ashleyd /

Newbie Running Questions

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Fall greeted us in New York City this weekend resulting in cool, crisp weather and sunny skies! I enjoyed a Chai Tea each day, my favorite Fall drink!

In case you’re catching up from the weekend, it was a stress free weekend due to my last minute decision to forego the RNR Philadelphia Half Marathon.

This morning, I have a special post thanks to a weekend email. As a blogger who does my best to write daily, sometimes it’s a blessing to have topics requested! Luckily, this weekend, Kristine emailed me with a list of running questions. She just conquered her first 10k this weekend and is excited about her new sport but in need of guidance. I am still guilty of not considering myself a runner, so the fact that she emailed me was an honor in itself! You can read more about my journey to becoming a runner here.

I’m going to answer her questions over the next few days since there were quite a few. Keep in mind that I’m not an expert; these answers are merely my opinion.

[Half+Marathon+Weekend+009.jpg]

Part 1:

Do you have any tips for someone running their first half marathon in January?

Congratulations on signing up for your first half marathon! It will be an awesome and incredible feeling of accomplishment when you cross that finish line smiling ear to ear! I truly believe in the saying, “proper planning prevents poor performance.” You are at least ten weeks out from your big day which is plenty of time! I suggest finding a plan and sticking to it as closely as possible, especially since this is your first half. There are plenty of great places to find plans including Runner’s World Smart Coach and Hal Higdon’s website. I used his novice half marathon plan for my first half and loved it!

How many days a week should you run?

This is a very personal question, but based on my own experience I recommend 3-4 days maximum. There are clear benefits to cross training activities such as yoga, swimming, spinning, or strength training. If you are pushing your body each day through running you won’t have the opportunity to cross train and your muscles will get accustomed to the exercises. Last year, I trained for the marathon injury free even though I ran 6 days a week. But, I also gained 9 pounds in the process and lost a lot of upper body and abdominal strength. This time around, I’m only running 3-4 days per week and cross training the other days. So far, I’ve lost 8 inches and reduced my BMI 3% during marathon training!

How do you make running on a "dreadmill" more fun?

Over the past few months, I’ve actually done my best to breakup with the treadmill. I now prefer pounding the pavement, even with the crazy New York City streets, over running on the treadmill. But, if you’re stuck on the treadmill due to weather, travel, or other circumstances I have learned a few tricks over the years!

  1. Create a great playlist that will keep you excited each mile. I often put my iPod on random so I don’t know what to expect next.
  2. Break the run up into parts. During half marathon training last year, I had to do a 10 miler on the treadmill and broke it up into 2 5ks and then one 4 mile run. I even changed treadmills during each section!
  3. When all else fails, find a treadmill near either a high traffic area or a television. This way you can take your mind off the run and focus on the people watching or the news. I actually love watching the news while I’m doing a morning treadmill run as it’s a nice change of pace.

What are your top 5-10 essential running clothing items?

Over the past few years, I’ve rotated my running wardrobe almost seasonally. I used to try a new item every time I bought new shoes. Last year however, during marathon training, I finally found a few key pieces that I fell in love with after just a few runs. Since then, these have been my go to running items.

Question: What is your favorite item for working out during the winter months?

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

BLT Fish Shack: Fifteen Bottles of Beer

There is nothing better than an evening of beer and delicious food after a long run.

After a relaxing afternoon with Bo, we headed over to the Galway Hooker to meet Theodora and Tina for a drink.

IMG_2143 (640x480)Luckily, the bar was pretty empty, so we were able to snag a booth and hear ourselves talk without having to scream. This is a rare find in New York City during football season so we were all pleasantly surprised!

IMG_0053 (640x480)

Per Theodora and Tina’s suggestion, I started with Sam Adams Octoberfest since the bar was lacking on pumpkin beer selections.

IMG_2144 (640x480) IMG_2141 (480x640) It was absolutely delicious! Drinking regular beers is still a very novel idea for me as I used to be the “light beer” girl who would never fathom drinking a full, malty beer. This beer was malty with a little bit of spice,  luckily lacking on the hop flavor that I don’t normally like. This may become my go to beer this season since Sam Adams is normally available in most bars.

After a round of drinks and lots of laughter, we headed downtown to meet Gabriella, Rebecca, and Clare at BLT Fish Shack.  Even though this is one of our favorite spots in Flatiron, we hadn’t been to BLT Fish Shack since our Memorial Day weekend date night.

IMG_0056 (640x480)

IMG_2150 (640x480)Bo saw on Twitter that BLT Fish Shack was celebrating NYC Beer Week with a special prix-fixe beer paired menu for $40! I quickly sent the suggestion to Theodora and Tina, originally hoping we could go Friday night before I left for Philadelphia. Luckily the stars aligned and we were able to enjoy the evening together last night!

IMG_2148 (480x640)Upon arriving, we were quickly seated towards the back of the restaurant. Luckily, unlike many NYC restaurants, they were willing to seat us even though only 6 of the 7 people had arrived. This is just one of the many ways the service out did their self last night.

I love the Shack’s cute decor details such as the lobster placemats and dish rag napkins.

IMG_2154 (640x480)

IMG_2155 (640x480) Within minutes of sitting down, our waitress graced our table with their famous garlic cheese bread. It’s easy to enjoy too much of this bread at one sitting as it’s so delicious. Luckily, I was forced to share last night and therefore limited myself to only one piece.

IMG_2156 (640x480)Bo was craving raw bar and quickly asked the group if anyone could help him enjoy some oysters, clams, and shrimp. Clearly we were all more than happy to oblige his request but were taken by surprise when the large seafood tower was presented!

IMG_2157 (480x640) The shrimp were absolutely divine and could have been a meal alone!

Everyone except for Bo chose the pre-fixe special for their meal since it was such a great deal and most of the items aren’t regularly on the menu.

The first round of beers were delivered to our table within seconds of us ordering!

IMG_2152 (480x640) Our first course was a rich but delicious corn & crab chowder, paired with Blue Point Toasted Lager. This was my favorite beer of the night, going down very smooth and paired perfectly with the rich soup. The chowder was delicious but the crispy bread, especially when dipped in the chowder, was the real winner. I only finished 1/3 or so of the bowl since I knew I still had two more courses coming.

IMG_2161 (640x480) IMG_2164 (640x480) The second course included tempura fried branzino served atop braised Swiss chard and lemon jalapeno aioli paired with Lagunitas IPA. Now I know why I stick to grilled or broiled fish. While the tempura was quite as heavy as other fried options, it really took away from the flavor and was too heavy to enjoy the whole serving. The Swiss chard was delicious however and thoroughly enjoyed!

IMG_0089 (640x480)

IMG_2168 (640x480) The final course of the evening was my least favorite unfortunately.  I was excited for donuts when I saw it on the menu but disappointed to find that they were churros instead. Furthermore, the final beer was Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, a very heavy beer that I could barely swallow. The rest of the ladies were very excited to happily pass my bottle around to share.

IMG_0097 (480x640)

IMG_2172 (640x480)

The conversation flowed just as easily as the beers all night long! In fact, we may have hazed Tina at one point in the evening tempting her to double fist in true champ style!

IMG_2173 (640x480) IMG_2174 (640x480) Such a great time with wonderful food and wonderful ladies, plus Bo! He was a true champ!

After dinner I went to a friend’s house for a farewell to summer party but was in bed passed out by midnight! Beer+heavy foods+long runs=exhausted Ashley!

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

A Stress Free 17 Miler

Last night, after finishing work at 9pm, I walked through the door dreading my weekend plans. I was supposed to head down to Philadelphia via train this afternoon in order to run the Rock N Roll Philadelphia Half marathon tomorrow with Leslie.

When Leslie told me that her ITBand was giving her issues and may prevent her from running, that was all I needed to sway me against the trip. Even though I’ll be losing the entry fee, I’m saving $150 by not buying a train ticket and a lot of sanity. Every now and then I have to make a smart decision and think of my sanity versus what I necessarily want to do!

Therefore, last night’s quesadilla slice and chips and salsa that were shared with my co-workers ended up being the perfect carb loading for this morning’s long run.

As soon as I made the decision to run this morning, I chugged a huge glass of NUUN infused water and went to bed.

At 6:30 this morning I woke up ready to run!

IMG_4441 (640x478) In case you were wondering, I’m still not tired of peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

I debated what to wear since it was nice and chilly, my favorite running weather. I decided up on my Lululemon Groove shorts and my marathon technical tee.

IMG_4443 (640x480)This is the face of a happy and very stress free lady! I didn’t realize how much the trip down to Philadelphia was stressing me out until I decided against it. I slept wonderfully, woke up happy, and was excited to run.

I didn’t plan my run ahead of time since I thought I’d be running down in Philadelphia. With my Garmin on and my iPhone Run Keeper I was ready to go. I decided to challenge myself by running up 1st Avenue, part of which is on the marathon route. I ran all the way up into Spanish Harlem before turning over towards Central Park. The whole time I was running down Fifth Avenue all I could think about was last year’s marathon. I remembered passing the botanical gardens, each street sign, and the museums.

IMG_4444 (640x478) IMG_4446 (640x478) IMG_4448 (640x478) These cobblestones are harder to run on than you may imagine! I’m thankful that we have the wide open road during the marathon.

I turned into the park right around the reservoir and enjoyed a relaxing loop around the reservoir. I’m still not in love with the area but this morning the views were relaxing and gorgeous!

IMG_4449 (640x478) IMG_4450 (640x478) Even better was the fact that I felt great! I was around mile 10 at this point and was averaging a 10:31 pace.

IMG_4451 (640x480) As I exited the reservoir, I heard the lead vehicle warning runners to move aside. The elite men had already started the Fitness Magazine 4 Miler!

IMG_4453 (640x478) IMG_4454 (640x478)Their speed inspired me to run over to the registration area as fast as I could at this point in my run. I kept a 9:54 pace as I ran across the park.  It probably wasn’t the smartest move in the long run but boy did it feel good to sprint around the park!

I picked up my bib, stretched, and started looking for my lovely running friends who were running a few miles before the race, just like me.

IMG_4456 (640x480)Luckily, I spotted these two goobers easily. I mean really, how could you miss these two between Theodora’s awesome sweat shirt and Tina’s fanny pack.

IMG_4457 (640x478)We headed over to the corrals, meeting up with Rebecca along the way! At this point she had already run 16 miles, Theodora had run 8 miles, and I was at the 11.5 mile point!

IMG_4458 (640x478)My legs didn’t really enjoy the 15 minutes of standing around. That is the worst part of sticking a race in the middle of a long run. But, the best part is that you’re surrounded by thousands of other people and the energy helps the miles fly by faster than a normal long run.

This pace includes a 3:15 bathroom break which therefore makes me even prouder of this time. I ran the entire time, Cat Hill didn’t kill me, and I loved watching people as they clearly ran their first races; including Ali’s awesome friend who was rocking it when I saw her!

image After the race I was lucky enough to spot tons of my friends including Camille, Ashley, Rebecca, Tina, Theodora, Meghan, and others! It was so fun seeing everyone! After catching up for a few minutes Tina, Theodora, and I decided it was time to start moving. I followed them towards the southern end of the park and waved goodbye as they headed for the West Side Highway and I continued towards the east side. I tend to always exit the park around the corner of 59th and Fifth Avenue as I love the flowers and action in that area!

IMG_4459 (640x478) IMG_4460 (478x640)I had two more miles left by the time I left the park. To say I was anxious to finish would be an understatement. I kept looking at my iPhone every few blocks, hoping I’d see the number 17. Luckily, the new windows in Bergdorf’s, Saks, and Gucci kept me occupied as I headed towards home.

Finally, success was mine! Seventeen miles done in 3:01:38 (actual running time) which is a 10:40 average!

Too bad I forgot my key in my rush to leave this morning. Luckily I knew Bo’s 11am spin class would be over soon and he could let me in.

IMG_4467 (640x478)While I waited I went to Walgreens, stretched, iced, and sipped this new to me recovery drink. The G Series Fit 3 was far more delicious than I expected. With only 120 calories and 12 grams of protein it was the perfect thing to drink after this morning’s run AND it was on sale at Walgreens!

Within twenty minutes of finishing my run I was in my happy and very cold place! Hopefully my legs and itBand will thank me later for suffering the cold.

IMG_4468 (640x478) Now, my feet are ready for some pedicure pampering! Have a great day and enjoy some college football! Go Irish! Go Dawgs!

Share Button
Follow: