October 2010 - Page 2 of 2 - My Healthy, Happier Life

I think I borrowed someone else’s legs today!

The morning started out like any other race morning!

Our race necessities were laid out, ready for action.

We each had the pre-race breakfast which has quickly become a ritual. Breakfast is always a cup of coffee with a peanut butter and banana sandwich on light wheat bread. I’ve started adding Crofter’s Jam instead of honey for a little natural sugar.

We quickly headed downtown to catch the 7:30am ferry to Staten Island. The half marathon began at 8:30, therefore the NYRR suggested no one take a ferry later than 7:30. I’m glad we listened! We have been on more ferries in the past month than ever before! (Governor’s Island and Bainbridge Island)

The ferry was packed!

I ran into Sara before the race. I love how small the NYC running community really becomes after a few races! She warned me about the hills but also told me that this was her half marathon PR last year. (Great job Sara on your awesome race today!!)

After a quick 15 minute ferry ride, our course came into view.

Staten Island looked flat and friendly from afar.

After a quick sprint to the ferry terminal bathroom for a last minute stop, we headed down to the corral. Due to the constant calf pain Bo has been dealing with since his speedy run in Portland, we decided to start the race together. I knew I wanted to keep my goal marathon pace (11:20) today in preparation for the marathon.

We were ready to get this run started! The weather was perfect, the wind wasn’t blowing too badly, and we were towards the front of my corral (aqua).

The course was an out and back route, including a few rolling hills and one steep incline from mile 7.5 to 8. Overall, it reminded me a lot of the Philadelphia Half course in that it had some great views and was a relatively easy course compared to multiple loops in Central Park or Prospect Park.

I felt wonderfully throughout the race. In fact, I felt as if I’d borrowed someone else’s legs! I was smiling ear to ear, talking with Bo, and taking in the sites. I thought we were starting out slow until Bo told me to slow down as he was sure we were going faster than planned. I looked down at my Garmin only to see that we ran our first three miles at an average pace of 9:47. We decided to stick together for the rest of the race due to my fast pace.

After the first three miles, we kept our pace at a 10:05 until we climbed the hill at mile 7.5. That hill irritated Bo’s calf and reduced him to a limp until we stopped for a quick stretch a few strides later. He spent 2 minutes stretching and massaging his calf. We started again and continued another three miles until 10.5 when it started to tighten again. This time we stopped for 2 minutes for more stretching and a quick debate. Bo realized at this point that 20 wouldn’t be possible for him and that finishing the half would be lucky.

I suggested we slow down for the last 2.5 miles so we could finish together. He would never leave me in a race while in pain and therefore I wanted to stick by his side. We finished the next 2.5 miles in a 10:45 pace. Even with this slow finishing pace, I still ran my fastest half marathon since December 2007!

Time: 2:16:47

Avg Pace: 10:27

I couldn’t stop smiling. I wanted to keep running since my goal today wasn’t the half marathon, but instead my first 20 miler!

I completed a 2 mile loop while Bo stretched and rested his leg. After the quick 2 miles we headed towards the ferry in hopes of catching the 11:30 ferry back to NYC. Bo had to be back home for a conference call and I knew that running 5 miles along the Hudson River would be the perfect ending for my 20 miler.

Less than an hour after parting ways at the Staten Island Ferry terminal in Manhattan I was back home giddy with excitement!

20 miles 3:29:20

10:27 avg pace

It was the perfect run and exactly what I needed before the marathon!

Congratulations to everyone who ran today!

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The last 24 hours have been absolute bliss. After 20 days of travel I was craving a relaxing weekend. I can barely believe that I’ve run in Dallas, Houston, Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco in the last 3 weeks!

Last night we enjoyed sushi, caught up on our favorite television shows, and fell asleep at an unbelievably early hour! Our DVR favorites include Parenthood, Modern Family, Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men, and Grey’s Anatomy. Are we missing out on anything new? I may have also indulged in an at-home facial. It was a lovely, perfect Friday night!

We couldn’t believe our eyes when we woke up this morning. It was 11:30am! Clearly, our bodies needed the sleep because neither of us budged during the 12 hours of sleep. I can’t believe that I’ve slept past 11am two Saturdays in a row. WHO AM I?!

We weren’t ready to get anywhere quickly today so instead, we spent a few hours eating lunch, cleaning the house, and watching a few shows. One of our best friend’s sisters was on this week’s CSI so we had to watch it! Congrats Laura!!

Lunch was a delicious salad, filled with more vegetables than I could finish! What is your favorite salad combination? Mine is definitely Greek!

This salad was overflowing with red onions, chick peas, feta, tomatoes, cucumbers, and romaine lettuce! Delicious and exactly what my body was craving!

We headed up to the NYRR office to pick our bibs for tomorrow’s Staten Island Half Marathon.

After a long discussion Thursday night, we decided to do our 20 miler on Sunday instead of Saturday due to both of our exhaustion levels. In the end, I think we made the right decision. We will have the chance to run the Staten Island Half which is supposed to be absolutely gorgeous and decently half compared to the 18 miler we did 3 weeks ago.

In addition, Melissa and I are going to run together which means I can hear ALL about her NYC Marathon experiences. It’s all becoming real now that we’re less than 30 days away! Thinking about Theodora, Meghann, Leslie, and Kelly during my 20 miler will be perfect motivation! Good luck tomorrow ladies in the Chicago Marathon!!

Why is this post titled Woops, you ask? Well, I recently received this exciting package in the mail while I was in San Francisco! It’s official! I’ve read the marathon guide backwards and forwards over the past 24 hours. I’ve tried on the cool t-shirt and started to get butterflies in my stomach.

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No, Bo and I didn’t buy a ticket to Paris last night and spend a day in the city of lights, wine, cheese, and delicious, crusty French bread.

Instead, we made our second to last day in Seattle include a small taste of Paris. When I was in Paris, my favorite activity was walking the streets, talking to local vendors, listening to street musicians, and tasting anything that sparked my curiosity while washing it down with a splash of wine.

For those of you who don’t know, Bo and I were supposed to spend this week vacation in Paris until many unforeseen events made a continental trip the more rational decision.

We spent an hour and a half earlier, taking an unfamiliar path through the market stopping everywhere that interested us. We talked to local produce vendors, smelled fresh lavender, and sampled 16 year old vinegar.

Bo and I also have a theory that if someone wants just a taste of something and a shop won’t sell or offer a small sample, we are able to buy the item, have as much as we want and give the rest to a needy person. This way we only eat what we want but have the opportunity to sample everything we want!

The scent of fresh made donuts lured us into buying a half dozen mini donuts, made fresh while we stood talking to the owner. During the height of summer, they will sell 40,000 of these little donuts to tourists flocking to the market. I am so glad we chose to visit Seattle during the start of its off-season. The tourists have been manageable everywhere we’ve been but nothing is closed for the season.

We each tried a bite of their four different flavors before giving the bag away. My favorite by far was the cinnamon. The warm donut mixed perfectly with the light cinnamon sprinkle and reminded Bo of the warm, doughy donuts he grew up with in Avalon, NJ during his childhood summers.

Our next stop was The Pike Brewing Company which has been on Bo’s list since we arrived. He loves trying local brews and also heard earlier in the week that they offered a six beer sampler. The bar is covered in beer memorabilia from across the world. In fact, the owner had so much that he recently opened a museum.

Unfortunately, after only a few sips of each beer Bo was ready to move on to our next location. He liked their original ale, Pike Pale. Their hop wasn’t assertive enough and they were all very malty. Unfortunately, none of them were memorable.

DiLaurenti was calling our name again as we decided we wanted to enjoy lunch on our hotel rooftop deck this afternoon tasting market tasts, sipping wine, and enjoying their delicious cheeses.

We walked out with our favorite taste, a Gorgonzola Dolce and a gorgeous bottle of olive oil.

We made four more quick stops before setting up camp on our roof deck for a relaxing lunch.

The smell of Cinnamon Works caught my attention our first morning in Seattle but I promised I’d save their wheat and gluten free pumpkin cookie for a treat towards the end of our trip. Bo wanted to compare this to their original so we bought one of each.

Our cheese needed a mate and Le Panier had the perfect mate. Bo purchased a two foot long epis loaf. The loaf was a unique take on a traditional french bread. Crusty on the outside and delightfully light and chewy on the inside.

Our final stop was thanks to many different Twitter suggestions, including the awesome Katy Widrick who has suggested many different locations during our trip! Piroshky Piroshky is a small Russian bakery located in the market. Opened in 1992, it is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before featuring fresh made piroshky of multiple different flavors ranging from celery, cheese, and onion to salmon.

Mission accomplished we were ready for a relaxing lunch on our rooftop at the Inn at the Market.