Baby, We WERE Born to Run

Check out this NYT video of the marathon course in three and a quarter minutes.

I was going to wait until some photos were up online of the race before I did my blog post, but then realized I have so much to say that I'll have to do a couple. This one will serve as a recap of my race. It's LONG, so prepare yourself.

After a surprisingly decent night's sleep the TNT bus ride to Staten Island was fast and painless. When we got there, it was FREEZING. To make matters worse, I completely soaked my sneakers and socks. Not the ones that I was wearing, but the ones I was supposed to RUN IN. And since I'm a crazy person I took this as a bad omen. So I sat in a pile of hay at the marathon village with a stack of napkins and the corner of a running buddy's snuggie to try and dry them off. Oops.

The marathon is broken out by Wave, Color, and Corral. Mike was Wave 1, Green, and I can't remember the corral but the point is he started at 9:40, I started at 10:40. He left to check his bag and said he'd be right back. As time ticked by I started to wonder where he was. Then I realized he probably had to go to the start and got really sad/panicked I didn't get to say good bye or good luck. Then I thought "hey, maybe I should check my phone!" lo and behold a text from him saying he was in his corral and couldn't get out and needed to de-chafe with Body Glide. I booked it over there to find him at the back of his corral behind a chain link fence. We said goodbye through the fence. It was like he was a POW or something. After exchanging the body glide and a kiss through the chain, he was off. An hour later, so was I. As I waited to start, a plane circled overhead carrying the message "Breathe deeply and appreciate the moment."

I gotta tell you there is something really exciting about the gun going off to start each wave of the race, and seeing all the people rushing across the bridge. It was SO. EXCITING. Check out this video:


Anyway as I said it was freezing. The way to deal with this is to pile on the layers, which you throw away as you warm up. I didn't take my layers off until three miles in. The Verrazano was unbelievably cold with wind whipping from all directions. But all of this did not bother me. What bothered me was the pain in my knee. The pain which started last Tuesday. The pain which I thought was just one of the typical pains you get while reducing your mileage. It was there. And I freaked out.

All I could do was hope that it would go away as I warmed up. But by mile 7 I was three ibuprofens deep and limping. I didn't walk, but I ran-limped pretty slow. I wasn't sure I'd be able to finish. I could feel my running tights constricting my right knee because it was swelling so much. To take my mind off it I just focused on the various checkpoints where people cheering would be. First up was Ariel and Jackie, who I totally missed sadly! Then, my friend Ed from work, who I also missed. Then, Tim, Flynn, Racine, and Court, who I totally missed. Then co-worker Cathy. Guess what? Missed her too. Apparently Flynn, etc were screaming my name but in my oblivion I totally didn't hear them. Thank you guys all for coming out, it means so much!

Luckily I saw Regina and Brittany and it lifted my spirits. That, and a cover band playing Badlands by Springsteen. We weren't supposed to do much cheering or high fiving to save energy, but come on, Badlands? I definitely threw my arms up and sang along.

Anyway Brooklyn was pretty flat, and my favorite part of the race. The music was great, the crowds were phenomenal, and even though I was in a lot of pain, it was fun. In a way, the pain helped me relax, because I threw my time goal of 4:35 out the window and just enjoyed the ride. Then at about mile 8 or 10 maybe my knee pain just melted away. Gone. I have no idea how, but it just went away. My sister says it was probably my body kicking into overdrive, survival mode. I think Jesus must have taken the wheel.

Queens was uneventful. The biggest challenge of the race was upon me though: the Queensboro bridge. B-R-U-T-A-L. I thought the incline of the bridge was never going to end. I kept staring at the bars on the bridge and the pavement across from me to see when it would graciously start curving DOWNWARD. It felt like it would never end. And when the uphill did end, the downhill was just as bad. Everyone thinks downhills are great, which they are on a 4 or 5 mile run. When you are running long distances the impact of heavier footfalls from the downhill is very difficult. Thankfully, the absolute ROAR of the crowd going into Manhattan made it allllll worth it.

Going up 1st ave wasn't bad. I saw so many people: Joanna, Kathryn from my old job, I almost took someone out to see my friend Nicole who was handing out sponges at mile 17. Then I saw my peeps. My parents, my sister, my aunts, my friends. It's amazing what that kind of support can do. It literally charged me forward. And the SIGNS THEY HAD!!! How completely bad ass. Check them out further down.

And then I saw my coach, Felicia, who I have emailed practically daily since I started training and have come to depend on. She ran with me for awhile, which was awesome. Then came the Willis Ave bridge into the Bronx, where Coach Steve reminded me to focus on my upper body and ignore the explosive discomfort in my hips. The Bronx is where the so-called "Wall" is, but it didn't feel like it. You're in the Bronx for a split second, but during that time a DJ was playing "Empire State of Mind" and I rounded the corner just as the chorus kicked on (New Yoooooork/concrete jungle where dreams are made of). And yes, I started to cry. But only for a second because I couldn't spare the energy or hydration.

Going back into Manhattan was the hardest part. Fifth ave in the 100s and around my work, Mount Sinai, is a brutal, gradual incline. The head coach, Christine, helped me focus on check points "just gotta get to 102nd street" then "just gotta get to 90th street." Thankfully my angel of a friend Kristine was there cheering and jumped into the race and ran with me until Central Park South. My family and friends had made it over to 5th by then too. By the way, Central Park South has an incline that no one mentions. It's tiny, but feels enormous at the finish of a marathon. I walked over there again this week and didn't notice it, but boy was it there on Sunday. It's so weird to me but looking back this stretch of the race seems kind of like a dream, a blur. I thought I would feel emotional going into Central Park because that's where I did all my training. But instead it was just survival mode. Just. Get. Done.

And I did. As I mentioned before we did some hill practice training on the finish line of the marathon. Which, did I mention, finishes on A HILL???? The funny thing was I didn't even notice this hill. The second I turned back into the park to finish I used what energy I had left to gun it to the finish, threw my hands up for the camera, and then cried when I got my medal. Then, I tried not to pass out in the overwhelming crowd of finishers trying to get out of Central Park.

What a race though. I am completely overwhelmed by the support of my friends and family who came out to cheer me on. And overwhelmed by the generosity of the crowd in screaming my name and rooting me along. And scared by seeing people literally drop around me as I ran, by seeing a woman lurched forward over a puddle of blood. And in the hour it took to get out of Central Park, by seeing a woman on the ground next to me getting her chest pumped by EMTs. The best word I can use to describe this day was INTENSE. But awesome.

By the way, I spelled my name "Chris-Tee" on my shirt so people would say it right instead of Christine. Instead what I got was a lot of "Go Chris-TEEEEEE!!!" which cracked me up every time.

This was such a moving experience. I wouldn't say it was AMAZING or changed my life forever....but I am so proud and so emotional about the whole thing. and I can't believe I did it. I really can't. I don't care about my time (4:55) except when people ask, I feel the need to qualify it by telling them about my knee. But really I don't care. I got that medal. And I wore that medal all over the city on Sunday night, with congrats from everyone I saw in the subway and on the street. New Yorkers have a bad reputation but the outpouring on Sunday was amazing. And Yes, I wore my medal when I was home recuperating on Monday too :o)

I think my absolute favorite part of the day was walking into Rattle and Hum, where Mike and I had a post-gathering, and having the entire bar, not just our friends, start cheering and applauding. That was the highest point of the day, without question. Incredible feeling.

We salute YOU, Alisa Bayes :o)
Notice the beer theme in these signs: the Dogfish Head logo, run toward some "Sweet Action" in reference to Six Point...they hung up the signs on the wall below the bottle list at Rattle and Hum :o)
And in honor of this here blog, Aimee made the awesome sign at the end: "Run Tramp Run" YESSSSS!!!


The rest of the night consisted of me being afraid to sit down, drinking ginger ale, then shifting to beer, and hopping in a limo. That's a story for another day :o)
Stay tuned for my final post...

Tapering....and Panicking.

I have become a serious slacker on the blog updating, I apologize :o)
So Sunday morning I woke up early, around 8 am. Then, I fell back to sleep and woke up at 10:39. One minute before my marathon start time, one week before. By the way, did you know that the marathon is this Sunday? THIS. SUNDAY.
I can't believe it's here after all this time. I will definitely post a maniacal, anxiety-ridden post, probably at 3 am the night of the marathon, so don't worry, you'll have an update on my mental condition.
Right now we're doing what's called tapering. Which is what it sounds like; you taper your mileage down after peaking at 20. Tapering does weird things to your body and mind. You are so used to running long, doing strength training, etc, that your body doesn't know what to do with itself. You start getting phantom pains in weird parts of your body and things that bothered you a long time ago start to bother you again. Most of you know that I have a bad knee with an ACL graft that is starting to give. It was pretty bad back in JUNE, but it's been fine. Of course, now that I'm tapering, it's been hurting like hell. Supposedly the weird tweaking your body does is good, it's "repairing." Tapering is critical to perform your best on race day. By the way, race day is this Sunday. Did I mention that? THIS. SUNDAY.
Tapering also messes with you mentally. You feel tired, kinda cranky, and this is in addition to the twinge you get in your stomach knowing that race day is approaching. (this sunday)
During practice on Saturday Coach Christine said "how many people feel fat? Don't worry, it's perfectly normal to feel kinda gross and gain a little weight" I do. Another pleasant side effect of tapering is that you tend to gain weight. Not to mention that you feel lazy since you aren't running much. And you're supposed to carb up. Mike and I have made this into a joke:
"It's perfectly normal to find yourself with frosting on your face at 9 am"
"It's perfectly normal to have a milkshake next to your bed"
"It's perfectly normal to find yourself combing pasta out of your hair in the shower"
We've spent the last two weeks obsessing about our race plan, watching marathon documentaries, reading Runner's World (which I recommend AGAINST the week before your race), and icing and stretching like crazy.
In addition to my hips feeling painful during my long runs, I'm worried about a recurring blister on the bottom of my foot. I was reading in Runner's World (again, don't do) about an elite runner who had to drop out at mile 16 because of a blister. I'm just hoping I can keep time goals out of my head and enjoy finishing the race. Runner's World also made reference to the "chubby and/or middle aged people" finishing their marathons at 4:15. I almost lost my mind. I would KILL to finish in 4:15. Don't call me chubby, Runner's World. Even if I am wearing my pasta.
Still, despite the fear...I am having periods of excitement amongst the freak outs. With days to go.
Did I mention that the New York City Marathon is this Sunday? I'm in.

20 Miles. Boom.

So it actually happened...I ran 20 miles on Saturday. That is crazy to me. For the most part in this program I've been too "in it" to realize the accomplishments, but man that is crazy. Saturday was cold, but what a perfect running day. I was really worried about how this run was going to go after the debacle that was my 18-mile run, but it went really well and I felt really happy.

Each week we lose more and more participants. Starting with the Hamptons half and full marathons the first week in October, then Chicago, and this week San Francisco. The only groups left are NYC and Dublin. So practice was small and the pacing group situation was kind of a mess. Plus, it was SUPER windy, so running along the water as I had planned wasn't a desirable option. So I ended up staying in the park for all 20 miles. I found a small pace group, but everyone was at different levels and running different distances. I ran the first 6 with one guy who had done Hamptons so was only doing six. I ran the remaining 14 alone. Which ordinarily would be excruciating, but for some reason I had a fantastic run. It was...peaceful and relaxing. Imagine saying that about 20 miles, especially with Harlem and Cat Hill thrown in the mix. It gave me some time to think about how far I've come, how excited I am, and how worried, and regret some things I should have spent more time on, i.e., strengthening my hips. But it was really an idyllic day. And I'd do it again!

I trudged back to our meeting spot, although I didn't even need to because I didn't have a bag at bagwatch, I could have just gone home. But I thought there would be a group to stretch with. Nope. I was one of the LAST to return. I was pretty mortified until a girl came back just completely jazzed about her run, not worried about the fact that poor Coach Pete was waiting in the freezing cold with the bags. Seeing her reaction helped me take a step back and appreciate the accomplishment of the run, even if it did take me an eternity. However, if you're planning to come watch the marathon, know there will probably be an hour between Mike and I's finish :o)

The best part of Central Park was that there was some kind of amazing dog event going on with every large breed you can imagine. Since I'm a dog stalker I had the opportunity to run around like a kid in a candy store giving pats to several dogs, including an English Mastiff named Thor, and my favorite, a Bernese Mountain Dog. The Berner's owner was on the phone so I took the opportunity to pat his dog, but when I did he looked like he was about to pull a restraining order out of his back pocket. Don't bring your dog to an event like this if you don't want to share!

Anyway, I feel much less sore than I did after the Staten Island Half, but during my "recovery" run yesterday I managed to pull my groin, even though I was having an easy jog on the treadmill. Ugh. I guess 20 miles does crazy things to your body:o) So now we start tapering, which apparently also does crazy things to your body, and your brain. Stay tuned.

A Staten Island Ferry Tale

Yes, I stole that title from Sex and the City.
What better way to mourn the end of a vacation filled with wine, beer, amazing weather and views, than to go to Staten Island at 7 am on a Sunday.

I started to wonder on the flight back from Sonoma if Mike and I were a little crazy to do a half marathon the day after our return to NYC with jet lag and recovering livers. But it turns out a week of rest did us both some good!

The Staten Island half course was great. Amazing views of the Manhattan skyline, not too many hills, although the ones that were there were strategically at hard points of the run, and just one out and back. I even saw Mike as he sprinted toward the finish :o)

There were a lot of locals out cheering us on which was fantastic. At mile 3 there were a group Staten Island "gentlemen" trying to cross the street. The conversation was as follows:
"I'm scared to cross the street!"
"At least if you do you will get stepped on by a lot of hot women"
Various high fives and chest bumps ensued.

At mile 9 there was a woman with a smokers voice yelling "drop your cigarette and keep running!" (cue maniacal hacking laughter). These folks do not help the SI stereotype.

But I digress. As I said I was worried about this race coming off a vacation, and most importantly it was my first one since my injury. I felt great the whole time until about mile 9. I started cranking up my pace way too fast I think. And when I saw the mile 12 marker I was expecting it to say mile 13. So the last few miles were brutal, but I pushed through and knocked 12 MINUTES off my Bronx half time, and this was post-injury! So I'm pretty happy. Mike did amazing as usual, he is so fast it's insane. He also got his best time yet, which I won't tell you, firstly because he'd get mad and second because you won't believe me.

I still don't know how I'm going to get another 13 under my belt. I've run longer in this training program, but RACING is a different story. We'll see how it goes. I'm going to focus a lot on strength training over the next few weeks and physical therapy will be critical. Oh, and I quit drinking :o)Crazy right? Starting a pool as to which day I will cave.

I have decided though that even after TNT is over I will still wear my shirt to as many races as possible. The support is just amazing. This race especially, there seemed to be so many TNT people cheering us on throughout the race as spectators, not to mention the other participants racing. It's just such an amazing feeling to have that support, and it boosted my energy several times when I needed it most. "Go Team" has taken on new meaning for me. I can't say enough about this program, and I can't wait to cheer others on in future events.

My Super Sweet 18 (Guest Blog!)

My lovely wife has asked me to guest blog and it is my pleasure to be doing so this week. She normally writes this blog - remember her...


I, too, am training with Team in Training for New York City marathon and have been enjoying the process so far. It seems crazy that we started over three and a half months ago and are now just under seven weeks to the big day. It's exciting and scary all at the same time!

When we started training, our "slow, conversational pace" runs were around 3 miles. I remember thinking for years that a 3 mile run was a long run and I always felt like I accomplished something when i was done. My nutrition, hydration, form and overall skill level were not anywhere near where they should be and that was a big reason for me joining TNT. The 3-milers we started with turned into 4-5 miles, then we were at 10 before knew it! I now have two 18-mile runs under my belt. I never thought i would say (or type) that! My first was a training run a couple weeks back and my other was a race yesterday in Central Park.

The race I am referring to if the "ING NYC Marathon 18-Mile Tune-up". The term "tune-up" makes it sound less intimidating but the whole "18 mile" part compensates for that. The race is essentially a long training run for people doing a fall marathon. Typically our distance days are long, slow runs. This week, it was an actual race! We do a lot of training in central park and I still love the park. Everyone I talk to with TNT gets sick of the park but I still have nothing but love for it! Maybe it is my love for John Lennon as I walk through Strawberry Fields each day. Maybe it is the awesome history or the feeling of escaping the city, all while you are still in the center of NYC. Either way, on a nice day, I am always up for a run through the land of Holden Caulfield...

Back to the race, it is 3-full laps of the park. A lap of the park is, for your reference, 6 miles. It is repetitive but allowed for me to break the race into 3 parts. My goal was to run each lap of 6 miles faster than the previous lap. I executed my plan and finished about 3 minutes faster than my goal time. The weather was awesome and the course was very familiar, which was great. The final lap was tough to keep the energy level up (especially toward the end) but I just kept pushing on. I could not help but think of the 80's song "The Final Countdown", which made me think of this:

Arrested Development, gone too soon!

Christie came to cheer me on and seeing her on the final lap, right after mile 13, gave me a great energy boost! Just after mile 14, I was running next to a guy who had his ipod on but was mumbling every few words. I heard, "...speedway...into town...county line...daddy's garage." Once I heard, "daddy's garage", I knew what was happening - our hero Bruce Springsteen's "The Promised Land". How fitting, seeing the blog is named in honor of Bruce!

Overall it was a great race and awesome experience to have when heading toward the finish line on November 7th! Maybe, just maybe, between now and then I will guest blog again...

Please Don't Taunt The Drill Sergeant

Yes I'm back. Boo yeah.

My first long run back with TNT was amazing. Complete with new stability sneakers, toe separators, and a new attitude, I headed for the Metro North. We took the train up to Hartsdale, which is in Westchester, and ran along a really pretty, windy path, some of it dirt, some paved, with lots of short but ridiculously steep hills. The course was out to the Kensico Dam and back, which was about 10.2 miles, and then there were various check points for the second out and back. I set out to do 10 and ended up doing 13! It was awesome.



I met some great new people, ran with several different people at different points in the run, and even got to run with my "go-to" coach Felicia for three miles and pumped her for information about training. It would have been a great feeling to be back if it was just Central Park but the course and chatting with some team peeps made it even better.

One of the girls I was running with was rooting us on the whole time and cheering and cracking jokes to keep us going. Then we came across a group of military trainees where were standing at attention right in the middle of the bike path with a drill sergeant yelling in their faces. Of course we were on the bike path so we jogged on by with our purple shirts and pony tails. This girl decides to go "good job! woohoo!" at the drill sergeant. After which for some reason we all felt the need to take off running like he was going to come after us wielding his Semper Fi flag.

So the run was amazing and I felt great, although really sore, and I came home with a combination blood blister, callus, and regular blister on the ball of my right foot. Ew.

I was thinking the other day about how in a previous post I referred to my injury as my "unfortunate demise." On Saturday at practice the "Mission Moment" was given by a girl whose best friend in college got bone cancer in her kidney. She went through 40 rounds of chemo, but then got leukemia from the chemo. If you've never heard of that, it's sadly a common thing. She had a bone marrow transplant and recovered. Two years later she relapsed, had another bone marrow transplant. Then again later, relapsed. At that point, she was told she only had three months left. Her friends and family holed up in her apartment, watching movies, playing board games, getting take out...and then on her last day they put her favorite iPod playlist on and gathered around her as she passed away. As the girl finished her story she held up a homemade medal that her friend had made for her out of construction paper and yarn to congratulate her on her first 4 mile run. Hearing this story again made me kick myself for being so "woe is me" about my injury. The mission moments really help keep things in perspective for you. Everyone was crying, including Coach Christine who as she wiped her eyes said "don't forget to hydrate!"

Mad About Gu

Since I'm not running currently (hopefully not for long) I thought I'd dedicate a post to a substance distance runners have come to hold dear, or at least hold begrudgingly in their pouches: Gu.



There's lots I could have done...All I Want Is Gu, Keep On Loving Gu, With Or Without Gu. Trying to think of other You songs...I love a pun.

Anyway, for those who don't know, once you start running distances or for more than 50-60 minutes, your body needs an energy boost of about 100-120 calories. And that's where Gu comes in. Lovely, multi-flavored Gu. It's texture is like toothpaste, and you squeeze the container like toothpaste to get the Gu out while running(refrain from all "that's what she saids" please). Now, you know you are a runner and/or a major dork when you go to a running store and get excited about the different flavors of Gu they have. A few weeks ago I purchased Vanilla, Chocolate Mint, Tri-Berry, Blueberry Pomegranate, and my favorite so far, Strawberry Banana. Most people love the Chocolate but I think it's NASTY. It's like eating brownie batter while you run. I much prefer eating brownie batter on my couch watching How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days. Instead it's how to lose your lunch in 10 miles. That's just me. And the only way to get these things down is by chasing with water.

The best part of all of this is that it's all a gimmick. You don't need to buy these special Gu packs or Powerade Gels...YOU CAN BUY SWEDISH FISH!! Or Jelly Bellies or Starbursts or pretzels, although I don't know how you could choke a pretzel down while running. They do make Jelly Belly Sports Beans which I have at home but since my unfortunate demise have not tried. They taste like Jelly Bellies but have added salt in them for running. So peeps, if you are in the market, I say buy lots of swedish fish. I gotta say, knowing that I have those little red fish coming my way after running for an hour makes me pretty happy. Runners, what's your favorite recharge after a long or short run?

Injury Update

Well the diagnosis is in...I think...
I have plantar fasciitis in my left arch, as expected. Which apparently is a common spot for people with "dancer's feet" as my podiatrist put it. Looks like my 15 years as a mediocre dancer has paid off :o)

So, left foot pretty minor, not a huge deal. Right foot I have achilles tendinopathy, which basically from what I can tell just means an inflamed achilles tendon. So he gave me a night splint which I have to wear an hour on each foot, not necessarily during bedtime. Although I might try it and keep it on longer if I can. Hotness. No worries, this is not my hairy leg:



And get this, during the day, no flat shoes, only wear heels and wedges. When have you ever heard someone recommend that! Ha!

Also, I start physical therapy on Thursday. I was supposed to do the Sunset and Suds 5K from Urban Athletics, which includes free beer at the end of the race. No dice.

The doctor seemed to be dodging my question about how long I would have to stop running for. Just encouraged me to continue strength training (minus lunges and squats) and do the recumbent bike at the gym and get as many PT sessions in as possible. Pretty panicked about this. The coaches keep talking about how this is the meat of the training and critical not to miss. But what can I do now. Please help me stay positive people, I really need it right now. And honestly, I need to lose the woe-is-me attitude because I'm sure there are TNT people out there who are much more injured than me!

Injured:o(

My worst fear realized...I got hurt.
I started to feel pain in my feet the Friday before the half marathon. I checked in with my coach and she told me to ice and stretch. By Monday it was worse. I decided to still do the hill workout Tuesday and spin class on Wednesday. So stupid. Rest means rest.

So it appears that I have plantar fasciitis. If you've never heard of it, it's common in distance runners and is basically tissue damage on your feet. It comes from wearing old running shoes, too tight calf muscles, or wearing unsupportive shoes when you aren't running. Since I wear flip flops all day every day except when I'm running, I think this is the cause. I have it a little bit in my left arch. A mild case will bother you when you first wake up and for your first few steps of running, then go away. That is the case in my left arch. Severe cases will not warm up and cause you to limp. That is the case in my right foot. Which is also swollen at this point. Self-treatment involves icing your feet, stretching your calves, and rolling a golf ball on your heel to break up the tissue. At this point, I have to go to the doctor next week.

I'm so bummed! Today's long run looked amazing; Running over the Brooklyn Bridge, then through Brooklyn over to the Manhattan bridge, and back to Manhattan. Then up Summer Streets, over to the Hudson and back downtown. It would be so awesome and pretty. And frankly I'm having a giant pity party.

Please keep your fingers crossed for me for a speedy recovery. And if you're running, don't wear flip flops!

The Bronx is Burning...and so are me hips

One of these days I'll have the presence of mind to take a photo of Mike and I actually AT the race.


13.1....CHECK!!!!
You know you are up early when the cab driver tells you to have a good night when he drops you off. That is how we started our trip up to the BX. And so begins an epic tale of endurance, faith, hope, and celebration. Not really, but my legs hurt like hell.

I have officially crossed the finish line on a half marathon, and let me tell you, what an experience. It was a blur. The course map was a little ridiculous, see for yourself. New York Road Runners said this is "one of the country's most beautiful urban courses…From the start at the Jerome Park Reservoir to the out-and-back along the Grand Concourse, you'll be taken by the charms of the borough." Riiiight.

For the record, the Grand Concourse reminded me of Brighton in Boston. I kept waiting for Ana's Taqueria to appear. However, the Mosholu Parkway section was beautiful. The coaches talk about how "mentally tough" this multi-out-and-back course is because you see how many people are just immensely faster than you. What's worse though is seeing people practically dying after cresting a hill that you haven't hit yet.

I started out the race with a bunch of TNT people, self-titled The Purple Wave. We were all pacing each other and made the experience much less stressful. It was SO fun. As the race went on though, everyone began pushing themselves to the max so I was off on my own. The TNT coaches were stationed at various points of the race which made such a huge difference. THE COACHES ARE AMAZING. They really are. When I got to mile 10 I could feel the wheels start to fall off, but I kept pushing...and saw the head coach Christine at a critical time. Christine by the way is amazing and everyone wants to be her, as they should. She's an incredible head coach. So encouraging, so approachable, and just a really nice person. She also runs the About.com running page, so check it out. She's so great. Anyway, there she was at mile 12 when I needed her most. She said don't think about your legs (which were leaden at this point) just think about your arm swings and push it out. And that's what I did when this lovely camera man from NYRR saw me (around 3:40)


Nothing like a camera in your face when you are trying to push yourself to the finish line. But her advice was crucial and got me through. Even though I'm still hurting from it, the race was a rush. The weather couldn't have been better either; it was cool and overcast the whole time. And even though the race started at 7 am, the locals were out cheering us on, which was so nice. Mike did an AMAZING job as usual. He doesn't want me to say how well, but let's just say the coaches don't call him speedy for nothing!

In other news, here are the various fun things I saw on the streets of the Bronx: lots of used condoms, several dead/roadkill rats, and a dead chicken. They play on. (I wonder how many more obscure 90s musical references I can make?)

My hips were so enraged at me I decided to relieve them by taking my very first ice bath. For those who don't know, an ice bath is a great way to ice everything at once. So in the tub I sat, with two bags of ice and several ice packs. Mike kindly took video of it, which I did not upload, but if you've ever gone in the ocean with me when the water is really cold or gotten in a car with me when it's cold outside you know that I squeal and laugh maniacally, which is what happened this time, while yelling "no video, take a still picture, take a STILL PICTURE!"


After feeling so beat up after this run, I've been worried about how I'm going to get an additional 13.1 under my belt on November 7th. The coaches reassure us that we have plenty of time, strength building, and hill repeats to go. GO TEAM.

Out in the Street Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh

I'll take a break from obsessing about Thursday's Arcade Fire show to share a fabulous running song that applies to this week's long run:


Good stuff. This week marked the beginning of Summer Streets in NYC, in which Park Ave and several downtown streets are closed off to traffic. Vendors set up tents, water stations, and impromptu salsa dance floors. Apparently they made dumpster pools, although I didn't see them. Don't be fooled; these are not dumpsters in which you can dive into the waste of several local restaurants and bathroom trash cans. They actually fill brand new dumpsters with water to make them pools that you can actually swim in. Hi, I'm white trash! Literally! Har har.


Let me tell you, it was an incredible feeling to run down the middle of Park amidst the tall buildings. Reminded me of standing in Times Square with Kristine and Liz for the Revlon 5K (actually, the Revlon 5k was cooler not only b/c it was Times Square but because Ciara sang Heal the World). It's oddly empowering. To top it off, as my group was crossing the street to start the run a man running by us said "Thank you for training to save my wife's life!" How incredible is that? Just another reason I'm proud to be doing this program!

Here's a photo I took of what it looked like.


Anyway the weather was great and the route was so much fun, from 52nd and Park all the way downtown basically to the Brooklyn Bridge, then back up. I continued on into Central Park and up Cat Hill (shoot me) then back down and over to 52nd and Park. I ran with a buddy who is doing the Hampton's half, so she finished up at 7 miles. Then I met a nice woman from the Brooklyn team who was very clearly in the advanced group judging by her body and the fact that she's run 4 marathons already. Yet, she decided to run with me which was nice, until the Brooklyn head coach ran by us and asked her why she was running so slow. She said she was taking it easy today. Meanwhile, I'm trying to slow my breathing and spilling water on myself after Cat Hill. Don't mind the slow train wreck running by. Salt in the wound. But it was nice to have someone to run with.

Being advanced, she kept going when I turned around to head back, and this is when I realized the distances are really starting to wear on me. It's getting really tough on my body. My hips were really sore, which is usually okay but my right hip started to be so bad that I almost had to stop. My coach reminded me that Park Ave is seriously slanted which could have been what caused it. But now I'm starting to see what this program is doing to my body and I'm a little scared. I hope I can pull through the pain. I just need to listen to it, ice it, and stretch it, and hopefully all will be well. Twelve miles, check:o)

I'm also psyched to share that my friends Liz and Nick have signed up for TNT in Boston!! They are running the Disney marathon. I can't think of a better way to cross the finish line than with Mickey cheering me on. How much fun would that be!! I'd probably start crying with joy at the finish and run to Pluto for a hug. Good luck guys!

Next, the BRONX HALF. Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got.

Over the Hills and Far Away

I realize I haven't posted in awhile...not that anyone noticed:o)

As of last Tuesday we started hill repeats. Last week wasn't so bad, it was the shortest practice we've had and they were focused on making sure we get our form right. When going up a hill, you have to keep your arm swings low and your foot turnover close together to be "energy efficient." So the main focus was on that. So I thought hey, hills? not so bad. Wrooong.

Last night was our second week of hills and they pushed us. Hard. It wasn't as miserable as the "lampposts on" sprint training but it was close. We had to do 4 uphills, with recovery in between. So after my first one I said hmm this still isn't that bad. Then one of the coaches came over and said you aren't running fast enough. Then she took off. Oh, am I supposed to follow? Right. So I chased her up the hill. She said "and that's how you are supposed to run these hills." Oops. Hello, sprints. Literally. By the end of the fourth hill I was nauseous but it still felt good to do it. And, we did it on kind of a secret hill, thus avoiding horse stench and raging cyclists. Good stuff.

Each Tuesday the coaches host a post-workout bar thing which I've never been too because it's usually at a far away place on the east side. This week it was at a great bar in the Upper West Side called the Amsterdam Ale House. I had such a good time and got to meet some great new people!

This weekend I did my long run, clocking in at 10.3 miles. I broke double digits!! woohoo!! Mike and I were home for a family weekend (sorry Boston peeps but it was family only) and decided to run Saturday am. It was perfection. About 64 degrees, nice cool breeze...and I ran down past the marshes to Duxbury beach, over the Powder Point Bridge (beautiful, check it out) and into the super wealthy neighborhood of King Caesar's in Duxbury, then back. What a beautiful run. I was in such a good mood that I even waited four miles before begging Mike to run ahead of me so I didn't feel like I was holding him back. But honestly, I never appreciated how beautiful my hometown is until I left.

Note to self...strength training followed by hill repeats followed by spin the next morning equals stumbling down the stairs getting off the bus.

My New Walk of Shame

I went to bed Friday night with the following in the weather forecast: 100% humidity, 100 degrees, flood watch, tornado watch, poor air quality. The air quality is poor in Manhattan no matter what, so I figure that if they actually tell you it's poor it means you will be on a respirator by the end of the day. Who wants to go for a run?!? In fact, maybe I'll hug a tree, or climb to the top of the metal scaffolding at the stage in Central Park and give all the peeps waiting for Shakespeare in the Park tickets a little light show. Or maybe Helen Hunt can tie me to a pipe with a leather strap and go for a ride in a tornado. I mean, really?


But I digress...
Since the heat has been so bad the coaches have been holding 7:00 am sessions on Saturdays, which means I have to wake up at 5:30 am to eat and get ready. As we left the apartment I realized that the last time I was up this early was coming HOME from a night out. Redefining the walk of shame.

To make matters worse the humidity even that early was completely oppressive. I had a feeling it was going to be a tough run. In fact, although I was shooting for 9 miles, I ended up only doing 8. Which is still great, don't get me wrong. I felt like I probably could have kept going!

Meanwhile, the Bronx half is coming up quick. I have no idea if I'll be running 13.1 yet. So now I'm starting to panic a little. The Bronx half is supposed to be brutal. Ridiculously hot, hills toward the end, and an out and back course which as I've said I HAAAATE. Even the coaches say it sucks. Oh wait also, it's in the Bronx. We'll see how that goes.

Tomorrow is hill repeats. Suckage.

Mission Moments

A brief break from my cynicism...
Each week the coaches and mentors from Team in Training send along little quotes about training to keep us motivated. There is one phrase that sticks with me the most, and keeps me on my feet.

I complain about how sore I am after running 7 miles, or how I don't think I can make it at a full sprint to the next lamppost, or how unbearably hot it's been. Each time though, I repeat this three-word phrase in my head: Chemo is Harder.

It sounds odd and basic. Knowing what my Aunt Jackie went through, and so many others like her, keeps me pushing myself. To get through the physical and emotional strain of battling cancer takes an unbelievable amount of fight and courage, much more than what's required to get through a marathon.

One week a woman in the training group told the story about how her aunt was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. This trainee signed up for Team in Training to honor her. Her aunt was so proud of what she was doing on her behalf. Even as the aunt was getting sicker and sicker she asked about how the training was going, even on the day she died. Now, she runs to remember her.

Another trainee told the story about how her best friend's wife battled cancer and did the Philly Triatholon, along with her husband, to celebrate beating it. During the race, the husband (the trainee's best friend) had a heat stroke and is now in a coma. One battle after another.

The last story I'll share came in an email this week:
A little boy was battling a rare form of leukemia-(Acute Myelogenous Leukemia-AML) for the past year. He was diagnosed at age 3, remained in remission after a year of treatments, and lived a relatively normal life up until about 4 months ago. He was waiting for a bone marrow transplant, but he wasn’t able to fight any longer. He died on July 20, 2010.

I think of my Aunt Jackie and these stories every time I head out for a run (tears can pass for sweat you know), not only to motivate me to fundraise, but to motivate me to train harder in their honor. I hope that you will remember them yourself every time you hit a big hill on a run or a bike, or don't know if you can push out another rep at the gym. It's hard, but chemo is harder.

And I Ran....

This is awesome:


The Central Park Conservancy 4M race was a blast. Although brutally hot as usual, the support was amazing and the crowd was great. After carefully reading the "how to get water from a hydration station" I wasn't expecting misting stations, which consisted of very bored looking girls holding hoses over the crowd. When I ran through them I wanted to squeal like the little kid in Billy Madison that sits on the sprinkler. Except the girls were clearly so bored that the hose was watering the grass more than the people. I mean really? Is your job that hard?

As I crossed the Start line the radio announcer said "Team in Training is out in FORCE today, look at the sea of purple!" YEAH! Then, at the beginning and end of the race the Team in Training coaches were there screaming with cowbells to cheer us on...it was an amazing feeling to have their support. I was feeling the love for them and for this training program. And I needed it because I gunned it for the last mile and thought I was going to die.

My favorite part was the conversation I had with a running buddy at the end. Him: "Wow, you got a really bad sunburn on your face." Me: "Nope, I just get really red." My mother tells me this is a trait I inherited from her. Red meat face. Awesome.

Because I forgot to take a photo at Central Park, I decided Mike and I should have our photo taken in front of the dorm activities board featuring a slightly lop-sided soccer ball.



Stay tuned for Tuesday's update!

Praying to the Lamppost Gods

I wonder if these guys feel stupid putting these hats on as middle-aged men:


While that may seem random I thought it would be appropriate since the TNT coaches decided to crack the whip last night. We had to run effort levels E1 and E4, if you recall from my description E4=near death. And it really was. The beginner group had to run 4 lampposts on E4, which means you count four lampposts at a near sprint, then 2 lampposts for recovery, for two lower loops. Yesterday was brutally humid, the air just kind of hung there. Along with the stench of horse sh*t, which the lovely Central Park horses decided to share in excess last night.

It sounds crazy but I kinda liked taking off into a near full sprint, it felt good. For about two lampposts per interval. And then my legs started to burn. And then I wanted to die. The worst part is some of the traffic lights were on lampposts but some weren't, and the ones that weren't don't count. I almost continued my run to the Central Park offices to find out who I could punch for making it that way.

Oddly until now I feel like I rarely see coaches during the workouts, but yesterday they were everywhere, just waiting for someone in the group to start choking them. Judging by the way everyone looked at the end while we were stretching, we all came pretty close.

Mike and I were corpses when we got home last night. I also had a pretty bad headache at the end, which apparently means I'm either dehydrated or too hydrated. Um, right.

Next up, 4-mile Central Park Conservancy race on Saturday, which I'm excited about. I haven't done a race since the infamous St. Patty's day 5k with Liz, Nick and Kristine in a complete torrential downpour. Too bad there won't be free beer after this one.

Chafage and Other Tales...

Saturday's long run was painful in more ways than one. We ran in Riverside Park along the Hudson which is great because it's FLAT, scenic and there's a little breeze. It's not great because there's no shade and it's an out and back, so you run a certain distance, then turn around and run back. The beginner group was 6-8 miles this week.

I'm having trouble mastering the art of hydration, because I hydrate so much before I run that I have to go to the bathroom 10 minutes into the run. Most of the time I can ignore it and it goes away (or I'm sweating it out?) but on Saturday it was so bad I had to find a bathroom. I ran into a ferry terminal at 39th street, after which point I totally lost my pacing group. In addition, everyone in my group was running 6 miles, and I was running 7. So, I ran the entire thing alone. This would be fine if I was running three miles. Now, I haven't used music when I run for more than a year, because I find I can't focus on my breathing and it's also generally good to hear what's goin on around you if you are running through the streets of Manhattan. But man I missed my iPod. Running along a flat bikepath with no music or person to keep you company is okay for three miles, not for seven. I suppose I should get used to it.

For the first time since I've started this program I felt like I couldn't push myself any further. The distances are getting longer, so strength training is going to be more important. My legs were just dead tired. The best part of all of this? I'm running with about a half mile to go, proud of myself for running SEVEN miles! Then my worst fear was realized. I hear "Christie!" It's Mike. Mike who was running TWO miles more than me, passed me. Along with two girls from his pacing group, one whom my friend Aimee pointed out took great pains to french braid pigtails in her hair early on a Saturday morning. How cute. Ouch. Double ouch. French ouch.

I have been remiss, however, in saying what an amazing job Mike is doing. While I'm using him to poke fun at myself, I'm so impressed by how well he is doing, as are all the coaches. They keep telling him he looks like a natural runner. He's really enjoying himself. He's also been beyond critical in keeping me motivated and on track with my training. I'm lucky to have him to do this with, otherwise I wouldn't be where I am!! So, don't take offense husband of mine. :o)

The final ouch of the day was when I got into the shower and felt a searing pain under my arm causing me to screech. CHAFAGE!! You may recall the famous clip of Andy from The Office. Luckily it was nothing like this:

I guess I'll be using some vasoline on Tuesday. Have a great week!

Sore Thumb...Well, Sore Everything

Yesterday TNT hosted a cross/strength training workout for the NYC marathon team. The monthly schedule they give us calls Wednesday cross training day, which is when I usually do spin class. I. LOVE. SPIN. I look forward to going, the music is great, although random. The teacher played the theme to National Lampoon's Vacation. Classic 80's video:

However, since the coaches were hosting a special NYC team training session I thought I'd check it out. Meanwhile...still miserably hot. I show up expecting a large group, but there was maybe 25-30 people there, 99% of whom were advanced runners. There were two coaches, one was the most ripped woman I've ever seen, not an ounce of body fat. They had us do various drills, including step ups, tricep dips, squats, and pushups all against benches. Side-to-sides or something like that, and walking lunges. The lunges were the most interesting because you have to lunge as you walk, then sprint, then jog. Man it MESSES up your legs...I highly recommend it. Your legs are tired from the walking lunges, then to sprint afterward is crazy, some people literally lost their footing because their legs wobbled. It's actually good because it helps your legs get used to running long distances despite muscle fatigue. Let me know if you want more deets on that.

Anyway, surrounded by such athletes who all knew each other and acted like orientation leaders in college I could self-consciously feel my lack of arm muscles flapping in the stale breeze. I did get a lot out of it though. But I think I'll return to spin. Maybe next week they'll play Man in Motion. Now THAT I could crank some resistance to.

It's Getting Hot In Here...So Please Hydrate Excessively So You Don't Die

I can't think of a better way to spend a hot steamy, oppressively humid day than to go for a run in Central Park!

As a way to conserve energy in my office building, we had zero A/C yesterday. Fans spun hot air. And so, I sat at my desk, sweat pouring off my forehead, for the duration of the day. So going for a run was especially unappealing.

Mike went to Sports Authority yesterday and bought us a couple of hydration packs. The run for me was supposed to be 3.4 miles, or two laps of the lower loop of Central Park. We were instructed to work on our "effort levels":

• Recovery effort (E1): 60-65% effort. This is a slow, easy jog or walk, and is used mostly during warm ups, cooldowns, or in between hard intervals.
• Easy effort (E2): 65-75% effort. You should be able to maintain a conversation while running at this effort.
• Lactate Threshold (E3–3.5): 80-85% effort. This is a challenging effort but in control. A couple of words can be spoken, but you can't maintain a conversation.
• Max Effort (E4): 85%+ effort. This is an almost all-out effort. AKA, misery.

The plan was to do intervals of E2 and E3, using high arm swings during E3, which helps to lengthen your pace. Instead we did E1 and E2 intervals. Despite the "easier" run, it was completely oppressive. I also couldn't figure out how to adjust the stupid hydration pack and came dangerously close to taking it off and kicking it at an innocent bystander.

Despite the heat, the crazy runners were out in force, shirts off, strides long. Remember in my first post I talked about clotheslining people? Well that literally almost happened to me last night. On the path you are supposed to be two across, which I was, with one other girl. This crazy scrawny man put out his arms like a T and I had to dive out of the way to avoid him. I understand I'm an amateur and I'm running with amateurs, but we were following the rules. Of course because of the delirium of the temperature I blurted out "wow, look who's hard core!" I was afraid he was going to come after me with his over-sized yellow tank top.

Anyway, I feel like if I can run in that kind of heat then I can handle any temperature, so that was kind of a proud moment! Please feel free to share any high temp running stories so I can commiserate:o)

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I hope to update this regularly with notes on how my training is going (or not going) as well as news about the cause; raising money for blood cancer research. I know nothing about blogging so any tips are appreciated :o)

Saturdays are our group training session long runs, which they like to emphasize should be at a "slow, conversational pace." I don't know about you but until now I haven't been inclined to have drawn out conversations with people when I run, for fear of 1) getting tired more quickly 2) projectile saliva on my running buddy or 3) getting distracted and clotheslined by one of the hardcore runners. If running in Central Park has taught me anything it's that if you fall, people and cyclists will turn you into roadkill without a second glance.

Anyway, the slow conversational pace actually WORKS. It helps pass the time and mileage to run with someone, not to mention the opportunity to make new friends. TODAY I RAN 6.4 MILES!! A personal best for sure, and I don't think I would have been able to do it without having a running buddy to chat with. You may say I could run with Mike, but I don't consider someone who runs circles around me while singing and making jokes a "buddy," more like "someone that needs to just run ahead of me and leave me to my heaving."

I'm pretty proud of myself to get to this point though, despite a week on vacation that involved beers, burgers, and beirut. Keep checking in for more updates!