Glad Game Monday XXI

Hello Monday, you're bringing me one step closer to my marathon! Do you think that way? Or do you veer toward "SDJ$^$%^%^%$#$." Yea. I have those days. ALL. THE. TIME. Today, for example, when my swollen/red toe that I irritate while trimming the other day started pussing stuff out. Yup. Infected ingrown toe nail THREE WEEKS before the marathon! I'm having the surgery Friday, FIRST and only appointment for the next MONTH. However, being LESS than three weeks out from a fantastic marathon, I am feeling a  bit giddy. So, let's choose to list some things we're GLAD about this Monday!!!

I'm GLAD I ran 20 miles on Saturday!!! Yes, it's true. I had a BUNCH of things stacked against me, including a SWOLLEN/SORE toe from a nail clipping gone bad, irritated stomach, barely any sleep, and much much more, oh my! I sat at 5:15am looking at Lambeau Puppy's face after I tossed and turned from 2am and on after discovering a toe that didn't look like mine. I decided that I could tough it out. I ran a few practice runs as I brought him outside to do his business and it was tolerable. I'm GLAD that my toe went numb, that I had great co-runners, and that it was COMPLETED! IT'S TAPER TIME! (Said in a Jersey Shore "It's T-Shirt time" kind of way)

I'm glad for this little guy. I'm still thinking of our friends who suddenly and unexpectedly lost their pooch. Lambeau Puppy is receiving longer walks, more play time, and extra love in light of his cousin passing. He has been a great companion, especially on Friday nights filled with Law and Order SVU Marathons, macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets. AKA LAME. He snuggles in and settles for a quiet pre-long run night!

I'm glad I saw this Saturday night! This was on my Yogi Bed Time Tea and it moved me...okay maybe I teared up a bit. Shoot. Running Crazies?! I'm ALSO glad I got to see some FABULOUS friends Saturday night, sanz photos! Boo! What was I thinking?! Well, Mr. Miller and I had a great dinner with the Grays and met Ms. Kiernan who was bartending. Needless to say, it was a great post 20 mile run evening filled with french fries, mexican food, wine, pumpkin beer, and LOTS of walking. Precisely what I needed!

I'm glad I made butternut squash risotto! I've been making this for two years, and it is by FAR my favorite recipe. We talked about it during our long run Saturday, and I *HAD* to make it Sunday. Many people on Twitter asked about it, so here is the link: butternut squash risotto. My adjustment is that I bought one container of chicken stock, but it does not equal 5 cups, it was about 3.5 cups. I adjusted the recipe by adding more white wine to the recipe to help the risotto soak and fluff. (By eye! Just count to 3 as you pour!) Buying another chicken stock would have left 2/3 of it in my fridge, and the white wine (I used sauvignon blanc) leaves a RICH flavor!

I'm glad my nephew things we're cool people in NYC! This is his class' version of a "Flat Stanley". He sent it to us in hopes that we would go some places with Mr. Help. Oh Mr. Help, you don't even know! He's going to the Statue of Liberty, Bear Mountain, and to school with ME! We were thrilled to receive this in the mail.

What are you GLAD about today?! Your barista remembered your order AND spelled your name correctly? Your team won this weekend?! Your long run was spectacular?! TELL ME ABOUT IT!

20 days until the ING NYC MARATHON!!!

Last 20 miler before the ING NYC Marathon!

It's true, yesterday was the day. Yesterday was the dress rehearsal for 11/4/12.  Yesterday was my last real "long" run before the "big" long run. Yesterday was my 2nd 20 miler.

I was thrilled to be invited by Ashley to join a group running 20 miles. She decided to put together a group of runners who run similar paces. I was beyond relieved when she asked me, because I didn't have ANYONE to run with Saturday, and that could have been an ADD disaster! 

It was the chilliest start to date. We met up at 7am and it was 35 degrees! My outfit was a big fat question mark. I wanted to wear what I was going to wear marathon day, but I didn't have 47,000 of my closest friends extending their body heat. So at the last minute I wore shorts, my long sleeve shirt, and my nike running jacket. Best. Decision. EVER. I was concerned the jacket would be too warm, but it was PERFECT. Plus the gigantic pockets meant less belt storage and easier access/separation of fuel.  I had to get a green tea on the way to keep myself warm. 

I got to meet some GREAT runners! It was AMAZING to run with a group of runners that I did not know very well. I've run with Leticia and Ashley before, but I made new friends in Meghan and Marcial. Ashley not only did a great job in collecting a fabulous group of similarly paced runners, she also mapped out a great route! We started at 14th street (Which has a CLEAN McDonalds bathroom in the early morning FYI!), ran to the East river path, down to the tip of Manhattan and up the West Side Highway to Central Park. Once we got to the park, we did a loop of the Resevoir and finished out the running the six mile loop with TONS of hills to simulate the Queensboro Bridge in the actual marathon around mile 15. Having a new group of people to get to know, as well as a stunning and constantly changing route made this run FLY by. (We all gave a big WHOOP when we went by the Staten Island Ferry! See you in three weeks!)

This is how I felt throughout the whole run. The plan was to start in the 10:50-11/mile pace and gradually work our way down. Spoiler alert: WE SUCCEEDED!

20 miles done! Marcial finished 18 miles, a PDR! He left us to finish the  job. Ashley and I held back a bit so Meghan and Leticia powered through. All of us completed 20 miles! SO PROUD OF ALL OF US!

Running Reward: MY FIRST PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE OF THE SEASON! Ashley and I were kindly allowed to decorate our drinks. Mine said "20 miles! 11/4/12 TAPER TIME!" I got lots of comments on how put together I looked in this photo. I don't think I really sweat at all during this run. Outfit and weather were perfect. Did you hear that, God? Yup. I loved your work on Saturday! Let's have an instant replay on November 4. Amen.

Yesterday was the 20 mile day; TODAY is the taper! When Ashley said "Welcome to the taper!" I got teary eyed. IN STARBUCKS. I am SO excited to scale back and let these weeks FLY by to race day. Three weeks from today people, three weeks from today. EEK!

How was your weekend?! Did you run long? Did you have a running reward? Did you enjoy anything pumpkin?! Tell me about it!!!

21 days until the ING NYC MARATHON!!!

Marathon Musings: 3 weeks out

I've been thinking just a LITTLE bit about a certain marathon. Oh my gosh. It feels like yesterday I said, "Oh, we're in the 50's in the countdown!" Suddenly, it's days away. It's time to trust my training. Trust my hard work. Trust my outfits. Trust my 20 miler on Saturday. It's time to TRUST. It's time to Google for some 26.2 inspiration: 

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Marathon thoughts I've been having include:
- Will I hit the wall this time?!
- Will the weather be nice?!
- Will I meet my goal?!

It's all out of my hands. I've done the training. I can't control the weather. My goal is established, but it is to be determined by the actual race day.I trust in God to carry me through any circumstance. 

I keep going back to a quote I added to a post I wrote when approaching last year's marathon. It happens to be one of my favorite posts I've ever written! This quote keeps reminding me: festering and fretting keeps you from enjoying the time leading up to the big moment.

"Thinking too much about what happened, and what is about to happen, will wear you down. Live in the moment and take it on step at a time."
- Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin

23 days until the ING NYC MARATHON!!!

Marathon Training Update III

Well, there goes September!!! We are now in the final month of marathon training. Where did the time go?! September had some definite highs and definite lows. This was a tough month where work began, runs were missed, and exhaustion was the name of the game. I feel like training for a marathon the second time around is a bit different (OBVIOUSLY). I 100% respect the distance of 26.2 miles. I'm still nervous and excited. However, when life happens, I'm not beating myself up or getting anxiety over it. I take stock, reassess, and run on! Here's September in a nutshell:

Mile Totals:
September 2012: 119.7 miles (September 2011: 115 miles)

Types of Workouts:

Easy Runs: With my build up peaking at 20 miles this month, my coach threw in a few 3 mile runs in the mix. 3 miles?! These runs were almost the hardest to start because they weren't "big" and "glamorous" and "challenging".

Speed Workouts: Non existent. Can we count faster long runs? Okay, let's go with that. ;-)

Long Runs: PEAK! Yes, it's true. The long runs went like this: 16, 18, 16, 20, 18...this second 18 turned into 12. HIGH. MILEAGE. One magical 16 miler my average was 10:02, WAYYYY better than the 11:00's I was averaging. This month also marked my first 20 miler of the training cycle with Leticia, and it was awesome. 

Best Routes: Running to the George Washington Bridge was fantastic! The West Side Highway was fairly flat and well populated by encouraging runners embarking on their own 20 mile runs. Running to Roosevelt Island was also a fun change.  Although it's about 3.6 miles round trip  it was a great destination to throw into a 16 mile run!

Bad news: I got a cold. I've been feeling run down this whole month; running only three times a week is not my style, but it's been happening. My body finally gave up after two weeks of feeling extra tired and slapped me in the face with a nasty cold. Fever, runny nose, body aches, you name it, I had it. It even caused me to give up at 12 out of 18 miles on Sunday (9/30), despite having a great pace (10:08 average in Central Park including running over the torn up Queensboro Bridge) After hydrating and following my coach's orders, October's training update will hopefully yield a better health report.

Thoughts: I don't like cutting a long run short. I've run through tears, I've run through rain, and I've run through heat. I've never ended early. This put me in a wallowing funk, which was made one hundred percent WORSE by getting sick. So. It's time to move beyond this month, which should have included MANY more miles, and kick assphalt in October.

Lessons Learned: If you can get a run in, get a run in. Get your clothes on and just do it. I will admit there was one day where I actually brought my things to work to run home, and I decided to get a ride from my car pool instead. I was just TIRED. I know it was the cold creeping up, but if I'm able bodied and just a bit tired, I have to TRY to get the run in. Everyone works. Everyone has time constraints. The difference is MAKING time. This month of October, I refuse to make excuses. I refuse to let myself feign exhaustion when I'm able to get a work out in. "feeling like it" is an overrated statement. Sometimes, we don't feel like running. Marathon training isn't about a feeling; it's about training your body to successfully overcome obstacles to complete 26.2. My obstacle is the energy to lace up; I will overcome it.

In less than a month, I will be a marathoner for a second time. This is my second to last training update. This. is. un.real. I can't believe how time has flown, how many new friends I have made, and how blessed I feel with all the support I have received. Here's to running NYC for a second time, better, faster, stronger.

How about you? How's your training? Have you skipped or cut short a LONG long run?! How was your September?! Tell me about it!!!

25 days until the ING NYC MARATHON!!!

Glad Game Monday XX

Ah, it's the 20th Glad Game Monday Post! WOOHOO! Lots of Mondays choosing to be glad instead of down. After seeing the Chicago Marathon streaming live, friends getting PR's, and Columbus Day off today, there is plenty to be glad about this Monday!

I'm glad that Jocelyn and Carla ran AWESOME races in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday! Seriously. These ladies both scored 20+ minute PR's and made me hopeful that my goal (eh hmmm not really mentioned on the blog as of yet because, well, I'm nervous!) is attainable. Also, congrats to my friend Brenda! She was coming off a great PR in Louisville and ran Chicago! GREAT job ladies! You're my inspiration for getting out to run my best run today!!! 

I'm glad the temperatures have become more weather appropriate. I nearly died last week at school. Couple disgusting humidity with a cold, and I was pretty miserable as a teacher in a hot hot hot classroom! Thank goodness this week will include more hot coffee / hot tea drinking weather!!! I still have yet to have a pumpkin spice latte...maybe this week will be the week!

I'm glad that I ran in my favorite kind of weather! It's no secret that I love running in cooler temps; however, so cold so soon meant I waited to run until the temps got a tad bit warmer around 11am. Today's 6 mile tempo run was steady and consistent. My splits were all the in 9's, averaging 9:46/mile. This run was a great way to kick off my comeback from the cold week.

I'm glad someone likes to snuggle. I know I know. Blah blah blah I love my dog. But come on! He's so cute. Since it was a cold and rainy weekend, Lambeau Puppy was extra snuggly. Couple that with a Packers loss (of which we will not speak), he slept and snuggled and slept some more! I was glad to be a willing participant. 

I'm glad I got to go to a Uconn football game! Although this was last week, it still deserved the add. We got to go to the football game with my brother and his wife, an annual tradition that we had to skip last year. SO glad to hang out with them! I'm also glad that my sister-in-law, Mrs. McAuliffe, has been cancer free since December 2011 and plans to stay that way!!! GO DEB!

What are you glad about today?! Celebrating Columbus sailing the ocean blue in 1492? Glad that Breaking Amish is a show?! Glad that it's LESS THAN A MONTH UNTIL THE NYC MARATHON?! Tell me about it!!!

26 days until the ING NYC MARATHON!!!

NYC Running Routes: Roosevelt Island

Since I'm currently battling a cold, why not talk about past runs that rocked?! If you're planning your long run, this could be the route for you! ENJOY!

Do you like bridge running? Sure I do. I've run the Brooklyn Bridge, the Queensboro Bridge, the Pulaski Bridge, and little unnamed ones out in the 'burbs. However, I had never run over the Roosevelt Island Bridge. I had heard good things about running on Roosevelt Island, so I finally decided to give it a go! Let's check out the in's and out's of the mystery island in between Manhattan and Queens.

Name: Roosevelt Island

Location: On the East River in between Manhattan and Queens.

Distance: 3.6 around the edge of the island.

Entrance: There are a few options to get onto Roosevelt Island. If you're coming from Manhattan, you could take the Roosevelt Island Tram! Entrance is located on 60th Street and 2nd Avenue. As I said in the Pulaski Bridge Running Route post, you could also opt to run over the Queensboro Bridge into Queens and enter from the Queens side. To enter from the Queens side, take the N/Q to Queensboro Plaza or R/M/E to Queens Plaza. Head East on 21st Street toward 38th Avenue. Turn left on 36th Avenue and enter the walk way on the Roosevelt Island Bridge on 36th Street and Vernon Boulevard. You will see signs directing you to the bridge ahead.

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Best part about running over the bridge: No bikes allowed on the walkway! They have their own lane on the road, which I'm sure they prefer anyway. 

Once you're over the bridge, you have to go down stairs or an elevator. Veer right once you finish running over the bridge. It's the only way to get on to the actual island. It breaks up your run a bit, but it only takes a minute or less. 

Oh, the views! I feel like every running route has great views! You get views of Long Island City as well as the New York skyline along the East River.

Via View of LIC

Via View of Manhattan

There are cool things to look at! There is a section of Roosevelt Island that becomes like an official Park. They're still doing a little construction on it, but there are ruins of an old hospital. Kind of creepy, but cool to check out...on the run ;-)

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The bathroom and water situations are great! There were six bathrooms (Only two stalls open, it was early!), four water fountains, and sinks with soap inside and outside the bathrooms! No need to feel gross for using the restroom, they are clean and fully stocked with all the essentials that disappear on most race days. This is located at the beginning of the ruins park area.

Roosevelt Island is a great place to take pictures. Because there are great views everywhere you turn, we just wanted to take photo after photo! However, there were miles to be run, so we kept it to a reasonable minimum:

Verdict: Running on Roosevelt Island is right if...

- You like a relatively flat running route.

- You enjoy running surrounded by water.

- You need limited to no shade (Great for fall and spring running!)

- You enjoy seeing a little taste of the 'burbs, like kids playing soccer, dogs being walked = Heaven.

- You want to try something new!

31 days until the ING NYC MARATHON!!!...almost a month! GAH! I need to get better!

When a marathoner has a cold

Aw SNAP, that's me. I tried to avoid it. The raspy, scratchy throat each morning has turned into a full blown head cold. UGH. I ran 12 out of 18 miles on Sunday. COLD FAIL.

Last April, I  was out of commission. I didn't really blog about it, but my allergies threw me through a loop. I got really discouraged because I had never had allergies like this before. I had a really hard time bouncing back, and now I'm nervous. EEK.

Last fall I got a cold a couple of weeks before my marathon. This is to be expected where I work: germ infested school with kiddos who outnumber anti bacterial applications.

So, here's what my coach (Also a nurse) recommended:
- Fever: take Tylenol (duh...but I had to be told)
- Lots of fluids
- No sugar (Including juice...thankfully, I don't drink any!)
- Soak in Epsom salt for 15 minutes (for throat)
- Lemon Tea (Add fresh ginger if you have it)
- REST
- Buy cold-eeze lozenges

So, here's to trying some new things! I'll let you know if I recover quicker etc. For now, enjoy some Lambeau Puppy pictures:

When I'm sick, Lamby is close by...but needs constant scratches and love.

Lamby partied hard after the Packers crazy game and victory. Go Pack Go!

Have you ever been sick in training? Sneezing during long runs?! Cough drops during races?! Tell me about it!!!

32 days until the ING NYC MARATHON!!!