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. :)

Adjusting to normal life...

Its been difficult adjusting back to my life, pre-triathlon.  I don't feel the desire to eat many of the things I did before, I don't have the energy to stay out with friends past 11pm, and I am officially a lightweight.  These things weren't really apparent when I was training, because it was all part of the training regime, and now that the triathlon is over, its a little bit of a test to see what I am going to pick up.

My back is surprisingly still sore, and a fellow triathlete has said that I need to keep stretching my muscles, especially my hamstrings, and definitely keep working out.  I unfortunately haven't worked out even once since the 18th -- I've been too sore!

I'm hoping that the soreness, and associated weak stomach will go away soon, so I can figure out what my next steps will be.  There's a 10 mile run (race) coming up in Brooklyn called "The Batte of Brooklyn". Might do that!

Thanks to all for your support since I signed up for this crazy adventure.

-Sarah

Week 21: Muscles & Aches!

Yes, I was actually feeling better on Sunday night. Today, my body is just not doing as well. I should go for a massage, but I'm not sure it would be more gain than pain.

I still don't have the energy to do a fully update, so in the meantime, here's a great photo from the race finish! Total time: 3:41:47. (The main clock is from when the first wave went off in the late 5am hour -- I was in the 11th wave at 6:17am.)

I'm A New York City Triathlete!!

Its Sunday night (10pm), and I've been up since 3:45am. I can't believe I haven't taken a nap yet, but the adrenaline has just been churning through my veins I guess.

Regardless, I am now a true triathlete, and was able to complete the 32 mile course of the very humid, and hilly NYC Tri in 3 hours and 41 minutes and 47 seconds. My goal was always to try to finish in under 4 hours, and there were definitely training sessions where I didn't think I'd be able to do it.

I'll provide a better update tomorrow, but just wanted to let everyone know that
1) I'm alive!!!!
2) I beat my expectations and
3) I am grateful for every single person that has supported me on this journey both financially for my fundraising and emotionally.

Its been a rough day, and my nerves are shot. Time to take a well-deserved sleep and get ready for the work week. (i probably should have taken tomorrow off, sigh)

Here's a sneak peak of some of the pictures from today. I have some great friends and coworkers who came out to watch me today, and I want to thank every single one of them for their presence and cheering!

It still hasn't hit me that I'm a triathlete, I did an endurance race, and 20 weeks ago, I couldn't even run a mile without being out of breath (and it would take me about 12-15 minutes to run that mile).

An Awesome Day As Part of Team Yahoo!

Today was a good day. Catherine's father came in to talk to the team about his experience with myeloma. I learned so much today about cancer, the way it has affected Catherine's family, and how amazing of a bond they share.

Today, I cried in front of strangers and coworkers, and honestly didn't care. Dan (Catherine's dad) told us a moving story about his 5 year battle with cancer, and how the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has helped him. To date, we have raised $195,000 for Team In Training and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as TEAM YAHOO.

Appropriately, today also felt a little bit like a Spirit Day. Our team jerseys came in, and I proudly wore mine over my work clothes. I'm not sure if I'll wear my Y! jersey or my Team In Training singlet for the race, but I have a day to test out how the Y! top feels.

Thank you to Catherine and Dan for sharing your stories with us. Thank you to Doug for being an amazing captain, and helping our team fundraise so much, and making Team Yahoo! the amazing experience that it has been so far. Thank you to Jodie for putting all of this together today with Catherine's father, and getting the t-shirt that we signed for him. My message read, "Y!OU'VE KEPT ME GOING". Through all the training and the pain, I know sometimes I have been distracted and have forgotten the true reason I'm doing this. I don't fully remember what it was like when my family lost my dad's brother to cancer, but there are days that I definitely look at my father and wonder what it is like to lose a sibling, an only sibling, and not be able to continue a life with them. Its unimaginable, and the thought makes me feel a helplessness that I cannot describe. I hope the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society can continue to do its good work, and keep more people healthy (or healthier), and keep more families together. I thank all of Team Yahoo! for pushing me to keep training, and to keep fundraising, and to keep being a part of this amazing experience.

I can't believe how close it is...

If you are in New York, please come and watch the triathlon, and come support me! There are 2 critical points in the run portion that supportive words, and people screaming my name will definitely help!
1) The top of the park, Central Park North around 110th street, right before the hardest part of the course. A windy, torturous stretch of uphill mayhem.
2) East 96th Street: Right after the "Northern Woods"/Harlem Hills, when I think my legs are going to give out, and I'm going to be tempted to walk, since I know other around me will be walking. I need to keep running, and I want to!

So, if you're in the NY area, please let me know where you will be watching!!! Here's a guide that i created.... http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=106165244077527675094.00048b6eee1b49806d75e

It isn't every day that I ask for support. It isn't every day that I fish for compliments, and it definitely is not every day that I ask you (my supportive readers) for your feedback and comments! Regardless, since I'm within 2 days of possibly the most nervous, physically challenging experience I've ever had to endure, I'm going to go against everything that makes up who I am. So... leave a comment, a piece of advice, a word of support.... anything will help at this point! I've definitely got some nervous jitters now...