Thursday - Speedwork

Ok...no, I don't do speedwork before a 37 miler as I had taken both today and tomorrow off in preparation for the Ultra marathon that I will be enduring.

It's very scary! I have to admit that it really feels as though I am doing my very first marathon. The nervousness before...whenever someone talks about it and well...it's the fear of the unknown...

I am guessing also that I want to do well...I have a little high expectations of myself and for the first time I guess, I don't feel comfortable in this situation, where in running I always have felt prepared and can enduring many things that I set forth to...

So...who's speedwork? Seals contacted me at work as I had no intentions of having speedwork coaching sessions. So...why not right?

I was unprepared for her, although she wanted the technical side of how she fan and I gave her the more indepth criticism as possible...she ran hard and did well...

It's hard to tell people items straight up of what you feel may help them or not...different people have different things that may effect them in running. No one is perfect. There is also no right or wrong way of doing things....

I mean, just look at Paula Radcliff....amazing runner, amazing gait (leg) but horrible posture while running...and she probably knows it...but it works for her and she is a machine, a champion, & a runner that I could never be!
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Take your breathe away...

To be a consistent winner means preparing not just one day, one month, or even one year—but for a lifetime.

Bill Rodgers

Get out of work today and BOOM! On faced wind that blows right into your face and knocks your stomach in...it's as if you got the wind knocked out of you...when was the last time you ever got that happening to you?

Plus it was cold!

Anyways, got to get home as quickly as possible, but some ridiculous bike riders were being obnoxious...I mean really now!

Hence the bad reputations that these bikers get when these guys ruin it for everyone...

Anyways, I was zipping last night...swerving in and out, people watching along the way and trying to beat cars that were starting up from their green lights...

I know! It's dangerous, but I got my ID tag on or what I call my death tag, also reflecties on my gloves and my blinker in the back of my bag...

Ahh! Just speed work...
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No running...lucky 13

The more I thought about what I get to do, the less I realized I had to do. It was just a shift, just a new perspective, just a new and more grateful method for labeling the things in my life. Think about it—if you stopped yourself every single time you were about to say, "I have to" and changed it to "I get to," it might change your entire experience.

Kristin Armstrong, Mile Markers blog, runnersworld.com

Sometimes you just have to restrict yourself in the allowances of running. As I stayed in last night just reading the book, "anything for a T-shirt"...yes, I have been reading this book for about a year already and I barely get time to just settle.

Last night felt really good in a way where I did my own thing...it was nice to just stay in and enjoy my time. I had already ran home and it was quite a speed workout...but it was just really nice to just have my own time.

So this morning, it was cold and windy and I just didn't want to take another cold shower at work...and I was lazy of course, I just bit the bullet and changed for work at home. There is something about Friday's that just make people a little lazy and that's a good thing because you need that before the weekend.

I also have my glasses on today, making me resist the fact that I NEED to run...

Anyways, in the book it talks about how Fred Lebow was very fortunate to have the ability to run.

We do take our ability and our persona of running for granted sometimes. For many of us it is an outlet. This outlet allows us to cope...allows us to gain friendships, honor ourselves and bring about more of a healthier lifestyle.

I have taken running for granted this year and my abilities to run fast or slow...although I have justified this by helping others and making a job out of it...

But it is painstakingly taking it's toll and I know the factors involved with my body and the limitations that it may bring. I know that I am no superman, no machine that can run without limits...

There are always limits and that's where people get injured. Runners do not know how to say NO or STOP. We need rest. We need our bodies to repair ourselves....

It's the way of life...so hopefully I will get back to 2 days rest...we shall see!
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Blown Away...

There are few instincts more natural than the body in full motion as it races across a field or through the trees.

Neal Bascomb, The Perfect Mile

This morning as I was getting all of my things together and just about to leave my apartment...

I can see one of the street sign getting blown back and forth by the wind...All I can think about is running in the COLD, windy cross town winds...frigidness!

Was I dressed up enough?

As soon as I got out, a big gust of wind blows into my face...brr...cold!

Great this is going to be quite the commute to work today...

Talking about commutes, I thought it was quite interesting just looking at the commuting patterns. Like usual people, usual New Yorkers would take the subway...or walk, or take the bus...

Those are all with people...strange? I'm by myself most of the time, although I usually share the road with buses, cars and bikers...in suits sometimes like today...

but yes, it's quite strange looking at people's walking patterns as well...seeing how they stop and go from the stop lights...clusters forming and stopping and going...

This is what I think about when I run...strange?

I get to work again...and yup! 3rd day in a row...NO HOT WATER! COLD SHOWER! AHHHH!!!

We get an e-mail from the HR department:

"We are aware it is a bit cool in the offices today. There was a gas leak with the building. Con Ed switched off the gas. The gas is what fires up our burners for the heat. As such: No heat or hot water. They are working on it fixing it
The building thanks us for our patience. Especially those of us sitting near a window…."

Well at least you didn't have to take a COLD SHOWER!

Looking forward to it tomorrow...WONDERFUL!

To the vets...

Believe that you can run farther or faster. Believe that you're young enough, old enough, strong enough, and so on to accomplish everything you want to do. Don't let worn out beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself.

John Bingham, "Tools and Rules," Runner's World

A bit breezy this morning for today's run as I had forgotten my bandanna and would regret it later on when sweat came down on my face...it was early on, where the wind was cool and I had thought I would be safe...

As I worked my way downtown I noticed a huge amount of barricades from the streets starting at 42nd street and 5th avenue?

What is going on?

Well, another damn parade in the city? Gosh, what's this one...

As I passed some floats, I was wondering what was going on today...especially today being a weekday and parades usually occur on weekends or at least Friday's...

Then I started seeing police officers and small planes and USO floats...

What was today? A holiday?

I was going to go ask a police officer on what the parade was...

Then I remembered...

Today is veteran's day!

Well, I salute you Vet's for your contribution and service...

Then I got into the office...and yet again, the boiler was broken and not fixed yet and had to take a COLD shower...it's like an vertical ice bath....

BRR!
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Junior Committee

In the 30 years I've been a runner I've run more than 150,000 miles. Still, some of the hardest steps I take are those first few getting out the door for daily runs.

Bill Rodgers' Lifetime Running Plan

So after my calibration, I ran up to the Alzheimer's chapter because there was a Junior Committee meeting today. Since there were so many Jr committee members on the team + the Junior Committee had entrusted and front this marathon program, I have to at least make the effort to go to the meetings, plus do other events as well!

Come now, it's fun and getting to know more and more people that relate to this disease has allowed me to grow as a person.

Also, I don't see as many e-mails coming around anymore, so I needed to tell JL that I wanted those e-mails back. As I go through withdraw from the long 4-5 months.

Seriously, during the marathon season, we must have received at least close to 100 e-mails a day, where reading them and the responses that JL would respond to people was amazing his reaction time!

Anyways, I arrive at the chapter and walk in. EE was there as she was surprised to see me, since this was the first time in many months that I have been to the JR committee meetings...as EE was on the marathon team. Anyways, it was glorious as they (EE, SC, MM) all just jibber jabbered over the marathon and the experience...even during the meeting as topic came up, they were practically selling the training program to other people on the committee...it was hilarious!

But the JR committee is one of the more interesting committees, where 35% of the money raised by the committee (from Gala events, happy hours and now the marathon) goes directly to research (or am I getting this mixed up?)...the rest goes directly to the programs that WE choose within the Alzheimer's Association for as long or as short of a time span that we would like (...or is it the other way around?)

I have never seen the process being done, although come next month, these programs will present their initiatives to us and we will be able to vote. Now, since the marathon program had brought in a large chunk of the money...the JR committee may be asking certain representatives from the marathon program to be an honorary voter...which is a great gesture! Absolutely amazing!

Gosh...I wish so much that people (and families) never had this disease, although with the great bonds and friendships that I have gained from this disease...it's all memorable and it's the only thing that can be worthwhile to do in these circumstances...

All for the best...as I walked home with RB, another member from the Alzheimer's Run to Remember team.
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Calibration

Racing entails risk. The most common mistake in addition to overtraining is racing too much too soon.

Tom Fleming

Leaving my work a bit early...though my mentality now a days is to keep my running coaching schedule and get into the office an hour earlier and leave an hour earlier as well so I get that extra hour to be by myself...although I think a whole lot of people in the office are catching on as the daylight is immersing us in depressional winter state.

Anyways, went from work straight to the 6th street track, where I needed to calibrate my watch to my footpod. I had reconfigured it right before I headed up to mohawk with Glen, since I had thought that it was wrong...but I made it even worse where the mileage that I had seemed to figure out more...hence me running 30 miles during the NYC marathon...maybe it was because I was taking small steps?

Anyways, I got to the track and started my calibration by running 1 mile.

1 mile on a flat track was a wonderful feeling, although it sent me back to the track days...

After the calibration, I had to see if my mileage and calibration was correct...so, I had to run another mile and see what the final distance would be...

In the end, great! So off!

.87 miles for a mile of calibration...that's HUGE!

Anyways, I couldn't calibrate all day long now, we'll see what we come about doing another day...

Arg! Useless!
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