Update #4
Hurricane Update # 3
Hurricane Update #2
Hurricane Update #1
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Heat, Hills, the Stupid and Angry
And I'm back
So its been a while. I know this for two reasons. 1) I haven't logged in about a month, & 2) my friend Carey called me out yesterday about not posting anything for so long. So Carey this one goes out to you.
To recap the last week or so well, its been hot. Real hot. Like this kinda hot:
But the nice part is its not that hot any more so back to the grind. Training is starting to fall into place. I'm not feeling too terrible on most runs right now and as long as I'm hydrating right most are pretty good despite the weather. But as other have mentioned its mid July and it gets really hot in mid July. So just like every summer we drink some more water and we run early in the morning or late in the afternoon, and dream of the fall.
On tonight's run
Tonight's run was 10 hill repeats on cat hill. Cat hill for those not familiar, is in my opinion a pretty solid hill to do hill repeats on. Its steep but not too steep, and long but not too long. All in all it gives you some pretty good options if you are looking to shake up your standard hill workout. Tonight's run was good. I have some work to do but I've been saying that for a while and I'll probably keep saying that till 2 weeks before race day when I can't do any more work towards this marathon that's only 17 weeks away! Anyway, there were a few things that stood out in my mind about tonight's run.
But there's more!
Cat hill has lots of traffic. Runners, bikers, and cars. This being NYC there naturally is a mutual hate among all three of these groups. I get the runner vs cars, and the biker vs cars. And I see the Biker Vs Runner animosity. Its crowded in the park and the city and accidents happen and people get pissed.
So on my recovery from hill #4 there is a woman who is running dangerously close to the edge of the bike lane. She might have even stepped into it for a hot second when from behind her a woman on a bike (more a beach cruiser than a road bike) came up right behind her. I must note before I go on that she had more than ample room to safely pass on the right of this woman and there was a break in the car traffic since the light a the bottom of the hill was still red. So as the woman on the bike gets within 3-4 feet of to the woman who is probably running outside of the designated running area at this point, she rings her bell on her bike 3 times and then darts around the woman while riding as close to the runner as I've ever seen a biker ride intentionally in the park and as she passed the runner she yelled out " BIKE LANE"! To which the runner promptly replied, "Oh F--- You!" And flipped her the bird. (naturally) And of course the biker replied "Get a life!" before riding off. (naturally)
Maybe it was the hill that stretched their patience or just the fact that the people of NY like to yell at each other. Regardless of which it was I can't help to think that there were 100 better ways for that simple moment to unravel. None of them, would have been as entertaining for me nearing the middle of a solid hill work out. Thanks ladies! Any distraction from the speed work at hand is always appreciated!
So its been a while. I know this for two reasons. 1) I haven't logged in about a month, & 2) my friend Carey called me out yesterday about not posting anything for so long. So Carey this one goes out to you.
To recap the last week or so well, its been hot. Real hot. Like this kinda hot:
But the nice part is its not that hot any more so back to the grind. Training is starting to fall into place. I'm not feeling too terrible on most runs right now and as long as I'm hydrating right most are pretty good despite the weather. But as other have mentioned its mid July and it gets really hot in mid July. So just like every summer we drink some more water and we run early in the morning or late in the afternoon, and dream of the fall.
On tonight's run
Tonight's run was 10 hill repeats on cat hill. Cat hill for those not familiar, is in my opinion a pretty solid hill to do hill repeats on. Its steep but not too steep, and long but not too long. All in all it gives you some pretty good options if you are looking to shake up your standard hill workout. Tonight's run was good. I have some work to do but I've been saying that for a while and I'll probably keep saying that till 2 weeks before race day when I can't do any more work towards this marathon that's only 17 weeks away! Anyway, there were a few things that stood out in my mind about tonight's run.
- No turn over. I really have lost some significant leg speed. I have like 2 gears and when I push for one more its just not there yet.
- Recovery: I need lots of it. On hills its usually full recovery, and tonight I needed as much as I could get. My fitness just isn't there for me to get up and down the way I'm used/ would like to.
- This is gross but I still feel like I'm coughing up a lung on my recovery. Usually when I've taken some time off or had a cold I feel this way, especially after a big cold. I've had no colds recently just a lot of time where I sat on my ass. I guess this all translates some way to lung capacity, mainly how I don't have as much as I want.
- Then there was the entertainment:
But there's more!
Cat hill has lots of traffic. Runners, bikers, and cars. This being NYC there naturally is a mutual hate among all three of these groups. I get the runner vs cars, and the biker vs cars. And I see the Biker Vs Runner animosity. Its crowded in the park and the city and accidents happen and people get pissed.
So on my recovery from hill #4 there is a woman who is running dangerously close to the edge of the bike lane. She might have even stepped into it for a hot second when from behind her a woman on a bike (more a beach cruiser than a road bike) came up right behind her. I must note before I go on that she had more than ample room to safely pass on the right of this woman and there was a break in the car traffic since the light a the bottom of the hill was still red. So as the woman on the bike gets within 3-4 feet of to the woman who is probably running outside of the designated running area at this point, she rings her bell on her bike 3 times and then darts around the woman while riding as close to the runner as I've ever seen a biker ride intentionally in the park and as she passed the runner she yelled out " BIKE LANE"! To which the runner promptly replied, "Oh F--- You!" And flipped her the bird. (naturally) And of course the biker replied "Get a life!" before riding off. (naturally)
Maybe it was the hill that stretched their patience or just the fact that the people of NY like to yell at each other. Regardless of which it was I can't help to think that there were 100 better ways for that simple moment to unravel. None of them, would have been as entertaining for me nearing the middle of a solid hill work out. Thanks ladies! Any distraction from the speed work at hand is always appreciated!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
And Then There Was Puke In My Shoe...
What a weekend. Came home Friday with the hope to relax and unwind for a few hours but ended up spending about 4 hours on a seek and destroy mission because my apt was suddenly invaded by about 30-40 centipedes. They were pretty small and harmless, but man they are creepy little bugs. My girlfriend Megan and I were not happy to say the least. After going at them with a "take no prisoners" attack and a full can of pet and people friendly bug killer (its active ingredients are Peppermint and Rosemary oils, so the apt smells like hippies, sweet...) we have taken control of our apt once again. The windows are not going to be left open again for a very long time.
Then Saturday, we had the first TNT Practice of our fall season. Despite the threat of rain, we still had a great turn out of well over a hundred people. Everyone is very excited to be training with us and I personally can't wait to get the season under way. There a lot of new faces and lots of people who have never attempted anything like a marathon or half marathon before. I love working with beginners and watching them realize that they have what it takes to tackle the challenges of a marathon. Should be a very fun season.
From practice Meg and I ran off to the Adidas Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium on Randal's Island. This is one of my favorite T&F field events that happen in the NYC area. Its one of those events that attracts the top competitors in the world and has a history of having some amazing times. I was fortunate enough to be on hand a few years ago to watch Usain Bolt (Jam) break the world record in the 100m just a few weeks before he broke it again during the Olympics.
The weather was overcast and a steady mist/drizzle and about 60 degrees. Not ideal record breaking conditions for 100m by any means. A whopping 3 false starts in the Men's 100m didn't help either. The finger pointing was directed at the starter for having a long pause on his count between his move from on your marks and the gun. He was even Booed by some of the crowed. Don't mess with T&F fans.
The conditions were ideal for the HS Boys Jim Ryan dream Mile. The all HS field was stacked with superstars from around the country. Last years winner Lukas Verzbicas was out to defend his title and defend it he did. In addition to winning the race for the 2nd time he also added his name to the short list of HS runners to break 4:00 min for the mile running a 3:59.71. It was a pretty cool thing to watch especially since Jim Ryan himself was on hand to watch the race. This kid is going to make some waves over the next few years at Oregon. Not the the last time we will be hearing his name I'm sure.
On top of the HS kids we also had a great field of pros on hand in the meet including Lolo Jones, Jeremy Wariner, Oscar Pistorius, Allison Felix, Molly Huddle, Anna Pierce, and Shannon Rowbury just to name a few. I have some photos of the meet I'll try to get up here soon. All in all it was a great meet with many exciting moments. I was very glad I was able to score 3rd row seats right off the finish line and most importantly under the covering on the grandstand.
And today I wrapped up my weekend with a trip to fleet feet for some new running gear and then a easy 6 mile long run. Followed by a nice big steak on the BBQ for dinner. As I was just about to light the coals I saw something funny near my running shoe or rather ON my running shoe. As I got closer I realized the cat puked IN one of my running socks and all over one of my running shoes. The sock was a goner but the shoe should make a full recovery. Not really sure how the cat was able to get the puke exactly where it was. It was so ridiculous I couldn't help but laugh. Great weekend! Summers off to a great start. Here is a quick shot of one of the boys HS Dream Mile. More photos to come soon.
Then Saturday, we had the first TNT Practice of our fall season. Despite the threat of rain, we still had a great turn out of well over a hundred people. Everyone is very excited to be training with us and I personally can't wait to get the season under way. There a lot of new faces and lots of people who have never attempted anything like a marathon or half marathon before. I love working with beginners and watching them realize that they have what it takes to tackle the challenges of a marathon. Should be a very fun season.
From practice Meg and I ran off to the Adidas Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium on Randal's Island. This is one of my favorite T&F field events that happen in the NYC area. Its one of those events that attracts the top competitors in the world and has a history of having some amazing times. I was fortunate enough to be on hand a few years ago to watch Usain Bolt (Jam) break the world record in the 100m just a few weeks before he broke it again during the Olympics.
The weather was overcast and a steady mist/drizzle and about 60 degrees. Not ideal record breaking conditions for 100m by any means. A whopping 3 false starts in the Men's 100m didn't help either. The finger pointing was directed at the starter for having a long pause on his count between his move from on your marks and the gun. He was even Booed by some of the crowed. Don't mess with T&F fans.
The conditions were ideal for the HS Boys Jim Ryan dream Mile. The all HS field was stacked with superstars from around the country. Last years winner Lukas Verzbicas was out to defend his title and defend it he did. In addition to winning the race for the 2nd time he also added his name to the short list of HS runners to break 4:00 min for the mile running a 3:59.71. It was a pretty cool thing to watch especially since Jim Ryan himself was on hand to watch the race. This kid is going to make some waves over the next few years at Oregon. Not the the last time we will be hearing his name I'm sure.
On top of the HS kids we also had a great field of pros on hand in the meet including Lolo Jones, Jeremy Wariner, Oscar Pistorius, Allison Felix, Molly Huddle, Anna Pierce, and Shannon Rowbury just to name a few. I have some photos of the meet I'll try to get up here soon. All in all it was a great meet with many exciting moments. I was very glad I was able to score 3rd row seats right off the finish line and most importantly under the covering on the grandstand.
And today I wrapped up my weekend with a trip to fleet feet for some new running gear and then a easy 6 mile long run. Followed by a nice big steak on the BBQ for dinner. As I was just about to light the coals I saw something funny near my running shoe or rather ON my running shoe. As I got closer I realized the cat puked IN one of my running socks and all over one of my running shoes. The sock was a goner but the shoe should make a full recovery. Not really sure how the cat was able to get the puke exactly where it was. It was so ridiculous I couldn't help but laugh. Great weekend! Summers off to a great start. Here is a quick shot of one of the boys HS Dream Mile. More photos to come soon.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Hazy Hot and Humid
Tonight was the start of some unseasonable heat. 95 degrees at 7pm for my 4mile run. Not ready to loose the cool spring nights just yet. But I guess its time to start the practice of running, drinking as much water and Gatorade as possible only to sweat it right out again.
Quick tip: On hot summer runs, water alone doesn't cut it. You need some sort of sports drink included in your hydration plans. Recovery drinks are important too. My personal favorite is Endurox R4. Its made by the same people as Accelerade but I think this tastes and works better. I also like to up the anti when it comes to my nutrition plan by adding a daily sport type multivitamin. I try to eat well but I'm sure I'm not always getting my recommended daily allowances (RDA), and when the heat is on like it was today its very easy to loose a lot of minerals and electrolytes I'm sure I sweated out a lot more than I was able to put back in with dinner. Having that Multivitamin gives me a little more insurance that I'm ready to go tomorrow when the heat will unfortunately be close to the triple digits.
Fingers crossed its just a fluke and we will have our regular June weather back ASAP.
One last thing, we kicked off our fall season of marathon training last night. We had a great turn out and there was tons of energy in the air. I'm very excited to be back coaching and training with the team this season. First official practice is Saturday!
Quick tip: On hot summer runs, water alone doesn't cut it. You need some sort of sports drink included in your hydration plans. Recovery drinks are important too. My personal favorite is Endurox R4. Its made by the same people as Accelerade but I think this tastes and works better. I also like to up the anti when it comes to my nutrition plan by adding a daily sport type multivitamin. I try to eat well but I'm sure I'm not always getting my recommended daily allowances (RDA), and when the heat is on like it was today its very easy to loose a lot of minerals and electrolytes I'm sure I sweated out a lot more than I was able to put back in with dinner. Having that Multivitamin gives me a little more insurance that I'm ready to go tomorrow when the heat will unfortunately be close to the triple digits.
Fingers crossed its just a fluke and we will have our regular June weather back ASAP.
One last thing, we kicked off our fall season of marathon training last night. We had a great turn out and there was tons of energy in the air. I'm very excited to be back coaching and training with the team this season. First official practice is Saturday!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
