Van Cortlandt Track Club 5K series, 2013 Ed.

It's a summer tradition, get outside every other Thursday between late May and August, often in the pouring rain, and run your heart out on the trails of Van Cortland Park for 3.1 miles. The goal: walk away with a fat, warm carrot cake muffin from Lloyd's bakery as your prize for nearly suffocating from the heat and hills.   I'm happy and proud to say that I walk away with a muffin for my efforts more often than not. I try to race hard in VCP, I love the challenge and I enjoy the friendly competition that fuels the  runners across the bridge, up and down the back hills and back to the flats. Oh the flats...the bloody 800m stretch from the moment you exit the woods until you cross the finish line. When the race is over, perhaps because the pain is fresh, we all grumble that the flats are the hardest part of the race, not the series of 5 back hills, but that dash to the finish where you can see the little red finish clock mocking you the entire time. It might take you a few times before you figure out not to loosen the reins entirely when you turn onto the flats, if you're like most of us. No, you'll try it once and perhaps make it to the northern curve before wanting to die (or walk) and realize just how much is left. You might even skip a few weeks and do it all over again the second time. Eventually though, you'll let that guy next to you take off with a smirk because you know what he doesn't. Well, you hope. I have a similar method for taking off at the start where you also run a long section of the flats before entering the trail. Yesterday was my first 5k of this season and I forgot my own advice and took off like a rookie on some  already sore legs. In the first 1/4mile The burning sensation in my quads, hamstrings and calves was so intense that I wasn't sure if. I'd be able to even run the whole thing. I'd definitely taken off quickly, but I typically run the first mile in the low 7:1x range, but a million thoughts were going through my head as a trampled over the grass towards the cow path. The thought that stuck was definitely "I didn't warm up nearly enough." Live and learn..and relearn. Oops. I was passed by a few women during my struggle with the first 1/2 mile and while I wasn't able to respond right there, I was banking on the idea that not a lot of runners are strong on hills and I often assume the runners I don't recognize are not familiar with the course and will die off after the first hill. I'm usually right for a lot of them. Yes, it's cocky, I know, but the competitive thoughts fuel me along. Some people have their music or mantras, I have my thoughts of crushing the women ahead of me. To each her own. 

While the first mile last night was one of the most painful I can remember, my legs (very) gradually loosened on the hills and I was able to pass a few women and really open up on the downhills and power uphill, though it still felt pretty gruesome. The beauty of the VCP course is that once you rest the biggest hill, you get a beautiful, rewarding downhill that lasts for ages. It can be really fun to let yourself scramble down those twists and turns like a crazy mountain goat. There was a guy huffing along behind me on the downhills last night who finally caught and passed me on the last little hill, but I couldn't care less about racing men in this race. 

I felt pretty terrible about the race when I finished, annoyed that it felt so hard and uncomfortable, but I was happy to see that my 23:42 was right on par with my average times on that course. Not bad, after all. I know it's just a small race and you're thinking "who is that hard on themselves at a tiny 5k?" But I like to use these as a fitness gauge from year to year and I get cranky if I feel like I'm slowing down. Luckily, I ran well enough for 4th female overall and 1st in my new age group! Yay. The woman I couldn't catch on the hills turned out to be 23, which gave me a little comfort. She's probably fresh out of college track, right? Anyway, there was a time when top 5 female would have sent me over the moon, but right now I feel like I've trained enough for top 3. Greedy, I know. The pain during and after that race has reminded me to get my ass in gear and get back to strengthening my lower body in ways other than running. 

On Sunday I ran another 5K in Ocean County, NJ and pulled off a very similar race. It had a ton of turns through a small neighborhood and I ran 22:07 or so, also good enough for 1st in my AG and $50 prize! I don't think I've ever actually won money before. I'm practically a pro now, right? Haha...no. I got beat by the lead woman by almost 5 minutes. Daaamn. It was a small race (~250 runners) and it was my Aunt's very first race. She's been training for a few months and I'm so proud of her- she ran the entire time and enjoyed herself! I love watching people discover the joy of running! Maybe someday I'll take down my mileage and actually train specifically for the 5K to see if I can break 20:00. I do feel like I'm on a 5K splurge right now- my next 2 goal races end with 5K's. the Aquathlon is in 2 weeks and consists of a 1500m open water swim followed by a 5K and the NJ Sprint Tri also ends with 5K. I guess I will keep up the 800 repeats for another couple of weeks, as painful as they can be. 

This week is all about recovery and strength, I have a twinge in my left hamstring that I babied yesterday and I'm still battling thoracic spine, lower rib and hip pain with weekly PT. I did some yoga this morning on Yogaglo.com (awesome site) and my body feels energized, though my arms feel noodly. Tomorrow I ride my bike to and from work with a stop on the way home to work with one of my young patients in a playground that's on the way home. I love the idea of getting around the city entirely on my own two legs instead of via bus/train at least once a week this summer. 

Stay tuned for more racing in the weeks to come. 

Fuel for the long road ahead.

I've been scouring Pinterest and trying various granola bar recipes for months now and each time I try one I pin it and write myself notes, but I finally decided to put my own recipe together. These are currently in the fridge so I'll have to update later after I cut them. I hope they're not too crumbly.

As I start my 16 week 70.3 (Half Ironman distance triathlon) training plan, I know I'll need lots of quick snacks on hand for the long road ahead. These bars are packed with good, whole ingredients and really keep me full after a morning in the water when I need to be on my feet at work. They have a fair amount of fiber between the oats and chia seeds, so be careful if you're not used to that or if you have a sensitive stomach. You can always cut down or out the Chia seeds and just use regular oats instead of the multigrain mix. 

The main ingredients you'll need:

3 cups old fashioned oats (I use half rolled oats and half multigrain mix from Trader Joes)

1 cup natural peanut butter (melted slightly if it's cold)

1/2 cup honey

1-2 tbsp coconut oil

Pick and choose from these add ons or add your own!

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

1/3 cup walnuts or pecans

1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds

Small handfuls of dried fruits, I used golden berry mix from TJ's and dried cherries (my favorite)

1tbsp Chia seeds

1tbsp ground flax seeds (I forgot to add them, so I sprinkled on top)

1/4 cup Wheat germ (I didn't use it this time)

Step 1. Add oats, chia, nuts, coconut, died fruit, seeds, etc. Leave the chocolate chips out for now. 

 

Step 2. Add 2 tbsp Coconut oil (mine was already melted because it is summer, but you should warm it up if it isn't already). 

Step 3. Measure 1 cup PB and 1/2 cup honey. Silicone bowls are the best invention ever. 

Melt the peanut butter if it is hard from the fridge. I wouldn't try to use anything other than natural PB, but mostly because I think Jiffy is gross. I used a new jar from the cabinet,so the PB was already melty enough. 

Step 4. Mix dry ingredients gently and then add PB and honey. I mix it with a spoon once before turning on the mixer. 

 Mix everything for about 30 secs, or watch while your magical Kitchen Aid does it for you. 

Step 5. Add chocolate chips and mix some more. If you heat your PB and coconut oil too much it'll melt the chips so let the mix cool before adding them. 

Step 6. Line a baking dish with wax paper, use a smaller dish for thick bars or a larger one for thinner bars. Pour in the mix and press it down onto the wax paper with a spatula. Press hard until you have it smooshed as much as you'd like. Mine is always an odd shape, but who cares?

Step 7. Refrigerate for several hours. Sometimes I leave it overnight and cut them in the morning. Lift the wax paper out onto a cutting board and slice them up into little bars. If it seems crumbly, let it chill longer. Store in an airtight container with layers of wax paper between sections. In the summer I keep the, in the fridge because they get soft. 

Enjoy! Let me know if you try these and if you add anything else. 

2013 Run As One

I haven't run a New York Road Runners race in Central Park since December 2011! I've run other races in Central Park and NYRR races elsewhere in the city (Coogan's in 2012), but it has been a while since my last 4 mile run around that park. I signed up for the Run as One for Lung cancer research and awareness the day before the race because I really enjoy running for this cause and because I needed a kick in the pants. My running has felt sluggish and my legs have been aching, so I needed to shake off some serious cobwebs.
I had a goofy morning, probably because I haven't raced in months, where everything seemed to be going wrong. My beloved A express train isn't running in my neighborhood on the weekends this month, so I had to leave extra time for the replacement shuttle bus (which contained a number of runners) and I decided to take the 1 train to 72nd because it always runs local, vs the A which doesn't stop at 72nd. Anyway, my route probably means nothing to my readers outside of NYC, but let's just say it wasn't the way I normally get to Central Park. I noticed when I got on the 1 train that my Garmin said it was 6:58 am. I thought "Oh good, plenty of time.... Waaaait a minute, I left the house at 7:05" and I realized my watch was frozen. I didn't carry my phone or a bag because I didn't want to check a bag, so I didn't know what time it really was, but the bigger problem was MY GARMIN WAS FROZEN. I didn't have PR plans for this race, but I didn't really want to run without my watch. It had been too long since my last race and I needed to pace myself. Damn. I tried resetting it to no avail. Oh well. My stomach felt unsettled, probably from gulping down my coffee and breakfast and my legs were sore from my 11+ mile hilly run on Saturday. This felt like a bad idea...
Once I got to the park, used the bathroom at the Le Pain Quotidien (they were searching runners using the port-o-potties), and ran into Elizabeth for the second time this week, things got much better. She fixed my Garmin and we chatted and joked around until it was time to get in the corrals. I lost her when she checked her bag (I came empty handed because the security was tight and I didn't want to have to stand in line) and I stretched out by myself in the corral. Systems check: right calf and foot uber sore, quads sore from Sat run, couldn't find my inhaler, allergies in full force. Okay, I was ready to run.
The race went very quickly, I was creaking and feeling all sorts of self doubt for the first mile. People were passing me and my right foot was aching (this isn't new) and I pictured myself just running to the train and going home once I hit the 102nd St transverse. Luckily, things started to get easier and I was feeling more confident as I ticked off mile 2 in about 7:12. I thought, "oh, right, this feels hard because I'm running fast. That's okay." Mile 3 was the stretch along the west side with the 3 rolling hills,which I cursed a bit because my calf was still aching and my foot hurt, but I still survived and kept it under 7:30. Once we passed the top of the 3rd hill and mile 4 was underway, I felt like I was finally running with ease. I brought the pace back down to the 7:12 range and finished up at a 6:30 pace on the final stretch, yet I still got beat by an 11 year old boy who out kicked me in the final minute. Good for him.
This was my first race in the 30-34 age group and I placed 20th in my AG and 111th for women overall. Not bad for missing my PR by nearly 2 mins. It took me a while to get into a groove on Sunday and I wasn't feeling very competitive, but by the final mile I had my mojo back and stayed strong. I'm in no way disappointed, in fact I'm still just proud that I didn't run to the subway instead of towards the finish at 102nd St.
I obviously have a long way to go before the race I signed up for on Thursday night- I'm all registered for the Toughman Half Ironman on Sept 8th. Look out, I'll be back out on my bike soon!

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Swimming for strength.

Last week it felt like I'd been sick and run down for a really long time ... That is until today. I bounced back quickly this week, feeling well rested and strong, so I went back to yoga and swimming this morning after a few scattered weeks. I felt beat up after yoga because I took a few weeks off to heal my abdominal strain, but I hopped in the pool happily afterwards. My friend Sally and I swim most Friday mornings and today we were joined by another friend of ours from the masters team, E. Now, she's not quite in her usual English channel swimming training shape right now because she is fighting Pancreatic cancer, but she hopped in with us with a smile on her face. I realized I haven't seen her in months, and not just because I haven't been swimming with the team at 6am for a while, but because she has been sick for months. Months! Now I know lots of people who have dealt with various illnesses for years, my cousin Ted fought colon cancer for 5 years, but somehow seeing E and swimming with her again really helped me put my wimpy illness into perspective. I had to rest and not swim/run/bike for what, 10 days? I am happy to have jumped back into the swing of things quickly, and I am fine now. I took antibiotics for 10 days and it's gone... I don't know exactly how long E has been or will be fighting this cancer, but she's still faster than I am in the pool and I know she'll come back as strong as ever and tackle the Channel next year or whenever it happens for her.
We've been doing 1650yd warm up swims for her since we found out she was sick, somehow hoping the energy we put into the pool will somehow bring her the strength she needs to get through this, but swimming with her had the opposite effect on me- her energy and strength gave me a renewed sense of hope and determination. Funny how that works.

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The cake that slipped through my fingers.

Okay, I realize that it's completely presumptuous to suggest that I would have won a cake if I'd raced, but this is my blog and I'll presume if I want to. The story is long and whiny and cranky, so let's just say that I got a nasty 9 day cold that became a sinus infection and knocked me on my ass for the entire week leading up to the Urban Environmental Challenge 10K. I knew by Friday that I wasn't going to be able to race, but I held out hope until the last minute, waiting for a miraculous recovery. It didn't come. I'm still not fully recovered, but today was a great day back at work, especially with the stellar weather.
I went to Van Cortlandt Park on Sunday morning to cheer on my fellow Inwood Hill Runners and to get in my first run since the end of March. The racers took off into the hills while I trotted 2+ loops of the flats, getting in an easy and sunny 3 miles. It was windy and chilly, but I wore capris and boy, did I feel GOOD. I ran nice and slow, stopping to watch the cricket games and soccer games going on around the park. I saw the racers come out of the woods after their first lap (of 2) and cheered on my friends before continuing my own loops. I was jealous, but I got over it as I turned back into the sunshine (and wind). I took it easy, knowing I was still recovering, but still ran a steady 9min mile or so and just felt free. Boy did it feel nice to be off of the couch!
I saw the lead guys coming out of the woods and made my way toward the finish so I could snap a few quick photos of the Inwood crew and cheer them along the final, evil stretch to the finish. Here they are:







Tamara walked away with a carrot cake muffin for her 2nd place AG victory and a big smile.
We wandered over to the Riverdale Diner for brunch and replenished our weary bodies. Cheering is tough too, you know...

I'm back to normal today and had a great speed session last night with some lunges that are still with me in spirit this evening. I am happy to say that I feel like I didn't miss a beat and didn't lose any fitness. Whew.

If you missed the UEC and are looking for a technical and challenging 4mi trail race, I suggest you check out this race: Amildsprain.org I ran it last year and it was a killer, but I loved it. All proceeds go to the JDRF. It's May 19th, I'll look for you on the trails!

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Back at it.

For a while after the Brooklyn Marathon there was nothing to blog about, then there were some smaller races and things to write about but I chose to use my time in other ways, but I've missed it and I'm ready to get back to it!
So far 2013 has been treating me well and I've been rewarded for my training with a 1st place female win in a small indoor Triathlon at the Vanderbilt YMCA in NYC, a 3rd place overall female at a very flat and fun 15mi trail race in the Everglades during a trip to Florida and then a 2nd place female victory at the Indoor Triathlon Championships at Asphalt Green shortly after turning the Big 3-0. Oh yeah, I'm in a new age group now and I'm not sure whether I should be excited or nervous about the upcoming racing season. I spent last summer obsessing a little bit over the race times of the winning women in the 30+ AG to see if I would still have won my carrot muffin in VCP, and I think I've still got a shot. I'm trying not to spend hours on Athlinks stalking the competition, but I am curious about the upcoming swim and triathlon season.
-Triathlons? Yeah, I remember those...
My bike has been gathering dust in my apartment for the last year or so and I've felt bad for it the whole time. I didn't do a single tri last year because I was focused on the big swims and the marathon, but I missed them. I love racing in tris and the indoor tri series in Jan-Mar really reminded me how much fun they are and how much more exciting the varied training can be. I signed up for the NJ State Tri on July 20th and I'm eyeing up a half Ironman in Sept in NJ as well. If you know of any good 70.3 races in Aug or Sept within a 5hr drive of NY/NJ please let me know. It does look like there might be a NJ State half Ironman this year, but inaugural events worry me. I'd signed up for the Pocono Mt 70.3 and they ended up cancelling the swim because the river was too high/dangerous and the weather was cold.
I'd like to sneak in an early season Olympic distance tri to get my feet wet too. I can't remember why, (probably price?) but I didn't sign up for the NYC Tri lottery this year and I'm secretly really bummed that I'm not doing it. I've been thinking about looking for a way in for 2013, but charity might be my only option. I wonder if my old deferment from 2011 was forfeited when I didn't do it last year? Hmm. Ideas.
In reality, my race plans for the year are still a little scattered, but I have some local spring trail races (Urban Environmental Challenge, A Mild Sprains if they're doing it again) and some road 10K's (Riverdale Ramble, Mini 10K,etc) in mind. I want to swim Governor's Island again, but it's the same day as the NJ tri. I'll be signing up for Little Red Lighthouse 10K swim again in Sept and maybe some others if I can fit them in. I'm pretty excited to fill up my race schedule again this spring and summer after not racing too much last year.
If I get a chance, I'll write about the two indoor triathlons I did already this year because they're fun to hear about because they're so unique.
I hope your running, swimming, whatevering is also going well.

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The 2012 Brooklyn Marathon

The most common questions I heard during my marathon training this year after telling people I was planning to run Brooklyn were: "Oh, there's a marathon in Brooklyn?" and "Where is it?" My answer, "In Prospect Park, it's several loops," was always met with either looks of confusion (non-runner Manhattanites who don't know where PP is) or looks of sympathy because I must be crazy to do that to myself.
Having run half of the race with my friends Joe and Ari last year, I knew it wouldn't be that bad. I mentally prepared for the loops by NOT running in the park all year. I'm a big believer in the idea that the miles go by much faster when you don't know where you are along the course. My plan worked- the race went by in a blur of big hills, lake views, friends and random cheering crews and mile markers. I paid very little attention to which lap I was on, but kept track by counting times up the big hill. I ran the tangents thanks to Hilary who reminded me each time and gave me reference points to shoot for with every turn. Most of all, I had a really good race! After a slightly disjointed training cycle due to eye surgery (Lasik) in early October and a trip to sweltering Paris in August, I missed more than one long run, but I did my best to get in the necessary mileage and went into the race with no real expectations. The coolest thing happened as a result, I did way better than I thought possible and all without the pressure of a goal time! Of course now that I ran so well on somewhat unstructured training and a really hilly course I'm wondering how I can run on a flat course with better training....
So, about my race... I ran the first 18 miles or so side by side with my friend Hilary. We bumped into each other before the start and chatted while I put some Kinesio tape on her cranky knee. We discussed race plans and ours were similar so we decided to start together and just see how it went. Luckily for both of us, we were very compatible running buddies! We chatted away the miles, looked for friends along the way and pushed our way up the big hill 5x side by side and cruised down the hills on the other side of the park. At least I think it was the other side, I told you I don't know the park very well. We were moving a little faster than planned, and in true crazy person style, we kept it up. It felt effortless and we just had to hope that we wouldn't pay for it down the road. In the end, Hil pulled ahead on the 5th big hill and I let her go, knowing that she had better training under her belt and I was happy to carry on with some other friends who stopped by to keep me company for a bit.
I think I was well fueled up until that point, but I must have missed "a feeding" because I felt sluggish, tired and blah for something like miles 19-21. I got in some more fuel in the form of a Honey Stinger waffle and gatorade and felt better within minutes. The company certainly helped (I won't mention any names because they were technically bandits) and they kept me peppy and we were just having fun. I saw Dave and gave him a hug and decided I'd like to walk for a minute to stretch out my burning hips. It helped, a lot. I've never walked during a race, it was a surprising little boost so I did it one more time a little later. One of my buddies was carrying water, which I think really helped me through the final miles because I felt pretty thirsty, but I didn't have to gulp at water stations.
The final turn was about 0.2 miles from the finish line, but it's felt like an eternity! I pushed on alone towards the elusive finish, which was around the third bend in that stretch of road. Oh, did I mention it was uphill? I crossed the line at 3:49:xx and my official time was 3:50! Wahoo! That's just 3 minutes slower than my marathon PR from NYCM in 2010! What a great day! I felt 10x better than in 2010 and I recovered pretty quickly, it must have been the hot chocolate, grapes, delicious bagels and cheesecake NYCRUNS was giving out at the finish line. By Wednesday I had barely any soreness left and I was still feeling the excitement of running such a solid race. Thanksgiving dinner was well earned this year!!!










 

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