ashleyd /

One of Those Days and Marathon Help Needed…

This morning started off wonderfully! After almost nine hours of sleep I popped up bright and alert. Equinox was calling my name as was a make shift interval workout!

The ADD Workout

10 mins on elliptical: 5 elevation, 5 resistance, goal to keep it above 180 steps per minute

10 mins on stairclimber: level 9 focusing on not holding the rails and engaging my core

15 mins incline walking: 3.8 mph, incline 10

5 mins running at 6.2 FINALLY! It felt a bit awkward and I was scared the entire time but it was a great sign!

60 pushups I did 20 pushups and then one minute of plank 3 times

3 minutes planks

5 minutes stretching

By the end of this workout I was a hot sweaty mess! It felt AMAZING to run on the treadmill after 17 days of not running thanks to the ATV accident and my back injury.

Over the past week, I have been receiving treatment at Westside Spine and Sports Medicine.

Westside Spine and Sports Medicine is a comprehensive rehabilitation center specializing in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, located on 3rd floor, 244 west 54th Street, West Side of Manhattan, New York .

During my three treatments I have received massage, heat and cold therapy, and electrical stimulation. Based on my daily pain, it seems like they have been working quite well. When we started my pain throughout the day during common activities was around a 7 on a scale of 1-10. Now, the pain is around a 3-4 and that is only after a long period of walking or running.

Unfortunately, I waited a week after my injury to see a doctor as I thought I had only bruised my back. If I had gone earlier my treatment could have started immediately. Lesson learned: upon injury, try and see a medical professional within 24 hours.

After my running success, I was sad that the rest of my Monday would be spent doing consumer research in New Jersey. Don’t get me wrong, I love consumer research but not on a Monday. Oh well. My day was spent on the other side of a two way mirror listening and watching people discuss their relationship with fragrances. It was very interesting and I’m already looking forward to Wednesday’s shop alongs.

Breakfast was eaten en route but consisted of my standard oats, fruit, and tea.

Blog Pictures 2010 245

I was pleasantly surprised by the research facility’s healthy lunch options. They ordered Panera and included soup, salad, and sandwiches in the order. I went with a huge salad and a bowl of the garden vegetable soup with pesto. This was filling and kept me warm since our room was freezing all day!

We didn’t get back into the city until after 7:30pm! It was definitely one of those days. I walked five blocks to a salad place for dinner only to realize I forgot my wallet at home. *sigh* After that fiasco, I decided to spend the evening watching Royal Pains and munching on All Bran and blueberries instead.

I’m really not sure why but I am loving this show.

Now, for some serious help needed. I am running the ING NYC Marathon in 131 days. It’s time to make a training schedule and get down to business. However, since this is my first marathon, I could use some help. Here are my goals:

1. Finish under 5 hours

2. Start training on July 5th

3. Complete at least 2 20 milers

4. Strictly adhere to my training schedule, at least from a weekly mileage stand point.

5. Use yoga, swimming, and spin as cross training while also maintaining my focus on core and muscle strength.

Anyone out there have any suggestions? This is a little overwhelming for a novice.

Have a great rest of your Monday and happy Tuesday! I’m already looking forward to the long weekend. Until then, here is a glance at this week’s workout schedule:

Tuesday: Run 1 mile at 6.2 pace, Body Conditioning class, PM yoga

Wednesday: AM spin PM yoga

Thursday: Run 1.5 miles at 6.2 pace, Cardio Sculpt PM yoga

Friday: noon spin and swim session

This is a tough schedule but we’ll see if I can do it!

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

NYC Marathon 2010!!!!!

It’s official! Today I was able to register for my guaranteed entry to the 2010 ING NYC Marathon!! I am so excited that I can barely stand it. Good thing because i’m sure i’ll need to remember some of this energy and excitement when i’m having to rearrange weekend plans to meet the needs of long runs or can barely walk up and down stairs due to sore legs.

How did I earn guaranteed entry to the NYC Marathon?

According to the NYRR website, a person may earn guaranteed entry via one of four ways:
-NYRR 9 in 2009: Members of New York Road Runners since January 31, 2009, who completed at least nine NYRR-scored, qualifying races, and who have volunteered for one event, during the calendar year 2009.
-Entrants in the ING New York City Marathon 2009 who canceled prior to the race.
-Those who have completed 15 or more New York City Marathons. (WOW!!)
-Those who have applied but been denied entry for the last three years in a row (2007, 2008, and 2009), and who did not secure an entry through alternative methods in those years.

Bo and I knew last year when he moved to NYC that completing the NYC Marathon at least once while we lived here was one of the items on our joint “bucket list.” After we completed our first NYRR event last year we decided that this would be a perfect way to discover the city, meet people, and achieve a fitness level neither of us ever thought possible. We therefore chose the most cost effective method, the NYRR 9 in 2009. Last year we ran the following together:
4 4 milers
2 10K
2 half marathons (plus 2 in Philadelphia)
1 1 miler
Since neither of us were runners growing up and have only recently fallen in love with running, I know how important proper training will be for this endeavor. Therefore, i’m hoping that we will be able to participate in the NYRR or another similar training group to receive proper coaching, tactics, and motivation. But, I also hope that some of the Marathon Princesses out there like Bobbi, Meghann, and Caitlin will also be helpful in providing some suggested reading, plans, and workouts. As i’ve discussed previously, my January goal was to get back into the gym and take my workouts to a level they hadn’t reached in the past few months. Thus far, i’ve achieved that having worked out at Equinox 21 of the days in January and enjoying at least 3 yoga and spinning classes per week. In addition, last night I ran my first 6 mile run in over 4 months. While my pace has increased a bit (10:10 last night) it was a great hurdle to overcome and know that i’m back on the right path.

I would love any book or training plan suggestions you have. While I realize the race is 285 days away (who’s counting?) I want to make sure they I train well for this event. Based on previous experiences, training properly makes all the difference and for me that includes proper nutrition, exercise, stretching, and sleep.
I look forward to your suggestions, ideas, and motivation over the months! Who knows, maybe i’ll even learn to take an attractive action shot while running. 🙂

Also, on another topic, there are some great giveaways going on right now including:
–MissyMaintains is giving away 3 @thelitechoice coupons! Check it out
-Join Tina and Kathy over at Quaker to Create Your Day! To help encourage participation, for each Quaker oatmeal creation, Quaker will donate $1 to Share Our Strength , up to $25,000, until March 31, 2010. Go to QuakerOats.com/CreateYourDay for more info.
-Jump on over to http://krittie.wordpress.com/ to win this great Oikos giveaway!

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

Attitude is everything

In just 13 short days, Melissa and I will complete the MORE Half Marathon in Central Park! For the last few weeks i’ve been nervous, even to the point of trying to rationalize quitting. Now, i’ve never been a quitter and Bo reminded me of this fact last night. So, instead of focusing on the horribly cold, wet, and blustery winter we’ve had in Philadelphia and NYC this year i’m going to start focusing on the positive. In honor of that, i’ve found five things that excite me about this half marathon! 🙂

1) It’s all women! (over 10,000 WOMEN)

2) Melissa and I have decided to run the first loop together for inspiration. After the first loop (6.1 miles) is complete we’re free to run on our own if we desire but it’ll be so nice to have that motivator and smiling face next to me at the start. This is my actually my first half marathon without my Maid of Honor and best friend Amy (see pic at left from Philly half)!
3) I know five awesome ladies who are running this and I look forward to celebrating with them at the finish.
4) It’s only my 3rd race in Central Park which can be quite intimidating or exciting since that means I wont be bored on the route because I get to look at the skyline, statues, blossoms, etc.

5) The energy at this event is supposed to be amazing. The weekend kicks off with the Expo on Friday and continues through the weekend. I have high hopes for some awesome freebies at the Expo!

In addition, I’ve done some research and I think i’m going to make this my goal running plan for the week:

Monday: elliptical, bike, 20 mins stretching and abs

Tuesday: run 4 miles at 9:30 pace and Physique 57

Wednesday: run 4 miles at 10:00 pace

Thursday: elliptical, bike, 20 mins stretching and abs

Friday: 11 or 12 mile long run (My goal is to make it through this run by dreaming about Saturday’s spa day. But, if anyone has suggestions for making it through please leave a comment)

Saturday: volunteering all day outside with Junior League of Philadelphia (painting, gardening, etc) and then SPA day with my girlfriends (Weekend Escape: Take a mini-vacation with a full day of luxury at Rescue. This indulgent package includes a Classic Rescue Facial, Salt or Sugar Buff, Classic Rescue Massage, and a Perfect 10 Manicure and Pedicure.)
Sunday: run 3 miles and Core Fusion DVD

Total mileage: 22 miles
Share Button
Follow: