Blogging Hiaitus?? I can fill you in up to the NYC Half...

woops! its been a while! Havent told you folks any stories in a few months... probably should get on that!



Welp, I have been somewhat of a "social butterfly" as my Grandmother would call me. Been constantly on the go, spending and not saving; but enjoying life. Like in the words of my uncle, "nows the time to do it before your old like me. Enjoy it now." hahaha. I laugh everytime I hear that! Seriously, you can enjoy doing wild and crazy and fun spontaneous things anytime. Maybe the recovery time isnt as quick, but ehh... you only live once right?? right!! So, where do I begin? Ohhh I donno... cold morning runs in Central Park? Nahh those are boring. All I ever wanted to do was turn around and go home... this winter was waaaaay tooo long. Couldnt bring myself to train for the Jersey Marathon. Every ounce of interest I had in running went right out the window every time I stepped foot onto the pavement and trotted up the road.. the idea of running in the winter, not for me! (Mental Note for next year!)



I did, however run the NYC Half Marathon! And to my pleasant surprise, it was a perfect day for running. March 21st - 58degrees. Perfect Perfect Perfect running weather. Have to say, was a little skeptical about the race. It was my first "important" race that I hadn't slept in my own bed for starters... (Jac had "Texas" here :-) ) 2nd I got "unexpected" phone calls at 5:30 in the morning.... (not really unexpected, more like typical) and 3rd had a lot of pent up anger that could have gone either way... (some disappointments, annoyances, you name it, it occurred prior to the race.) Sooo to my pleasant surprise, half way through the 1st loop of the park, I realized why would I drag my sorry ass all the way up here if I werent going to give it my all??? I took that negative energy and pushed through it. On my way out of the park, to my pleasant surprise I hear this absurd yell, "GOOO ALICIIAAAAAAAAAA!!!" in this deep voice that could only be one person.. Bernie. He happened to see me running out of the park as he was waiting to cheer his GF on. Thanks Bern! you gave me a good reason to laugh!



The NYC Half Marathon seriously is my favorite race. The course is awesome! I know I talked about it last year, but honestly, when do you get the chance to run through the heart of Times Square, down 42nd St and down the West Side Highway??? Never! Love, love, love! Full speed ahead, down through the finish line all I could think about is a PR (Personal Record). Sure enough... 1:44:24. What now Betches. New PR. by 7 min.



1463 calories burned later (yes according to my Garmin I did actually burn that many calories) time to eat, drink and be merry! Sunday Funday at its finest! Oh and the first day of Spring, yay! The weather was gorgeous, gathered with fellow runners and some good friends I havent seen in a while and enjoyed the fact I could eat and drink whatever I wanted. Gotta love running!! All-in-all this was the motivation I needed to want to get back out on the road... weather permitting, hahaaa



Gosh! I really do have so much to write about! If I told you it all now, then I would have nothing... so stay tuned..



a little preview to come---

A Boozey Brunch and the punishment of running...

Giant Traffic cones.....



talk soon!

xoxo

Lee

On the road again

Welp, its official. I moved to the Upper East Side. I finally hit the pavement again twice in a week! Felt great! Loving my new neighborhood, let alone my new apt and my new fish Moby!

Now, I have to learn the running etiquitte of the UES neighborhood. Who runs on the East River? Who runs in the Park? When do people go? Do they go in pacts or by themselves? I have lots of questions, so I apologize in advance for harrassing people and asking a million questions to my fellow UES neighbors...

Next mission... hating that I dont have a marathon in the near future that I am training for. Yeah I mentioned that I changed my plan and am going to run the Grand Prix in each of the boro's but I still have this mission to qualify for Boston. I know I can do it, but New York isnt until November, and to procrastinate the training until July isnt what I want to do... I need a goal!!!

So - This is where you come into play... I need your opinion. I found a marathon here on the East Coast. Actually in the town of my Alma Mater. Should I do the New Jersey Marathon on May 2nd?? Its at the Shore, in Long Branch, NJ footsteps away from Monmouth University. I havent visited the school, let alone Monmouth County or the Shore in years. What better way to re-visit the place I loved so much, right?? So, SHOULD I DO IT??!!!

Here's the catch.. If I train for this Marathon, I will be training alone, unless I can recruit some people to do it with me... ANY TAKERS????

http://www.njmarathon.org/index.html ** Check out the site! Its close and its on the Beach!!**


feedback is wanted...

It's been a while... Do you miss me?

okay, okay, I know... I have taken a blogging hiaitus. I know its no excuse, but work has been so busy, and the last thing I think about at night is sitting down at my computer, yet again.

So where do I begin?

Well, I have slowly brought my self back into the running circuit. Since the New Year, I have not really ran as much as I would have hoped. Ive had this foot issue that only a little R & R and a new pair of sneakers can cure. So, according to the PT, I have high arches and they werent properly supported. At first, my self-diagnosis (aka WebMD research) I thought I had a stress fracture. At one point, I couldnt even walk barefooted because the pain was so bad... thank goodness I dont take WebMD too seriously. So, after 2 weeks of nursing my foot, I got some arch supports, laced up my shoes and ran the Manhattan Half marathon. And guess what??!! I got a personal best!

Since I dont have any marathon plans this spring, I decided to go an alternate route. I set a goal to complete all 5 Grand Prix races. Thats a Half Marathon in each of the 5 Boros. 1-down, 4-to go! Manhattan is by far the hardest! First of all the race is in Central Park in January.. ouch.. and brrr!!! doing 2 complete loops of the park means Harlem Hill (I curse you Harlem!) twice and Cats hill twice. Killer duuude! The park isnt as flat as you think... its a lot of rolling hills and then those 2 big hills. If you can do 2 loops of the park, you can run anywhere. So on the frigid morning of the 24th, I woke up slightly hung over and tired and conquered the park in record time! 1:51:40 thats almost 3 minutes faster than the half I did this past summer. Maybe I should go to brunch and have several hours of drinking Mimosas more often... OHHH Just kidding! Never making that mistake again. But of course, it surely didnt stop me or anyone else who ran from partaking in Football festivities and a few games of "Dirty Sanchez" (and yes, the game is as bad as it sounds! TEQUILA!!)

Post Half, the knee and foot began throbbing again... instead of being stupid and running through the pain, I took it upon myself to actually fix the issue. Hold off on the running, start spinning, stretching and foam rolling more. The next goal I have is to break 1:50 in the NYC Half Marathon so I dont want to be stupid about my addiction to running.

On another note, Jackie and I moved last weekend! Guess where? Closer to the park, none the less!! Ohh so excited! Not only are we closer to the park, but we are so much closer to all the great people we met training with TFK! No more half hr subway rides to and from a run, no more cutting the social life in half because of a miserable commute back downtown! Our apartment is so flipping cute! I cant even begin to tell you how much happier we both are to be Uptown and away from the roommate we did not get along with... Now... we just need cable and internet... haaa! who knew the Cable guy needs access to the roof to give us cable??? Seriously... never heard of a such thing.

Now that the full NYRR calendar is up, keep posted to the upcoming events!!

xoxo

Lee

you must be crazy!!

I used to make fun of people who ran in the cold, used to think they were nuts. Like they had something seriously wrong with having such desire to run in the cold... but, you know what... its really not that bad!!!

My dad has asked me the past 2 weekends, the same question I would have asked those people I used to consider crazy. "How can you breathe?, Dont your lungs hurt?" My answer, "no you can breathe, its fine, you really dont feel the cold after the first mile or so." And then I get his signature laugh, "haaa" and a "I dont know how you do it."

So after my routine Saturday morning chit chat with Dad, I got to thinking - you know what - running in the cold is actually pretty nice. Yes, it is very cold out. Yes, I cant feel my toes or fingers for a bit. Yes, you do still sweat, and Yes, it does take a while to warm up. But after all the inital whines and cries about being cold, I actually really enjoyed my run. I ran the Ted Corbett 15k in Central Park this past Saturday before the whopper of a snowstorm. The air was still and silent. It was definitely as the saying goes, "the calm before the storm."

Friday night, I took a ride up to NYRR's offices to pick up my bib and souvenier with a fellow runner. Actually, an avid runner and triathlete. On the way up, we talked about how much they loved to run in the cold, that it was his favorite time to run. Meanwhile as Im listening, Im thinking I would never CHOOSE to run in this weather, but I wasnt backing out of the race either. I already paid for it, so I better get my moneys worth!! So - back to saturdays thoughts - I thought about everything we talked about regarding cold weather running. Yeah, its different, but you dont have pounds of sweat running off of you, there isnt any humidity, and... well... there really arent that many runners on the road.

Aside from cold weather running, I realized I have a true passion for running. Now that I am not running with TFK (for the time being - until Spring time) I still keep in touch with some fellow runners. Fellow runners who were supposed to run with me in the bitter cold on Saturday... Its okay I understand. Peoples tolerance for cold varies. So, I wound up running alone. Which is fine because by start time, waiting in the corrals, I am usually not with any running mates anyways. But my point is, I did this on my own. I didnt back out because everyone else did. I wanted to go, I wanted to do it, and I did. And damn, I felt good!!! consistent sub 8:15 miles for 9.3 miles. guess what that means... on track for some major improvement and an achievable goal of qualifying for Boston 2011!!!

Next obstacle... how do you run on Icy grounds??!! :) just kidding... Ill stick to spin and elliptical.. NO INJURIES PLEASE!!!

Oh, P.S. I once again stalked the internet in search for tips for cold weather running and stumbled on a few websites... this one is a fave:

Runners Rescue has great basic tips. Its a great site for people like me who just need the idea of what and what not to do in cold weather.. or just in general when it comes to tips and inforation. check it out! http://www.runnersrescue.com/
http://www.runnersrescue.com/Cold_Weather_Running_Tips.htm

Till the New Years Midnight Run...
xoxo
Lee

winter wowes?

Do you know when things become such a routine, so mundane, you look forward to a change? Well by October, I felt that way about the darn Bridle path in Central Park. I was so ready for a break from that wooded dirt path, I thought I would never miss it.

Once again... I proved myself wrong... In the frigid rainy cold last weekend, I found myself meeting Sid and Asteria for the Saturday morning run. And where else? but the Bridle path! 6 miles of running and all I could think about is maaaannn... I missed this path! Yes, I missed the bridle path the one place that I complained about most this past running season. What I realized was that it really is a runners haven. The rolling hills, the dirt beneath your feet - its so much easier on your knees. Especially in the cold. Believe it or not, running on the road is extremely hard to do in the winter. The ground is frozen, your muscles and joints are cold and stiff so running on the dirt makes it easier both on your joints and muscles and your feet too!



You know what else amazed me out there? The fact that NYC has so many dedicated runners. There were tons of people just like me trying to get their run in before it started to down pour. Huge motivator for me! I am trying to get back into the swing of a running routine, but I hate the cold!!! This definitely helped - if they can do it, why cant I???

Yesterday, I ran the Holiday 4-mile run in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Woah Nelly! Was it cold! 26 degrees to be exact. Strategy for this? "Sprint it out! Its Friggin Freezing!" 5,000 runners were just as crazy as Maggie and I. It was so cold, that when people took the little water cups at the fluid stations, the water was freezing as it hit the ground. It was like a sheet of ice! Coach Neil asked me this question, "so, does this mean your crazy or just dedicated?" (referring trekking it out to Brooklyn in the frigid cold to run.) My response - "CRAZY" But whatever, it was fun! Running in below freezing temperature with sub 7:30 min miles... who can say they did that???



Running in the cold is quite an experience. Especially when I of all people cant stand the cold. So, I run to Runnersworld.com to find out how to run in the cold. 10 tips - I think I listened to 3 of them... Many runners and professionals tell you not layer up, but seriously, how do you not?? I know once I get going and warm up, Im sweating but if I cant get warm Im MISERABLE!!! So, I change right after the run to keep the chill out. Pros tell you not to worry about speed in the winter, its all about maintenance. so, I dont run hard, I just go. Well when I go for that matter. Motivation is so hard in the winter... the best way to stay motivated is to have a partner. Like runners world says, you cant back out if you have a partner. Perfect example, the race yesterday... I totally wouldnt have gone if Maggie wasnt going. Good thing we planned this together... no backing out! Good thing we coordinated to go together!


Hmm.... I wonder what other tips Ill find...





Adios Amigos!


Lee

post-marathon depression

I always hear about this Post-marathon depression. I knew when the marathon was over, I would be.. well.. depressed. For weeks and months, I spent 2 nights a week and either Saturday or Sunday running with TFK, then 2 other nights a week crosstraining. The marathon was my life, the people, the coaches, the park -- and then it ended. Post marathon depression. Yes, Its there.

It is now one month and 3 days after my first marathon and can still say I am looking forward to doing it again next year. I did not run for 4 weeks after the marathon. I aggravated my IT-Band and Dr Long advised me not to run. So I think I was more bothered by the fact that I was told not to basically be stupid and run for a bit, and also because all the sudden, I wasnt trying to cram in work, social life and training all at once. A month later, a 20-lb turkey, Apple cream pie, cherry pie, and mashed potatoes later; I ran. I ran and ran and ran... Probably not the best strategy after not running for weeks, but it just felt so good! So, the good new is... IM BAAACK!!! I have signed up for 3 races so far. December 12th - Holiday 4miler in Prospect park, December 19th - Ted Corbitt 15k in Central Park and (drum roll please...) the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run on December 31st! Yes, you read right... running through the New Year! Why not start it off right??

Cant wait to get back into the swing of things... I miss running. Knowing I can put on a pair of sneakers and tights and pound the pavement allows me to escape the stresses of every day life, enjoy the outdoors and socialize with good friends. So keep posted! theres more coming... I knew it wouldnt be too long before I got back on the road!!

love ya all!!
Lee

Best Day of my Life!

Finally!!! I am able to log onto my computer! One of the keys has been stuck for weeks! Now - Its time to tell you about the greatest day of my life!

Marathon Sunday was by far the best day of my life! It surpasses setting a high school record, it surpasses graduating college, blows out of the water the day I moved out on my own! From the 3rd time I woke up in anticipation of the start of the marathon, I had this overwhelming energy. Even with the lack of sleep the night before from all the excitement, I just felt so happy! I couldnt believe that after all the contemplating of training and eventually running my first marathon, I was actually going to make it to the start that morning of November 1st!

Our Call-Tree went off with no hiccups! 4:30am I get my call from Ally and Im up to call Jesse. Thats it! now I am up and getting ready to go up to the buses. The night before I made sure my clothes were laid out:
- running tights

- Socks and such

- Singlet with my name on it and bib already safety-pinned on

- Sneakers with D-Tag securely fastened

- Arm warmers

- Head warmer

- Throw-away sweats and teeshirt

and bag was packed with everything I needed for race day:

- Powergels

- Advil

- Tums

- Hat/Gloves

- Extra socks

- Change of clothes (post marathon)

- Garbage bags (to sit on at Fort Wadsworth)

- Body Glide

- TP

- Salt packets

- Chapstick
- Extra hair elastics and safety pins

I make my white bread toast with a smidge of Peanut Butter and eat a banana. I toast my bagel and pack another banana with a bottle of water and gatorade for my pre-race snack.

Dressed and ready to go, Jackie and I get blessings and good luck wishes from her mommy ;) Thanks Eva for your love!!! We venture up to 51st and 7th to meet our bus - TFK Bus #1 - AKA- The Party Bus! And it was!! Everyone with huge smiles on their faces chit chatting away about this and that, but NO TALK OF PACE, TIMES, NERVES, NOTHING RUN RELATED! Oh, and yes, there were 'rules of the bus' sent out by my girl Vanessa! good call Vane!

We arrive driving over the spectacular Verrazzano Bridge at Fort Wadsworth Park to massive amounts of people walking around, laying on garbage bags, stretching, trying to keep warm and speaking so many different languages, I never have experienced such a scene. It was like organized chaos. From our walk from the bus to the Team for Kids tent, my nerves were getting the best of me - but in a good way! With excitement building, we all found a nice semi-drier non-muddy spot to lay out our garbage bags and relax for a bit before it was time to head to the start.

Finally... the anticipation of getting to the start is finally a reality!! at 9:20 am, we walk over to stretch and then to drop off our bags to be brought to the finish at the UPS trucks. at 9:40, the corrals open for the 10am start. Anxiously, I walk over with Jesse and a group lead by Coach Glen. We walk into the back of the Blue Corral and slowly make our way to the start while slowly stripping off my layers of sweats, tee shirts, and hat. Crossing the starting line while hearing Frank Sinatra's New York, New York puts such a huge smile on everyones face! Onto the Verrazano Bridge we go! Jesse and I only had strategy for the first 2-3 miles believe it or not! We both agreed that if we hold back on those first initial miles, we were in the clear for the remainder of our journey. So, crossing the start, we take in the views and the headwind of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and make our way into the streets of Brooklyn. Adrenaline pumping, we scope for the photographers and make sure we are in eyesight of getting our photos shot!

Running through the streets of Brooklyn and Queeens, I noticed so many details I would have never seen if I weren't on foot. The differences in neighborhoods - from the storefronts, buildings, size of streets, the people, the sounds and the culture. Its incredible! I never spent much time in Brooklyn or Queens so the excitement I was filled with was only heightened by the people cheering my name and pushing me along was incredible!

This brings me to the hardest part of the race - the Queensboro Bridge. Knowing I have ran this bridge not once, but twice helped me through my rough patch. Approaching the bridge, the crowds seemed to dissipate a bit and then we hit the bridge. It was the quietest part of the whole race. All Jesse and I had to do was make it up and over the bridge, and then we would have the roar of the 1st Avenue crowds to carry the next few miles. Queensboro bridge was dark, cold, and windy. By the time we were on the decline of the bridge, we began to anticipate the noise... down the ramp and rounding around to 1st Ave was AWESOME!! there were crowds 10 people deep; shoulder to shoulder screaming and cheering! OMG! Yes, I did get choked up a bit - no tears - but close! Down First Ave, Jesse and I had our eyes peeled for her roommate, my friends and our families. I cant believe all the spectators! I was in awe at how many people were out on the streets partying it up while 42,000 runners pounded the pavement! Surprisingly, I saw so many more familiar faces than I thought I would! Jess, Jared and Brian were the first crew of people I saw coming down First. Not even knowing they were there, I hear this familiar voice start screaming my name. It was Jess as I quickly ran past. I turned around to see if that was her, and quicky pulled U-turn to go over and say hi! Seeing them made my day! They came from Jersey and CT to see me for all of 30 seconds, now those are friends! Thanks guys for making the hike and fighting off the crowds!!

Continuing down First, Jesse saw her roommate and her friends, I saw more friends and slowly became concerned that I wasnt going to find my family and Whitney. I told them to be on the left West side of the Ave and to be in the 80's... as the 80's were ending, and I got to 90th Street, I can see these absurdly bright green signs with my name on it, and I knew I found them! Arms up in the air, yelling and screaming I went diving into them!!! I couldnt believe how many of them came! Dad, Brandon, Unkie, Bernadette, Cousin Gene and Lydia, and of course - my bestest - Whitney!!! Bearing powergels, water and mini milky ways, they quickly tried rushing me down the road... after hugs and kisses and thank you's, I took off down First.

The crowds started dissipating after that, and then I saw to my surprise, Maggie! She was volunteering at the 96th Street fluid station! My other running chica! Due to her stress fracture, she couldnt run... I cant believe she is so dedicated to New York Road Runners! She still volunteered her time! Thanks for the agua Mags!

At the Willis Avenue bridge, it seemed as if tons of runners "hit the wall". People were stopping dead in their tracks bottle-necking the traffic behind them. I had to bob and weave through the crowds from the Willis Avenue bridge through the Bronx and over the Madison Avenue bridge. This was my strongest part of the race, so it was hard to keep momentum up when people were stopping left and right. Running into Harlem, I find Coach Asteria. She runs with me for about a block, hands me a tablet of electrolytes and tells me to take it with water. Apprehensively, I hold onto it until I find Coach Sid! Gotta love Sid! Seriously, he is the biggest motivator on the course! Smile from ear to ear, he gives me a high five, asks me how I feel and tells me Im doing great! He tells me, to keep up the pace, I look strong and not to run with anyone else the rest of the race, I have it from here. He leaves me to go find others, and I take off! Down Fifth Avenue, I run into Dimitri... he's walking... the workhorse is walking. I of course get concerned, try some words of encouragement and then see the pain in his face. He turns to me and says, "I cant, it hurts so much!" Of course I dont want to leave him in so much pain, but he pushes me along, telling me not to stop because he is. Even though, I hate to see a teammate in pain and alone, I continue on my journey.

at 110th street, I know where I am - that constant 1-mile incline to 90th street. I think to myself, I have done this before, I have been told how to run it, JUST DO IT!. I put my head down, shorten my stride and pound it out! 96th, 95th, 94th thinking - when is this going to end??? I see the turn into the park! I am almost there! Done! Finally!!! The last toughest part of the race is done!!! Into the park through Columbus Circle and up to Tavern on the Green - Thats it, thats all I had left! The crowds are about 8 people deep now, cheering us on! Signs reading beers are less than 2 miles away, signs saying why quit now?

Going through the park and into Columbus Circle, I was a mess. My emotions were on such a roller coaster! My mind was mush and it was teetering from bizarre thoughts of Am I really doing this right now is this a dream, to Am I going to make it, to do I feel my toes or am I just imagining that they are numb? It was weird. So weird. I was laughing and crying all at once. And then I see the fountain in Columbus circle and see the sign that the finish is about 500 meters away and it seemed as if all that crazy thought seemed to disappear! I see the finish and the smile on my face couldnt be any bigger! I put my arms in the air and cross!!! Instantly, I break down into tears! (oh, and PS. I am crying right now writing this - re-living that moment, INCREDIBLE!!) I couldnt believe I had accomplished something so big, something so real, something that I never would have ever imagined doing! The sense of accomplishment and self revelation was so overwhelming, I just cried and cried (with a huge smile on my face of course!) I am handed a medal, then a blanket, then a bag of food. I find my way to Cherry Hill where my coaches and teammates re-group post-race. Everyone with smiles on their faces and blankets wrapped around them we congratualte eachother and share our times, stories and of course snap a few photos!

Post-race tent is a bit of a blur. I cant really tell you much about that. So, I exited the park to find my family and came across a woman who looked so tired and confused. She couldnt find her husband. With her voice shaking and cracking, she asks if she could borrow my cell phone, and of course I let her. She was so worked up, she couldnt even dial the numbers, so I dial for her and hand her the phone. She instantly starts crying when she finds out where he is and says, "Ok wait for me dont move, Ill be right there". She hangs up and starts thanking me a 100 times over. I of course start crying again because I dont know what I would have done if that was me - no cell phone and couldnt find my family. As I reunite with the fam, they hug me and congratulate me and cant tell me enough how proud they are of me! And of course, my big italian family - all they want to do is feed me!

A few photo snpas after, the clan takes the adventure with me all the way back to my apartment. They sit and relax for a bit while I take a bath full of Ice. That ice bath was probably the best thing ever! my legs felt like Jello and I knew they would be killing me on Monday, so I toughed it out for as long as I could. The numbness was painful pleasure!

So, after I finally got myself together, I sat and chatted the afternoon away. Shared my roller coaster ride of emotions, thanked everyone, viewed the pictures they took and of course they had to make sure I ate and drank to replenish myself! shortly after, they left and Brandon and I started drinking beers watching football. Yes, an ideal sunday afterall.. little 26.2 mile run, food, beers and football!!! Thanks Bran for sticking around!!!

Trying to be the CHAMP that I am, Jackie Brandon and I ventured to our post-marathon gathering at Slate. Dazzled with our bling-bling medals, fellow TFK'ers and I took shots of what other than, Patron (Bitches!) and toasted to our accomplishments. A couple of celebratory cocktails later, everyone's high came crashing down... The tiredness sank in and I called it a night...

November 1st, 2009 will go down in Blondie history as her single most remembered day of her life! Thank you all of my supporters! Thank you everyone who donated, thank you for all the good lucks and thank you thank you thank you for following me though this journey!

In the beginning of all of this, I mentioned I would be tracking my efforts on my first marathon journey - well its not going to end here! I am doing this again! My next goal - QUALIFY FOR BOSTON! I dont know if it will be a 2010 show, but it will definitely be a 2011 event!

Official finish time: 3:53:10

Official NYTimes finisher: 12,041

peace out!

-Lee

xoxo