Christmas Eve Run!

Today, I ran 6.2miles through the streets of Tokyo! I arrived last night after a long flight from New York to Seattle to Tokyo, and the first thing I did this morning was lace up and hit the streets.  The jetlag is a little rough, and I was up at 5am, but it made the run feel all the more intense and awesome.  

Winding down the main street in Shinagawa, I spotted Tokyo Tower.  Growing up, Tokyo Tower was always visible from my bedroom window.  Literally, 13+ years of my life, I saw countless sunrises and sunsets with Tokyo Tower in my view. 

I ran with my cousin Abe, who recently and since Thanksgiving of running with me, has decided that he misses running as well.  Before long, he'll be faster than me, but until then, I get to lead :). We took a bit of a scenic and mellow pace to the tower, which took us 25minutes to get to from the temporary apartment we're calling our family home base.  Japan isn't really a place where you see a ton of people running on the street, and people naturally don't really gain weight here, so it was a little bit challenging to be weaving around people that weren't really used to seeing runners on the street.

To be continued...

Thank you, Team In Training

It's a cold and rainy day in New York, I'm still working, but it's okay, because I know I'll have my Team In Training family to run with tomorrow AM, and for a million Wednesdays and Saturdays to come.  We run together, we cry together, we brunch together, and we do it for an awesome cause... killing cancer every step of the way.

[Picture is from a 5-miler I recently did at Central Park.  I was in the 6000s wave, and honestly unexpectedly managed to PR and pass a ton of people in the 5000s.  This is my happy running face. :) ]

A year ago, I was hurt, I couldn't run, and my ankle looked like an elephant's foot (soccer game sprain, some of you will remember me screaming bloody murder!).  This year, I'm running faster than ever, I have a confidence that makes me question how I ever thought it wasn't possible to feel like this again, and when I take a second to sit down, breathe, and think about everything I've accomplished physically and mentally, I know that most of my happiness and better outlook on life is from Team In Training.  (I can't go saying my pre-TNT friends haven't made my life better!)  It's been a whirlwind year with a ton of emotion and wildness, but Team In Training is really what keeps me grounded, balanced, and smiling while I run.

I donate to Team In Training on a regular basis now.  It's being a part of my life and a part of who I am and who my friends are.

Support the amazing cause, kill cancer with me, and feel better all the while.  :) And... come join me for a run, or a swim or a bike ride!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/immontre14/bklynsarah

PS. I'm now officially signed up for every single race I mentioned I'd be racing in 2014.
New Orleans Half Marathon, Mont Tremblant 70.3 Half Ironman, NYC Triathlon, and NYC Marathon.

How cool is my family?

This last Thursday (Thanksgiving!) I ran my very first Turkey Trot. My cousin Rahul now lives in the US and he ran it with me, as did my cousin Abe. It was a momentous occasion for all of us, each in out own way. My first trot and a 5-miler Personal Record, Abe's first big run in 14 years (he last did this exact same Trot in 1999), and Rahul's first Thanksgiving! They were total champs for sticking with it, in feels like 15*F weather, and Abe even wore shorts.

Rockland Lake 5-Miler Turkey Trot
Yes, this is what I look like wearing two pairs of pants, two sweatshirts, and gloves with handwarmers in them. :) My cousin Abe and I may be related, but our blood apparently runs at very different temperatures! 

It was cold, I had worn too many layers, and I began to sweat pretty hard pretty early on. I had bought a balaclava on Wednesday which I really wanted to use, but it was excessive with my hat and hood.  It quickly fell out of my pocket, and it's rescue story after the race is a good one. :) that'll be a good memory for a while. 

Abe was ahead of me for a while, but his shoelaces got untied (thank you quick laces!) and I was able to catch up.  We ran together for the latter half of the race, and then I got ahead slightly around mile 4 1/2.  I knew we were going fast and since I had spent the first two miles trying to catch Abe, I knew my muscles and lungs weren't too happy with me.  I took it easy, didn't push to hard when I saw the fake finish line (there was a full 400 yards till the actual finish) and I crossed that finish line in 47:01, with Abe nudging me on my shoulder. :) I beat him on the official race clock by exactly one second and I know he is and will always be in better shape than me, so it made me feel good!

Hot chocolate at the finish line, could barely feel my face or fingers but it felt gooood. And so proud of my cousin Rahul, who I went back for so that I could run him to as close as the finish line as possible. 

And Sat, we ran again. :) Abe ran 7miles with a fellow mentor and one of my mentees while I stuck with Rahul for 6.5 miles! What am amazing and inspiring family I have, and it was the perfect way to spend a holiday about being thankful.

And then, my dad ran his second half marathon. Seriously. It's so cool that I'm getting my family into all this running and racing business. Holy wows.

Balaclava!

And so proud of my Dad!!!