keep holding on

it started last week, just continued into this week.  Now i’m at the point of training where all the miles and the hard efforts are really starting to build up, and the result is having to push through runs and workouts on very tired legs and just try and hold on til taper time…even though I was sort of hoping to escape that this time around.

This week’s track workout was 6 x 800, I had to aim for my normal 3:20 per interval.  Obviously my legs had other, not so good ideas.

Interval	Time	Pace
800m	3:19.15	6:40.63
800m	3:23.15	6:48.67
800m	3:24.45	6:51.29
800m	3:24.22	6:50.83
800m	3:21.15	6:44.65
800m	3:19.24	6:40.81

Obviously I wasn’t happy with this one, as I used to be able to crush 3:20 in workouts.  Was the half-marathon still in my legs?  I don’t know.  It did seem, however that everyone across the board was struggling.  Then again, others who did both the Fifth Avenue Mile and the 18-mile Tune-Up back to back had an excuse…not sure I did.

So as I was in NJ for the holiday and couldn’t make Thursday’s workout, I had to consult Coach T for an alternate workout…I figured I’d have access to the track at the local high school and I knew the minute I mentioned that it was 200 meters, that he’d suggest a repetition workout and sure enough I was right.  However, I was surprised when I saw that the 200 meter track was no more and instead it was replaced by a brand-spankin’ new 400 meter track!  The high school field hockey and soccer teams were practicing there too, but it was cool, we all stayed out of each other’s way…oh what a difference than McCarren Park, as this time I did not have to dodge a single soccer ball!!  Anyway, threw myself into the 200s and 400s…

Interval	Time	Pace
200m	0:46.05	6:10.55
200m	0:47.40	6:21.41
200m	0:48.92	6:33.65
200m	0:46.52	6:14.33
200m	0:46.40	6:13.37
200m	0:45.97	6:09.91
200m	0:44.96	6:01.78
200m	0:47.03	6:18.44
400m	1:37.55	6:32.48
400m	1:36.88	6:29.78
400m	1:38.57	6:36.58
400m	1:35.57	6:24.51
400m	1:36.55	6:28.46
400m	1:34.77	6:21.29

Plan for the 200′s was to start out at 46/47, take it down to 45/46…and for the 400s to start at 1:37 and take it down to 1:35.  So for the most part it was fine, though I don’t know what happened with the last 200, and I had to take a little more rest for the last coupla intervals.  Was just glad to get it in before the torrential downpours that hit later in the day.

Another 20 on tap this weekend.  And this will be after attending the Yanks playoff game tomorrow nite!  This oughta be, uh, interesting

now that’s a birthday present!!

oh hi!  guess what?  i “aged up” today.  yes, as of today, I find myself in the 35-39 year old age group.

And I kept it quiet but I’m sure you guessed that last week I signed up for that certain marathon in April.  And to be honest, just the fact that I was able to register was a nice surprise, I totally expected registration to close with the BQ-5 peeps.  But wait?  My BQ-1:54 actually had a fighting chance?  But all i could do is wait til this week and hope fate was on my side.

So the B.A.A. announced that they will be announcing today who from the “5 minutes or less” group got in.  I checked my CC statement-the fact that the “hold” for the entry fee was still on there was a good sign.  Shortly after I saw my name in the entrants list…but maybe I was just hallucinating.  Finally, I got this email:

So wow.  Apparently it was close (I made it by 40 seconds) but I got in.  Doesn’t mean I don’t feel heartbreak for those who were oh-so-close too but didn’t get in…as grateful as I am that I’m in, it’s still a little bit bittersweet.  But damn, couldn’t have been a better day for me to get this news.  (And I guess Boston doesn’t hate all Yankees fans…lol)

But does this mean that I’m just gonna cruise through NYCM?  No way, Jose.  There’s bigger and better goals to be had.

Here’s to the next age group-thankfully already getting off to a good start!

week 12 wrap-up

Boy, this week was actually a tough one.  Couldn’t rest on my laurels from the half, still had work to do.  Lotsa mileage up in here!

So track this past week was a ladder.  2 x 200, 400, 800, 1200…then repeat in reverse.  I was granted a little bit of mercy and was allowed to swap the second 1200 with an 800, as long as I did the one 1200 under 5:05.

Interval	Time	Pace
200m	0:46.97	6:17.95
200m	0:47.22	6:19.97
400m	1:38.22	6:35.17
800m	3:19.47	6:41.27
1200m	5:03.10	6:46.49
800m	3:19.37	6:41.07
800m	3:19.32	6:40.97
400m	1:37.61	6:32.72
200m	0:47.08	6:18.84
200m	0:45.06	6:02.59

So all were under target, except for the 1200, the original target was 5:00 but I’ve had trouble hitting that as of late…especially with legs that just ran a half 2 days earlier!  Hence the deal that was made

Thursday was the total opposite…as I had a Flyer event in the evening and had to miss the group workout, my assignment to do in the morning was a 4-mile tempo at 7:35-7:40 pace.  That definitely did not go as planned.  Yeah, it was dreadfully humid, but my legs were definitely tired…I knew it when I tried to do a couple of strides and my legs weren’t responding.  But I threw myself into it anyway, and wound up with 7:53 pace…the first 3 miles barely under 8, but picked it up for the last mile, which was 7:43.  And my heart rate data even backed things up-was much lower than it should be for a tempo effort, meaning the legs were tired.

So the legs felt better for today’s 14-miler, which I did in the park while running in the opposite direction from the 18-mile Tune-Up race…and it was good to cheer for and chat briefly with other teammates and friends, but boy the humidity was deadly.  Even though I took my gel somewhere between miles 7 and 8, by mile 12 I felt under-fueled and my legs felt shaky-had a feeling it was a fueling error I had committed before.  With the humidity, I probably needed 2 gels instead of 1, or I needed to have taken Gatorade and not just water.  But really, I hope this humidity takes a hike soon-so glad I did my half last weekend instead of this one!

But got it done, and had the afternoon free to enjoy the Yankees game…ah a nice victory over the Sawx!!  But oh boy, crazy how the Sawx’s playoff hopes really lie in the Yankee’s hands this week-literally!!

And the men’s marathon world record fell today in Berlin!  (and Haile falters once again…I think he’s done)  But wait a minute, they used pacers…so it shouldn’t count!!  Hey after all, women aren’t allowed to use male pacers.  Yes, I think this new ruling by the IAAF is ridiculous.  It’s one thing to do this going forward, but previous records should NOT be voided. That said, in my opinion…I don’t know why it matters if a record is run in a mixed or women’s only race…pacers or no pacers, their legs still had to do the work. A pacer can only do so much-they don’t run the race for the athlete.  And I’m not sure if the USATF is gonna follow suit, but if they do…I feel more bad for Deena Kastor than Paula Radcliffe-at least the best time in a women’s only race that can count for a world record does still belong to Paula…Deena would get stripped of a record entirely.  (Looks like the USATF does keep track of records set in women’s-only races as well as mixed races…though I think the time they have for the marathon is outdated, shouldn’t it be Kara Goucher’s 2:25 in NYCM 2008?)  I’m sure the Chicago marathon organizers are pissed about this too…their race is in 2 weeks, there is no separate women’s start, so now their race can’t count for any women’s records?  Anyone want to take bets on how long this ruling will last?

third time not a charm (rock ‘n’ roll philly half report)

Before the longer story, I’ll cut to the chase now…wasn’t my best (2nd best, actually), but thankfully not my worst.

So even though I hadn’t really tapered for this thing, I was trying to stay hopeful that I could bust out a good one.  The room number in the hotel I was staying at was a sign…room number 724-and isn’t a 1:37 half 7:24 pace? (1:37 is the open standard for a qualifying time for NYCM/NYC Half…the latter being a little more important to me as I’d like to run that one again and the only way I will get in is to qualify on time!)  So did the usuals the day before the race…hit up the expo (spotted Kara Goucher at the Nutrilite booth-we passed on getting an autograph as the line was too long) and dinner at Buca di Beppo (almost a reservation snafu, but got it sorted out!)  Then time to put out the clothes for the next morning (including folding over my bib so the “Rock ‘n’ Roll Philly Half” wasn’t showing, that bib was way too damn big!)  And had to decide on shoes…was debating between the Launches and the Adioses, but decided to take a chance with the latter, paired with my black CEP compression socks (the hot pink ones would have clashed )

Got up, had my usual bagel w/ white chocolate PB and coffee, got dressed, hydrated, and everything, walked over to the start (a mile from our hotel)…and when I stepped outside, was greeted by some very nice racing weather…great, guess I have no excuses   After checking bags, Flyer GW (my traveling companion) went to do a warmup, I had to take care of other business and stretch a little bit more before heading to the corrals.  Headed to corral 2 this year…moving on up in the world!!   Was joined shortly by GW and JJ, another Flyer.  JJ said he was just gonna run this at marathon pace so I thought “OK guess I need to stay ahead of him.”  National Anthem, then the first corral and elites were off.  Then time to move us up…and I didn’t go anywhere near the timing mats until we were allowed to go-learned from my mistakes at the Corporate Challenge

So another clean start, this staggered start system that Philly has used the last coupla years has worked well.  Settled in right away.  GW pulled ahead, as did JJ…now I didn’t know if this meant that I was going slower than hoped, or that just like last year’s Scotland 10K, he wasn’t really gonna stick to marathon pace   Anyway, the mile 1 split sort of put the concerns to rest.

And the next 3 miles wove through Center City.  I was keeping consistent, and actually wasn’t too far off from my opening mile splits last time I ran this race…but today, was feeling more like work than it did 2 years ago.  Not that I went out too fast, but just that I was gonna have to fight for this one.  There was a guy who was pacing with me through this part…unfortunately lost him a little after mile 4.  Not surprising, he said he wanted to run 1:30-1:35…

So after passing by the start/finish was a little bit of new territory for me.  The last 2 times I ran this race, we ran out on MLK Drive and back on Kelly Drive to the finish.  Starting last year, the course was reversed.  OK, may not be a bad thing, means that hill at mile 13 will actually be a downhill this time?   But dammit, a sidestitch crept up in mile 5.  It went away after I grabbed water, but resurfaced during mile 7.  After that, I knew I was gonna have to take fluids more than I normally have in a half.  And I was feeling sort of under-fueled too…my gel boost in mile 8 could not have come soon enough.

And mile 8 was my first (and thankfully only) mile in the 7:40s…I thought “oh no you don’t.”  I’m not sure what I could salvage with this race, but at least I want to avoid feeling like roadkill like I had in Brooklyn.  Where’s the Falls Bridge, and the turn to the finish?  Ah there it is, mile 9.  One more mile, and I can try and pick it up to the finish.  Which I did for mile 11, but 12 and 13 were struggles-though I was still passing people!  And there was something with the camber of the road that was aggrevating my right side.  Finally, I could see the mile 13 marker but not the finish!  Oh wait…they got rid of one hill and swap it for something shorter and steeper.  But once I crested that, the finish was in sight and gave it all I had…oh damn won’t be getting under 1:40 on the clock…haul ass and you can finish under 1:39…finished…1:38:58.  Glad that’s over!

Got my medal and a picture and gathered up whatever goodies they have after the finish.  Found GW and JJ afterwards…both had PRed.  In fact, seemed like everyone I knew who ran that day (lotsa local NYC team peeps made the trip out) had PRed…ugh, what could have been.  Thank god for the MGD 64 beer tent to numb things a little.

So I have mixed emotions about my race.  On one hand, I’m definitely glad to get under 1:40 again, shows that 2009′s race was not a fluke.  And hey, if I was still able to run under 1:40 on tired legs, what could I have done had I been tapered?  Yeah…definitely wonder what could have been if I was able to race it.  But have to take it for what it is-a tuneup for NYCM.  (And good learning with regards to hydration and fueling and how much I need.)  Maybe I’ll give it a 2nd go in Staten Island, maybe I’ll just use that as a pace run-we’ll see how I’m feeling in 3 weeks.  In terms of race predictions, McMillan sez 3:28:43…and I usually add 10 minutes for the NYCM hills…so 3:38.  Not quite where I want to be…guess I have my work cut out for me in the next 7 weeks!

week 11 wrap-up

7 weeks to go…less than 50 days out…time flies.

Well this was an interesting week of sorts.  Highlighted by “Bibgate“.  Unfortunately, I got that news the day of my track workout, and it definitely threw me-I was “off” the entire time.  I was supposed to hit 5:00 per 1200 and was way off…

Interval	Distance	Time	Pace
1	1200m	5:06.37	6:50.88
2	1200m	5:06.12	6:50.54
3	1200m	5:12.80	6:59.50

Not sure if I was still feeling my MP run from Sunday, or if it was Bibgate getting to me, but I wasn’t happy with this one at all.  Especially the last one-I was definitely hauling, and the heart rate data showed it, why was it so slow?

Tried to put it behind me for Thursday, 2 consecutive tempo loops of the Harlem Hill loop (approx 1.41 miles).  My 2 loops were 10:56/10:35 (7:43/7:28 pace)…improvement from the last time I did this workout in May, when I ran 10:56/10:57?  Was the first really cool night in awhile (very windy too!)-felt a little underdressed in short sleeves and almost could have been glove weather!!

As for today’s half, there is a full report to come, but I will say for now that the popular opinion on the poll was correct (1:37-1:39.)  There was no PR, but still glad to get under 1:40 as it was definitely tougher going than I expected.  Of course, I knew it was gonna be a challenge going in as I was not tapered…

me lucky charms

Well with another race on the horizon and of course having to partake in a pre-race ritual or 2…kinda gave me an idea for a fun post.  Everyone has their “lucky charms” for race day.  What are some of mine?

Yankee shoe charm:

I bought the Yankee charm, in addition to another (which stays on my regular trainers)  at the More/Fitness Half-Marathon expo from these peeps.  The Yankee charm goes on my racers for luck.  Specifically, on the right foot, as I had the ITB injury on my right leg, so I figure that leg can use a little more magic.

Watermelon candy-pink manicure:

So I like to get my nails done before races.  My color of choice used to be OPI’s Lincoln Park After Dark, a la Kara Goucher in NYCM 2008 (not quite black nails, but close enough) but I sort of tired of it this year.  So starting with the Mini 10K, I made my color of choice Watermelon by Essie-as it went with the pink accents in my green Adioses, and still looks good with the newer neon pink pair.  And there is something a little more upbeat about this color.  But as everyone knows, “when I do up my nails in watermelon candy color…you know I mean business! “

Music!
Though I leave the iPod behind on big race days, I do like to have some songs to listen to beforehand to get myself pumped up to race.  The songs pretty much vary by year.  (e.g., 2008′s songs were “Pocketful of Sunshine” by Natasha Bedingfield and “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay, 2009′s song was “I Gotta Feeling” by Black Eyed Peas.)  Here are some current favorites:

“Give Me Everything”-Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack, Nayer.  Come on, this *was* like the summertime anthem of 2011.  And hey when you race, don’t you wanna give it everything?

“Club Can’t Handle Me”-Flo Rida/David Guetta.  Because the race course can’t even handle me right now

“Walking on Sunshine”-Katrina & the Waves.  An oldie but goodie, I dare you to not want to run fast after listening to this song.

Blue Moon:

Seriously.  Yes I’ve had at least one the night before my last few races…not sure if that helps or not but hey doesn’t hurt to have an excuse to indulge in a cold one, right?  (not sure I’m gonna get to tomorrow but don’t fear, i’m getting it in tonite.)

White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter:

By Peanut Butter and Co.  Goes on my pre-race bagel before the big races.  Yes, I even pack it to bring with me when traveling to races

Starbucks Coffee:

A Pike Place Roast with a shot of vanilla syrup.  Kinda randomly stumbled upon this combo before the 2007 San Francisco Half, now this is a favorite “go-to” when traveling for races.

I’m sure there is more, but that’s what come to me off the top of my head.  So those are my lucky charms/lucky pre-race rituals-what’s yours?

And good luck to all racing this weekend!  Catch you on the flip side-hopefully with some good news to tell!

NYCM to me: “you’re too slow!”

So getting bib #’s for big races is usually fun, right?  That’s the time it really starts getting real…and it’s interesting to kind of read into the numbers and see what kind of meaning they have.

And in the case in NYC, you also find out your wave/start time in addition to your bib number.  If you remember correctly, the waves started in 2008.  I started in the 2nd corral of wave 2, which was exactly where I thought I would be, with a marathon PR of 3:58 and a predicted time of 3:45 (and I wound up running 3:44, talk about being on the money!)  Now?  I have a marathon PR of 3:43 and predicted time…well I don’t wanna say quite yet.  But I think you all have a ballpark guess   either way, one would think a 15 minute improvement would put me in wave 1.  Especially since most of my friends/teammates with similar PRs/goal times wound up in wave 1.  Boy was I wrong…

wave 2 AGAIN? are you kidding me?

 I seriously thought it was some sort of mistake.  But apparently no, the official word is that my 3:43 PR landed me in that corral and they go by previous time when seeding runners.  Ummmm…then why is it that quite a few of my teammates and friends who have slower marathon PRs than me-quite a few over 4 hours too!-were allowed in wave 1 and I wasn’t?  Your honor system sucks, NYCM.  Take a hint from Chicago.  THEY get it right.  You want a seeded corral?  You better have the proof of running a certain time, or no go.

Well in a way, this may screw up my race goals.  My issue is not so much with the start-as in 2008 that part was fine and I *am* in the very first corral in wave 2 at least (though I’m sure I’ll be forced to the back by people in wave 1 who miss their start…)  My concern is more running into the back of wave 1…especially if they let 10 or 11 minute milers in there!  Yes, it is possible to catch up to wave 1-in 2008, Brightroom captured quite a few pictures from the last couple of miles which had me passing runners in wave 1.  I’d just prefer to pass these people in Brooklyn, early on instead of it becoming a roadblock on the narrow streets of 5th Avenue.  I know some people say it will be fine, but I’ve heard mixed opinions (and experienced it for myself…)

Plus what gets to me is…where’s the consistency??  Why were those others-especially the ones much slower-allowed a chance at a great start and I wasn’t?  Are my goals too aggressive?  Do I have any right to be trying for the times I want?  (And for the record-I am NOT bashing slower runners.  They have their place in the race as much as the elites do.  I don’t think I’m anything special, but I don’t think a 4:30 marathoner should have a 30-minute head start on me.)

Well…I have one last chance to sorta “save” myself…which unfortunately puts a lot more pressure on this weekend’s half-marathon.  Wish me luck…

And at least this drama keeps me from thinking about the other hot topic in the running world this week…that certain marathon in April…

week 10 wrap-up

I sorta held onto this weekly wrap-up for a day…as there were other things on my mind, as well as others yesterday…

i can't believe it's been 10 years.

 

the freedom tower on friday nite, lit up in red/white/blue

 ********************************************************************************************************************

Closed out the week with 13 miles, last 8 at MP…

Mile	Time	Distance	Pace
1	8:24	1.00	8:24
2	8:03	1.00	8:03
3	8:00	1.00	8:00
4	7:51	1.00	7:51
5	8:12	1.00	8:12
6	7:54	1.00	7:54
7	8:08	1.00	8:08
8	7:48	1.00	7:48
8.14	1:06	0.14	7:51
Summary	1:05:26	8.14	8:02

And for whatever reason, I didn’t feel as good about this one as my last MP run…i thought this should have felt easier, given it was a little cooler and much less humid.  But whatever, I hit the pace overall so I guess I can’t complain.

Onward…

rain over me

Wow, for awhile this week I almost forgot what the sun looked like…this week was just rain, rain and more rain.  Thankfully it didn’t affect me as much as it did the US Open-2 full days of washouts meaning once again  (3rd year in a row?) the men’s final is on Monday!  (time to install a roof somewhere at Flushing Meadows…?)

As for me, the only day the rain really affected my workouts was track nite.  I kept monitoring the hourly forecast, hoping for the best but still expecting a wet evening.  (that’s what she said.)  And sure enough, once 7:15 rolled along, the rain hadn’t really let up.  But me and a few others still decided to show up to the track.  Crazy?  Maybe.  Not sure what the intended workout was gonna be, but the “plan B” was a 2-mile time trial.  Uggghhh…why do time trials always seem to happen in the rain?  I had a feeling it wouldn’t be my best, but at least I’ll get some kind of speed workout in tonite.  And so off we went, with the only obstacles in lane 1 being puddles, as the track was empty and the usual soccer balls and bikes were nowhere in sight.  I was over 7 minute pace at the 1200m mark and knew this was gonna be a slow one…but just tried to hold on.  The 2 miles were done in 14:24, estimated mile splits 7:11/7:13.  So I basically did this at my 5-mile race pace.  Blame it on the rain I guess…

As for my recovery run the next day, I thankfully didn’t head out til after a brief downpour and my run was just drizzling and/or misty.  I hit up the bridle path and with the exception of some puddles, it actually was not that bad.  It however got too dark at one point so I had to take it to the roads…guess cooler days bring darker nights…

Last nite was tempo with the distance upped once again…instead of the normal 1200s we did 1800s.  Only 2 of them, but still, as we had to do the same pace we did for the 1200s.  And I was pretty consistent with this workout, ran 7:49 for the first and 7:50 for the 2nd but I still say that it was not a whole 1800 as there was no way I was running 7 minute pace  (Mar. Garmin said the 1st was  1.05 miles, the 2nd 1.03 miles.  And I believe 1800 meters should be closer to 1.1 miles…?)  So I guess this was closer to 7:30 pace which seems more realistic for me.

And the next challenge will be the long run this weekend…13 miles with 8 at marathon pace.  Getting nervous thinking about it…

guess my half-marathon time, 2011 edition

It’s back!!  Less than 2 weeks to go til the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philly Half, time for the guessing game to start.

Realistic guesses please!  To help with that, here’s a little data…

Best half ever was from this same race in 2009-1:37:36.  2nd best was 1:42:20 in the 2008 race!

In terms of predictors for now…my Club Champs 5M time predicts 1:40:25. Keeping in mind that was a hilly course and on a hot/humid day and I wasn’t really tapered…with the flat course, and being a little further along in training, I’m hoping I can better that prediction a little bit.

In comparison, 2008′s Club Champs 5M time predicted 1:46:30 and I ran 1:42:20 that year…and in 2009 the Club Champs 5M time predicted 1:42:41 and I actually ran 1:37:36.

Orrrrr…if you want to go by paces per mile-in 2008 I ran 7:38 pace at Club Champs and 7:48 pace in the half.  2009, ran 7:21 pace at Club Champs and 7:27 pace in the half.  2011, I ran 7:12 pace at Club Champs and ??? pace for the half…?

As always, one of the choices I feel is very unrealistic, but I felt I had to put it in anyway.

My goals for this race…would like a PR, definitely want under 1:40 to prove that time 2 years ago was not a fluke (is it me, or am I having to prove that a lot of times aren’t flukes…)  And wouldn’t mind hitting the NYCM/NYC Half qualifying standard of 1:37 or better (provided that does not get changed)

Vote early. But do not vote often-I once again fixed it so certain people won’t try and stuff the ballot box…you all know who you are!

Thanks for playing!

week 9 wrap-up

9 weeks down, 9 to go.  Yes, we have arrived at the halfway point of NYC Marathon training.  Ummmm when/how did that happen?  Was it only just yesterday that I was cramming in my first long run of NYCM training before all the DJ3K festivities?

So week 9 brought the first 20-miler of the cycle.  And I think for the first time ever, I did not have any type of organized group run/race to accompany this 20-miler.  Therefore, I was gonna be flying solo.  Which may not be such a bad thing, as I could just take it easy with the pace and focus on completing the distance and make my own creative route which others may not like, but I know it will work for me.  Plus if there was ever a mental test, doing the first 20 solo was it.

So I set out on my route on Saturday morning.  Run to Columbus Circle.  Embark on a full 6-mile clockwise loop of the park.  But I took a little detour out of the park at Engineer’s Gate and ran north on 5th Avenue…to around 120th.  And back to 90th.  And repeated that again.  I think you could figure out what I was doing here…re-aquainting myself with that evil 5th Avenue hill that hits around 22-23 miles into the marathon   I figured it couldn’t hurt to work that into some runs now instead of waiting til the “last 10 miles” run next month, right?  As that was my slowest mile of the race in 2008, I’m hoping to mentally flatten that hill so that come November 6th, it will be toast

Back into the park, I completed my loop then backtracked a little and exited around 6th Ave…60th street to the Queensboro bridge.  Over the bridge then headed to the Pulaski Bridge.  Over the Pulaski and made my way through the Williamsburg/Greenport streets to my final destination, the Bedford Avenue subway stop.  But on the way, I had to do a mile on the track at McCarren Park because as you know, I can’t get enough of that place   But partially because it looked like my mapped route was gonna come up a mile short and figured it would be easy to make up the mileage there.  And considering I hit the track around 18.5 miles into the run, my legs were toast…maybe from all the climbing, maybe from the sidewalks I had to run on?  And the track surface felt so good on my legs at that point.

So wasn’t the quickest run ever (Mr. Garmin said I averaged around 9:20 pace, though the signal was probably off in some spots) but was glad to have the first 20 done.  And once back in Manhattan, made a bee-line for 16 Handles for “refueling”

As for the first half of training-so far, definitely so good!!  If the race results have been any indication, things have been right on track, if not a little ahead.  And the coaching I’ve been getting this time around has been working well-knows how to push me without burning me out, as I have not been feeling as dead as I felt this time last year while training for Chicago.  And I guess I have surprised myself during a workout or long run or 2…

As for the next 9 weeks-only race on the agenda is the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philly Half, a race that has been good to me twice before (back when it was called the Philly Distance Run.)  Maybe I do have a goal time in mind, maybe I will or won’t reveal it (I’m thinking I’m due for one of my “guess my race time” polls) but if the weather is good, i think I can do some damage to the course.  Besides that, it’s all about about getting in the mileage and staying uninjured.  I don’t think I can truly rest easy until I know I will get to the start line healthy!

marathon match

So yesterday was the annual trek out to Flushing Meadows for some tennis goodness at the US Open.  Thankfully, weather-wise, we looked to be getting a perfect day!  I tackled my hill repeats in the morning, then hit the LIRR to get out to Queenz.  I definitely recommend taking the LIRR to get to the Open-at least on the way there.  As the 7 train just sits in the station at Times Square and stops everywhere (or so it seems)…it was worth the $5 to get a quick ride out there.

As for the matches on tap-unfortunately the players me and the bro wanted to see the most (Novak Djokovic for me, Caroline Wozniacki for him) both had the night session.  But Roger Federer would be playing at Ashe around 1-ish, and even though I’m not really a Federer fan, I figure I have to actually see him play once.  So to kill some time, we did some shopping (love that Foursquare special with Amex-sync your Amex card and get a $10 statement rebate with a purchase of $20 or more!), hit up the “Food Village,” and indulged in a Honey Deuce-the signature cocktail of the Open.  Yeah, was a little pricey, but got to keep the glass, and it did come highly recommended by a coupla friends of mine…

refreshing! and love the melon ball "tennis ball" garnish

Me and the bro then took our Honey Deuces to Ashe stadium to wait for the match to begin.

We wound up staying for 2 sets of the Federer match…he took it in 3 sets.  Honestly, the match didn’t seem really exciting…the opponent really seemed overmatched, and it just seemed too easy for Federer.  (or maybe I’m a little biased because like I said, I’m not as much a fan of Federer as I am of Djokovic and Rafael Nadal…those 2 seem to have a little more of a spark.)  Plus, we wanted to get over to Louis Armstrong Stadium, as we had a feeling with the coupla matches coming up it would be packed.

And it was in the 2nd set of the Gael Monfils-Juan Carlos Ferrero match.  We had to go all the way to the other side of the stadium to find 2 seats together.  But it was worth it-boy was this match exciting!!  Tiebreakers and deuces up the wazoo.  Plus Monfils is a very entertaining player…I don’t know if I’d go as far as my brother who says Monfils is his new favorite, but he was so fun to watch-very animated and “acrobatic” as I heard someone else call him.  I thought Monfils could take it in the 4th set, as he won sets 2 and 3 and I felt he had the momentum.  But he was tiring, as my brother observed “his legs are gone…only using the upper body…he’s just gassed.”  And I was sorta reminded of last year, when I was watching the Federer-Djokovic semifinal in Madison Square Park with Lam and others, and Lam mentioned once the match hit 3 hours that “it was like a marathon” and I said “well maybe for you “  Now this match was truly a marathon-it went nearly 5 hours!  (hell for some, it would be an ultramarathon…lol)  No one deserved to lose this one, but Ferrero took it in the 5th set.

We stayed to watch the first set of Mardy Fish’s match-he seemed to be rolling over his opponent with the same ease as Federer had rolled over his, so it wasn’t as exciting to watch…or maybe we were just spoiled by the previous match!  But I will say, Mardy Fish does have some rowdy fans (apparently known as “The Fishheads”)…had some funny cheers which included “Go Fish!” (like the card game, get it?) and “Fish Time!”…I guess you had to be there to see/hear it

After checking out a coupla minutes of one of the doubles matches at one of the smaller courts, we then decided to “bounce” and hit the 7 train to head home…til next year!!