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Cherry Tree 10 Miler & Cut Back Week

February 24th, 2012 | Posted by Lindsay Runs in Blog Posts | Race Recaps - (8 Comments)

On Sunday, I trekked down to Brooklyn (/got a ride there so I wouldn’t have to take the subway, thanks Alex & Steve!) to run the Cherry Tree 10 Mile race. I didn’t really have a plan going into it beyond getting in at least 18 miles for the day and having the race be my workout for the week. I’m definitely not in racing shape and after traveling during the week, I was a bit beat.

The later 10am race start in Prospect Park was nice, so I woke up at 8, ate a decent breakfast & drank coffee (a must!) before heading down to the school to pick up our bibs and do a quick warmup.

We covered around 2.75 miles before heading to the start– my legs were really tired and just felt heavy. We started off the race a bit further into the crowds, with plans to start out conservatively and go from there.

Cherry Tree 10 Miler, Prospect Park Brooklyn, 2/19

Alex & I ran together the entire race until she pulled away from me the last time up the hill– it was so nice to have company! Our splits were relatively steady around 6:45, with a few quick ones on the flat/downhill miles and slower on the uphills. Honestly, I don’t mind Prospect Park at all, and don’t think the hill is that bad compared to Central Park. Sure, it’s long and I kinda wanted to die the 3rd time up it, but the rest of the park’s terrain is pretty forgiving.

My final chip time was 1:06:13, for an average pace of 6:38ish. I’m pretty happy with this effort considering how heavy my legs felt and that I wasn’t well-rested. But, sure does make doing 16.2 more miles just 10-12 seconds per mile slower sound really, really daunting.

A big CPTC crew ran back over the Manhattan Bridge, making the cooldown go by much faster than if we logged another few loops in the park. I covered 18.25 miles total for the day and rehydrated with the team a few hours later:

CPTC @ Loreley's

All the sudden I found myself extremely drunk before 8 p.m. on a Sunday. So much for taking it easy this weekend :)

I had planned this week to be a cut back week in terms of mileage, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to take it or not. I want my schedule to be flexible depending on how I’m actually feeling vs. what I planned, and what if my legs were feeling good? Well, my legs were still sore into Wednesday due to the race and wearing flats, so a cut back week it is.

I’d like to get in around 40 miles still including a long run of 18, with no workout this week. Someone asked why I don’t step back my long runs, too. For me, I’d rather gradually build up my long runs linearly (14, 16, 16, 18, 18, 20, 20, 20) instead of breaking them up with a scaled down long run. With only so many weeks ’till Boston, I want to try to get in as many long runs as possible, and stepping it down to a week would take away from that, you know? Instead for my cut back week, the long run is essential but I take a few more rest days and nix the workout to give my legs a break. Maybe that’s wrong, I’m open to suggestions :)

I also wanted to use this week to catch up on sleep and recharge my body to get me through the next 4 hard weeks until the taper. Unfortunately for my body, but fortunately for me, work has been keeping me super busy between meetings, projects, presentations, etc. so I haven’t slept and relaxed with ‘me’ time as much as I’d like. But I am so lucky to be doing something I love, and I definitely focus better when I’ve got more on my plate. No complaints.

After this cut back week, I hope to hit totals of 60, 60, 65 and 65 before backing off for the taper. Maybe more, maybe less. 4 weeks of hard work ’till Boston…April 16th, are you here yet?

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2012 Goals

January 4th, 2012 | Posted by Lindsay Runs in Blog Posts - (22 Comments)

Happy 2012, everyone! I spent New Year’s Eve in South Beach Miami doin’ the whole club/table/bottle thing and had a blast. I left the trip on such a high (natural one, promise) because I had so much fun with our group of 10.

Honestly, I was a bit unsure of how the trip was going to go, as going on vacation to spend NYE with an ex isn’t ideal. But I kept positive the entire time, focused on letting go and just tried to be myself and have fun. Maybe it was all the booze, tanning on the beach, or nonstop dancing on NYE, but I felt content and simply happy. 

What a way to ring in 2012! I have a feeling it’s going to be a good year.

Now that it’s January 4th, I’ve had a few days to think about my goals for 2012. Last year, most of my 2011 goals were concrete and measurable. I know the standard approach to setting goals is to make them S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, timely), but I’m feeling mostly abstract for 2012.

2012 Goals

  • Break 3:00 in the Marathon
    • Yep, this is concrete. I’m a bit nervous to say this given my motivation for Boston 2012 is lacking (more on that later), and I’m split on registering for a fall marathon. But I need to go big here and remind myself I can and will achieve this.
  • Break 1:24 in the Half-Marathon
    • I’m not currently signed up for any half-marathons (I didn’t register for the NYC Half, one of my favorite races), but I want to lower my PR of 1:24:23 set last year March.
  • Complete the Boston2BigSur Challenge
    • I’m registered for the Boston2BigSur Challenge, running Boston and then Big Sur two weeks later. I dropped the $$$ to do this, but need to hold myself accountable and not back out from either.
  • Live alone
    • This is something I’ve been thinking about more recently. I’ve lived in the same apartment since June 2009 with two fabulous roommates that I love. I love the Upper West Side, my room is huge, it’s affordable and has an elevator and laundry in the basement. I don’t mind having roommates at all, actually enjoy the company, but really think that living alone would be a good thing for me. In NYC, studios are pretty $$$$ so I need to hold myself accountable at the end of August when my lease is up, and not stay because it’s cheaper & more convenient. Not excited about dropping major bucks, but I’ve been saving and want to do this for myself.
  • Stop biting my nails
    • Same as 2011. Maybe one day….?
  • Be more spontaneous
    • I was going to say “do one spontaneous thing each week”, but planning spontaneity is a bit of an oxymoron. I want to say ‘yes’ to doing and trying more new things, like “Yes Man” style but not as intense. It’ll widen my experiences greatly. First up- said YES to joining an Intramural Dodgeball League, which should be interesting.
  • Live in the moment and be more ‘present’
    • Simply taking a few moments to look up from my phone and experience what’s going on, taking off my iPod while walking around and starting to actually listen, stop trying to distract myself/pass the time and enjoy the present.
  • Strengthen friendships
    • Make a better effort to hang out with friends more often, whether for a night out, quick coffee, or run. Call friends who live far away to catch up. Travel to see friends who live far away. Surround myself with the friends that make me happy, and hopefully meet new ones, too!
  • BE HAPPY.
    • I want to be the best version of myself. I want to be continuously inspired, remain optimistic, keep my head high, look at the good in situations, remind myself that there’s always tomorrow, not take myself too seriously and laugh often. I want to go with the flow and be more flexible and proactive. It’s silly to think I’m going to be happy 110% of the time, all I’m working towards is having a smile on my face more often than not and feeling good about the decisions I make.

And now, for a few inspirational pins from my newest obsession, Pinterest. Cheers to 2012, friends!

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Goodbye, 2011!

December 31st, 2011 | Posted by Lindsay Runs in Blog Posts - (6 Comments)

I’ve enjoyed the last few days of 2011 with this view:

I’m down in sunny Florida near Miami Beach with a group of college friends, and we’ll be ringing in 2012 at a club in South Beach. While 2011 was a good year, mostly, I am more than ready for 2012 to get here.

2011 was an interesting one. I decided to own my decisions and go for what I wanted.  After much resistance, I let myself fall back in love and a few months later, got my heart broken. After two years, I got promoted at my old job. Then, the stars aligned and I started a new dream job. I ran my second NYC marathon. I ran a 5 minute half-marathon PR. I made new running friends and NYC finally started to feel a bit more like home. I closed out the year happy. 

With all of these changes, good and bad, 2012 is shaping up to be a pretty good year. I have a lot to be thankful for and I’m ready for a fresh year!

About a year ago, I set out some goals for 2011. I acknowledged goals are always a work in progress, and tried to make them simple, concrete and actionable. Mid-way through 2011, I checked in to see how I was faring. Now that we’ve only got a few hours left in 2011, let’s see how I fared.

  • Run a sub-1:28 half-marathon.
  • Run around  a 3:00 marathon.
    • That was vague, way to go Lindsay. While I had really wanted to break 3:00 this year, a new 1 minute PR and 3:03 will have to count.
  • Go to the gym or do “extras” 2x/week
    • Was pretty good about this at the start of 2011, but definitely not consistent. Strength training is always a work in progress for me.
  • Stop biting my nails!
    • Fail. Let’s be honest, I’ll probably never stop completely.
  • Floss regularly.
    • I can say I definitely got a lot better here! Maybe not daily, but pretty frequently. Go dental hygiene.
  • Do a tempo, interval or speed training once/week
    • Thanks to joining CPTC, workouts became a regular part of my training again! Proud to say this was a success. In 2010, I barely did any workouts, even when training for a race.
  • Eat cleaner & more fresh foods
    • I definitely amped up my fruit & veggie consumption in 2011, and cut down on the junk I eat. And while it’s an ongoing struggle, I’ve also become a more mindful eater this year!
  • Dismiss negative energy.
    • Proud to say I’ve become a much more positive person throughout 2011. I’ve always been pretty laid back and optimistic, but for some reason I started to drift from that in 2010. 2011 brought it back!

Overall, I’d say I fared pretty well. I need a few more days to think about what I want to achieve in 2012, but I have a feeling it’ll be a good year.

How was your 2011? Did you achieve your 2011 goals/resolutions? What are you looking forward to most about 2012?

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‘Tis The Season

December 23rd, 2011 | Posted by Lindsay Runs in Blog Posts - (5 Comments)

TGIF! It’s Friday and I finally headed out of the city back home to NJ for Christmas this afternoon. It’s starting to feel like Christmas time which I love. I’m thankful to only live a 35 minute train ride out of the city, as braving the crowds of Penn Station was torturous enough. I’m excited to spend a lot of QT with my mom and sister, relaxing and enjoying the holiday after a pretty busy week.

On Monday, my colleague and I rented a ZipCar and drove 4-5 hours to upstate NY for a meeting at the Chobani plant in South Edmeston. We stayed at the cutest hotel in Hamilton, NY called the Colgate Inn, which is about 30 minutes from the plant.

Chobani Plant

On Tuesday, I got my first tour of the plant which was so cool! I didn’t know what I expected, but it was a lot different than what I’d pictured. We got to go into the depths of the plant, and the coolest part was seeing where they strain out the whey. The plant has expanded a lot in the last 4 years as the company has grown, but it’s still hard to believe that it’s all produced right there in farm country.

I was pretty beat from the weekend, travel, and driving so I didn’t run at all Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.  The weather was so unseasonably warm yesterday, I had to hit the roads. In a t-shirt and shorts, nonetheless!

Hello first day of winter. While my pace was pretty good, I struggled aerobically which indicates I’m terribly out of shape and have no base. I should probably start running more than twice a week, oops?

Last night, I went on a little dinner date (yes, a date!) at the newest outpost of The Meatball Shop in the West Village. It’s just as cozy and small as the Lower East Side location, but luckily we only had a 5 minute wait for dinner around 6:30. Since I can’t commit to just one ball (ha), I got the sliders (spicy pork w/ spicy meat sauce, veggie w/ mushroom sauce, and special lamb meatballs with pesto sauce) along with a market salad with pomegranate seeds!

And of course, we just had to split an ice cream sandwich with the specials of the day: Gingerbread ice cream with chocolate peppermint cookies. Yummmmm. The food was good, but I have to say, the company was even better :) As you know, fall was a little rough in the love department. I am happy to report that I’m finally actually enjoying this whole ‘being single’ and ‘dating’ thing. I’m in a really good place right now, unsure of the future, but couldn’t be happier about it. A few months ago, I never thought I’d feel this way.

One of my goals for 2012 is to strengthen my friendships and surround myself with people that make me happy. I mentioned this before, but I’m so lucky & thankful to finally feel like NYC is home, largely due to the old & new friends I’ve made here. I want to keep in touch with friends near and far more regularly, appreciate them more, and spend more time with them. To kick off the holiday season, I’m headed out to Casey & Matt’s house in NJ tonight to hang out with a small group of college girlfriends. On Monday, I’m heading back out to my old town Basking Ridge for a little reunion with high school friends, and then Wednesday I am off to Miami for New Year’s Eve in South Beach with a big group of college friends. Lots of plans, lots of fun!

Highlight of your week? Plans for the holidays?! Thoughts on Facebook Timeline? I just updated it and I kinda love it.

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2011 NYC Marathon Recap; 3:03:37

November 9th, 2011 | Posted by Lindsay Runs in Blog Posts | Race Recaps - (41 Comments)

I really didn’t want to write this post, and I know I’m a few days late to the recap game. I put it off partially because it wasn’t the sub-3:00 marathon I had hoped for, but mostly because writing this would mean it was over. I can’t go back and change the way I felt on Sunday. I’ve taken a few days to digest the race, which included a healthy mix of basking in pride and sulking in disappointment.

I’ll be honest, yes, I am disappointed. A time like mine should not reflect disappointment, but it does for me. I trained for, wished for, and pushed really hard to complete my second marathon in under 3:00. I know my time is still great, and it’s a 55 second PR from last year’s NYC. Who can’t be happy with a PR?! And NYC is a tough course! At the end of the race, the feeling of sheer depletion meant I gave it everything physically and that’s what mattered. I am proud of myself for finishing, setting myself up for success with a really great first half, and staying mentally strong and fighting despite the way I felt.

Finished!!

2011 NYC Marathon: 3:03:37 official finishing time. 83rd female, 1425th place overall, 7th in age group (20-24). My 2nd marathon. Now let’s get to the fun stuff :)

Sub-Elite Start

I woke up at 5 a.m., feeling pretty well-rested and excited! I made some coffee and a hugeeee oatmeal with bananas to heat and take on the bus with me. Around 5:45, I left my apartment and headed to 54th street and 6th avenue to board the sub-elite bus. Around 6:30 a.m. we headed east down the FDR, our caravan of buses escorted by police. Seeing the highway completely shut down to traffic for our buses was the first of many unreal experiences. We arrived in Staten Island pretty quickly and were escorted away from the starting villages into a private heated tent, next to the elite athletes.

Sub-elite tent

While we were separated from the elites, we still shared portapotties and a little warmup area. Luckily, I had my CPTC teammates to keep me company! I didn’t even need half the layers I packed since we weren’t out in the cold, but I sure was thankful I had brought them anyway. I drank Gatorade and ate another banana and Gu Chomps while we waited. Around 8:45, we checked our bags in a private truck and were escorted to the top of the Verrazano bridge.

The next 45 minutes until the start were the most incredible moments of my life. We were able to start right on the line, and were free to do striders and roam the starting area. I strode out about 100 meters over the bridge and took it all in… just me and the closed bridge, nobody else in sight.I turned around and the crowds were so far away. It was surreal to be standing by myself with the bridge wide open. It was at that point I realized I was going to go for it. I’ve worked so hard the past four months to be standing in this exact spot…and suddenly I was here, standing on top of the Verrazano, taking in these gorgeous views from a truly special spot. I started to get choked up, I was so thankful.

New York, New York!

Miles 1, 2, 3: 6:45, 6:19, 6:32

The gun went off, and suddenly we were running! I tried to stay steady up the Verrazano, and found myself trailing back a bit from my CPTC teammates. I had anticipated hitting the first mile in over 7:00, so 6:45 was a bit of a shock but I felt fine. I tried not to pay attention to the second mile marker since that’s down the Verrazano’s steep decline. I thought mile 3 was a tad more steady as we wound the streets and found our way to Brooklyn, but I see it was quick!

Miles 4, 5, 6, 7, 8: 6:42, 6:42, 6:46, 6:41, 6:53

Around the 5K mark, I found myself back with my CPTC teammates Erin, Erin, and Maria. We strode across the road in a line of 4, trying to reign each other back and get closer to 6:50s. But it just wasn’t happening. I know you know that feeling. So, everytime I felt like speeding up, I tried to picture myself absorbing that energy I wanted to use and saving it for later. During this portion, I felt like I was working a bit more than I wanted to, but I definitely felt smooth. Erin pulled away around mile 6. At 7.5, I swung out to the left side of the road as my Dad was supposed to be standing near 7.8. I scanned and scanned the crowds but missed him! I was a bit thrown off, but quickly hopped back with my teammates as we approached mile 8 and joined in with the green & blue corrals! I took my first gel at mile 8 and felt good.

Miles 9, 10, 11, 12, 13: 6:45, 6:38, 6:49, 6:47, 6:48. Half-marathon mark 1:28:06.

A bit after mile 10 (why did I run a 6:38??) I realized I felt like I was working a bit harder than I should be. The crowds, the energy, the noise, and my thoughts propelled me to continue pushing. It’s a marathon, it was going to hurt no matter what. I pushed any doubt and panic aside. We passed the halfway mark in 1:28:06 and I felt a boost. I knew we had to hit the halfway point in 1:28 low or under to run under 3:00. Being a bit OCD, I checked the past year’s results and saw that anyone who ran sub-3:00 ran between 1:24 and 1:28 for the half. Nothing slower. Yes, this was fast, and YES this was aggressive, but I wanted to know I did everything I could to set myself up for success. I was on track, and just had to run under a 1:32 second half– heck, that sounded reasonable!

Miles 14, 15, 16, 17, 18: 6:56, 7:09, 7:09, 6:48, 6:53

I continued through Queens and started to feel like legs going a bit. My breathing was a bit heavier than I wanted, but I was chugging along where I wanted to be. I fell way behind my teammates going up the Queensboro bridge, but tried to keep steady. Hills are not my strength, and I didn’t mind the quietness of the bridge. I used it to collect my thoughts and my strength while taking my second gel and working to draft a bit as it was pretty windy. As we wound down the bridge, and I heard the wall of noise of 1st ave. Manhattan! I made it! I knew I had friends in the 70s and 80s, and scanned the crowds while trying to stay focused. I felt my quads really going and started to get nervous. Last year, I felt pretty good on this stretch of 1st Ave and my current state concerned me a bit. I used the crowd’s energy to propel myself forward, still happy with my splits around goal pace. My mom was on 97th street, and I was so happy to see her…though I had very little to say but wave.

Miles 19, 20, 21, 22, 23: 7:07, 7:26, 7:21, 7:26, 7:32

After mile 18, the crowds thinned and I took a 3rd gel in hopes they’d revive my legs. My quads. Oh, my quads. I rarely have issues or soreness in my quads during long runs or workouts, but they felt paralyzed as we hit the Willis Avenue Bridge. My breathing was okay, aerobically I felt I could continue to push, but my legs were not having it. I lost major time on these miles. I looked at my pace bracelet and saw the 2 minute cushion I had to break 3:00 start to shrink. It was frustrating knowing I was mentally and aerobically feeling ready to push but physically unable to increase the turnover in my legs. I was stuck in the same gear. Around mile 23, I actually didn’t know if my legs would hold up to carry me to the finish line. But I fought.

Over the Willis Avenue Bridge... (19.5)

Miles 24, 25, 26, .2: 8:00, 7:28, 7:20, 1:38

The 5th Avenue hill was the worst, as expected. I counted down the blocks one by one, feeling like I traveled 10 blocks but only having made it one. 90th street felt like it would never come. I saw my parents and barely mustered a wave. As a whole, I really tried to enjoy and savor the course but this stretch was one I just about closed my eyes and wished away. Once we entered the park, I was hit by “The Wall of Orange”– my CPTC teammates cheering their heads off. I got a boost and knew I would finish. Unlike last year where I think I blacked out for part of Central Park to the finish line, I was extremely aware during this time. Again, I wanted to just go but my legs wouldn’t let me. I remained positive and focused, knowing I’d have to continue to push if I was going to PR at all.

Seriously, are we there yet?!

Cresting up the small hill to the finish line the last .2 miles, I tried to kick and push, and was suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion. All the blood rushed from my head and body, I wanted to pass out or throw up. It was then I knew I was physically spent, a sign of a good race. I somehow raised my arms upon crossing.

Finish!

Victory!

Upon finishing, a volunteer quickly spotted my bib and escorted me to a special finisher’s area. On my way, I spotted my CPTC teammates I had run with and all finished around the same time. And, Alex who had started in local competitive found us too!

Alex, Me, Erin, Maria

The volunteer escorted us from the sub-elite to a special tent right after the finish line. I was so thankful I didn’t have to walk all the way to the end of the baggage trucks like I did last year. I barely made it to the tent, fighting the urge to pass out or at least sit down. The volunteer let us sit while she found my bag. For that, she was my hero! I sat and breathed and stared around for a while before changing into dry clothes and calling my parents.

That was it. I didn’t break 3:00, and the world wasn’t over (shocker!) I didn’t feel upset at that moment because of how physically spent I was. I wanted under 3:00 and my mind said yes, but my legs said NO. I felt proud of myself for finishing, and fighting, and still setting a new PR. So often, the mental piece of the puzzle is what goes awry and makes for a bad race. I can say despite some frustrating moments, my mind was really in the game. My legs just went a lot earlier than I anticipated which made for a really rough second half.

The Aftermath

After the race, I met up with my Mom and Dad and went to brunch at Fred’s on the UWS. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait and I had a pretty good grilled chicken sandwich. I hobbled back to my apartment and immediately got into bed and started crying to my mom. I’ve had a pretty rough few weeks, and part of me felt like I needed a sub-3:00 race to boost my self confidence and affirm I’ll be okay. After working so hard and sacrificing so much, I fell short. I failed. Running kicked me when I was down.

After drying my tears and saying bye to my mom, I brushed myself off and hopped in the shower. I knew sulking in my apartment wouldn’t help, so even though I was physically drained, I headed down to Opal for the CPTC afterparty celebrations. A few beers, a bottle of champagne, and shots later, I left with a happy heart and head. Sure, my time wasn’t the best, but I PR’ed. And the experience was worth every painful second.

Free bottle of champagne? Okay!

So now what? I’m trying hard to let this race just be and not analyze my splits, training, diet, lifestyle, etc. I feel like I did the right stuff, and it just wasn’t my day. Maybe NYC isn’t my course, and I’d fare better on a flatter one where I can keep a steady pace and not get crushed by awful hills and bridges. Part of me really doesn’t get why this year felt so much harder than last year, when I know I am a stronger runner right now. Maybe my pacing strategy was off, but I stand firm on the way I went out because it put me in the right position.

I’ve got Boston 2012 next, and I’m holding off on making any goals for that race quite yet. I’m a bit hesitant to say I want to break 3:00 there. However, I know I’m competitive with myself and probably won’t want to go into that race without the goal of setting a new PR. Let’s be honest.

For now, I will take the next week or two entirely off running and exercise of any type. For me, I need a solid rest period to break up training and racing cycles. Taking it easy until after Thanksgiving will ensure I am fresh and eager to train for Boston, and not get burnt out or injured. I’ll be sleeping in, enjoying my free time, and living a little more until then!

Finally, THANK YOU again for all the kind congratulatory messages. Even though it wasn’t my day, I felt extremely loved and supported before, during and especially after the race. As I said before the race, I’ll be back here working hard and writing about it until I get that sub-3:00!

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Here We Go…

November 5th, 2011 | Posted by Lindsay Runs in Blog Posts - (12 Comments)

It’s here! Tomorrow is the big day. I can’t believe that tomorrow I will be waking up and running the NYC Marathon.

I remember when I first wrote down that I wanted to break 3:00 in the marathon. It was just about a week after last year’s marathon, once I had a chance to reflect and regain my ability to walk. I admitted this was a lofty goal, but attainable with hard work. I’ve now put in a full year of hard work since that point and it’s time to see if it paid off.

Goals & Positive Thinking

You all know my goal time. It’s about all I’ve focused on the past few months. Running under 3:00 has been the thought in the back of my mind during every workout and long run, pushing me to work harder and stay strong.

As the race drew closer, I started to get so caught up with the fear of failing, that I started to lose sight of why I am doing this marathon. I run because I love it. Because it’s for me. Running allows me to better myself. To focus. To constantly grow and challenge myself. I’m not saying my time doesn’t matter to me, because it does. A lot. But it’s not the only thing that matters.

As my BFF Deena Kastor says (more on this later), “A joyful runner is a faster runner.”

Do I still want to run under 2:59:59.99? You bet. But I’ve had to get my head on straight and remind myself that as long as I PR and enjoy the experience, that’s still a win! I will continually remind myself to stay positive and not let “pace noise” throw off my game. My worst fear is seeing that I’m off pace and there is no way I will break 3:00, and falling apart. I won’t let that happen. I am going to run with a smile on my face (okay, at least through mile 23…) and give everything I have to at least PR. And most importantly, I will enjoy the ride.

And if I don’t PR? Well, expect a race recap with a very different tone soon ;)

Race Prep

Yesterday morning, courtesy of Emilia and Asics, Kelly, Meggie, Susan and I were invited to attend a very special breakfast at the Empire Hotel with running pros Deena Kastor (my BFF above) and Ryan Hall. Hearing the pro runners share advice really pumped me up!

Ryan’s advice? “It’s easier to slow down than speed up.” Seeing as I positive split by 5 minutes last year, I guess I follow a similar race strategy :)

Emilia, Kelly, Me, Deena, Deena's Hubby/Coach Andrew, Meggie, Susan

I spent the rest of the day working from Starbucks and laying low, and woke up this morning to do my traditional 20 minute shakeout run. It’s what we always did the day before a race in college, and haven’t changed it up since. As I finished, I got super excited (and nervous) to think the next time I step out for a run, it’ll be over the Verrazano bridge!

I headed down to Lululemon in Union Square at 9 a.m. for a run design focus group I was invited to. A few of their product development folks came down from Canada and wanted to hear from a small group of runners what we love in our running clothes (Lululemon or not!) to help shape their designs and styles. I’ve accumulated a ton of running clothes over the past 10 years, 85% of which seems to be Nike. I like Lululemon’s clothing, but the price point is a major barrier for me when I can barely even fit my current running collection into my drawers. And I am a poor working girl.

Nonetheless, the discussion was really interesting! And, we got a gift card for our time, so I used it to buy a pair of black run: speed shorts that I will wear during the marathon tomorrow. I have these shorts in another color and gradually found myself wearing them for most long runs because they feel light as air and have pockets for my gels. It was a last minute decision to switch to these shorts as I’ve always raced in Nike spandex shorts, but I love the run: speed shorts and have a feeling they’ll be great tomorrow. They’re called the speed shorts, so that’s a good sign…right?

Tomorrow

And now we’re here. One more sleep and I’ll be running a marathon through the greatest city in the world. Friends, I can not begin to express how much your support means to me. Last year, I didn’t really know anyone else racing and it was very much a solo experience. This year I feel like I’ll know so many familiar faces running out there with me, spectating from the sidelines, or cheering from afar.

THANK YOU for every last comment, tweet, Facebook post, email, story, call, fro-yo trip, drink, EVERYTHING that we’ve shared over the last few months. I will think of all of you rooting for me to draw in positive energy and strength, especially in those final miles. If tomorrow is my day to break 3:00, I will feel on top of the world. And if it’s not, I’ll be back here and working hard until I do!

To track me, log onto http://ingnycmarathon.com tomorrow or download the app and track me via Bib#287. If you’re watching, here’s what I’m wearing!

Good luck to all the other runners out there. Catch ya after 26.2! 

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