit - I started realizing I was running closer to 10:30 MM. I attributed this to the elevation of the course - according to the elevation map, it didn't appear to be very hilly - but I found that there was hardly a stretch that was flat - quite a few of these inclines were very visible by the naked eye and would last for anywhere for a 1/2 mile to a mile. I am not a good climber, running or biking - hills are my nemisis. Around the half marathon mark, we were going over our 2 of 5 bridges into Queens.
Marathon Miles 13 - 20
The crowds were strong in Queens as well, but we were only there for less than 2 miles. Then, right before my eyes, there it was. The dreaded mile 15 at Queensborough bridge. This was the steepest bridge and it felt like the incline just kept going and going. It's the first time I had to slow to a walk - it's when my body really started to feel the impact of all this running. I pulled out my phone and started reading some of the texts my friends were sending me - it was huge for me to have those at that point. When I finally reached the crest of the bridge, I started running down, knowing that we were going to come out to huge crowds on first avenue and I was going to see PJ again and one of my triathlon teammates around mile 16.
I found PJ and handed off my a pack from my fuel belt - I didn't want to feel weighed down. Three blocks later I found my T3 triathlon teammate Aliza who had some choc-blocs and water waiting for me. It was my excuse to take a break from running, even though I knew stopping at this point in the race was going to wreak havoc on my muscles. So, after taking too long of a break, I continued on up 1st Ave. As I neared mile 17 I noticed looking ahead I could see a sea of runners for quite some distance heading up and up and up. I never realized how hilly New York City actually was.
Still, I kept chugging along - my pace slowing down to 11 MM as I climbed First Avenue over miles 18 and 19. The crowds started to dissipate as we entered East Harlem and reached the Willis Ave. Bridge that connected East Harlem to the South Bronx.
The dreaded last 10K
It was short but steep enough to make me slow to a walk again as I started the trek into the Bronx. I moved to the right side of the bridge to start to literally hobble along - my body was shot at this point. Every step sent achey pain traveling all over my body. I was tired. And of top of it, I think I had too much to drink as I started to feel a side stitch.
Halfway across the bridge, I passed a group of Scottisch bag pipers and drummer, marching to the beat behind a disabled athlete from Achilles Track Club and his guide. I don't know what it was, but witnessing this scene, I was overcome with so much emotion I broke down into tears. To see the heart of this disable person - the hope he had and the support of the others in the group - it was such a beautiful moment. This happened just as I hit the 20 mile mark on the bridge and it's what I needed to get myself going again.
We would only be in the Bronx for about 2 miles, and although the crowds weren't necessarily as large as they were in park slope, brooklyn or First Avenue in manhattan, they had alot of energy that got me through. Close to mile 22, we crossed over the Madison Street bridge, which is a flat bridge (thank god!) into Harlem again. Initially, the crowds were sparse, but as we headed closer to Central Park and 5th Ave, they grew larger and louder.
Miles 23 and 24 were the greatest test of my character and strength during this race. 5th Avenue was the largest and longest climb we would face in this marathon. I wanted to stop and walk. I wanted to give up. But the crowds - god the crowds were so amazing. Every five feet, someone would shout my name "Go Nicole!" "Looking Good Nicole!" "This is your race Nicole!" "You can do it Nicole!". They screamed with such fervor and every time I heard someone, I looked over and made eye contact with them, giving a thumbs up smiling with tears streaming down my face. It was slow going - very slow - 11:30 MM pace now. My body was so worn and in pain, yet it was in autopilot. I never did stop.
Entering Central Park and heading south towards the finish, more crowds, more screaming my name, more tears. Around mile 25, I heard another runner come up beside me and call my name - it was Joe! He was looking strong. For a moment, I tried to keep step with him, but he was clearly feeling better than I was - so I told him to go home and finish strong. Shortly thereafter, on 59th St., with less than a mile to go, I found PJ again. I had been waiting to see him for several miles - knowing he was there towards the end also kept me going...I don't know how I got so lucky to have such and incredible friend like him that would wake up early on a Sunday to drive to New York, roam all over a city that he wasn't too familiar with, only to watch me run by for a few seconds at a time, then drive me home. Jenna is equally amazing and would have been there if she wasn't sick - and i'm pretty sure Beth would have been there too had she not been on vacation in New Orleans.
A rush surged over me as I took that final turn into Central Park from Columbus Circle and saw that final sign that stated "200 meters to go!". I felt like I picked up my step when I saw that sign and could see the finish line ahead of me - but who knows. I really had no control over my body. I threw my arms up in the air as I crossed the finish line. It was such an amazing feeling to have completed this course which clearly had it's way with me. As I got my medal and my foil to keep me warm and started waddling toward the baggage trucks with the other finishers, I was overwhelmed with emotion one more time, and just stood there crying. I was elated, I was in pain, and I realized, I don't want to do this again for quite some time. I'm proud of having accomplished this, but in struggling to finish in 4:53 yet being able to finish a half-marathon in 2 hours or less, i'm realizing that i'm just not that great a distance runner. Some people have it - the Philly and New York City Marathon showed me that I have to work much harder for it. And someday I will, but now, my focus is on my upcoming sophomore year of triathlon.
I wasn't nervous at all the day before the race. I was just really excited and thankful to be able to do this thing considering the long road i'd had to recovery after my injury last year.
Pre-Marathon
Joe woke me up at 5:55 am and by 6:30 we were off to the Staten Island Ferry. Joe was running this marathon as part of a charity group, Team For Kids, so I got to meet a few of them. Another runner, Matt, from the team was doing this is his first marathon - this was also Joe's first marathon. I was happy for them and almost jealous because you only get one first! We got off the Ferry and this is where Joe and I had to depart because he had a team bus to take him to another start wave than I was in. It was about a 15 minute drive to Fort Wadsworth park in Staten Island where the different corrals were set up. During this ride, I got a glimpse of the Verrazano Bridge, which was the start of the race, and this was the first time I had a shot of nerves go through my body.
It was just after 8 am at this point - the official start of the race was at 10:10 am so I had quite a bit of time to kill. They had different tents set up with food, drink, etc, but it was within that 2 hour window of the start when anything I would eat at that point would sit like a rock in my stomach and bother my run, so I just drank my water and sat down in a sunny spot in the field to watch all the other runners mill about. I met two women from Germany sitting next me. The Philly marathon is great, a decent size race. But this race is enormous - 37,000 runners with a truly diverse international field. All the race announcements were made in several languages over the loudspeaker at the start. It made me realize that I was part of something really big here.
Just after 9 am I decided to go find the UPS trucks where we'd be checking our bags. I walked into a mob scene. The trucks were parked in a gated parking lot with only about 10 feet of space for the 37,000 runners to walk in and out. As I got closer to the front of the entrance, I started to get nervous - alot of time was passing by, getting closer to when we needed to line up to head to the start. I also have a fear of getting crushed to death - when i'm a crowd with nowhere to go and people are pushing you every which way, I have a panic attack. Another runner took notice and offered to drop off my bag for me. I was so grateful to her but also felt a little guilty that she'd have problems getting to the start in time because she was dropping off my bag.
So I lined up within the F5000 - F5999 corral. The fastest 9000 women based on actual and predicted finish times got special F bibs and were staged at the front of the orange wave - it was stated that any men lining up in these corrals would be disqualified from the race but it wasn't really enforced. I was hoping I could finish the marathon in 4:30 - just over a 10 MM. It seemed achievable - I think I was overly ambitious and had put 4:15 down as my finish time a few months ago. My main goals this time around was to finish, uninjured, and to take it all in. I spoke with a woman from Irvine California while walking to the start - her telling me about the LA marathon and me sharing information about the Philadelphia Marathon. This was enough to distract me from getting too anxious and nervous about what we were about to do.
Marathon - The First Half
The starting cannon was shot and Frank Sinatra's New York, New York was played over the sound system. I couldn't help but smile and had a silly grin on my face for a quite some time. As we started to head over the Verrazano bridge into Brooklyn, the view of lower Manhattan was spectacular, so I couldn't resist stopping on the side of the road to take a picture. About 1.5 miles over the bridge we entered into Brooklyn and the crowds waiting to greet us.
All weekend long I had received so many amusing and encouraging text messages from my friends and they were still coming during this race, which was awesome. I knew the first of my friends spectating I would come across were in Park Slope, about 7 miles into the race. I really enjoyed these early miles - with the exception of a slow first mile (because of the crowd crossing the start, going slightly uphill on the bridge, and stopping to take pictures), I was running a comfortable sub-10MM pace, quick enough but what I believed would have been easy enough to sustain for the first half. The crowd was great - Lots of people shouting my name since I had written it on my shirt again. I ran all the way to the left side of the street so I could high 5 a bunch of the spectators.
When we got closer to Park Slope - the crowds started to grow and get louder. I knew the corner that Joe and Tina would be waiting at and I spotted them before they spotted me. So I stopped for hugs, pictures, and to refuel. It was awesome to see them. PJ had texted me to say he was around mile 8 so I continued on and found him in the crowd. I gave him a quick hug and ran by, knowing i'd see him later on in the course. Once we got into Williamsburg around mile 10, this was one of the quietest stretches on the course, the Hassidic Jewish neighborhood. The ones who were out there weren't much into cheering -they were more interested in trying to cross the street. A little further along getting more into downtown Williamsburg the crowds started to thicken again and I tried to find another friend I knew was cheering there, but couldn't find her.
When I got to the half-marathon mark, my splits had slowed a bit - I started realizing I was running closer to 10:30 MM. I attributed this to the elevation of the course - according to the elevation map, it didn't appear to be very hilly - but I found that there was hardly a stretch that was flat - quite a few of these inclines were very visible by the naked eye and would last for anywhere for a 1/2 mile to a mile. I am not a good climber, running or biking - hills are my nemisis. Around the half marathon mark, we were going over our 2 of 5 bridges into Queens.
Marathon Miles 13 - 20
The crowds were strong in Queens as well, but we were only there for less than 2 miles. Then, right before my eyes, there it was. The dreaded mile 15 at Queensborough bridge. This was the steepest bridge and it felt like the incline just kept going and going. It's the first time I had to slow to a walk - it's when my body really started to feel the impact of all this running. I pulled out my phone and started reading some of the texts my friends were sending me - it was huge for me to have those at that point. When I finally reached the crest of the bridge, I started running down, knowing that we were going to come out to huge crowds on first avenue and I was going to see PJ again and one of my triathlon teammates around mile 16.
I found PJ and handed off my a pack from my fuel belt - I didn't want to feel weighed down. Three blocks later I found my T3 triathlon teammate Aliza who had some choc-blocs and water waiting for me. It was my excuse to take a break from running, even though I knew stopping at this point in the race was going to wreak havoc on my muscles. So, after taking too long of a break, I continued on up 1st Ave. As I neared mile 17 I noticed looking ahead I could see a sea of runners for quite some distance heading up and up and up. I never realized how hilly New York City actually was.
Still, I kept chugging along - my pace slowing down to 11 MM as I climbed First Avenue over miles 18 and 19. The crowds started to dissipate as we entered East Harlem and reached the Willis Ave. Bridge that connected East Harlem to the South Bronx.
The dreaded last 10K
It was short but steep enough to make me slow to a walk again as I started the trek into the Bronx. I moved to the right side of the bridge to start to literally hobble along - my body was shot at this point. Every step sent achey pain traveling all over my body. I was tired. And of top of it, I think I had too much to drink as I started to feel a side stitch.
Halfway across the bridge, I passed a group of Scottisch bag pipers and drummer, marching to the beat behind a disabled athlete from Achilles Track Club and his guide. I don't know what it was, but witnessing this scene, I was overcome with so much emotion I broke down into tears. To see the heart of this disable person - the hope he had and the support of the others in the group - it was such a beautiful moment. This happened just as I hit the 20 mile mark on the bridge and it's what I needed to get myself going again.
We would only be in the Bronx for about 2 miles, and although the crowds weren't necessarily as large as they were in park slope, brooklyn or First Avenue in manhattan, they had alot of energy that got me through. Close to mile 22, we crossed over the Madison Street bridge, which is a flat bridge (thank god!) into Harlem again. Initially, the crowds were sparse, but as we headed closer to Central Park and 5th Ave, they grew larger and louder.
Miles 23 and 24 were the greatest test of my character and strength during this race. 5th Avenue was the largest and longest climb we would face in this marathon. I wanted to stop and walk. I wanted to give up. But the crowds - god the crowds were so amazing. Every five feet, someone would shout my name "Go Nicole!" "Looking Good Nicole!" "This is your race Nicole!" "You can do it Nicole!". They screamed with such fervor and every time I heard someone, I looked over and made eye contact with them, giving a thumbs up smiling with tears streaming down my face. It was slow going - very slow - 11:30 MM pace now. My body was so worn and in pain, yet it was in autopilot. I never did stop.
Entering Central Park and heading south towards the finish, more crowds, more screaming my name, more tears. Around mile 25, I heard another runner come up beside me and call my name - it was Joe! He was looking strong. For a moment, I tried to keep step with him, but he was clearly feeling better than I was - so I told him to go home and finish strong. Shortly thereafter, on 59th St., with less than a mile to go, I found PJ again. I had been waiting to see him for several miles - knowing he was there towards the end also kept me going...I don't know how I got so lucky to have such and incredible friend like him that would wake up early on a Sunday to drive to New York, roam all over a city that he wasn't too familiar with, only to watch me run by for a few seconds at a time, then drive me home. Jenna is equally amazing and would have been there if she wasn't sick - and i'm pretty sure Beth would have been there too had she not been on vacation in New Orleans.
A rush surged over me as I took that final turn into Central Park from Columbus Circle and saw that final sign that stated "200 meters to go!". I felt like I picked up my step when I saw that sign and could see the finish line ahead of me - but who knows. I really had no control over my body. I threw my arms up in the air as I crossed the finish line. It was such an amazing feeling to have completed this course which clearly had it's way with me. As I got my medal and my foil to keep me warm and started waddling toward the baggage trucks with the other finishers, I was overwhelmed with emotion one more time, and just stood there crying. I was elated, I was in pain, and I realized, I don't want to do this again for quite some time. I'm proud of having accomplished this, but in struggling to finish in 4:53 yet being able to finish a half-marathon in 2 hours or less, i'm realizing that i'm just not that great a distance runner. Some people have it - the Philly and New York City Marathon showed me that I have to work much harder for it. And someday I will, but now, my focus is on my upcoming sophomore year of triathlon.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Bye Bye New York
I have closed the final door on my life in New York. Just after 1 pm today, when I received a check for six figures with my name on it (it was awesome but frightening at the same time), I shook a few hands and walked out the door, into the streets of New York. This was the first time I was wandering the streets of Manhattan as an official visitor, no longer as a resident. Since August of 1994, i've always had a place to call home in the Big Apple - until today.
As I was taking a leisurely stroll to my closing appointment at 42nd Street and 3rd Avenue from Penn Station, I couldn't help but to reminisce. Coming out onto 7th Ave from Penn Station and looking at the Pennsylvania Hotel, I remember the night my father and I stayed there in early 1994 for my audition for the dance program at NYU - that was the beginnning of it all. As I walked north on 7th ave towards 34th Street I remember walking this same route from my apartment in Chelsea to my acting class at Bill Esper studios in 1999-2000 on 35th and 8th ave. In particular, I remember a conversation I had with one of my acting partners in that class who was 40 years my senior and telling me of some sex toys he and his first wife had experimented with (gotta love crazy artists).
I walked by Bryant Park and remembered having lunch with my friend Leon one spring day in 2004 and just a bit further, on 5th Ave in front of the NY Public Library, I remember walking with my trainer Lee from a pilates studio on Madison Ave to our gym on the westside. I reached my destination fairly early and it was a nice morning, so I decided to walk a little bit further, past sparks steakhouse where I recalled having dinner in 1999 with my roommate Yuki, her mother, sister, and cousin for her sister's graduation. It was amusing, 4 Asian women and myself - when we ordered the wine the waitor didn't know who to bring the wine to for tasting, so me being the oddball out and the only native English speaker, I had the privelege of making that decision. I got drunk with my roommate's mother from Japan that night - it was great! Just next door was corporate housing that a guy named Matt I dated in 2003 had lived in. Poor guy - we started dating in October which is the worst time to date me unless you're an avid sports fan like myself - with the Yankees in the postseason and Eagles Football season in full swing (and if there happens to be a free night, there's always Flyers hockey), every date we went on centered around being near a TV so I could catch a game. We never had a chance.
I met the couple buying my apartment - they were newlyweds, both working in the theatre like myself. Very nice people. It was a close call - we went through all the paperwork and when it came time to the last step, the money, my buyer's bank attorney hadn't shown up. We waited and waited, kept calling, couldn't get a hold of anyone. Both my attorney and the buyer's attorney had other appointments scheduled and we were in danger of not being able to go to finish closing and having to reschedule another day. At the last minute, the representative came in with the checks and saved the day.
So as I was walking back to Penn Station, I couldn't wipe a silly grin from my face. I wasn't sad at all - looking back over the dozen years I lived in NY, I had some wonderful memories - but it was the people that made it so memorable - not necessarily the place. I'm making more memories everyday being back in Philly - like getting to have lunch with my girl Beth every week since we work right around the corner from each other.
I had a great run in NY - but my time is up and I finally feel like I have closure. This was a positive move in my life. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders - I feel free!! And isn't it ironic that I have to be back in NY this weekend for the marathon....can't wait for that trip either!
As I was taking a leisurely stroll to my closing appointment at 42nd Street and 3rd Avenue from Penn Station, I couldn't help but to reminisce. Coming out onto 7th Ave from Penn Station and looking at the Pennsylvania Hotel, I remember the night my father and I stayed there in early 1994 for my audition for the dance program at NYU - that was the beginnning of it all. As I walked north on 7th ave towards 34th Street I remember walking this same route from my apartment in Chelsea to my acting class at Bill Esper studios in 1999-2000 on 35th and 8th ave. In particular, I remember a conversation I had with one of my acting partners in that class who was 40 years my senior and telling me of some sex toys he and his first wife had experimented with (gotta love crazy artists).
I walked by Bryant Park and remembered having lunch with my friend Leon one spring day in 2004 and just a bit further, on 5th Ave in front of the NY Public Library, I remember walking with my trainer Lee from a pilates studio on Madison Ave to our gym on the westside. I reached my destination fairly early and it was a nice morning, so I decided to walk a little bit further, past sparks steakhouse where I recalled having dinner in 1999 with my roommate Yuki, her mother, sister, and cousin for her sister's graduation. It was amusing, 4 Asian women and myself - when we ordered the wine the waitor didn't know who to bring the wine to for tasting, so me being the oddball out and the only native English speaker, I had the privelege of making that decision. I got drunk with my roommate's mother from Japan that night - it was great! Just next door was corporate housing that a guy named Matt I dated in 2003 had lived in. Poor guy - we started dating in October which is the worst time to date me unless you're an avid sports fan like myself - with the Yankees in the postseason and Eagles Football season in full swing (and if there happens to be a free night, there's always Flyers hockey), every date we went on centered around being near a TV so I could catch a game. We never had a chance.
I met the couple buying my apartment - they were newlyweds, both working in the theatre like myself. Very nice people. It was a close call - we went through all the paperwork and when it came time to the last step, the money, my buyer's bank attorney hadn't shown up. We waited and waited, kept calling, couldn't get a hold of anyone. Both my attorney and the buyer's attorney had other appointments scheduled and we were in danger of not being able to go to finish closing and having to reschedule another day. At the last minute, the representative came in with the checks and saved the day.
So as I was walking back to Penn Station, I couldn't wipe a silly grin from my face. I wasn't sad at all - looking back over the dozen years I lived in NY, I had some wonderful memories - but it was the people that made it so memorable - not necessarily the place. I'm making more memories everyday being back in Philly - like getting to have lunch with my girl Beth every week since we work right around the corner from each other.
I had a great run in NY - but my time is up and I finally feel like I have closure. This was a positive move in my life. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders - I feel free!! And isn't it ironic that I have to be back in NY this weekend for the marathon....can't wait for that trip either!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
BIG week ahead
I'm constantly harping on my friend PJ for being a bad blogger and now i'm the one who hasn't been updating regularly. There is so much to blog about, but only a few things will make it to this post.
October 29, 2007
I have a biology exam on unit II - mostly cell biology, cell division and the like. I've been a bad student this semester - i've hardly gotten any work done. I will take responsbility for this....my life is incredibly hectic and it is difficult to do all my homework and studying, but it's not impossible. And here I am, blogging away instead of studying for this exam....So it's my fault and I have to accept how I do based on the amount of effort I put into it. Instead of stressing myself out about how much has to get done, i've adopted an outlook of every section or chapter I master is more points for me than before I had studied. Being stressed isn't going to make it any easier, so why not try to alleviate that stress...
AND GET ON TOP OF MY STUDYING!!!
October 30, 2007
As long as everything goes according to plan, I WILL NO LONGER BE A HOMEOWNER!!! Yup, that's right...i'm FINALLY going to closing in New York this Tuesday - I've already made my last mortgage and maintenance payment. I'm thrilled! Such a huge weight will be lifted off my shoulders. I will erase my debt and still have a large chunk to invest....then I can move forward with my life masterplan....oh yes, I have more clarity in regards to my goals and how to achieve them over the next five years...however, that will be another post.
November 4, 2007
NYC MARATHON!!! I can't believe it's almost here - and on top of that, I can't believe how excited I am. I've been on quite the journey from running my first qualifier in January 2006 to now, which my faithful blog followers are aware of (if you don't know, I recapped everything in December 2006 and January 2007). Even just 6 weeks ago, I was questioning whether or not I would be able to do this marathon due to my lingering injuries that have plagued me for close to a year. But now, i'm feeling great, and for the most part i'm feeling ready. I am a bit hesitant, mainly because of the fear of reinjuring myself. It was such a dark road leading up to recovery, I don't want to go back there.
I was ready to defer my entry to the NYC Marathon to next year - I had convinced myself this was the best thing to do. But there is one person out there who I give full credit to who never gave up on me and believed I could do this - my coach. He's given me encouragement and a training plan that is getting me to the start stronger and healthier than i've been in over a year. He's a genious - he's amazing. I'm so thankful to have found him.
Thoughts in my mind
I always talk about having a work/life balance. I've struggled to find this recently, commuting over 300 miles a week in terrible traffic and having work obligations that go out of the 9-5 structure. School is important to me. Training is important to me. My family and friends are important to me. My professional sports obsession is important to me. The one thing that isn't as important to me right now is my work - and that's just an awful thing to feel and say. It's not fair to anyone - to my company or to myself. The organization I work for does some wonderful things. I may not always enjoy or agree with some of the people I work with, but they are good people and their heart is in the right place. I feel guilty that my heart isn't 100% into it. But I can't force it. It really has nothing to do with the company - I just fell into the line of work that i'm in and gave it a decent shot for the past seven years. But looking ahead, knowing i'll be working for at least another 30 years, I know that things will have to change if i'm going to be happy. It's not easy to make such a big change, but i'm slowly figuring it out in a way that will be beneficial to everybody involved. When it happens, i'll fill you in.
One of my dreams is to go visit South Africa....I know this is out of left field, but it's been in the back of my mind for some time. I met a woman from Zimbabwe today - her husand, who is American, told me visiting Africa is a spiritually life-changing experience. To meet the natives, many of whom have so little and know suffering more than most of us do - yet they smile and want to give. They don't feel they are entitled the way we do in industrialized nations. He suggested with my expertise in fundraising, I could volunteer my time to educate others over there on various fundraising methods, then stay to explore. It's something i'm considering...but i'd really love to find a travel partner to share this experience with. Someday....
October 29, 2007
I have a biology exam on unit II - mostly cell biology, cell division and the like. I've been a bad student this semester - i've hardly gotten any work done. I will take responsbility for this....my life is incredibly hectic and it is difficult to do all my homework and studying, but it's not impossible. And here I am, blogging away instead of studying for this exam....So it's my fault and I have to accept how I do based on the amount of effort I put into it. Instead of stressing myself out about how much has to get done, i've adopted an outlook of every section or chapter I master is more points for me than before I had studied. Being stressed isn't going to make it any easier, so why not try to alleviate that stress...
AND GET ON TOP OF MY STUDYING!!!
October 30, 2007
As long as everything goes according to plan, I WILL NO LONGER BE A HOMEOWNER!!! Yup, that's right...i'm FINALLY going to closing in New York this Tuesday - I've already made my last mortgage and maintenance payment. I'm thrilled! Such a huge weight will be lifted off my shoulders. I will erase my debt and still have a large chunk to invest....then I can move forward with my life masterplan....oh yes, I have more clarity in regards to my goals and how to achieve them over the next five years...however, that will be another post.
November 4, 2007
NYC MARATHON!!! I can't believe it's almost here - and on top of that, I can't believe how excited I am. I've been on quite the journey from running my first qualifier in January 2006 to now, which my faithful blog followers are aware of (if you don't know, I recapped everything in December 2006 and January 2007). Even just 6 weeks ago, I was questioning whether or not I would be able to do this marathon due to my lingering injuries that have plagued me for close to a year. But now, i'm feeling great, and for the most part i'm feeling ready. I am a bit hesitant, mainly because of the fear of reinjuring myself. It was such a dark road leading up to recovery, I don't want to go back there.
I was ready to defer my entry to the NYC Marathon to next year - I had convinced myself this was the best thing to do. But there is one person out there who I give full credit to who never gave up on me and believed I could do this - my coach. He's given me encouragement and a training plan that is getting me to the start stronger and healthier than i've been in over a year. He's a genious - he's amazing. I'm so thankful to have found him.
Thoughts in my mind
I always talk about having a work/life balance. I've struggled to find this recently, commuting over 300 miles a week in terrible traffic and having work obligations that go out of the 9-5 structure. School is important to me. Training is important to me. My family and friends are important to me. My professional sports obsession is important to me. The one thing that isn't as important to me right now is my work - and that's just an awful thing to feel and say. It's not fair to anyone - to my company or to myself. The organization I work for does some wonderful things. I may not always enjoy or agree with some of the people I work with, but they are good people and their heart is in the right place. I feel guilty that my heart isn't 100% into it. But I can't force it. It really has nothing to do with the company - I just fell into the line of work that i'm in and gave it a decent shot for the past seven years. But looking ahead, knowing i'll be working for at least another 30 years, I know that things will have to change if i'm going to be happy. It's not easy to make such a big change, but i'm slowly figuring it out in a way that will be beneficial to everybody involved. When it happens, i'll fill you in.
One of my dreams is to go visit South Africa....I know this is out of left field, but it's been in the back of my mind for some time. I met a woman from Zimbabwe today - her husand, who is American, told me visiting Africa is a spiritually life-changing experience. To meet the natives, many of whom have so little and know suffering more than most of us do - yet they smile and want to give. They don't feel they are entitled the way we do in industrialized nations. He suggested with my expertise in fundraising, I could volunteer my time to educate others over there on various fundraising methods, then stay to explore. It's something i'm considering...but i'd really love to find a travel partner to share this experience with. Someday....
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Catching up
Lots of catching up to do here - although i'm not really feeling like i'm in the writing mood, so i'll just give you a few highlights and random thoughts.
I've somehow become a weekend warrior. My coach had put 11 hours of workouts on my schedule this week, which is definately manageable. However, over 7 hours of it was scheduled to take place only over this weekend. It started out with a 5 hour (Yes, that's 300 minutes) bike ride on Saturday, followed by a 13-14 mile run on Sunday (a little over 2 hours). The purpose of these workouts is to build my endurance for the NYC marathon that is 4 weeks from today. These workouts aren't hard in terms of intensity - in fact, I have to keep my Hearrate below a certain range so it ends up being slower than i'm capable of - but it is tiring. And after covering about 85 miles through running and biking in a 24 hour period, especially in these unseasonably warm weather, i'm feeling sore and worn. Someone died running the Chicago Marathon today - the course was 90 degrees - I really hope we come into more seasonable weather in these next four weeks because the heat kicked my butt on my run today and that was only half the distance.
I know Jenna wanted me to talk about this - Philadelphia sports. I just don't know what to say about the Eagles - with the exception of slaughtering the Lions, we've played just awful. I don't know what happened to the offensive line during the Giants game - Donovan got sacked I don't even know how many times...seriously, it wouldn't surprise me if the stats were double digits for sacks. And we got KILLED on penalties - I think by the end of the game we had racked up at least, if not more than 100 yards of penalties. It's just ugly. They're still my team - i'm not a fairweather fan - but I will be pissed during the season if they keep playing this way - and I reserve that right.
Phillies - what an amazing few weeks it has been. They really turned it on at the end of the season, and to take the NL East on the final day of the season was spectacular! I was running up West River Drive during my long run and all the cars heading Westbound on 76 were honking their horns with their rally towels waving in the wind - we had alot of hope going into the postseason. How could you not love this team? Howard, Utley, Victorino, Rowand, Rollins, etc. - so much personality and lovable characters on this team. They've made it very exciting to watch them and I greatly enjoyed spending much more time at Citizens Bank Park this season. This is the team that ran onto the field in Colorado to help the grounds crew with the tarp during a rain delay (i'll post a video of this later).
The Division series hits, and our bats went silent. I don't know what happened. It was shocking and disappointing. Oddly, i'm not devastated - because this team gives me hope. I feel like this is just a precursor to succesful years to come. 2009 is going to be a good year for Philadelphia sports - not saying that nothing will happen in 2008, but my gut is telling me that something big is going to happen in 2009.
I want to talk about work and school - my brain is constantly in overdrive thinking about this aspect of my life. I come to different conclusions everyday - this is something i'll blog about in more detail later.
On a side not, I went down to Cape Henlopen with my team last weekend as many of them competed in a triathlon there. I wasn't allowed to do it - it didn't fit in with my training schedule for the NYC Marathon - but I still wanted to go and cheer my team on and I looked forward to being an official volunteer of this race - see what it's like from the "other side". All I have to say is I GREATLY enjoyed getting to bodymark some very nicely toned, hard male triathlete bodies. :)
I've somehow become a weekend warrior. My coach had put 11 hours of workouts on my schedule this week, which is definately manageable. However, over 7 hours of it was scheduled to take place only over this weekend. It started out with a 5 hour (Yes, that's 300 minutes) bike ride on Saturday, followed by a 13-14 mile run on Sunday (a little over 2 hours). The purpose of these workouts is to build my endurance for the NYC marathon that is 4 weeks from today. These workouts aren't hard in terms of intensity - in fact, I have to keep my Hearrate below a certain range so it ends up being slower than i'm capable of - but it is tiring. And after covering about 85 miles through running and biking in a 24 hour period, especially in these unseasonably warm weather, i'm feeling sore and worn. Someone died running the Chicago Marathon today - the course was 90 degrees - I really hope we come into more seasonable weather in these next four weeks because the heat kicked my butt on my run today and that was only half the distance.
I know Jenna wanted me to talk about this - Philadelphia sports. I just don't know what to say about the Eagles - with the exception of slaughtering the Lions, we've played just awful. I don't know what happened to the offensive line during the Giants game - Donovan got sacked I don't even know how many times...seriously, it wouldn't surprise me if the stats were double digits for sacks. And we got KILLED on penalties - I think by the end of the game we had racked up at least, if not more than 100 yards of penalties. It's just ugly. They're still my team - i'm not a fairweather fan - but I will be pissed during the season if they keep playing this way - and I reserve that right.
Phillies - what an amazing few weeks it has been. They really turned it on at the end of the season, and to take the NL East on the final day of the season was spectacular! I was running up West River Drive during my long run and all the cars heading Westbound on 76 were honking their horns with their rally towels waving in the wind - we had alot of hope going into the postseason. How could you not love this team? Howard, Utley, Victorino, Rowand, Rollins, etc. - so much personality and lovable characters on this team. They've made it very exciting to watch them and I greatly enjoyed spending much more time at Citizens Bank Park this season. This is the team that ran onto the field in Colorado to help the grounds crew with the tarp during a rain delay (i'll post a video of this later).
The Division series hits, and our bats went silent. I don't know what happened. It was shocking and disappointing. Oddly, i'm not devastated - because this team gives me hope. I feel like this is just a precursor to succesful years to come. 2009 is going to be a good year for Philadelphia sports - not saying that nothing will happen in 2008, but my gut is telling me that something big is going to happen in 2009.
I want to talk about work and school - my brain is constantly in overdrive thinking about this aspect of my life. I come to different conclusions everyday - this is something i'll blog about in more detail later.
On a side not, I went down to Cape Henlopen with my team last weekend as many of them competed in a triathlon there. I wasn't allowed to do it - it didn't fit in with my training schedule for the NYC Marathon - but I still wanted to go and cheer my team on and I looked forward to being an official volunteer of this race - see what it's like from the "other side". All I have to say is I GREATLY enjoyed getting to bodymark some very nicely toned, hard male triathlete bodies. :)
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
It's a go...
After speaking with my coach today, he crafted a new training plan for me with the goal of running the NYC Marathon. November 4th - less than 7 weeks away. God help me!!!
Monday, September 17, 2007
utterly defeated
i'm sick - i'm physically ill after watching the Eagles go down to be 0-2 to start this season...and we're 0-2 having lost to the Packers and Redskins...both of whom weren't even .500 teams last year. None of this might make any sense - i'm not going to censor my thoughts. I just need to rant and get it out...
Charles Barkley's commentary on TV during the game pissed me off - talking about Philly fans - saying we don't give the respect to McNabb and Reid that he thinks they deserve. Saying we turn on them so quickly - that we've already turned. Look buddy - it's always a tease with this team - they get our hopes up only to be devastated at a big game in the postseason - but you know what? I still come back every time - I still let you charge me more and more money every season - I still pay ridiculous amounts of money on the black market to follow the team on the road for both regular season and post season games. I have the right to be upset and boo when we don't win - when we don't play the way we're capable of playing. But having been to quite a few stadiums across the country, I have to say I haven't experienced the diehard fandom - those who eat, live, and breath their team the way Eagles fans do. We boo because we care dickhead! You're still salty about your time here. You just don't understand the anatomy of the Philadelphia sports fan.
I'm going to be in a foul mood the next few days over this...but I won't give up on my team. I remember starting the season 0-2 in 2003, then after a 3rd week bye, Joe and I caught them up in Buffalo for their first win of the season. This was the same year that Westbrook had something like a 98 yard return for a touchdown in the last minutes of the 4th quarter against the Giants a few weeks after that. Even last season, after McNabb went down vs. the Titans on 11-19, we came back under Garcia's lead and made it to the divisional game in the postseason. We're just waiting to get back to that big game and win that trophy. Anything can happen - but we have to start gelling on the field. The momentum is off. We're too tentative - we're not aggresive enough - I don't see any confidence out there on the field with our guys in green. But i'm not going to stop believing in them.
The red sox lost, yankees won, mets lost, and the Phillies barely won (they blew an 11 run lead at one point) - so on the baseball front it was a very good night for me. I need to be thinking of that as I fall asleep tonight so I can have happy dreams and start tomorrow off on a better note...
Charles Barkley's commentary on TV during the game pissed me off - talking about Philly fans - saying we don't give the respect to McNabb and Reid that he thinks they deserve. Saying we turn on them so quickly - that we've already turned. Look buddy - it's always a tease with this team - they get our hopes up only to be devastated at a big game in the postseason - but you know what? I still come back every time - I still let you charge me more and more money every season - I still pay ridiculous amounts of money on the black market to follow the team on the road for both regular season and post season games. I have the right to be upset and boo when we don't win - when we don't play the way we're capable of playing. But having been to quite a few stadiums across the country, I have to say I haven't experienced the diehard fandom - those who eat, live, and breath their team the way Eagles fans do. We boo because we care dickhead! You're still salty about your time here. You just don't understand the anatomy of the Philadelphia sports fan.
I'm going to be in a foul mood the next few days over this...but I won't give up on my team. I remember starting the season 0-2 in 2003, then after a 3rd week bye, Joe and I caught them up in Buffalo for their first win of the season. This was the same year that Westbrook had something like a 98 yard return for a touchdown in the last minutes of the 4th quarter against the Giants a few weeks after that. Even last season, after McNabb went down vs. the Titans on 11-19, we came back under Garcia's lead and made it to the divisional game in the postseason. We're just waiting to get back to that big game and win that trophy. Anything can happen - but we have to start gelling on the field. The momentum is off. We're too tentative - we're not aggresive enough - I don't see any confidence out there on the field with our guys in green. But i'm not going to stop believing in them.
The red sox lost, yankees won, mets lost, and the Phillies barely won (they blew an 11 run lead at one point) - so on the baseball front it was a very good night for me. I need to be thinking of that as I fall asleep tonight so I can have happy dreams and start tomorrow off on a better note...
Sunday, September 16, 2007
PDR Half-marathon race report
This was my first running race since I injured myself during the Philadelphia Marathon 10 months ago. My legs haven't always responded favorably to my run training during my recovery and my coach shut down the majority of my run training the past few weeks because of it. I was very nervous for this race. I wasn't sure I was ready since I hadn't done a long run in several weeks and more shorter weekly runs were very easy. I was still staying on top of my swim and bike training - I just wasn't sure how that would translate into a running race effort.
So PJ and Jenna came to pick me up around 6:30 am this morning and we headed downtown. Unexpected traffic made it a little close for Jenna and I to make it to the start line in time, but we did with a few minutes to spare. I lined up in corral #8 with the other runners who anticipated finishing in 2 hours. My personal best was a 2:06:19 and my initial goal for this race was to break 2 hours. Now that I was at the starting line, I tucked that goal away in the back of my head and really just wanted to finish in one piece without reinjury.
It was a crisp morning, nearing 60 degrees at the start, and sunny - ideal running weather. So much better than last year's PDR which was around 80 degrees and quite humid. Also if you recall, I was sick as a dog with some kind of upper respiratory thing and on a steroid pack to get rid of it. So in a way, this was some sort of redemption.
I crossed the starting mat and almost immediately we were heading directly into the sun as it was rising. Because you are packed in with so many other runners, the pace starts out slowly - which is just what I needed. Every few miles along the course were live bands playing. Around mile 2 or 3, the Eagles Pep band was playing its standard Eagles Fight Song - it put a spring into my step.
Accelarade was the sponsor of this race and I had only trained with gatorade. Even though I know its not good to experiment with anything new during a race, water for 13.1 miles wasn't going to cut it, and I was only taking my gu gel at miles 5 & 10. So just before mile 7, I grabbed an Accelarade at the water stop - BIG mistake. I almost immediately felt sick to my stomach. It made the next few miles a little tough for me. But still, I had been checking my watch at every mile marker - and I was close to being on pace to break 2 hours.
I hit the water stop at mile 10 and refueled with my gu - then I felt that extra kick knowing it was the last 5K. Funny how when you know you're getting closer to the end, it seems to be more agonzing and it never gets there. I hit mile 11 and it seemed like a long mile. I hit mile 12, looked at the watch and it read 1:50 and a few seconds. I had to run the last 1.1 miles in less than 10 minutes. I had been running between a 9 - 9:30 MM pace the entire time so it seemed doable. I kept trying to pick up the pace - but my body didn't really respond. This made me get in my head a little bit and a few times I had to talk myself out of walking the last few 100 meters.
I didn't seem to have anything in me to be able to sprint to the finish - if I had I would have achieved my goal - my offical chip time was 2:00:07. You know what, i'm not going to kill myself over those 7 seconds. This was a huge day for me - I was skeptical that the program my Tri coach had me on wasn't going to get me there - but it did. And not only that, it gave me a new PR (Personal Record) by more than 6 minutes! AND, on top of that, I really didn't have any physical ailments whatsoever - no shin splits or achilles flare up or hip soreness. A few aches and pains here and there, but it was all manageable.
My coach actually rode his bike leading the professional field (the winner was a Kenyan (I know, what a shocker!) who finished in 1:02:02) and I happened to bump into him after the race. We chatted briefly and I told him i'd get in touch with him this week to discuss the next steps. He's been in marathon mode for me this entire time, and I haven't. Now, i'm realizing I might be convinced - although i'm still nervous.
On the car ride home, Jenna and PJ told me I should listen to my coach - and they did point out that he got me to this race with considerably less run training yet I still finished feeling good (during the race anyway - afterwards I got a bit stiff and sore) and setting a PR. And I also spoke to my trainer Lee who basically said I just have to get over it - it's all in my head - it's just fear.
I'm going to see how my body responds to this race this next few days, then my coach and I will make a decision....so stay tuned!!
So PJ and Jenna came to pick me up around 6:30 am this morning and we headed downtown. Unexpected traffic made it a little close for Jenna and I to make it to the start line in time, but we did with a few minutes to spare. I lined up in corral #8 with the other runners who anticipated finishing in 2 hours. My personal best was a 2:06:19 and my initial goal for this race was to break 2 hours. Now that I was at the starting line, I tucked that goal away in the back of my head and really just wanted to finish in one piece without reinjury.
It was a crisp morning, nearing 60 degrees at the start, and sunny - ideal running weather. So much better than last year's PDR which was around 80 degrees and quite humid. Also if you recall, I was sick as a dog with some kind of upper respiratory thing and on a steroid pack to get rid of it. So in a way, this was some sort of redemption.
I crossed the starting mat and almost immediately we were heading directly into the sun as it was rising. Because you are packed in with so many other runners, the pace starts out slowly - which is just what I needed. Every few miles along the course were live bands playing. Around mile 2 or 3, the Eagles Pep band was playing its standard Eagles Fight Song - it put a spring into my step.
Accelarade was the sponsor of this race and I had only trained with gatorade. Even though I know its not good to experiment with anything new during a race, water for 13.1 miles wasn't going to cut it, and I was only taking my gu gel at miles 5 & 10. So just before mile 7, I grabbed an Accelarade at the water stop - BIG mistake. I almost immediately felt sick to my stomach. It made the next few miles a little tough for me. But still, I had been checking my watch at every mile marker - and I was close to being on pace to break 2 hours.
I hit the water stop at mile 10 and refueled with my gu - then I felt that extra kick knowing it was the last 5K. Funny how when you know you're getting closer to the end, it seems to be more agonzing and it never gets there. I hit mile 11 and it seemed like a long mile. I hit mile 12, looked at the watch and it read 1:50 and a few seconds. I had to run the last 1.1 miles in less than 10 minutes. I had been running between a 9 - 9:30 MM pace the entire time so it seemed doable. I kept trying to pick up the pace - but my body didn't really respond. This made me get in my head a little bit and a few times I had to talk myself out of walking the last few 100 meters.
I didn't seem to have anything in me to be able to sprint to the finish - if I had I would have achieved my goal - my offical chip time was 2:00:07. You know what, i'm not going to kill myself over those 7 seconds. This was a huge day for me - I was skeptical that the program my Tri coach had me on wasn't going to get me there - but it did. And not only that, it gave me a new PR (Personal Record) by more than 6 minutes! AND, on top of that, I really didn't have any physical ailments whatsoever - no shin splits or achilles flare up or hip soreness. A few aches and pains here and there, but it was all manageable.
My coach actually rode his bike leading the professional field (the winner was a Kenyan (I know, what a shocker!) who finished in 1:02:02) and I happened to bump into him after the race. We chatted briefly and I told him i'd get in touch with him this week to discuss the next steps. He's been in marathon mode for me this entire time, and I haven't. Now, i'm realizing I might be convinced - although i'm still nervous.
On the car ride home, Jenna and PJ told me I should listen to my coach - and they did point out that he got me to this race with considerably less run training yet I still finished feeling good (during the race anyway - afterwards I got a bit stiff and sore) and setting a PR. And I also spoke to my trainer Lee who basically said I just have to get over it - it's all in my head - it's just fear.
I'm going to see how my body responds to this race this next few days, then my coach and I will make a decision....so stay tuned!!
Monday, September 03, 2007
Time Warp
After I wrote the last post, the Phillies and Yankees both swept the Mets and Red Sox respectively - so I was on a high. On my drive to my swim class after work, I got a call from Lee, the trainer I worked with in NY. We chatted about bikes and training, etc. and i'm excited to go up to upstate NY this fall to ride with him. So I arrived at my swim class happy and ready to tackle the 400 meter field test. I was eager to see what kind of improvement I had made over the course of the summer.
My coach had emailed me earlier in the week, telling me I should do extremely well on this test - that I had made great strides in my swim. I felt like I had it in me as well, and considering my last tri swim was less than stellar, I wanted to make up for it and prove to myself that I could do it.
There were two people in each lane - the guy I was sharing the lane with had been slower than I was the entire class - actually, almost everyone had been. So we start and out of the corner of my eye, I see another guy just on the other side of my rope, and we and neck and neck. All of the sudden, I felt like I had to race him - it wasn't me against the clock, it was me against him. Instead of giving me fuel to go stronger, this thought of racing someone else started giving me anxiety - then my stroke started to deteriorate and my breath was uneven and my thoughts became negative. I basically broke down - I wanted to cry. This was ALL in my head. So I slowed down and just started swimming at a comfortable pace - I let go of trying to get a good time - now I just needed to finish it.
I ended up finishing it only 3 seconds faster than the time I did 9 weeks prior - I was quite upset. On the one hand, knowing that initial time was a bit of a push and this wasn't at all, I knew quite a bit of progress had been made - I just couldn't quantify it. But this poison in my brain needs to stop - I need to stop psyching myself out - just haven't figured out how to do this.
I was pretty upset that night as I went to bed - however, the next day, my coach wrote to me some really sound advice that resonated within me. He did acknowledge that I had some anxiety during the time trial and that my current level and ability wasn't reflected in that test. He wrote a bunch of other things but the one thing that stood out to me was that in my swim (and all three sports for that matter), it wasn't about trying to go fast - it's about getting the movement down and internalizing the focus on making that movement the best it could be. That makes total sense to me - it's like dancing - you look within to let it come out. I have that kind of control and feel for my body and how to execute the movement. It's not about all the external distractors, the course, the other competitors, the weather, etc - it's about me doing the best from within. This is what i'm going to focus on and hopefully start to rid myself of these mental demons.
On another note, this labor day weekend, I found myself bringing out my old Felicity DVDs - it's been at least a year and a half since I last watched them. They're so addictive! I've gotten through all of seasons 1 & 2 again. The first time around I liked Noel - this time I think I like Ben better. Go figure.
My coach had emailed me earlier in the week, telling me I should do extremely well on this test - that I had made great strides in my swim. I felt like I had it in me as well, and considering my last tri swim was less than stellar, I wanted to make up for it and prove to myself that I could do it.
There were two people in each lane - the guy I was sharing the lane with had been slower than I was the entire class - actually, almost everyone had been. So we start and out of the corner of my eye, I see another guy just on the other side of my rope, and we and neck and neck. All of the sudden, I felt like I had to race him - it wasn't me against the clock, it was me against him. Instead of giving me fuel to go stronger, this thought of racing someone else started giving me anxiety - then my stroke started to deteriorate and my breath was uneven and my thoughts became negative. I basically broke down - I wanted to cry. This was ALL in my head. So I slowed down and just started swimming at a comfortable pace - I let go of trying to get a good time - now I just needed to finish it.
I ended up finishing it only 3 seconds faster than the time I did 9 weeks prior - I was quite upset. On the one hand, knowing that initial time was a bit of a push and this wasn't at all, I knew quite a bit of progress had been made - I just couldn't quantify it. But this poison in my brain needs to stop - I need to stop psyching myself out - just haven't figured out how to do this.
I was pretty upset that night as I went to bed - however, the next day, my coach wrote to me some really sound advice that resonated within me. He did acknowledge that I had some anxiety during the time trial and that my current level and ability wasn't reflected in that test. He wrote a bunch of other things but the one thing that stood out to me was that in my swim (and all three sports for that matter), it wasn't about trying to go fast - it's about getting the movement down and internalizing the focus on making that movement the best it could be. That makes total sense to me - it's like dancing - you look within to let it come out. I have that kind of control and feel for my body and how to execute the movement. It's not about all the external distractors, the course, the other competitors, the weather, etc - it's about me doing the best from within. This is what i'm going to focus on and hopefully start to rid myself of these mental demons.
On another note, this labor day weekend, I found myself bringing out my old Felicity DVDs - it's been at least a year and a half since I last watched them. They're so addictive! I've gotten through all of seasons 1 & 2 again. The first time around I liked Noel - this time I think I like Ben better. Go figure.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Why i'm happy today
- The Phillies beat the Mets last night - so far taking 3 games out of a 4 game series(the 4th will be played this afternoon).
- The Yankees beat the Red Sox to take the first 2 games of the series (the 3rd will be played this afternoon) and they moved into first for the wild card.
- Less than 2 days and I will be chillin out by my pool for a long, relaxing weekend.
- I feel no pain - none - it's been a recovery week with my workouts and I haven't run yet (that's tomorrow morning) but between my swimming, biking, and pilates workouts this week, my body feels great. And somehow despite having a real crappy diet this week, I feel and look thinner to myself.
- I received the contracts for my apartment which the buyers have already signed - just put my John Hancock on them and shipped them off to my attorney. It looks like a late October time frame for closing.
- The weather is beautiful outside and i'm feeling truly blessed to have such amazing friends.
That's why i'm happy.
- The Yankees beat the Red Sox to take the first 2 games of the series (the 3rd will be played this afternoon) and they moved into first for the wild card.
- Less than 2 days and I will be chillin out by my pool for a long, relaxing weekend.
- I feel no pain - none - it's been a recovery week with my workouts and I haven't run yet (that's tomorrow morning) but between my swimming, biking, and pilates workouts this week, my body feels great. And somehow despite having a real crappy diet this week, I feel and look thinner to myself.
- I received the contracts for my apartment which the buyers have already signed - just put my John Hancock on them and shipped them off to my attorney. It looks like a late October time frame for closing.
- The weather is beautiful outside and i'm feeling truly blessed to have such amazing friends.
That's why i'm happy.
Monday, August 27, 2007
End of the Season?
I participated in my last triathlon of my first season yesterday...maybe. But i'll get to that later in the post. Here is how the weekend went:
Pre-race Day
After leaving a pathetic phillies loss to pick up the team tent at another members house in Philly, I didn't get a good night's sleep Friday night because I was stressing over all the things I had to do before I would leave to get to the pre-race registration the next day before it closed.
After getting stuck behind the slowest drivers ever on my way into the city to pick up my teammate Mare and then getting stuck in two traffic jams on 95 South, we made it to North East Maryland by 5:30 pm. It was about 95 degrees and the humidity made the air feel as thick as broth.
So the two of us begin assemble the tent, which required more strength and brute force than you could imagine. I was the brute force with the hammer as Mare braced herself to be the immobilizer of the stake I was hammering, all the while praying her hands would come out in one piece.
Finally, after 30 minutes or so of struggling with little release pins and positioning the legs so the tent looked centered, our masterpiece was up.
We were staying in a hotel in Elkton, MD, about 8 miles away and as we tried to reverse the directions I had printed out from the hotel to the race site (the initial plan was to check in, then head to the race site, but traffic altered that plan due to time constraints), we ended up heading the wrong direction. When we finally figured it out, our hotel, Amerisuites, was nowhere to be found. I had made this reservation about 3 weeks ago so I couldn't imagine what was going on - I gave them a call. Turns out they were the Hawthorne suites that we had just driven by - they had changed their name since I had made the reservation.
After checking in we headed to downtown Elkton (Very scary place to be in at night - like a ghost town) for some dinner at a place called Howard's House - being in Maryland by the bay, of course their specialty is crabs, which Mare and I don't eat. After eating our sandwiches, we went back to the hotel to call it a night.
Race Day
I didn't really hear the alarm go off, it became part of my dream. So Mare had to wake me up. I didn't feel like I had gotten much sleep again - it took me awhile to get comfortable in the hotel bed. So we got our stuff together and made our way to the race site.
Can you tell I have sleepy eyes? This is me in the transition area, setting up at the crack of dawn.
Before the race, I got to catch up with a few of my new teammates that I had already met as well as meet a few others. The water was 81 degrees, so no wetsuit again for the swim portion of the tri. My goal for this race was to improve quite a bit on my time compared to my only other and my first Olympic Tri two months ago. My coach wanted me to really focus and push on the swim portion, because i've made a drastic improvement in that area the past few months. I wanted to see what I could do as well, but the wetsuit makes your time so much faster - so already I knew I had my work cut out for me.
Heading to the dock for the swim start
We jumped in and were treading water for about 5 minutes before we started our wave. This time, I remembered to set my watch to be able to time and pace myself throughout the race. They sounded the horn and off we went. A really rought start for me again. The first buoy was probably about 200 yards into the course, and it wasn't until this point that I actually put my face in the water. I was having my breath control issues again. This was going to kill my time. I started to settle into my stroke but never really found my rhythm, distrupting my stroke every 4 strokes to sight. The field was pretty spread out so I didn't have many problems with people swimming into people. By the time I got out of the almost mile long swim, I already felt beat up - as you can see by this picture. It took me 33 minutes to finish and honestly, if I performed the way that I do in my swim class and workouts, it should have been closer to 25.
The transition area was a bit more of a distance from the swim finish than what I was used to, but I still hurried through it was a steady effort. Out of transition, I jumped on my bike and headed out and almost immediately, I started to feel the elevation changes on the bike course. The course description called for "rolling hills" but to someone like me who is still a novice and doesn't practice much on hills might as well consider these things mountains. I stupidly didn't switch to my small chain ring for the first few hills and that really wore out my legs. I tried to get as much speed as possible on the downhills to make up time and pick up momentum for the next climbs and a few of them seemed to be successful. This just taught me there's still much for me to learn in regards to my cycling.
I somehow messed up my watch settings coming out of T1 and had stopped the clock, so I had no idea how much time had elapsed on the bike and I also had the incorrect settings on my bike computer so I didn't know how much distance I had traveled. At one point, I asked one of the rangers blocking an intersection on the course if he knew what mile we were at. He said we were about halfway through. I felt so defeated at that point - I was worn, the hills had totally kicked my ass at that point and he was telling me I had another 12 miles to go (I knew the biggest and longest climb was coming up at mile 18). Fortunately, another woman riding near me said her GPS was telling her we had gone over 16 miles at that point - we had about 7 to go. That made me feel better. I felt like I had been out there forever.
I was so happy to come back into the transition area. With my swim wave starting 15 minutes after the first wave, not swimming to my potential, and having the bike course kick my ass the way that it did, most people were already on the run, as you can see with all the bikes already racked as I was coming into T2:
This is a quick and easy transition to make - only a 10K run ahead of me. I was a little nervous to see how my legs would hold up - they haven't been doing so great on my runs lately. The sun wasn't out, it was hazy and cloudy, but the humidity had definately kicked in. The run was an out and back along a highway with "rolling hills" yet again. The first 2 miles I battled my aching shin splints again. I did have to take a walk break up one of the hills. But having some teammates as volunteers along the course really helped to keep me going. I ran past the four other women on my team that were competing today (they were all heading in as I was heading out) - they all acknowledged me - gave me a high five. Every little bit helps. As I was at my last quarter mile mark, Mare offered to run me in, but I said it was ok - I was going to finish this. I picked up the pace a bit, but didn't have anything left in me to sprint to the finish.
I looked at the finishing clock - compared to the first Olympic tri I had done in Philly, I cut 20 minutes off my time. Granted, my time was horrible for the Philly Tri - I just wanted to get my first one under my belt. But this course was so much tougher for me, so at least it shows me that i'm making progress. And the experience of participating in this as part of a team really made it a much more rewarding experience. Quite a few of them did very well, winning awards. And it was nice to kick back and chat with them post race as well:
So, I was happy to end the season having done 2 sprint and 2 Olympic triathlons and that my performance at each subsequent Tri showed that I was making progress. I was now planning on focusing on my fall running season with the PDR half-marathon in 3 weeks and the NYC marathon this November. That may be changing, however, for a number of reasons.
The team has two more races as part of a club series in which they are in the lead for at the moment. They get a point for each finisher (more for those that place in different categories) so my participating in one of them could actually help the team. Also, my run training has been somewhat halted. My coach has taken off the long runs in the upcoming weeks because i'm teetering on the edge of reinjuring myself. I'm starting to get very nervous that i'm not going to be prepared come race day for the marathon. My coach seems to differ in opinion, he has altered my schedule in a way that takes off some of the miles but is still conditioning my body to handle the endurance and some of the pounding of it. I don't know - I have until October 31st to defer my entry to next years Marathon and i'm going to see how my legs respond to the half marathon in three weeks as well as the plan my coach has to get me to the start on November 4th. My racing schedule may or may not be changing for the fall....
so stay tuned!!
Pre-race Day
After leaving a pathetic phillies loss to pick up the team tent at another members house in Philly, I didn't get a good night's sleep Friday night because I was stressing over all the things I had to do before I would leave to get to the pre-race registration the next day before it closed.
After getting stuck behind the slowest drivers ever on my way into the city to pick up my teammate Mare and then getting stuck in two traffic jams on 95 South, we made it to North East Maryland by 5:30 pm. It was about 95 degrees and the humidity made the air feel as thick as broth.
So the two of us begin assemble the tent, which required more strength and brute force than you could imagine. I was the brute force with the hammer as Mare braced herself to be the immobilizer of the stake I was hammering, all the while praying her hands would come out in one piece.
Finally, after 30 minutes or so of struggling with little release pins and positioning the legs so the tent looked centered, our masterpiece was up.
We were staying in a hotel in Elkton, MD, about 8 miles away and as we tried to reverse the directions I had printed out from the hotel to the race site (the initial plan was to check in, then head to the race site, but traffic altered that plan due to time constraints), we ended up heading the wrong direction. When we finally figured it out, our hotel, Amerisuites, was nowhere to be found. I had made this reservation about 3 weeks ago so I couldn't imagine what was going on - I gave them a call. Turns out they were the Hawthorne suites that we had just driven by - they had changed their name since I had made the reservation.
After checking in we headed to downtown Elkton (Very scary place to be in at night - like a ghost town) for some dinner at a place called Howard's House - being in Maryland by the bay, of course their specialty is crabs, which Mare and I don't eat. After eating our sandwiches, we went back to the hotel to call it a night.
Race Day
I didn't really hear the alarm go off, it became part of my dream. So Mare had to wake me up. I didn't feel like I had gotten much sleep again - it took me awhile to get comfortable in the hotel bed. So we got our stuff together and made our way to the race site.
Can you tell I have sleepy eyes? This is me in the transition area, setting up at the crack of dawn.
Before the race, I got to catch up with a few of my new teammates that I had already met as well as meet a few others. The water was 81 degrees, so no wetsuit again for the swim portion of the tri. My goal for this race was to improve quite a bit on my time compared to my only other and my first Olympic Tri two months ago. My coach wanted me to really focus and push on the swim portion, because i've made a drastic improvement in that area the past few months. I wanted to see what I could do as well, but the wetsuit makes your time so much faster - so already I knew I had my work cut out for me.
Heading to the dock for the swim start
We jumped in and were treading water for about 5 minutes before we started our wave. This time, I remembered to set my watch to be able to time and pace myself throughout the race. They sounded the horn and off we went. A really rought start for me again. The first buoy was probably about 200 yards into the course, and it wasn't until this point that I actually put my face in the water. I was having my breath control issues again. This was going to kill my time. I started to settle into my stroke but never really found my rhythm, distrupting my stroke every 4 strokes to sight. The field was pretty spread out so I didn't have many problems with people swimming into people. By the time I got out of the almost mile long swim, I already felt beat up - as you can see by this picture. It took me 33 minutes to finish and honestly, if I performed the way that I do in my swim class and workouts, it should have been closer to 25.
The transition area was a bit more of a distance from the swim finish than what I was used to, but I still hurried through it was a steady effort. Out of transition, I jumped on my bike and headed out and almost immediately, I started to feel the elevation changes on the bike course. The course description called for "rolling hills" but to someone like me who is still a novice and doesn't practice much on hills might as well consider these things mountains. I stupidly didn't switch to my small chain ring for the first few hills and that really wore out my legs. I tried to get as much speed as possible on the downhills to make up time and pick up momentum for the next climbs and a few of them seemed to be successful. This just taught me there's still much for me to learn in regards to my cycling.
I somehow messed up my watch settings coming out of T1 and had stopped the clock, so I had no idea how much time had elapsed on the bike and I also had the incorrect settings on my bike computer so I didn't know how much distance I had traveled. At one point, I asked one of the rangers blocking an intersection on the course if he knew what mile we were at. He said we were about halfway through. I felt so defeated at that point - I was worn, the hills had totally kicked my ass at that point and he was telling me I had another 12 miles to go (I knew the biggest and longest climb was coming up at mile 18). Fortunately, another woman riding near me said her GPS was telling her we had gone over 16 miles at that point - we had about 7 to go. That made me feel better. I felt like I had been out there forever.
I was so happy to come back into the transition area. With my swim wave starting 15 minutes after the first wave, not swimming to my potential, and having the bike course kick my ass the way that it did, most people were already on the run, as you can see with all the bikes already racked as I was coming into T2:
This is a quick and easy transition to make - only a 10K run ahead of me. I was a little nervous to see how my legs would hold up - they haven't been doing so great on my runs lately. The sun wasn't out, it was hazy and cloudy, but the humidity had definately kicked in. The run was an out and back along a highway with "rolling hills" yet again. The first 2 miles I battled my aching shin splints again. I did have to take a walk break up one of the hills. But having some teammates as volunteers along the course really helped to keep me going. I ran past the four other women on my team that were competing today (they were all heading in as I was heading out) - they all acknowledged me - gave me a high five. Every little bit helps. As I was at my last quarter mile mark, Mare offered to run me in, but I said it was ok - I was going to finish this. I picked up the pace a bit, but didn't have anything left in me to sprint to the finish.
I looked at the finishing clock - compared to the first Olympic tri I had done in Philly, I cut 20 minutes off my time. Granted, my time was horrible for the Philly Tri - I just wanted to get my first one under my belt. But this course was so much tougher for me, so at least it shows me that i'm making progress. And the experience of participating in this as part of a team really made it a much more rewarding experience. Quite a few of them did very well, winning awards. And it was nice to kick back and chat with them post race as well:
So, I was happy to end the season having done 2 sprint and 2 Olympic triathlons and that my performance at each subsequent Tri showed that I was making progress. I was now planning on focusing on my fall running season with the PDR half-marathon in 3 weeks and the NYC marathon this November. That may be changing, however, for a number of reasons.
The team has two more races as part of a club series in which they are in the lead for at the moment. They get a point for each finisher (more for those that place in different categories) so my participating in one of them could actually help the team. Also, my run training has been somewhat halted. My coach has taken off the long runs in the upcoming weeks because i'm teetering on the edge of reinjuring myself. I'm starting to get very nervous that i'm not going to be prepared come race day for the marathon. My coach seems to differ in opinion, he has altered my schedule in a way that takes off some of the miles but is still conditioning my body to handle the endurance and some of the pounding of it. I don't know - I have until October 31st to defer my entry to next years Marathon and i'm going to see how my legs respond to the half marathon in three weeks as well as the plan my coach has to get me to the start on November 4th. My racing schedule may or may not be changing for the fall....
so stay tuned!!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Sad, Sad Day
I woke up at 5 am to a dark, rainy, and unseasonably cold August morning in Philadelphia to get to my member cycling class. I was very tired, somewhat struggled to get to class - but i'm glad I did. I was on top of it today - actually comfortably exceeded (and maintained) the wattage in my SuperLT and VO2MAX training zones. So that made me happy.
But a few hours into the work day - I got a text from my Eagles buddy Joe....My Philadelphia Eagles had released one of my beloved, favorite roster players, MLB Jeremiah Trotter. I'm baffled, i'm stunned, tears swell in my eyes. I can't say I entirely understand or even agree with this decision. I feel like, at 30, Trot still has a few decent years left in him if he can stay healthy. And you just can't replace a personality like his. Trot - I just can't let you go! Please say it ain't so!
Truly - i'm at a loss right now...
But a few hours into the work day - I got a text from my Eagles buddy Joe....My Philadelphia Eagles had released one of my beloved, favorite roster players, MLB Jeremiah Trotter. I'm baffled, i'm stunned, tears swell in my eyes. I can't say I entirely understand or even agree with this decision. I feel like, at 30, Trot still has a few decent years left in him if he can stay healthy. And you just can't replace a personality like his. Trot - I just can't let you go! Please say it ain't so!
Truly - i'm at a loss right now...
Friday, August 17, 2007
Too excited to keep quiet
Ok - so you all know the story. 12 years in New York was more than enough for me. I was so frustrated and tired with my life there I quit my job to finish grad school full-time for a semester, needing 21 more credits, so I could finally move on with my life. After graduation (I'm still in disbelief I actually made it) I put my apartment on the market in June 2006. With no bites, 5 months later I tried to sublet my apartment. Found someone right away - paid all the fees I had to to my co-op, signed the contracts, etc. when 2 weeks into the contract the renter wanted to pull out. His old landlord was going to let him stay. Three months of "legal" proceedings, I finally recouped my costs and some "damages". March 2007, I list my apartment with a different broker. Had my apartment freshly painted. July 2007 I renovated the kitchen and had the floors refinished.
When I relisted my apartment this year, I had bought a St. Joseph to bury - only, the ground was too hard to bury it in, so I left it on my kitchen shelf. When the kitchen was renovated, my mother buried the St. Joseph for me. In order for it to work, you have to pray to St. Joseph (so Beth tells me). So last night, I did. I finally prayed to St. Joseph. And guess what - I GOT AN OFFER TODAY!!!! We settled on the price I wanted!!! I'm nervous about all this, so many things could go wrong or fall through between now and closing, but The Secret is telling me to be thinking positively. I've been doing that too! Believing that it's already been sold! So while it's nowhere near being a done deal yet - such a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I won't feel "stuck" anymore.
It's bizarre in a way - this is the very last tie I have to NY. NY is where I left my childhood and became a grown woman. And now that chapter is closing in my life - what's next? I'm really not sure - but i'm very excited about finding out!!
When I relisted my apartment this year, I had bought a St. Joseph to bury - only, the ground was too hard to bury it in, so I left it on my kitchen shelf. When the kitchen was renovated, my mother buried the St. Joseph for me. In order for it to work, you have to pray to St. Joseph (so Beth tells me). So last night, I did. I finally prayed to St. Joseph. And guess what - I GOT AN OFFER TODAY!!!! We settled on the price I wanted!!! I'm nervous about all this, so many things could go wrong or fall through between now and closing, but The Secret is telling me to be thinking positively. I've been doing that too! Believing that it's already been sold! So while it's nowhere near being a done deal yet - such a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I won't feel "stuck" anymore.
It's bizarre in a way - this is the very last tie I have to NY. NY is where I left my childhood and became a grown woman. And now that chapter is closing in my life - what's next? I'm really not sure - but i'm very excited about finding out!!
Friday, August 10, 2007
I'm awful - and I love it!!
My run, bike, and swim training is taking up roughly 10 hours of my week each week. Overall, it's all coming along just fine. Then, last night, we began working on the IM strokes in swim class (butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke in addition to freestyle) and I literally felt like a fish out of water. Backstroke isn't that bad - it's essentially freestyle flipped upside down. Butterfly we broke down, starting with the kick. I felt like I was just bobbing up and down intstead of moving forward. I was suppossed to be rolling from my core through my legs for a powerful kick. I think all I accomplished was my butt popping up and down, crunching my lower back. Trying to add my arms to the equation with two kicks for each stroke was a disaster. Similiarly for the breaststroke, trying to keep my knees in while sickling my flexed feet and trying to push the water with my lower legs to propel me forward was also unsuccessful. And keeping my arms in the front quadrant of my body to lift myself up and dive forward was very tiring after a short lap.
Basically, what i'm trying to say is - I suck. And i'm totally down with sucking. When you suck like I do, you can only get better! It's like my cycling field test - having my average LT power increase 60 watts in 4-5 months was huge! I couldn't have done that if I hadn't completely sucked the first time out to compare it too. That's not to say that I purposely want to bomb these things first time out. But if i'm naturally and realistically starting at zero, I get to see that path that lies ahead. I get to tackle a challenge and make progress. It's something to work towards. I'll get to work on these strokes all winter (hopefully - i've requested my coach to give me some workouts incorporating them). I'm excited.
Basically, what i'm trying to say is - I suck. And i'm totally down with sucking. When you suck like I do, you can only get better! It's like my cycling field test - having my average LT power increase 60 watts in 4-5 months was huge! I couldn't have done that if I hadn't completely sucked the first time out to compare it too. That's not to say that I purposely want to bomb these things first time out. But if i'm naturally and realistically starting at zero, I get to see that path that lies ahead. I get to tackle a challenge and make progress. It's something to work towards. I'll get to work on these strokes all winter (hopefully - i've requested my coach to give me some workouts incorporating them). I'm excited.
Monday, August 06, 2007
3rd time's a ???
This one's for Jenna since she amazingly seems to have more of an interest in my newbie triathlon excursion than I do!! :)
I participated in my third triathlon this past weekend. It was an all-women's sprint distance triathlon in Philadelphia. It was almost ideal weather conditions for the Tri - sunny, relatively low humidity, and in the 70s. The water temperature was 80 degrees, which felt even warmer than that to me. It was like bath water. So I opted not to wear the wetsuit this time around so as not to overheat while swimming the 800 meters.
I was pretty calm this morning - not many nerves running through me. I caught up with a few people I knew in the transition area and walked to the swim start for a quick warm-up swim. The same moment I jumped into the water, so did another women in my age group that I had met at the last women's Tri I did a month ago. So we caught up chatting a bit. It's cool that i'm starting to recognize and get to know the same faces in this new community i'm becoming a part of.
I was in the 5th swim wave and with it only being an 800 meter swim, the lead elites were already on their bikes before I even got in the water. They rode by the swim start so I got to cheer some of them on. I was so tuned into their race that I almost missed the announcement that brought my swim wave into the water! So I was one of the last to jump into the water and I decided to hang in the back of the wave this time.
The last two Tris I had my freakout moment in the swim which cost me quite a bit of time. This time, I was determined to stick to freestyle the entire time and calmly get into my zone and finish the 800 meters. So they blew the horn, I waited a few moments for the swimmers ahead of me to get going, then I eased into my stroke. It worked! About a hundred meters in, I started passing people left and right. However, I had a difficult time steering myself in the right direction. Every 4 strokes or so I would lift my head up to sight and make sure I was heading towards the buoy. But every time I lift my head to see my form gets out of alignment and I lose momentum. My technique was shotty and I wasn't as efficient as I could have been. I hadn't realized how much swimming with a wetsuit is an advantage with your time. But all in all, I learned what I need to work on AND I felt comfortable during the entire swim. I still ranked in the top 35% for the swim, so at least that's something.
Another goal was to cut down my time in transition. I hustled a bit more this time, but still ended up wasting a total of 6 minutes in both transitions. I should be able to cut the total time down to 4 minutes. That's a goal for the next one.
The bike was only 15 miles which consisted of two loops, mostly flat with the exception of one climb. I didn't do so well on the bike - it is definately my weakest of the three sports. The climb was taxing but I could have pushed myself much more during the entire ride. I think when I began training for the marathon last year, I got into this mode of conserving energy for the end of the race. Because of this habit, I don't push myself to the edge or even over the edge and learn to deal with the pain and keep going. So I stay in a comfortable zone. I really need to start pushing myself more becaues it will make a huge difference in the outcome of the race for me.
A few people had recommended newton running shoes to me - they're incredibly lightweight. It almost feels like you're running barefoot - and that's the point. When you run barefoot, you run with a forefront strike - not the typical heel-strike strides that are typical of most people. My heel striking leads to my ankle injuries. So switching to these shoes that have an irregular sole that aides in fore-front striking not only makes you run more efficiently, but also helps me battle my overpronation problem. So I wore these shoes on the run. I'm capable of putting in a much faster performance than what I did during this tri, but at the same time, it's a huge improvement over where i've been during recovery.
So when all was said and done, I finished in 1:50. It was a clean performance for me, and despite the fact I felt I could have put more effort behind it, I was still happy after the finish. Not only that - I was recruited by someone in my swim class to join a Tri Club in Philly. I met a bunch of the members afterwards - they were all very nice - and also incredible athletes. 4 of them, all amateurs, finished in the top 25! That's out of 724 participants! I finished 292. I still have work to do to get anywhere closer to them, but still, at least i'm in the top 50%!!
I participated in my third triathlon this past weekend. It was an all-women's sprint distance triathlon in Philadelphia. It was almost ideal weather conditions for the Tri - sunny, relatively low humidity, and in the 70s. The water temperature was 80 degrees, which felt even warmer than that to me. It was like bath water. So I opted not to wear the wetsuit this time around so as not to overheat while swimming the 800 meters.
I was pretty calm this morning - not many nerves running through me. I caught up with a few people I knew in the transition area and walked to the swim start for a quick warm-up swim. The same moment I jumped into the water, so did another women in my age group that I had met at the last women's Tri I did a month ago. So we caught up chatting a bit. It's cool that i'm starting to recognize and get to know the same faces in this new community i'm becoming a part of.
I was in the 5th swim wave and with it only being an 800 meter swim, the lead elites were already on their bikes before I even got in the water. They rode by the swim start so I got to cheer some of them on. I was so tuned into their race that I almost missed the announcement that brought my swim wave into the water! So I was one of the last to jump into the water and I decided to hang in the back of the wave this time.
The last two Tris I had my freakout moment in the swim which cost me quite a bit of time. This time, I was determined to stick to freestyle the entire time and calmly get into my zone and finish the 800 meters. So they blew the horn, I waited a few moments for the swimmers ahead of me to get going, then I eased into my stroke. It worked! About a hundred meters in, I started passing people left and right. However, I had a difficult time steering myself in the right direction. Every 4 strokes or so I would lift my head up to sight and make sure I was heading towards the buoy. But every time I lift my head to see my form gets out of alignment and I lose momentum. My technique was shotty and I wasn't as efficient as I could have been. I hadn't realized how much swimming with a wetsuit is an advantage with your time. But all in all, I learned what I need to work on AND I felt comfortable during the entire swim. I still ranked in the top 35% for the swim, so at least that's something.
Another goal was to cut down my time in transition. I hustled a bit more this time, but still ended up wasting a total of 6 minutes in both transitions. I should be able to cut the total time down to 4 minutes. That's a goal for the next one.
The bike was only 15 miles which consisted of two loops, mostly flat with the exception of one climb. I didn't do so well on the bike - it is definately my weakest of the three sports. The climb was taxing but I could have pushed myself much more during the entire ride. I think when I began training for the marathon last year, I got into this mode of conserving energy for the end of the race. Because of this habit, I don't push myself to the edge or even over the edge and learn to deal with the pain and keep going. So I stay in a comfortable zone. I really need to start pushing myself more becaues it will make a huge difference in the outcome of the race for me.
A few people had recommended newton running shoes to me - they're incredibly lightweight. It almost feels like you're running barefoot - and that's the point. When you run barefoot, you run with a forefront strike - not the typical heel-strike strides that are typical of most people. My heel striking leads to my ankle injuries. So switching to these shoes that have an irregular sole that aides in fore-front striking not only makes you run more efficiently, but also helps me battle my overpronation problem. So I wore these shoes on the run. I'm capable of putting in a much faster performance than what I did during this tri, but at the same time, it's a huge improvement over where i've been during recovery.
So when all was said and done, I finished in 1:50. It was a clean performance for me, and despite the fact I felt I could have put more effort behind it, I was still happy after the finish. Not only that - I was recruited by someone in my swim class to join a Tri Club in Philly. I met a bunch of the members afterwards - they were all very nice - and also incredible athletes. 4 of them, all amateurs, finished in the top 25! That's out of 724 participants! I finished 292. I still have work to do to get anywhere closer to them, but still, at least i'm in the top 50%!!
Early Season
September always tends to be a hectic month. Working in the arts, September is historically the time the new season opens. Most of the deadlines for Government funding falls in September. It's the beginning of a new school year (which, for the majority of my life has been the case with me. It's the time when the miles start adding up for the long practice runs in preparation for the fall marathon. And, most importantly, September means that Football is here!
Since starting the new job and having a hellish commute to and from work and everywhere else my life takes me, I spend on average 3-4 hours a day in the car. So, needless to say, i'm feeling a little bit of a time crunch getting everything in - and it's still 4 weeks before life really starts picking up. I guess you can say i'm starting to get a little anxiety ridden and trying to mentally prepare myself for what I have to tackle.
A little update on the job front:
4 weeks into the new job, my Assistant Director gave notice. She and I work together just fine, but she had been approached by another organization before I began working there that presented her with a better opportunity. I respect that and honestly, even though i'm sure she's great (I haven't really had much of an opportunity to find that out yet), I was questioning the structure of my department and if it was positioned as efficiently as it could be. So, I have the opportunity to make some changes to the infrastructure and mold it somewhat into my own department. At the same time, more work will fall on my shoulders.
As much as I disliked my last job, it was still easy. I had forgotten the responsibility it takes to be a Director of a department and the "outside of typical work hours" that you have to put in, particularly in a theater, with opening nights, special events, board meetings, etc.
This is going to be tough for me - already today I came across a few conflicts of future board meetings that conflict with my Biology class and trying to plan events, one of which they wanted to hold the same day as the NYC marathon. I had to speak up about that one - I had begun planning for this race in January 2006 when I registered for my 9 qualifying races to be guaranteed entry in the November 2007 marathon. I begun training for this in May - I just won't miss it for anything. This place i'm working at is very flexible and understanding - yet, at the same time, I know i'm held to a higher standard because of my position. So it's going to be a delicate balancing act in the coming months.
Since starting the new job and having a hellish commute to and from work and everywhere else my life takes me, I spend on average 3-4 hours a day in the car. So, needless to say, i'm feeling a little bit of a time crunch getting everything in - and it's still 4 weeks before life really starts picking up. I guess you can say i'm starting to get a little anxiety ridden and trying to mentally prepare myself for what I have to tackle.
A little update on the job front:
4 weeks into the new job, my Assistant Director gave notice. She and I work together just fine, but she had been approached by another organization before I began working there that presented her with a better opportunity. I respect that and honestly, even though i'm sure she's great (I haven't really had much of an opportunity to find that out yet), I was questioning the structure of my department and if it was positioned as efficiently as it could be. So, I have the opportunity to make some changes to the infrastructure and mold it somewhat into my own department. At the same time, more work will fall on my shoulders.
As much as I disliked my last job, it was still easy. I had forgotten the responsibility it takes to be a Director of a department and the "outside of typical work hours" that you have to put in, particularly in a theater, with opening nights, special events, board meetings, etc.
This is going to be tough for me - already today I came across a few conflicts of future board meetings that conflict with my Biology class and trying to plan events, one of which they wanted to hold the same day as the NYC marathon. I had to speak up about that one - I had begun planning for this race in January 2006 when I registered for my 9 qualifying races to be guaranteed entry in the November 2007 marathon. I begun training for this in May - I just won't miss it for anything. This place i'm working at is very flexible and understanding - yet, at the same time, I know i'm held to a higher standard because of my position. So it's going to be a delicate balancing act in the coming months.
Monday, July 23, 2007
I'm Just Going To Say It...
Ironman USA 2009 in Lake Placid, New York - i'm going to do it. There - it's out there. It's a done deal. 2 years from now, i'll be an ironwoman!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Copasetic
Quite a few things to catch up on here...
My 31st Birthday
Once again, my friends and family showed me alot of love on my birthday which fell on Friday the 13th this year! A few of us went to the Phillies game that night with the impending 10,000 loss looming over all us Philly sports fans...but I prophesized that not only were they not going to reach this milestone on my birthday, but that in the first inning, when they already had 6 runs on the board, that they would score a total of 13 runs on my birthday - no more and no less. I was right!!
Work
Two weeks into the new job now. The atmosphere is much more laid back than at my last job - which I enjoy. I'll enjoy it well enough the next few years before going back to school again - the only part that is frustrating right now is my killer commute. I spend on average 4 hours a day in the car - not just to work and home but to training and social engagements, etc. As soon as I sell my place in NY i'll be moving to a location that is more convenient for me overall - no matter what there will still be some travel time, but anything will be better than what i'm having to endure right now - and most people are on vacation with it being summer so I really haven't experienced how hellish the traffic will be.
The Apartment
Speaking of selling the apartment - I've renovated the kitchen and refinished the floors in the entire apartment. Dropped the price one more time. We're heading into the dog days of August soon and the market traditionally is slow during this time - but I do feel confident that with all these changes that i've made, i'll find a seller sometime this fall, if not sooner. Keep your fingers crossed for me and if you know of anyone looking for a smaller one bedroom in Northern Manhattan, send them my way!
Marathon/Triathlon Training
I'm in a really good place right now in regards to my focus and my training for marathons and triathlons. I took a cycling field test just the other day in my last Tri training class to compare to the test we took in February - I shaved 2 minutes off my 3 mile time trial as well as increased by average power by 60 watts. Besides sore muscles here and there, which i've been accustomed to all my life having been a dancer, I feel good. I feel healthy. I feel ready to keep growing and improving.
I still meet with my marathon training group Saturday mornings for the long runs. We hit the 10 mile mark in our run yesterday. I was being paced by Stuart and Julie - two runners quite a bit faster than me but they were going out easy and pulling me along at a pace that was a bit of an effort to me, but still sustainable. This was for the first 5 miles - then they broke out and I decided it was best to run at my own pace at this point. I hit a wall at mile 7 - I think it was due to my lack of hydration and nutrition on this run. So I stopped to walk up the hill at this point and take in my Gu gel and fluids before I got myself back into a running rhythm to finish out strong.
I'm not sure I mentioned this is an earlier entry, but i'm going to continue to work with my coach who taught the 5 month class I was in. He's incorporating training for both the remaining triathlons I have this summer as well as my marathon training. I'll work with him at a weekly indoor member cycling class each week and have been also working with him weekly at the swim class I registered for this summer. I have the SheROX all- women's Sprint Tri in two weeks, then at the end of August will be participating in another Olympic tri in North East Maryland. Then my focus is on the PDR half-marathon in September and the NYC Marathon in November. I have registered for a triathlon in April in 2008 in Las Vegas - and I do have some ideas of which other races, both marathons and triathlons i'd like to do in 2008 - but it's a matter if I get my registration in on time in the fall. I'll let you know as soon as I do!
If you can't tell, all this makes me so happy! It's like I havce a second "dance" life again. For 20 years I pushed myself in dance technique and performance. I always had something to works towards and strive for. Having this kind of control of my physical body was a huge adrenaline rush for me. I've been missing that these past few years. But i've found it again through marathons and triathlons. The sky's the limit and I can continue to work for the next 20 years or even beyond to better myself physically, mentally, and spiritually in my new endeavor. It's really helped me put my entire life into perspective and enjoy the ride!
My 31st Birthday
Once again, my friends and family showed me alot of love on my birthday which fell on Friday the 13th this year! A few of us went to the Phillies game that night with the impending 10,000 loss looming over all us Philly sports fans...but I prophesized that not only were they not going to reach this milestone on my birthday, but that in the first inning, when they already had 6 runs on the board, that they would score a total of 13 runs on my birthday - no more and no less. I was right!!
Work
Two weeks into the new job now. The atmosphere is much more laid back than at my last job - which I enjoy. I'll enjoy it well enough the next few years before going back to school again - the only part that is frustrating right now is my killer commute. I spend on average 4 hours a day in the car - not just to work and home but to training and social engagements, etc. As soon as I sell my place in NY i'll be moving to a location that is more convenient for me overall - no matter what there will still be some travel time, but anything will be better than what i'm having to endure right now - and most people are on vacation with it being summer so I really haven't experienced how hellish the traffic will be.
The Apartment
Speaking of selling the apartment - I've renovated the kitchen and refinished the floors in the entire apartment. Dropped the price one more time. We're heading into the dog days of August soon and the market traditionally is slow during this time - but I do feel confident that with all these changes that i've made, i'll find a seller sometime this fall, if not sooner. Keep your fingers crossed for me and if you know of anyone looking for a smaller one bedroom in Northern Manhattan, send them my way!
Marathon/Triathlon Training
I'm in a really good place right now in regards to my focus and my training for marathons and triathlons. I took a cycling field test just the other day in my last Tri training class to compare to the test we took in February - I shaved 2 minutes off my 3 mile time trial as well as increased by average power by 60 watts. Besides sore muscles here and there, which i've been accustomed to all my life having been a dancer, I feel good. I feel healthy. I feel ready to keep growing and improving.
I still meet with my marathon training group Saturday mornings for the long runs. We hit the 10 mile mark in our run yesterday. I was being paced by Stuart and Julie - two runners quite a bit faster than me but they were going out easy and pulling me along at a pace that was a bit of an effort to me, but still sustainable. This was for the first 5 miles - then they broke out and I decided it was best to run at my own pace at this point. I hit a wall at mile 7 - I think it was due to my lack of hydration and nutrition on this run. So I stopped to walk up the hill at this point and take in my Gu gel and fluids before I got myself back into a running rhythm to finish out strong.
I'm not sure I mentioned this is an earlier entry, but i'm going to continue to work with my coach who taught the 5 month class I was in. He's incorporating training for both the remaining triathlons I have this summer as well as my marathon training. I'll work with him at a weekly indoor member cycling class each week and have been also working with him weekly at the swim class I registered for this summer. I have the SheROX all- women's Sprint Tri in two weeks, then at the end of August will be participating in another Olympic tri in North East Maryland. Then my focus is on the PDR half-marathon in September and the NYC Marathon in November. I have registered for a triathlon in April in 2008 in Las Vegas - and I do have some ideas of which other races, both marathons and triathlons i'd like to do in 2008 - but it's a matter if I get my registration in on time in the fall. I'll let you know as soon as I do!
If you can't tell, all this makes me so happy! It's like I havce a second "dance" life again. For 20 years I pushed myself in dance technique and performance. I always had something to works towards and strive for. Having this kind of control of my physical body was a huge adrenaline rush for me. I've been missing that these past few years. But i've found it again through marathons and triathlons. The sky's the limit and I can continue to work for the next 20 years or even beyond to better myself physically, mentally, and spiritually in my new endeavor. It's really helped me put my entire life into perspective and enjoy the ride!
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