New Jersey Marathon - 2006

I supposed I didn’t do many things right leading up to today’s NJM. My taper was unconventional to say the least. Going into the race, I didn’t know what to expect of myself, so I was ready for any sort of finish. If I got my “A” goal of 3:20 (Boston Qualifier), that would be great and if I did my “B” goal of 3:30, I would be very happy.

During the 7 days prior to the race, I ran 38 miles and did a 31 mile bike ride on Friday. All of the workouts were very comfortable and gave me some measure of comfort leading into today. I decided not to do any formal training on Saturday, in order to give myself some rest. However, I did become soccer coach dad for the day. I figured this would be enough running around on the eve of a marathon. I did learn one valuable lesson while on the soccer fields - Playing goalie while a bunch of 9 year old girls pounded soccer balls into your shins is a bad idea the day before a marathon. I also need to remember to pack some food and lots of water if I am going to spend 3+ ours on a sun baked soccer field. By the time I got off it, I was very thirsty and starving. Just the opposite of how I should have been feeling. When we got home I quickly ate some leftover pizza and some water.

The dearth of food was made up that evening as I ate a huge bowl of pasta with grilled chicken and shrimp, thanks to my wife’s aunt whose house we were staying the night before the race. I chased every last bit of hunger away, played with my kids some and then went to bed.

While I was trying to fall asleep, my children started to color some “Go Dad” signs to cheer me on at the finish. At one point, my son came into my room with his younger cousin (who happened to be over at the time), to show me the great signs he made. He had 3 signs made, one of me on fire, one crossing the finish line and a more elaborate Go Dad sign. I loved seeing them and how proud he was of his work. However, the part that warmed my heart the most, was when he started to leave the room and said to his cousin “come on Zachary, my Dad needs to get to bed early and he needs his sleep. He is doing a big race tomorrow”. I didn’t stay up much longer, as I soon drifted off in an Ambien induced sleep.

I woke up this morning around 5:30am and ate two Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches on white bread. As far as I am concerned, this is the breakfast of champions for a pre race meal. After eating, I laid in bed for around another hour, before finally starting to get ready to leave. My (wife’s) aunt drove me to the start and we arrived around 7:30am. Since it was so close to the 8am start time, I stripped to my race clothes in the car and didn’t even bother checking in a bag.

As I walked to the starting line, Jon - an athlete who I know by way of email that I was connected with through my coach, spotted me and came over to say hello. I was hoping to meet him, as we’ve exchanged emails several times over the past couple of months. He recognized me from my Hammer Nutrition outfit. I am 99.9 percent certain I was the only one dressed in such fancy duds.

Jon and I ran together for the first couple of miles. I was shooting for a faster time than him, but the slower pace was just what I needed during the first few miles. I was also grateful to him for giving me his gloves, as at this point my hands were cold as ice. We said our goodbyes after the 4 mile mark, whereupon I started to run my 10 seconds slower than race pace for the first 10 miles plan.

I stuck to that plan through mile 13. I should have increased it starting with mile 11, but I was afraid my current pace should have been my goal pace. I thought perhaps that I would soon start to slow down as I had in previous marathons and that pushing it faster sooner would have meant much slower later.

When I reached the 13 mile mark, I was still feeling good and showing no signs of slowing legs. I decided to kick it up a gear and go for the 10 seconds faster than goal pace. That meant running 7:28’s in hope of capturing a 3:20 marathon. After passing mile 18, I began to wonder when I would start slowing down. However, it was also at mile 18 that I realized that a 3:20 marathon was in reach. I surprised myself by not only increasing my pace, but being able to hold it as well.

Just after mile 23 I felt a streak of fear run through me. A race clock was flashing 2:56:23 and I realized had only 24 minutes to capture a 3:20. The next 3.1 miles were some of the most painful in my life mentally and physically. It would absolutely kill me if I missed qualifying for Boston by a mere minute. I also knew that my cousin who missed out on a Boston qualifier by only a minute or two would give me shit. I absolutely couldn’t let it happen to me. It was going to be very close.

I ran the last 3.1 miles in 7:20, 7:35, 7:20 and 1:30. When I started down the finishers shoot, I saw the clock tick past 3:20 and tried to remember if running 3:20 and change would work, or if it had to be under 3:20. I crossed the finish line at 3:20:11 by my watch and got the BQ.

Looking back on the race, I saw the two opportunities where I could have bought those 11 seconds. The first was when I stopped to pick up a dropped gel packet, and the second was when a guy at the water station seemed to like to tease runners by pulling in the cup of water slightly as you reached for it. I would have skipped this stop, but I just sucked a packet of gel and needed to wash it down. I had to go myself to a water table to get a cup. In the end it doesn’t matter as the 11 seconds didn’t cost me the BQ. They give you the seconds on the 3:20 minute.

Somehow my wife and kids missed me crossing the line. I found them walking back to the finishers shoot on the spectator side. I was happy to see them though. We walked to a grassy area where my son promptly plopped himself into my lap. We hung out there for a few minute and I kept my eye out for Jon. Eventually he found me and we had the opportunity to take a picture.

After a mile walk to our car and a ride to my aunt’s house, I took an ice bath and half a vicodin. The combination helped me to feel absolutely no pain. After I toweled off and dressed, I realized I was surprising not sore. I was even able to play "Cave Monster" with my kids in the backyard. This consists of chasing them around and making them hide under a large droopy pine tree. I spent the rest of this perfect day chasing them around and having a good time with them.


May 1, 2006 NJM Post Script -

I saw after I posted my blog entry the official results of the NJM. It appears for the record that I was 99th overall out of 1419 finishers, my chip time was 3:20:07, 3:20:20 official time, 16/157 M40-44 and 90/938 Gender. Perhaps most importantly, I was first in the category of Brooklyn Men AG 40-44 and 6th overall from Brooklyn.

I did suffer two small injuries; small blisters on both big toes, both popped and covered with Spongebob Band-Aids.

Just Do Something

Friday, April 28

Despite my feel like a loser comment from this past Tuesday, I managed to put in some decent workouts this week, albeit none of them swimming. I still can’t grapple with the thought of getting up so early in the morning to throw myself into cold pool water. I am becoming a big fat wuss in my old age. I am back in the mode of “just do something every day” and something, doesn’t necessarily mean swimming.

Tuesday evening, I did manage to get out after work for a run. I only had an hour and I wasn’t sure how far I would go. I left from my office at 57th and Madison for Central Park. Footsteps after I left the building, another runner came up behind me and asked where it was. I told him to just follow me as that was where I was headed.

“Doug” was from the Washington DC area and in town on business. I got to play tourist guide with him as I pointed out the landmarks all around the park. I was glad for the company as it kept my pace honest. We also had a lively conversation. I pegged him as a Triathlete and he admitted that he was doing Ironman Lake Placid this summer. I was able to offer him advice about the course; which was done only because he is not in the same age group as me. We did a full loop of the park and by the time we returned to my office, 7 miles were covered.

On Wednesday, I ran on the byways of South Huntington and Melville Long Island. An out and back 6 miles over a moderately trafficked roadway. It was nice, breezy and sunny outside, so I really didn't mind running amongst the cars. It seems as though running is the only thing I can get myself to do lately. I am able to do it without much of an effort.

Thursday was another loser day. I turned my alarm clock off the moment it sounded and went right back to sleep. I did the same thing today as well. I did get in an easy 4 mile run with my daughter keeping me company on the bike and today I did a 31 mile bike ride. At least I still know how to ride.

I am really struggling and searching for my motivation for this year’s Ironman. I think the problem lies in the fact that I am not trying to do it for the right reasons. I have to want to do it and give myself permission to do so. Right now when I get going, the pleasure of it is missing. I guess I am imagining reasons why I shouldn’t be doing this. I wonder though, if this isn’t just my mind playing tricks on me, like it does when my body gets fatigued during a long training ride.

Hopefully, I will discover my passion during the New Jersey Marathon this weekend. Thus far, I’ve hardly given this race any thought. I am sure lots of people right now are all worried about it and getting ready for their big event. I’ve spent more time taking a nice long piss than I have thinking about this race. Maybe however, it is just what I need to get focused.

One item to note from today’s ride was the two times I was approached by two different riders to ask me what my Bento Box was. No one has ever asked me this question before. To top it off, both riders were on Van Dessel bikes. To have the same question asked by riders of an uncommon bike on the same day is an odd coincidence. Perhaps it was the time of the day (around 12-1pm).

Time to Get Ready

Tuesday, April 25

Ohhh, I feel like such a loser this morning. I completely blew off my workouts in order to get some more sleep. I knew it was going to happen when I went to bed last night. I was tired, wanted to sleep and definitely at the time didn’t feel like waking up to ride to the pool at 5:30am. When my alarm clock sounded, I turned it off and rolled over to get more sleep.

In order for me to get enough sleep to wake up early enough for a swim workout, I really need to get into bed by 8:30pm. This is getting more difficult to do as time goes on. My kids are going to bed later as they get older and as of now, they still want me to tuck them into bed. I love tucking them in, but wish I could do it just a bit earlier. Maybe I will insist that they tuck me into bed instead.

Yesterday also started what is known as TV free week. This means no TV, computers, video games, etc. You are supposed to entertain yourself without the aid of an electronic device. I spent the evening productively. While my daughter was doing her homework, I started to teach my son how to play chess. He has seen me play with his sister and get very jealous when I tell him he can’t play because he doesn’t know the rules. He concentrated very hard in order to learn the game.

After my daughter finished her homework, we grabbed some snacks and told campfire stories in the living room. The fire was in the form of a candle, with all of the lights off. We each took turns telling a story. It was a very pleasant way to pass the evening, albeit more of it passed than I would have liked. I knew then, that by the time the kids went to bed, I’d be in a sleep deficit to wake up alert enough to get out in the morning.

I really need to get my act in gear. There is only 13 weeks left before IMLP. I still have time to get ready, but I must start getting serious now.

A Lousy 2

Monday, April 24

My inclination was to stay in bed this morning, but I forced myself out for a run. I had a feeling I'd be too tired and that premonition turned out to be true. I was able to run/walk for just over two miles. My legs were just dead. While I felt good over the weekend, I think doing so much after so long a layoff contributed to a higher than usual fatigue. At least I did something.

Two Runny Runs

This weekend marked my first workouts in 8 full days. I don’t remember taking so much time off since before I began training. I picked a couple of good days to pick it back up. These two days were completely wet and soggy. I like this weather, so the conditions suited me just fine. Today was especially wet, with the water running off my hat like a house with a slant shingled roof.

I had company for both days though. On Saturday, I ran into my friend Robert. He kept me company from just before the middle of my run to the end. I was glad he was there, as I wasn’t ready to be alone with my own thoughts while training. I think I would have psyched myself out. I didn’t have a planned distance for the day, but I got in 8.6m.

Sunday, the wetter of the two days, I surprising ran into Todd. It is always a pleasant surprise to see him out in the rain, especially since he is prone to describe wet weather as “shitty”. To quote him from his email on Saturday “I can't believe you're running in this shit.” Well, according to his standards Sunday was a shittier day so the fact he made it out of his indoor training cocoon is amazing.

I only ran Todd for a short time, as he was just finishing up, while I was just getting started. Today call for a 10 mile run broken up as a 3m warm up, 5m Time Trial and a 2 m cool down. The 3m warm up was very tough. I was feeling nauseous, was over dressed and felt over heated. I stopped a few times to get my wits. When I reached the 3m mark, I decided to shed down to a short sleeve shirt and shorts. This helped a bit. What really got me through the run was running into my friend Kevin, who then kept me company for the remaining 7m. He was running a decent pace, which helped me stay honest to my workout. From that point I ran 2.5m in a 7:58 pace, followed by 2.5m at a 7:27 pace. The 2m cool down was at 8:17.

I am somewhat relieved that I was able to run a decent total of 18m this weekend. I thought with all the time off, my running would really suck. It’s only a concern really; because I am doing the New Jersey Marathon next Sunday and I fear that taking so much time off won’t bode well for that event. I’ll just have to see. At this point, I really have no goals for the race other that to finish.

Arizona Vacation

4/20/06
I just got back from Arizona with my family. We went to the Grand Canyon for several days, then drove back down to Sedona to see the Red Rocks and then went further south into the Sonoran Desert. The vacation was much too short (only 6 days), but we crammed a ton of activities during that time.

During the vacation, I only did a total of 3 miles running (and no blogging). I really didn’t feel like spending the time away from my family training, when we had so much to see and do. We awoke everyday before sunrise and spent our time until after sundown checking out the vistas, viewing historic sites, hiking or studying various desert vegetations. My daughter was extremely interested in this, since she just finished covering the Sonoran Desert in her third grade class.

Right away I knew getting in a workout or two would be tough. Our first day on Friday, we spent flying into Phoenix and then driving up to the GC. We arrived around 4pm and spent the time walking around and then an early dinner.

On Saturday, we woke up early to do the Bright Angel Trail, but it was much too cold and windy. The temperature at the GC varied from 35 degrees in the morning to mid 70’s in the afternoon. One person remarked at how early we were getting started when he saw us. At this time, hardly anyone was around and it was like you had the Canyon to yourself. I guess being on NY time helped. Instead of the BAT, we went to the GC Visitors Center where my kids earned their Junior Ranger Badges. This meant filling out a booklet that had various activities and asked them to find various items around the canyon. Afterwards, we spent the day hiking along the GC rim. During this time, I learned the meaning of real fear when I saw my kids get a bit too close to the edge.

The BAT was tackled on Sunday. We started down the trail around 7:30am with the goal of reaching the 3 mile rest house. We packed plenty of water and were dressed warmly to fight the morning chill. However, this day wasn’t nearly as cold and we quickly ended up shedding layers. After a while, my son said he was tired and didn’t want to go anymore. However, my daughter was eager to continue on. We stopped and had a snack and he soon found the energy to continue forward.

The Canyon is Grand by every definition of the word. It is as impossible a place to fully take in even with the grandest of imaginations. It is fascinating how different layers of rock are stacked one on top of the other. The contrast is so striking, that it is hard to believe that it was created naturally. At different places the canyon walls looked stacked together like a layer cake.

We reached the 1.5 mile rest house, where we took another break and my son started building a rock castle. We spotted a couple of small animals while we hung around. We rested here for about 25 minutes and then continued into the canyon. About another .5 mile down we stopped for lunch. After eating, it was decided that my wife would start heading back down with our son, while I continued down with my daughter. I was concerned that she would have difficulty getting Lucas back up the trail, but she assured me they would be ok.

Sophia and I walked about another mile. We stopped short of the 3 mile mark when she started to complain that her feet were hurting. I think she realized that for every step down, the return step would be a little bit harder. We rested for about 30 minutes, taking in the sites. I had her take of her shoes and socks to let her little feet have a chance to breathe. I rubbed her little feet, while we talked or sat in silence looking around.

The trip up is supposed to take two thirds as long as it is to descend. When we started back up, we were at the 3 hour 30 minute mark. Sophia was a trooper, and marched up the trail without complaint. We took the occasional rest and we were making up back up much faster than we made it down. For a while I thought I would catch my wife and son.

We made it back up in 2 hours flat and we started to walk around the village to see if we could find her brother and mom. After a short time we found them in one of the gift shops. We bought some souvenirs and then went for ice cream. While sitting around eating it, we saw one of the canyon’s famous hawks flying overhead. He landed a bit ways down the canyon and I was able to focus my camera through my binoculars in order to get a decent picture of him.

4/21/06

The next day we woke up early to make the trip down to Phoenix by way of Sedona. We were out in time to make one last stop at the canyon to take some pictures of the rising sun. It was a beautiful way to see the canyon for the last time (at least until the next trip).

The highlight of going through Sedona was our stop in Sliding Rock. This is a small narrow canyon of beautiful red rock that had a clear fresh mountain stream running through it. You were able to go in the water and flow down the cold water if you were so inclined. We only went in up to our shins, which took a few minutes to adjust to the cold. We splashed around for a while and had a lot of fun. Lucas collected some fine specimens of the red rocks.

I found the actual town of Sedona to be a disappointment. The main strip is comprised of schlocky stores selling typical tourist junk. We walked around for a sort time and took pictures of Snoopy Rock and Lucy Rock. After this, we decided to just head to our hotel in Phoenix – the Arizona Biltmore, courtesy of American Express membership miles. The kids were anxious to go to the pool and check out the water slide. Unfortunately, the slide closed the moment we arrived at the pool. However, for the next several hours we had fun in the pool, floating around and playing catch with a water football. Lucas really got into diving off the side of the pool and trying to catch the ball in midair.

The next day it was an early start to the Saguaro Desert National Park. The place delivered on its name as many hundreds of Saguaro Cacti filled your view for miles around. The visitor center had another Junior Ranger Program in which you were supposed to look around for various animals and plant life. We signed the kids up and then headed out into the desert.

Sophia was excited to see many of the things she learned about in school. However, walking around the desert got a bit tough on them under the heat of the sun. The temperature difference between sun and shade had to be at least 20 degrees. It was actually quite comfortable when you could find shade, but you felt like you were roasting once you were under the sun.

We walked several trails, including one that let to a large rock formations filled with Petroglyphs – ancient drawings carved into rock made by people indigenous to the area. The path leading to the Petroglyphs had a shade covered picnic bench and we headed back there after viewing them to fill out the Junior Ranger booklets. I was dismayed to see the remains of an Easter Egg hunt lying about this area. There were small clumps of Easter basket grass entangled in several cacti. I picked up the larger clumps of it and my kids were able to write in their booklets that they saw and cleaned up some litter.

After filling out the booklets, we headed back to the visitor center where they got their badges and the Park Ranger made an announcement to everyone present to give a round of applause to the two newest junior rangers. They both smiled at this, but I think they were as embarrassed as they were pleased. We then headed back to the hotel to make it in time to use the water slide.

4/22/06
On our last day, we traveled to the Desert Botanical Gardens. When I saw where it was, I realized that the run on last year’s Ironman Arizona went right through this area. Upon this realization, I thought what a fool I was not to have explored the surrounding areas when I had the opportunity. However, I made up for the lost opportunity by visiting it this year. The DBG had many cacti in bloom and I was able to get some great pictures. There were activities for the kids and I was glad we went.

We left the DBG for the Heard Museum. The kids enjoyed it as there were many craft type activities to keep them busy. Other than the activities, I find museums dedicated to Native American culture to be very depressing. I think it is terrible how they were treated, how their cultures were destroyed and that the history of it should be memorialized. However, listening to recordings of long gone NA’s just creeps me out.

The final hours before our red eye flight out were spent in the pool. It was also during this time that I made the mistake of checking my email for the first time in days. I had largely kept my Treo off, but I thought that it was time for me to finally check in. I should have kept it off as I saw several urgent requests for me to call the office. So instead of flying home and resting for the next couple of days at home, I was ripped from the womb of vacation and went to my office as soon as I showered and changed at home. The transition from desert to subway was a difficult one and my mind felt twisted until today (4/22)

I just asked my kids about what they remember the most about our trip to the Arizona. I was pleased to hear my son say the walk down into the GC. My daughter couldn’t decide what she remembers the most. Perhaps that means she appreciated everything equally. I think we will go back one day, but not until the kids are tall enough to qualify for the mule ride to the canyon bottom.

Passover

I will be passing over my swim workout tomorrow morning as I am getting to bed much too late to make it to the pool. I decided to give my daughter some cultural enrichment by taking her to my orthodox sister's house for a real Passover Seder and I just got home. Of course, I am violated the rules by driving there, but my sister has agreed to look the other way. Perhaps she is hoping by allowing this small sin, it will lead to a much greater good. She did ask that I park around the corner as opposed to pulling up in a screeching halt.

I hope to at least get in a morning bike ride. Then I have to pack for our vacation to the Grand Canyon for which we leave on Friday. Then I’ll go to my brother's house for a very laid back Seder. Actually at this one, we sort of pay lip service to the whole process, but it does serve to get the family together. Needless to say, my sister won't be at this one.

It’s off to bed now. I must wake up in time to burn off some of those matzah calories.

A Full Weekend

My weekend started out by taking my son to the Knicks game. We had a great time as exemplified by his slight tummy ache from too much cotton candy, ice cream, and pop corn. We had very good seats, close to the floor, but for some reason he preferred to go up to the nosebleed seats and marvel at the entire scene laid out before him. The Knicks even won for a change.

Saturday called for driving up to Harriman State Park to meet my friend Walter. We planned to get together for a couple of hours of riding. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get up in time, considering my late night. The point was moot though. When I saw the rain and wind outside, I decided it was God telling me to stay home. I knew my wife would have liked the car around 11am and the rain outside convinced me I should just stay local. Walter was still thinking of going and I wished him luck if he did. I received an email message from him later on. Apparently he went. This is what he had to say “as the rain changed to hail and then to snow I knew it was time to bail. Waterlogged and frostbit, I had to quit. Harriman is not the place to ride in bad weather.”

I also rode outside on Saturday. It was cold, windy and rainy. My brain was screaming at me to stop and go home. I really struggled and began to doubt my commitment to training. As time wore on though, I kept saying just one more lap, just one more lap. I eventually did 9 laps of Prospect Park, when I decided to go home. My hands were frozen up to my elbows and my fingertips were very painful. Continuing to train outside was rapidly delivery diminished returns. My heart rate was dropping and it was time to go in and warm up.

Once inside, I rode for another 90 minutes. I wanted to go two hours, but my but my young son and coach decided it was time to stop and cook him some pancakes. I decided to heed his advice. It was just us for the remainder of the day, since my daughter was out on a sleep over birthday party. We spent the time painting his skateboard and playing soccer in the basement. The day went by much too quickly.

At night, I camped out on the living room floor with my boy. Originally he started to go to sleep on the couch, with me on the floor next to him. After a few minutes though, he jumped on my back when I made believe I was sleeping. He stayed next to me for the remainder of the night. He fell asleep with his arm around my shoulders.

I wondered if I would sleep well enough on my hard floor in order to get enough rest for a 20 mile run along River Road, just over the George Washington Bridge. I thought I would wake up with a bunch of aches and pains, but I slept reasonably well. I forgot to set my alarm however and I woke up at 6:30am, which only gave me 30 minutes to make it from my door to the bridge about 20 miles away.


Fortunately, Derek Rose of the Carnival of Runners/Weekly Rundown fame, my running partner for the day, was running late as well. We met each other around 7:30 and began our 20 mile journey. It started at the Manhattan side of the GWB. If it weren’t for the cars zipping across the bridge, the crossing would be quite pleasant. However, the crossing is very loud and windy. I you hardly hear yourself think, much less your footsteps. We had to wait until we reached the other side to have any sort of conversation.

We kept a comfortable pace as we ran against low 40 degree temps and a steady headwind. The only problem I had with the run was very cold hands. By the time I reached the ten mile mark, my fingertips were quite painful. I am debating on seeing a doctor. My HR was easily in the 80 percent range and I couldn’t get enough blood pumping into them to keep them warm.

We stopped at the Ranger station at the 10 mile mark. We took a quick pit stop and I ran my hands under warm water. It helped warm them to the point were the pain went from fierce to mild. Before we headed back, we took a second to snap photos of ourselves.

We ran back at a faster pace and posted a negative split for the day. I suppose we were helped by a tailwind and a more downhill course. This suited me fine as I was anxious to get home. I was debuting as coach for my son’s soccer team and I wanted enough time to eat, shower and get to the field. My legs still had enough juice in them to run all over the field conducting drills and getting the players into their positions. It was much more fun than I could have imagined. I now have no doubts that when it comes to doing a long run or coaching my son’s team, I will definitely be coaching.

Busy Week

If I had the time to make blog entries over the past few days, the title of this entry would have been different. Yesterday’s entry might have been called “All Stuffed Up”, which would have served the dual meaning of describing my nose as well as my day. Thursday started out around 3:30am when I was unable to remain asleep, so I padded into my kitchen to have a snack. I tried to go back to sleep, but after lying in bed for 45 minutes, I decided to just head to the pool.

I rode to Asphalt Green (11 miles on a 75 pound bike), swam 3200 meters, ran 3 miles, showered and then had a 30 minute meeting with some AG staff to discuss some business issues. From there it was a sprint on my bike to my office to make an important 9:30am meeting. I made it in time to change into my suit and tie and get to the meeting with 2 minutes to spare. I was then crushed with appointments, meetings and emergencies until after 7pm. By the time I rode home it was after 8pm, whereupon I had another 60 minute telephone call with a friend to discuss other business matters. Fortunately, I was able to choke down my dinner while on the phone and managed to tuck my children into bed at the same time.

On Wednesday, I would have titled my entry “The Rain, Ice and Snow”. Early in the morning it was raining, so I did a trainer ride in my basement. I was also supposed to do a 6 mile run, but since I didn’t have time in the morning, I did it during lunch. I was in Long Island for the day and the weather reports from the city stated that it was very windy and a couple of inches of snow had fallen. The storm was making its way east, so I tried to get in my run before it moved into my area.

My route would be an out and back course along a fairly high trafficked secondary road. When I started, it was barely misting, so I had hopes that I would beat the storm. It did start to rain a bit harder as I ran further away from my office, but nothing too serious. However, when my run reached the point where the out turned into back, the rain started to get harder, the wind kicked up into my face and the temperature started to drop. I was then confronted with wind, traffic, rain and snow blowing into my face as I headed back.

My Rudy Project glasses really fog up in wet and cold weather. They got so bad, I was able to see better running without them, despite the fact my vision sucks without my prescription lenses and the snow and sleet kept hitting me in my eyes. Truth be told, I really didn’t mind the conditions as I found them invigorating and I was quite enjoying it. It is easy to work out when it is nice, but persevering through tough conditions makes a workout that much more satisfying for me.

Tuesday’s entry would have been called “Sticking to it”. I was slightly ambivalent about getting to the pool on Monday night, but I knew I needed to force myself to go come Tuesday morning. When my alarm clock went off, I forced myself out of bed, got ready and headed to the pool on my bike. If ever there was a day to stay in bed, it was this Tuesday morning. It was raining slightly, much colder than usual and very high winds.

As I made my way down the slope to the Manhattan Bridge, I had to pedal hard to keep me moving downhill; that is how hard the wind was blowing against me. I flirted with turning back for a moment or two, but I knew if I could just get over the bridge the doubts would go away and I would get everything in. I made it to the pool for my swim. It was a good thing too, since my coach happened to be on the deck and was able to give me a couple of pointers to improve my stroke. The small change really made a difference. After that, it was a full day of work, a late evening downtown appointment and then the ride home. I got home a little after 9pm.

Monday would have been called “Nothing”, since I took the day off from training. I was too tired from staying up the night before watching “The Sopranos”.

Speaking of being tired, since I got to bed so late last night, I knew I would be skipping the trip to the pool this morning. I didn’t want to stress over it, so I planned to just do my scheduled run.

I woke up around 6am and soon got dressed and started on my run. I was too pooped out however and stopped running about a half mile into it. I did not feel like struggling through it since I knew it would soon get ugly. I figured let me save whatever strength I have left and to go home and eat. This would hopefully allow me to recover enough to get the run it at lunch. Mentally, I am disappointed that I couldn’t get to the pool and my body wasn’t ready to run. Maybe it’s the best thing though, since I will be out very late tonight, taking my son to the Knicks’ game. Although with the way the Knicks are playing, that might be like a punishment.

Dad and Son at Scotland Run

Scotland Run

I made up for my lack of significant workout on Saturday by running to the start of the Scotland Run in Central Park from my house near Prospect Park. This was the first time I ventured into the city from my home for a run. It wasn’t bad at all; quite enjoyable in fact.

My route took my down Union Street, over the Gowanus Canal and then a right on Smith Street to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was beautiful on the bridge with clear skies a mild breeze and sweeping views. Not one to waste an opportunity I grabbed a picture with my camera phone.

After the bridge, I ran past the court houses, City Hall, up Lafayette Street to 4th Avenue through Union Square. From there, I ran straight up Broadway. It might seem crazy to run along Broadway, but at the early Sunday hour, very few cars were on the road. I practically had the street to myself. I continued north through Herald Square and Times Square. As I continued forward, I was running almost entirely in shade, being blocked from the sunlight by the canyon formed by the buildings on each side. When I emerged into Columbus Circle, it was if the sky suddenly opened up and I was presented with the sun brilliant open space of the circle and Central Park ahead of me.

As much as Broadway seemed empty, Central Park was packed. Multiple events were going on simultaneously. There was the Scotland run, with several festivity tents, plus the March Madness Biathlon being held on the other side of the park. I had to watch for speeding cyclists zipping past when I crossed the park drive. I arrived with about 40 minutes to spare before the race, so I went directly to the registration tent to sign up, get my number, T-Shirt and to store my junk in the baggage check.

Now fully prepared for the race, I ran another mile or two, since I didn’t quite reach ten miles that I planned to run before the start. It was a perfect plan actually, since I was able to stay warm and loose for the start. I lined up at the 7 minute mile mark with just a few minutes to spare. We were treated to a bagpipe rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.

The run itself was uneventful except for the various Scottish costumes many athletes were wearing. I ran most of the race next to a couple who were wearing Scottish kilts. The woman looked particularly fetching with a plaid sash wrapped around her left shoulder and around her right waist and long auburn pigtails trailing behind her head. We alternately passed each other until the 5 mile mark, where they decided to turn it on and ran ahead of me to the finish. I declined to follow as I was already running hard and I wasn’t supposed to exceed AT during the race.

Of course as the 5 mile mark passed, I slowly started to increase my speed anyway. I was running mostly negative splits and I wanted to make sure I finished strong. For the last .2 miles I let my legs go and strove hard for the finish. I thought I would puke after I crossed and slowed down. An overwhelming sense of nausea gripped me and it took a couple of minutes and many long deep breaths for the feeling to subside.

I decided to skip my 2 mile cool down to look for my family. I soon found them standing off to the side of the road. We were supposed also meet Grandma at the finish, but after searching for her in vain, she finally returned home where she picked up a message from me to call my cell phone. Before we left for Grandma’s house we hung around the Scottish festivities and had my children’s faces painted. We then hung around for the raffle hoping to win the trip to Scotland. My wife did win a Scottish gift bag on a spin the wheel game. We walked to her apartment near York Avenue and had lunch nearby. Afterwards, we walked back to the park for a trip to the Central Park Zoo and later Dylan’s Candy Bar.

I should have asked my wife to bring a change of shoes, as the walking I did later in the day was very hard on my feet. My shoes were made for running, not walking for several hours and by the time we left the city my arches were hurting and my feet felt like a sweaty mess. My children are great walkers though. We must have walked several miles by the end of the day. Our last stop was Dylan’s Candy shop where we loaded up on all sorts of cavity causing junk. My son’s favorite was the Pop Rocks which he quickly devoured on the subway rude home. It was a great day to be outdoors and I was sad for us to be headed home, but it was time to go. For dinner, daddy did the cooking which consisted of a heaping stack of pancakes, veggie bacon and scrambled eggs.

One injury I do have to report from the race is a cracked tooth. I am not sure exactly when I did it, but possibly as I gritted down towards the finish. I skipped a lunch time workout to get it fixed.

Here are the race stats:

Mind-Body Disconnect

Saturday I woke up with not enough sleep, but still eager to do my scheduled 80 mile bike ride. I had to get an early start, since I had plans with my parents around noon time. Unfortunately, I am never very good working out when I do have my requisite 8 hours sleep. As I started my ride, it was soon apparent that my body would not do what my mind was commanding.

From a clinical point of view, I find this mind/body disconnected fascinating as well as frustrating. I kept finding myself slowing down, almost unaware that this was happening. No matter how much I wanted, I just could not get my legs to spin faster or harder, nor raise my heart rate about 63 percent. Rather than go for a third loop of the Prospect Park, I just went home. As I started to climb the stairs to my bedroom, I was sort of stumbling and thought how I was going to ride 80 miles, when I can’t even make it back to bed for a nap.

I did get some riding in later in the day. It was with my children just before dinner time. We rode to a section of the park that we have yet to explore. The place is kind of hidden and had several circular ponds lined up over 200 yards. Each pool served as a perfect racing oval for my kids to have a running race around. I think they are starting to get the competitive spirit, as this was the first time they were eager to race on their own and did so several times. It was a delicate balancing act though, as each child would get upset if they lost to the other. I had to figure out how to handicap the race for my younger son, so that the race would almost always end in a tie. However, if I handicapped too much, then my daughter would get upset about how much of a head start my son got. We spent a few minutes going over good sportsmanship, but at their ages, such lessons don’t really sink in as of yet. Hopefully though, the foundation has been laid.

Union Square

I’ve had occasion as of late to walk around Union Square early on Friday evenings. Each time I am amazed at the number of 20 somethings that are out and about headed to various parties, clubs, bars, etc.

I find it disconcerting to know that I am 20 years removed from this scene. Perhaps this realization is what drives late thirty/early 40 year olds to pursue endurance athletics. It’s a way of showing they still have the stamina to go out and party with the best of them, albeit in a much greater physical sense. It’s as if, yeah I can go out and party all night, but can you post an 11 hour Ironman?

Perhaps it takes more effort to party all night long. I do remember feeling more tired after a night of carousing, than I did after completing an Ironman. Let the 20 year olds go out and poison their bodies with bad food and cheap liquor. I’ll take my nutritionally balanced meal, go to bed and head for the hills on my bike at the same hour the 20 year olds are stumbling home.

I only wish I knew then what I know now. I am sure I would have found it infinitely more satisfying to think back to the races and places I’ve competed, rather than how sick I got after downing too much Tequila.