In 28 days, I hope to cross the finish line of the 2013 NYC Half Marathon with a huge smile. I hope to finally achieve the half marathon PR I’ve been working to achieve for the past few years.
Each half marathon something different has happened along the way to make that goal a distant memory whether piss poor training, excessive heat, excessive cold, or just an off day. At about this point, during any other training cycle, I would be a bit worried about my training to date.
I have only done 2 true long runs to date, 6 and 8 miles in distance, both along the West Side or East Side highway of New York which means that they were perfectly flat. I’ve traveled to 5 destinations in the past 6 weeks to St. Croix, Paris, Geneva, Geneva, and Puerto Rico, each of which has been less conducive for half marathon training than if I was in New York City.
But, among all this travel, I’ve also learned a bit about myself. I need exercise to be happy. I need some semblance of healthy food to feel good. Therefore, even though I fully believe in enjoying myself on these trips which were taken for a mix of business and pleasure, I also have returned from each trip without gaining weight or feeling the vacation glutton. This weekend, while in San Juan for a much needed and very relaxing girls’ weekend away to celebrate Theodora’s 30th birthday, I worked out 3 times. Just like I try to do at home in New York City, I started out each day in a healthy manner, sipping multiple cups of water and enjoying a healthy breakfast.
Except for today, I didn’t start drinking beach or poolside until later in the afternoon. This decision tends to serve me well for more than just the health and waist line benefits. If I know I want to last until the wee hours of the morning whether bar hopping or dancing, then I can’t day drink. Day drinking for me results in an early alcohol induced bed time due to heavy eyelids.
While in New York City I’ve fallen head over heels for Barry’s Bootcamp, an investment choice Bo and I made after we parted ways with our personal trainers. Barry’s has been a far more economical decision and their early hours have allowed us to enjoy 5am workouts together before sharing a coffee and commute to the office. This workout however has done something for my running that working with a personal trainer never would. It has helped me realize that I do have the power and strength to push my body to new limits in regards to hills and speed. Don’t worry, my rose colored glasses don’t have me thinking that I can maintain a 8:15 pace for 13.1 miles including 6 miles of hills in Central Park. No, my friends, I’m not drunk or delusional. But, what is does mean is that hopefully when the going gets tough during the half and my quads are starting to scream or my lungs are short of breath, I’ll remember what jogging on an 11.0 incline for 2 minutes feels like and realize that I too will survive this momentary pain. Bo and I have learned to push ourselves from a cardio standpoint more in the past 6 weeks just after 7 sessions at Barry’s Bootcamp. The combination of this, along with running and our boot camps we do together at the gym or that I’ve done while traveling, have left me feeling stronger than I’ve ever felt from a mental standpoint.
This strength helped me push through running Mount Saleve with Renaud last weekend in Switzerland and now I am going to apply that strength to the next 28 days of half marathon training. While the first half of the schedule has barely been that due to my travel and a short lived cold I’m looking forward to immersing myself in training these next few weeks so I can feel physically and mentally prepared for Harlem Hill and the 3 rolling hills of Central Park come March 17th.
So, now it’s time to commit to this week’s workouts. Just like the past few weeks, this week will continue to be busy at the office as I continue to find my way in this new role. Therefore, I’m going to focus on morning workouts but will put in italics any evening workouts I hope to squeeze in as well.
Monday: 9 mile long run in Central Park so I can remind my legs and body what the constant hills of Central Park feel like after a few weeks away.
Tuesday: 5am Barry’s Bootcamp with Bo+ yoga with Theodora after work
Wednesday: 5 mile run before work along either East River or in Central Park
Thursday: 5am Barry’s Bootcamp
Friday: 10 mile long run in Central Park before work as my in-laws are in town this weekend and I find it easier get my long run out of the way when friends or family are in town. This also allows for more evening enjoyment of the vino type because let’s get real, I don’t do my best long runs dehydrated.
Saturday: Short shakeout run followed by either an Equinox or Uplift class
Sunday: Rest day
Also, as I’ve received a few questions about it, I’ll address our Equinox membership. I’ll be honest, right now both Bo and I have questioned our membership to Equinox more than one time. But, at the same time, especially during the cold winter months or stifling heat of summer, knowing that there is a treadmill or indoor workout option, is reason enough to keep our membership. After calculation, even my January membership paid out just based on the number of times I went to Equinox and I traveled more in January than I ever expect to travel again. In addition, we both start triathlon training in the next few weeks which means more spin and swimming, both of which are part of our Equinox membership.
