Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Well, its about time we find out what this saga of running all over Seldovia, Anchorage, and New York City has amounted to!

On Sunday morning I woke up promptly at 4:10am and was out the door by 4:35. The sky was still pitch black and I could see the metal fences for the spectators already set up along 1st Ave as I made my way to the subway. The 6 train was sprinkled with people in running attire and old sweats that they'd later discard at the start (not enough time to run back to the baggage check after warming up, so volunteers collect all the runners' sweats at the starting line, to be given to charity) and we all looked a little nervous for what was ahead of us. While most were headed down to the Staten Island Ferry, I skipped off at Grand Central to head over to Covenant House where they had arranged a bus to take us over to the start. There were about ten of us on the bus, and it was great not to have to be alone in the hours before the race. We passed around bagels and water and us rookies tried to cram into our heads any last minute advice we could glean off of the pros.

We got to the start area pretty early, at 6:30. By 6:45 we were huddled under a tree, on cardboard boxes to protect us from the wet ground. It was raining just slightly, but improving by the minute. We had about 3 hours wait time before the start of the race. I dont know why, but we ended up sitting right next to the religious ceremonies tent, so there was all this cheesy, off-pitch singing going on. I mean religious opinions aside, its just not what I wanted to hear when I was trying to focus on running. But the good part was the line for the porta-potties was far shorter over there and there was a lot more space to walk around. I was feeling pretty good, but worried about not having ran in two weeks and about my hip which was feeling worse than ever. But I hoped it was just nerves.

Getting off the buses and entering the waiting areas

The Verrazano Bridge looming ominously above us

Runners were camped out everywhere.

Our little tree under which we huddled for 3 hours

After a painfully long waiting period, 10:00 finally came around and we checked our bags and lined up in our starting gates. With 40,000 people in the race, it was amazing how well organized this thing was. There were three wave starts spaced 20 minutes apart. I was in the middle one. Each wave had 7 corals which divided runners by their projected pace. I lined up next to a french guy (who was trying to figure out in broken english if he was in the right place or not) and a guy in a furry tiger suit.

Yours truly, about 3 minutes before the start

Frank Sinatra was playing at the start :)

As the gun went off I didn't really feel a huge whoosh of emotion, it was more like, "well, here goes!" But as we ran over the Verrazano Bridge it was really amazing. The views, the people all around, the excitement, filling with runners a bridge that normally is packed with cars going 50 miles an hour - it was just amazing. So amazing that I whipped out my camera to snap some pics!!

You can see Manhattan in the background of this one

The crowds were so much fun. Tons of people came out to cheer - holding signs, handing out water bottles, yelling at the top of their lungs! There were also tons of bands set up with huge loud speakers all over the course. Probably every two miles or so. It was great! Everyone did the motions to the YMCA as we went by one. And I was super pumped when I ran by one playing C'mon n' Ride It http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_Zi-YSW3aQ

Going through all 5 boroughs was pretty spectacular. We started off in Staten Island, then went through Brooklyn, to Queens, into Manhattan, up to the Bronx, and then back into Manhattan, through Central Park to the finish. Here's a map of the course:

http://www.nycmarathon.org/documents/INGNYCM09_Map_Large_Rev_100909.pdf

Going through Williamsburg was really strange and almost eerie because that part of the neighborhood is nearly all made up of Hasidic Jews so there werent really any crowds cheering, just people dressed in black milling around and staring silently at us as we ran by. haha. But it was so strange that I really enjoyed that part of the race!

First Ave is the part that's supposed to have the best crowds. And man did I need it coming off the Queensboro Bridge! That thing was brutal. over a mile of just steady uphill with no aid stations, right at the 16 mile mark. So I was really struggling at that point. I had started off wary of my hip, but then at 7 miles or so I was still feeling pretty good, so I thought it might be okay. But when I got into Manhattan I really was wiped. All my joints hurt and I was just not feeling good. But I knew my sister and all the Covenant House crowd would be cheering at mile 17, so I kept on going. The crowds on first ave were great. It was great going right by my apartment and seeing the streets I normally walk down every day filled with people cheering. I almost missed my sister, but luckily she's tenacious and a good screamer, so I got a quick hug from her and Alvin and kept on truckin'.

At mile 17 I so wanted to walk, and I did for about two steps but then told myself, "NO!" and picked it up again. That lasted about a mile. I was just so achy and with every step my quads were taking turns cramping and I was afraid I was going to hurt myself. So, with great reluctance I slowed to a walk (hobble?). Luckily, I spotted another Covenant House Runner just ahead of me who was also walking. So I jogged up to him and turns out his knee had blown out and he was taking breaks and alternating between running and jogging. His name was Ezra. It was really nice to have somebody to talk to so I didnt wallow in my disappointment of having to walk. Plus he kept me at a pretty good walking pace. It was his first marathon too. We ended up walking miles 19, 20, and 21 together, from Harlem to the last bit of Queens. But on our last little jogging stint I noticed I was feeling better and might be able to keep it up for a bit, so I said goodbye to my new friend and went on ahead. I still had hope of finishing under 5 hours!

The last 4 miles went by surprisingly fast actually. I had the worst expression on my face I'm sure, and I felt like crying multiple times, but I actually really liked the last bit. Around mile 23 they handed out wet sponges and I rubbed it all over my face in pure ecstasy. Soooo refreshing. Fifth Ave was so beautiful with all the fall colors in the leaves and Central Park to my right and then once we hit Central Park it was almost all downhill for the last two miles. And the crowds were really great. People knew we were almost there and that we were all hurting, so they cheered extra loud and it really helped sooo much. Plus I run in Central Park a lot, so I knew the course. The last 400 meters was soo hard, but once I saw the finish line everything was better. I finished in 4:47:17! Under 5 hours! I was so glad I was able to do that even with some walking in there.

Here's a link to a NY Times album of faces at the finish. Pretty entertaining. (the guy in the tiger suit is face #261)

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/sports/20091101-marathon-finish-line/

Its funny, after the finish I was totally numb. They handed me my space blanket and my medal and I just clung to the shiny metallic plastic and hobbled forward in this huge mass of finishers wimpering. hahaha it wasnt the euphoric experience I had expected!! I felt more like an abused little puppy. Hahaha not that I didnt enjoy myself!!! It just took me a little bit to gain some energy and get over the fact that my time was so much slower than I had anticipated. It took what seemed like forever to wade through the masses, find the UPS truck that had brought my bag from the start line, and make my way onto Park Ave to meet my sister and Alvin. My friends Ariadne and Danielle also caught up with us and we went down to the East Village for dinner. I decided to go for the all-American choice - a burger and beer. Delicious!! I was pretty self-conscious wearing my running clothes and this junky space blanket around this nice restaurant, but my friends told me to wear my medal with pride, and so I did. It was fun getting a few congratulations from strangers on the street as we walked down the sidewalk. I felt very proud :)

Danielle, Me, and Ariadne (left to right) at DGBG

So, this is it. My journey to my first marathon, which began with a few impulsive clicks of a computer mouse has finally ended!! Next time I'll take that last month of training more seriously, but hey - I' had a great experience and such a fun time along the way and I'm totally looking forward to the next one!! Im thinking maybe Los Angeles in March? We'll see. I dont know about this running in the winter business.

Thanks so much to everyone who has followed my progress and to all the people who supported my efforts either through donations to Covenant House or through encouragement along the way. Together we raised $3,305 for this great organization! 110% of my goal - isn't that the Girl Scout way? The team together raised over $100,000. Isn't that amazing? Just 25 people did that! I'm so inspired and encouraged by the unexpected generosity of strangers. I definitely would encourage anyone to do some fundraising for charity if you get the chance! I've definitely enjoyed it.

All the names of my super fantastic, generous friends and family!

--------------------------------------

"A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected

in as many ways they’re capable of understanding." --Pre

Marathon Weekend

The weekend before the race was a blast. Friday I spent all day at the Health and Fitness Expo at the Javits Center handing out race packets to runners. It was so fun seeing all these people who had gone through all this training just like me and who were so excited to be finally at their goal. There were tons of people being followed around by their loved ones holding video cameras and telling them to pose as they held up their number that was now somehow a deep part of their identity. SO many of the racers were foreigners. It was ridiculous. I mean, it seemed like a miracle when I could simply tell the person to go to the white balloon to pick up their tshirt and they understood what I was talking about. I did get to put some italian to good use though. woo hoo!!

Then on Friday night Covenant House gave a dinner for all of the runners who were supporting them in the race. There were about 25 of us in all and we went to this great place on the Upper East Sice called PJ Clarke's Sidecar. I was totally impressed and felt uber pamperd by the delicious menue, open bar, and endless trays of appetizers floating by in the hands of waiters and waitresses. But even better than the food (can you believe it?) was getting to meet all these people who were also running on Sunday. Some of them were pros (our fearless leader, Bill, had done New York over ten times!) and others were newbies like me. I loved being in a room full of people who loved running - I felt like I could relate so well to these people just out of this one shared interest. I don't have a lot of people I can talk to about running, so I really rambled on about, "oh, at what pace are your long runs? Do you take energy gels? At what intervals? Have you done much speedwork? Yasso800's? Are you going to aim for negative splits during the race? blah blah blah". It was a blast. Covenant House also had a few members of its staff there (some were running too) and a boy who was a part of the program, who shared with us his story and what Covenant House had done for him. It was so inspiring! What a night full of warm fuzzies.

Saturday I had to meet for History class out in Staten Island, but other than that I tried to be off my feet for most of the day. I spent a lot of time putting my bag together, making sure I had everything in order, and writing all the names of my fantastic supporters on the back of my tshirt. The day went by quickly with all the last minute things I had to take care of and the fact that I was in bed by 10pm. I cant remember the last time I'd gone to bed so early! I tried to drink a lot of water and my last meal was sushi. Not the typical carbo-load, but I'd had it before successful long runs and didnt want to eat anything too heavy. I think spaghetti's overrated. So, with my alarm set for 4:10am I did my best to get a good nights rest - though this proved somewhat futile due to my nerves. I kept waking up out of fear that I'd slept in!

Month Four

OK, here's the breakdown of my final month of training. Obviously I had some issues, since there are only four entries here. This is about the time in the school year where I typically get behind in my work and my clothes pile up on the floor and even getting out of bed in the morning and getting to class on time seems to take a monumental effort. I dont know what it is, maybe just a general lack of energy or attention span, but it seems to apply to my running as well. I was already skipping more workouts than I should have been, but I did this half marathon on the 11th that really killed me for some reason. My hip started really bothering me - not so much on runs, but I really felt it just from walking around the city - which was almost more worrisome. So between my increasingly frazzled lifestyle, the dwindling hours of daylight for workouts, and my hesitance to push my hip injury and cause even more pain my training came to a screeching (or rather a slow rolling) halt in mid-october and I prayed for the best. Turn to the next page to see the results...

Oct 16, 2009

Time: 1:00'53"

Pace: 9:16 min/mi

Distance: 6.55 mi

Oct 11, 2009

Time: 2:02'40"

Pace: 9:24 min/mi

Distance: 13.1 mi

*This was the Staten Island Half Marathon. It should have been a no-brainer, but for some reason it totally wiped me out. I was really struggling from about the 7 or 8 mile mark and walked through the water stations - which I have never done before. My hip was also tweaking out. Maybe it was because it was an early morning race, or that I forgot to bring energy gel, or that I hadn't been running that much lately. Who knows.

Oct 10, 2009

Time: 1:13'08"

Pace: 9:07 min/mi

Distance: 8.01 mi

Oct 6, 2009

Time: 47'14"

Pace: 9:07 min/mi

Distance: 5.17 mi

TAPER!!

OK, well I have been informed it's been a while since I've blogged (hang my head in shame). SO here is an update!! And iiiiiits official!! I'm tapering!! OK for those of you who dont speak my language, tapering is when you ease off on mileage before a race. In marathon training, the first two months are mostly building up mileage. The third gets intense and holds the longest runs. The longest run of your training should be the last day of the third month. Then the fourth month is all taper! So I've done the longest run of my training and between now and Marathon Sunday I only have three runs over 8 miles, the longest of which is only 14 miles! (HA I never thought I'd be referring to 14 as ONLY, but after 23 it sure does seem like it!). I will keep my pace up though, and even try and pick it up a little during the next month. Fewer miles does not equal slower miles.

On Thursday I went up to Ithaca to get my bike for the MS Ride. Since the ride was on Sunday, I switched my long run to Friday so I'd still have a day to rest. So on Friday morning I set out in Ithaca (a refreshingly new but at the same time familiar setting) to do my scheduled 22-23 miles, hoping and praying that the frivolities of the night before (beer and pizza) would not come back to haunt me. Luckily, they did not! I went out the road to Taughannock Falls and back. SO pretty! I was reminded of what it was like to visit Ithaca for the first time when I was still a Junior in high school. Man oh man does that seem like forever ago now! Anyway, there were a few hills to be reckoned with - one in particular that when I was running down it (over half a mile!) on the way out I was sweating bullets at the thought of having to run back up it again in a few miles. But, surprisingly they weren't so bad. The good thing about running (and biking) on highways is that the law limits how steep they can get! This run was really the only thing I did in ithaca funny enough, since I got in at 11:30pm Thursday night, went out for a few beers (a beer and a cider to be exact), got up and went for a run at 11, and was in the car back to nyc by 4:00. HA!

So yesterday I did the NYC MS Ride and it was... so... fun. Especially since the last time I was on a bike was in the beautiful natural surroundings of Alaska! Quite the contrast. We did a lap around Manhattan, went through the Lincoln Tunnel, through the Palisades, through Nyack and New City, back down and across the George Washington Bridge, and finished on the West Side Highway at 52nd Street. I did get lost around mile 50, and quite frustrated, but in the process I made a friend!! We had pretty much the same pace, so it was great to ride the rest of the way together. Anyway, it was lots of fun - my first century ride, and hopefully the first of many. A great break from running! Here's a map of where we rode:

October 2

Time: 3:40'29"

Pace: 9:35 min/mi

Distance: 23.01 mi

*YEah. 'nuff said.

September 29

Time: 53'54"

Pace: 8:58 min/mi

Distance: 6.01 mi

* I heart literally running errands! Ran down to pick up my race packet for the MS Ride!

September 27

Time: 1:13'49"

Pace: 9:12 min/mi

Distance: 8.01 mi

September 26

Time: 9'26"

Distance: 9:57 min/mi

Distance: 0.95 mi

*OK, I dont know what's up with this. I don't remember running just one mile, so I'm guessing my ipod died?

September 25

PART 1:

Time: 20'01"

Pace: 9:26 min/mi

Distance: 2.11 mi

PART 2:

Time: 19'11"

Pace: 8:36 min/mi

Distance: 2.23 mi

*two parts? Not sure what this is... my memory is failing! I must be 23...

September 24

Time: 1:17'17"

Pace: 9:39 min/mi

Distance: 8.01 mi

*so this was after skipping THREE runs in a row!! ugh... no wonder I'm always so out of shape by the end of every semester... Cornell is bad for your health. This is proof. But I wont let it get the best of me!! Just keep running just keep running running running running running...

*my friend took pictures of me running for a project. Thought I'd pass it along as proof : )

Achy Breaky... Legs!

OOOOOOH man. I know I ran 20 miles already and that was pretty uneventful (surprisingly) but I just got done with 21 miles and WHO KNEW I would be so wiped out from that one itty bitty mile! I'm laying in bed writing this and don't plan on moving from here for at least the next couple hours. Unfortunately I'll eventually have to go forage for food. It's mostly my hips that just feel 80 years old. That, and the bottoms of my feet are pretty wiped out. After I finished my run I still had another 2.5 miles or so to walk in order to get home. Coulda taken the subway, but it was a GORGEOUS day and I also felt rather disgusting to be in such close proximity to other (clean) people. The cute boy at the terrace cafe I go to for orange juice after these long runs (ok fine, Ive only been there once before) wasn't there today (sad face). Though Im sure my ultra-sweatiness/smelliness would not have gotten me far anyways. But the orange juice was still delicious and refreshing! I stretched for a while on the grass overlooking the water. So nice.

I felt pretty good for the most part... tried to go a little faster in the beginning, but by the middle I was tired enough that I just focused on keeping a steady pace. Last 3 miles (as always) were when it got tough, but the last half mile actually went fairly quickly surprisingly.

ALSO, I went back today to see how I've been doing overall on keeping to the schedule, and was SO sadly surprised to see that I've actually skipped a LOT. I think I've gotten most of the long runs in there, but seems like most weeks I've switched things around and skipped at least one run. My bike trip was a big cause of that, which isn't too too horrible since I was getting a lot of exercise in through that anyway, but DANG. I need to stick with it a little better from now on. Here's the two schedules side by side of what was planned and what was actually done. Eek!

So as usual, I'm pretty behind on my logging, so here's a reverse order summary:

Sunday, September 20

Time: 3:23'38"

Pace: 9:41 min/mi

Distance: 21.01 mi

September 19

Time: 1:01'14"

Pace: 8:42 min/mi

Distance: 7.03 mi

September 15

Time: 44'31"

Pace: 8:52 min/mi

Distance: 5.01 mi

September 13

Time: 56'15"

Pace: 9:14 min/mi

Distance: 6.09 mi

September 12

Time: 37'03"

Pace: 9:07 min/mi

Distance: 4.05 mi

Okay thats all for today!! Gonna try and get some speed work in soon. Really wanna work up to those 10 800 repeats. Eek!!

Speedy Gonzales

So today was my first attempt at speedwork. WOO!! Thanks to the finding (via google earth?) of an AWESOME track and sports complex up in W. Harlem called Riverbank State Park. It had a super nice rubberized track that ran around a pristine turf soccer field (tempting). There were also basketball courts, tennis courts, a roller rink, gardens, and a swimming pool. All with a great view over the Hudson. What a great find!

By speedwork I actually mean Yasso 800's to be exact.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-255-624-0,00.html. Today I started with 4, w/ one lap job in between each. The goal is to add one more 800 every week 'till I can do 10. Since my goal time for the marathon is 3hr55, I want to run each interval at about 3min55. Today I did pretty well, although it definitely wasn't easy. It will be tough for sure, doing 10 of these in a row! With a mile warm up and cool down, I got my scheduled 5 miles in for the day.

Interval 1: 3'41" @ 7:46 min/mi

Interval 2: 3'54" @ 8:18 min/mi

Interval 3: 3'51" @ 8:16 min/mi

Interval 4: 3'52" @ 8:16 min/mi

I also calibrated my ipod, so it should be more accurate now - hopefully.

OH and I got new shoes! I got the same one's I've been wearing (only in blue), the Nike Moto. I've really enjoyed the ones I've been using, so I figured I'd play it safe. They have great padding in the forefoot. Could use a little more arch support though. I got them because with all the mileage I'm putting in, my current shoes will be worn out before the marathon, but by then it will be too late to break in a new pair. So over the next few weeks I'll be alternating between my old and new pair so that the new ones are appropriately broken in before November. On a side note though, what is WITH so many of the new shoes out there being so hideously ugly?? There was this rad pair of Pumas I would have loved... except they were baby pink!! What, pink is for girls and blue is for boys? What is this? Also, a ton of shoes are going waaaaay overboard on the space-agey metalic accents. Seriously. I feel stupid passing up a great pair of shoes because they don't look cool, but hey I got stanards!

Anyway.... till next time.

Big Apple Running

OK, well as you can see this blog has taken a turn for the worst, falling victim to the typical Dakota attention span of one week. But LUCKILY my actual training has NOT followed this trend! I've been plugging away at my training schedule (occasionally switching days around, but maintaining weekly mileage) and am now happy to say I'm in week EIGHT of my training! Around August 20th I took a few days and swapped running for biking in order to do a trip I've been wanting to do from Homer to Anchorage. Over 3 days I biked 86, 98, and 37 miles for a total of about 220 miles! There were such beautiful, gut-wrenching (in a good way!) panoramas throughout the trip and I'm so excited to have done it! The transition back to running was a little difficult, and sore quads definitely made me feel lethargic for a few days, but I'm feeling pretty good again by now!

Today I did the longest run yet in my schedule, 20 miles! I went pretty dang slow, but can't believe I completed nearly 3/4 of a marathon today! I even felt pretty good for the most part (thanks to not starting too fast) and had somewhat of a kick at the end. I went from my apartment on the upper east side across to the West Side Highway and all the way down to Battery Park (near where I lived last summer) and back. It's a really popular place to run and bike, and I kept wondering if any of the other runners I saw were training for November 1st as well. I'm pretty sure one guy was wearing one of the official training shirts, and a couple others seemed like marathoners just from their pace. The piers were nice to run out on, especially as there was often a nice breeze coming off the water. A really beautiful day for a run. 75 degree high!

For my long runs (over 10 miles) I've been using a backpack with a water hose in it (similar to a camelback) that carries about 2 liters of water which I pump up with grape gatorade powder. I also have been bringing along some sort of gel feed. I'll eat half a packet at a time starting at 6 miles, and then again at every 3 mile interval. I thought I loved the Powerbar gels, but today I tried GU and I LOVED it! Especially the vanilla one I had first. Yummy! And it seemed to stay pretty cool so it was like a refreshing pudding snack break : ) (sorry if that sounds gross!). I look forward to trying more flavors!

I still haven't done any speed work. I want to find a track somewhere this week so I can start doing some Yasso 800's (http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-255-624-0,00.html). I'll need it if I want to beat 4 hours. If I were to run at today's pace I would still be about 17 minutes short of my goal. Not bad, but I'm gonna have to kick it up a notch!

Sunday September 6, 2009

Time: 3:16'31"

Pace: 9:37 min/mi

Distance: 20 mi

OK, well here are the rest of my runs (I think a few are missing due to ipod issues) since the last time I logged, in reverse order -

September 5 2009

PART 1

Time: 11'37"

Pace: 8:50 min/mi

Distance: 1.30 miles

PART 2

Time: 29'27"

Pace: 8:47 min/mi

Distance: 3.34 miles

PART 3

Time: 12'17"

Pace: 8:41 min/mi

Distance: 1.41 miles

*OK sorry this one is so confusing. 4 miles was on the schedule. Part 1 = running from my apartment to 59th and 5th to meet my sister, Part 2 = my run with her, and Part 3 = my run home from Central Park. I got about 6 miles in total.

September 4 2009

Time: 51'53"

Pace: 8:24 min/mi

Distance: 6.17 miles

September 2 2009

Time: 1:11'45"

Pace: 8:35 min/mi

Distance: 8.35 miles

September 1 2009

Time: 52'00"

Pace: 8:25 min/mi

Distance: 6.17 miles

August 31 2009

Time: 35'00"

Pace: 8:28 min/mi

Distance: 4.13 miles

August 29 2009

Time: 2:10'17"

Pace: 9:17 min/mi

Distance: 14.02 miles

August 28 2009

Time: 1:03'44"

Pace: 8:46 min/mi

Distance: 7.26 miles

August 27 2009

Time: 45'06"

Pace: 8:32 min/mi

Distance: 5.28 miles

*added on an extra quarter mile for accuracy.

August 15 2009

Time: 1:58'22"

Pace: 9:03 min/mi

Distance: 13.1 miles

*Woo! This was my second half marathon. Went pretty well! Although I did learn the valuable lesson not to eat a truck load of pasta the night before lest you desire digestive issues during th last two miles of your race! Sadly I did not beat my PR of 1:52'41", but I've signed up for some more halves before my marathon training is over, so there will be more opportunities. I was happy to be under two hours though - a good indicator for my sub 4 hour goal for the marathon. Oh, and I also discovered that my ipod distance tracker is slightly off. It was about a quarter mile short for the half, so I've been adding some extra time onto my runs since then to make up for the discrepancy. Next time I find a track I can calibrate the device to be more specific to my own stride.

August 13 2009

Time: 49'42"

Pace: 8:16 min/mi

Distance: 6.01 miles

August 12 2009

Time: 1:12'16"

Pace: 9:01 min/mi

Distance: 8.01 miles

August 11 2009

Time: 56'33"

Pace: 9:25 min/mi

Distance: 6 miles

August 9 2009

Time: 1:24'11"

Pace: 9:21 min/mi

Distance: 9 mi

*This was supposed to be a 16 mile run, but my ipod died mid-way. I went with my friend Rachel, and we went 13 before I had to stop and walk. Maybe we started out too fast or something. Anyway, we walked for about two miles, and then ran the last mile. So 16 miles completed. Not all running, but hey, no shame.