gotta wing it

Well before I get into this post, I would like to make this Public Service Announcement:

Yes that reads correct.  The countdown to Chi-Town is now in the 20s.  And I am so not ready. 

Oh and did you all vote for the starting line song yet?

Guess which one I voted for. Hint-it was playing at the start line of a past good race of mine.

So being a month out, doesn’t mean I can slack off as a result of the Jewish New Year (happy 5771!)   I missed my Tuesday speed session with UA due to taking an easy day after the 20K, and would have to miss last nite’s session due to being in NJ with la familia.  However, there does happen to be a track at my old high school…only 200 meters, but still!  So as I didn’t know what the workout was gonna be, I had to “wing it”…decided on 6 x 800 (figuring that 4 laps to an interval was all I could handle without going insane!)

And as you can see here, the track and Mr. Garmin had very different views of how far I ran   (800 meters is actually 0.497096954 miles, for all of you keeping track at home.)

	Tracky		Mr. Garmin
Time	Distance	Pace	Distance	Pace
3:25.70	800m	6:53.80	0.53 mi	6:28.11
3:27.27	800m	6:56.96	0.52 mi	6:38.60
3:28.44	800m	6:59.31	0.53 mi	6:33.28
3:34.12	800m	7:10.74	0.52 mi	6:51.77
3:34.85	800m	7:12.21	0.52 mi	6:53.17
3:27.12	800m	6:56.66	0.52 mi	6:38.31

Not too too bad, considering my legs still had some tiredness in them.  And it was definitely windy, especially in the two 3:34s….now i know how the players at the US Open Wednesday nite felt!! (as they were getting hit by wind.)  This wasn’t the easiest workout in the world, especially going about it solo, but it’s still another one in the books…

And here are some pics from the 20K this past Monday (and yes, no Flyer apparel for me at this race!)

just past the 10 mile point

giving it everything i had left (which wasn't much at that point)

yessss...under 1:40 on the clock!! (oh wait...you mean this isn't a half-marathon??)

no MORE marathon

Now I’m not talking about myself there!  When I IM’ed a friend today and said to him “no more marathon next year-only the half” he interpreted it as I’m not doing a marathon, and only a half next year!

But nope, I’m talking about what was the “More Marathon”…looks like in 2010 they are doing away with the marathon portion and only having the half-marathon!!  (And I guess also learning from last year’s mistake, they also warned about the caps way, way in advance!)  Given the declining numbers for the marathon, I’m not surprised they did away with it.

But did anyone notice the price for the half?  $60 for NYRR members, $65 for non-NYRR members?  For what will most likely be 2+ laps of Central Park…a course we can do later in the year (i.e., Grete’s) for $17?  I don’t get that!  I can understand the fee for the NYC Half, as city streets need to be closed down for the event…but for running in Central Park?  My guess is that this will be mostly out-of-towners…since racing in Central Park is a novelty for them!  After all, I have paid around that cost for halfs before…but those were “destination” ones-e.g., Philly, San Francisco, Vegas.  Oh, and this half will be on the same weekend it was last year.  Another chance at unseasonable heat and a “fun run”?  And will the new March date for the NYC Half mean a snowstorm?  It’s not like a race in March has never been turned into a fun run before…remember this one back in 2007?

Hmmm…speaking of halfs, looks like the one I am hoping to run next May will cost a pretty penny too.  But thats ok since it won’t be 2 loops of Central Park, hell it won’t even be in NYC!   Of course, that is contingent on the (sh)IT band getting better.  Yeah latest on that-not much to tell.  I decided to be brave and try the bridle path on Sunday, but the (sh)IT band was complaining by the end of the run.  Of course that may have been due to me spotting Creepy Stalker Guy and of course, I had to speed up   (though I thought it’s slower speeds that aggrevate ITBS more?)  But did the rez on Tuesday…not bad.  Just kind of taking it day by day for now…wouldn’t say I’m out of the woods just yet.  Booked an appointment for next Wednesday with a new PT, one that was highly recommended by a couple of my teammates-just keeping my fingers crossed that the insurance thing works out!!  And that I can find some light at the end of this tunnel…

Office lesson learned this week, never, ever leave your computer unlocked.  Otherwise, the office smartass who has been known to hijack others email before will…well, hijack your email and send an all-staff email saying that this is the last day and that you’re leaving the company to pursue a music career…and some other smartass stuff.  Yes, this is a true story.  No, it wasn’t me whose email was hijacked, I know to keep my computer locked

And Happy Hanukkah…starts tomorrow nite!  Will celebrate it by partying, holiday-style with the Flyers…and maybe sitting on Santa’s lap (oh the irony!)  Hmmm…I think I’ve been a good girl this year…what should I ask Santa for? :-P Well besides the obvious-a healthy right (sh)IT band!  And a BQ

bloggers block

the last coupla days i thought about blogging but just couldn’t press the “new post” button…haven’t had much interesting stuff going on the last coupla weeks to write about!! but now here’s enough for a mishmash…

was a lazy runner last week. partially due to recovery from cherry blossom, other partially due to passover and assorted seders with la familia, and my snooze-button loving finger.

this week going a little better. and yesterday, i not only got the opportunity to lead a speed workout, but i actually led the workout. let’s see if anyone gets what i mean here

The Hills!! It’s back. And Spencer is even more of a douchebag than before. Such a trainwreck. I’ve really been getting into Dancing With the Stars this season though…rooting for Melissa and Tony to win-sentimental favorite after what happened with “The Bachelor.” And Amazing Race!! How the hell can the stuntmen be so dumb to get time penalties on 2 consecutive legs??? Saved by the non-elim…meh. And didn’t these guys learn anything from last season when one team lost their passports?? I’m rooting for the lawyer brother/sister team to win…

both of my parents are now on facebook. god help us all. and my dad thought he screwed up my mom’s profile when supposedly his picture was showing up on comments my mom was making. ummm…did either of you look to see who’s name was at the top of the screen, and logged in? or even think of logging out when you have a shared computer? too funny.

Brooklyn Half registration is up, but not sure I’m really up for a half right now. I’d rather keep my race efforts short and sweet for now. (I am signed up for the Mini 10K, but not counting on it being a great time if the weather is a repeat of last year.) Thinking a non-Central Park/NYRR 10K may be good!! Why? Well…take a look at my top 5 10K times:

1. 47:06-Kleinerman 10K 2008
2. 47:38-Kleinerman 10K 2004
3. 48:37-10K split in Philly Distance Run 2008
4. 48:56-10K split in Cherry Blossom 10-miler 2009
5. 48:59-Mini 10K 2004

The fact that 2 of those are 10K splits in longer races…I need to get the heck out of Central Park for a 10K just once. Anyone have any suggestions of good 10Ks in the area?

MCM is 98% full as of today!! Glad I registered when I did…

Alright-enough blogging, back to watching 13 Going on 30!!

training stops for no one

well, I guess it was a good thing that Yom Kippur didn’t fall on a weekend right before a long run this year!! Wouldn’t have wanted a repeat of last year’s Queens Half But still, this being my heaviest mileage week, 2 days off just was not on the agenda.

So compromise-today is a complete rest day as long as I can get something in yesterday and tomorrow…so far so good. Had left work early, so luckily I was able to fit in 6 miles with enough time for a last meal before sundown. And tomorrow, just a short run…3 miles at the most, should be doable

As for today? Honestly, I didn’t feel the lack of food as much as the lack of caffeine. (sleeping til about noon helped with that…) I honestly wasn’t that hungry, but had the worst headache all day and knew immediately what it was. Sundown could not come fast enough, I went right for the coffee. between that and a coupla Advil, headache was gone. Though don’t worry-I did remember to eat too -broke the fast with challah french toast from EJ’s-good but not as good as my mom’s. But just wanted to break the fast with something sorta traditional, since i wasn’t gonna be trekking out to NJ. til next year…

it’s a marathon, not a sprint

So I am writing this post on my treo while on the lirr train…aint technology grand gonna see la familia for rosh hashanah (l'shanah tovah to all of you who celebrate!

of course the holiday messes with the training…i would have loved to take today off and run tomorrow, but instead it was the opposite. And it was a slog…boy were my legs tired. But its done. And I can look forward to a rest day tomorrow.

So the title actually has to do more with my birthday…as that was the phrase I used when describing how I needed to pace myself…this was the series of events:

1-3 pm: lunch w/ coworkers at tortilla flats, where strawberry margaritas were consumed
3-5 pm: pretend to work
5 pm-go over to the lounge where I was having my party, only to be told they weren't open yet. That's how i'll remember my 32nd…getting kicked out of a bar for doing nothing wrong!
5:15-6:30 pm-kill time in the dive bar across the street with a vodka tonic and a kamikaze shot.
6:30 pm-????-back across the street for the real fiesta. Martinis and socializing-oh yeah. Good times. And thankfully made it home ok and slept it all off the next day

man…i'm tired just reading all of that!

who was the wiseguy behind this one

I had mentioned this one before…anyway, I had taken this picture about 3 weeks ago…at what is supposed to be the corner of west 76th and CPW…

Guess some eastsider was looking to start trouble Anyway, looks like the westsiders would have none of that, since the street sign is now back to normal…

Did 10 miles in Central Park today, where it was, of course, ridiculously crowded…mostly due to the nice weather, and the east side was a total zoo due to the pope’s NYC visit…helicopters in the sky, police all over the place…madness. I’m sorta relieved to be skipping town for the remainder of the weekend…

…oh yeah, seeing la familia for Passover. Let the squawk-fest begin. As well as a week of matzah. Can’t wait. Happy Passover to everyone else celebrating!!

my family is insane

I think these pictures say it all. Rosh Hashanah dinner at the parentals’ last nite, we had a Yanks centerpiece on the table once again. (and my mom was nice enough to buy a Mets one for my uncle.) And the aunt, uncle and cousins bring their doggie as usual, this time dressed in a Mutts jersey. And there was quite the heated discussion during dinner, complete with these words being uttered many times by my cousin: “I hate the Yankees.”

Off to Long Island in a bit for round 2….and L’Shanah Tovah to anyone else celebrating!!

so wicked

During the reading of the Haggadah before the festive meal of the Passover seder, there comes a part about the four sons-one wise, one wicked, one simple, and one who “hath no capacity to inquire.” I don’t know how this came about, but me, my brother, and our 2 cousins kinda established our roles years ago and it stuck…my 1 cousin (the one of Gawker fame, actually) was the wise son, I was the wicked son, my brother was the simple son, and my other cousin the one with no capacity. I don’t know how I got the wicked one…typecasting? I don’t think so

Another year, another seder. Dad played rabbi and did the über-abbreviated version, as usual, my mom took sips of wine when she wasn’t supposed to (again, she is never allowed to lecture me on drinking again, she knows where I get it from now) Usual Yankee/Met trash talking in addition to other squawking-i mean conversation, usual excess indulgence in food and drink, now the easy part of Passover is over, now just gotta abstain from bread and the like for another 6 days. I’ve broken Passover with 2 days to go the last 2 years…

Oh and Brightroom did not like me this last weekend. It was so damn crowded when I crossed the finish line at the Labrecque 4-miler that there were no identifiable finish line or running pictures of me. However, after a little searching, I found this picture of me running in the background of someone else’s picture. Break out the magnifying glasses for this one

now playing: “the real thing” ~ gwen stefani

faces and names

when seeing la familia last nite for Passover, my brother told me about a very cool website.

This is it…you can upload a picture of yourself and it will tell you which celebrities you look like. I tried it with 2 of mine…a “cleaned-up” picture and one with my hair pulled back after a race.

With this picture, these were the matches I got:
Holly Hunter
Cybill Shepherd
Mira Nair (?)
Emma Thompson
Mischa Barton
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Annette Bening

And with this picture, these were the matches I got:
Sophia Loren
Sarah Michelle Gellar

interesting…some i can see, some i really can’t. it’s a fun website though!!

oh yeah, one day down with Passover. we’ll see how long I can last this year…happy Passover to those of you celebrating!

it’s oh so quiet

typical for the week between xmas and new year’s right? the office is a ghost town. so…what better way to take advantage of it with a 2-hour lunch? even better when the waiters know us and they slip us a complimentary glass of port. even better when it’s expensed too

so right now, i’m utlizing my hanukkah present, which is in the piccy to the right…how cute is this thing? i am actually wearing the white headphones right now…not overly comfortable though. got a pretty cool case to go with it…will come in very handy when running.

saw la familia on sunday and yesterday…”celebrated” hanukkah with both homemade latkes and chinese food…and everyone was very happy with their presents…

was not too happy to come back to my place last nite and see part of the wall torn out…yeah, there’s work being done in my apartment and the place is a disaster area (but still somewhat liveable) but hopefully when all is said and done, i won’t have the same issue with lack of heat that i’ve had the last 2 winters, and my ConEd bills will go back to normal (you know there’s a problem when i’m paying twice as much during heating season than during A/C season-especially with this summer’s record heat! heat is supposed to be included in my lease.)

i need to get back to some sort of routine…ever since last week, i have not been able to fall asleep til after 2 am (damn transit strike coverage,) and waking up around noon (or if i’m getting up early for work or something, it ain’t a pretty sight!) don’t think any morning runs will be happening any time soon…at least not til after the new year…

now playing: “long way down” ~ goo goo dolls

hanukkah in april?

seriously, it felt like that today!! 50-something degrees!! now that’s an early hanukkah present

and of course, i got another early hanukkah present yesterday…

man, it was great to have everything up and running…I had last minute holiday stuff to do, which meant me trekking from uptown to midtown, from the west side to the east side and back…was nice to be able to just hop on a subway or bus again

and today, with the temps at 50-something degrees, was a shorts day for running for the first time in god knows how long! ran the 6-mile loop clockwise (at pretty much a 9-even pace) which i like doing every once in awhile…since most run counterclockwise, you can see who else is running and it’s fun to acknowledge each other with a hi or a smile or something.

my original plan for tonite was to do the “matzo ball“…the typical jewish singles thing for XMas Eve. My “Jewish partner in crime” friend from work and I have gone the last coupla years. But this year neither of us were really that into it. Personally…I can think of better things I can be doing with my $30 and do I honestly really have any luck at these things? no. so it’ll be a chill XMas Eve for me, then off to see la familia tomorrow for Hanukkah.

So to all my faithful readers (and to those who aren’t, haha)-happy holidaze to you all!!

now playing: “mad about you” ~ belinda carlisle

Meow

I learned something new this Yom Kippur:
Not being able to eat for 24 hours=easy.
Not being able to take Midol during said 24 hour period=not easy.

Anyway, on a rare Thursday nite at home I actually got to watch some reality TV in real time (though I know I’ve complained that it’s jumped the shark, it’s like a trainwreck-can’t turn away sometimes.) Pretty good episode of Survivor last nite. Though Stephenie’s ego is beginning to reach Rupert-size proportions. If she doesn’t win this season, I’m sure they’ll think of some way to give her $1 million somehow. And with a lack of much else on afterwards, actually sat through the episode of the Apprentice. Just like Season 2-I can’t believe the cattiness and cliquiness of the ladies’ team. Is it really that hard for women to work together? Perhaps. I went through it this year on the Flyers’ social committee. Was originally with 2 other girls-that didn’t work out-partially because either of them didn’t know what they were getting into…but partially because they did not communicate at all. The committee went through a “corporate restructuring” of sorts and the 2 girls got swapped for 2 guys with whom I got along a lot better. (I’m not even gonna get into sorority life right now.) However, as fun as it’s been being social chair, I still am sorta looking forward to the year being up…planning social events in NYC is not an easy task.

Another marathon/race weekend approaches…good luck to all marathoners…I believe up this weekend is BayState and Baltimore, as well as others…and on the local front, the Staten Island Half-Marathon. For everyone’s sake, I hope the mile marker guy isn’t drunk when positioning them this year. Good luck to all those running it. And rain rain please go away.

Speaking of marathons, they finally posted the bib #’s for NYC…and dayum, looks like I got a good number-an “F” number in the 3000′s. Kind of a shame I’m not using it, but hopefully I get as good a number next year…

Alcoholic escape tonite after work in the east village. yay…so need it.

(and Madonna’s new song kicks a$$. well at least the version that WKTU plays.)

now playing: “hung up” ~ madonna

Fever pitch

To say that my family takes sports-primarily our Yankees and Jets-seriously, is an understatement. We have our own little superstitions for each. Things to wear, things to do, things to have in the room when we’re watching said games. But I was just amused today, as our centerpiece for Rosh Hashanah dinner was a little pumpkin painted blue and white with the Yankees logo, and wearing a Yankees cap…and my parents, my brother and I all wore Yankee shirts to dinner. Of course, my aunt, uncle and cousins are Mets fans…so I’m sure that had something to do with it (You’re talking to the girl who wore a Yankee cap to the Run to Home Plate 5K to “make a point”…lol! The things I do for a club points race!!) Anyway, very happy to see that the BoSox got demolished, and as I write this, the Yanks are up 4-1 in the 8th. Yeah!!

Taking one for the team

As tough as it is to play spectator/cheerleader instead of runner, looks like today it paid off the for the team-the Flyer women kicked such a$$ today at Grete’s Great Gallop-the open women coming in third!! Apparently no one remembers the last time any of the open teams-men or women-placed in a club points race (deeper field than most other races) so this one was a great day for the team. Still sidelined (well at least from running 13.1 miles,) I took pictures-well as best i can…i took 115, and only 77 were usable…hey, that’s what happens when people run too fast :-p

Anyway, as usual, I run into dating blasts from the past at the race. First being the Flyer I dated last year not too long after I joined…he passes by at 72nd and shouts to me “LK in the house!” I guess *someone* was trying to reminisce about how I talked “ghetto” (e.g., “peeps,” “homies”) We chatted briefly for a coupla minutes after the race and I was reminded again of why I ended things. (nice guy, but too much me, me, me…) Then while walking towards the west side, I see “rock and roll loser”…grrr. Background on this one-he was a guy that worked for my sister company…that we were hooking up and I (stupidly) thought we had dating potential. That is, before I found out he was sleeping with other women-in the company, no less!! I couldn’t even look at him after I found that out. Anyway, unfortunately he has turned up at the races (though he has since left the company)…it sucks, running is supposed to be my escape from this bullshit and it just seems to follow me around-especially when his girlfriend is with him at races-who was one of the girls he was playing against me. (for reference sake- “rock and roll loser” was a nickname given to him by one of my teammates because he always does that rock and roll hand gesture in the Brightroom pictures.)

It just frustrates me to no end. Why do people like him find true love and I still can’t? What do people like him have that I don’t? Do “good girls” always finish last? It’s definitely seemed that way so far…

On a better note, I did do 4.8 miles yesterday…still rez and roads combo. And as usual, the foot didn’t hurt when running…only when walking. go figure. wish I could figure this out.

this week looks to be a hectic one…between rosh hashanah and a coupla flyer things. l’shanah tovah to any jewish peeps reading this

now playing: “days go by” ~ dirty vegas