Friday, October 16, 2009

Hockey... not a way to prepare for running...

.....or anything else for that matter but dammit it sure is fun. Really having second thoughts about playing cause it makes my legs hurt.. I'll continue on unless my legs really start hurting. i play cause yes it is fun but I enjoy the camaraderie and being part of a team which is in stark contrast to running, which is all solitude and not having anyone have your back... but then again you never get slashed in the shins while running or well that shouldn't happen.
2 weeks till signing up for the Seattle RnR @ the NYC Marathon Expo. Then it becomes real.. no refunds, no backing out.
5K next Saturday looking for a sub 22:00 haven't ran very much speed lately so I am not overly optimistic... not loving this cold fall weather (including snow.. SNOW in mid Oct..WTF??). also on the docket is a weird 5K within the confines of Yankee Stadium in mid Nov. then the Turkey trot 5 miler on T'giving morning.. and more than likely the Jingle Jog (7K) early December. That makes for 10+ races this past season which is above average for me.. but I love the races and it's the reason I run!

Thursday, October 08, 2009

36 Weeks to Go....

.... @ this point I have already have my 16 week program written up, that will start on Saturday March 6th. It is chock full of fun to look forward to 14, 16, couple of 18's and a couple of 20 mile runs.. but happily it should be nice out by the time I get to them..
Meanwhile its about maintenance and managing injuries.. tonight starts indoor floor hockey.. last time I walked or I should say limped out of the league after the season and got the flu a day after.. hoping for a better result this time.. what is it they say about the definition of insanity? doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result.. yeah.. i expect better this time call me insane!
So the next few months are for strengthening legs and keeping myself in shape... being a personal trainer and having to teach classes helps and hiders all at the same time.. sometimes you just need rest but just can't cause of a class schedule.. you just have to juggle it and try to keep it making sense... teaching 2 classes and and playing hockey tonight .. does not make any sense.. so I dogged it in the classes.. thats OK.. it wasn't my work out .. it was the classes!

Monday, October 05, 2009

Glad I started this up again.. take 3

So 3.5 years or so later... lots has happened in my running life.. 5 half marathons,.. a multitude of 5 and 10K's... so here we are October 2009 just weeks away from signing up for my second Marathon the "Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon"... this marathon will take place June 26 2010... one day after my 45th birthday ushering in my first race in the 45-49 bracket.
Seattle was picked for a few reasons... one is Karen and I have friends in that area.. also I have challenged said friends to join me in this quest (at this point Jane (friend) and Karen (wife) are doing the half marathon.. still waiting on Kevin) .. a band every mile .. I also have a burgeoning love for the Pacific northwest.. and finally I get to both train and run the Marathon is some very good temperatures. For those who know me, you know I love running in the warmer weather.... So with a few friends joining in half the fun with me .. we will push forward into the grueling art of training.. hoping the experience of 6 years will allow this to be an even better experience than the first.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

2/7/06

Surgery is scheduled for next Wednesday... what a joy this will be... at least it's not something life threatening.. just got to get thru it rehab and get back to running... lot's of 5K's coming up and I hope to participate in them even if it is not at full strength! Scheduled a EKG for Thursday and need to get blood work done before next week.... my greatest fear for this whole thing is the anesthesia.. spinal, intravenous or general... I know I don't want GA..everything else I'll just have to deal with.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

1/25/06

For what ever reason I have decided to start blogging again. I think it's cause the injury and the impending surgery to my leg. I had planned on running 2 marathons this year... it's a pretty lofty ambition for my lazy ass.... but with the leg issue if I run one it'll be an accomplishment....so until the surgery and then until I heal I will be lifting and trying to get as much muscle packed on my upper body as possible... I have an appointment for an MRI on Friday.. I am going to try and run lightly on Saturday since it's supposed to warm up....
I think the other reason is to kinda keep track of how I am feeling after the surgery and how the healing progress goes along. Hopefully late Spring 5K's will be in order
!

Sunday, November 07, 2004

11/7/04 - Sunday

Sunday – RACE DAY! Sunny, mid 60’s, perfect! 26.2 miles.
So 4 months of training come down to this one day. It’s been over a week since I ran, which has given me time to reflect a bit. The day started out great, woke up had some breakfast, left the house at 5:30am to head to the Meadowlands to catch the bus to Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island (runners village). Karen drove and Opus accompanied me to the bus stop. I arrived at the fort about 7:15 and had to walk about a mile just to get to the entrance gate. I stopped off at one of the many port-a-potties along the way. My color for the start was Orange, the UPS trucks for orange were conveniently next to the entrance, and the area for me to hang out in was not, had to walk a bit more. I met Jerome up near his Blue start area. The place was a complete cluster fuck of runners, 37,000 of them. It was a beautiful morning; in the sun it was very comfortable. We hung out on the grass and got some bagels, water, yogurt and power bars that were available to all the runners. We both packed our things and brought them to our respective UPS trucks. We then waited in the Orange start area. Basically with the long lines for the port a potties people began urinating any where. The Army reserve building behind me was a popular bush watering area. A few moments later while looking around I got to see some strangers vagina as she was pulling up her pants after squatting, it’s just not something you get to see everyday. Moments later we lined up... it was a half hour before the cannon would go off. Finally the cannon boomed and slowly we started moving, as we got closer to the exit I noticed no lines to the potties and I scurried into one knowing that if I went now I would not have to go again during the race. Surprisingly I had no nerves, I just wanted to run... I crossed over the start line my chip beeped and away I went straight up hill on the Varrazano Bridge. The views on this crystal clear day were amazing: the Atlantic to my right and Manhattan Island to my left... and a hoard of bobbing heads both in front and behind. Another surprise was the amount of room I had in front and behind. It always looked on TV like you had no room to move... not true! I had at least 10 feet on all sides. Leaving the bridge and into Brooklyn I got my first glimpse of spectators about 20 of them. Still it was cool to have people clapping and cheering for you. The crowds increased, rock bands were playing people would give you hi fives feeling fresh you are really able to enjoy the crowds. My stock happened to be high with the Brooklyn girls as I got some nice comments (my name was pinned to my shirt so I knew they were talking about me). Around the 4 mile mark I broke away from Jerome since he said he was not feeling great and that I should go ahead. The miles clicked away fairly quickly, before I knew it the first 10K was done. I was drinking something at every mile station (amazing how many cups are on the ground). At the 8 mile mark the 3 color starts merged into one big hoard, it was around this time that my Achilles started barking. Around mile 9 I ran with a red sox fan, we chatted baseball and the election and then lost each other at a water station. There was a lot of slight inclines for long stretches, I noticed that my right leg felt kind of heavy... didn’t pay it much mind. Mile 13 marked the end of my time in Brooklyn, I started crossing the Pulaski Bridge, then my left foot fell into an expansion joint, twisting my ankle slightly and jamming my big toe, I did not fall! Approaching the Quensborough Bridge is a big sign up on the trestle stating 11.2 mile to go, I thought this was great, time had gone by so fast I felt great. Now the Q’boro bridge is like a 10% grade, most were walking, I kept a slow jog going, again the right leg felt heavy.. I found out this was the prelude to the worst cramp I have ever had. Somewhere between 15 and 16 miles I had to stop dead for it felt like the muscle was going to rip off the bone. I stopped and stretched in the first aid area on the bridge... people in there were far worse than me and I did not feel that I should complain. Hoping to run thru this I went back out on the course and cramped some more going down hill and onto 1st Ave in Manhattan. Oh yeah even thru the pain Manhattan looked amazing when on the bridge. Well pain continued to follow me thru Harlem and into my birth place of the Bronx. Side note...I wanted to kill a non-runner woman round about mile 19, she crossed the street right in front of me causing me to put on the brakes and feel more pain... I proceeded to verbally accost her and then went on. I walked the Willis Ave bridge in hopes that stretching and walking for a bit might enable me to run more than a quarter of a mile at a time with out stopping… all hopes were dashed as I continued to have problems with 10K left to go at this point any hope for finishing under 5 hours were long gone.. The Bronx was a little light on the people but it was only one mile in that borough. Back into Manhattan and up 5th Ave. It was a slow go, the people in Harlem were great enthusiastic although there weren’t as many peeps. The battle with my leg continued, I also became more aware of the pain in my Achilles every step was struggle but the miles continued to click by... 5th Ave. is a continuous upward grade, I swear I thought it would never end… the crowds got denser as I approached Central park... people screaming and encouraging, it was rather amazing. Happily the hill crested and into the park with about 4 miles to go. At mile 24 I took a drink, had a good stretch and prayed I would be able to sustain some running thru the park to the finish. My prayers for the most part were answered, although every step was painful, the cramp was no longer tightening up to stop me… I ran the last 2 miles at a 9:00/mile pace… the crowds were now deafening... running past the Plaza and then turning to the straightaway that leads to the finish, I was still running.. I just didn’t want to cramp, fall or throw up in front of the grandstand. I ran right by Karen and although I was looking for her… for some reason I missed her. I did what felt like a sprint to the finish… 4 months of hard work produced a 5:11:36... not what I wanted but there I was standing under the finish clock of the NYC Marathon, one of only 36,000+ finishers in 2004. I was both disappointed but proud that I ran thru the pain and completed something I had never done before... I ran 26.2 miles.
They continue to shuffle you thru the finish; you get your finisher medal, a picture taken and Mylar blanket. You then shuffle along some more with the thousands of other people to your UPS truck to get your things and then leave the park. I found Karen a few minutes later and got a hug and a kiss from the person for with out her support I would have never done this.Last side note: One hour after completing the marathon I proclaimed (ok, I said) I would run this again... and bonus, I saw Abe Vigoda eating a bagel, you might remember him from 70’s show such as Barney Miller, and Fish or movies like Joe vs. the Volcano where his career defining moment as the chief of the Wopani Woos

Thursday, November 04, 2004

11/4/04 - Thursday

Thursday - not a whole lot of significant running going on.. so I figured I would do a blog entry on just thoughts. Went to the Marathon EXPO last night with Karen, got lots of freebies from vendors as well as spending far too much money on NYC Marathon shirts and souveniers. It was exciting picking up my number (22183) and chip it put an absolute sense of reality into the event. Having people talk to you about the race as well as wishing you a good run made you feel like you were part of somethng special. I have a lot of nervous excitement goinmg on... as race day aproches it seems the weather is going to cooporate be in the upper 50's with some sun (fingers firmly crossed) so I am excited at that prospect too. Well it should be a great day and a lot of fun.. never in my life did I think I would be doing this but I am... and in the training I learned alot about myself my limitations and how to push thru things. Next entry will be after the race hopefully I'll have nice things to say and report.