ashleyd /

So, What’s Next

Hey gang! I’m currently in the midst of packing and saying goodbye to Geneva.

Last night was all about the fun, while today is all about packing.

I’ll let you guess which of the two I prefer more. Luckily the movers are also packing the majority of our things but I ended up spending most of the day packing the air shipment goods, the things we’ll check on the plane Saturday and then helping the movers. It went better than expected but is still stressful.

Instead of focusing on the move, let’s talk about something that is more fun: RUNNING! After Sunday’s race, I’m anxious and excited to run ALL THE RACES! Luckily, we’re moving back to New York City this weekend which means that I will have easier access to races of all lengths. Since I have a tendency to over commit, I’ve only signed up for the below races so far. We have a lot going on this Summer with the move, finding an apartment, moving into the apartment and getting reacclimated. But, I’m excited to have a mix of races on the schedule that I can race and others like the Nike Women’s Half Marathon, that I can run for fun and enjoy with friends.

NYRR Boomer’s Cystic Fibrosis Run to Breath 4 Miler – July 18th

  • I’m hoping to run this with my sister-in-law Meg and her fiancée, as they have recently started running.

NYRR R-U-N 5k – August 6th

  • A NYRR race in Central Park on a Thursday night? Heck yes! I’d love to race this one and then celebrate with my runner friends over beers and burgers post race. You should join us!

NYRR Bronx 10 Miler – September 27th

  • Jess suggested that this could be a great half marathon warm-up race to check in with my fitness levels and practice everything for race day.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Brooklyn Half Marathon – October 10th

  • Excited for an awesome race weekend with LOTS of friends! Amy, my original running buddy is flying in from Cincinnati for the race and lots of fun.

Nike Women San Francisco Half Marathon – October 18th

  • Running for fun with Kristine and my Geneva friend, Lauren, who just moved to San Francisco. Here’s hoping we get in via the lottery.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Savannah Half Marathon – November 7th

  • Running it and then walking with my Mom, Aunt and my brother’s girlfriend Madeline. SO excited for another great Savannah race experience!

rockawaybeachsurfclub

In addition to running, I’m looking forward to taking advantage of Summer in New York City with free outdoor workouts,  trying standup paddleboard yoga with a local yoga studio at Rockaway Beach,  and supporting friends for a few of their miles as they train for fall marathons!

I hope to see a few of you out running! Are you signed up for any of these races? If so, which ones?

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ashleyd /

What’s Next

So, as mentioned in last night’s post, these days I’m training for life.

My goal is to stay healthy and active, enjoying all the different workouts that I pushed to the wayside during marathon training. Considering that I’m traveling the next four weeks straight, not having the added pressure of races is a welcome change.

My goal for the next few weeks is as follows:

  • Yoga 1x per week
  • Swimming 1x per week
  • 1 6-10 mile run
  • 1 speed workout/weights
  • 1 group workout class

I don’t define the specific group workout class because while I’m traveling taking BodyPump or BodyAttack may not be possible. However, enjoying some of my favorite London and New York City fitness studios is more than definitely possible. There is no doubt I’ll enjoy at least one Barry’s Bootcamp class in London AND New York City and at least one Uplift Studios class while in NYC.

On the running front, I’m looking forward to enjoying a few months worth of races for fun before going back into training mode. Charlie and I are currently searching for a flat and fast Spring half marathon but until then I’ve signed up for a few local races.

Foulees Automnales de Meyrin – November 29th – 10km race around a few local Geneva parks

Course de l’Escalade – December 6th – 4 kilometer race through Old Town Geneva

Atlanta Christmas 5k Run/Walk – December 20th – 5 kilometer race through Virginia Highlands

London Winter Run – February 1st – 10 kilometer race through London (Want to join myself and other lovely London Team Naturally Run ladies? You can save on registration by using the below discount code! It’ll be a super fun event and help keep us all motivated during the dark, cold Winter months! Just click here to sign up! )

Winter Run

Lots of fun races over the next few months, none of which is longer than 10 kilometers! I’m hoping to PR at least one of them along the way while I enjoy running each of them with either Bo or friends. I get to run the November race with Meghann who will be in Geneva visiting with Derek for Thanksgiving while running through Atlanta will be a blast for me and Bo when we’re back in Georgia for the holidays!

What do you have coming up on your race calendar? Care to join for any of these fun races?

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NYRR Wall Street 3 Mile Race Recap

 

For the past two years, I’ve read race recaps about the NYRR Wall Street 3 Mile Race and wished I’d chosen to do it. It is the only downtown NYRR race and weaves through the Wall Street area before looping back up the Hudson River. While this race is for walkers and runners alike, since it is a corporately sponsored event, they separate the two groups.

I was a bit apprehensive about the race because I’ve heard lots of mixed reviews. Unlike most races, it’s not in Central Park and it’s flat which gives it two big bonus points. But, on the other hand, many people complained that the streets downtown are narrow and uneven which results in lots of bottlenecks.

Luckily, my excitement outweighed any of the negatives and at 5pm this evening I left work excited and ready for a great race!

IMG_2213 (640x480)Picking up my bib from Melissa’s boyfriend’s apartment and changing at home took less time than I expected. Therefore, I ended up downtown with 45 minutes to spare! Luckily I was able to entertain myself in a nearby Starbucks while catching up on emails, jamming to old school Usher, and watching other runners head to the start.

IMG_2214 (478x640)Since the race started at 6:45, I left Starbucks at 6:25 so I could walk the 5 minutes to the start and get in my corral. Oops, there were no corrals. Somehow I missed this part of the email update that NYRR sent out. I made the best of it by getting as close to the front as I could. The crowd was crazy!

IMG_2217 (640x478)At 6:45, on the spot, the National Anthem ended and the race started. I had my iPod ready to go and set to my “most played” playlist. While I knew I wouldn’t get through the whole list, I knew that the first few are some of my favorites and if I wasn’t in the mood for one and pushed forward the next one would be equally as awesome!

image Unfortunately, I forgot to have my Garmin find the satellites before the race and therefore had to settle for using the stopwatch only. This ended up being a double edge sword because I couldn’t keep my pace in check but instead let my legs go as fast as they could. The first mile was pretty cramped, especially the first quarter mile, but I was still able to run at my full potential. I think the fact that I started towards the front of the pack really helped since most runners were running at my pace or faster. In fact, I felt slow versus the pack of runners around me.

imageAs we passed the first mile marker I saw that I’d kept an 8:23 pace. Holy hell! No wonder my lungs felt like they were about to explode. The more unusual pain was that the arch of my right foot was killing me. I knew that I didn’t want to risk not finishing and therefore did my best to ratchet my speed down a bit closer to an 8:45. The 2nd mile helped me do that naturally since there were quite a few curves and narrow streets. But, when I passed the 2nd mile marker I saw that I’d only decreased it to an 8:37. By this point my legs and body had hit a really good rhythm and I was even engaging my abs and arms to help improve my form. Since I had skipped the water station in order to keep my pace, I focused on my breathing to take my mind off of my thirst and exhaustion. Luckily, the 2nd mile is where we hit Bowling Green and Battery Park which means the scenery improved and the view of the Hudson was amazing! Even the gray clouds and overcast weather couldn’t take away from the views.

IMG_2221 (640x478)

IMG_2218 (640x478)I was very self conscious of my speed at this point as I saw everyone around me speeding up and I was doing my best to keep pace. I focused on my music so I wouldn’t focus on my time and get caught up in the numbers. This ended up working very well and before I knew it I was weaving between the benches on the Hudson River Path and passing through South Cove. I saw the finish line and knew that I had a little energy left for a final sprint.

IMG_2219 (480x640)                                                                        26:32 HOT DAMN!

The official times won’t be posted on NYRR website until tomorrow but for now I’m embracing this time and going with it!! This race is definitely another PR since my fastest NYRR split before today was a 9:14!

Once again, this race just reconfirmed how much my body has benefitted from speed training and weight lifting over the past four months!

Question: Have you ever surprised yourself in a race and performed better than expected?

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