Baby steps!

Today was the first group run that I was able to attend. It was a great feeling, sprinting across Columbus Circle to join the swarm of people gathered by the main fountain at the entrance of Central Park. It is moments like this that I need to take more time to stop and take in. I am lucky. I have a blessed life, and I live a pretty awesome New York City life. We gathered in the dimming light of a great New York City sunset, with temperatures in the 70s. We completely missed winter, and the weather was beautiful.

Two years ago when I did the triathlon, there was a man named Ken who I used to see at several workouts, and on more than one occasion, spoke about his reason for doing the NYC Triathlon. His daughter was diagnosed with Hodgkin's, and as a family, they competed in the NYC tri, many tri's ago. I don't even know how many triathlons Ken has done at this point, but both he and his daughter are an inspiration. Today, Ken's daughter spoke during the mission moment. She'll be finishing college this year, and promised to come train with us once she was out of school. She called the triathlon a family event. I think its fantastic.

It is really beginning to feel like that for me. My own little NYC family of people of all shapes, sizes, colors, personalities, backgrounds, etc. We all have our stories, and we are all in the triathlon together. While TNT is a great way to get into shape for an event, it really is a whole lot more, and the fundraising is just one part, but  a major part of it. We are all blessed with the lives we lead, and for most of us, we are disease free, still experiencing life for all its worth, and have the flexibility to do anything. I'm happy to say that I have personally donated to the cause of LLS, and know that I really am a part of saving lives.

Today, we ran about 30minutes at a slow jog, before stopped in the open parking lot behind what once was the most fantastic location of a NYU semi-formal I went to (Tavern on the Green).  Again, more surrealness.  We did a half hour of lunges, squats, and baby running steps. (Literally, we ran in place, barely taking our feet of the ground, for a good 10 minutes.)  Then we did the same motion, edging forward across the parking lot, looking like a bunch of crazies moving in slow motion horizontally, and yet our feet moving at incredibly fast paces. We focused on relearning what its like to run and our foot placement, and really focused on those small details.  This time around, I'm really going to try to be the best I can be.  No cutting corners, no partying like a mad woman on a Saturday night and thereby nullifying all the hardwork I would have done that morning.  I'm in it, 2012, and I'm going to really invest in myself here.  It might take baby steps, and relearning everything I ever thought was right, but I'm really excited about what I can do.

Fun metrics of the day:

• Third day straight of working out for more than 30minutes (not sure when I last did this - 2010?)
• 1 day till my parents get here, and 3 days till my brother gets here, and...
• 3 days till I leave for Peru, with my entire immediate family & one lucky cousin!
• Fundraising is at 5% (I get an alumni discount on how much I have to raise, so I'm getting to that $2650 goal!)

First run of the season!

It has been really cold out these last couple of days, and with my seasonal winter ashthma, I have been making what the coaches call 'smart healthy decisions' to opt out of running outside. I've also been making excuses on how to get out of running indoors as well, ie cleaning my apt inside of running because of the impending visit from my parents and my upcoming trip to Peru requires more of my focus.

With that thought, I willed myself out of bed this morning to go for my first run! I am thrilled at how I paced:

1 mile = 8min 33sec
2 miles = 17min 58sec
3 miles = 28min 19sec
Overall pace = 9.4min/mile

I slowed down a little since it has probably been about 2 years since I ran 3miles (lame, I know), but I also had set the machine to cool down for the last 5minutes!!

You know you never regret a workout, and this one definitely makes me confident that I am going to have a really strong triathlon season!

Kickoff!

It's official, the triathlon traing season has officially micked off! And I am officially signed up for the NYC Triathlon!

So far I haven't done a whole lot of training yet, but I am prepping my body for a serious 15 weeks of training. I'm definitely eating better and Monday was the first swim practice. I am okay and can do the lengths but I was getting shooting cramps up my toes, feet and lower legs, and it was definitely not a good feeling.

Regardless, I am in it for this amazing cause, and my goal this year is to be a smarter, better athlete, and really commit to the workouts and the schedule. Who knows, this may be the year that I even begin to look like a triathlete!

Its good to see a lot of the old friends and faces back...
Kelli and Mo are both back in Brooklyn, and former colleague, Mark is my mentor this year. Lonergan, who was a first timer with me in 2010 is back as our super energetic co-captain, so I know having them all together is going to motivate me to do well. Of course, not everyone is back (jeanne, i already miss you!) but I am going to make the best of this season, even with all the traveling I have coming up!

That's all for now!

Kicking myself into shape!

So, its true, i ended up not doing the triathlon last year, and pretty much since April 2011, stopped working out altogether. 2012 will be the year that i reclaim back my life in many ways. In this time of reflection (as january is for most people), i have decided to sign up for a variety of activities to kick myself (literally!) into shape. Today, i took my first kickboxing class, and it was a reminder of how much of a natural athlete i am. Igot somekudos from the MMA teacher, snd really felt great walking out of thst class after learning how to do jabs, hooks, roundhouse and side kicks. There is a feeling of empowerment that i am riding on right now, that i think also come from being a single woman in a large city. With my boxing gloves in tow, i left the class feeling reslly good. I have also signed up for a course tsught by an Israeli army trainer, and plan on taking as many classes as i can before it time to kick into gesr with triathlon training.

The fun runs have already started for triathlon alumnus, but i might hold off till it warms up a bit more. In the meanwhile, i think israeli army training tactics and kickboxing will keep me plenty busy. :) thats all for now. Until next time!

Why is it still so cold?

Combined in the last 2 days, I have run a total of 5 miles in approximately 60 minutes.  That's not bad considering that I haven't done significant runs lately.  I've worked out approximately twice a week for the last month but I'm still not feeling all that great about my energy, metabolism, or shape. 

I'm dying for it to warm up, and I'm thrilled that triathlon season is rolling around.  There is a strong chance that I will not be able to compete in this year's triathlon, but I will do my best to be a part of the team and push them onwards as they train.  I'm in a wedding the day as a bridesmaid the day before the triathlon, and I do not know if I will be able to take part, or if its a stress my body will be able to handle. 

We'll have to see.  In the meantime, I'm going to keep training and trying to get into shape!

Its going to be a happy new year!

2011.  I never thought we'd get here.  It sounds so futurist, Twenty-Eleven.

I'll admit, I'm a little sad that I let this blog get stale.  I really was into it with the triathlon training and the couple of months after that.  Unfortunately, I didn't have too much to update the world on.  I tried to keep the exercising going, but it just wasn't happening.  I felt like I had missed out on too many Friday nights and too many birthday parties, that I really just wanted to let lose and have a little fun.

I started running again about 3 months after my last race, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.  It didn't last long, since I had an epic trip planned with my parents to go away to Egypt.  More to come on that, but it was a fantastic trip, where the last thing I thought about was my cubicle back in NYC. We were walking everyday and exhausted by the early evenings.  After Egypt, it was off to Singapore to spend Christmas with my entire immediate family.  A rare and wonderful thing, and definitely a change from last year.

I was in Singapore for 1 week and managed to squeeze in 2 good workouts (one with each parent) between the eating, the jetlag, and the being out and about in the city.  After Singapore, it was off to India for 1 week, where I managed to do 2 full boot camp workouts with my Australian cousins.  One of my cousins is training for the Berlin Marathon, so he was pretty serious about it.  I can, with very little doubt, say that I'm almost 100% sure that the people of my grandmother's little town have never seen the sight they say.  4 athletes running through the dusty roads of Thiruvalla, Kerala (South India), with one of them being a white man, two being female (women working out in India? in public? totally unheard of), and one being a 6'4" indian giant built like a rugby player wearing extremely short spandex shorts. I love my family. :)

It was a good trip, with a good kick in the pants that I need to kickstart my energy and workout regime.  2011, here I come.

A little marathon on my mind...

Today, I went out, watched and supported the ING New York City Marathon.  I personally knew 4 people that were running, all of which were between 1 to 9 years older than me.  It seems like this is the age to do races!


So, today, I signed up for the New York City Half Marathon!  Wish me luck!  *update: I didn't make the lottery, the half-marathon was screwy this year for New Yorkers, so they are actually refunding everyone their application fee*

14 miles on my bike...

I've missed my bike. I haven't really ridden her in a good 2 weeks, and it was time.  I took her for a spin meandering through the streets of Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, checking out the sites and a neighborhood that I am very much unfamiliar with.  After I got bored with that (and paranoid about getting a flat), I cruised on over to Prospect Park and did a quick 3.35 mile loop, and then headed back to my place. 

Its getting a lot darker a lot earlier now, so I think its time I invest in some low-light safety gear for both myself and my bike.

Battle of Brooklyn!

Today, I ran the most I have ever run.

I ran (and walked a bit, I'll admit) 10 miles in the JackRabbit Sports' Battle of Brooklyn 10-Miler Run!  It was 3 full loops of Prospect Park, and was a pretty good race.

It was humid, it was sweaty, it was a little painful, and it was worth all $20 of it. :) I have a small blister on the bottom of my foot. I'll admit that my new Aasics haven't gotten more than 4 miles on them at a time, since I purchased them last month.  I also haven't run more than 4 miles since the triathlon, so keeping an 11:28 pace for the race was pretty good.  I actually don't run at that pace, I run much faster -- I just don't have the stamina and endurance to keep going, especially with my back, my ankles/knees, and then the cramps and blister that were developing from about mile 5. 
Today's race was probably the most low-budget race I will ever run.  The race number bibs didn't have the race's name or any design on them, so I took the liberty of designing my own "Battle of Brooklyn" logo.

A few coworkers and friends also ran the race, and I recognized a few faces from Team In training for the triathlon, so it really makes me feel like I'm actually beginning to get "in" with the racing community.  I feel great despite getting up at 6am, and burning about 1,300 kilo-calories! I'm going to see how long I can go without a nap today.

Thanks again for all of your support this year.  This is probably my last (and third) race of the summer.

1. June: Staten Island Flat As A Pancake, Sprint Triathlon, 16 miles
2. July: New York City Triathlon, Full Triathlon, 32 miles.
   (Pictures are now posted from the NYC TRI event!)
3. August: Battle of Brooklyn Run, 10 miles

The training never ends!

Here are a few highlights of the past weeks since the triathlon:

1) I decided 1 race was not enough.  I needed more.  I've signed up for a 10 mile race, which is next week.  Its the first annual "Battle of Brooklyn", and I'm assuming a 12-minute mile average, and therefore a goal of 2 hours.  This is based on the fact that I run a 9:45mile, but don't have the endurance to keep going at that pace.  I don't have the ability to go slower - I just tend to walk a bit every so often. The race starts at 8am next Sunday, and I *hope* I'm done by 10am!

2) I was deathly sick for about a week, a week after the triathlon.  I could eat, I didn't want liquids, I was a complete mess.  I heard that a guy from my high school who also did the tri had to go to the ER for some weird dehydration issues. He's okay now, but it really makes me wonder if my sickness was really due to bad seafood I had a week after the tri, or if it was somehow Hudson related.

3) The Yahoo! matches came in for my donations!!  I am officially at over $1000 over the fundraising minimum!!  I'm still waiting on a few more matches to come through, but this is amazing!!   THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR DONATIONS!! I promise I will get my thank you note out soon.

4) I've been trying to reclaim my social life, while not going too hard, and still remembering that I have this 10 miler coming up.

5) I'm still losing weight, but I'm still looking toned.

6) My back is still out of whack, and I don't know how much longer I want to go without seeing a back doctor.  really, I'm not sure if I just need a really good massage.

7) Me and the guy from my high school (we randomly recognized each other at a Team In Training group training session!) got featured in our high school's monthly photostream!  How cool is that?  A fellow ASIJer had come to watch us and cheer for us, and got this awesome picture. :)