Marathon Training: Week 6 Summary

I’ve slacked off on writing in this blog, partly blaming the “lazy summer,” but the truth is, it’s really just “lazy me.” Here’s what happened: I went from commuting from Long Island to the city 5 days a week on the train – and the two hours a day of sitting with my laptop that came with it – to spending all of 10-15 minutes standing on a subway to get to and from work. “But don’t you have more time at home in the morning now?” Yes, sort of. But I’ve been spending more time running. I also have the distraction of this thing called “the internet” and find myself watching countless videos on running form, races, and clips of “The Golden Girls.” So my whole morning routine has been thrown off. I get up at 4:30 or 5am, depending on what I have to do that morning, and still, I have not made enough time to sit down and write.

Put On A Happy Pace: TCS NYC Marathon Training Series 12 Mile Recap

Just under 100 days to go until the TCS NYC Marathon. At this point, I should be well into official training, but the past couple weeks have been a series of starts and stops – I’ve dealt with on and off calf pain, my dog dying, and a cold for the past few days which brought my runs to a complete halt. I’m on the mend – Thursday was my worst day. My colds are usually minor and only last a few days, but they make me too weak to run. No idea where this one came from, as I haven’t had any close human contact lately. I guess I touched a gross subway pole and didn’t wash my hands like an idiot.

Starlight, Star Bright: 2018 Retro 4-Miler Race Recap

I signed up for the NYRR Retro 4-Miler a few weeks ago, thinking it would be a fun addition to my 2018 race lineup. It was only 4 miles. The start was close to home. And anything with the word “retro” in it would probably be fun.

There is a race shirt for this race: a very nice cotton tee. But there was no way in hell I was going to run a race in a cotton shirt. I’ll wear it around town instead.

Turn! Turn! Turn!: 2018 Queens 10K Race Recap

I signed up for NYRR’s Queens 10K a couple of months ago on a whim while I still lived on Long Island. I had no other 10Ks planned other than September’s Cow Harbor, and when I saw that the Queens course was “flat and fast,” I thought, why not get another 10K in there?

I registered for last weekend’s Mini 10K later. Two races two weekends in a row is something I wouldn’t even have considered a year ago, especially two 10Ks. It wasn’t long ago that 6 miles was my long run. To race that distance 7 days apart would have seemed crazy.

Work Bitch: 2018 New York Mini 10K Race Recap

I ran a 10K this past weekend along with 8,372 other women! In Central Park! New York City! And I PR’d! This is my recap!

The NYRR New York Mini 10K was only my third ever 10K race, the other two being 1999’s Cow Harbor 10K (59:06 finish) and 2017’s Cow Harbor 10K (54:39 finish). I’ve run a lot of 6.2 mile training runs, but very few 6.2 mile races. So I was both confident and nervous, which is pretty much how I’ve gone through life.

Embrace the Suck: 2018 Popular Brooklyn Half Race Recap

I ran a half marathon Saturday morning. It took me an hour to get there. Four hours and 13 minutes of sleep. Up at 4 am. Rained the entire time. Chilly. Damp. Wet shoes, wet socks. No headphones, no music.

IT RULED.

The Brooklyn Half is the largest half marathon in the country. This year’s race had 25,386 finishers. This is… very a lot. The size of the race made for a few inconveniences – mostly in terms of waiting times – but once it began, it never felt too crowded or unmanageable. I had a blast. I’m so glad I did it.

I’ve Come a Long Way, Baby: A Weekend of Runs

It is Monday morning at the time of this writing. I’ve started writing this blog post three times and still haven’t gotten around to finishing it. I’ve been busy; I’m preparing to move out of my mom’s house and into my own apartment (I’ll spill all the juicy deets about that in another post). This involves not just packing up my stuff, but packing up all of my mom’s stuff. And my grandmother’s stuff, much of which my mom kept. Letters, books, clothes, pots, wine glasses. Old bills, broken remotes, thousands of photographs. Preparing for an estate sale (a phrase I never thought I’d say). Donating items. Packing things. Throwing stuff away. Many trips to the recycling bin. Bubble wrap. Boxes. Tape. More tape. And even, some more tape.

Salute Your Shorts: YMCA 5K in Memory of Marcie Mazzola Race Recap

The YMCA 5K Run/Walk in Memory of Marcie Mazzola took place on Sunday in Huntington on a lovely, sunny, brisk morning. Not only was it a fun, well-organized, snack-plentiful race, I am proud to announce that I PR’d (aka personal record’d) with a time of 24:14!

Let Me Work It

This morning’s run had me once again in a hat and gloves. At least it’s light out at 6 am now. No more reflective straps or headlamp for the next few months, unless for some reason I need to run pre-dawn, but I can’t imagine why I would.

The Significance of Insignificance

The rain that was supposed to start Sunday morning looked like it was holding off until the afternoon, which was good news for my long run. I would’ve run in the rain, but was happy not to. I really hate wet shoes.