long run Archives - Page 12 of 23 - My Healthy, Happier Life

ashleyd / September 16, 2012

18 Miles of Bliss

On Friday night, I wrote a post about running solo in preparation for 18 miles Saturday morning. While I wasn’t necessarily excited about spending the morning by myself I knew that it would a run that would make me stronger mentally.

But about 15 minutes later, my phone vibrated.

To my surprise, the organizer of our work run club, Marcial, wanted to join me for a few miles. I eagerly said yes but warned him that the pace would be slower than our mid-week runs and that I may not be too talkative. He happily agreed and was even willing to meet me on our front step at 6:45am!

I woke at 5:40, an hour before the run, and quickly made and ate breakfast before doing anything else so that I’d have time to digest the peanut butter and banana toast. Next, I filled my Camelbak with plain water, instead of NUUN, and made sure that I put my 3 GU’s in the zipper pocket so we wouldn’t have a replay of last week’s fueling mistake. While I love NUUN, Gia suggested trying water this week to see if my body reacts better as she has experienced and heard of others experiencing sensitivity when pairing NUUN with Shot Blocks or GU type products.

Having this hour of quiet to myself really helped put me in a good mood and spirit for the run. I spent some time stretching and foam rolling, I sent a few early morning Twitter messages to other runners who were up early for races and long runs, had plenty of time to use the bathroom, and had time to just focus. It was a nice change from the normal rush around the house in the morning, even though it did mean waking up earlier.

As I was walking out the door Marcial texted me saying he had no water or fuel. Even though he wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to make it since his furthest run prior to Saturday was 8 miles, I knew he’d still want at least a little something. I dashed inside and grabbed a water bottle and an extra bag of Sport Beans from our fuel box.

By 7 we were off and running through the cool, Fall air. Saturday morning truly felt like Fall in Manhattan. The air was crisp and when we were in the shade of the East River Path it was actually cold. I asked Marcial if he was fine just going with the path I mapped the night prior, 18 miles along the East River Path, South to the tip of Manhattan, north along the West Side Highway, then turning on 59th to head across the city and into Central Park for a few laps of the lower loop. He smiled ear to ear in eager excitement. That’s when I realized just how much fun this run would be.

I spent the next 3 hours laughing with Marcial as I showed him Manhattan from my favorite vantage point, running on two feet. We literally were able to watch the city wake up during our run. Some of the highlights included the amazing cloud formation above Queens, elderly Asians doing a cardio workout to MC Hammer in South Street Seaport, watching eager tourists line up for the Staten Island Ferry, fitness instructors setting up their gear for a day worth of workouts on the Hudson River piers, laughing at how much dogs really do look like their owners, and bandit running part of the NYRR Fitness 4 miler by accident, and then finally pushing our tired legs up Cat Hill at the 16 mile point.

While we ran I answered all his questions about running and smiled at things I hadn’t wondered in so long, like what is that pack runners keep sucking on as they run by us (GU). In addition, we had the fun chance to see a few blog readers out on the path which really made this city seem tiny. It was such a nice surprise to have a few wave or say hello as they passed by, especially the rock star who pushed up the 59th street hill with us and joined in our grunts and agony before smiling and telling us about her 20 mile run she was finishing in preparation for Chicago! (GOOD LUCK!!)

Every mile past 8 was a new personal distance record for Marcia and it was so great to see his smile each time I’d tell him another mile had past. In the end, he lasted 16.5 miles! The key to him lasting was his enthusiasm and our pace. His normal pace is closer to a 9 minute mile so running around a 10:15-10:30 pace seemed easier over the long run.

This was exactly the run I needed to have this week in order to move into the second half of marathon training strong. Our pace was pretty steady, hovering around 10:30 almost the entire time, my new fueling strategies worked wonderfully, my body felt strong through the last mile, and mentally I felt the strongest ever.

48 days out from the marathon I couldn’t be happier with my training to date and the results that are starting to show. Below are the splits from yesterday and I can’t be happier. Nothing under 10 and nothing over 10:47.

Mile 1 10:07
Mile 2 10:34
Mile 3 10:39
Mile 4:10:47
Mile 5: 10:50
Mile 6: 10:45
Mile 7:10:34
Mile 8: 10:26
Mile 9: 10:26
Mile 10: 10:25
Mile 11: 10:40
Mile 12: 10:38
Mile 13:10:25
Mile 14: 10:40
Mile 15:10:13
Mile 16:10:38
Mile 17:10:38
Mile 18: 10:06

When you consider that a 10:52 pace is a 4:45 marathon I’m starting to think my goal just may be achievable this year if I continue to be smart. This is definitely an exciting feeling!

How was your weekend? Any great weekend races or workouts?

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ashleyd / August 20, 2012

Healthy Living Summit Day #2

Yesterday was one of those jam packed day that leave you exhausted and energized at the same time!

I woke up for the 2nd time this week before 5am in order to get in a morning run without missing out on any fun. A small group of us met at 5am in the Hyatt hotel lobby to head out for 13+ miles before Healthy Living Summit kicked off. It was earlier than we originally planned but we wanted to have plenty of time to shower, stretch and eat breakfast before the sessions.

I had the pleasure of running with Valerie, who was attending Healthy Living Summit on behalf of her company, Porter Novelli, and participating in the Blogging with Brands session with a few of us bloggers Saturday morning. It turns out that Valerie is my dear college friend Robin’s best friend back in Washington, DC! It truly is a small world and it was so fun to connect the dots this weekend and finally get to know the lovely lady of whom I’ve heard so much over the years from Robin.

We kept a great pace for the first few miles along the lovely Charles River, chatting and enjoying the morning scenery. Unfortunately Valerie wasn’t feeling too hot so we parted ways around mile 7 and I continued along the river on my own, jamming to my music and missing my rowing days as I watched skulls glide past me on the river. Around mile 9 it started to drizzle which was wonderfully refreshing and just added to the perfect running weather, cooler than my normal sticky NYC runs and a scenic change.

After a quick shower and a breakfast beyond my wildest dreams, thanks to Wild Harvest and their blogger recipe competition, I was fueled and ready to begin a day of learning from fellow bloggers, brands, fitness groups, and experts from some of our favorite brands and PR firms!

The morning kicked off with a get to know you ice breaker in small groups of 15 or so people. It was so much fun to get to know the new and old faces alike over such topics as AIM screen names and favorite books. In case you were wondering, my answer to the below question is Anne of Green Gables and The Bible.

After the opening we had a chance to break a sweat with the local Crossfit gang and learn the basics behind the workout and some of their favorite moves, such as air squats and jumps. There were over 150 people in the tented space lined up in rows so the instructors could monitor form and give pointers. They had an awesome soundtrack for the workout and were so upbeat that you couldn’t help but smile while you squated low.

The next session I attended was Holding a Virtual Challenge, hosted by the lovely Amanda from Run to the Finish! I’m going to provide details around this session in this week’s Tuesday Tips but let me just say that I learned so much and was inspired to do my own challenge in the near future.

Next up, was the moment I’d been worrying about all morning, Blogging with Brands, a session that brought together three brand and PR aficionados (Kelly Olexa, Valerie, and Laura Stanton along with three bloggers (Theodora, Anne, and myself) to share tips and thoughts about working with brands.

I was honored when Lauren asked me to join the panel and looked forward to not only contributing but also learn from everyone participating. Theodora did a great job recapping her thoughts in today’s post. (picture via Theodora)

While we didn’t have a formal presentation, Lauren prepared questions for each person to answer and then we took Q&A from the crowd.

It was great because almost every topic allowed for both a blogger and brand to share their thoughts which exposed the audience to multiple opinions and schools of thought. I think the live tweeting summarized the highlights better than I ever could since the things that are Tweeted tend to be the most noteworthy and effective. Here are the highlights from the #HLSBrandtalk twitter feed.

The session went wonderfully and our bundle of nerves was over faster than anyone wanted! The packed house had great questions and I can only hope that they gained at least a few useful tips.

After our session we were able to laugh again and enjoy a delicious lunch which proved that the Hyatt really knows how to cater for large groups. The meals this year blew the socks off all of us! Tender chicken that was served moist versus dry. Dishes served in Le Crueset? Amazing flavors?

The rest of the afternoon was spent in more sessions and networking with brands until around 5 when we couldn’t wait to toast Meghann and the gang for all their hard work! (bottom pic via Gretchen!)

While the HLS sessions were done, our day wasn’t over. I’ll be back tomorrow to share our epic dinner at Evoo thanks to the folks at Chobani!

Hope you had a great weekend!

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ashleyd / August 11, 2012

Not Every Run Goes As Planned

Last night after reading and napping most of the afternoon, Bo and I spent the evening watching one of our favorite yet often forgotten movies and enjoying thin crust pizza.

I went to bed still sniffling, coughing and fighting off tears from itchy eyes. Seven hours later I felt the same, frustrated that the medicine and a good night’s rest didn’t leave me feeling better. I texted Leticia letting her know that I was still game for a run and figured that I’d give it everything I had.

I put on a lightweight wicking outfit which I knew wouldn’t chafe or get so heavy that it drooped, like some of my summer running tanks. I packed my breakfast so I could eat it on the way to the subway station and even remembered to put a wrist band under my Garmin to protect it from sweat.

At 7am I met Leticia at 77th Street where we planned to start our run so we could enjoy the full Summer Streets route. This was actually our first time running together since she’s been sidelined due to injury the past few months. The great thing is that on a good day, we’re about the same pace. There is no awkwardness, wondering who is holding who back, and the conversation always flows easily between us. While I don’t think it’s necessarily a good thing to do every long run with someone, I am sure that we’ll make great training partners as the weeks progress.

It was already sticky and quite humid when we started but we focused on the conversation and pop-up events along Park Avenue instead of wining about the heat and humidity, which will only make us stronger and faster come Fall.

As soon as we hit about the one mile point I knew this wasn’t going to be a great run. My cold/allergies were making it hard to breathe regularly and my nose was running constantly. While my legs felt okay, the rest of my body wasn’t happy. I just felt drained; which is a clear sign that my body is using the rest of its energy to fight off illness or repair. Instead of being stupid and pushing myself too hard or holding Leticia back too much, I parted ways with her around mile 5, just short of the Brooklyn Bridge. I took a few minutes to take some water, talk with a very nice police officer who was amazed at the number of runners, and enjoy some deep breaths. I popped my headphones in and focused on Bossypants, Tina Fey’s hilarious autobiography, and zoned out for the next 32 minutes. I jogged down to the turnaround point and then back home, rounding out the run for just about 7 miles of actual running time.

When I finished, I was on the verge of tears. During the run I had the pleasure of seeing a number of my friends including Jess, Abby, Rebecca, and Meghan. They each looked happy and at ease. Seeing them and thinking about all I have going on in the next few months, made me seriously question the marathon. Is this the right year to be running my 3rd marathon? Am I going to put too much pressure on myself along with the other stressors I can’t control right now?

I went into this week, really hoping for a strong long run. In the back of my mind I have a fear about this year as I start the travel season again. This week’s cold is definitely a setback both physically and emotionally. I know there are still exactly 12 weeks until the marathon which makes me feel better and worse at the same time. Instead of making any rash decisions or letting my emotions overtake me, I’m going to listen to my motivating and ever optimistic Twitter followers and give myself until the end of the month. There are 3 more long runs between now and Labor Day, plenty of time to figure things out.

So at the end of the day, it’s true. Not every run goes as planned and the tough runs make those great ones all that much better. I’m going to invest in a new pair of shoes since it’s clearly time, work out the knots in my legs and lower back with a deep tissue massage, and focus on next week versus letting the negative thoughts get me down.

You know what’s great after a bad run? A fun afternoon in the kitchen, prepping for our Mexican Fiesta dinner party tonight!